an open letter to my partner in crime

dear partner in crime,

it has been fun having you around.

it pains me to see you leaving me alone in this hobby, in search of your greener pastures in the tiny dot. i know it is for your own good but malaysia's loss is definitely singapore's gain.

when i first knew you, you were so young and brash (well, you are still brash at times but that's because you love hifi so much and you can't stand people rubbishing it) but over the years your progress in hifi has been absolutely phenomenal, so much so that i have to rely on your judgements sometimes.

in hifi, you have the natural talent that a lot of folks twice your age don't. your ability to suss out a system's strengths and weaknesses accurately belies your tender age. what makes it more satisfying is, we both love the same kind of sound; we belong to the same hifi camp. there is so much intellectual sharing and meeting of minds between us. even when we argue, we are never far from a common point.

you are not popular in the local scene because you speak your mind and a lot of people take offence at it. but you have wised up considerably now that you have stopped mixing with those people who don't mean anything to you. i hope in years to come, you will become more diplomatic and is more tolerant of people's shortcomings. you have to understand that not everyone is a grade A student like you.

we shared the past 2 years investigating high-end cables and we had so much fun and knowledge along the way. but sadly, malaysian audiophiles, by and large, don't quite believe in cables.

we shared a lot of happy times together. we always lament about the sorry state of hifi in malaysia. you had always wanted to move to a place like SG or HK where hifi is more happening and where audiophiles are more mature, discerning and educated. now you wish has come true and i am truly happy for you.

prior to your arrival into my audio life, i had master kenny yong as my partner in crime. we used to spend hours talking on the phone about hifi everyday. but ever since master yong came to kl, he has gone into total oblivion, reasons of which are still unknown to me.

it hurts to lose like-minded partners one after another. as i speak, little john is also leaving kl to open his own hifi shop in kampar. so altogether i have "lost" 3 hifi kakis within a short span of time.

it is lonely out there. i hope you will enrich your hifi experience in the tiny dot and share with us here your future escapades.

i have no doubt that you will reach super high-end one day, with your earning capacity, talents and listening skills but do enjoy the journey and learn to widen your circle along the way.

all the best and god bless.