to my galfriends...

adding on to my piece on maya angelou just inspired me to do a whole piece on a group of people who make my day everyday. my girlfriends. i'm so fortunate to be blessed with a bunch of gals who love me for just being me, with or without my makeup, false lashes,warts and all.

like my husband effendi, i'm always wary about letting anyone into my circle, because you really can never tell...it's not always that people want to be your friend to just BE your friend, these days, it's sad but true. and i lead the kind of life where it's always moving at a pace i can barely control,let alone have any chance of wondering where the next dagger is gonna come from or who's saying what about me - I AIN'T GOT NO TIME, MAN!

it's a challenge sometimes to ward off negative people who have nothing but bad things to say about other people (i've trained myself to just stare blankly at people who try to engage in such conversations with me and slip away quietly - best thing to do), and generally stay away from "functions" where i'm just a "functional" prop or a name that will make their invite list look cool, or worse still, like i've said before, where i'm just "high-table dressing" - thank you very much, i have enough to do with my evenings, and even if i don't, its a huge relief for me to just do nothing for a change.

i think i will offer these words of advice to my daughter when she grows up.

firstly, lead a fulfilled life on your own. if you're not fulfilled and content with what you have, you'll always be looking.

secondly, don't seek anyone's approval or endorsement. wanna do something? think like Nike and JUST DO IT. nobody's opinion matters, as long as you're always sensible and don't do anything to harm anyone.

thirdly, don't allow anyone into your personal space if they don't bring value to your life, no matter how much you think you want them to be your friend. waste of time and good energy.

i have been so lucky to have a few gals in my life who have always been there for me, through the rough and rolling times, (mostly rolling lah, i must admit - life's good...) and whom i'm so lucky i can LET MY HAIR DOWN WITH without fear of being judged, be a complete nutter in their presence, drool over patrick dempsey like schoolgirls and giggle and squeal like mad women with even if it's over kaya toast, half-boiled eggs and tea at kopitiam (unless someone's been spiking our tea lah, everytime...;-p). thanks for the good times noren, ida, mal, cat, sylvia, amaal...

*i heart you all*

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end.

BUT.........

Sisters are there,

no matter how much time and how

many miles are between you.

A girl friend is never farther away

than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you

have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life

will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,

praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on

your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the

valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk

beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,

daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,

Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended

family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and

neither would I. When we began this adventure called

womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or

sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we

would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.