As what my college friend Carl Linne said to me, "all things work together for the good". I haven't seen her for long; I don't even remember the last time we've seen each other. We have these friends who we never have to be in touch all the time, but you know in your heart that you will always have them. It was so sudden that she sent me a message in Facebook a day before asking me if I am in Malaysia. She was planning to visit her family back home but she's confirming if I am really here so she can book the one with the KL stopover and we can meet up. No hesitation was given, it was a total go for me. I admired how she's been travelling to anywhere, gathering experiences here and there. I'm so thrilled that we got to catch up even just for a several hours.

Last night was one of the highlights of my life. It was pure fun, discoveries, and learning with Carl Linne and I really believed that this meet up happened for a reason. I haven't roamed around KL that much so I didn't know where to take her at first. I've been hearing places from friends so we went to Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang -- the hawker (street food) center in KL!!

It's my first time in Jalan Alor also so I don't know where should we dine in. One discovery from Boolin was that when you don't know where to eat / what to choose, go for the place where most people are eating. We landed a Thai hawker where there's a lot of foreigners are dining in. Hello Pad Thai and Singha beer! I was never a beer person and yet another discovery from her was to mix it up with apple juice and booya, it really compliments the bitter taste that will make you appreciate beers! Yay for that and yay for Pad Thai for it was really good!

We went for a shisha session after eating. I have tried shisha once but I failed doing so. Boolin became a shisha master in Abu Dhabi for she learned how to create her own and that it is best partnered with tea. Yes, shisha and tea! It was just one of the most memorable on that night. I have learned how to use shisha properly and it is quite addicting I can tell. You can never go wrong with any flavor and mint; in our case, grape and mint was the best!  It was an added experience that it rained during our shisha session. I was so happy that it rained because she missed the rain so much. It seldom rains in the Middle East so she was just too happy experiencing the rain, taking videos of it so she'll be able to share it to her Arab friends. Mind you that the shisha, the tea, plus the rain were the perfect combination that night. Ha!

After hours of catching up and stories, we went back to the airport to stay there until her departure. I have to check on my work also so I needed a stable internet connection and an outlet. Haha. My heart was so full that night. In fact, I went home smiling and bringing home everything that I learned from this person in the span of 7 hours. 7 hours of wisdom and inspiration that changed my outlook in life. It was one of the nights I will forever treasure. It's like 5 years didn't pass. It's still her, and I'm still me. We both believed that everything happens for a reason. We are so caught up in this life that sometimes, or even most of the time, we forget how to live. Yes, we work for a living. We work because we have responsibilities to fulfill. We need to feed ourselves and to provide; but are we really living our life? We do things for the sake of doing it and sometimes it is us who creates our own chaos. We just simply react forgetting that what we needed is to respond to every situation. She even suggested that I should try to walk slow from time to time. As in literally walk slowly. We keep rushing to things every single day that we don't appreciate what we can see anymore. We rush to go to work that we forget to see how beautiful the sky is, the trees are, the chirping birds, and even a person that's in front of us. Walk slow and appreciate what's around you. I'm so proud of this person for she is someone who didn't forget her ground even if living in Middle East can be so pretentious at times. She never even thought that she'll survive living alone. Just like me, she's an OFW too but she started way too early better than I did. She was the least person you'll expect to survive; but look at her now, she's an Art Director and on her way to fulfilling her purpose in life. She's volunteering for UNICEF also and she kept telling me that she found her calling; that it is her calling. How she wanted to be a part of a NGO one day to be able to give back and serve to the society. She is so calm and light-hearted that others see it easily, that how much she learned from her travel experiences translates to who she is as a person right now. I'm so happy for her that she was able to find her peace during one of her travels. It was really a night of wisdom and learning. Everything that comes out from her mouth are the things I should take note of. It was so refreshing that I can listen to her all day. I am just proud to have her as a friend. Proud of who she is and what she is becoming. She could be anywhere that time but she chose to visit me which I am really grateful for.

Thank you, Boolin. I really cannot thank you that much. Words are not enough to express how grateful I am that this random meet up happened. I will keep every story, every words, every learning, everything in my heart so I will remember what you have taught me in the span of 7 hours. Thank you for taking this time to visit me, for reminding me to walk slow and to start living... that it is okay to feel stuck and sad and alone and homesick at times because it is what can mold us to become a better fighter. Always keep your feet on the ground. Good luck on your future plans and endeavors! I cannot wait to see your purpose flourish and reach thousands and thousands of people. God is touching me through you and I cannot simply thank the Lord enough. The last 2 days has been the hardest, but the most fulfilling ones. Ahh. You are forever amazing, Lord. Thank You for this such eye-opening and wonderful experience.