Well, 2000 was before... 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009, and 2016 to 2020. So it's fair to say that 2000 probably was a decent year.
Well, 2000 was before... 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009, and 2016 to 2020. So it's fair to say that 2000 probably was a decent year.
Hey Alex!
thanks, that photo brings back good memories!
I feel somewhat similar, like we had those good experiences together, and there's not really any reason not to keep in touch, and yet we naturally drift apart.
(Shout out to YW for making the effort to keep in touch & meet up when in town )
I was 20 in that pic, I'm 40 now. I remember going to that pasta restaurant nr Covent Garden together. After being stuck at a boarding school from age 10-18, the whole period from leaving school in 98 through gap yr, uni and then a year in Japan in '03-04 was hugely exciting for me, and meeting GTF friends was very much a part of that.
I'm finding it hard to work out how to separate 'growing up' from 'the world going bad'. I mean, the first time you do anything it normally has a bigger impact on you, is more exciting, more special. It's natural that those experiences from early adulthood loom large in the memory. And yet at the same time, it does feel like things have switched from generally getting better to getting worse, somehow. I guess the best metric would be to compare how today's twentysomethings feel about the future with how we felt then.
Somewhat unrelated, but the other thing that's kinda funny is seeing the rest of the world catch up with all the stuff we already did 20 years ago; we were meeting internet friends IRL, we were having meaningful and impassioned debates online, we were online racing and learning the difference between being 'good' and the best, and how it feels to chase after excellence. Nowadays everyone's on Facebook and Max Verstappen is racing online as the real F1 races are cancelled.
Anyway, great to hear from you, while I've tended to post here sporadically I'll aim to check back in a bit more often
Northeast Gran Turismo Party 6, meganuke's house, Windsor, CT, October, 2001:
alextai.jpg
Welcome back Taimar! Nice to hear from you again.
Got any good Dodge Van stories?
(The laughter is for your excellent description of your troubles; not for the troubles you suffered)
I'm back here primarily to check on YW — and I'm both relieved to find his posts everywhere on the forum, and heartened to find such an awesome thread. Especially since samoht popped in to say hi.
I have probably forgotten as many kind gestures as I hold close over the years — and really, I could tell hundreds of stories of the good days past.
But I never forgot the care package YW sent for the release of Gran Turismo 3 — treasures from Hong Kong, a place I always hoped he'd show me, and perhaps someday we'll still have the chance for me to return that gracious kindness in the form of something on the rocks. Just a guess — Johnny Walker Black?
You don't ever have to be wistful, Alex, because the GTXF is one living part of the glory days that's still alive and on-tap 24/7.
Especially me. Write or call anytime.
Hey man, good to see you again!
Yes I'm still happy to show you HK anytime. Admittedly there's no point coming now due to quarantine rules, but other than that everything isn't too bad. In fact, things are relatively fine here, and thanks for thinking of me. I'm amazed you still remmeber the GT3 package I sent you, what, nearly 2 decades ago?
Stay safe, especially given you seem to be in healthcare!
I was just thinking about you the other day Taimar. Some how I totally missed this thread back in March. It is good to hear from you even though it is already like 3.5 months past.
And even though I don't post much on Facebook, I do follow along, same with here.