you know what i did last weekend?

my almost non-existent social life took the form of existence last week weekend. driven from near-lethal condition of boredom on the afternoon, i decided to chat with my intern colleague. she is a nice korean girl with good sense of humour (let's just call her J). i asked her what she was doing and she said that she was gonna go out to buy a new microphone for her karaoke machine. doesn't really sound like the most interesting thing to do... but at that point - anything was better than staying in my room. so asked her if i could tag along. 20 minutes after that, i was already in a car with J and her friend, K. objective - to find a microphone for her karaoke machine.

we decided (well actually THEY decided) to go to a departmental store located at this part of the city (St Luke) which i rarely go to. whilst shopping for the microphone, J told me that she was attending her cousin's birthday later that evening. and they will be karaoke at the party. my mind made a backhand flip upon hearing this (kemaruk nak karaoke) but i was a bit apprehensive about attending the party. being the highly introverted individual that i am, i'm just not comfortable being the odd one out in the party. but of course i'll be the odd one out in the party - i'll be the only non-korean around! so i politely declined the offer.

after getting the microphone, we decided to go to a nike factory outlet cos i wanted to get some cheap running shoes (yeah - i'm a cheapskate. but i prefer the term smart shopper better.. ;P). and i did get a pair at a considerably cheap price (which by the way has not touched the soil yet cos i've been too preoccupied with so many activities (read: LAZY)). and at that point of jubilation and elation of getting new shoes, J asked me again if i wanted to join them to the birthday party. and i said yes (i was high at that time). she immediately called her cousin to inform her that i'll be coming (she actually called and said "oh btw, K is bringing a malaysian boyfriend" and giggled. i was like shit - matila aku. if there are any guys who fancies K at the party - this guy will corner me to the wall, grabs hold of my shirt and give me short, plausible warning). then i realised that i have just agreed to a night of possible awkwardness, discomfort and anxiety. crap! but it was too late to back out. so just to prepare myself, i stated asking J questions. how many people will be at the party (she said 15), what does her cousin do (working for living), is the cousin married (yes she is), are there any cute single girls who'll be at the party (err, wishful thinking.. hehhe.)

so we were off to J's cousin's place. amidst all the anxiety, i was quite excited because i've never been to a korean house before. but before we went in, i said to J "J, if no one talks to me... please don't leave me alone at the party". she giggled. "don't worry - i won't". we rang the doorbell and J's cousin greeted us with this huge smile. they then went on this high-speed conversation in korean. laju betul! as soon as i went in - i started to take off my shoes. K saw me doing this and stopped me - you don't have to do that here. she smiled. ahh..my girflfriend for the night was so sweet. =p

as i went into the living room, J introduced me to everyone. and i was flashing my best and friendliest smile to everyone while making a quick headcount. shit! they were already 14 people in the apartment - and there was more to come! "i'm gonna kill J for this".

we were immediately invited to help ourselves with the food after that. and J being the considerate friend/colleague that she is, asked her cousin whether there was any pork in the food. at first, her cousin had this puzzled expression on her face (maybe she was confused at J's sudden interest in pork because J doesn't eat pork). "no.. there's no pork in the food. why do you ask?". "because my friend here is a moslem and doesn't eat pork". the moment she said that, all eyes were on me (ok la ..not all. but those who heard the conversation turned to me. i guess during introduction J has left that bit of information out. ). "oh really? well dont worry. i got most of the food here from the korean restaurant nearby". she also pointed out vegetarian meals that she's ordered, and i was so thankful that she said that because the truth was - i was REALLY hungry. so after taking the food, i chose the most secluded seat available and dragged J to sit with me. she obliged.

everyone at the party was friendly. a few of them actually came to me to have a chat. i guess they find it amusing to find someone who does not look familiar, does not speak the same language nor practices the same religion. i felt a bit like a display item at the museum (but in a good way). and let me tell you - these people really know how to have fun! i don't know whether the booze played a part or not, but they were rocking and singing along for hours - NON STOP.

one thing that i find so fascinating about them is the high five ritual. they were a lot of high-fives flying around all the time. after someone makes a joke - there'd be high-fives. after a song is over, they'de be high-fives. after a photo is snap. there'd be high-fives. so... hollywood movie-ish. and the guys would have a special handshake (which i still coudn't figure the routine out until the end of the party) and hug each other a lot.

all in all, i think it was an enlighting experience. i realised that you can choose to be happy. it's an attitude. J's cousin and her husband does not live in a very big apartment. it's a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a single aircond unit (everyone was holding a paper plate on one hand fanning ourselves throughout the party). a small hall is shared for the living, dining and kitchen area. but they look contented with their life and genuinely happy. so did most of the guests there. there was so much joy, warmth, laughter and brotherhood among the guests - it was almost inspiring. if anything, i have learned two things from the party:

- happiness is an attitude
- money is not everything

bak kata mastercard, there are some things that money can't buy. ;)