ONE WEEK in the French Alps with 20 friends was a little too short. We haven't been in touch for more than 12 years.
In late 90's, I used to frequent this pub called Station Beer House which sits on the 4th floor corner in Far East Plaza, Singapore. Who'd ever thought; this small get-to place would be a conversation piece as the pinnacle where warm friendship is built on. SBH no longer exist today. But its warmth lives strong in Facebook when lovely Meilinda Soerjoko created the least thought Group Page from within San Francisco. Each of us who's already in Facebook 'jumped into it' and boy were we all in for a surprise. Facebook is invaluable that way. Today SBH gathers 151 members where everyone know each other. For a small pub that can hardly accomodate 24 people, that is BIG! Mike (the owner of SNH) should be granted a Noble Prize!!
Fast forward 12 years, SBH members is scattered all over the world. What was unique with SBH I think was the warm, free-to-reign atmosphere that Mike gave us. Indirectly he was the father-figure right after school for many. If you not up to the age you can sit in there. But you drink Ice Tea and enjoy your chats along with the toasties. Students from various international schools in the island go there to cool off. Cheap drinks and toasties, that's all there really is to it, really. But the place brought a certain magic unlike the other 2 pubs downstairs which had glass doors as entrance. They are not as welcoming as what Mike had in SBH. It didn't have a door. It was just there. And in good access to the restroom should you need to run and do your duty and say hello to the aunty at the gates (at 10¢ per entry). No reason to hide I guess. Students from all over the world gathered here. And in good equal ratio to the locals I'd say. I know coz I'm one of the locals. :)
But to cut the chase, we lost contact for 12 years. Everyone graduated (I hope) and then moved on. The SBH group got us back together again. When somebody mentioned about doing a reunion. Everyone couldn't agree better..... So that week, those around the region of France, Germany, UK, Sweden and Netherlands got together. We realized that time, 12 or 15 or 30 years didn't matter. When you've known that person that long in Singapore, something magical happens. It's fairly unexplainable. You go through a 'glass' that just makes you understand how the other person functions in any other possible situations. There's a certain energy to friendship when you're in Asia. I guess the existence of spiritual cultures around the region has its effects on us. In Singapore, you could choose to be open or you could just not be social. But for some reason unexplainable, what we all ate, drank, talked, heard and saw there changes the empathy of things around us. You 'will know' when people reveal themselves truely, much unlike the ones that I've met after. My theory to it? There is this fine invisible cloak that people remove when in warmer climates. You can't see it but you feel the warm friendliness coming from within. In other words, the ReUnion was overwhelmingly successful not just physically, but even spiritually. I for certain realized that I have this friends that loves me just the same way as I love em as a friend. It was unconditional. True. Pure. We saw each other the same way we did back there as we do here now. That warmth sits within every other of these individuals no matter where they came from. We lived in each other's eyes as the youth we were 12-15 years ago, today.
The ReUnion was too good for most of us; that we plan to do it annually from now on. Its the truest form of networking anybody can have. We know each other personally, and that, changes the whole image of social networking. Next time, we'll make sure its longer than a week.
Flo & Fred on guitars playing their original 'Snake'.
Me accompanying on cajun and shaker.
Composed circa 1999 in Singapore Far East Plaza stairwells...
Right Click for Keepers
No comments:
Post a Comment