bubbles and sunshine

She takes a deep breath as she picks up her pen, all ready to let her thoughts flow. A short story is brewing, taking form in her busy brain. It is threatening to spill out onto lined paper. The empty journal is hungry, thirsty to be soaked with the black ink from a Faber-Castell pen.

"A sad story. That gets people real good."

 She is going to write a sad one. One with dramatic descriptions, a long-winded story line and an epic punchline. She is going to make herself cry with this story. 

She starts to write. She pours every sorrow she has into make-believe characters. She digs up past hurts and bitterness, only to be buried again in fiction. Arguments, tears and death takes place in her created universe. Flourishing entrances, dramatic exits. You can almost hear the symphony and its mourning.

But then she stops. Her pen hovers over a dying mother. She thinks twice, thrice, four times. The world has enough sadness, does it not?

With a rude scratch, the pen flies across her precious storytelling. It is now null and void, invalid. Officially unfinished.

"Maybe I'll write happiness instead." 

And so her pages begin to fill up with bubbles and sunshine.

*

8 Types of Close Friends

We all have close friends. I believe the people in my life are close to me in different ways. So here's some of them:

1. Passion Discussion
This type of close friend shares a favourite something. Be it a TV series, a K-pop band, a hobby, or a talent, this is the friend that you will fan-girl with. It may not even be hysterical or fanatic. Some of these passion discussion friends carry out meaningful, intelligent conversations about something you both are truly passionate about, like a field of study or a favourite non-fiction author.

2. Once in a Blue Moon
Ah, this close friend. The last time you heard from them was... six months ago? But one of your birthdays roll around, the annual phone call takes place, and BAM, you find yourself on the phone for the next three hours. It is during this phone call you start to find out that your friend's leaving for university in three weeks, got into a relationship a month ago and crashed her car just last week. But there's all this love and familiarity, so this kind of close friend is pretty fun to have, too.

3. Sick of Yo' Face
Seriously, you see this person every single day. You literally have the same schedule as this friend, and you most likely are their neighbour too. You grew up with this friend, probably went to the same kindergarten, and your parents are best friends as well. You are SICK OF THEIR FACE, and they most probably know everything about you only because you see them so much.

4. Kind Of But Not Really
This is the friend who is invited to your birthday party (and vice versa), gets you a birthday card, wishes you at 12am. You guys give each other Christmas presents, you all hang in the same gang, and other people associate you guys to each other. But... what is this friend doing currently? Studying? Studying where, and what? Nope, not sure. Wait, she's working? Close friend... kind of, but not really.

5. Philosopher
Mmm, this is the friend who chills with you having late night conversations about the existence of humanity. This person questions your very identity and challenges you to dream. Your friendship is based on deep conversations and crazy ideas, but you have absolutely no idea what they did yesterday.

6. Accident & Emergency
ALERT. PERIOD EMERGENCY. This is your go-to friend. Stained your pants? This friend's getting a text from you. In the fitting room and not sure which one fits you best? This friend's getting a ton of pictures of you wearing three different sizes of the same dress. Forgot to bring money? This friend's gonna have to dig out their wallet. Oops, sorry, A&E friend.

7. Online
Ah, the classic close friend of the 21st century. You talk to this friend for days on your online platforms. WhatsApp messages, Facebook posts, Twitter mentions... you name it. Your Snapchat streak with this person is off the roof, but, honestly, there's really nothing much to say once you see them face to face.

8. Doing Stuff
And finally, there's the doing stuff friend. The one who you always find yourself hanging out with. Shopping? This friend's right there. Watching The Maze Runner? Yup, watched it with this friend. Gotta buy some groceries? Yeah, this friend's probably there looking for some milk and cheese. Need to grab a coffee? This friend's gonna be ordering one for you.

And of course, the best kind of friend is the one you share passions with, talks with you for hours on end, sees you often, challenges you to be your best, is always there in emergencies, will hit you up for an online chat once in a while and also does all the mundane, everyday things with you. It's hard to find these special people, but when you do, hold on to them. Hold on tight.