Small Reunion, Big Time

It's always nice for me to have a memorable gathering with friends after a long week of working. But it's even nicer when I have the long week of not working. Hehe. The night before meeting with my highschool friends, I went to Yuki Simpang Raya again to have some bowling time, in which I saw that my bowling skill had decreased dramatically due to my lack of exercise. But there.. we managed to take some pictures too.

But that's all about the bowling night. Now about the reunion I was talking about...

***

The twenty seventh of July, 2008. It was a bright and excruciating Sunday, but it didn't burn out my happiness as I was planning on meeting my long lost friend from far far away Canada, Dabin Sutoso. Perhaps it's only my hands that were burnt out of the sun, since I spent a lot of times driving on top of Smashie, going far far away from my house.

I went to Cemara Asri, one of my most favourite places in Medan to meet Dabin Sutoso aka el_lightz whose face I haven't seen in five long years. The last time I met this Mr. Cool Face was the time when I was still new in Jakarta, not knowing what to do, seemed clueless of everything, before I began my study at Binus University. But then, Jimmy and Dabin were in town and Dabin asked us to go to Dufan, MegaMall, and HaiLai. It was a great day, and the funniest too whenever I remember how Jimmy ran in to the big mirror and fell down.

But a few days after that, Dabin has gone to Canada, hibernating or whatever he did in there.

Before, I thought I was about to meet him on Jalan Bambu II, the old place of our hang out, us, the el_se7ens. There were many memories before, in the small Dabin's room where he got an internet connection via TELKOM, the one that was so slow I could slit my own throat, the place where I played VOS and where Harry kept bringing his chessboard, the place where Liting always downloaded a new song for us via KazaA or Imesh. Ah... old nostalgic moments..

But it turned out Dabin's sister had moved to Cemara Asri, and from Tembung to there was a little bit tricky had I not known the short cut of Pancing Street.

To cut long story short, I got to the complex and asked the security where his house was.

Once I got there, I called his cellphone, which was inactive. What the hell? So I got in the house by myself, asking two children whom I assumed were his cousins. I asked for them to call out Dabin.

Eh, this son of a ------ was sleeping like a hibernating polar bear. Hahahaha...

And there go the man I'd been looking for.

Please welcome, Dabin...

Hahahahaha...

I swear, the first time I saw his face. I could barely recognize him, as his face had grown itself a tiny beard which one day could become like Osama bin Laden's. His body grew larger and fitter too. But it was his ugly face that made me realize he was indeed my old Bli2-2arD friend. (Hehe.. just kidding lah Bin.. You looked good kok.. same as ever...)

And so we went on to Sun Plaza, I told him that Tomat would be there as well, the same goes for Johan, Martin, Atak, and friends.

When we finally got there, the mall was as crowded as Backstreet Boys Concert in Jakarta, and so it happened we couldn't get a parking space. We were circling and waiting for half an hour before we could get one.

Dabin entered Sun Plaza for the first time in his life, but before we could sightseeing here and there (since we were already two hours late and plus we were thirsty and hungry as hell), so we went straight to the Foodcourt. There we found Meiwina, Anita Tanjaya, Tomat, Irwanto, Martin, Nanke and Johan waiting for us.

After lunching and camwhoring (which pictures I still haven't received from Johan's camera), we all went to NAV Karaoke, which reservation had been made earlier by Martin.

The three-hour-singing at NAV was going to seem rather boring, but then it turned out to be full of laughter and photographings, not to mention some great moments like when we're all listening to Tomat's debut as a dangdut singer, singing Peter pan's Diatas Normal and Kucing Garong ala Tomato. See how the Boss of Mafia singing dangdut :

And then Dabin brought his own canadian voice when he sang YMCA and later on, I forced him to sing the song of his life, the one with memories spurred in every word...

BEST IN ME... hehehe

I know the picture is a little blurry due to the shaking of my eager hands while holding the camera, hehe. So I thought I'd emblazoned it to be even blurrier. Hahaha..

Here's a clearer one :

It's a lot of songs we sang until the clock hit seven. Let's just check out these pictures and enjoy, would ya?

Me and Dabin

Meiwina, Atak, and Martin. That was Sulim singing and covered by Atak. He was waiting for us in NAV when we were still in Sun Plaza.

The Force of Girls, Meiwina and Anita Tanjaya.

That was me, A On and Martin.

Above is Martin who suffered from overjoy-ed syndrome, the super duper cute Tomat, and the usual handsome-ful Nanke.

Martin and I were singing The One, a song by Backstreet Boys. Look at our mouths, they say "I'll be the ONE..."

Me and Johan, the two crazy people who went a little "saner".

While why, Me and Tomat, both of who had turned in to the Homo of the Day.

Dabin and Johan, Look at them! What chick won't dig them?

when el_lightz meets Tomato...

This Sunday was pretty interesting... seeing the old friends again after such a long time. I was starting to believe that my days have improved much better since my old times.

And then there was a pleasant surprise when Juliana popped in out of nowhere.

It's also been five years since the last time I saw her face. She has been back to Medan for months now, after finishing her study in Maranatha, Bandung. I looked kinda tired in this photo, I wonder why. And my hair was such a mess I could barf. Really need to be cut, already.

So when the Karaoke thing was over, we went to City Cafe at Grand Paladium, of which location was real close that we simply walk there. But that was after we snapped several pictures again.

I'm sorry for the quality of these photos. It was dark and my phone was less sophisticated to level. The good pictures are still in Nanke's possession.

Above from left to right they are : Juliana, Nanke, Sulim, Tomat, Dabin, and Atak.

We also met Supryanto there, when we first got there, who had just been finishing Karaoke too, so he couldn't join us no more.

There were silly yet memorable times when we were all crossing the crowded street and Dabin got left off, or when Tomat was walking while speaking and then she bumped into a broken lamp post, almost got hit on his crotch. Hahaha..

It was things like those that makes me really fond of these kind of small reunions.

A very good day indeed.

And when Dabin and I went home later that night, we were lost when we were trying to get to Cemara Asri in a dark blackout road of confusion. We ended up in a free way entrace several kilometers away from the right way. And then we almost fell from the bike when I accidentally got in to a big hole in the middle of a stupid road.

But everything ended up well. I drove Dabin home, and I took the Pancing road again, really dark this time. And I got home safely. Tired, but very satisfied and fun. In the end, it's great seeing my old friend again, who by the way, gave me this canadian chocolate.

I guess he knows how much I love chocolate.

I wish to do all of this again sometime.

Thanks.

PS : This entry can also be viewed here in Bahasa Indonesia, and most of the pictures can be seen here via Facebook.