Girl and City

At 6pm on Tuesday, I rushed from CDR‘s downtown condo, where we had all been gathered for an Ikea-furniture-assembly party, to the poshest part of the City to meet friends from The Business School for dinner. As I exited the metro, I slipped off my ballerina flats for a pair of simple black pumps, and immediately, I was dressed for a semi-formal meal.

I arrived to find TM and BPB waiting for me at the bar. TM handed me a colourful striped box.
“What’s in it?” I asked him.
“Read the tag,” he said with a smile.
I flipped over the tag on the box. You drink, right? It read.
“Is this what I think it is? Is it a bottle of Gewurtzraminer?” TM had found out my favourite white was Gewurtzraminer during our Europe trip. I was pleased he remembered.
“I know you love it.”
“I do! Thank you!” I gave him a hug.

I hadn’t seen BPB in a long time, since he had been on exchange in Hong Kong all semester. I turned to him and gave him a hug too.

Moments later, the rest of the party streamed in, including Jasmine and Vin Diesel, carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. I had never received flowers from a non-boyfriend before. And the bouquet had white calla lilies, which looked so beautiful and elegant. Of my Europe trip-mates, Jack Sparrow was the only one who couldn’t make it, but he sent me a text: “You are one of my favourite Asians.” Coming from him, that meant a lot.

Dinner was quite pleasant, and although the Italian food was not as good as what we’d had in Italy, it certainly reminded me of it, and that was enough. After dinner, we went to a penthouse lounge nearby for some champagne and astonishing views of the City.

The entire night, I made sure to spend some time talking to each person, and the more I chatted, the more it dawned on me how strong my roots in the City really were. When I’d chatted with PHB a few weeks ago, he had told me to see Singapore as not only a new chapter in my life, but also an opportunity for a fresh start. When I heard that, I was reminded of how excited I used to be when I was a little girl every time I switched schools (which was quite often). Every time I went to a new school, I had the opportunity to re-invent myself. If I wasn’t very popular in my last school, no problem, this time I would make the right friends and start anew.
But it’s different now. I’m not looking for a fresh start. I like who I am here, and I like my friends here. I don’t feel frustrated or suffocated such that I need to get away, that wasn’t the reason I took this job. I took this job because it was a rare opportunity to challenge myself, but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss what I have here, who I am in this City. For the first time in my life, I had established roots.

And here I am picking up my life and moving.

My favourite TV show is Friends. Without a doubt. I have mentioned it countless times in my blog so let me just re-cap one more time. Friends is AWESOME.
I went through a phase in university (not too long ago) where I would watch Friends non-stop. I mean literally, this was the only thing I’d watch. I think I saw the whole 10-season series eight times before I finally put something else in my DVD player.

Friends was my constant, the thing I could count on when I got home from a long day. I would always watch it before bed so as to “change the topic” in my mind so that I wouldn’t stay awake at night with anxieties taking over my head.

My favourite character is Chandler, because I’m a sucker for nerdy, insecure guys with a sense of humour. I think I’m kind of like that, but I hide it well.
My least favourite character used to be Phoebe, because I just didn’t get her, but after watching the show so many times, I’ve developed a soft spot for her, even more so because not a lot of people like her. Monica and Rachel are so boring compared to Phoebe!

What’s your favourite TV show? Do you bond with friends over it or is it a personal thing?

There’s a joke in my Business School that while some people were there to get their HBA (Honours Bachelor of Arts), others were there to get their MRS (married).

A week after exams were over, one of our peers posted an inconspicuously titled photo album on Facebook: “Wedding Photos.”

Coco¹ was, apparently, getting both her HBA and MRS.

Most people said congratulations. I did not say anything, since I don’t know her that well. I was still reeling from shock that the girl I saw in class a few days ago was married.

And not just to anyone. She was married to a multi-millionaire. Practically Hungarian royalty. (more…)

1. All names have been replaced with fictional names. [↩]

I ushered in the new year standing in OBF‘s kitchen with a glass of bubbly, surrounded by six of my closest funnest friends from high school. This particular group of friends is one that I’ve kept in touch with the best – we always get together whenever there’s more than two of us back in The City.

