Hello, Stranger

On the way to campus for my Political Science lecture this morning, I fell asleep almost immediately as I sat down. I was pretty much dead save for the phone call my mum gave me asking if I knew her customer’s son who is also in NUS (okay mum, the school as a gazillion people, and I don’t even know people in my year). I had to study for the mid-term test but I insisted on catching up with my rest so I can finish the film and history essay due tomorrow noon. So yeah, I dozed off for the entire hour ride from Pasir Ris to Clementi.

When I woke up, I was at Dover, a stop away from Clementi. In a naturally Sham manner, I looked around, stole a glance at my reflection in the window, then took out my wallet from my bag.

Then it struck me – there was a piece of paper on my bag – a small one. I picked it up and intended to throw it away when I see a dustbin. Being curious, I opened the paper and to my surprise, there was a name and a telephone number.

Yes, someone gave me their number while I was sleeping. Haha – While You Were Sleeping – geddit?

Anyways, the paper is still lying somewhere in my wallet and I have yet to do anything about it. Maybe I’ll throw it away sooner or later, maybe I’ll give that guy a call.

But whatever it is, I don’t like not knowing how he looked like. Gives me the creep.

So if you were the guy who passed me your number, hello. Next time, wake me up so I can see your face before leaving me your number.

Wait -

Are you even a guy?

A Series of Brief Conversations

Every now and then, you meet people who change your life – for better or for worse. These people play hide and seek with you so often that you get used to their appearances and disappearances. Then again, when they do appear, they say things that make you think and reflect on the past, present and future.

A conversation with an acquaintance made think thoroughly about the future; a conversation with an ustaz made me question my faith in the religion of love, and a conversation with an old friend woke me up from lala land. Life needs to be surrounded by people we do not know, yet a short dialogue with them feels like we’ve just explored each other’s history. I wouldn’t call them friends – I prefer ‘watersheds’, a turning point in your life.

We cannot stay with only one group of people for life, because then your mentality and behaviour will be similar to theirs. Psychologists use the term ‘peer pressure’, though it may not necessarily mean negative influences. Peer pressure can be positive, so long as you ‘clique-hop’ long enough to know what’s wrong and right for yourself. I tend to have different groups of friends to do different things. For example, a group of friends to go Ghufran with, a group of friends to go Simpang Bedok with, another to go lepak and eat soup tulang with, and of course, a group to share old times with. Not only do you expand your social networking, you are able to experience dealing with a lot of different characters.

Then again, the activities we once loved cease to be those we hate. And so goes missing the friends we made over the course of undergoing a certain activity. We go back to square one and become strangers again, not knowing what each other is up to, and not acknowledging each other’s presence even if we want to. As I always say, things happen for a reason. We leave each others’ lives for a purpose – to move forward, even if it hurts. We keep friendships that allows us to develop as a human being and forget those that make us inhumane. When Sarah Sidle broke up with Gil Grissom, she quoted his own words, “When a relationship stops moving forward, it withers.”

Perhaps there is some truth in that statement. Friendships, kinships and relationships need to constantly progress for the benefit of everyone. Friends are family you choose, so choose wisely.

I sincerely apologise to the people whom I once call ‘friends’. I neglect our relationships on purpose. I cannot be tied up in something that makes me unhappy. Adult life is nearing very soon and I am simply unable to keep up with the numerous amount of people I’ve met. If I make contact with you in the future, please reciprocate. If I don’t, I’m waiting for you to make the move, because after 12 years of taking the lead, I need to take the back seat and see where you’re bringing me.