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Our Humble Abode! |
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Diary 1999 (How it happened) It was a busy beginning of the year for me. I was heavily involved in dance and my group got into the finals of Funkamania V (1999) due to compete on the 15th Jan. For all those who don't know what it's all about, well, it's an inter-tertiary dance competition (Jazz, Hip Hop, Funk, Streetdance). My group was busy with trainings and practices and costume-making , basically social life equals to nil. It was then that we went into a cooling period before I made a decision for the both of us. I still remember how our 6th month anniversary of knowing each other was spent. Su had hockey trainings in the evening that fateful monday 4th of Jan, barely 3 days since the start of our cooling period. I just got back to our room from dance practise and around 11pm, she came back to pass me a heart shaped cheese cake and a single stalk beige rose well hidden by the side of bag containing the cheese cake. In it was a card and a gift wrapped neatly inside. We met downstairs at the entrance to our block. Su had to rush back home that night. It was still the school holidays then I remembered, my whole hol's was burnt in school ..... I gave her a luminious key chain with her name "Su" on it. Scrapped off the "sie" from the tag "SUSIE" , I have one such key chain modified by her too, from a "JESSIE"to"JESS" - a gift from her that night after our annual club performance (a round up of our one week dance camp) over at Takashimaya last year from 1998. It was two days before I got to know that Su had fallen in "love" with me .... after her fruitless pursue of XX..... I was totally confused. Maybe the time period between the two events got me frightened of her feelings for me, of my feelings towards her then. I don't want to lose that special bonding we have for each other.. all along not understanding that I had fallen in love with her too over the past few months. Long telephone conversations lasting 4 hrs or more happened almost everyday over our hall phone while she 's home and when I stayed alone in school. That was a very confusing period for the both of us, She's afraid too like I was, to lose even our friendship. The drastic move to shift out of our room was the last resort and it felt really weird discussing such stuff and all come to think of it then. I chose to remain as friends that evening after my dance class at Siglap. It's at Coffee Club that we met .... I received a bouquet of flowers she and her sis arranged on their own that night. I gave her a letter full of heartbreak that never really go away even after we eventually got together. I regretted being so selfish as to not have think through more about "Us" I was terrified. I am sad that repercussions from that episode of our encounter still ring in our hearts now and then. That was the week just before a new semester starts again. Funkamania V that night, our group emerged 1st runners up. Su came after her National side training that evening just to support me. I was really touched, even after what had happened.We went Barfly (just the two of us) to celebrate. I didn't know how it came to be or how it came to be but our courtship period started from then and there if you must put a date to it. That night (Dance finals), my bf didn't turn up, he had been on very bad terms with me for almost 2 months now. The last straw came when he refused to support me throughout my preparations for competitions and external performances... to him, he saw it a waste of time, and totally unneccessary, eating into time we can actually spend together. I guess that really put me off and finally made me understand that he didn't care very much about me. I gave up on him after an almost 3-year relationship and it took me a few weeks to settle with him. I had been taken for granted for so long that he didn't know how to react when I asked to break up. On the second week of school, I was expecting Su to meet me at Bubble tea before making our way back to our room. And there was I, down at Jurong Point, shopping for something to give her.. I didn't know why, but just felt like giving something to Su. I settled for a black long sleeved (grey detachable sleeves) top and bought the sound track of "Practical Magic" . I felt really excited for her to open the gift, it's like, a part o me wants to share with her, and i feel myself really opening up to my hidden feelings for her, and accepting the very fact that i want to be with her! It's how amazing sometimes , how things work. :) After the competiton, I participated in the Chingay performance for Chinese New Year , practice sessions were scheduled on every Tuesday and Thursday over at Kallang plus usual dance classes and external performances. Time was really packed for the both of us. Su had 3 different hockey trainings ongoing... let me see: IVP (school trainings) ; Club trainings; and finally National Side hockey. She was recently called up to the National squad then(1998 December). it was really a wonder how we managed to meet up for drinks at Boat Quay (our favourite being chilling out at Barfly) and supper at Boon Lay Place.Or even have dinner together.I still remember the wee hours in the morning where we will stroll together to North Spine and sit there for hours chatting about our dreams, our life, our family under the stars, that sheltered walkway .... haven't done that for ages come to think of it. Spent Valentine's day eve's with Su that year, I went to watch her hockey match over at Delta that afternoon. My ex met me there too, he went there to pass me his gift for me ( he claimed to have been preparing it since last year 1998) It was a bouquet of handmade roses (a dozen) and the whole mint collection of Winnie the Pooh from Mac's, I was touched but, i don't feel for him then.....He left after the 1st half of Su's match. we went Redhill market for Stingray and fried carrot cake that evening. and round it off with her getting me 10 red tulips at midnight (14th Feb) near my place when she sent me back home that night. It was unforgettable , especially how amazingly cheap she got the beautiful tulips! It was Lunar New Year's eve (14th Feb when flowers are at their most expensive!!) and the stall keeper was closing his shop at my neighbourhood and offered it out for $20 for a whole bouquet of tulips!!!!! Spent 14th Feb with my dance mates together with Su. Just days before the actual Chingay (floats parading down Orchard Road; our item involves three dance items , dancing by the side of the floats or on it ), Su got some family problems... her Mom was due for a tumour removal operation the following week. From what I know, Her mom survived chemotherapy years back to fight cancerous cells , now it was another