On Thursday, I sent off another of my friends to the airport, one who was flying off to further her studies. While a group of us were there earlier for dinner, they took out a handmade photo album stuck with long, long, and I mean, long ago photos that we had taken as a group. And I knew they were old, because I saw shirts that I.... haven't fitted into for a number of years. -_-!!!!!

I remarked that the only 2 occasions that brought me to the airport were 1) departures for holidays and 2) to see friends off to other countries.

On a number of occasions, I've seen friends off to studies in other countries, and back then, the only online communication was ICQ and emails. [gosh, how primitive] We would see the friend in question off, and then not see her face for about 5 to 6 months. When she came back for holidays, we would meet up, catch up, and all too soon, it would be time for her to go back for the new term. We would send her off at the airport, knowing that 5, 6 months later we'd see her again. This would be repeated for a couple of friends. [yes, you know who you are]

In our point of life, though, it has somewhat changed. Now I still have friends leaving, but instead of leaving only to come back a few months later, they left with no clear point of return. They left to purposely start new lives wherever they went and who knew when they would be back again.

Funny how the time spent together in our youth was taken for granted, only to be re-appreciated again when we were older and such time was even more scarce than before.

Now when we meet, there is no time for small talk anymore, because we all know that this is all we get anymore. The friendships have become more valuable because of its very lack of frequency.

Thank goodness for small mercies like blogs, MSN and even *shudder* Facebook. At least with these you don't feel as if you haven't seen the girl for very long, because you can see from her Facebook that she has just had cornflakes for breakfast and is now waiting for the ice to thaw. ( ok, I made that one up :p ) Funny thing that now a less intimate form of communication has instead deepened the intimacy.

At my age, [hm, I sound older than I really am] I think I've seen enough farewells that I've almost become immune. Maybe I've just come to realise that we all have our own different ways to go. And I've also seen enough to know that the last sendoff will never be the last. If God and airlines be willing, there will always be ways for us to meet again should we want to.

And for all else, there's always Facebook.