A sad day.

Today I received confirmation that my friend from high school, Norazlan was killed together with five other people in a helicopter crash. Norazlan was a captain in the Malaysian Air Force and has been flying for a number of years. He came to MBSSKL (my old high school) as a transfer student. He was a smart guy and definitely made a name for himself because he was a mighty talented athlete. It also helped that he had such a fun, jovial, happy-go-lucky and engaging personality. I remember that year a number of new guys arrived in our class and they kind of stuck to themselves initially. However, once we got to know them and vice versa, we all mixed and became really close.

You can ask anyone about Norazlan and they'll all pretty much tell you that he was a joker who always had a smile on his face. I remember his motocycle and car as he gave me numerous rides here and there. It was a lot of fun hanging out with him.

As with most guys from high school, we kind of went our separate ways after graduating, but Norazlan and I did stay in touch. One of my fondest memories of Norazlan was the last day I was back in Malaysia before leaving for the US. I'm pretty sure it was the second time I was home in Malaysia. He came over at night and what was supposed to be a short visit to say goodbye ended up being a very long visit reminiscing the good and innocent old times. He kept me up all night and I distinctly remember telling my friends that very early morning that since all of them kept me up, they'll have to be responsible when it came time for me to get ready to head over to the airport for my flight back to the US. Boy, did we have a blast that day.

When death hits, I tend to think of the good times I had with the person who died, and with Azlan (which is what I always called him), we always had a great time. There was just something about him. In some ways, there was justice in his death because he loved being a pilot and God, did he love flying. He loved sharing with me all about the different trainings he had to go through and it always culminated in flying. I could always sense his anticipation and excitement when it came to flying.

What's left now are just fond memories of times spent with Azlan. I know he made me a better person having known him, and like one of my friends said, "God loved him more which is why God called him back". I do not find that hard to believe at all. So, my dear friend, may God bless your soul, may you rest in peace, and thanks for the honor of being able to know you and to call you a dear friend. The world is definitely going to miss your presence - I know I will.