Hola, mi amigo

I find the recent discussion about the pair of sisters having 16,000 friends amusing...everyone starts to question what qualifies one as a friend or a good friend. Well, I believe everyone is entitled to their own definition of friends...as long as they are happy with their circle of friends.

For me, like Mr Ng, I do not need my friends to remember my birthday (although I must say I really appreciate the bday wishes I received from them). I subscribe to the old school – ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’, 讲义气 kind of friends. Sounds like brotherhood, triad society oaths, eh? Haa...but seriously, it’s as simple as that for me. Yet, not easy to find such friends.

Some questions also came to my mind about friendship (in fact, for any relationship)

• When was the last time we had this impulse of dialing our friends’ number...just because we want to hear their voice, wanting to know how they are getting on with their lives...and because we miss them?
• When was the last time we had a heart-to-heart talk with them? Actively listening to them and having the ‘altruistic’ urge in us to help them out?
• We have many friends whom we can choose to hang out with, but who are the ones that come to mind when we need someone whom we can just chill out with? To feel comfortable with, without saying much to each other (enjoying the silence)?
• When it comes to gifting, how often do we buy presents for friends for the sake of buying? Similarly, how often do we buy presents having the person in mind (knowing what the person likes and dislikes)? [Hint: Being recipients ourselves, we can tell from the presents which the ‘thoughtful gifts’ are.]

So...how much do we know about our friends? How much do we treasure them?
How much do we respect them? And how much do we value their opinions?

It is useless thinking about these questions and having the answers in our head because it will be the actions stemming from these thots that matter - the small gestures/ initiatives, occasional surprises/ emails/ sms/ calls, thoughtful gifts...

“My, it’s so much hard work to be a friend” you may say.

Well, no one says it’s easy being a human in the first place...