A ring is round and has no end...

...and thats how long i'll be your friend.

We became friends in kindergarten. The best of friends really. There were two of them and one of me. Two of them because they were twins. Twins who were born on Christmas Day, which made them extra special friends to me.

After primary school, we all parted ways. They went to the local high school closer to their home and i did the same. I felt gutted to be separated from my best friends. It was a horrible experience. As Asian kids, the only place you got to see your friends was at school. Asian parents didnt believe in sleep overs and rarely allowed their children to participate in birthday parties of children their parents they didnt know well. Our parents heard, saw, or read one too many news stories on kids being kidnapped to scar them for life.

We promised to write like pen friends and it lasted for a few years and it sporadically phased out. No blame to either party, we were taking school seriously by Year 9 and obviously made new friends who were just as close if not closer. But in those written letters we spilled secrets about our latest crush, secrets about people all parties knew from primary school, and secrets about secrets...

By Year 10 the letters stopped but i still thought of them and would especially remember them on Christmas Day.

It seems funny when fate intervenes. After those years past of not writting to one another, we happened on a fairly miserable day, bump into one another between Redfern station and USYD. And throughout uni we would bump into one another and perhaps caught up over lunch a couple of times over the next 3-4 years.

Then once again, things sort of phased out. Its not that we ever stopped being friends, we just werent active as most friends.

My first full time job as a Network Admin with a Telco company, one of my team members knew their brothers. And so i got their email off him and we caught up again. Via email they filled me in on their lives, their plans to go to Europe, current bfs, etc. We made a plan to meet up on a Saturday night for drinks and some dancing.

Once again when we met, it was like we hadnt been apart. What makes our friendship work and transcend from kindergarten to adulthood is the fact that when we catch up and talk to one another we are open and honest. We pretty much reveal everything to one another and thats how we can make each other feel like our friendship meant something and that the trust is still there.

Since that one catch up on that Saturday night we hadnt seen each other for a while. Still emailing, sometimes regularly, sometimes not for a few months. Mostly the emails are forwards of funny jokes. But on those rare occasions after a while, we would touch base by replying to one of those forwards.

Like after the World Cup in 06, they had gone to Germany to catch a game. (They are football fanatics.) We met up for lunch as it was long overdue...and we chatted like there was no tomorrow. I think it was a touch weird, as it would have been one of the most "adult" things we have done together. *LoL* We had a proper sit down lunch at a cafe. Its not like i have never caught up with friends at a cafe for lunch, but as they were my kindy friends, it was territory we had not endeavoured previously.

But it was a great feeling to know we had finally brought our friendship to a different level.

We bumped into each other at bars as well, which was a quick hello and how are you? As i would normally be at the bar for another friend's thing, as would they be. But these impromptu hello's would spark another round of "touch base" style of emails.

Recently before Christmas, i had dinner with my family at the local Thai/Lao restaurant and they were there with their family for dinner too. We sat at the table next to them. They were surprised to see that i had 2 cutie nieces and they thought my little brother was my very young bf...like i was a complete craddle snatcher...*LoL*...cos they think he is uber HOT! But after a double take they realised that it was my little brother by 6 years.

Before i left the restaurant i did the "Happy Birthday & Merry Christmas & Happy New Year" wish to them both and told them we should catch up. As they were back to work this week, they sent emails to friends for their birthday drinks, which was on last night at the Opera Bar.

It was lucky that i had gone to work on Thursday and checked my email. I emailed and advised them that i was technically still on leave and wasnt sure if i was going to head out to the city on Friday night. So it was a 50-50 decision right now. They understood as they still live locally too, and knew the pains of driving to the city when you're already at home.

I contemplated about whether i should go...

And then i thought why not? I have been hibernating for almost a year, repairing myself after the break up. I'm not going to meet anyone by hiding at home. And i think i am ready to meet new people. And since i havent actually celebrated a birthday with them EVER...it was long overdue. There were no more excuses or exceptions like the previous years.

The previous years i was overseas during Christmas, actually spending it with family (very bizarre)...or i was too young to be out driving on my own, think in my late teens early 20's (my parents still have issues with me driving on my own late at night).

So, i caught up with them at Opera Bar last night and i did have a back up plan, i brought my alterna-date...but i told him that it was a good opportunity to meet new people, as i didnt know half of the friends that were on the mailing list. A lot of peole were from work and he actually met a cute girl...who after a couple of sms' to the twins after drinks, i found out that she is single and she likes Asian guys...so the chance is there!!! (We can be match makers soon!!!) *hehehe*

In terms of me, did i meet anyone? No, but i got to catch up with them again. I met one of their boyfriends and as the other is currently single, i chatted to her for most of the night. At one point, we went to get some water and this American man came from the side and stood between us as his friend took a photo of the 3 of us. She asked him what the photo was for? He said it was because he was leaving Sydney today. But that didnt seem like a response to me, so i said "I hope that photo was taken because you think we are hot!"

The things that come out of my mouth after some champagne...and once again, i only had half a glass! >_<

I've started to wear our friendship like a badge of honor now. To all the people i had met last night i was introduced to them as "...this is one of my best friends. I've known her since kindergarten." And everyone she says that too, they are surprised but in a good way. And i like that reaction.

*^_^*

We counted the difference between now and the year we became friends and realised that it is now 20+ years.

So, we are planning an outing to celebrate.

And then we thought about celebrating 21 years too...as you do with birthdays! *LoL*

I'm thinking we should hang out more...but we'll see how things go. Irrespective of what will happen next, they will always be my friends.