The word Goodbye
Last Saturday was another day which reminded us of our temporal nature. One of our sisters at Singles For Christ has to go to to Canada in order to fulfil a challenge in life and hopefully land a better one. I created a simple little article at SFC HK Website that I personally maintain.
Looking back to where I was four years ago, it was in a situation where I thought I would be leaving Hong Kong for good yet somehow I managed to stay as people around me marveled on how I did it. Of course it was never me who did it. It was Him. More often than not I think of it as personal achievement. Something that goes along the line that I remained in Hong Kong for a certain reason. Maybe for a couple of years maybe very soon. That is why saying goodbye is handy to me, no matter how painful it is. When you leave people in the house miss you as much as you miss them, miss the times together and all the things that evolve between you and them.
I have seen friends go from where I am now: Onin, Jay, Leo, Raymond, Sheila, Mae, Sel, Benjie, Girlie, Narnie, Shasha, Nyoman, Melissa, Jun, Barbie and still others whom I met through an acquaintance and left before enabling me to know them more. I had my share of laughters with them and with their absence comes the question "who can fill their void?". I used to hear Mass with a group of boys and girls at St Joseph's Church in Central on Saturday nights followed by noisy dinner at Jollibee nearby. Now if ever I hear Mass there, I am on my own, now that Karen, my considered best friend here, has lived farther away.
When I left UIC I had to bear missing my colleagues (which the creation of our Yahoogroups somewhat eased a bit) whom I started my career with for about three years. I had to bear the laid back lifestyle. I had to give up my slot for chatting at Chat Nuke. For the sake of the so-called challenge. Eventually I settled somewhere North where I met my best ever set of officemates and reunited with childhood friend Rizza, who went to the same grade school, high school and university with me. I was happy there but still I had to leave for it was desired by my heart that I go elsewhere and prove I can survive no matter how isolated I would become. I left Chui, Roy, Shelley, Rizza, Candice, Edward and moved further North. I totally gave up the art of playing Starcraft as I embarked on a more challenging piece of work not with a team but on my own. After all, the pay was almost twice I used to get and the office is a spanking high floor at Citibank Tower in Makati's bustling commercial district. I felt I was at the top of the world.
But again, just like a nomad in constant motion and no permanent address, I moved out and got to where I wanted to be. I never tried Jollijeep yet. I missed walking along Jupiter and Nicanor Garcia on Bel Air on my way from home to office and vice versa. I missed hanging out with my buddies Gary, Raul, Peter, Jeannette and my officemates and my relatives in San Andres Bukid as well. It's sad but I had to leave for one opportunity waiting.
Only to realize that I would be redundant in my first job after ten months and fail to score business success in the second. In short I lost my job not once but twice here in Hong Kong. I was like clinging for my dear life just to stay here and work -- and got rewarded. As my friend Jong here would say, I am always in a cliffhanger situation. If I fail to cling firmly it would be my turn to say goodbye. But I have had enough of it and would prefer to take a break, and so I was spared.
Friends come and friends go as we have noticed as we walked across the immense wilderness above the Earth. Some friends are there for a while, and others stick for a long term commitment. Some of my childhood friends remain in strong bind with me even if Joanne used to cry for some of my nasty jokes. While physically apart sets tone and challenges the behaviour of friendship it is where we value them more that we could ever think when they're just a grasp away. Who knows when will I meet up Benjie again who used to be with us here in Hong Kong but now settled in Singapore. Or will I ever meet my college pen pals Shaoi, Michell and Cathy in the future. I don't know.
As Leo, Onin and Raymond first left the flat we used to stay, so is Zandro who got married and Jun who is now in Japan. Even Tintin and Benjie have gone away. I am always left out. And so every moment someone leaves Hong Kong for good, there is a little piece of needle that pinches my heart whether it was Narnie or Girlie or Nyoman or Jun or Shasha or Melissa. I don't know when is the next time I get to meet these people again. And with almost certainty we won't be together, say in one table, sharing thoughts once again. How sad but I realized that the feeling I had was probably the same as what Sir Joel of Zurich felt, the guys at Philweb felt or the old folks at UIC Computer Center felt, when I decided to utter the word Goodbye.
One thing I realized while typing this is that I should treasure each moment I am with my friends. If Russ asks for gimmik, I might agree 25% more. So as Dodo or Jay or Zandro to have a household meeting. Maybe Gino or Mike to meet up Friendster friends. Or Karen's invitation to play squash. Or Rowina's favor to play arcade games in Wan Chai. Or Charlene's treat at Pacific Coffee at Festival Walk. The possibility is almost endless. Live life with friends and life is worth living just before we say Goodbye.
