De one with Clara

CHRONICLES Of CHUM

Oolala... Clara Kwek.. Recently, a new nickname Dale-lala.. These are the various nicknames I've used to addressed my close friend whom I've known for almost 5 years.

Our first meeting...
(omg, this expression's machum like what they used in love movies or stories)

Of course we meet each other during our first week at SRJC, sometime in March 2002. Then, I wasn't really close with her because she was with her newly found click of girl-friends and me buddy-ing with Loo Wan. Apparantly, I've only got to know her existance in 1S28 (my class) during our first maths C tutorial. Erm.. our maths teacher Mrs Kwek, a passionate teacher who cares alot for her students, arrowed us questions. Haha. Not being arrogent but I supposed Clara and I were the "better or hardworking ones" in maths from the very beginning. well, later part, I lagged behind.

The first time we knew each other as friends...

To much of what I recalled, the first time I talked to Clara was outside a tutorial room when I saw her standing outside alone and looking rather sad or troubled. What was identical between us was that both of us have an ego or strong self-pride. We don't get "heated-up" with strangers fast enough. When I asked about her, she kinda gave me a turn-down kinda reply. Well..
We didn't evelop our close friendship until towards the end of Jc years...

Our friendship develops

I remembered towards the end of Jc2, I finally shared my problems with no one else but Clara in our "jc gang". We conversed over the phone. For the very first time, I bear it all out..about what's troubling me during my drastic change in JC2. Most importantly, my brokenheart and sadness caused by my very first ex, A.

After A levels, we met up. I was really appreciative that Clara actually accompanied me in due the fact that I couldn't get my mind off my breakup. She taught me how to swim, better..even though I've learnt it when I was in secondary 1.

During my initial enlistment years, both of us develop the habit of going for supper. I'd travel all the way to Boon Keng where Clara's house is in. We'll eat roti prata and chat over ice-milo instead of coffee. Hehe. Supper ends at 1pm and I'll walk her back to her block. Occassionally when the time's not so late, she will insist on going home alone. Nice of her to walk me to the nearest bus-stop and wait until I've board the bus home.

Other than swimming and supper, we'll go out for SHOPPING! She accompanying me to shop instead of the other way round. Hehe. Her mum commented before, why I always like to go shopping all the time. Hehehe. We'll always end up laughing at each other's embarrassing moments. Bricker alot too for the fun of it.

Being a close friend...

Clara has always been independent. Well, she has a different family background from mine. So we'll tend to talk and provide a listening ear to each other. I usually rely on her whenever I experience relationship problems. She rely on me when she has family problem. In between, I supposed we share a common understanding and provide each other with the comfort, console we need. It's pretty special for me because she's a girl yet we are able to develop a close friendship. To a stage where both of us are beyond the point of being lovers. Just pure extreme good friends of opposite sex. She always comment that I'm a very sexist MCP. hehe.

I admire Clara's determination and out-frankness. Perhaps it's her out-spokeness that made her my true friend. She knows how when to hold back, if not, reprimand me to my senses. I did likewise for her too, sarcastically. Oops.

Despite her experiencing finacial problems, she spend on my birthday presents every year. Awww... I'm so touched because she works every semester break just to make ends meet.. pay for her own handphone bills, school fees..

We have alot to envy about each other.. she envies me better-off family and spending habits (though she nags at me about my extravagant spending). Me, on the other hand, envies her street-smart and all she has which I don't pocess.

Our friendship has grown and is developing even closer... I promise, we'll be good friends till old. During one of our la-teh (milo-drinking) session, we even discussed about how our current chats about life, stress from education and relationship, will transform into future chats about work, family, children and retirement plans. Come to think about it, it's really comical!