Dear Johnny,
Before you left for New Zealand, the gang came up with the cool idea of giving you a pendrive containing a slideshow of our time together. More importantly though, it contained letters written by each of us, telling you how much you mean to us.
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| The Gang. |
But if you were to recall there wasn't one written by me was there?
If you're wondering, it's because... I didn't write one (no shit).
Whenever I thought about not having you around anymore it would just break my heart. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It might have also partly been due to the fact that I am emperor procrastinator. But let's pay more attention to the first reason, shall we?
I'm dedicating the entirety of this blog entry to you my friend, because you deserve it. Definitely NOT because everyone else's essays made you cry and this is my attempt to not feel left out.
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Dear Mun Hoe,
Five years ago, I entered our class only to find all the seats had already been occupied. All except one other. Having no other choice I was forced to sit with... Dhanesh.
I put up with him for nearly two weeks when we were given that Geography assignment that required us to draw the plan of our classroom and write the names of our classmates on the desks they were seated in.
And as fate would have it, we came upon each other (haha) and you said the first words you ever said to me...
Got MSN ah?
And THAT was the start of a beautiful friendship.
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Okay, maybe not BEAUTIFUL friendship...
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Something I just had to include in this entry: You and DotA. (Girls, you can scroll down to the next "Dear Mr. Choy.")
To me, having you on my side was ever my only hope of winning. Especially during our final game together.
Do you remember? The rest of us already lost all hope when you told us to push forward while constantly being on the move. That's when a miracle happen: We had pushed the enemy to the verge of defeat. You lead us to victory. You were our very own Lionheart.
You were a great DotA player among us noobs. It might've just been your inherent ability as a chinese lala boy, but nevertheless, since you've been gone I've not won a single game yet.
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Dear Mr. Choy,
We've been through a LOT of adventures together in these short five years.
Like every other friends have and we have with any other friends, we've shared gossip, we've played video games together, we've had sleep overs, we've been to concerts together, we've made each other laugh, we've had long debates over trivial matters, we've consoled each other.
It wasn't all sugar and fairy dust though. We've bickered, we've given each other the cold shoulder, we've had a long dispute (which I'm not proud of), we've irritated the hell out of each other. But hey, that's what best friends are for right?
But there's something about you that just sets you apart from the rest. Somehow you bring out the best in me. And for the purpose of this section of this entry, I bring out the best in you too. Together, we were a force to be reckoned with.
We've made the class laugh together plenty of times. We've even recorded a cover of Justin Bieber's Baby, a cover of FTSK's She's A Lady and our English Oral video presentation together. The ultimate team, you and I.
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| The ultimate team, You and I. |
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Dear Jonathan Choy,
I remember 2006 like it was just five years ago. You were just a short and chubby kid and as you like to remind me, at the time I had to lean down closer to you to listen clearly to what you were saying. Your chances with girls were very slim and sadly to say... Even us whom you called your friends were against you.
Now?
You've slimmed down, you have the cool hair and you were our very own Justin Bieber. You're even taller than me now! (Just a centimetre or two. Nothing to be alarmed about, ladies.)
Most importantly, no more are your parents going to be the only ones who love you. You are loved by all of us.
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| You are loved by all of us. |
Unknowingly you managed to touch many of our friends...'s hearts. Mine among others.
You're an amazing guy, Jonathan.
On your birthdays when you walked into class, you've got the whole class singing for you. On the 7th of May you had twenty people voluntarily making their way to the airport. All the way to KLIA, just to see you off. And even up until now, you've made at least ten Malaysians wishing they could migrate to Auckland.
I could only ever wish to be half the man you are today.
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Do you want to know why I didn't bawl or wail the day you left? Up until this day, everyone else (including you) would either say I was trying to put on a tough exterior or that I just didn't value our friendship enough. Truth is, as selfish as this might sound, I was angry.
I (among some others) have almost always been there for you. For a long time now, at the very least, the six of us have always been brothers from another mother.
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Don't have other shirt ah?
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But as that inevitable day drew closer, everyone wanted to spend time with you and was vying for your attention. Truth be told, I felt as if they were taking you away from me. By the time we were all at the airport, I felt as though I was just any other friend who was seeing you off.
The other reason was... When you left, you sucked the life out of everyone here like a vampire and turned them into zombies for at least a week. Everyone was so upset over your departure... And I found it ridiculous.
I kept reassuring myself that everything was going to be just fine. I believed that for as long as possible.
Don't worry lah, there's still Twitter. Don't worry lah, there's still Facebook.
What a load of pang sai. When your best friend migrates to a country at the other end of the world, Twitter and Facebok just ain't going to cut it. More and more each day I found myself reminiscing and thinking about how different life is going to be without you. And without you around, the others are going to have a hard time unlocking my snorkelling.
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Dear Choy Mun Hoe,
There's no one else who gets me like you do. And I hope that it's the same for you. (That'd make a great song lyric.)
But we weren't exactly known for being the touchy-feely type of friends. That's why every now and then I'd question if you ever felt the same way. And on the morning of your flight you posted up a blog entry filled with your own personal letters to all your friends here in Malaysia. Being part of the gang however, we received our own individual ones.
I scrolled down slowly going through the names, half-expecting and half-fearing my name would be next. Even as I went through your letter to the girls, I was so honored that you had favored me, a man over the girls. You picked me, a person with external male genitelia over the girls who have boobs! You favored me, someone with a huge... Okay, getting a little off-topic here.
My point is that it was cool knowing you felt the same way, even just a little bit.
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...Dear Johnny,
All my life, I've never met anyone else who gets me like you do and over the years, I've started to believe that you might be the only one. Heck, I don't even think my future wife would get me like you do!
Having you around, it was nice to know that no matter how far I fell, how low I've sunk... You'd either already be there waiting or you'd end up there eventually. But now, that uneffable sense of peace you always gave me is sort of gone. You could say you brought a part of me with you to Auckland.
I would have liked nothing more than for you to stay here in Malaysia and we all go on with our lives like we have been doing these past 5 years... It would be mighty selfish and childish of me though. Eventually life comes along and kicks our butts in different directions. But I believe it will never change a thing.
You are irreplaceable and I'd never intend to replace you ever. Sure, we'll meet new friends and maybe grow distant but until you return, I'll always keep your seat warm for you. So if there ever was the slightest chance that you might come back here... Be the opportunist.
Never forget us. And Jonathan?
Where the hell is the picture of the sheep I've been asking you for?
Never stop being awesome,
Brandy.
