So, it’s 2.34 in the morning as I write this (though this prolly won’t get blogged till later in the day; I seriously hope I end up getting some sleep for I have an early morning meeting of non-epic proportions but important anyway) and Maria just drove me home after Mike’s party with Hadi in tow.

I’m utterly disgusted with the fact that, even after several beers, some wine, Hadi’s notorious arak, and more Martini than I would have liked to have imbibed, I’m still not drunk. (I look completely shit-faced, but I’m not drunk. It’s a Chinese thing, unfortunately.) I blame Blue for pouring me the glass of Martini and handing it over to me, but I’m glad Erich made me go bottoms up with him. It was a fitting end to the evening.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, yeah? Let’s start at the very beginning.

I woke up horrificly early Tuesday morning for a meeting at 8.30 a.m. Imagine how pleased I was to read a notice on the door saying the guy I was meeting had another, apparently more important meeting. Told me to come back at noon. Wunderbar.

So I went to the comp labs and started a crazy series of emails to everyone I haven’t been in touch with lately. Entirely my fault, of course. I had a very good email exchange with Sarah and I’m amazed as her that we’ve kept up this correspondence for this long. It’s one of the many things I’m learning to be grateful for these days.

12.00 p.m. arrived eventually and I headed back to the guy’s office. He had yet another meeting. Brilliant. I waited in his room for an hour. I nodded off after a bit cuz I didn’t get much sleep the previous night. When he finally finished, he looked at me and suggested lunch. Damn right, yeah!

So, for the second time in less than twelve hours, I had Indian food again. Fast food, somewhere Barerstrasse. Pretty decent actually. He actually gave me a treat, which was nice for him. Unfotunately, by the time we finished lunch, he had not much time till his next meeting, so I’m scheduled for another appointment 10.00 a.m. today. Wish me luck. (This is to settle my stuff with the university, by the way.)

After that, I just had to go home for snoozing. Pity cuz it was a perfectly sunny day and I wanted to go to the Englischer Gartens for a walk or something. When I woke up and headed down there, I was disappointed by the change in weather. Not much sun.

I figured I might as well head to Stusta for Michael’s barbeque. Mr. Stone’s leaving us on Friday, for the States, and Dona’s leaving 1.30 p.m. today. (Drop by Hauptbahnhof if you have the time, to see the girl off.) So it was a kind of double-farewell party.

When I got there, well, let’s just say there was even less sun. Went up to look for Blue, didn’t find him, went down again. I went outside and, man, I don’t think the sun was anywhere in the vicinity. Black clouds, snarling gales and a calamity of rain. Benches were flying outside Tribühne. A storm.

Perfect weather for a barbeque.

I turned around and there was Blue. “So, we’re gonna have a barbeque, huh?”

He had gotten the tables and benches and grill and looking rather ridiculous with the weather being the way it was. He left to look after the stuff and got down to locating Michael. I actually enjoyed it, just hanging out at the lobby, watching people coming in from outside, completely drenched.

Some smiled at me and shrugged their shoulders, but most just scowled. It might have something to do with the fact I was perfectly dry and grinning like a monkey. Hey, what better way to take joy than in others’ misery. Nah, I don’t mean that, but it was fun all the same.

Eventually, everyone found everyone and Michael moved the party up to his floor, eats and drinks in his GAP and the grill in the stairwell. The Mikes, Dona, Hadi and I worked hard to prep stuff. Hadi was the chef. (Good job!) I mostly took care of the GAP. Had to run down to Blue’s at one point to grab the bicycle pump for the balloons. (No one had enough breath to inflate a measly rubber.)

Met Blue in the stairwells and he asked me if I needed keys and I was like, I have your key, and I dugged into my pockets and came up empty. He then waved a bunch of keys in front of me. Scheiße! Apparently I left my keys in his room. Well, it was a crazy night …

Anyway, went back to the GAP and started pumping the damned balloons with Henrik’s help. There’s no way I can describe the looks on passer-by’s faces as I slipped the balloons on the shaft of the pump and Henrik just heaving away. That and I made pretty suggestive balloons decorations on the walls of the GAP. (Let’s just say we had a couple of nice round baloons, and a very cylindrical one …)

Soon people started arriving and the party got underway good and proper. Erich and a keg. Good time, yo. I spent most of evening sandwiching Maria between Florian and myself. I think we spent three hours talking about nothing but sex. We were a good threesome. Just promise me you won’t watch the videos. Let’s just say we got frisky …

Erich had this cool idea of buying this Bavarian flag and getting everyone to sign on it. I didn’t really write much, but I’m sure Michael will enjoy the little drawing I did for him. The rest of the guys certainly did. (And I am smirking now, knowing exactly which of you out there who could figure out what I drew.)

Later, Erich came down to Blue’s room (where we were doing the signings and I was watching over the room) and we had a little chat. He basically told me how my disappearance last week got plenty of people worried and some even pissed. He’s right, of course. That was a totally shitty thing to do. I’m glad someone actually told me this. Erich, it was very decent of you to have said it, I know it wasn’t exactly the nicest thing to have to say to someone, but I am profoundly grateful for your frankness. I aprreciate.

I had so many private conversations with so many people tonight, my dear, dear friends, completely outside of all the joviality, and I realise how much we mean to each other. Everyone was asking after each other. We are very fortunate to have met each other and to have grown this close. This is a special thing, and I for one do not take this lightly.

There’s no way I can write about all that happened last night, but here’s one final thing: Just Mike, Tolis, Maria and I, in a group-hug, reminiscing about the good times. This really is the end of an era, most of us leaving soon. But let’s just take solace in the fact we had some good days together.

And yesterday was defintely a good day. One of my best ever.

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Copyright © 2002 Kenny Mah Ying Fye.