There's no other way to say this...

My best friend growing up is getting married!!!

A routine birthday call today turned out to be the biggest shocker ever! We've been friends since Standard/Grade 1 some gazillion years ago. She was my first friend in school. I'm still in shock. She will be the first one among my close circle of friends.

While I'm really excited for her, kinda sensed that she's not 100% ready. When I asked, she said kinda. They have been together for quite a few years now. He's a nice guy. Actually, I don't know him very well. They got together not long before I left Malaysia so we did not get an opportunity to hangout more than maybe once or twice.

Her engagement came as a surprise because she has always been one who was a bit boyish and very practical. Not at all a romantic. I must admit though that she has changed in the past few years. We always thought her to be career oriented and would someday have a high flying career.

Today I found out that she has quit her job at the bank and will be helping her now fiancee with his business teaching after-school tuition classes. What happenned? Where along the way did she lose her drive? When did she change? The person I grew up with would not have settled for anything less than a professional career.

The answer, of course, I already know. A few years back, this guy cheated on her with another person. She was totally chrushed. She then turned to religion, in this case Christianity. Since then, she has changed dramatically. She has started to value the littler things in life. Good or bad, it is not for me to judge. But what I'm saying here is that there is a turning point in everyone's life where he/she will have to give up youthful ideals. Think in choosing to settle down, get married and quit her job, my friend has reached her turning point. After all is that not what marriage says? I want us to be like this forever?

I guess Marx got it right the first time around. Religion really is the opiate of the masses.

Some of you might have an issue with this but it is the truth. Since she became all religious, it felt like I had lost a friend. Everytime we got together, she would talk non-stop about god. Thanking Him every 2 minutes. Say what you want, but I still stand by my claim that religion had changed this friend of mine. Again, not good or bad...it just did. Perhaps a little bad in the sense of how obsessed she got, but that's just her.