friends forever?
I've never been very good at keeping in touch. I'm too busy is my excuse; I can't be bothered is my reason. There are just pretty few people that one is really friends with beyond convenient circumstance - the same class; the same CCA - and those friends are never a chore to stay in touch with. You don't need organised parties or reunions to see those people. They're the people you reserve weekends for; people you stay up to 2am talking to on the phone although you have to get up for work the next day; people you cancel less significant plans for because you know they are gonna have to book in tomorrow. I've always reserved a certain contempt for people who struggle on keeping in touch with people in whom you have no personal interest, and to whom you are of no particular significance. Why bother leh?
Barely 4 months after the End of School, there are still the valient attempts at reunions and what not..that's all and good. But I've always maintained that from the social whirlwind that is RJ, I would be able to count on both hands the people I would still be talking to 20 years later.
But life gets in the way doesn't it? Everyone has new lives now, new jobs or the army or whatever. And people only like to talk about themselves. That's why we all got along well when we had something - school - in common. Now that we don't, nobody's really interested in talking to anyone else. Nobody knows who "the PC" or "the slimey manager" or "ignatius" is; they don't care. And while there are the people you make an effort for - the people whose vincent lams you make an effort to get to know and remember, if only through description - there are so many people whom you just don't want to bother explaining anything to, especially when all you need is someone to commiserate over shitty copy-editors with. Someone who won't ask "what are copy-editors?".
But you never thought that friends you swore would see you through life would be such people. We went through so much together - those 2 years mean more than temp jobs and pumping right? Then you realise you have no energy to tell the stories you stored up to tell each other through the confinement. You realise that talking is such a chore because you keep on having to explain to me what acronyms you are using; I have to keep reminding you which people I'm referring to. You realise you haven't met in weeks, and haven't spoken in months. You realise that the "people you tell everything to" - who used to be each other - have now been replaced by acquaintances of four months or less.
You realise that you haven't even been aware of his absence until now -and that's the saddest part isn''t it? That all this while this all was slipping away - and I haven't even noticed.
And now maybe when I am 60 you will just be a distant memory of someone who once mattered. And maybe I will feel remorse for not trying harder .. or maybe the fleeting recollection - of promises to still be friends when we're 60 - will just drift away like so many memories of youth.
Ah the best laid plans of men and mice.
Barely 4 months after the End of School, there are still the valient attempts at reunions and what not..that's all and good. But I've always maintained that from the social whirlwind that is RJ, I would be able to count on both hands the people I would still be talking to 20 years later.
But life gets in the way doesn't it? Everyone has new lives now, new jobs or the army or whatever. And people only like to talk about themselves. That's why we all got along well when we had something - school - in common. Now that we don't, nobody's really interested in talking to anyone else. Nobody knows who "the PC" or "the slimey manager" or "ignatius" is; they don't care. And while there are the people you make an effort for - the people whose vincent lams you make an effort to get to know and remember, if only through description - there are so many people whom you just don't want to bother explaining anything to, especially when all you need is someone to commiserate over shitty copy-editors with. Someone who won't ask "what are copy-editors?".
But you never thought that friends you swore would see you through life would be such people. We went through so much together - those 2 years mean more than temp jobs and pumping right? Then you realise you have no energy to tell the stories you stored up to tell each other through the confinement. You realise that talking is such a chore because you keep on having to explain to me what acronyms you are using; I have to keep reminding you which people I'm referring to. You realise you haven't met in weeks, and haven't spoken in months. You realise that the "people you tell everything to" - who used to be each other - have now been replaced by acquaintances of four months or less.
You realise that you haven't even been aware of his absence until now -and that's the saddest part isn''t it? That all this while this all was slipping away - and I haven't even noticed.
And now maybe when I am 60 you will just be a distant memory of someone who once mattered. And maybe I will feel remorse for not trying harder .. or maybe the fleeting recollection - of promises to still be friends when we're 60 - will just drift away like so many memories of youth.
Ah the best laid plans of men and mice.
