Excuse me, you are?

The minute you and I were born on this earth, our parents would anticipate day after day when we would speak our first word. Most of the time, the baby would utter mama or papa or some random word. In my opinion, the most important word to teach your baby is "Hi!" Why do I say that? Because for the next 5 to 10 years of your baby's life, he/she would be the centre of attraction of every function, birthday celebration, wedding, family occasion... etc.


I distinctly recall my cousin giving birth to her first kid, and I have officially become an uncle to this nephew that stared blankly at me and drooled (not on me). He even turn my serious, strict dad into this joker, prancing about as if the baby was his own. Yet to all babies/kids who go through such situations ALL the time do not really know how to react. For myself, I was never taught how to socialise since young, just basically paying respect to relatives and 'hi, how're you's to friends and cousins.

It wasnt until secondary school where hormones of all teenagers raged that I started to experiment on 'how to bio char bor' 101. Looking back at all my attempts, I rate myself an epic failure. I was talking to one such girl I tried to chase in sec 4, and we hadnt talked for 6/7 years. I told her how I was such a loser and she literally burst out laughing.. well it wasnt the kind of reaction I expected, but I understood why she felt that way. And we spent hours reminiscing those funny, and weird days of freedom. Anyway I enjoyed the bio-ing during those times, being 'centre of attraction', and now enjoy laughing to my heart's content at those ridiculous attempts to get attached to 'the One'.

I'm glad with who I am today, but just one area you and I need to develop: the skill to socialise and develop meaningful relationships.

'Huh? I have alot of friends already what?'

'What socialise? I AM the Socialite!'

When I scroll through my MSN/Facebook contact list, I realise at least half were just a part of my life for a period, and then never kept in contact anymore. From Primary School, to Secondary School, Polytechnic, Various Courses I attended, Church, Army. Lets change the way we define friends.

Friends are not only the people we are with during school. They are classmates.

Friends are not only the people we work with in office. They are colleagues.

Friends are not only the people who train with you in the jungle. They are fellow recruits.

Friends are not only people who you meet every week at cell group/church. They are members.


What then is the true meaning of friends?

Dictionary.com says:

friend

1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement.


My definition: 5. A person who builds a meaningful, lifelong relationship.
There are too many hi-and-bye friends in the world today, mere acquaintances. I myself have become guilty of it. But they always say,"Its not what you know, its who you know." Your social influence on people has an impact on your destiny, believe it or not.

The person whom you bullied in primary school could be the next upcoming president.

The person whom you backstabbed in secondary school could be the next CEO of the company you want to do business with.

The outcast of your BMT platoon could be doing his PHD in MIT, UPenn, whichever.


No longer should we have people that were just a "fraction of life". And when you know the person, you really know the person. Every person is precious. Jesus did not reject anyone. He only rejected the attitude within. So lets not be a stereotypical person! The person he/she was a decade ago would probably be a different person right now! Come on! Its 10 WHOLE YEARS!

It's time to dig out those autograph books you signed and wrote your contact details when you graduated from seconday school and primary school. Let's pick up those friends we've lost, and start catching up with them and eventually win them over!