mot juste

Note: This account is based on a past friendship.

He lives with his mum in Fairfield, NSW. They’re neighbours with my auntie. Parents are long divorced. His younger brother, Clement, has since worked in the UK. Nerdy, he went to school in local Fairvale High. Dabbled in odd jobs before studying again.

I met Mick during Orientation Day. He thought that I was Malaysian. In turn, I assumed he was Filo. Turns out he was Indonesian.

Later, I saw him before our first Media lecture. This time, he initiated the conversation. I was wearing my black cargo pants, silly since it was summer. He was more appropriately dressed in shorts. He rocked up with his black laptop bag. Yes, I really recall those small details, though it was a lifetime ago.

In 2008, Twilight was a big hit. I told him about this biting incident in the US. A chick told her friend that she wanted Robert Pattinson to bite her. A nearby bugger then bit her on the cheek.

‘Is this real?’

I nodded.

I shared this Filo-Aussie bloke in Sydney who murdered his whole family.

‘He first killed his sister since she dobbed him in. He was failing his course.

‘Then he murdered his mom when she came home. Finally, he terminated the dad, who put up a fight.’

He was gobsmacked.

‘Gosh,’ Mick told me as he touched his cheek.

That night, I also shared this hostage tragedy in Manila.

’Yes, ma’am’, then-city councillor Isko Moreno told this reporter. We both laughed.

Once, he told me that this young Hollywood actress had done a bit of plastic surgery.

‘I think it’s unnecessary,’ I said. ‘She’s already attractive.’

We watched this thriller film as Valentine’s Day approached.

‘I’m thinking of buying a Valentine’s present. We can go together if you want.’

I tagged along to a small store in Burwood Plaza. He told the saleslady what he was after. She presented him with a small stuffed monkey climbing a tree. Mick and I shared a laugh.

I loved picking his brains on movies. For instance, he told me that The Time Traveller’s Wife was an all-time fave.

‘It only got mixed reviews.’

‘Movie critics are just spoiled for choice that only something really original would get rave reviews.’

The Austin Powers films were his favourite parodies.

‘Have you seen A Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn?’

‘A Lonely Cow…’, I parroted. We both grinned.

‘I like the title.’

Another time, he mentioned Full Body Massage.

Seeing my smile, he told me that it was a ‘sensual film.’

‘I guessed that from the title.’

He’s seen every Bond movie and goes to the cinemas with his dad.

‘One vodka martini with a slice of lemon peel. Shaken not stirred.’

I gave him good recommendations. I mentioned this seventies coming of age film.

‘What’s the title again?’

‘The Harrad Experiment,’ I answered. ‘It stars Tipi Hedren.’

The name was foreign to him. Had I mentioned Don Johnson, it might have rung a bell. Though I was critical of the film, he was intrigued.

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Keeping in line with sensual films, we talked about other titles in the genre. After a few, he settled on In the Cut.

‘I guess in Western culture, they are more lax about nudity,’ he told me.

I asked of this Sharon Stone film that I saw on free to air.

‘It’s a thriller movie.’

‘Well, you can say that about a lot of her movies,’ he told me.

He admitted that this inclination toward sensual films are our ‘guilty pleasure’. When Seth Macfarlane sang ‘We saw your boobs’ at the Oscars, it was as if he was referring to our viewing habits. Just kidding…

He likewise asked me about one Gry Bay.

‘Is she a celebrity chef?’

‘No,’ he responded. ‘She’s a Danish actress.’

I laughed at the irony. He had recently seen one of her movies.

‘She cooks a lot of spices,’ he told me.

#
In December 2008, he invited me to his birthday celebration. Upon seeing him, I gifted him a mailbag. We did some mini golf with two other friends. He had preferred laser-tag but needed more players. After an hour of putt putting, he drove me to a Strathfield restaurant. There was a lull of about half an hour. We were waiting for other guests.

‘I’m sorry it’s gotten quiet,’ he told me.

Soon, his friends Yen and Billy arrived. Big Adam and Dan followed. We discussed our studies. Billy did not complete year eight.

‘You better get cracking,’ Adam told him.

Billy assured him that he was happy with his job.

We had wagyu beef at the Korean place, which we cooked ourselves. I was uneasy with chopsticks. When we ordered drinks, Yen and I got iced tea while everyone else got Cokes.

‘Sharing is caring,’ Yen told me as she passed them.

Yen got an offer from both Eastern Sydney Uni and our current institution.

‘Why didn’t you pick Eastern Sydney?’

‘If I’m going to study, I just prefer the better uni.’

‘That’s discrimination,’ Adam said. ‘People have this notion that Eastern Sydney’s inferior. Truth is, when a course starts, only a handful of students would actually finish.’

Adam’s schoolteacher vibes were apparent.

Later, we decided to get coffee. After all, it was a warm Saturday night. I told them that I had to go. I left in a rush.

Mick was shocked. He thought I knew how birthdays here were done.

He went after me, telling him that I forgot to pay.

‘How much was it?’

We settled the meal at around thirty dollars. He gave me change.

