There are times when certain events, experiences, people, or feelings change our life paths. At the time, we are not likely to be aware of how profound those moments will prove to be. Maybe they can only be obvious in retrospect. Or maybe when diverging paths unexpectedly cross again can warm and sentimental memories tucked away in the dusty corners of our brains resurface.

These life-changing moments may be the grand events of our lives - perhaps a wedding, a family reunion, or a celebration of achievement - but most of the time, they are the cumulative sum of relatively smaller encounters and experiences.

They turn out to be the people we met long ago, the shared experiences that impacted our identities, the loves of our lives that made us glow, the dear cherished friendships that survived time and distance, so on and so forth. And they are the people, places, and events that fill our hearts in the present. Our lives are the summation of all these meaningful bits and pieces.

For all the ups and downs, the zigs and the zags that have brought me to where I am today, I am certainly grateful. Because in looking backward, from where I came, I know how to look forward and appreciate the future that is yet to be.

But most importantly, thank you, my friends of the past and present, for making me who I am today.


With Ana, Kimmy, and Cathy. Congrats Kimmy!

Rewind 11 years ago.
Stephen, Jen, Lily, Jenny, Ana, and Ho Chie in 2007.

And here we are 20 years ago in a vivid memory.