I am sitting in my king-size bed as I write this, ala Carrie Bradshaw and what I want to do, like Carrie, is write about my girlfriends with their tremendously grown up lives. I love this group of women whom I meet almost weekly for nice long boozy lunches, or intimate dinners, usually somewhere in town, often chic and most of us dressed up (except me, I tend to turn up in grunge).
A typical night is tonight. Karen - the Rock of the group and the only person who can get me to turn up anywhere on time - found a deal on the internet (as is typical of Karen and Sara who are the finders of good deals)for a 3-course meal + champers at Hommage Grand Salon in The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Aldwych and signed us up for it. Karen organised it, organising everyone's payments, train schedules, everything!
We met punctually at 7pm. All of us, in the lobby, greeting each other with kisses (two). In the swanky ballroom, we drank and ate. Boss (Sylvia, the only actress I know who is never without make up, never without her nails and hair done and never without a man in courting, is Boss of the group as she is the judge of all things regarding decorum, culture, taste and etiquette) and myself watching how many glasses we have as we are the lightweights in the group. Wine is a necessity at our gatherings and we have been known to have half a bottle each + various cocktails and champagne (if they come with the meal, what can we do?). Whilst Karen is the Sommelier (see the theme here), Sara is always up for a Stellenbosch. Alison and I will drink anything and Boss is a Rose woman.
The conversation is always brilliant. Today we talked about anything ranging from teenage pregnancy, SO-19 visits to the violent boyfriends, TV - (I should watch The Killers apparently), the latest men in my friends lives and even waxing. Today, we could not get away from laughing at vajazzles and The Only Way is Essex. I like that it is no holds barred and we don't mind being the loudest in the restaurant and looking like we are the only ones having any fun. We are all different personalities so conversations are always interesting with a myriad of different views.
Karen is the Best Friend anyone can have. She is loyal to your interests, stands up for her friends. She is sensitive to everyone's needs and pays attention always. She makes scrap books of things to send away to her parents in NZ so they know what she's been up to, she remembers everything. She has done alot in her life, travelled loads and learnt how to be content in her own self. I learnt from her that it is important to treasure everything and everyone in your life.
Alison is the wisdom of the group. She is the oldest after Boss and has lived about 4 lives in different countries. She is able to see things from every point of view and yet put forth her own strongly and without imposition. She is a good person for sound and practical advice and yet is the cheekiest in the group. Alison once got all of us to put our faces in our pavlovas - voluntarily, for fun. She showed me how to be successful and yet not be stressed out or hung up. Set a goal, go for it, in the meantime, remember to have a laugh and take care of yourself. Don't spend unnecessarily, save for the really important things in life - like travel, freedom and a nice flat. Always remember that life is too short, keep moving but take a break as and when you feel like it. Achieve sufficiently in your career so that you can afford the as-you-like-it breaks. Plan your retirement now. Don't do anything you don't want to do, don't settle for being bored.
Sara is the child of the group being the youngest (she is 5 years younger than me I think). She is the only one in a long term relationship the whole time we knew each other and yet always put priority on her friends. She is the most energetic person I know. Fix a car, run 10 miles, organise a work event for 50 people and take the cats to the vet all in one normal work day - no problem. She probably does what I do in a year in 3 months. She runs triathlons then signs up for 'sports massages' by her very cute physio-therapist. She is the life of the party and is getting married this year. Like Karen, she is OCD about her organisation and has planned her wedding right down the the last detail a full 6 months before the date. This is inclusive of intensive global track downs of the best price for THE wedding dress and the paper on which the invitations should be printed. She is out doing something all the time. I learnt from Sara that you can always do more, always squeeze more in. You'll find the energy when you start doing it. Momentum attracts.
As mentioned above, Boss is Boss of the group. She has acted in Doctor Who (2009 Christmas episode). She is most likely to come up with the controversial comments in the group that makes everyone gasp and laugh. She only sees younger (much younger) men. She has a whole other life as a teacher and mother - a side of her we'll perhaps never get to see. We see the glamour puss and the man eater. The sharp, smart femme fatale. 'Petal, remember that men get turn on by anything'. She reminds me that being a woman is power and I should get a hair cut every two weeks, highlights once a month and nails every week. Who says you can't be sexy at 60 (I guess, I can only guess, that is her age).
Evangeline, the new member of the group is the fellow Singaporean, although having come straight to the UK after uni she is never going to know what Singapore is like for an adult. Yet we share a bond based on the fact that we both have the same inner conflict of juggling between our happiness and our responsibilities. We both are idealistic cynics. I learnt from her that it is okay to spare a thought for myself, sometimes, something has to give. I also learnt that I should have perhaps tried to call my mom more often - she does so everyday, I do so about once a month. She showed how to be the pragmatic Singaporean and be a very witty and engaging Londoner. She has been on every internet dating website (per Boss), she teaches me that love is worth looking for. The most subservient conversation in DDS is invariably and interplay between Boss and Evangeline about men and internet dating.
So we wined and we dined our way through the city. Keeping each other's hopes high, showing other women how it is done. I will miss my friends terribly but somehow, since we are global citizens, I know we will always be in each others' lives.
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