Friends - or so they say

I am writing this at 3.15 in the morning, just after completing my presentation and assignment, due this coming Monday. Before I head to bed and rounds off my day with a nice, deep slumber (hopefully), I just had to post this one.

This had been long past-due, yet still relevant and resonates each day in my daily life.

First, let me ask you: What is a friend to you?

I don't have a specific answer for that but should you lay people in front of me, I dare point at those whom I regarded as my 'friends' and I daresay they too will point back at me as theirs.

For the past few days, I've been walking like a zombie on 'Shaun and the Dead' due to my sprained ankle. Many thanks for that ginormous pothole residing on a particular road in UM, which I stepped into, unconsciously of course.

I could barely lift my left foot, let alone to walk.

And don't ever think of me gliding my way to the door, down my apartment, walk to the taxi stand and make my way to the clinic.

I just hate to disturb or trouble my loved ones, including my friends but this time, I got no choice. I had to get someone with a car to take me to the clinic, and first of all, to help me make my way out of the house or even out of the room before that. Thank God, my former room mate in UM and a very, very good pal, Azhar was available (thanks dear for waiting with me throughout the five-hours spent in UM Medical Center).

To those interested, I'm still having bandaged ankle and walking like a midget in haste.

That's one of my friends. Yours? How would you describe your friends?

Frankly, I admit that I'm blessed enough to have wonderful people as my friends throughout thick and thin for all of these years despite not always being able to give them my fullest. Farra, Ann Jie, Aen, Hani, Megat, Chong Jin, Hana, Zafirah, Sakina, Alexis - so many more, I can never complete the list!

They never annoyed me and they're never like a growing bunch of people who wear the tag 'F-R-I-E-N-D' for granted.

The point is, there are some particular group of people who claimed to be 'my friends' and by claiming so, they somehow felt superior and free to whore me around with them whenever they like. Kept on begging me to go out with them and whenever I said no, there goes the sour face.

I mean, do we really need to go out THAT much, just because we're friends? That's sick! That's not rendezvous with friends anymore, that's DATING for Starbucks-sake!

And somehow, they can't really see the fine line between 'friends' and 'acquaintances'. Don't ever dare to say that you're my friend when you have absolute NO idea of who I AM. Those people are sick, self-centred bitches who think nothing else but THEMSELVES. I

I wonder if they think I have nothing more important than dressing up, making my way through the hassle of public transports and spending hours and hours on some vanity meet-up. I rather spent those time on something beneficial, especially with my final exams approaching.

To those people who know that I'm talking about them, I have to say that I do like being acquainted with you and would love to know more about you, seriously. But, when you started hogging me through phones/text messages/emails asking and asking and asking about the next meet-ups, you TOTALLY turned me off. Are you guys so desperately-lonely or so busy in the future that you just have to meet NOW?

"Or do you have some hideous skirt convention that you need to attend?" - from The Devil Wears Prada.

Chill, people. If you want to get to know me, or any other, just be calm. Don't rush people off by thinking that you're the only friend that I need to entertain. Calm down, will ya?

Sigh.