I met ksuan when I was 11. We were both in form 1 or grade 7, in the same class. I was tall, stocky, and awkward; she had short bobble-head hair and was clearly one of the top students in class. I remember her love of books and anything French, and today she’s known for being well-read, crazy intelligent, and being able to speak at least 6 different languages with ease.
I could go on about her academic and professional achievements – as one of her childhood friends, I have nothing but pride and happiness that ksuan has done exceedingly well. She was a first-class honors student, is well-respected in her field of work, and is now a future grads student at one of the world’s top universities (plus she was accepted to the likes of John Hopkins
).
However, what I’m most thankful for is that I’ve found a true friend in her. Someone I can talk to about personal issues, go off tangent with immature references, learn from, and most importantly, someone who inspires me to try and be a better person. Ksuan is also most importantly, a patient person, with thought processes beyond her years (I would say wisdom, but it would make her sound too old. Thought processes sound better). The number of friends who call her their true friend can attest to this – we have all seen her serious and funny sides, her patience and care for us, and the trust she places in us makes us realize that this is a friend we never want to lose.
We’ve been through almost 12 years of friendship, and ksuan, I am ever grateful for the day you found me again on MSN and eventually, the classic OHMYGOD IT’S YOU meet-up at the top of the E-block stairs at Newman.
Happy 25th birthday, and we all love you. Wishing you all the best for grad school – your next journey in life.