Friends or “friends”, that is the question. While looking at my current count of 52 friends on Facebook, I felt a little surprised at how come I have got so many friends in my list when my initial intention was to only add those whom I really want to add.
Then I started mentally categorizing them into the different types of friends, and here’s the list.
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Type #1: The “we work together/we’re classmates” Friends
These people are your friends because you work or go to school with them and happen to get along well together. You try to know a little bit about them so that you don’t have to always only talk about work/school related stuff, or get awkward silences.
You will most likely have their names in your cell phone because you have called them once or twice to coordinate social events, but you wouldn’t call them out of the blue “just to say hi”. You have them on Friendster, Facebook and MSN but a conversation is rarely initiated unless it’s about:
a) Work
b) Homework
c) “How’s your new company? Did you get a pay raise?”
d) “What are your grades? How many As did you get?”
If you see them from across the street when you’re out shopping, you will try to pretend you didn’t see them so that you do not have to strike up a conversation out of nothing. LOL. Sad, but it’s true.
Type #2: The “we hang out together at work/school” Friends
These people are usually the ones we call good acquaintances. You go to school with them, you sit next to them in class, lab, canteen (or other settings), but you don’t really have a lot to talk to them most of the time, unless in a large group. You most likely know their first and last name, sort of know their character, and their basic likes and dislikes. You have them on Friendster/ Facebook and MSN. You talk occasionally on MSN, but not much, because there’s just so much you can talk about:
a) That Channel 8 9pm show on TV
b) That latest blockbuster movie
c) Hello Kitty and how much you hate it while you friend adores it to death
If you were to run into them in the streets, the conversations would only last for a few minutes. You’d start with “HEY!!”, give a big grin, then ask “what are you doing here?!” and end with a “okay, see you!”. But you never actually really want to see them because you wouldn’t take the time to have coffee or dinner with them. HAHAHA.
Type #3: The “I think we can click well” Friends
These are the people who share the same interests with you. You both listen to the same kind of music, like many similar stuff and you think that it will be so cool to be each other’s friends. And that’s about it. These are the kind of friends who easily drift away from you once you start to lose contact, or when your favourite band just disbanded.
They are also the ones who will look for you to hang out with when their closer friends are all unavailable, and promptly ditch you like a post-it once they have their closer friends to hang out with. Woops.
Type #4: The “Online” Friends
This is the most uncommon type of friend, but they can also be the most precious. Simply because you both are strangers, you can pour your feelings to them.
I quote Roger Ebert’s review of the film Lost in Translation:
“Those who know us well want details and specifics; strangers allow us to operate more vaguely on a cosmic scale. You can only say “I feel like I’ve known you for years” to someone you have not known for years.”
I once had a “Online Friend” on ICQ from years ago. We really could talk about anything. Too bad we stopped using ICQ and well, life just goes on. But It was good while it lasted.
Type #5: The “my friends are friends with your friends so I guess we’re friends, too” Friends
This kind of friends is what Nokia’s slogan is all about: Connecting People. I am sure all my friends in Australia totally know what this means. I have introduced friends who are going to Australia, to friends who are already in Australia. They meet, hang out, and the cycle goes on with their other Circles of Friends down under.
Everyone will eventually know everyone else in this big “Circle of Friends”. These are the people whom you will invite to your big birthday parties or big social gatherings. They will have a lot of fun together, have food and drinks, but usually after chatting for an hour or so, that’s enough.
Whether or not they have anything much to say to each other on a one-to-one basis depends on something we call chemistry. They are fated to know each other but it’s really their choice to bring their friendship up to another level or remain at the “handshake level”.
Type #6: The “we should do something, sometime” Friend
These are people whom you know fairly well but let’s be frank here: you are not really interested in having lunch or dinner with them alone, and chatting one-on-one. In fact, you have to constantly crack your brains to think of another superficial thing to talk about. It’s not that you guys have nothing to talk about, but it just takes effort to keep the conversation going. Therefore, such people usually belong in a medium group of 5 - 6 people - also known as our “clique”.
Another example for this type of friend is someone whom you haven’t been keeping in touch too much with, but if he or she is visiting town or going abroad, it would be fun to meet up for food and drinks just to chat and catch up on old times.
Type #7: The “let’s meet up!” Friend
These are what you call, your close friends. They are the ones whom you would enjoy having lunch or dinner one-on-one, enjoy holding a conversation with, and enjoy joking with. They usually belong to your tightly-knit group of 3 to 4 (a more intimate clique). You guys always have a great time at dinner together, sharing laughs, memories and many great camwhoring sessions. It’s the case where, when you put everyone together, you have an even better time.
The thing about this type of friend is that they make it a point to keep in touch with you because they actually do miss you, and they really want to spend time with you and know what’s up with your life, and share with you theirs. Oh, and they will remember your birthday and never fail to wish you.
Type #8: The “you totally know how I feel” Friend
This kind of friend is also known as “the great minds think alike” friend. You guys are almost always on the same frequency, think in the same logic and feel things in the same way. Whenever you say something, the other party will go “YA YA YA THAT’S EXACTLY HOW I FEEL TOO!” or “OMG, YOU THINK LIKEWISE TOO!!”, then you both will end up high-fiving each other in laughters/giggles, and the feeling is just fabulous.
You guys can really talk about anything under the sun, and you totally understand how each other feel. This friend makes you feel good all the time because you know for sure that somewhere out there, someone agrees with you.
Type #9: The “BEST” Friend
Also known as your closest friends in life. (They will usually be your maid of honour or best man during your wedding.) You like to talk to each other on the phone all the time. You always have a great time eating dinner together with him/her alone on a semi-regular basis and chatting one-on-one for hours. Heck, you can easily spend the whole day with each other everyday. Compatibility and rapport is always present so much so that both people enjoy each other’s company and share genuine laughs (I mean HAHAHAHA LOL stop making my laugh my stomach hurts kind of laugh, not the ha ha kind of laughs).
Being with this type of friends can be both fun and emotionally fulfilling. They make you feel happy to be alive.
Type #10: The “Significant Other” Friend
The significant other is known by many names, most frequently called boyfriend, girlfriend husband or wife. They are the ones you share your life with. They are the people who love you, and you love them too. You can totally be yourself when you’re around them. Need I say more?
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WOKAY, I’m done! So these are, according to me, the 10 types of friends that most people will have.
I feel like I have just written a mini thesis. -_-”
So anyway, choose your friends wisely, and remember to treasure the friends you really enjoy being with. 
Orchids complimentary of Thai Airways
