Of friends... and work....

The other day, I popped by SPH to visit old colleagues. The warmth of that big family at the counter reigns still, though a few friends were not there.

That got me thinking about how important environment is when it comes to work.

I like the feeling of belongingness, the feeling when in the morning, you feel like you're going to meet a family at work. The feeling of knowing that there are people supporting you if you should fall, of knowing that there are people who will share your sorrows.

I miss the times we spent hours chatting in the discussion room, over our S55 and emails, the after-work chat across the counters.

Even though there are times when I felt unhappy about the working attitudes of some other colleagues, I still enjoyed my stay there.

It was this feeling of belongingness which made me feel very much reluctant to leave the big family.
And the lack of this same feeling in the next job which made me leave after one month's stint.
Now that I'm doing freelance, that feeling is replaced by my time spent with my family.

But now I look back, the friendships made... seemed to have weakened over time. We don't seem to be in very much contact with one another, just the occasional chats over MSN, the once-in-a-while SMS-es, and I do miss them a lot.

And a few times some suggested meeting up, I was unable to make it due to classes, or I had to meet my clients at the last minute.

I wonder why I didn't make the first move to keep contact. Was I afraid of rejection? Was I waiting for them to make the first move instead?

Perhaps I should give them a call.