A Friend from the Past

How many email accounts do you have? 1? 2? I have more than that. Pick a number, maybe 10? Of course I have accounts from all major free email providers. Who doesn't? But sometimes when I registered for some online services, that account also comes with a free email account. I may have 3 or 4 such email accounts, but don't use them at all.

I have an old old old hotmail account, maybe have had it for like 10 years (I can easily tell from the password.., you know, good old days), or maybe more. As this email account was heavily spammed at one point, I stopped using it for a period of time. It was later when I came back to Taiwan to work in 2003, and realized that all the friends around me were using MSN! I am never a fan for Microsoft, but still, I tried to use it again, but only for MSN purpose. I still log in this account once in a while, just to keep it active, as per Microsoft's requirements.

So a while ago, I logged in, clicked on inbox, mindlessly browsed through all the spams (Microsoft has made great improvement in blocking spams, but still is no comparsion with others). That's when one email caught my attention.

Subject title: hi... from Greg.

My first assumption is, this is a spam. I've seen so many of those. Legimate guess, right? But I still clicked on it, just out of curiosity (BAD practice). To my surprise, it is a regular email, not someone who is trying to sell v1agra, or p0rn, or something like that.

Then few emails flew back and forth. I tried to re-organize it into dialogues for easy reading..

G: Hi Sean, I just came across your email account. We met a long time ago, and I was wondering if you are still using it. ciao.

S (smiling politely): Hi Greg, nice to get your email. As this email account is heavily spammed, I dont normallly check it anymore. Please send future correspondence to xxx@yyy.com.

G: Hi Sean, good morning. yeah, we met a few years ago. I think after we met, you were moving to California.. blah blah blah

OS: WHAT? I moved to California in 1999. How can this person know about the move, plus some further details but I cannot remember him at all? This can't be right. There has to be a plot or something. Maybe some friend is just playing a practical joke.

S (still smiling, anxiously): Hi Greg, I am afraid I may not the one you knew back in 1998 or 1999 timeframe. Attached is my recent photo. Please take a look to confirm.

G: Yes! Although you have put on some weight (I know, ok?), but that was you. I am out of town now, but will send you the picture I took when I get home.

OS: Who the f(censored) is this person? I am trying my best, but it seems to me that some of my memory has been wiped out completely. I had just started to work back then, and was just having simple life of working, home on weekends....

S (smiling, nervously): Hi Greg, it is such a delight to get your confirmation. I'd love to see the old pictures of mine. I understand that in the old days, scanners were outrageously expensive, and digital cameras were probably still a concept. It was not easy to send pictures.... blah blah

I clicked send, and then all of a sudden, the momory came back. I remember exactly how many times we met, we went to National Palace Museum, we had the conversation regarding definition of 'restaurant', his last email regarding his move, how we lost contact, etc, etc.

Such a relief. I'm not an idiot.

Attached is the picture from Greg. You'll be the judge to tell if that is your dear Sean..