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11/21/2003 Entry: "An apology to Azwan Teh" It was September of 1982 when I received a letter from a kid in my sixth grade class, Azwan Teh. He was a kid that I kind of made fun of, because I thought he looked like an Eskimo, especially when he wore a winter coat. I didn't know many Malaysians back then, and I feel kind of bad I called him "Hi, ho, Eskimo!" back then (which was spoof of a local horse track jungle, "Hiiiii hooo.... Pimlico!"). I didn't dislike him, he always seemed pretty cheerful, but I was just a kid. To be honest, I didn't think much about him at all, and considered him part of the background noise of the rest of the school (I was kind of a loner). The letter was addressed from Kuala Lumpur, and was in a small air mail envelope made out of what looked like onion skin. I read the letter, and it said how he loved moving back to Malaysia, and where he lived he had some chickens, and he wanted to hear back from his friends in the US! I think he kind of missed his US friends. I never mailed him back. I meant to, but I kept putting it off. Once in a while, a pang of guilt crosses my mind, and today I saw this odd, addictive video. It mentioned Kuala Lumpur, and then I flashed back to that letter, which I had always kept in a drawer, and even took with me on several moves. I don't know if I still have it, I think it might be in with Neal's old letters if I do. If you are out there, Azwan... first, I am sorry I called you an Eskimo. That was dumb. Second, I am sorry I never wrote you back, and I hope in these 21 years, you have had a good life. I just kept putting it off because I was a lazy bastard or something. I hope you weren't too hurt.