My buddy in class is 4 years old.

My buddy in class is 4 years old, and he has been a real chum, a real mate. On days when he’s not sick (which is almost, like, everyday), he’d give me this goofy grin of his while laughing off on jokes unfathomable to anyone else. On days when he is sick, he’d sit in class sniffing and subdued, very unnaturally quiet.

In case you’re wondering if I’m going to end this entry with a twist like how this 4-year old buddy of mine would turn out to be a cat, an inanimate cupboard, the wastepaper basket, or worse still, an imaginary friend, I’m not interested (at least at the moment) to play tricks on the mind (not like the girl who cried wolf :D).

He has been a willing listener to what I have to say, he actually converses with me in a common language I understood (and not 普通话, geddit?), and, I dunno, there’s just so much more stuffs to talk to him because he listens, and vice-versa, period.

That doesn’t mean I’m ditching Mandarin, because for all my efforts of learning it by asking my classmates what they had just talked about, sometimes they’d laugh as if I had just self-disclosed what colour my underwear was, and some other few times my questions were rightfully ignored as their conversation was much more interesting than a often-repeated “What does this word mean?”.

Maybe that’s why I don’t ask that often anymore. Hell I could probably learn better by looking at the pinyin + Simplified Chinese + translation of Jay Chou’s Still Fantasy album’s lyrics I’ve printed out – 27 pages in all, personally compiled from the Net when I had too much free time.

Oh right, I’ve sidetracked. Yeah about my 4-year old buddy.

He drives a mean manual Iswara and I’ve always, always enjoyed sitting on the passenger seat of his car. There were a few close brushes, one of which I’d liken to James Bond style, and it was always adrenaline-pumping all the way. I’ve yet to find a reason to worry since I pretty much trusted his driving.

My buddy also has had a colourful, interesting history I find no reason to divulge here. I’d admit I’m not much of a talker (my socialising skills still suck), so I’m surprised we managed to hit it off at all, even with my other classmates.

My buddy in class has this generosity with friends one could hardly believe, and being very laidback and generally friendly, I don’t see how people would hate him.

Some of you might have already guessed it right.

My 4-year old buddy in class is Bryan Chong, and why 4 years old, you ask? Does he feel young, and look young (like a 4-year old)? Does he enjoy engaging in various childish activities like a toddler? Does he still drink Dumex?

No to all of that. He has the (mis)fortune of being born on the 29th February 1988.