Forevermore

Dear Pappy,

I was looking at our wedding website and it hit me that I only have 1 month and 17 days left before I officially become Mrs. Rod Chua. I thought I should write you this letter before things start to become more hectic for both of us with all the planning for our wedding and our house that I forget to tell you these things.

First of all, I’d like you to know that I’m very happy and excited that I’ll be your wife soon. When I was a little girl, I believed in fairy tales and my favourite cartoon was Cinderella. Being rescued by Prince Charming from the wicked stepmother and stepsisters was the most romantic thing in my mind. And I thought that’s how all people found their partners in life and lived happily ever after. Then I grew up and realized that that wasn’t always the case.

In our case, I don’t expect you to sweep me off my feet and rescue me from whatever troubles I may have in my life. I don’t expect you to be Prince Charming or the guy we see in romantic movies. And I don’t expect you to always be perfect. We’re human, we all make mistakes. But in our marriage, I do expect a few basic things from both us. And those are love, respect, trust, commitment and honesty. I think if we have these between us, there’s nothing that will be too hard or too difficult for us to face.

For the past year that we have been together, I have learned a lot about you. Your likes and dislikes, your pet peeves, how quiet you get when you are pissed off at me, which parts of your body are ticklish, your favourite spot for me to kiss you, your favourite foods, how you treat your family and friends, how you look when you sleep, how much you love Shanghai, and so much more. But I think the most important thing that I learned while we were together the past year is how important I am to you. No matter how mad or “pikon” you are with me, or how tired you are from work, or how busy you are with all the wedding plans and our house, you always make me feel and know that I am your number one priority and top concern. And for that, I love you even more.

My dreams for us are simple. I don’t expect us to be rich, or to live in a big mansion, or travel the world. I just want us to grow old together, maybe have a couple of kids together, and share the good times and tough times together.

Pappy, thank you for making me so happy. You’re not only my husband, but you’re also my Prince Charming, my lover, my beloved, my rock, and my happily ever after.

I love you, forevermore.

A Girl's Bestfriend

They say "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." Although I am sometimes inclined to agree with this statement, I think everyone should be so lucky to have a "diamond" like my best friend, Cheryl.

You see, Cheryl and I have known each other since we were in Grade 1. She was the smart and popular girl in class, while I was the tomboy with the funny Afro who hung out with the tall girls in class. Little did we know that when we entered Grade 4, we'd get along so well and we've been together ever since. I later found out that she was scared of me coz I was always surrounded by the big girls, and I told her I was also intimidated with her coz she was always so soft-spoken and well-groomed, hehe.

Fast forward to more than 20 years later and we are still the best of friends. We’ve gone through everything together. From moving to a new country to moving back home again, from the pressure of having to get into a good university to graduation, new jobs, new friends, new loves and breakups. For all the important events in my life, Cheryl was there with me.

I believe it is fate that God has blessed me with a wonderful best friend. Talking and just hanging out is always fun. We can talk about anything forever and it’s never boring. I think she was given to me so that I would have a sister that I never had. Being born the eldest and only daughter in the family, it's sometimes hard to relate to boys how we girls are. They can never understand how crazy we get when our hormones fluctuate, how PMS works, how we cry just because, or how happy we get when we get to eat a good piece of chocolate truffle. And I think God gave me to Cheryl because she's born an only child and she can share all the good stuff that she gets from her parents with us mere mortals, haha... I was given to her so that she’d have an ally.

Now that I am getting married in a few weeks, there’s no one else who can take the place of my maid of honor.And even though I will have a new partner in my life, Cheryl will always be my best friend and partner in crime. I see us growing old together, with our kids playing together and us sharing more long talks over a good cup of coffee or a great bottle of tequila depending on the situation...haha! Cheers!