Having Friends

All of you know I’ve been working like a mad dog in recent weeks. Besides the stress from work, my mind was also full of other frustrations in life. But throughout these mind-challenging situations, I’ve still been a fairly happy person because of two reasons…Zen and friends.

It is indeed most fortunate that through my sacred contracts or G-plans, I got to know so many friends in this life. And to be accepted and appreciated for who I am despite exasperating you people with my many idiosyncrasies has definitely made me value friendships even more.

Friendship is never a one-way relationship. We take turns to help lift each other’s spirit up, and I find friends do have therapeutic effects. Take for instance the makan and mahjong session I had last night with my cdac friends, it really helped me de-stress and took the nagging thoughts about work off my mind. Many thanks to KK for being so spontaneous and agreeing to have us over at his place for steamboat, a decision made in less than 5 minutes. By the time we reached his place, he had prepared everything and we could tuck in to the food immediately. I like your efficiency Mr Lai!

I am back at work today in the office…yes, it’s a Sunday but I’m feeling cheerful. It’s nice to have friends…right? ^_^

“When a friend makes a mistake, the mistake is a mistake but the friend is still a friend. Friendships are a way of being important in another person’s life, knowing that someone we like and care about is happier, more secure, and more likely to make right choices in his or her life because of us.”

“Friends have been defined as people who know you at your worst and like you anyway, people in whose company you can be yourself. But perhaps more than anything else, friends are people who care for you for who you are, not for what you can do for them. They worry about you when you’re sick or depressed, and they rejoice with you when you have something to celebrate. Perhaps the truest friend is the person who can be genuinely happy for you when something good comes your way that may never happen to him or her, whether marriage, financial success, talented children, or any other blessing.” – Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

ps: Thuy Le, true friends will always be there for you in fine and bad weather…no need to apologise, ok?