memory: coffee bean and tea leaf, malaysia
what actually makes a thoughtful gift?
a wonderful gift should reflect both sender and receiver' - which result from deep thought and contemplation of what can be practical, also serves as token of appreciation.
it is not just about the item or the value, it is the thought that comes with the gift that matters.
penmanship has always been my favorite since school and the most poignant memory i had was with the 90's Parker which i treasured so much. i seldom used the pen for it was very expensive for a school girl like me. many of my friends had the same pen, only back then, the pen came with dark blue and black.
i received this silver, engraved Parker for my departure gift from A.J., whom i knew since we were seven. we were classmates for nine years until i went to boarding school. it was a sentimental gift, the kind that brought me back to the time when a pen was seen as precious as diamond back then.
myself, A.J., nick and baby were classmates and good friends since day one. i heard this a lot, that when a friendship last longer than ten years, it is going to last a life time. i would never imagine that someday i will be saying this, we have been friends for quarter of the century, how time flies.the signs are evident, we aged beautifully like wine or cheese (couldn't find a better metaphor). i had to change my glasses every 2 years now - signs that my sights are aging badly, nevertheless. and as life is getting messier with jobs, mortgage and expanding circumference, most of us are blessed with wonderful kids. kind of reminding me of our childhood, back to the days that life was easy.
there were a lot of beautiful things that we shared, many were of funny anecdotes and songs that blast from the past - like the kind of nirvana's unplugged in new york and from muddy bank album.
when life throws me far away from comfortable and great life i had with my friends, i know it is the memory that keeps me going.