Someone I didn’t really know was eavesdropping while I updated my high school friends on the Singapore situation.
“Aren’t you going to miss your friends?” She suddenly asked.
I paused for half a beat. “I didn’t really think about that.” She didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. “I figure I’ll make new friends there,” I added. It didn’t occur to me until later how harsh that sounded. The friends in my life now, the ones I’ve known for over seven years, are they replaceable?

I never put too much stock in friendship because I moved around a lot as a child, and I never had trouble making new friends wherever I went (keeping in touch with old friends, that was the trouble). It wasn’t until high school that I stayed in one place. But once I did, the friendships that formed were stronger than anything I’d ever imagined.
These are friends who are guaranteed to be able to make me laugh, and laugh so hard I need to take time-outs. These are friends who know me, and each other, so well that we can be around each other without any filters or pretenses. These are friends who I can call on after a year of zero contact, and pick up exactly where we left off.

When I think about it hard enough, yes, I absolutely will miss these friends, no matter how many new friends I make. When I think about it hard enough, I almost wish I’d picked New York instead of Singapore.

But I also know that these are friends for life. And that means, that no matter where I end up, no matter how scattered we become, our friendship will never change.

I have a lot to look forward to in 2010. For me, the new year means:

• Graduating from university. Final exams end in early April for me, and I also have three weeks off throughout the term, so I only have three months worth of class left.
• Traveling. Many of my friends from The Business School are on exchange this term, and they won’t finish school until early June. Which means I can couch-surf throughout Europe in April and May. I also plan on going back to China to visit my grandmother before heading to Singapore. So the plan is: Canada –> Eastern Europe –> Canada –> China –> Singapore.
• Moving to Singapore. This is something I look forward to entirely separate from starting my job. I am planning to get a condo in the Central Business District (downtown Singapore), somewhere close to the subway lines, walking distance to my office, and of course, with all the bells and whistles of a Singapore condo (Olympic-size swimming pools, state-of-the-art fitness centers, and sometimes even maid service – seriously, each one is like its own little resort).
• Starting work. I will be starting work at the Consulting Firm in September. After a one-week training, I will immediately be plunged into a project. Although it is very difficult to predict where the project will be, odds are it will be in China or Hong Kong. Other possible locations include: Thailand, Sydney, Tokyo, Seoul, or Europe, or North America. With the Consulting Firm, the world is literally my oyster.

2010 is a major turning point. It is the end of my life as a student and the beginning of my life as a fully independent adult. And I can’t wait.

What does 2010 mean for you?

This year, things have really come together for me. I feel so unbelievably lucky that there is nothing more that I could wish for. The greatest gift that I want to receive this Christmas is love. And it is also the gift I want to give.
All I want this Christmas:

• Enjoy being with family. After this year, I’ll be flying the coup! I want to spend lots of time with my mom and dad, take them out to dim sum, go to see a play or something, help them prepare a Christmas feast and enjoy the Veuve Clicquot I brought back from New York together.
• Actually play with my Wii. I bought a Wii nearly two years ago and have barely used it. I only bought one game on it. Once I start working, I doubt I’ll have any time to play at all. I’m not even sure I’m going to take my Wii to Singapore with me. So this holiday, I’m going to buy a few more games and play Wii!
• Cook again. I have completely lost touch with my cooking skills. These days, everything I make is blah and tasteless. I don’t put heart into cooking anymore. In fact, I’m not even sure I enjoy food anymore (I know, blasphemous!). I really want to enjoy the wonders of food and taste again. Plus, I probably won’t be cooking much at all when I’m in Singapore. So, I definitely want to cook at least one memorable meal this holiday season.
• Reconnect with high school friends. The friendships I made in high school really are lifelong, and after this year, we may be even more scattered than we already are. I want to do the things we always do – karaoke, AYCE sushi (or some outing to an Asian restaurant), shopping, etc. On this note, I don’t know if I should reconnect with MFL. I mean, I know not being close friends with him was a good decision, but if I am leaving soon, I don’t really have to worry about that anymore, right? So should I take this holiday season as an opportunity to re-establish our friendship?
• Reconnect with “satellite friends”. These are the one or two friends I’ve kept in touch with from other places in my life, like Chinese school and summer camp and whatnot. I usually only see them once a year during the holidays, so I definitely won’t miss my chance this Christmas.

What do you want for Christmas this year?