In life, everyone needs a life saver. Yeah I know it's supposed to be Jesus but I meant in terms of friends. It makes a HUGE difference and can really be the best medicines at times.
I know how I always moan and lament my missing Meredith or Christina (watch Grey's Anatomy for the clueless), Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte (Sex and the City) or even my own Barney Stinson (How I met your mother) but that doesn't mean I lack friends.
When I first came to Brisbane, it was tough the first couple of days missing home, family and friends! And even when I started to adapt, I still had a lot of down moments despite having only an aunt, two cousins in Uni and Mr. C here in Brissie!
Yeah, well, although Mr. C used to be enough. It's a different story these days. Maybe I've had my chance to spread some of my wings and tasted independence for a tad too long. Whatever it was, I needed companionship. Girl time. Someone I can ring up and say,"hey, let's go out for a drink or movie or do SOMETHING!!". Something I had back home even with my guy friends.
As I was saying about my tough times here, two people have helped me through it. NiNi is this really adorable young lady whom I met through Mr. C during his Inti College years. But back then, she and I couldn't mesh. We were just two acquaintances connected through Mr. C. However, that all changed in 2007 when I came over to visit Mr. C during his mid year Uni break. Let's just say, being Mr. C's ambassador and liaison, carrying out damage control and tidying up misunderstandings drew me closer to her. Since then, we've been in touch through letters and gifts we sent to each other.
Ever since I got here, NiNi would call me every week to chat and I tell you, these girly chats saved me from my tortured thoughts and has helped me feel a whole lot better from my off and on mild bout of sadness. We would talk about her work to yoga, about my non-working life and the one person who makes me want to clobber him, Mr. C with a hammer at times. It is just good to be able to talk to someone else for a change, someone who can understand my English- my la's and ma's. Someone who can follow my full sentences, my accent, my slang and appreciate and indulge in my bimboticness and retardedness.
I know how I always moan and lament my missing Meredith or Christina (watch Grey's Anatomy for the clueless), Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte (Sex and the City) or even my own Barney Stinson (How I met your mother) but that doesn't mean I lack friends.
When I first came to Brisbane, it was tough the first couple of days missing home, family and friends! And even when I started to adapt, I still had a lot of down moments despite having only an aunt, two cousins in Uni and Mr. C here in Brissie!
Yeah, well, although Mr. C used to be enough. It's a different story these days. Maybe I've had my chance to spread some of my wings and tasted independence for a tad too long. Whatever it was, I needed companionship. Girl time. Someone I can ring up and say,"hey, let's go out for a drink or movie or do SOMETHING!!". Something I had back home even with my guy friends.
As I was saying about my tough times here, two people have helped me through it. NiNi is this really adorable young lady whom I met through Mr. C during his Inti College years. But back then, she and I couldn't mesh. We were just two acquaintances connected through Mr. C. However, that all changed in 2007 when I came over to visit Mr. C during his mid year Uni break. Let's just say, being Mr. C's ambassador and liaison, carrying out damage control and tidying up misunderstandings drew me closer to her. Since then, we've been in touch through letters and gifts we sent to each other.
Ever since I got here, NiNi would call me every week to chat and I tell you, these girly chats saved me from my tortured thoughts and has helped me feel a whole lot better from my off and on mild bout of sadness. We would talk about her work to yoga, about my non-working life and the one person who makes me want to clobber him, Mr. C with a hammer at times. It is just good to be able to talk to someone else for a change, someone who can understand my English- my la's and ma's. Someone who can follow my full sentences, my accent, my slang and appreciate and indulge in my bimboticness and retardedness.
This is US in 2008 at Taringa, if I am not wrong.
The funny thing about her is that seeing how she lacks an English name, I used to call her Sharon which she obviously ignored. However, her current colleague renamed her 'Sally' when she couldn't pronounce NiNi's Chinese name.
Digressing for a moment. Not trying to pick a bone here but how hard is it to learn our Chinese name? We take the time to learn your culture, your slangs and what not, it doesn't kill you to learn that us, Malaysian Chinese at times, have an English name followed by our FAMILY name and our Chinese name! And I am not referring to NiNi's colleague, more like anyone who doesn't bother trying to understand how our name reads cos it happened.
So, that's the story of my Sally #1.
Digressing for a moment. Not trying to pick a bone here but how hard is it to learn our Chinese name? We take the time to learn your culture, your slangs and what not, it doesn't kill you to learn that us, Malaysian Chinese at times, have an English name followed by our FAMILY name and our Chinese name! And I am not referring to NiNi's colleague, more like anyone who doesn't bother trying to understand how our name reads cos it happened.
So, that's the story of my Sally #1.
Here's introducing Sally #2.
Unlike NiNi, Sally really is her name! She was from my high school at Taman S.E.A but migrated with her family to Melbourne when we were Form2. We exchanged contacts and became penpals- how many letters we scribbled and poured our teenager hearts and angst that we sent to each other, gifts, pictures. She even sent me a mud pack during high school years!!
It's amazing this 12 years of writing and friendship. We've slowed down our letter exchange but she's been calling me up every now and then just to check in and see how I am doing.
I guess there are other "Sallys" out there waiting to comfort me but it feels that to some, I am a case of "out-of-sight-out-of-mind" victim. It's quite saddening especially when I feel I am the kind that will go the extra mile for a friend but end up at the losing end most times.
Whatever it is, I am grateful for you two SALLYS specifically. You made it possible to survive my PMS moments here. Without you guys, who knows, I might be hanging at the end of a noose.
It's amazing this 12 years of writing and friendship. We've slowed down our letter exchange but she's been calling me up every now and then just to check in and see how I am doing.
I guess there are other "Sallys" out there waiting to comfort me but it feels that to some, I am a case of "out-of-sight-out-of-mind" victim. It's quite saddening especially when I feel I am the kind that will go the extra mile for a friend but end up at the losing end most times.
Whatever it is, I am grateful for you two SALLYS specifically. You made it possible to survive my PMS moments here. Without you guys, who knows, I might be hanging at the end of a noose.
2 comments:
Aww...so sweet! ^^
thanks! =)
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