He had invited a lot of people but they begged off. Initially, I didn’t respond to his Facebook invite; he called me.

Also in 2008, FB had this thing. A friend would buy another, with the ominous tagline, ‘Y has bragging rights forever’.

The friend’s profile pic is hidden behind bars. I got in on the craze and promptly locked him up. I did this to my other friends too.

The next year, we headed to the beach. I brought a lot of snacks. We swam a few times but mostly sunbaked on the shore. I bought this hotdog with a bit of barbecue sauce. Mick, in turn, got the popsicle. After downing the sandwich, I had some sauce on my chin. I didn’t realise this until we got in the car. He decided not to tell me.

Seth McFarlane as Oscars host

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Since Mick and I were close, he shared some secrets with me. He occasionally got insomnia. This started in high school. His day would kick off while it was dark. At first light, he’d head into the park to do some calaesthenics.

During his early morning walks, he would meet dog lovers. Most pets were furry and their masters, friendly. Some owners were seniors; others, workers. One of them was a filmmaker at UTS (University of Technology Sydney). The guy told him that existentialism wasn’t taught at unis in the state. Mick joked about making a doco featuring the little critters.

This senior had a cute Siberian husky. The owner told him that the news agent would give her treats because they thought she was lovely.

When asked of his religious affiliation, he told Mick, ‘I’m a non-practicing atheist.’

Initially, he also stayed in touch with the Brother. They met during an uni event. The senior would often start his days by swimming. Already in his seventies, he had a Balmain house.

At the end of the week, he would be dog-tired. I did recall one time when we saw Up. He fell asleep during the movie.

#

Rafa Nadal was his mum’s favourite player.

‘He plays very passionately,’ he said.

‘That’s why he’s always too sweaty.’

At the time, Roger was the all-time slam record holder.

‘Eventually, Rafa will overtake Roger,’ he told me.

Later, our conversations moved to instant messaging. We would discuss familiar topics: new release movies, TV shows, actors, filmmakers, the happenings in our lives.

I started this trend in our threads. I would end with a weird emoji. Sometimes a pineapple, other times a banana. In turn, he’d respond with a koala or watermelon.

Later, he told me that his cousin was mistreating him.

I blocked her, he wrote.

This is too much, I responded. I’ve just had a long day and I can’t handle this. Talk to you later.

I mentioned Sofia Coppola’s debut feature. He loved Lost in Translation. The scenery in Tokyo, the pace, the dialogue, everything just mesmerised him.

Do you remember the stockings scene?

Of course, he typed. That was so memorable.

Earlier, while at uni, we would occasionally talk on the phone.

I invited him to a movie session.

‘Let me check my schedule,’ he said.

After about ten seconds, he told me, ‘I’m free. My week is all clear.’

I resisted tittering.

A couple of times, he would house-sit for friends. This was before COVID, so he would head near the city to protect their lairs.

His friends had a cat.

‘I have to feed him twice a day,’ he said.

‘They’re not very useful companions,’ I admitted. ‘Dogs are a lot more helpful.’

He reiterated that he preferred to play by the rules.

‘I don’t get how people skirt the guidelines. I get Netflix only. When it’s not there, I buy the DVD.’

’You’re doing the community a lot of good.’

Even before, he had told me how he would download songs only from iTunes.

‘I don’t see the point of going with the crowd’, he said.

Later, Love, Simon became his new pick. He liked how the movie keeps you guessing. More importantly, he could relate to the central relationship. This was one movie he doesn’t mind rewatching.

‘I even bought the book,’ he said.

‘I got most of my stuff from Fishpond’, he said. ‘I’ve got a lot of books and DVDs that my collection is almost not manageable.’

‘You’re one of the few people I know who still buys books,’ I said.

‘I guess I like the thought of being the first person to read the copy.’

#

Sandra Bullock arrived all dressed up for the Razzies. The infamous awards are for the year’s worst actors. I shared how Ben Affleck broke his Razzie. They presented this to him, barging in on his interview. We both chuckled.

’For what role was it?’

’Gigli’, I retorted. I pronounced it as ‘Gee-Lee’.

He then corrected me as ‘Giggly’.

I said nothing. He needs to check his offline dictionary.

Another time, I saw this Aussie crooner surprising the judges at Australia’s Got Talent. Overweight and not much of a looker, his rendition stunned both the judges and the audience. The next day, I mentioned this to Mick.

’Yeah, I remember that. I was flicking through channels. I saw someone that fits that description.’

I chuckled but he didn’t.

‘I don’t get reality TV,’ he said. ‘This guy shows up and he’s a joke. Then later, he has this amazing singing voice. Far out.’

He also liked saying ‘Ta’ instead of thanks or ‘cheers’.

Once, he asked me if I was a dual national. I confirmed this. He says that there’s no such thing for Indonesians and most of Southeast Asia.

We had a lot of fun times. Both Asian-Australians, we graduated from uni on the same day. In truth though, Mick is more westernised than Asian. He eats and acts white. He doesn’t eat rice with KFC chicken. Doesn’t like liver or tripe. Joker was our last movie. We haven’t been in touch. Fine by me.