May oh May...
Who else feels like May is the busiest month of the year?
And somehow, just like that, we’re already at the end of July? It’s Q3?! Where did all the time go?
Oh yeah… I gave birth, and time has been speeding ever since.
So many things happened in May, but the biggest highlight of all?
My best friend since 2008 got married.
Her name is Amelia, and this is her story (well, our story, really).
Our first encounter was at the bilik wudu’. She had long, straight hair. I complimented it, asked her name, and she told me, “Amelia, but you can call me Mimi.” And the rest? History.
Mimi and I are complete opposites. I love packing, she hates it.
She played basketball, I was in the debate team.
She was a house captain, I was the head girl.
She didn’t quite agree with me becoming head girl at first;
I remember us barely speaking after the announcement because she was afraid I would change(?).
But after I returned from the Asian Schools Debate Championship (ASDC) in South Korea (which we won!),
she gave me a note.
In it, she said she’d support me in everything I do from then on.
I never forgot that.
When I was 17, I had my own room - perks of being head girl - but I wasn’t brave.
She was. I’d sleep with the lights on, and she would come by and turn them off once I had dozed off.
She understood what I went through.
The pressure of leadership, the academics, the mental load of being on the school prefectorial board.
I cried almost every night, and she always knew. She lent me her giant teddy bear to keep me company.
And knowing I wouldn’t eat when I was stressed (a habit I still have), she would make me instant porridge and make sure I ate, even if it was just a little.
After school, life took us to opposite ends of the world. I flew off to Canada for my degree, and she went to New Zealand. But during my first summer break, I visited her in Auckland, to console her after her first heartbreak :(
In my second year, I returned to Malaysia for an internship. On one of the weekends, she third-wheeled on a date I had with Pan and took me to Fattah Amin’s café in Kota Damansara. We also spent hours at her house with Aunt Liza (Mimi’s mama) karaoke-ing, laughing. I remember Edda was there too!
In summer 2018, she told me about a guy she used to borrow a car from, but had never actually met. They were in the same university but had different circles. They finally met after graduating. Oh and did I mention she graduated with flying colours from the University of Auckland?! Proud bestie moment.
When I asked her what her plan was, she said, “I’m going with the flow.” And surprise, surprise, the guy turned out to be Ajijui. We even had our first double date on Skype!
Before my final year, during winter break, Mimi and Kak Shasha flew all the way to the US to travel with me. I mostly free-rode the trip because she did all the planning and bookings (I was drowning in schoolwork). We drove across several states. Just the three hijabis on the road!
Honestly, if my daughter Iryss ever asks to do an all-girls trip across the US, I’d say, hell no! 😂 Nothing major happened, but we did stay in a sketchy downtown LA hostel where people got high every night. I got really bad bed bug bites. Aside from that, it was one of the best trips of my life.
When we shopped at the LA outlet, we became Aunt Liza’s personal shoppers. We bought almost half of the Henri Bendel store, no exaggeration. Our handbag haul could cover a queen-size bed. The security guard had to escort us to our car. Iconic.
Little did I know, that was the last time we’d meet before the pandemic hit.
When I got married, none of my best friends could attend. Zero best friends in my wedding photos. Sad, right?
And Mimi’s case was worse as she was stuck in New Zealand. As the youngest in her family, living abroad, she couldn’t see anyone for over three years.
When we finally met again in 2022, she teared up. The last time she saw me was in January 2019… and suddenly we were face-to-face again, more than three years later. Me, married with a child! Wild!
But that’s our friendship. We don’t talk every day. Sometimes we go months without a call.
But every time we reunite, we pick up exactly where we left off.
We may not talk all the time, but it always feels like no time has passed.
To be continued.
Stay tuned for Part 2: the wedding day. ❤️
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