An ode to friendship!

"Friends, use them or lose them." Haha. This quote from Alvin can never fail to crack a smile on my face. Come to think about it, it's not totally untrue. In fact, I myself had a few experiences, some quite bad experiences where friends just stop being your friends when they realize that they have not much to squeeze from you.

The word "friend", I think, has been one of the most misused words in the entire world. We have girl-friends, boy-friends, close friends, best friends, internet friends, icq friends, friendster's friend and maybe blogger friends. Sometimes, we get so used to the word "friend" till we have forgotten what a friend really is, the real definition of friend.

I have been blessed with many friends all through my life and I must say that I cherish every one of them. However, I do realize that sometimes, err.. most of the time, I may have taken them for granted.

Recently, I was forced to give some serious thinking about the word "friends" when a few of us in ISCA were preparing for a farewell for one of my very close buddy, Joel Chan. The many years of friendship has done nothing but to make me feeling more blue thinking that he'll will be leaving us for his studies in Arkansas soon. Thinking back through the years, Joel has done everything he could as a friend. When I came back from Genting for my 4 days holiday , he applied from his parents special permission for late night outs with me. He bought ring ring card so that he can call me (was barred from calling me coz my phone number appeared too often on his phone bill), he took the effort to send me snail mails, tried everything possible to keep in touch, but how about me? Have I done my part? Did I take his friendship for granted?

I also realize this horrible innate habit of human only to appreciate people or things after it has gone or no more. How many times we find ourselves saying "Oh, how I miss the times we had in secondary school!", "..if only I could spend more time to care for my girlfriend." ,"...if I only knew how to appreciate my mum", or the most common one when we hear an eulogy …. “ if I could spent more time while he was at his deathbed” This shows that we, being human always have the tendency to take things for granted, especially those who have been around us for some time.

For my case, I must seriously reflect on the friends that God has blessed me. Have I treated them as what I ought to or have I been minding my own business all these while. Must I wait for something to happen to them only I start to realize how important they are to me? NO! I mustn't! I mustn't take them, any of them for granted.

One thing that I have learned some time ago that is to treat friends as if that is the last time you are going to see them. Then you will learn to appreciate them more. Then perhaps, you would stop making fun of him or her. Perhaps you would remember to say thank you or sorry. Perhaps you would tell him or her how much you treasure the friendship.

Friends are one big thing in our life. They are the ones used by God to shape us. They are also the ones who stick by us through the good and rocky times and never gave up. They build us. They encourage us. They believe in us. We can't go far in life without them.

Seriously, I must do something. I am so lousy in keeping touch with my friends that I almost got a heart attack when I heard news about them.

Some got married. Some already with children. Some sacked from work. Some died. L

Oh ya, I didn’t even know that the friend that I see almost everyday had his driving license suspended for two months.

Oh God, help me to be a friend.