Mr. Byn

(Intro.) - Recently I met one of my long lost friend (not quite lost act, he went to UK to further his study). He was my schoolmate back then in MCKK. We used to call him Byn (pronounce as Bean)– and we still are. The last time I met him was about 4 or 5 years ago. Byn was one of my highest rated brothers in Koleq (koleq stands for college as in our MC’s vocabs). He was the captain for our rugby team, the vice president for our prefect board, high council for the student council and the list goes on. And plus his excellent result during our trial, he was offered by ESSO to UK during the mid of our SPM exam. And now, after 4 years he came back with a first class degree from UK. Haha, what else can I say when you are the ONLY Malay among 15 people who got first class degree in UK?? He’s really the cream of the cream.

We talked about Koleq, about our brothers, my life, his life, university life, his career, my future plan, my probs, his probs, and even to politics – though he doesn’t really seems to like politic (He said it was dirty. I told him some politicians are dirty not the politic itself. He said both are. We laughed)

What I admire the most of him is the way he planned his life.

You have to plan, he said.

I said I had a lot of them. Why didn’t I achieve what he had?

You to have work on your plan!, he added.

Silent from me, knowing he got me there, I never really being serious in working my plan out. Or maybe I just don’ have the right plan.

He then continued with how he managed to score in UK. How to study last minute but still you can be in the 10 or top 5 rank in your batch (How to work first and enjoy later and how to enjoy first and work later). What matters the most is the process, not the result, he said. It’s the process that teaches you on how to get results- teaches you how to survive in the ‘real’ world.

Oh, damnit! Why now? Why don’t you tell all this earlier to me?

You didn’t ask.

Silent again from me. I sighed.

Never mind, he said. You still have time.

Yah rite. Just one more sem left, I said.

So what? Just go for it. Prove to YOURSELF that you can. 4 flat is never impossible, dude!

We kept on talking – and arguing. HAHA. One thing led to another. And another. And another.

(The end.) – He went back. I stopped at KINOKUNIYA. Grab another book (Frank McCourt’s) and headed home. On my way back, I kept on thinking, realizing, friends come and go, but true brothers will never leave. Being a brother is not really that hard. A few BRIGHT words during your friend’s dim days are enough – BROTHERS.