A pleasant surprise The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. At the doorway stood a fair and pretty girl with rosy cheeks. “You Mona? Me Yoko, you pen-pal from Japan,” she said in broken English. I could not believe my ears. What a surprise! Yoko explained with difficulty that her family was stopping over in Singapore for two days before flying off to Australia for holidays. I was glad that my elementary Japanese helped in our conversation. I was also surprised to see the many beautiful presents Yoko had brought for me from Japan. It included a kimono, a Japanese paper lantern, some beautiful badges with faces of popular Japanese singers and lots of delicious Japanese foodstuff. She also took me to Hotel New Otani where her family was staying in a suite. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka, were very friendly and generous. They treated me to a sumptuous Japanese meal in a cozy Japanese restaurant. I took the Tanaka family on a brief tour round Singapore before inviting them to my home for dinner. Meeting Yoko and her parents had certainly been a pleasant surprise. An unexpected meeting There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and was surprised to see Huiling. My greetings were so loud that everyone stared at me. Only then did I realize that I was still in the library. Hastily, we went out to the corridor to talk. Huilling is my former neighbor. We used to be very close friends. We were in the same class in school and attended the same church together. But since we shifted to new HDB flats, we had drifted apart. Both of us were busy trying to adapt to our new environment. Hence, we stopped writing to each other and lost contact. I never dreamt that I would meet her in the library. We were eager to know about the well-being of each other’s family. We loaded each other with questions. Sweet reminiscences of the past also came to our minds. We reminded each other of the games we had played – paper dolls and hide-and-seek. We also laughed as we recalled how we both got scolded at the same time when we were naughty. What delightful recollections! After conversing for almost an hour, Huilling had to go because she had to meet a friend. However, before we parted, both of us reached an agreement. We would make an extra effort to renew and maintain our friendship. . and Mrs. Tanaka, were very friendly and generous. They treated me to a sumptuous Japanese meal in a cozy Japanese restaurant. I took the Tanaka family on a brief tour round Singapore before. my ears. What a surprise! Yoko explained with difficulty that her family was stopping over in Singapore for two days before flying off to Australia for holidays. I was glad that my elementary. Japanese helped in our conversation. I was also surprised to see the many beautiful presents Yoko had brought for me from Japan. It included a kimono, a Japanese paper lantern, some beautiful