ravikumar balan - baby.

its been just over a week since i boarded a flight back to perth, after ten days in malaysia. on my previous trips, it was always a joy to return home after spending some time with friends in malaysia. this time around, i was flying back a day after the funeral of one of my best mates. it was an awful feeling.

i knew my next trip will never be the same again. baby was always among the first people i would call after landing in kl, and he would be among the first to meet up with me. "bayi - how are u lah. welcome back." These would always be his first words, accompanied with a hard slap on my back which always irritated me. he would then proceed to ask about the family, always genuinely caring about everyone he knew.

during the five-hour flight, i kept thinking about the last time we met, and how i couldnt meet him for two days before his untimely passing. i was too caught up with my own holiday, trying to squeeze in as much as possible during the ten day period. i regret not making an extra effort to see him. i regret not asking him how he was, although he didnt seem too well. i thought baby would always be there ... just a phone call away.

but i made the call too late. i last called his number at noon on october 23. but he didnt answer the call. a sobbing voice on the other end told me he had passed away in the morning.

people who knew baby will now no longer enjoy his company. we will no longer have a friend who had more problems than most of us put together, but who managed life with a huge smile. nothing in life pulled him down. nothing could, judging from the hurdles he had in life.

im sure he is in a better place now. a place where there is no pain. a place with no problems. hopefully, a place where he is better appreciated for the great person he is.

rest in peace baby ... and keep a beer chilled for me.