Special Gifts

A poem I wrote for Serene and read out during her wedding dinner in 2007 as a surprise item!


Serene, My Closest Friend
With Love from Cheryl
30 September 2007

Serene, my friend of over 12 years,
Is a special friend I hold so dear.

In RGS, we became classmates,
Joined the drama club and traveled to Adelaide.
We acted so well,
Even our drama teacher couldn’t tell,
When we pulled off being late-
By acting Serene had a stomachache!

Besides being drama queens,
We discovered our common passion for singing.
So we formed an A cappella group to accomplish our mission,
Of winning the RGS talentime competition.

After RGS, we went to different schools,
But we’d still meet up to swim in her cousin’s pool.
We’d frequent Gutherie house at 6th ave,
A quiet place where we didn’t have to queue,
To study together at Coffee Bean,
Or do some work while eating ice-cream.

Our favourite pastime is definitely shopping,
The attitude we adopt is ‘no harm trying’!
Honest opinions we’d give each other,
Sometimes we end up buying the same clothes in a different colour!
Fortunately we only have the same taste in clothes,
Cos falling for the same guy would be no joke!

For those of you who know Serene,
She’s always sweet, sometimes cheeky but never mean.
A loving, kind and generous friend,
Who would help in any way she can.

When we started looking for work,
She shared with me her resume template.
She did not just stop at that,
My resume, she offered to vet.

A friend who provides moral support,
To most of the performances I’ve got.
Even if it’s listening to the same songs again,
To her it doesn’t seem much of a pain.

This rare gem,
Is one true friend,
Whom I thank God for.
Without her, life would be a bore!

As we gather here tonight,
To celebrate their union as groom and bride,
I’d like to wish Pan Liang & Serene a blessed marriage,
As their journey begins in a new chapter, on a new page.