Catching up with the Boys in Singapore

It's close to 4 a.m. in the morning and I'm wide awake. Sleep is such an elusive pleasure nowadays. :(

As I'm tying this, Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" is crooning in the background. I've forgotten how soothing good music can be, in the serenity of mornings. :)

In the next few hours, I will be leaving for Singapore for about 2-3 nights. Am catching up with some of my university buddies in Singapore - Benster, Ah Kang and Denz (who will be flying in from the UK). Every once a year or so, I go down to Singapore for this annual reunion, where we converge and mutually update on what's been happening in each other's lives.

I just realized that this will be 10th anniversary of our friendship. 10 years - wow! How time flies! But old friends are the best - there seems to more to relive each time we meet up - even if we're repeating the same old stories.

Benster was my housemate in the UK. Now happily married with a gorgeous wife, Karen (who is the daughter of a timber tycoon in Malaysia) and a new addition to the family, a baby daughter. It's amazing that this boy who used to be obsessed about the Phantom of the Opera and computer games - is now one of the top criminal litigation lawyers in Singapore.

Benster used to make much better money, when he was defending drug lords in Singapore. They paid cash, according to him. Haha! But his conscience got the better of him and now, he's focusing more on commercial litigation. And the latest news is that he seems to be climbing up the ladder of PAP Youth and bringing a breath of fresh air, a bit of heart and soul, to the kiasu and geek-driven political party,....

Ah Kang (this is what we affectionately call him) has his own legal firm in Singapore and is at the same time, running a tuition business (with his girlfriend, Katherine) and a restaurant (with his dad). He's so entrepreneurial and a great cook to boot. He's also actively involved with Sunday school and is a model citizen - I call him "church boy" sometimes, half-mockingly in fun.

Denz is the high-achiever Malaysian in the group. First class honours in both his degrees in Buckingham Uni. and his Masters in Law from Cambridge Uni., he's now practising Technology Law in a prominent mid-sized firm in London and doing top-notch legal work for the likes of Microsoft, Oracle, etc. (Apparently, the American technology firms, prefer to outsource their international legal agreements to the mid-sized firms in the UK, for reasons of privacy and quality of work)

Denz is now waiting to get married to his girlfriend of over 12 years, Siew Hooi next year. She's in an art college in London - a talented designer cum former merchant banker. As a couple, things don't get better than these two. They're so perfectly matched. Brains and beauty, class and humility. All in one.


It seems like all the boys are doing well, in both work and life. But they claim that they look forward to these annual reunions, because "the most interesting stories come from me". I swear that's another way of saying that they're living vicariously, through me. Haha! But then again, single life must look good to people "who eat the same dish" everyday,...;)

But yes, at this stage of my life, I would love to have the constancy of having the "same dish" every day. They envy the excitement of my life and the storm of taking an unconventional career path (or sometimes, relationship path) and I envy their strong relationships with their partners and their families.

There's much laughter, reminiscing and new stories to look forward to tonight, in Lion City. The Boys are together again. For the 10th year. Older, stronger, wiser and most certainly, closer.

Thank God, for old friends. :)

p.s. Will only continue blogging again, upon my return from Singapore. Until then, feel free to leave your comments. Take care, people! :)

p.s. # 2 - Voice, I want out and bought a Kelly Clarkson CD, after being intrigued on your entry on "A Beautiful Disaster". It's a great song and I can SO relate to it! Haha!