真の友達

You seem to have the oddest of a name, fitting for a real drama queen who’s always outstandingly outspoken. We’ve been course-mates in our uni-days but have never really clicked early on coz we don’t belong to the same clique. You knew very well that I belonged to the banana category, but you would only speak to me in hua yu; I found out soon after that you actually speak fluent hokkien at home. You practiced language discrimination against me! You were that intimidating to talk to, like most foochow-poh.

Having nothing much in common, we were hardly even on speaking terms. However, that changed when we became unlikely housemates during our internship term in a vibrant little island up north, known as the Pearl of the Orient. Oh, how it was real troublesome fun having you around as a housemate. Caring, sensible & reliable in character but hardly without the tendency to morph into a dramatic blur sotong any moment.

You & your dramatic tales, your bathroom-hogging antics, your sporadic thunderous laughter, your weekly mic-hogging hardly audible session at Redbox, your over-indulgence in your durian-flower dish (#-p… we had that for 1 week straight), & your hilarious squabbles with my beloved room-mate over the smallest & trivial-est of matters (I guess that’s some people’s way of showing care & affection; you 2 are 1 of a kind =p). Though, we were always at it, mercilessly poking fun at each other; you laughed at my near-non-existent fluency in spoken hua yu then (not anymore!), made fun of my retarded motor-skills at racquet games (bully, ah!), dissed my eating habits (you've got a personal vendetta against people who are prone to eating slowly isit??), & treated me like I was your personal chauffeur.

On getting even ~ we had a good laugh at your experimental hair-style change gone wrong, & started to affectionately call you ‘donkey’ eversince (Intel's donkey)… been missing your ‘elephunt’ dance moves during those frequent clubbing nights. Those were the carefree internship days when life was much more ‘happening’ & the feeling of friendship cheer felt so stronger, despite not having much to live by; meager allowances & bas mini was the only form of transportation. The fond memories will always live on.

Fast forward 3 years on, & at yet another major crossroad in life. Glad that you’ve finally secured a big-shot career opportunity that you truly deserved. Oil & gas = Bigtime $$ =) Though, leaving behind all that you’re familiar with ~ home, friends, family & the semiconductor field in general has not been an easy decision, I’m sure. Days spent in uncertainty, anxious waits, & long thoughts; pondering on what the future may be (i'm still)… After all we’re always seeking for greener pastures in life, & in the pursuit of our dreams sometimes there are tough decisions & sacrifices to make. But as always, you’ve got a clear mind on the direction to take in life, you’ll go a long way ~ Cheers, buddy! =)