My Big Sister

We all have that friend who shares almost the same set of interests as us, or someone who likes something as much as us. For me, that person is my big sister, +Elaine Avriele Santos. Obviously, it's great to have a friend like that, but what happens when you've been friends for such a long time and yet you both haven't met?

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Before starting, let me give you some context about my friendship with the lovely Elaine Avriele. 3 or so years ago, I was part of this group on Facebook which was essentially this sort of fan club for this book series (which I seemed to love a few years ago). I was already a Sone (the term for a fan of the Korean girl group Girls' Generation)  back then and, for some reason, I wanted to know if there are any fans of Girls' Generation in the group. To my absolute surprise, 2 persons commented on my post. The first one was, of course, Elaine and the second one was her friend.

During that time, things were just starting out for us. We didn't talk much, but we talked on a somewhat weekly basis. Things really didn't start until I accidentally tagged her in a photo because I had (yep, had) a friend who's also named Elaine, and Elaine talked to me about the tag and I removed it, and that's where it all began, apparently.

A few more weeks later, we were talking to each other nonstop. She was constantly telling me that Taeyeon is a better bias because of her voice and because she's the leader or the group; while I, on the other hand, was telling her that Jessica is a better bias because she has a smoother and more mellow voice compared to Taeyeon's extreme voice. You know, real Korean fan stuff.

Over the years, we slowly talked to each other and we learned a little more about each other. It's not much, but it accumulated into a big thing over time. Until it got to the point where she slowly helped me in my day-to-day activities, and she even protected me one from a friend that had been treating me horribly.

She has helped me a lot over the course of our friendship, and yet I barely helped her with things—which is why I owe her a huge debt of gratitude, not to mention that she happily accepts me as her little brother. As her little sibling, as if I'm one of her kind. It might not look much to you, but for me, it means a lot.

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And that's how Elaine and I got where we are now—as the best of friends who are almost inseparable.

Although I have to admit that, over time, I have made some mistakes like any other human, but the fact that she openly welcomes me as her little brother after all of these years, and I'm quite thankful for that. Not because that she treats me like I'm someone special (sort of), but because of her existence as a whole.

Elaine, through my eyes, represents many good things in this world: a friend you can open up to, a friend who's shoulder you can cry on, and as someone who's willing to catch you whenever you fall. To you, an average person with a lot of friends you can count on, she might not seem much; however, through my eyes, she is one of (if not, the) kindest persons I've ever met during my 16 years on this earth.

I suppose she represents something bigger as well. In a world full of chaos, violence, and all sorts of evil, we need someone we can rely on—someone who can catch us whenever we fall. And, quite honestly, Elaine fills in this gap by just simply being there. As a person who currently suffers from a lot of insecurities and problems, a person I can count on is someone I need the most, and Elaine truly does bring back the colors in my life.

In all honesty, we didn't talk much last year, and we just started talking again last week or so, but she's one person I NEVER want to stop talking to.

Like most people, Elaine isn't perfect, and I am proud to say that neither am I. However, she's the most perfect big sister I could ever have—and I love her for that (: