March Friday Circle was… as always… a beautiful kind of chaos. Just the day before, one of our quieter members asked, very innocently: “So what do you all actually talk about during these meet-ups?”

Our ever-calm coordinator replied: “Free flow conversation… no agenda. If you want to give a talk, we’ll listen — as long as it’s not evangelism. Most important thing is we come together and share how we navigate life.” Simple answer. But last night? That answer came alive.

First — the food. Because clearly, we are a very serious group when it comes to food. One of our long-time members decided she would cook for all of us. And cook she did.

We had: An innovative, slightly rebellious version of lepat (glutinous rice with beans and coconut) traditionally wrapped in coconut leaves… but according to her, “too troublesome to go Geylang to get the leaves and having tie it up.” So improvisation it is. Humanist efficiency at its finest.

And then… Pulut Kuning (yellow glutinous rice). At this point, someone bravely asked: “Eh… how come today all glutinous rice?” Without missing a beat, she said: “Suddenly got the urge.” Fair enough. No further questions.

But then… the real crisis emerged. “Where is the rendang???” A mild uprising began. Because everyone knows Pulut Kuning without rendang is… emotionally incomplete.

Just as tensions were rising, she calmly revealed: “Got black pepper chicken.” Silence. Pause. Acceptance.

“Okay lah… can.” Crisis averted. Community restored. And just when we thought we had reached peak glutinous rice… Dessert appeared. Pulut Hitam : warm, rich, and topped generously with coconut milk. At this point, we stopped asking questions. We simply accepted our fate.

We also had a lovely surprise, a friend from the Humanist community joined us, with his mother. And honestly, there’s something very special about having mothers in the room. Suddenly everything feels a bit warmer… a bit more grounded… and slightly more well-behaved (just slightly).

Then came another unexpected joy: a long-time member (formerly active in CEMSG) suddenly messaged: “Hey! I’m free tonight… can I come?” Of course, the answer is always yes. It was so good seeing him again.

There was genuine catching up — not the superficial kind, but the kind where people actually ask:

“How are you coping?”

“Are you taking time for yourself?”

Caregivers checking in on caregivers. Real conversations. The kind that quietly hold people together. And let’s not forget our host, who, as usual, elevated the evening with strawberry and watermelon smoothies. At this point, we are not sure if we come for the conversations… or the smoothies.

And of course… the true ruler of the house: The Cat. She observed us with her usual expression of deep judgment and mild irritation. Sat at a distance. Watched everything. Pretended we didn’t exist. But the moment anyone tried to carry her? Hiss. Disappear. Under the bed. Gone. Balance restored. Because… cats are cats.

And just when we thought the night was winding down… Our host went live on Facebook and together, in our slightly full, slightly tired, but very content state…we sent out a cheerful: “Happy Nowruz!” To everyone out there.

And that’s the thing about our Friday Circle. No agenda. No script. Just food, laughter, small crises over missing rendang, unexpected reunions… a cat with boundaries… and moments that somehow matter more than we realise. Messy. Warm. Real. Exactly as it should be.