I’m really lucky to have a handful of good friends, and i don’t like to overdo this whole BFF thing by saying i have five BFFs or whatnot. (Besides, BFF = Best Friends Forever which is like jinxing yourself if something happens!) Instead, i categorize each close friend to their specific and best roles in my life. Like Best Drinking Friend (Aps), Best Friend to Play With Like Little Kids (Cammy), Best Oldest Friend (Ashley), and the list goes on and on. There are even certain categories that have Best Male and Best Female for them.

My Best Traveling Friend is a very important title cos it’s someone i can hang out with for days and weeks on end without irritating each other. To travel with someone without fighting requires both people to have the same priorities when it comes to budget on what we want to spend on most, and all the things we want to do. I’ve heard of difficult travel partners who INSIST on only seeing/visiting what they want (horror!).

After summer of 2010, Yishyene and i dubbed each other our Best Traveling Buddies. We didn’t even plan it… just admitted to each other that we told others how we traveled with each other best!

First and foremost is that we both have the same priorities that we want to spend on: FOOD, and FASHION (in that order). Third priority is accommodation and we always have the same budgets in mind when we book a place. Another characteristic that we both possess is the penchant for colourful, kiddy, and funny things or toys.

Yishyene brings just as many toys as i do, so they can be friends with my toys!

Something i have is something she would probably want. And something she has is usually something i have my eye on too. Even our fashion sense is almost similar. But because we (still) have our manners around each other, we don’t fight over fashion finds with an unspoken give-and-take system. Like when we were in Amsterdam rummaging through a flea market and found a few pairs of crazy vintage tights – only one pair per pattern!

Besides fashion, we also like very similar music which means we can go to music festivals together and dress all happy!

It’s also pretty awesome that she takes good pictures too, so she can be my photographer for crazy pix while traveling. It kinda sucks when people miss the shot and you give up on them after three tries.

The important thing about a travel friend is that they don’t BORE you. And it’s quite impossible to be bored around Yishyene…

She’s someone who takes stupid pictures with no conscience that your family is there with them.

She’s someone who finds trampolines as much FUN as i do and will play on it for HOURS with me!

Someone who convinces you to put your head next to a flower, ‘just to see’ which one is bigger -_-

I’m good at contributing to holiday antics, though not as much as her! The only one i recall is me being quick enough to laughingly take out my camera when she got shat on by a bird in Bali.

I’m pretty sure that if we lived in the same city, we’d be a lot closer to each other. We’ve known each other since we were 15 and were already doing the stupidest things you could think off back then to entertain ourselves. (i won’t embarrass us by saying what.)

Because i’m in KL, and Yishyene’s in London, we make up what time we don’t have with each other by going on holidays together! (Oh i forgot to mention that she spends just as much of her salary as i do to TRAVEL!)

Since she loves traveling so much and i have so many great memories of us exploring new places together, i can’t help but think of her when i’m somewhere new and end up buying her little gifts from different countries. She does the same too. (I remember at 17 when i was in London and she was in Japan, she sent me toilet paper from there -_-)

More recently i got her a coaster from Singapore, a hand stitched purse from Laos, and a little mouse from Sri Lanka (Maurice’s brother!)

I just HAD to buy the coaster for her cos it was SO APT.

When she was in KL for Chinese New Year, i really wanted to take Yishyene to Seremban, where i’m currently addicted to the trees and tranquility. We set up a sunbathing spot right on the doorstep cos that’s where the sunshine was. Made a structure as per instructions from this book i bought (1 copy for her and 1 for me!)

I also made sure there was a lot of food for us like BBQ chicken wings & lamb, turkey ham sandwiches, smoked salmon, Maggi curry, and Dove chocolate.

I’ve got a habit of carrying Dove chocolate with me on every holiday i go to now (like in Laos with the girls, Rawa with Sa & Nadia, or in Sri Lanka with Clem). You never know when you just passionately WANT a smooth piece of chocolate melting in your mouth to make that moment wherever you are ever sweeter. Or when you’re desperately hungry, and the easiest and nicest thing to eat is a bar of Dove choc! Like in the office.

I must admit that my office drawer is stuffed full of Dove chocs and i eat a few pieces every single work day (if not every other day). Once, i even committed the sinful act of scoffing a whole big bar in an hour. Had to be stern with myself after that.

Yishyene and i have no qualms with stuffing ourselves… in fact, love for the same food definitely brings people closer!

Summer 2012 will be another awesome period when we’ll both we reunited for our ADVENTURES through Europe! I can’t wait. Time to pack all the crazy into our bags.

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