A 19-year friendship that I cherish a lot

It's Saturday and I was really looking forward to today. My date with the first person I know when I came to this part of the city called Wangsa Maju. I was 18 and looking for a place to rent at Wangsa Maju as I enrolled in a College nearby and somehow my mother's secretary obtained @iamjadeline 's number. I have no idea how but I think it is God-planned!

I went over with my parents to view the room and I was met by Jadeline at the condo unit with a huge smile. I remember she exclaimed in her low-key style "Wow, you're so tall!" haha! Must have been intimidating to her at first. That was the beginning of our relationship. I attended her cell group (a weekly group gathering of Christians to worship and pray together) and she led worship with a guitar singing "Deeply In Love". For whatever reason, I felt something.. something so special that I never felt before and I was mesmerised by the lyrics of the song which I did not understand. I wasn't a Christian then, but now, I understand that it is God touching me.

We have gone through countless journeys throughout our 20s and into our 30s, most of them were related to church and at the same time, lots of challenges and difficult times too. It just bonded us together even deeper to understand one another more and see each other grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus, as we have our foundation deeply rooted in Christ.

Today, for 5 hours.. what a huge privilege to have these 5 hours with this precious person. It's something we have sort of set aside for our birthdays to spend time with one another catching up and just sharing a lot of deep things with one another.

This is @iamjadeline who is like an elder sister ever looking out for me even with little communication and physical connection.

She is a person with so much depth and you have to really get to know her to really know her. Her outward expressions and how she carries herself don't really do justice to the extraordinary heart and quality that she possesses. She's such a role model and an inspiration.

So, we've been wanting to meet to celebrate my birthday but due to my busy schedule with work and many appointments, it had to be today. We went to a nearby mall called KL East Mall and decided to go for Japanese. Last year's birthday, I chose Japanese too! Haha.. looks like it's always Japanese with us. Next one, sashimi buffet? hehe!

The restaurant is called Sushi Zanmai. And here's what we ordered:

Toro Salmon Sashimi, is basically Salmon Belly. LOVE THIS SO MUCH because of the fattiness of the fish

The usual Salmon Sashimi. Love love love salmon sashimi! Only wish the wasabi was real wasabi then it would have been perfect.

Salmon Mentai Roll. This was nice and the salmon on top was torched doused with a mayo-based aioli. We couldn't finish it so I packed some back for my husband

This is my Tempura Ramen in Miso Soup. I love ramen + Soup + tempura so having it all together is perfection! I am glad they have sizes so I chose the S size and it was really just enough and not too much.

This is Jade's Yakiniku Don with spring onions and onions. It's basically beef with onsen egg and rice. It was lovely! We also ordered the Size S.

We both are suckers for coffee! So, once we were done with brunch, we move on to Whisk a cafe located just opposite the restaurant. I know about their coffee and have tried them numerous times at another branch. We both had their Cappucino and of course, a Carrot Cake. It was a little sweet but not overpowering, but perfect with the coffee.

Here's the close-up of the carrot cake. Beautiful layers and textures. I always love carrot cake!

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Okay, enough with the food..... let's go back to the main character...

She has been like a big sister I never had. Very grateful and feel super blessed to have her in my life.

Ok, let's end with me and my sashimi! HAHAHA, It was a super slow and relaxing day for me that I truly cherish after a long stressful period.

Jade, thank you once again for your love and support throughout my life. You know words cannot express enough :) Love you lots! And thanks again for the treat and time together.