Looking back to where I was four years ago, it was in a situation where I thought I would be leaving Hong Kong for good yet somehow I managed to stay as people around me marveled on how I did it. Of course it was never me who did it. It was Him. More often than not I think of it as personal achievement. Something that goes along the line that I remained in Hong Kong for a certain reason. Maybe for a couple of years maybe very soon. That is why saying goodbye is handy to me, no matter how painful it is. When you leave people in the house miss you as much as you miss them, miss the times together and all the things that evolve between you and them.
I have seen friends go from where I am now: Onin, Jay, Leo, Raymond, Sheila, Mae, Sel, Benjie, Girlie, Narnie, Shasha, Nyoman, Melissa, Jun, Barbie and still others whom I met through an acquaintance and left before enabling me to know them more. I had my share of laughters with them and with their absence comes the question "who can fill their void?". I used to hear Mass with a group of boys and girls at St Joseph's Church in Central on Saturday nights followed by noisy dinner at Jollibee nearby. Now if ever I hear Mass there, I am on my own, now that Karen, my considered best friend here, has lived farther away.
When I left UIC I had to bear missing my colleagues (which the creation of our Yahoogroups somewhat eased a bit) whom I started my career with for about three years. I had to bear the laid back lifestyle. I had to give up my slot for chatting at Chat Nuke. For the sake of the so-called challenge. Eventually I settled somewhere North where I met my best ever set of officemates and reunited with childhood friend Rizza, who went to the same grade school, high school and university with me. I was happy there but still I had to leave for it was desired by my heart that I go elsewhere and prove I can survive no matter how isolated I would become. I left Chui, Roy, Shelley, Rizza, Candice, Edward and moved further North. I totally gave up the art of playing Starcraft as I embarked on a more challenging piece of work not with a team but on my own. After all, the pay was almost twice I used to get and the office is a spanking high floor at Citibank Tower in Makati's bustling commercial district. I felt I was at the top of the world.
But again, just like a nomad in constant motion and no permanent address, I moved out and got to where I wanted to be. I never tried Jollijeep yet. I missed walking along Jupiter and Nicanor Garcia on Bel Air on my way from home to office and vice versa. I missed hanging out with my buddies Gary, Raul, Peter, Jeannette and my officemates and my relatives in San Andres Bukid as well. It's sad but I had to leave for one opportunity waiting.
Only to realize that I would be redundant in my first job after ten months and fail to score business success in the second. In short I lost my job not once but twice here in Hong Kong. I was like clinging for my dear life just to stay here and work -- and got rewarded. As my friend Jong here would say, I am always in a cliffhanger situation. If I fail to cling firmly it would be my turn to say goodbye. But I have had enough of it and would prefer to take a break, and so I was spared.
Friends come and friends go as we have noticed as we walked across the immense wilderness above the Earth. Some friends are there for a while, and others stick for a long term commitment. Some of my childhood friends remain in strong bind with me even if Joanne used to cry for some of my nasty jokes. While physically apart sets tone and challenges the behaviour of friendship it is where we value them more that we could ever think when they're just a grasp away. Who knows when will I meet up Benjie again who used to be with us here in Hong Kong but now settled in Singapore. Or will I ever meet my college pen pals Shaoi, Michell and Cathy in the future. I don't know.
As Leo, Onin and Raymond first left the flat we used to stay, so is Zandro who got married and Jun who is now in Japan. Even Tintin and Benjie have gone away. I am always left out. And so every moment someone leaves Hong Kong for good, there is a little piece of needle that pinches my heart whether it was Narnie or Girlie or Nyoman or Jun or Shasha or Melissa. I don't know when is the next time I get to meet these people again. And with almost certainty we won't be together, say in one table, sharing thoughts once again. How sad but I realized that the feeling I had was probably the same as what Sir Joel of Zurich felt, the guys at Philweb felt or the old folks at UIC Computer Center felt, when I decided to utter the word Goodbye.
One thing I realized while typing this is that I should treasure each moment I am with my friends. If Russ asks for gimmik, I might agree 25% more. So as Dodo or Jay or Zandro to have a household meeting. Maybe Gino or Mike to meet up Friendster friends. Or Karen's invitation to play squash. Or Rowina's favor to play arcade games in Wan Chai. Or Charlene's treat at Pacific Coffee at Festival Walk. The possibility is almost endless. Live life with friends and life is worth living just before we say Goodbye.
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1:38 AM
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