Posts from — June 2006

I couldn’t put a word to my feelings now.

The entire day was spent being in a deep daze. I couldn’t do much work so I started cleaning my place. And cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. I guess the physical work helps to fill the emptiness.

My dearest friend who discovered that she had cancer when we were 25 and after 3 years of many many tears, joy and pain, she left this very day. We were close, very very closely bonded. Not closeness in an everyday way, but it was a real friendship we shared.

We met when we were 11 and went to the same school till we were 17. We lived in the same neighbourhood. Played the same games for our school – table tennis, badminton, volleyball. We were also in the perfectorial board (I was fired when I was 15 though)
We went on school trips, camping and also did all the girly teenage stuffs – yakkin on the phone, writing letters, giving presents, hanging out, going to “pasar malam”, having lunches after school, secret meeting with boyfriends, watching our first adult movie…

In fact, there is 7 of us in the groupie. 7 wonderful friends that did all that together.

Then we all parted our ways for the different aspirations each one holds. Some studies medicine, some engineering, some media…

She came living with me in Singapore in year 2000 for a year before she went to continue her studies in New Zealand. Boy, what a time we had! At first we rented a room together, but couple of months later, we found ourselves a nice terrace house. We cooked together, we had parties and we ate durian almost every night (courtesy of her beau then)

We kept in touch sporadically after she left for NZ. Nevertheless, every Chinese New Year, we will meet on the first day. It is already a tradition since we were 13.

In 2003, she discovered cancer. Then our friendship took to another level. We were all fighting her cancer together. But of course, we couldn’t share the bout of physical pain she had. Thru the journey, we discovered each others, ourselves and the true meaning of being friends.

We encourage each other, we opened up our innerselves, we talked about our fears, we cried together, we laughed out loud. And we know and trust that each only has the best intention for another.

Last I met her was in end April. We spent many hours talking – Sze, Mei, Yen and me. April 30, that was the night of the last long warm hug of hers.

Now that she’s gone, all I hold are the memories we shared.

She’s a wonderful person – smart, capable, beautiful, warm, friendly, true and always ever ready with a smile.

It is indeed painful, a great lost and I still try to grasp the very fact – for I still see her name on my skype and just waiting for her to ping me, hoping that is this a bad dream afterall. Or scrolling to her name in my mobile, wanting to ring and to hear her again.

But the fact is, I will never see, hug or kiss her again in this lifetime of mine.

Our pathes once crossed but I know that it will never cross again,
But all memories made in this lifetime will stay forever in my mind,
I will miss you dearly, Pei Sze.

The signature smile!

And when we were still teenage girls.

Chinese New Year gathering that we never missed since we were 13 years old.

Steamboat dinner during Chinese New Year.

In Taipei.

Another Chinese New Year. See, always someone in RED!

Night before her wedding!

I had the honor to be her bridesmaid.

She’s lovely, ain’t she?

Perfect couple!

** She closes her eyes and she could see the 12 years old girls playing in the fields. Running thru the winds and laughing out so loud. Those were the days!

To create your own visited countries map

Quite cool he? Feel like a conquerer…

Well, there’s lotsa more to see in the world and never it will be the same encounter on another trip even to the same place…

It’s always different! Even on the same moment, its different through the eyes of another or just in a different second, everything changes. Don’t you agree?

So let’s really appreciate every moments of our lives!

Just remembered of some very nice pictures I took during the last trip here.

I figured I should show off some niceties of Brussels so that frens will be tempted to come visiting this beautiful country – and visiting me, thus I will have continuous supply of my Shin Ramen and Prima Taste packs… muahahahha…

Come! Come! Come! A warm welcome to cold cold Belgium!!!

Hey, ain’t my skills improving slightly? (Minus the mis-focusing sometimes)

My first attempt to cook meself a dinner.

Cooked rice (leftover from sunday’s dinner)
10 Long beans (cut into 1cm length)
1 Carrot (cut into tiny strips)
3 Dried mushroom (soaked in water and cut into tiny strips)
3 Cloves of garlic (chopped into tiny tiny pieces)
3 Shelled prawns (cut into 4 pieces each)
1 Ginger (just tiny piece)
1 Small onion (small slices)
1 Chili (chopped into tiny pieces)
1 Egg
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, thick soya sauce.

First, heat the pan. Throw in the garlic and onions. When it turns golden, add the prawns and ginger. Then the mushrooms. Afterthat, throw in all the long beans, carrots and chili. Add salt, pepper and water. Let it boil so that vege will be softened. Then the rice. Open a hole in the middle, break the egg. Mash it up. Then add soya sauce for the taste and colour.

Hokkien people like food in dark colours

But well, as usual when I am cooking, something always goes wrong – when the fire started, wok get heated and I get panicky. So in fact, I toppled 1/2 bottle of the pepper into the wok :-/

So, it was a PEPPER fried rice I had instead with lotsa ketchup!