I've had a rude awakening. Apparently the world as I know it has changed right before my eyes and I didn't even see it coming.

A friend who used to be part of a close-knit bunch during secondary school days recently had his wedding dinner. No... this is not one of those "oh no, my friend is already married and I don't even have a girlfriend" thingies. Instead, it's about how he didn't invite a single one of us to his wedding. No doubt, we may be poor fucks with no money to stuff ang pows with... but we all used to be so close as a group. Apparently, he invited another friend who used to be his classmate. At the dinner, she then called one of us up...

Y : Hey! Where are you all sitting?
M : What sitting??? What are you talking about?
Y : Aren't you all here???
M : And where is 'here' supposed to be??!?!
Y : You guys are not at the wedding???
M : ...

Oh well... so be it.

Before I came back to Singapore, people kept asking me the same question over MSN :
"EH! When are you coming back?"
It got to the point where I found it irritating. Why so? Let me elaborate...
When people asked me if I was excited to be coming home for good, I told them no. I knew that besides the fact that I would physically be nearer to my friends and closer to my family, nothing much else would change. I would still sit on my ass at home and stare at my monitor (yes yes... i do go out too... sometimes) and feel all alone. So by asking me when I'll be back makes me think that you really want me to return so we can go do stuff together, which I know will not happen. Thus, quit asking... if I am back, you will know about it by hearing from someone who actually hangs out with me. (Coincidentally, these people who do hang out with me never ask at all.)

Last of all, this is a sad revelation :

Many of my single female frens are on the 20-30 checkbox of the age list. Maybe that's why they feel the need to go out to meet more new people in the hopes of finding a right guy rather than to hang out with old friends and waste an otherwise hopeful night out. It's actually fine with me. Not angry or upset but it does induce a blank stare. Maybe that's the difference between men and women. We see, we like, we chase (and get shot down). Women have to go out and be seen. Therefore, why waste your time with us? We will always be around... I think.

Last of all, for all you optimistic people out there... listen up :
Assuming you are a guy asking a girl out, here are the possible scenarios -
a) She goes out with you.
b) She says "Not today leh... what about this weekend?"
c) She just says she's not free.

For all you idiots who get the c) treatment, it probably means she's not interested in going out with you AT ALL. Give it up.

The world has changed... and I'm lost.
*sigh*

Specially for Siewsing since she asked me to blog something....

Late last week, I was rushing around trying to get some shopping done. I was stressed out and not thinking very fondly of the Christmas season right then. It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot. As I was loading my car up with gifts that I felt obligated to buy, I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps to the shopping centre entrance.
As I was searching the wet pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing. The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12 yrs old. He was short and thin. He had no coat. He was just wearing a ragged flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's chill.
Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred dollar note in his hand. Thinking that he had gotten lost from his parents, I asked him what was wrong. He told me his sad story. He said that he came from a large family. He had three brothers and four sisters. His father had died when he was nine years old. His mother was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs. She made very little to support her large family.
Nevertheless, she had managed to scrimp and save two hundred dollars to buy her children Christmas presents. The young boy had been dropped off, by his mother, on the way to her second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for all his siblings and save just enough to take the bus home. He had not even entered the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the hundred dollar notes and disappeared into the night.
"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked. The boy said, "I did." "And nobody came to help you?" I wondered. The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook his head. "How loud did you scream?" I inquired. The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, "Help me!"
I realised that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy cry for help. So I grabbed his other hundred and ran off.