growth... Su's worried, I was worried.... That was 26th feb. 27th feb was the actual Chingay 27' . It was on the 1st of March 11.50pm, down at Brewwerks , while sipping raspberry beer, I wrote Su a postcard. I agreed to be officially attached to her that very night, very moment. Just felt so in love.. but still wary I guess... Su's birthday was around the corner then( 21st birthday). Didn't get to celebrate her birthday because of her whole day commitment to hockey (National Sixes) I gave her a blue pouch and til now, she haven't really been using it. :( hmmm.. maybe the pouch is too small??? We had lots of Neo prints (sticker photos) and photos together then, Was so crazy over neo prints that we can spend almost $15 at one go! We had our share of favaurites then, early on, we went bonkers with drinking over at pubs that was when we frequent Niche and tried out Taboo and other gay pubs round town. Barfly was till then still top choice for us, Su practically wooed me there! Till it changed management and staff we know... *sigh*,we blew loads of good money on drinking and chilling out and transport back school/home.Our activities became more healthy further down the road, if you consider frequencing arcade centres to play the DJ machine thingy healthy. :) I still remember those times when we actually went pubbing at least once a week! Every where we went, I had to dedicate songs to my love, especially lauren hill's "can't take my eyes off you" got that song request at sole luna, at hardrock cafe and barfly.... that day we went Suntec to shop around, and there was a booth especially for song dedication, we got to write three titles and there's no guarantee that the Deejay will play our song. Who knows, after the next song, "Each Time" by East17 was picked. :) Loved those days!! so heady and in love!! Both of us loved to eat especially crazy over Marche's fried calamaries, fresh oysters from that shop over at Boat Quay! :) And of course, all sorts of Jap food!! Food was the determinant as to where we go "gai-gai" Movies was a frequent feature too. up to at least 1 movie a week!! (then, the price of movie tix's still $7 , no $5 during weekdays thingy) The beginning of 1999 was really when Su fatten me up!! I gained a few kilos and this can be seen really visibly!! Imagine her cooking dinner almost every night and we having supper at Boon lay place and of course the weekend indulgence in good food and booze!!! Quite spendthrift then! Is that what you call honeymoon months?? If that's the case, our honeymoon never ended, maybe the only difference is that we both got wiser in spending money now. Our professional attachment came after our exams in May. The whole two month period was taxing on the both of us. We are hardly separated much during the whole semester (we are roomies in school you see) and only break when we spend the weekend (usually Saturday night till Sunday evening) at home with our family. As in working during the weekdays the whole of May and June really shorten our time together. we met only like 3 times a week for dinner together or if it's not feasible, we meet at bus-stops to take transport back home together, even if it meant seeing each othr for 1/2 hour a day. We survived. :) Su started her PA later by 1 week, hence when I ended my attachment, she still has one more week to go. During that whole period, we sent each other emails almost twice daily! Still have all those emails filed and saved in my acct folder. I can't bear to delete it, Su too, she managed to print some out for momento sake, least the mailbox gets jammed by the shear size of the folder. Till this date, we are still sending personal emails to and fro to each other every other day. (despite the fact that we stay together. :]) I went Pulau Aur then for a scuba diving course with my dancemates. That 4 days spent in a wonderful island, swimming with fishes and enjoying the nature was great except for the fact that Su was not around to spend it with me. There was no means of communication at all till I returned from the trip on the 11th July, a day before school is due to start agin for the next semester. Missed her lots then, we each took a notebook and recorded our day and thoughts in each and planned to exchange once I got back Singapore. Missed her terribily then. I used to own an Ericsson 788 (hp) till the 12th of Jan . Su brought me to sell the phone over at Peninsula Plaza and with the money from that sales, she topped up to $600 and got me a Nokia 6110. If not for the problems that the phone has been causing, I would not have agreed to owe Su that amount then. I still have a Nokia 6110 though it's not the same one she bought me. During PA(May till June), my bag was stolen when we met for dinner after work one fateful evening, along with it, both our wallets and also my handphone. Since then, She gave her phone to me(6110) and used her old Nokia Banana phone (8110) till she finally got a Nokia 6110 nearing the end of the year. Since that theft till now, both of us haven't registered for a new ID card. It's either too lazy, or no time, or plain Bo Chap. We plan to do the IC soon in another month's time (March 2000)..... gross right?? At least we both have other means of identification.So it's still not that urgent as yet. It was only recently that the CID called me up to say that my international passport was misused by illegal syndicate.(lost my newly renewed International Passport along with my hp and my wallet) Hiyoh!! Things went really rosy for the both of us. I was then busy cheorographing for my faculty Dinner and Dance Pageant. Su was the scorer for the Pagent thingy, while I coordinated their performance, paid of course. In addition to that, I was involved in an external entertainment company, signed up as a dancer. Assignments are given and soon I had a few that took up quite sometime.Su ceased to train for the National Side, due to some unhappy events that happened during the months of May and June. As usual, school work was plentiful, and in addition, as final year students, the start of our Final year Project (FYP) swing to a full time momentum. Life was blissful and sweet and action packed. My decision to join the next three dance competition (Funkamania, Zaam and Talentime) proved to be a tension stricken road to our relationship late after our semester end papers. Time was devoted to dance, and stuff that are termed as "a waste of time" by Su. Tempers soared and tiffs happened at a very regular basis. I was afraid, and I don't understand why everything happen in that manner. Su was stressed out by her commitment to hockey, to FYP and her school work wasn't doing very well.... and I wasn't there to support her with my commitments in dance. The storm, I don't think I want to elaborate, but it has been an experience that has bind us even stronger. |