An ode to a great friend

This is a long overdue tribute to a great friend by the name of Serene Sia Ying Ling.















I have so much to thank with this girl i dun even know where to start!

So - as i mentioned before, you are probably the only person that i've really kept in touch with from my "past life" (i.e. my days in singapore and taiwan). Always letting me stay at ur place, taking me out for food, shopping with me, shopping FOR me...


You actually take time out away from your usual activities whenever i'm visiting in sg to hang out and go with me to places - which kinda fell into a pattern over the years while we were growing up.

Finally last year i was able to convince you to come to nz. Or, more like, you took time off to come to NZ especially for my 21st~!













You'r constantly taking care of others - maybe sometimes pple think you'r bossing them ard, but i think most of your friends know that you'r jus doing what you think is helpful and most of us would like sit back and enjoy the show! and of cus we'll tell u when we hav objections - after all if you have the courage to take control and help us, we shud also hav the courage to speak up when things go wrong rite? =P And as evident of that, see, serene is cutting the cake for me even when its MY bday party and she's the guest of honour. But no - that night she voluntarily became the host also (well, to a certain extent since she was living with me and my close close friend she kinda is automatically a co-host of some sort...but thats' note the point) and here's picture evidence of her cutting the cake for me while i watch.













And i know i made this daring request for you to give a speech at my 21st - i'm so honoured that you agreed to come AND speak in front of ALL my friends abt me!! Its amazing how, after years apart - you still know they way i think and what i want well... And the long speech that you have prepared for us - that was amazing... it was what the party needed and ...thanks for not revealing more embarrrasing things!!
I'm also really happy that you managed to get everyone to write messages on the cards - they provide really good memory!! One thing tho - how come you didn't write any...?

And thanks for giving me the opportunity to visit paihia also...

I duno if i mentioned to you how grateful i am that u were able to come and hang out with me and jenny. I'm constantly amazed at your social skills - you get along so well with the friends i have, almost like you've met them all before as well! i'm so impressed. And that's y our trip to paihia was such a great success - cos we did what we all wanted to do, and both u girls got along well with each other too!

So then after this I went over to melbourne just recently to bother you for 3days. What did you do? You had to take 1 day off lectures, and walk ard with me even though u walked around already heaps last week with your brother and developed blisters and a cold. And we walked ard together in the rain too. Again i'm surpised - the serene a few yrs ago would have been like "maaaameeee, come fetch me, i can't walk any more than 1m...!!" and you'll refuse to go out!! but the serene now is like happy to walk everywhere...i'm very impressed! Again tho, thanks for much for taking us ard, finding accomodation for us with shu - and coming over to live with uis too while we were at shu's, organising the daytour for me and getting the discount (that was so worth it - i'm so glad i went there!!) And then for putting up with me and taking me shopping once again. If there's something me and you must do whenever we meet besides eating, it has got to be shopping!!!! And yes you've managed to convert me into a repressed shopaholic over the last few yrs.

AND i blame my brand-conscious mindset on you now. I was such a night-market basa market clothes guy, and then you got me into U2 and giordano, and then you introduced me to sissley, FCUK (remember that $130 shirt!?) and other shops along that line, and now you'r getting me into the world of burberry and ralph polo....serene...what next? Yea, i know, you have since moved on to Gucci, armani and LV already.....pls pls pls don't take me therE!!!! ><"

And so i left Melbourne, and you would think that serene would now be able to take a break and catch up on her work. But instead, she spent hours burning taiwan TV shows that she downloaded for me - those i guess i guess shows and stuff that we watched with great interest in paihia. And then i realised that i left my laptop charger at shu's place and she has to go back to collect it and post it to me. Furthermore, because i failed to find a bag i liked while i was there, she even splashed out her money and bought me the bag and posted it to me, and at the same time, labelling the bag as my 22nd present so i can't pay her and i'm not even allowed to feel bad about it!!!!! Here's the bag:

So here we are talking abt this friend, that bought me this Hugoboss cologne when i wanted a cologne (and i didn't even tell her abt it)...

Bought me a cellphone for my 21st birthday (surprise of my life)

Came over to NZ for my 21st and even gave me a burberry shirt (like her coming over is not a present already...she has to top that up)

Got me a bag cos i was trying to find one...

not to mention all the time and effort she put in whenever i visit her in sg or melbourne...those water and electricity i used up in her house, those food that we made us eat and those extra calorie we need to burn off...

Serene - how can I thank you???????????????? I'm at the stage where "thank you sooo much" is not sufficient to describe what i'm trying to say.....!!!

Its good seeing that you are settling down well in Mel, and not thinking of running bk to SG every free second you have.

and that in many ways you are much more mature than i am, and much more experienced to the world.

I know you will do well there - we all have faith (not pressure), in you.

Take care, i know I will go to melboure again SOON!!!!!!!

Again, i'm really grateful for such a wonderful friend.