Battleship

Happy 21st birthday Joanna Tan Mei Kee!!

Firstly, I am very very sorry for not having the time to make you a nice card. These few weeks have been damn crazy :( You know we love you.

Anywayz, you're finally 21. This will be the 6th birthday we've celebrated with you!! Too bad my memory is so bad I don't remember what exactly happened the past five 5th Aprils.

I think one of the first times we really went out and really spent quality time together and not in a big group was this. Youth Day in Sec 4, when the other 6 people ditched us for some reason. We went to Cityhall and took silly photos while trying to memorize Social Studies the fun way. Look how young and carefree we were.. :"(

Secondary 3-4 was really fun with everyone. We had our bitchy and stupid times but we always pull through them. You were (still are, actually) the skinny silly girl who didn't know ANYTHING, and didn't care about anything.

Then came JC period, when we all got separated for a short while. We went on very different paths, and met our own friends while having our own fun. Occasionally, we all gather to tune our frequency and made sure we all knew what was going on in each other's lives.

We shared extremely silly moments, just because we could.

But the four of us really got close after A levels. We meet up and do nothing but laugh all things silly. We could sit ANYWHERE for as long as we wanted. Like buying KFC 2 pc chicken meal and hoboing on the floor inside Thomson Plaza until we got chased out by the security guard.

I love how we can talk about anything and everything. We pulled each other through our worst times, and celebrated together in times of joy. I have never felt so loved by a group of friends until then. I love our iMessage group conversations, our FB conversations and our meet-ups. We can never run out of things to talk about.

We've changed throughout the years. Our conversation topics steered towards heavier stuff like school, family or life in general. We've seen each other through various life changing periods and crises, from bad break-ups to results to choosing universities. We went to Restaurant Week, clubs, bars, Bangkok and Hong Kong and its never enough. If only we could all tour Europe together next year.. 

I'm glad three of us made it to the same school, and Enru being so near us. Above all, Jo, I'm glad you're in Business and we have each other to tide through the awkward friends-making period. We filled up each other's schedule gaps and whined about school work together. It is extremely comforting knowing there's someone familiar in school whom you can fall back on. And believe it or not, you were my pillar (extremely figuratively since you can barely support anything). Together we've tried and experienced many things in school and accompanied each other through our transition to being adults. Well, at least until you met Matt.......

Not complaining, because after all you've been through, we're all damn happy for you that you've found Matt. :") 

You are really insensitive, irritating, blur, stupid, rash and have no common sense MOST of the times. Sometimes I just want to whack the hell out of you. How can anyone be so blur and clueless?! But I guess that's also a good thing about you. You're straight forward. You do things as they are, as you wish. Somewhere beneath that corrupted BODYSKIN of yours lies the innocent and naive Sticko and this quality is so precious today. You're always willing to help me when I ask for a favour, untainted by the supposed competitive SMU culture. Although a lot of times your shooting-your-mouth-off characteristics can really get (and almost got) us into trouble, I know that you're just clueless. You don't see the malicious side of things because you are just so innocent. 

No matter how old you grow, in my eyes you will forever be the tiny Sticko that I will protect with my life, because I know you would do the same (Erm, if you could). 

Thanks for being my friend through all the bad periods of my life. I know we are damn kaopei to you but I know you know how much we love you. 

Here's to two more years of friendship IN SMU, and an indefinite years from then on. 

(Pardon the slight incoherence, I've been up for 21 hours.)

(This photo accurately reflects the nature of our friendship.)