It Began @ Bagan

I strongly support birthdays falling on Mondays.
Got to be the best day ever cos you’ll be forced to celebrate
the weekend before
thus have 4 days where you wake each morning feeling like
it’s your birthday

And it is
Kinda.

So Friday evening, Bagan.
Anticipating the arrival of Vanessa from the valley
the girls and I were thinking a slow night,
some chilled white to ease us into the weekend
take away the hectic edge of the work week.
Some heart to heart, catching up.

Ana text to tentatively cancel
Soo ling turned up unexpectedly
Jeanette and Irene turned up surprisingly boyfriendless
“Ana, you better come, Jeanette and Irene actually came without boyfriends!”
She came.
(It was that rare an occurence)

We sipped, we chatted, we let Roz’s vocals cause goosebumps to rise on our skin.
We were celebrating the start of celebrations

For this one

And this one We opened our presents
Vanessa finally (kanineh! an chua anneh ku eh?) arrived
And minutes later Stevo sneakily sat down
"Surprise!"

Half and hour later Angeline, Edmund and Sandy snuck in

"Surprise!Surprise!Surprise!"

Mahai,damn surprised ok? My last email before I left the office
was "I wish you guys were coming!!"
Never suspected a thing,
what are your secrets to secret-keeping?

Vans said that Stevo, in preparation for arrival in penang
brushed up on his hokkien on the highway.

“Kanneh, Kanineh, Kanasai. Kanneh,Kanineh, Kanasai!"
You do it very well, Stevo.

And then there was supper.
Where I introduced them to
RM20 maggi mee with stewed pork and mantis prawn
RM50 for two plus frogs legs...good or not?