A part of me - What friendship means to me...

Alright, maybe listening to some old and new love songs have made me kooky again but hey, it helped me get my ideas and thoughts in order. Nothing like a little music to ease this feeling. Well, maybe not everybody knows that side of me but then again, that's why I'm trying to share it now. 

If you have read my other posts here in my notes, you would know that I rarely write about myself. Most of the time, I write things that I feel through poems or so called essays. Sometimes, I even put stuff here that I didn't really write but are things that I want everybody to know. Well, eventually, I have realized that I need to share a bit of me sometimes. 

I was thinking about my friends over the weekend. All of the friends that I have acquired in my life and how they are doing now. Well, maybe everybody does that but heck, it's not like we are all in touch! I wasn't a popular kid way back in school. In reality, I may look like a sociable person now but before I wasn't that much of a talker. I only had a few friends whom I really had a blast with growing up.

Eventually, after spending my early childhood years in the Philippines, my parents decided that after I finish 4th grade in elementary, it would be better to have me with them in Oman. I wasn't really shocked or anything but at some point, I was young and I felt sad leaving my friends behind and yet on the other hand, I felt happy because finally, I will be with them. My mum just had my baby sister then so naturally, the age gap between me and my younger sister is huge. Talk about 10 years, for crying out loud! Anyway, going back to my story, my dad went home and brought me to Oman where I stayed for 7 or 8 years of my life.

Life in the Philippines truly is different from life in Oman. You can say that in a way I was culture shocked about everything out there. One biggest difference would be the extremely hot weather there which was obvious since it is a country with deserts on them. ^^; Well, I studied in a school there and met some friends which I was able to keep upto this very day but since we are all so caught up with being ourselves and with our daily activities, it's just so hard to maintain contact. God knows what they are doing now and where the heck they are! 

I went back to Manila after I graduated from high school and started my life once again here. It's tough being isolated from this part of the world so when I got back, I felt disconnected and alienated. People found me to be a bit of an oddball which made me socialize and talk less. In the end, I managed to have a few friends again and we are all still good friends till now. 

I have come to the realization that as people age and grow, there is only one constant thing in this world and that is change. We can say it is inevitable. In the end, not all your friends can be your friends forever. Some of them fall apart and some forget. Some simply move on and look for other friends. Just like leaving a job and looking for greener pastures. I, on the other hand, is stuck in the middle of it all. I love my friends. God knows what I will do for them all but sadly, I can't keep them all no matter how hard I try to.

You can never please everybody and sometimes some of them just grow out of your friendship which causes them to not like you anymore or to think of you differently. I experienced being called many things by my friends and unfortunately, some of them were not very pleasing to hear. The saying: TELL ME WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE AND I WILL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE to me is not right nor exact. Maybe it's just a case to case basis thing. I am not very much like my friends although we have common likings or traits. I guess differences do not keep people apart, it just makes the bond stronger. It's just like food, adding spice or something new to it will make a new blend, a new recipe that can turn sour, bitter, sweet or in fact, achieve it's perfectness in time.

Friendship can be tested through time and like wine, as it ages, it grows stronger and the bond gets better. I wish I will find those friends someday. I don't keep on looking. I Just get them along the way. As I continue this journey through a path called life, I dream more and expect less. I love what I have now and consider myself fortunate for my friends are some of my treasures that nobody can ever have or take away from me. They are partly responsible for what I have become and I swear that I can never be without them. So, kudos to all my friends, those too distant to hear me, those who have grown to hate or dislike me, those who keep on loving me and standing behind me, those I have lost along the way, to EVERYBODY! Cheers to friendship! Celebrate it and cherish it forever!