what KS wrote abt me.. keke

S4 is like a precious diamond and people around her will always want to cotton-wool her to prevent damaging her, even though logically, diamonds cannot be scratched, except by another diamond. In short,delicate, precious, yet invulnerable. moi, paraphrased MSN message.

S4 S4 S4. It feels like I've known her forever. She probably knows me better than anyone else. One of the first people on my favorite people list, she certainly deserves to be first on this list.

Let's roll back the years to the beginning. She was gangly, gawky, bespectacled & blur. Both of us were in S1, the medicine or triple science faculty. We were in different classes and met through a common ex-RGS friend one afternoon. It was an eventful first meeting. Being the naughty, obnoxious 17 year old I was, I started name-calling a girl I've never met before in my life. I got my just desserts though. I was whacked with a pillow and chased around the garden by an angry girl with an open water bottle. It didn't rain that day, but I was drenched.

Though we started off on the wrong foot, we hit it off over the coming months. Bored with studies, she would go friend hunting around the classrooms, armed with her trusty Chinese chess set. I thought to myself, Lamb to the slaughter! She just didn't strike one as the brainy type. Boy was I wrong. I can't remember a single occasion when I managed to beat her. Talk about falling flat on your face.

A staunch Christian even then, S4 used to find opportunities to pray for people:
“Kim Seng, come here. Come here. [Beckons with hand]
“Hey simee dai, Hoh seh boh?
“Come. Sit down. Let me pray for you.
“What! No, no, no [Runs off in semi-fright]
Time and again, her kind offer was thwarted by this then-staunch atheist who shrank away from all that mumbo-jumbo churchy stuff. Thank God she wasn't offended by my bigotry and ignorance. In fact, years later, she had fond memories of the (ahem) cute boy who ran away every time someone offered to pray for him.

S4 hung out with a gang of 3-8s in VJ: CL, E, G and YF. They bantered and gossiped their way through school, childlike and carefree. Though we cannot walk the same path twice, I miss the verbal barrage YF and I used to engage in:
“三八！”
“龟公！”
“三八！”
“龟公！”
“三八，三八，三八，三八，三八。。。”
“龟公，龟公，龟公，龟公，龟公。。。”
Ah! Those were the days.

Before we knew it, the A Levels came and went. Our lives diverged, NUS for her, the Army for me. Miraculously, we kept in contact. She brought me to church and I eventually gave my life to the Lord. From chess-playing chums, we became fast friends, as evidenced by a surprise 21st birthday present, a puny $5 yellow duck keychain I hang on my bag to this day. I have her to thank for keeping me in church. Many were the days when I didn't want to go church, but it's not nice to turn down a pretty girl's invitation, no?

If you were to ask me to describe her in one word, it's consistent. Just like her favorite star, Polaris stays put, unchanging as other heavenly bodies travel across the night sky. The years may have taken away some of the gawkiness, but S4 remains the S4 of old; childlike, pure, innocent, simple, loyal and incredibly sweet. In all my years, I've not met another person like her. She's a one-off. Unlike many of our generation, she's content with the small pleasures in life: watching television with loved ones, blading with friends at ECP, listening to boy bands and dim sum at Crystal Jade. Never one to chase the 5Cs, she is happy wherever God may choose to plant her. God bless her soul.

S4 is everything I'm not. She takes herself seriously and always means what she says. You can be sure that if she says Let's meet tomorrow at 3, she'll be there. She likes to plan ahead of time, while I'm the last minute go-with-the-flow type of guy. There is no deceit about her, a perfect example of WYSIWYG. Her gentle disposition instantly puts people at ease. She's the kind of girl guys will offer to carry her bag for.

Back to that MSN quote. I described her as a diamond because she can be hard, brittle and impermeable at times. Victimized by her elder sister since birth, she has evolved the twin weapons of stubborn doggedness and sarcasm. Recipients of her acerbic tongue in piques of anger will agree; don't step on her tail. Never did meet with much success changing her mind about things too. Life is never like a buffet I guess. More like a set meal. You win some, you lose some.

S4 always makes me laugh. The pleasure's all mine, us crossing paths. God bless you in all ways as He calls you forth away from the Lion City. I believe you will be a tremendous blessing, beautiful friend.