3's a crowd and 8 is ...?

Just came back from dinner with 8 of my ex-colleagues. Most of them I have not seen for more than 5 years. Yes I was right, I do not really like catching up with big groups. Most of the time, many people were talking at the same time, and mostly were shouting across the table, the rest straining to hear what they were saying in the noisy restaurant. 8 persons with 8 sets of updates could prove mind boggling. Hence you got a little of this and a little of that, but I wonder how much went into our heads as we listened and talked? That is why I normally prefer 1 or 2 persons the most to have intimate conversations. At least the attention span is longer and focus clearer. We shared company stories, business stories, family stories and everything.

Anyway it was great to see all the pioneers of our ex-company again, which included me. We belonged to an earlier era in that company when things were much simpler and relationships and friendships were more genuine. I guess most of us have aged together and gained experience together and apart.

If I were to catch up with the later and younger eras of people of the company, I guess it would be a different feeling. Anyway, it still boils down to how close I was to each and every one of my colleagues. Let me arrange with each of those who mattered to me more and catch up again soon. So tired for now.