Saturday, June 18, 2005

an open letter to the people i spent the TIME OF MY LIFE with

Where are u all? the Kennedys are in Moscow now? I can't believe their third floor room where so much of our drunken antics have occured is now empty or worse yet being occupied by some stranger. The ghosts of our parties -- ring of fire games, dancing, singing and getting stoned -- still linger there i'm sure.

I miss our numerous drinking sessions in RVS, Gorky Park, the streets of Almaty and the dodgy clubs we frequented (Is it true?! Capos is closed?! that is undoubtedly the best place to pole dance when u're sloshed and the easiest place to steal flags from -- right tris?!). I miss going up to Chimbulak only to have a snow fight and going to Koktube only to be caught in a storm (thereby getting stranded as it's too dangerous to ride the cable car back down). i miss walking around and finally settling down a pub or cafe so we can wreak our havoc with our drunken singing of the british anthem (i still remember some lines of God Save the Queen). I miss just walking on the snow and having random snow fights. i even miss go-carting which got my hands so inexplicably bloodied and Anj sore and bruised. I miss bowling while fluffed up by Vodka and playing pool in the Turkish place. i miss eating with u guys and stealing a bite from each of ur plates. I miss the talks. I miss how when i look around our table full of shot glasses, pepsi and vodka; i marvel at how different we all are from each other yet we get along so well. I miss our house parties where nothing and everything happens. I miss our going away drinks every few days for people who come and go. i miss the camping: the bonfire of rubbish, crooning with the guitar, finding lost people, swimming in the leech-filled lake, tanning in the middle of a hilly pasture, trying to ward off the horses (and rats and frogs), playing ring of fire inside big ben (.:Hunny.. don't get drrrrrunk!:.), fighting over chicken and carrot cakes, going in search for potable water and just lying around while puffing on tristan's home grown.. umm.. medicines. I miss our all nighter New Year's Eve bash at the shag pad and all the blokes having their arses photographed (i still have a photo of that!). i miss that summer solstice party: stripping to my bikinis to dive for a bottle of beer, rubbing honey all over to steam in the sauna, playing games in the wading pool, shashlik galore! and concocting the worst and most potent punch ever. i miss sitting on our noisy table scrambling for ciggies and insisting that it's my go on the shot glass. i miss saying random russian phrases to the perplexed waiters such as: moshna bolshoi moshina pashalsta (translation: i want a big man please). I miss everything. I want those 7 months back when all of us were still there: getting hammered at any given chance, making fools out of ourselves and just very simply having the time of our lives.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So..

Rowan -- our brat.. what have u been getting up to? How is uni treating u? I miss the days when u'd spend the whole day at our flat playing pusoy dos for a mug full of tengges. I'm sure my parents miss u calling them tita may and tito ray in that adorable bri-ish accent of urs. I miss the debates about how tomato should be pronounced and ur retort that would finally shut us up is: "what is the language called?!!). Remember how we were almost brought to the police station for drinking Vodka on the street and no amount of flashing diplomatic cards can get us out of it?! how DID we get out of it?

Tris loves -- oi!!! u crazy bastard! i still remember u everytime i hear Billy Jean and i can still vividly see u dancing to that tune back in Capos. Such a shame u had to give back the bust of Lenin (was it Lenin's?) that was a classic how u just hid it under ur coat and walk out like u didn't just take one of their decos. U are the master of taking home souveneirs.. from flags to mugs to god knows what else.

Russ baby -- u silly boy. what have u been getting urself into nowadays? my fondest memory of u is when larla and tris "busted" us "getting it on" in the Kennedy's garage when we only just had a talk about.. umm.. things. Those two.. tsk. tsk. Is ur old puppy still alive? where the fark are u anyway? I know u can't still be in King's School.. so why don't u come down here and visit us? Ed already did.. it's ur turn! We promise to bake a really good carrot cake (not as good as ur mum's i'm sure). Miss u heaps tinky winky :P

Nic daddy!!! -- i haven't heard from u for ages.. not since u were here in melbourne. Why leave oz when we were just about to get here?! Come back.. U are the one person who can carry me 6 blocks to our flat from RVS fireman style while i struggle to fly. email soon or else >:(

Laura dahhhhhling -- u still in KZ loves?! what's the scene there now? How are the pups? i miss ur glow in the dark room and the video nights in ur flat. hear from u soon, ok?

