SWEET NOSTALGIA

where have all the good guys gone...?

I confess that I belong to that generation of the MIRC era. When I came back home from overseas after spending like 8 years away, I was disoriented.

Not much of friends (PLU), no social life, no weekend clubbing or even the occasional afternoon teas. My life was zilch! Most of those I had kept in contact were either my ex-classmates or uni-mates and further to the other side of the fence, I was virtually alone.

I had no one to bitch to or about, no one to hear some juicy gossips like I used to do when I was overseas. The kind of life here is pretty much the same but it was that little circle of friends I had when I was overseas, who kept me company, and the familiarity of the places I used to hang out, all now seem to be very strange to me.

Couldn't adapt to the life here especially the culture here which I still consider slow, I screamed for help. Luckily, I brought back my PC along and the first thing I wanted to do was to get hooked up. Dutifully, I went to the nearest Telecoms center and applied for an Internet account. (remember my time, broadband not fully developed yet and also WIFI)

So,when I managed to hook up to the Internet, I began to feel my world turning sane again.

With a click of a button, I managed to keep my life abreast with things and one of the things, I had encountered was MIRC.

The Internet relay chat channel was my passport in getting to hook up with new friends; I wasted no time in getting in there and to the desired channel that they offered there. I was aghast, so many selections and I was spoiled for choice.

But, it doesn't make sense if I went to a foreign channel when there is a few good ones in my local backyard, right? The first time in that channel, I was just observing the antics of the various chatters in there. Some were hilarious, some were like dumb blonde's, some like to flood the channel with persistent calls for one night stands or who wants to come over as I'm all alone, some who kept silent, some who just chatted with those they know; all in all, a varied pickled of personalities in there.

Out of these few, I managed to hook up to some very interesting nicks like Nexus, Vangelis, StarDream, Sonsuria etc etc...I had picked these out as these became very close friends of mine. During my time, the chats we had were more intelligent. We did encounter some monosyllable dysfunctional personalities but they were rare!

Most of the chatters in there had a very good command of the English Language and we talked about many things that affected our lives, and how we overcame it and laughed at it. There were mention about sex but it was nothing to the sort that we will head straight off to bed after just one chat (I'm not implying that I had gone to bed with any of them too!!)

Normally, after a few chats, we will initiate to meet up for coffee or tea and the choices were always Coffebean. It was too 'un-glam' to be meeting up in mamak or the local 'kopi-tiam'.If we were very close, dinner would be arranged.

I met some of these fabulous guys over at the simplest of places and from one meeting, it progressed to movies, dinner and even the occasional dates. From these few friends, my circle began to grow as from one friend, it led to others and some time, it ventured even further to a group.

Soon, parties were held, trips were organized and then, the growing or the ending of the friendships began to take place. It was all very normal for MIRC chatters. Looking back at one evening, while strolling along Bangsar after dinner with Simple Sue and her boyfriend, Bulging Josh (I swear, his bulge is always there, I think it must be at least 8?), we passed by Alexis the restaurant located along Telawi Street.

I remembered the times we used to have numerous dinners there, and my favorite dish was always Sarawak Laksa and then followed by their Tiramisu. Some birthdays were celebrated there and some not; Friday nights were the peak for that street, it was like who's who would be there.

Some local model or actor or actress will saunter in or just walk past by, while the chatters like us, will be cooped in Coffebean, sipping our Ice Blende Coffee and watching guys walking in and out. It was a riot!

We bitched about who that is, what that one did, where that one ended in bed and in what condition, my my, our mouth's was never sealed, but it was part of our culture. People tend to talk and if you dare to do it, then you would be subjected to becoming other people's subject matter.

Also, characters like the Soong Sisters, the Maid, the "Nai Mah", the horny butler, princess la la Ben etc etc added the color to the whole process we had during our time.

Sadly, as I reflect to the present time, I noticed that the game has changed, the culture mindset also has largely transformed. What used to be the normal greeting standard in the chat channels have now become ASL?

If you think ASL is some cable link name, think again, its not. Its acronym for Age...Sex..Location. Funny that the first thing that occurs on people's mind is to know how tall you are or how fat you are, before chatting. Another thing which I also notice that nowadays, there are more Chinese-educated / Malay-educated ones in the market.

The flow of the language when it is conversed in English gets lost like "LOST IN TRANSLATION" and there is actually no more fun to go in there anymore, unless you are one hot super duper hunky stud, whose only intention is to spawn some poor un-suspecting soul out there. Like what's your asl please....and don't get fooled!

Feeling a bit nostalgic, I still cling to the times when I got to know those friends, but, strangely enough, some of them have developed other habits and fetishes, leaving only the saned ones cooped up in the house, watching Desperate Housewives or Ugly Betty...