On My Friends

A recollection of my squash journey does not seem quite complete without touching on my closest friends. The people who grew up with me, made my RGS days real fun and kept me sane in my darkest times. We had our own share of friendship issues but I guess we managed. I think I would not have been able to survive my Sec 3 and Sec 4 years without them. For one, without their generous sharing of homework, I would not have been able to hand up my assignments on time. Without their well-taken notes, I would have no idea what went on for the lessons which I failed in my many attempts to keep awake.

My three dear friends ...

Wenjie: Meticulous, neat, organized and down-to-earth. It was really her luck that she had to sit right next to me in class and put up with the mess I was always in. She tried to keep me awake with her nudges and pinches with no avail. Her attempts to make me a better student somewhat failed.

My messy corner which WJ had to put up with

She is ever so dependable and trustable. We would not have managed our dinners, outings and chalets without her. As we await the birth of her first child in June, I suspect it would be a long time before we will have a chalet or a gathering of any sort that would require a bit more coordination.

Yee-leng: A blur blob. I had most fun with her in school. We always spent the few minutes in between lessons in the toilet having water fights. Our classmates would look at us in amazement as we returned totally drenched in our blue pinafores.

I have always admired her creative talent. We would give little notes and gifts to each other during those days and I had always enjoyed receiving hers. They were always filled with cute drawings, funny descriptions and some real cool poems that would make my day. These little treasures I still keep with care up to today.

Cheryl: The shortest amongst us and the one I enjoyed teasing the most. On many occasions, Yee-leng and I would steal her shoe and throw it down from our 4/1 classroom onto the quadrangle one level below, causing her to scramble down with only one shoe to retrieve the other one.

She is one person I know ever so sweet and caring. She is always there to listen and I find it easy to pour my heart out to her.

Last Christmas, I received a card from Cheryl as usual. She is the last few people I know who are still religiously sending Christmas cards. On top of the usual season greetings, she added a few comforting lines, knowing that I was going through a rough patch. My reply to her via SMS was “Thanks for your card. Yes, for certain things, the passing of time would heal. But I know some things that time would never erode away. The friendship between us and your ugly handwriting! Ha, I recognized your chicken scratching the moment I saw the card.”

We have known each other for more than half our lives now. We have gone on rather separate paths since secondary school and because of our hectic schedules, we meet only once in a while, mostly for each other’s birthday. However after all these years, the bonds between us still remain strong and I am very thankful for that.

Back then, I could not spend that much time with them because of my trainings and had a tendency to “neglect” them. With my focus on squash, I probably did not show as much appreciation for their friendship as I should have. But I guess it is true when Ellen Petersen said that real friends will understand your priorities and will always be there for you. It is only acquaintances that one has to keep though constant hanging out for fear of losing them.

(Ellen Petersen was then the No.1 squash player in Denmark when I had the privilege to interview her during one Singapore Open. The question was on how she managed squash, medical school and social life.)

I am grateful for these great friends who I have grown up with and whom will walk with me for the rest of my life.