Friends are like....

Movies.

When you watch a movie 100 times and it's still good. Like Jurassic Park the first. That is your best friend.

When you watch a movie and we say that it's so great, you are going to watch it again soon. Like Avatar. Or Sherlock Holmes. All those blockbusters. That is your really-really good friend.

When you watch a movie and say that it's good but there were a few scenes you'd prefer to be better, BUT is still good. Like Stargate. That is your good friend.

When you watch a movie and say that it's ok.Nothing bad about it but it was just.... ok. Like Space Chimps. That is the person that you know is ok, but is not your cup of tea as far as a friend goes.

When you watch a movie and it was just bad. Like Jennifer's Body. I mean, you're glad you watched it because you know you can either a) make fun of it or b) tell other people it's a bad movie, don't watch it, or c) at least you know first hand that it's bad. Now that is your acquaintance that you do not ever want to befriend with.

You'd still have those movies that you thought sucked big time when you watched it the first time but you bought the DVD and tried it again and it turns out to be good. And those that we find unbelievably good 5 years ago and felt abashed when we watched it again last night while thinking "This was what I thought good???"

So yeah, to me, friends are like movies. You have great ones, good ones and sucky ones. ;)

Not to boast but...

I'm not a great philosopher of love and relationships but this I can tell. Love does need rules. To make things work, you have to know what you should and shouldn't do. I have had my share of relationships (not saying whether they are good or bad cause to me, that's quite subjective) and I think those who think relationships are merely happiness and fun are those who do not know the depth of commitment you're in.

I have loved and lost in the past and I know what I've done wrong and what I think I've done right. Self-sacrificial is in fact a way for us to show our significant other that we are not selfish. That we can give other things up for the one we love.

I'm not talking about 24/7 lock-down, or a complete change of one-self. Commitments are not about that at all. It's about knowing your responsibilities as a boyfriend/ a wife/ a son / etc and owning up to them. It's about the thought of texting him to tell you've arrived at work. It's about the mere 'sorry' you say when you've done something wrong and NOT elaborate it into excuses that would make things worse.

I love my boyfriend. But I understand that he is not ready for this. So this is MY commitment of waiting for the moment he'll finally be able to see what this is all about. And I know that day would come and I'll find it worth all the while waiting.

So here's to those with the patience I hope I can carry.

Lets Talk About.... Food

and Love...

I haven't seen my Dad's family for more than 10 years now and then suddenly, yesterday, they came for Kakak's engagement. You can imagine the tears, laughter, stories, and then more tears and laughter. We talked for ages and then we went for the early Chinese dinner to Sabak Awor. Food has always been that medium of bringing families together. Take Chinese New Year. We have our traditional Makan Besar. Or Hari Raya, we have the familiar scent of ketupat, rendang and kuah lodeh with the sounds of sobs and sorrys in the background.

Families are not supposed to be divided and torn apart by distance and time, even after the death of that one soul who connected the two families in the first place. Like my Malay grandmother said - "Tak kisah la. Itu kan keluarga. Walaupun ugama kita lain. Mak Tok dulu pun tak kisah orang nak mengata mama awak kahwin dengan Cina. Tengok - keluarga baik."

It's so good to see my Uncle Leong, Aunt Patsy, Adeline, Yu Meng and the nicest Grandma ever. How they would hug you like you're something they can't let go. That feeling's mutual.

So here's to my Kakak whom is now someone's fiancee. To my late father's brother and family. To my mother who cried today for various reasons. To my brother who spoke more today than he would in a whole year. To me who see the look in everybody's eyes that says - "This is a good beginning of a new relationship as well as a forgotten one."

People, those who are gone live in the memories of us who stay.

It's 2010 People! And yet it feels the same...

So, I'm just going to say a few rounds of thanks and appreciation of what I have in life and not dwell on what I don't have.

I'm thankful that I have a boyfriend who is very patient with me. Very.

I'm thankful for the family I have. My Mom who is the greatest mom on earth. Who would do anything for their children but still would let me hold the steering wheel of my own life.

I'm thankful for my friends. Who have seen the worst of me and yet would still let me be part of their lives. This is for you especially, Najwa Hani. You are a strong character that I look up to. Always will be.

I'm thankful for my life, my work (at least I have one, right?).

Some might not have that responsible brother, or the understanding mother, or the matured older sister, or even the right partner. But we all have something that others do not have. So lets just be grateful for what we have been given. And most of the time, we didn't even ask for it. Yet, we receive it. It would be my utmost honor to say I give my thanks everyday, but I humbly profess I don't. And that is something we all should not let slip from our minds.

So here's to what we have, and to un-dwell on what we don't. Thank you, God.