Ripple

I once saw this corny phrase that goes "Friendship is the best ship ever!". I banished that notion to the back of my mind, wondering how did the creative process of creating word play occur to someone in such a retarded way.
Just yesterday, I had one undescribable conversation with a certain XYZ. Undescribable because you can't call it weird, and it is not funny either. Tough call, yes?
"XYZ says:
eh can you promise me something really stupid?
<_hj_> 尤其是数学，剑圣一级跳劈砍出来的数字都比他考的分数要高。 says:
?
<_hj_> 尤其是数学，剑圣一级跳劈砍出来的数字都比他考的分数要高。 says:
*crosses fingers*
XYZ says:
can we still be friendly and be friends after graduating
XYZ says:cos i realized i dont have many friends "
Whoa. I was shell-shocked. I don't get to answer these kind of questions everyday, in fact the last time I had to make the same promise, it was exactly a year ago to EFG, but under totally different circumstances.
XYZ is stranded in a peculiar situation. While not being totally inward like a sponge, he (yes, go guess who) keeps a low profile not to the point of being invisible, but merely transforming, over time, into the many other billions of MSN contacts you have (obviously the ones you don't talk to). Honestly, nobody corresponds religiously to more than half of their known contacts via handphone or MSN for one main reason - the value of the friendship has dipped below that of stock markets worldwide on last Tuesday. However, XYZ's situation was a little more unique. He decided to hop on the highway without knowing that he had paid a price (whether it's going to cost, that's another issue). In exchange for a different brand of education, he forgoes two good years that could have possibly been used to establish deeper friendships back in secondary school - something I'll never experience and am glad that I didn't. On top of that, The system ensures that you'l make just as many friends as you're prepared to lose - ever changing classes due to banding and subject choices. Do the math and you'll get an answer as certain as your $180+ graphic calculator can tell you: inevitably, the ground beneath you is shifting.
What does that really imply? Anyone who goes through such a system will be carried away by the high tide (any surfer's favourite), unless they dig their anchors in hard. If you don't talk to a certain someone on your msn contact list for a year, P(the 2 of you talking again) would be lower than that of P(me getting my forehand drive right). NOTHING, escapes the flow of time. When everyone withers and ends up looking like willow trees, what's going to be the most important asset they're left with? CPF? Medishield/care/save? Or some landed property overseas? Nope, none of the above. It's memories. It's memories that will bring that smile to your face before you leave this horrid world and your woes behind (provided you die a natural death).
When's the last time you've done something about the people around you? Are they mobile fixtures in your everyday life? If only the label "Under Maintenance" can be applied to something so abstract. I'm beginning to FULLY appreciate the efforts of a Sec 4 classmate of mine who, organized a dozen LAN parties, held Christmas parties, and birthday parties for our class even though he's not one bit rich. In fact, he's a simple guy whose parents divorced during Sec 1. With the support of his mother and the nice guy in heaven, he ends up treasuring things money can't buy much more than I do. I never understood the fuss involved when he buys a birthday gift for someone. I realise now (albeit not too late, I hope) that I'm just a little better off than a bankrupt who's done paying off his IOUs a few years back. Life blazes so brilliantly only because it dies out, far quicker than we want it to.
Let's brainstorm for solutions as to what you can do to renew your friendship license. Will buying the cutest teddybear for that person's birthday do the trick? How about going all fiery with "I LUV YOU XOXO" to show some love? Maybe we ought to send out more of those "Merry Xmas To Everyone! Wish you all a ..." kind of messages to everyone on our contact list, that might work. No of course not, I delete those within 2 seconds of reading the first line >=)
The world may mean nuts to you, but you may mean the world* (degree may vary =D) to someone. Let's just do our little part by personally engaging those around us (obviously those that matter the most), a small step at a time. Smile stupidly at someone if you have to, but only if you're trying to make that person smile back. Go out together for some FUN-FILLED activity instead of mugging together that results either in productivity or a stoning session. And so much more... (I'm uncreative, shoot me).
In case any of you were wondering, I replied "yes" to XYZ's question. I tried to come up with a LOL kind of condition that is meant as a joke, but gave up in the end simply because my brain was blitzed furiously by neurons that went "WZDZDSFGXfxaxxDZ" instead of a logical idea. Yeah ,stop laughing at me. Just wait till you're asked the same question.