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"Empty", was the answer I got from Akhlaken when asked how's life been treating him.
We chat over glasses of hot tea at Syed one late afternoon recently. The mid-nite before, we were chatting in the FB, exchanging thoughts and views on so many issues. It didn't end there however. We thought there were many more things that need to be discussed - but not via the electronic social networking. Emotions in particular, could not be comfortably expressed virtually; besides, one cannot possibly write - or keyboarding - as free or as long as he wishes due to some limitation. Face to face then remains as the best way of interacting and communicating between people. The way one expresses his or her feelings, as reflected perhaps by the look at his or her face, the tone of his or her voice, the anger that shown in so many ways - language used in the form of verbal and non-verbal etc - are all easily observed.
It has been quite a while since I last met him some months ago in Damansara. The recent meeting puts us back into perspective of what true friendship is all about. And we agreed - after taken into consideration some unpleasant incidents which involved our dear friends the last few weeks - that a tiny issue is all it takes for a friendship to come to an end unforcibly. Fate, then, must be regarded as the most powerful force in giving meaning to every single thing in what we called friendship. The 'friendship' circle - in the forms of Akhlaken, FinFin, ShiShi, WaWa, Alex & Purple Stockings - was once a wonderful and mystical chain of affection and expressions.
We thought it could last longer; well, it did not.
Life goes on.
