Don't Waste Your Life

'Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.' Jn 15:13

I dunno why, but this is one line that I always think of when I think about Melvyn. No, we've not died for each other, neither have we given anything significant to each other, but I believe this is a friendship that we're both willing to sacrifice each other. We're willing to give our lives and our time to each other, to share and bear each others' burdens.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

He was there when I was down, and he always sat by the pool and listened to me. Once in a while he'd poke my tummy and say:'Eh brudder, u gotta lose weight la!'.

You won't believe how we started out. We were only ever classmates for 2 years. The first interaction I ever had with him was him running from 10metres behind and giving my butt a giant smack. I was shocked (cos nobody slapped by buttocks before, u see), but at that very moment I had this inclination I would strike up a big friendship with this guy. Somehow this inclination of mine is always accurate. I had the same inclination when I met Mindy and when I met Xiao-zhen, and also more recently somebody else.

The days we had were short. We were only classmates for one year, but our gang would always walk home together from school. Shenglong, Xiangtai, Melvyn, me and Xunwu (who would take mrt home). I've lost significant contact with the rest, except maybe XT whom I still see in school sometimes.

Somehow, me and melvyn always took the same path, we went to Hwa Chong together, and we ended up here in NUS now. It helped tremendously that we lived just opposite of each other. But i think what gave our friendship the biggest shot in the arm was his commitment. No matter what happened, his commitment to me and to himself never wavered.

And also to his family. He's one guy who really cares a lot about his family, although he doesn't express it in hugs and kisses. The man who works to support himself so his brothers and sisters can have a more comfortable schooling life. The man who's always talking about how fuel-saving the Toyota Vios is so that the money can be saved for his siblings. Sometimes I wonder if he went ahead and grew up, while I'm still stuck at my i-want-to-be-a-social-worker-and-help-the-world idealism.

His note to me when we graduated in sec 4:

What I want: to see myself and my friends do well and prosper in life.

Well, bro. After so many years, we still don't agree to so many things. Like how to bring up my niece. But it's ok. It's this difference that helps us to grow. We're better persons for it. We've prospered in many many ways. One of those ways, is your heart. :)

Take care.