Props to the boys

The crew have been mates through thick and thin as long as I can remember. Strong friendships formed through catching public transport together, eating bad university food, cramming for exams, long talks over beers, barbeques at each others houses, tennis games at random council tennis courts, embarassing bouts of dancing at sketchy asian dance parties, heated arguments on CityRail trains, travelling to new places, having to put up wih each others bad habits in dorm style acommodation, unfortunate bouts of the runs, run ins with dodgy taxi drivers, catching up in random cities around the world, are memories that flood to mind, and they are truly a mish mash of locales, in seoul, london, los angeles, buenos aires, tokyo, new york and the varied locations of sydney.

With some of us running off to different parts of the world, I'm truly blessed to have mates who are there whatever the time, time zone, geographical location or form of communication, despite the continents that separate us all now.

In 1997, the last year of high school, I don't think any of us could have imagined where we have all been, what we've seen, in the twelve years after high school.
Who could have predicted that a crew of conservative asian kids growing up in a bastion of middle class north shore sameness would disperse and take a few different roads on life, back when the possibilities were ahead of us but I know I was merely focused on the next step, rather than the world at large before us.

Times around the world are tougher now than they were just two years ago, but I know my mates are there if times do get dire. They don't seem all that bad because there's always a mate somewhere to grab a beer and have a cheap feed, if it does come to that. Props to you all, gents. Its an honour and my privilege to have grown up with you and alongside you, and I know we keep being close friends and when we catch up it will be as if nothing has changed.

Its you guys who have shaped me, and I'm better for it.