Annual crash course on a year’s of Wileen’s life..

• Quite a number of events had made realized how insignificant my inexistence was to a group of friends I held dear to. It was difficult; I had to talk to a few of my most trusted confidants before I could really detach myself from them. The saddest part was not the process of drifting away. It was the part where you were not missed, not mentioned of, and not spoken to. Sure, we do bump into each other once in a while, we passed words of hi-s and bye-s. Yet, in an unspoken manner, we all knew those words exchanged were nothing but merely a form of courtesy. I mean, I knew I never really did fit in. I also knew I was not a friend whom they can do without. But still it sucked, having affirmed that they do not cherish anything you have done for them. Then again, maybe all the things I thought etched a place in their hearts were nothing spectacular, but just a passing of notion. I do not know, I will not know and I guess I finally do not care anymore.

• I went Taiwan! Yes, I did! It was a wonderful experience, all the 8 days spent in Taipei. I tasted the most yummilicious food there, visited the most breathtaking sights, walked the longest distance to Fisherman’s Wharf, and did hell lot of shopping there. I even set foot on the school that was used to film Jay Zhou’s movie - Secret, took the Ferris wheel at Miramar Shopping Center, and went to Jiufen where it was used as an inspiration for the set of the animation - Spirited Away. I must say that I had a whale of time in Taipei!! But of course, my thoroughly enjoyed trip was not completed without my great travel companion, Miss Xan Tan. I am really glad that we did this together, especially when no one else seemed interested in joining the trip with us to Taipei. Well, who said the more is merrier? I think two’s a great company! Don’t you agree, Xan?

• Taipei was great; Taipei also brought forth an end to my love-less life. It was because of that trip that I got to know Mr. W. Oon, who happened to be on a trip to Taipei too. Our love did not blossom during the trip, it began on one movie night when our dear friend, Mr. Tng, fell asleep and was hopeless in waking up. So Mr. Oon and I went ahead for a movie and got to know each other a tad better. I do not know whether if it had anything to do with the cup noodles we shared, or did Robert Downey, Jr. put up a show too captivating for us, somehow we shared comfort with each other in that otherwise boring night. Things just moved on from there, and I have been really happy, having been bestowed with a guy like him who saw the beauty in me, embraced my flaws, and still loves me the same.

• Many weddings. Many new borns. Way too many. To name a few, if not all, there were weddings of:

- Hao Ran and Huiling - Isnarti and Husband

- Ryan and Elicia

- Soo Beng and Janice

- Siang Ping and Felicia

- Vernon and Judy

Babies:

- Joelle

- Khaipin’s baby

- Esther’s baby

- Jonas

And right after the passing of year 2008, was Jen’s wedding and Hz’s ROM. Wang Wang’s wedding is up next towards the end of January 2009, and I am already booked for Lijie’s wedding in July this year. My hands are already numb from all that giving of red packets. Bad economy is not helping

• I am still curious what happened to Ms. Dorothy Soo Der Min. This year, I gained a friend back but I lost another. I knew the reasons for my friends who somehow crept away from my life, however Ms. Dot’s disappearance remained a huge mystery that none can decipher. Is my friendship to these friends so dispensable and taken for granted? (*Double sigh*)

• I believe I had my most memorable birthday this year. Thanks to Mr. W. Oon for his rather elaborated celebration for me. Surprises started 2 days before my birthday and I think he really did put in plenty of effort in all that planning.

18 June - Wow factor number 1 was the very lovely Bottega Venetta coin purse.

19 June - I received a huge bouquet of flowers in my office and he sprang a surprise visit at my place with a cake by the stroke of midnight.

20 June - In the evening, he took me to my very first ride on the Singapore Flyer, because he knew I super-love ferris wheels.

Perhaps to some, these were not great gestures, but I must say that he is the first person who made me feel like my birthday is actually a special day. I was truly pampered, and unfortunately for him, he has set a benchmark for himself on my next birthday.

• My teeth are finally straightened! Now, I do not want to be reminded how crooked they were before. One more year to go!

• I fulfilled my “life-long” dream of buying myself a designer bag. Since now that I have a reasonable and stable salary, I decided that it is time to act now, or I face deliberation and never get one. So I sourced around for a while, and concluded that brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Coach were way too common among our rather well-to-do Singapore Citizens, and if I have to get one, I want one bag that is different and less ordinary. One morning, I woke up from my snooze on my way to work and saw a lady carrying a really nice Prada bag. I was in awe as I have never really liked the brand, mainly because I had conveniently linked it to our secondary school day’s fashion. Remember that Prada nylon bag along with Chantel Thomas, Sonia Rykiel and Fendi? Well, those were the “in” brands back then. However, I really liked one Prada bag that I saw and bought it almost immediately. That adrenaline rush, and the retail experience, were priceless (and pricey at the same time).

• Eat, eat, eat and eat. Wedding dinners, Christmas dinners, New Year Dinner, Birthday dinners……… All that seemingly endless 10 course meals, pot luck and buffets, no wonder I am feeling fat. I am only too glad that I have started jogging again. I shall use SHAPE’s 5 km run as my goal. I have only reached my 3 km mark by the end of year 2008, and I hope I do better this year. Oh, I mean, I have to.

• 2008’s New Year Eve’s countdown to 2009 was spent with my dearest cousin. After work, I went to meet her at Yishun where we then made our way to Causeway point for dinner at Jack’s Place. Dinner was delightful. We have planned to sip wine and countdown at an obscure corner under Fullerton Hotel. So we lugged 2 bottles of red wine from Cold Storage and proceeded to Raffles Place. We should not have underestimated the amount of people who will be counting down at Raffles Place! Everywhere was blocked by the police, and people were pushing one another. It drove us nuts. We did not know that there was a fireworks display in that area at all! Desperate to find a less crowded place where we can settle down and quench our thirst with the 2 bottles of red wine in our bags, we walked, AND walked, from Raffles Place> Fullerton Hotel > Padang> Raffles City> Parkview Square (Yes, my work place. To think I was actually there in the morning. Argh). So, seat conquered, with no crowd. We counted down with the peeps shouting from Haji Lane and hooray! It was finally New Year! Then the fireworks went off, and all we saw were reflections on the building’s walls. Yes, we had a “great view” and it was indeed “exciting”. Then as we were both indulging in some intensive cam whoring, the security guard came to shoo us away as they are closing soon. We had no choice but to settle at a very “romantic” seat along the road. Oh, did I forget to mention the very friendly cockroach that sat beside us? Scared the life out of us. Now, how perfect is that to you? Yet, despite the very long walk and the bad shock we both suffered from, we actually did enjoy ourselves that night. I really believed the wonderful company we had with each other surpassed all that exhaustion and frustration we felt. I guess I did end off year 2008 in a memorable fashion.

So, here you go. One year of my mundane life. It may have been a little disappointing in certain aspects, but I felt that I have gained so much more than it appeared to be.

I lost one good friend in the hassles of life, but gained a “kampong-ful” of friends in return. Last year, I labeled myself as the love-less bitch. This year I found love. I thought I would not enjoy traveling all that much, but now I think I have to admit I do. Many times, I felt I have lost things I cherished, but upon reminiscing, those things lost, were not worth looking back. I know I am not proficient in looking pass things, but at the very least, I am moving forward. For that, I give myself a pad on my shoulder.

Hello 2009!

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