A walk down memory lane III : nostalgic

Many many many moons ago, there was a group of us who would gather on a rather regular basis, as often as several times a week (Oh yeah, its that often). How we would just meet up for coffee, meal, party session, or even gossip session. Hey, no one says that men cannot gossip. Its a good way to pass time and have a lot of fun, but very straining on one's karma just as well. In fact, the meet-up was often chosen after normal office hours, meaning to say at least 2000 hours, and that my friend was considered early then.

Time flied by and bit by bit, you will see one by one would start to disappear off the radar. Its a common act, irregardless of the gender, religion, sexual preferences, occupation. Out of 10, 9.5 persons will do that. So its not surprising at all when such things are happening just as well to this little group of ours. This is especially so when start to pair themselves up with someone of the opposite gender but I heard the same gender also works just the same as well. Did I mention that all of us are single back then?

To think then that most, if not all our activities were impromptu. Planning ahead was never our forte. Normally the rounding of the troops are done through the SMS and more often than not, the SMS arrived just shortly before the time of occurances of the activity. Many many many moons later, that is something that is not easy to do. Everyone back then was uncommitted but now, its a totally different game. Consultation had to take place with the other significant half.

So just a few nights ago, meet up with this friend of the past group for a drink. Its an impromptu thing, and to think I reject a date to go drinking with this fellow. And probably I should not even be complaining that I cannot get a date, right? But then hor, its about the right people at the right time wor, dunch ya agree, my man? He called and I simply agreed, since I could do some catching up with him, and for that, I had to speed up my sweeping and mopping of the floor. Did I also mention about my kick with sweeping and mopping? No? Nevermind, I shall leave it for another day. Ok, that chore need to speed up because of happy hour. Oh yeah, that was the keyword. After spending so many years at a club where I'm a regular and no longer used to paying cover charges, I'm not in any mood to pay any cover charges. Cheapolo might be the word you have on mind right now but who cares, I might as well save that bit of moolah and get myself more beer liquor?

Just when I was about to start the mopping, this indian old man uncle was at my doorstep asking me if I got the time to help him out with a survey. I stared at the clock. I stared at him. I think about the happy hours. I told him I'm in a rush at the moment, so can't help. He kept pestering assuring me that its a very quick survey, wont be taking more than 10 minutes. Finding him a bother Seeing him so hardworking, so I change my mind and help with the survey. Turned out he's from CDC and its a survey from the gahmen wanting to find out why young people nowadays are not getting married, at least this was what he told me. Now, that is a very interesting survey. I'm more than ready to pump in my bullshit constructive opinions.

Actually his first question to me when he first saw me was do you stay here? Allo uncle, you think I'm just wearing my shorts, topless, sweeping the floor, I dun stay here, I stay where? He wanted to do the questions with me, going through them one by one. But I did remind him that I'm really rushing for time, so I tried to answer as much as I could on my own. After the survey, its find out my arse. Not once did they asked me for WHY. The survey just kept asking about my taken on the government involvement in those match-making and speed dating 3rd parties. Now, how the fark you find out why I dowan to get married when you kept asking me about woman from overseas, matchmaking, SDU, SDS? After the survey, I dally abit with the old man uncle and only then do I found out he's a retiree and closed to 80. He's doing this because the gahmen ask him help. I thought I heard him mentioning that he used to work in dunno what and dunno what and I remember there is a director in one of this job title. Nevermind, doesn't matter. Me being a nice boy, just say bye bye to him and got back to my chores so that I can make my way down for happy hour.

Damn. In the end, I still didn't make it for happy hour, 5 minutes short! But my friend wasn't in there just as well. He was somewhere in MacDonald using the free WIFI for some work. Good. After dinner, we spent a good half hour trying to decide where to drink. Its either music he enjoyed but more expensive drinks or music he dun like but cheap drinks. I throw in the vote for him. Of course I choose the latter, its my regular club. I assure him that he could skip the music he hate and go sit inside the wine bar for the live music and cheap beer and good whiskey. In the end, it din turned out too bad.

