When Time Stops

The phrase "catching up" was coined to help friends who haven't seen or talked to each other for a long time get reacquainted. In order to catch up, however, you need to "freeze time" partially because otherwise, how can the process of catching up work?

That's how I've been feeling the past two weeks here in Manila -- as though my time has frozen. My old friends have all got their own lives here and when I do get to meet up with them, time stops and we rewind back to where our lives once intertwined -- to the past: of high school days in ICA, of debate days in IdEA and World Schools, and so on.

While I've never been happier to see familiar old faces, I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness at the idea that our lives currently don't intertwine. I may tell stories from Singapore but then they're filled with unfamiliar, no-face names and soon-to-be-forgotten details. It's not that my friends wouldn't care, but that's just how some stories go. Unless you're in that particular situation or you're acquainted with those people, then you're more likely to forget them. And the same goes for me as well. Much as I'd like to remember the new names and new stories, I'd most likely remember the ones I personally know or am familiar with.

This saddens me because it feels like I'm in limbo once again. Neither friends from home nor friends from Singapore will understand this limbo state (unless friends from home studied overseas as well). Add having dinner and dessert with two sweet couples plus not being in contact with certain people from Singapore plus the late night and you've got yourself a recipe for the feeling of loneliness.

But I refuse to let this feeling override. There's always a silver lining. The glass is half-full. (And all that other psychobabble.) I should make the most of my time here because it will be another five months of separation again when I go back to Singapore. And the fact that this problem exists just means that I've expanded my social circle to include Singapore in it.

And above all, I should be happy that at least I've still got friends here who may not completely understand everything but are willing to try and clearly show that effort. Time allowed itself to stop for a reason. The past filled with silly encounters, never-ending laughs, arduous experiences and colorful moments was strong enough that time is willing to stop in order to let the once intertwined lives of these friends catch up with one another.