maybe next time i should assume a fake identity

"Shze Li!"

The girl whose name I called out spun around stared at me blankly, her face registrating no recognition at all.

I chuckled. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"Um...sorry, no."

"I'm Thomas."

The blank look remained.

"Kin Weng's friend from PFS?"

Have you ever heard of the phrase, 'The realisation dawned upon me?' I find that phrase a very befitting one, because watching her face contort from a blank slate of confusion to a open mouthed 'O' of shock to the one of sudden realisation and recognition is like watching an onrushing dawn at the horizon in five seconds flat.

I never grow tired of these reactions.

"OHMYGOD. THOMAS TING??"

"The one and only."

"BUT YOU LOOK SOOOOO DIFFERENT!!"

I won't be pretentious here. I loved having these reactions from people because they are the most blatant testimony of how much I have transformed over the years from a scrawny bespectacled kid in my freshman year of college to someone who is well, a lot easier on the eyes. An evolution of sorts, if you will.

Having been on the receiving end of many compliments lately, especially from people whom I've met for a mere few days is seriously an ego masturbation, but none of them could even come close to the full-blown reactions that my old acquaintances get when they realised that the person standing in front of them was that skinny nerd they knew back in school.

Standing next to Shze Li was, by the biggest of coincidences, a girl whom I went to national service with (turns out later that both of them are best friends). Having been politely observing the banter between Shze Li and I, I assumed that she couldn't recognise me either.

"Elaine! It's been a while."

Same blank look, except that this time she tried to humour me by pretending that she does recognise me while trying her hardest to remember me. She wasn't really good at hiding her bewilderment, though.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine...er, how are you?"

"Heh. You don't remember who I am, do you?"

"Erm...no."

"I'm Thomas."

Blank look.

"From national service?"

Blank look.

"Kem D'Jelapang? I was in the Alpha Team."

And ah one, and ah two, and ah...

"THOMAS?? FROM NATIONAL SERVICE?? OHMYGAAAAWD I CAN'T RECOGNISE YOU AT ALL!!! IT'S BEENTHREEYEARSYOULOOKSOGOODWHATAREYOUDOINGHERE???"

Rinse and repeat. This is really really fun.