in memory of a friend

in my life, i have lost about 5 friends. 3 in uni and 2 in my adult life. today, i lost the 5th.

he sought treatment 3 weeks ago. he was first diagnosed as having a brain tumour. weak in the knees from hearing that, i called him up and he sounded so upbeat and confident that he was going to be alright. he said it was a false alarm and that he was waiting to collect his mri results. i told him to make sure he updated me on his condition but he sounded so upbeat i thought the worst was over.

fast forward just 2 weeks and he was on life support. his brain ravaged by meningitis. when the text message arrived on my phone, i froze. i did not know how to react to that. his voice from our previous conversation still rang clear in my ears.

he became quite successful in what he did after graduation and came back to malaysia some years ago and got a job in putrajaya and quickly excelled and rose up the ranks. he is a dedicated hard worker who shared with me his ambition to obtain a Ph.D in his field, to be the best in it.

as the malay saying goes, kita hanya mampu merancang. Tuhan yang menentukan segalanya.

years ago he told me that on that fateful day of 911, he was supposed to board one of the planes that slammed into one of the towers. something came up and he didn't.

no mortal can understand the way fate is dealt out. the best we can do is to hold on to what we have, faith, hope, family and friends. look to the future and do not dwell on the past.

it was so sudden. here today, gone tomorrow. life is so short and fragile. anything could happen at anytime. embrace your life and cherish your friends. don't take them for granted.

rest in peace Wellington Ngelambong Edward. may your soul find its final resting place.