Degrees of Friendship

People meet people everyday. Sometimes they become more than what they initially were, and sometimes they fade into nothing. 6 Billion in the world. 26 Million in a country. 600 friends you know all your life. 300 of them you see again. 150 are in your Facebook list (assuming you only add people you know). 100 you see all the time, of which 40 are your colleagues, 5 your clients, 10 your activity buddies, 7 your gaming pals, 4 your snooker legs, your cousin's cousin, your brother's ex girlfriend, your ex girlfriends, your sister's boyfriend, and that lady who sells flowers two blocks away from where you stay. 6 left. Your best friends. What makes them so special out of the 6 billion? 

Acquaintances

You see them, they see you. Shake hands, say Hi and Bye. Smile. Smokers have a lot of these friends. They smoke, chat up a storm, and by the time they kill the butt, they've forgotten what that guy looked like. You can't be bothered if you'll never see them again. 

'Get-Away-From-Me's

Met through the oddest of odds, he/she's probably a friend's friend or just someone who's extremely lonely and is in dire need of a friend to talk to.  He has that extremely eerie stare and his jokes are stale and he's suffering from chronic case of halitosis. You hate him. You hate having to laugh at his ridiculous jokes and his stupid punchlines. He embarrasses you whenever around girls, and is the one reason you're still single. You refuse to add him into your Facebook Friends' list. You hope he'd get hit by a 50-wheeler right about now! 

Business Buddies

These people are good at what they do. Enough said. They can be the worst friends you'll ever find in your entire life, but somehow you know they'll make the best business buddies. One calculates every single cent he spends on. The other keeps complaining about the world and how it could and should be better. Another one keep threatening to sue the world. The other one an underachiever who loves to cook up mischievous ways to con everybody. You dread having them around for holidays and birthdays, but you keep them deep in your pockets because you know they'll be of use to you. 

Colleagues

You see them more than you see your dog at home. They make you want to kill them or yourself every single morning, but have to live with it. You hate their incompetence, but somehow feel happy they're around because they make you feel good about yourself. When it's time to clock out, they would suddenly disappear from your mind. If you happen to see them in clubs or pubs, you'll almost never want to go up and say Hi to them because you know the only thing you guys would talk about is the one thing you don't want to talk about. You hate their guts, and you also know the feelings returned are mutual. 

Yum Char Buddies

When work is done, you want to go out for drinks. Teh Tarik or Leffe, they'll always respond to your calls and will always be there. They're good talkers. You would talk about how bad the government is doing, how bad the world is now. How things used to be so good back then. Low crime rates, cheaper beer, cheaper petrol, cheaper everything. And if you'd be the Prime Minister you'd make sure all these remain the same. You share jokes, stale lame-ass jokes that only the 5 of you would laugh to. You go home at night knowing they'll be around again the next time you call for drinks, and say the same old shit all over again.

Activity People

Snooker, gaming, shopping, movies. You love having them around when doing things. And you know they love your company too. You talk about the things you do, jargon after jargon spills. You usually have different groups for different activities, because none of them would do everything you do. They do not cross your mind when you want to share something special with, and you won't call them when you just got robbed. 

Ring of 10

Close friends you found either through yum chars or activities, or just a randomly crossed path that happen to link the both of you. They may not know each other, but you know them. Every single one of them are someone you'll want to get to know. You exchange interesting topics and they almost always go with it and throw something back to you. You can sit for hours talking. These people know you. They see you. But only as much as you want them to see. You still behave yourself in front of them, careful not to be too vulgar or not to dig your nose too enthusiastically. 

Brothers or Sisters

Maybe from school, maybe through some odd random meeting, you met this band of brothers (sisters). They know you too well, sometimes more than you know yourself. You know what they're thinking. That Don't-disturb-me smile. You may be best friends because you're exactly the same, or exactly the opposite. You compliment each other in everything you do. You miss them when you don't meet up after a while. When you go to their home, you feel at home. When you get into trouble, their numbers are on Speed Dial 1,2 and 3. You talk rubbish and they respond you rubbish. You talk serious, and they respond serious.  You can meet them up for dinner every single day, everyone silent on the table eating, smoke, then leave without saying anything at all. You'll go back the next day, simply for the company. They'll tell you in your face if you're being cocky. You can see them having family outings and yum chars with you 50 years from now. They're bad at some things, but you can accept it simply because they're them. When you think of them, a smile draws across your face. You're glad you've met them. You're blessed to have them as your best friends. You'll hold on to them tightly for the rest of your life. 

Many people we meet are random. If I'd gotten into that primary school along Jalan Batu in KL, everything in my life would've been different. I wouldn't have met that guy who use to read game books with me in class. I wouldn't have met the group of people who took me in as a friend and a brother. The guy who'd take the bus home with me everyday, and his band of brothers who drink and drink. The other big band of brothers I found in secondary school. The associations I joined and the things I learned. The college I went to because all my friends were in the other one. The trekking hobby that led me to join the trekking club in college. The friends I made in the trekking club. The climbing trip that was organized by the trekking club. The being approached by a staff asking if we were interested to work there. The working there. The people I met working and climbing there. The people I learned from, asking nothing in return. The people I taught and am still teaching, asking nothing in return. 

But if I'd gotten into that primary school along Jalan Batu in KL, I may have another set of stories to tell.