No More Gatherings!

Warning: Long winding rant. It might offend some people but I hope not.

YES! As the title said! I’m so tired of it already. As some of you know, I’m always the one who is in charge of organising gathering for my gang. It’s getting harder and harder to arrange and I seldom want to arrange lately though May seems to be a lot of gathering for the same group of friends but it’s more like hang-out than a gathering because everytime it’s supposed to be a gathering, it ended up to be a hang-out session with almost half of the gang not turning up because of their commitments. Not that I blame you for not turning up. If you can’t come it’s all right. At least I let you know that we are having a gathering though sometimes I know that you will not turn up at all, still I tell you becasue you are a part of my gang. There is no way that a certain time can fit everybody’s schedule. It’s impossible but if you have the heart I’m sure it’s possible. It’s just a matter of priority and I don’t blame you for that. Everyone has different prority.

It’s just that I had this “conversation” with somebody today and I think this somebody actually don’t know what’s the difference of a gathering and a hang-out. Actually we had this kind of “discussion” before and I had already let him know my objective of organising a gathering instead of hang-out or yum-cha session. Then again today… Same “discussion” is back. So yea.. From now on, I’m no longer organising any gathering anymore because there is not point of having a gathering anymore when most people couldn’t turn up.

You see… A gathering is not something that you always have, it’s something that you only do once in a blue moon where all the gang gather together. As for hang-out or yum-cha, anyday, anytime will do and there is no need for all to turn up. I can guarantee you that if it’s yum-cha session, you won’t be seeing everyone, you only yum-cha with those closer to you though you’re in a gang but there are some that you are not that close to. See.. These are the differences.

Since I’m always the one that organise the gathering or yum-cha session, since no one will initiate it besides me, almost 98% of the time I’m the one who initiate them. Then I’m the one that have to turn up everytime for the gathering or yum-cha session. Indirectly this means I’m spending twice or even thrice more than others because our gathering or yum-cha sessions are always held at eateries around Kuching, be it kopitiams or cafes. Some might say, have it at kopitiams enough lar… No need to spend so much. That’s not my point, when I have to turn up in every one of them, I’m going to spend money even for just a drink even it’s just at kopitiam. Got my point? That’s why I prefer a gathering where I can meet everyone at once, everyone got to see each other and I only spend one time.

OK fine! Money aside, let’s not talk about money. The main point is I will not be organising any gathering anymore. It’s time for you people to initiate it rather than I’m always the one who do it. This somebody kept telling me not to plan the gathering so early, one week before you call it early?!?!? Then told me that I should do it last minute by asking 1 or 2 persons to confirm early then the rest just call them up last minute. Last minute you say? A gathering is not a last minute thing OK? Yum-cha is!

OK fine… Make it a last minute thing, then later call everyone up, then I will surely got shot by some saying that why didn’t I plan it earlier and let them know earlier so that they can reserve that time for our gathering. So… How? I usually will let the gang know one week or at elast 4-5 days in advance about the gathering hoping that this time will be reserved only for our gathering. If there is anything coming up, then the gathering should be the priority but usually 99% I will have last minute cancellation from people. So? Advance planning also cannot, last minute planning also cannot. How?

I guess the italic statement is a bit unfair to some. At least that’s what I do, I keep my promise. It’s all about first come first serve. If you want to ask me out or whatever, you have to book a time with me and that time is reserve all for you. If there is something like family dinner or whatever that come last minute as long that it’s not a life and death situation, I will tell those “book” me later that I already have plan, it’s acceptable and my family will understand, they will never force me to go with them or whatever and I will 100% show up at the time I had promised. Well, I know I can’t expect people to do so but just to let you know that I won’t disappoint you if you tell me earlier. I hate “last minute”. Usually I won’t be able to made it.

Also due to many of these “last minute” cancellations, I always got “put aeroplane” as the appointments were usually set with 1 person only and last minute the one and only that was making the appointment with me couldn’t made it and I’m being left there without nothing to do since I had reserved my time just for the appointments and the rest have their own commitments already. If two persons then at least I have one more to turn to but usually only 1 person. Like I said just now, not everyone has the same free time. So, you think I dare to make last minute yum-cha session when I had been “put aeroplane” so many times already?

Next time, it will be just “wanna join us for this and that?”(if I want you to join my activity, I’ll ask you, if I don’t, I won’t be asking, definitely in advance) instead of “gathering when and where”(specially/purposely arrange) which means there will not be 100% turn up and there will never be seeing the whole gang thing anymore. I see you more, I see you less or I’ve not seen you for ages. At least, it’s not that disappointing when many can’t turn up. So yea… I hope I’m not offending anyone. I feel very tired already kept arguing/discussing about same thing coz no one will ever understand what kind of problem that I’m facing when arranging these stuffs.

So… You prefer last minute or advance booking?