Happy 19th Birthday, Asyikeen Azhar!

My closest pal since I was 8, and we're still holding on. She was my fellow top scorer in Captain's ball, the only other rock-climber (other than yours truly, of course) to 'test out' the school's new synthetic horizontal rockwall(when it wasn't fully ready), the only other person to reach the top of the 3-storey high rockwall with me when we were 10, the one who got thrown out of the school library with me for laughing too loudly, the one with me who got reprimanded when we were trying to create a world record for the longest eraser chain in Malay class, my partner in bullying the other girls... and well, basically my partner in crime throughout primary school.

I'll never forget the ridiculous nicknames we gave each other, or way she always tried to make me read Animorphs and the Secret Seven when I'm reading Sweet Valley. She's the rational left brain between us and she went to a supposedly better secondary school, and also a definitely better JC.

But through it all we've never lost contact, still ringing up, still hanging out, and that's not something I can say for the rest. In fact we're even meeting up for lunch later.

She should know that I'm extremely grateful to have someone as levelheaded as her as my close buddy. And that I love her for never once expecting the world from me and also for entertaining my crazy ideas for the past 10 years, some of which has gotten both of us into serious scrapes.

What was it that Delio said in John Webster's 'The Duchess of Malfi'? Old friends, like old swords, still are trusted best. And it's easy to see why. Old friends are those you made before you learnt the art of bitching and judging people. You've accepted them and they've accepted you without any preconceived notions of how people should be. And I'm happy that I have at least one old sword to rely on. =)

Selamat Hari Jadi ke-19, Chikeen. Ikhlas daripada Noron.


Because of you
Life holds much more
for you make life
worth living for.