mr. brightside

you know how sometimes you meet a long-lost friend on the street? someone you haven't seen in a long while but used to be close to in the past?

well, i just met one such friend: a close buddy of mine in the BSLC and that was during my 1st year of NS, so... that year was 2008.
i must say it was really good fate to have crossed paths, because this friend was someone i shared good times with, and also someone that i could just simply strike up an easy conversation with even though we hadn't seen each other for so long.

anyway, i was out having supper with 2 of my other friends when i noticed him walk past outside my favourite bcm stall, and i immediately recognized his face. i started to sift through my memories and recalled significant events such as where we had met, what we did together, and some of the more poignant scenes played out in my head  like movies on an old projector (most were during outfields; the most striking one was where we were sitting by the road in platoon level passing out the nightsnacks).
later on, as we left, i kept an eye out for him en route to the car and surely, spotted him inside the neighbouring prata house. almost like how he walked past the bcm stall and i spotted him from inside, he too, spotted me from inside the prata shop and recognized me.
ahh, finally i had the chance to speak to him and catch up for a bit... at this point i kind of blocked out the fact that i was with my other 2 friends who wanted to go home.

first thing he said to me after we were done with all the heys and hellos and how are yous, was: "eh you know ah, i was just thinking about you today man."

i was taken aback, because that was either a lie, a joke, a weird conversation-starter, or some funny coincidence... and also because he was with his girlfriend, but he quickly added, "ohh no it's not like that la."
haha obviously he still retains his good sense of humour after all these years, and he subsequently tried to explain, "really really, i thought about you today, 'cause funny story, i swear today my sister was going to turn lesbian."

wah this guy power. in front of his girlfriend some more.
i wanted to retort, "wtf your sister wanna' turn lesbian then you think about me?!"
but i held back my comment because what would his girlfriend think we did during army right? hahaha
okay turns out the girl that his sister liked has the same birthday as the two of us, and so that was why he thought of me.

which then made me realize that the reason why we forged such a strong bond in the first place was because we were the only 2 people we knew who were born on the exact date of 15th july 1989! not sure if that particular girl was also born in 1989, but he's the only person i know who shares my exact birth date, and the same story goes for him vice versa.

i remember being pretty amazed by this fact when we first met... we were in the same platoon and same section in foxtrot company (platoon 3 section 5?), and had the same birth date... during that outfield that i mentioned earlier, i remember clearly that the particular nightsnack we received that night was plain bread with either normal butter or peanut butter inside, and between the two of us we had one of each... somehow we dubbed the one who got the normal butter bread "bright side" and the peanut butter one "dark side"... and to be honest i forgot which one i was... a burning memory tells me i was bright side but then again knowing me i should probably have been the dark side. anyway, i think it was decided based on who chose which bread...

but i do remember telling him that neither side can do without the other, much like how i hated only having the peanut butter bread, or only the normal butter bread - it only becomes really nice when you eat them both together. okay thinking back and saying it out like this makes it seem like a really dumbass analogy, but honestly it made so much sense that night, and i believe with that we proceeded to form a strong sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that lasted throughout the remaining of the course.

all in all, i just wanted to say that it was really a pleasure to have crossed paths with this dude once again, and it makes me appreciate all the good times we had together, albeit those being tough times as well.
it truly isn't often to be able to experience something like this; meeting an old friend and being able to catch up most effortlessly from where you left off years ago... i wonder how many other people would be able to exert the same kind of effect on me, and maybe perhaps you should try and think about those who might be such long-lost friends to you too.
however, they won't come to mind easily, because it is only when you meet them, do you start to remember how awesome a friend they were to you before.

cheers to you, dark side.