Viva la friendship!

It's funny to think of Lesley-Anne having an "old friend" since she's only 12 but I sense that the affection and nostalgia usually attached to the phrase apply to the way she feels about Brian. It's not just the fact that she has known Brian since she was in k2, he was also one of the rare playdates I'd arranged for her (though come to think about it, they were normally initiated by Lilian.)

The two of them have a lot in common, they're both quiet, reflective and bright, and they liked the same types of games like board games and soft toys. Even though Brian drew a blank when he tried to teach Lesley-Anne chess! So it was with some regret when Lilian and family had to leave Singapore. Both kids were only in p1 then.

Well, both of them are now in p6. How time flies! It was with great anticipation that Lilian, Brian and Sean paid us a visit yesterday. This post is mostly a duplication of Lilian's post but I really wanted to record the visit. I was wondering if it would be awkward between Brian and Lesley-Anne since they haven't met up for such a long time. But no, they seemed to get along reasonably well, probably helped by the spontaneity of their younger siblings.

Here they are playing with the hamster (left) and a board game (right), although Sean lost interest after a while and was perfectly content chuckling to himself while reading Calvin and Hobbes.









Lunch was baked pasta (see how much better the photo is with my new Canon Ixus!!)

Tea was banana chocolate chip cupcakes, which I'm happy to say, was a great hit with Lilian. No talk of diets at my place, Lilian!! The photo was hers, by the way, mine were all blurry. Seems like my tremulous hand can subdue even the best camera...

We had an absolutely fabulous time and I'm not just referring to the kids. Chatting, gossiping and grousing about DSA with Lilian was just what I needed to relieve stress. Nothing like having an empathetic companion! Aside: although Lilian knew each other from way back during our NUS days, we weren't close until we became neighbours and enrolled our kids in the same primary school. Since I started my blog and consulted her, the blog guru on technicalities, we've grown much closer and I think it was a surprise to both of us how much we have in common in terms of outlook and beliefs. Thanks a million for the friendship, Lilian - you're a godsend in this pressure cooker world of exams and obstacle courses!

Of course we had to capture a shot of Brian and Lesley-Anne for old time's sake. Here's a picture of them back in 2004.

And here they are now. All (almost) grown up! The stuffed elephant next to Brian is the same one he's holding up in the picture above.


And here's a shot of all four rascals together.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one." - CS Lewis