Taz -- hey natalya.. still taking the world by storm? where are u?! i miss our vodka chugging.. and thanks for being the cook during the camping. I wouldn't trust any of the boys to provide the nourishment for that weekend. hahaha.

And of course.. to the two people i fell in love with. The 2/3 of our unbreakable triad.

Minya mamoochka asmelka? kakdila?! i miss u sooooooooo much. u won't believe it. I still have a picture of us on my bedside and when i turn to the right i see u and remember all the things that we've bonded over.. out on our balcony while sharing a ciggie. i miss sleeping on the canadian couple's bed while i tell u stories about manananggals. House sitting was the bestest time when u would "cook" pasta and "fry" eggs on the microwave. I miss walking the dogs and going out with u. And asking u how to say thisandthat in russian. All those drunken nights while drinking the vodka from the cap and swigging the pepsi i've stolen from our flat. Our escapades and our ESCAPES from (hahaha :P). I miss going to barakulka and green market to shop with u.. and eating Kazahk food (bish parmak?!). I miss how u say: "tita may.. can i have more pangsit?" and thank u thank u thank u for being the most adorable person that has captured my parents hearts so that they'd allow me to go anywhere as long as i am with u. It was great having u to explain the enigma that are the russian and kazahk cultures. I miss u.. and one day soon when u are even more successful than u already are i hope u'll come and visit us or we'll meet up somewhere. I'll sing 12 days of Christmas with u as much as u want when we finally see each other again.. i promise. Harasho?! I love u asmelka! mmmmmmm.. mmmmm... m.mmmm.mmmmmmmm... :)

And edvard.. sweetie hunny darling baby...

i know u know i miss u. and inspite and despite of our relationship not working out (i'm sorry.. long distance relationship just got too difficult for me) i still love u. Thanks for coming down under to visit.. that weekend with u and herbie meant so much to me. I miss almaty and walking its icy streets with u. I miss how i ask for a hug and u'd come over knowing full well that i only want to put a snow ball on ur back. I miss having u carry me over muddy puddles so my white trousers won't get soiled. I miss how i can just give u my puppy dog look and u'd do anything i ask of u. I miss being enveloped in ur big burly rugby player arms and being instantly warmed up. I miss the days we spent in our flat and how u try not to flinch as i serve u the food that i've 'cooked'. I miss baby sitting ur lovely little sister (how is the sweetheart?) and fast forwarding Winnie the Pooh so we can get her to sleep and we can spend time alone together. hell! i even miss ur mum.. who i know loves me (she told me so :P). I miss the talks about the things that have weighed so heavily in our souls and unloading each others' troubles so we can share the burden. I miss writing u postcards from everywhere i go in california.. and getting phone calls from u from across the atlantic and our twice a day emails. I miss those days we spent on the park and having coffee in English breakfast (was that the name of that posh place?). I just miss u a hell lot and i'm so relieved to still have u as a friend despite of... let's continue keeping in touch okay? *mmmmmwah*

OLYA, Toby, Artyom, Andrea, Claire, Libby, Krupa, Tim, Andrea, Roxy (hey roxy.. come visit us! goodluck on ur music making), Cris, Ed N., Mark, Tom, Mic, Tanya (that sexy waitress), Max (that young server in RVS) those endless VSOs we've partied with, Colya (<--- remember him?!), Tita Kit and Tito James Kennedy, mr. and mrs. Webber, Mr. and Mrs, callaway (give all my love to ur family ed!) -- u've all been part of the time of my life. U will forever be one of my fondest memories.

So what do u guys reckon?! In 5 years, a reunion?! hahaha. Well.. know that anytime u find urself in this part of the world u'd have a place to stay.

I still have my KZ alcoholic Crew dog tag. I still have the tattoo i had done there to be a constant reminder of u guys. I still have all the pictures and the indelible memory of the good times. Thanks for all that.

Ya Ochin Tibya Lyubyu.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Song: Time of Your Life by Greenday -- the unofficial theme song of nomads like us.

beachbutterfly babbled @ 6:21 PM |

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