So we chatted about old time sakes, updating lifes of the rest of the people we both knew. Recalling back a conversation I had with him many many many years ago, about what we would be doing 5 years from then. We concluded that we would probably not be partying any more, drinking some less havoc bar, and that might even be some kopitiam, for some beer drinking and eating peanuts. We would then be talking about our brats kids and spouses. Would very likely be complaining about how expensive it is to have brats kids in Sillypore and that diaper and milk powder was going up again. Many many many moons later, it did not exactly turn out as what we concluded back then but close to, at least with the beer thingy. Too bad on the peanuts, that place only served crackers. After all, the partying had stopped. I guess it got to do with growing up (I preferred that choice of term to getting old) but my friend attributed it to the golden wise words been there done that. But don't turn that button of us, for if the party animal in us came out again, its going to be thinning my wallet severly, something that I would rather now happened. Told you its about growing up lor!

Then following the beer, my dear friend suddenly got the urge for some singing, and off we head to a nearby KTV. We SMS another friend who we always go KTV with to join us but we were 5 minutes late. He just at that moment made an appointment to meet another friend. Did I mention that its midnight already then? See, like I say, its always about the right thing at the right time. I think my toes are giggling away. Two persons also could have great fun at the KTV. And one did not have to wait long for one's turn to sing. At maximum of 5 minutes, unless that bastard someone put lotsa songs in the queue or doing November Rain, a super long song by Gun N' Roses. I had not really been updating myself with a lot of new songs, so I always go for oldies. Safe and nice and easy, if I could recall how to sing. The newest number was probably 童话. Oldest number did 我很丑，可是我很温柔 or was it 小城故事. Oldies like 凡人歌 and Moon River were just some of the numbers. Wait, wouldn't Moon River be even older since Frank Sinatra did that before. We even made an attempt at Phantom of the Opera. And to end the night with some porridge supper was just nice.

And then several nights later, I went over to look for another group of friends. This group was of different nature. Our common interest lies in comics, manga, anime, and even console games. As they say, 天下乌鸦一般黑 or was it 三五成群 or maybe birds of the same feather flock together. Indeed we do. Its such a nice night. Started from 华山论剑 where it suddenly come across my mind whether 洪七公 was stronger than 乔峰 in terms of martial art. Then you can see all sort of theory starts coming out. Apparently this fellow seems to have read it somewhere that the former was stronger than the latter and the fact that 洪七公 perfected and completed the 降 龙十八掌 had left a few of us flabbergasted. The 降龙十八掌 apparently was not full 18 at the time of 乔峰 and its 洪七公 that created some of them to fill up the 18. Now, would someone tell me where does this theory comes from?

And then I was just saying about 六脉神剑 to be the powerful. If 一灯和尚 knew 六脉神剑, he would have been 天下第一 during 华山论剑. For this I strongly believe but a theory that cannot be proven. What one can only do is to recall all the fact and statement made by the character and do your hypothesis there. Then I also mention that 段玉 was probably the strongest of his time, if he only wish to make full use of his capabilities. He had 陵波微步, 六脉神剑 and 北溟神功. In technical terms, long range he can shoot you, up close he can suck you, and if you try to hit him, he can run and avoid damn fast. But of course in terms of inner strength, someone else argue that 虚竹 is much strong, inheritting 無涯子 70 years worth of inner strength. But of course, I can argue that 段玉 could always turn that 70 years worth of inner strength to be his if he chose to. 小無相功，天山六阳掌，天山折梅手 and 北溟神功 was what 虚竹 and he too could be 天下第一 if he chose to be. I wonder who will win if 虚竹 fight 段玉. See, its such a great night to find like minded friend and put down some hypothesis argument. Oh, you are lost and have no idea what I'm babbling about, go read up on novels by Louis Cha's novels.

Then the night went on with dinner and then it went back to the topic of manga (漫画). Then we started the some very old titles and exchange ideas and views and our takes. Adachi Mitsuru (安达充) turned out to be a favourite artist of me and another fellow, and to the I have known this fellow for so many years and yet I have no idea! This is like discovery channel. And we even shall our love for a particular turn-based diced boardgame on the game console of the early 90s, and that my friend is Super Famicon/Super Nintendo. And we got excited about it and decided to hunt for a copy of that old game but we have no idea what is the game title. Its some japanese title which I did not choose to remember back then. Someone says its called Battle Knight Kingdom and hell I got no information of that on google. In the end, I finally found out its called Dokapon and there's at least one of its game in almost each type of console after the SFC/SNES era. I'm so going to fark that idiot that mention Battle Knight Kingdom to me. Waste so many of my nights to find something wrong. Lucky I still had the title packed away somewhere deeper in my bag of childhood console games.

Doesn't that just makes one so nostalgic?