I was officially inducted to be a part of the FAMBAM...

For the benefit of those who do not know what a FamBam is, well the term can be traced to a few years back where local kids in California first coined the phrased, "FamBam" for example it was used as follows; "a party with tha fambam" , "OMG I LUVVV MY FAM BAM" and so on and so forth.

But the real definition to this acronym is Family Always Means Backing Any Member and being part of this group of family and friends has truly been something special.

"Family Always Means Backing Any Member"

There we were lounging around in our living room after an event filled Christmas, when in walks Lallo and his date for the evening. He introduces her and I immediately burst into laughter. It could not be contained and all I could mumble was, "This should be an interesting night!"

"This should be an interesting night!"

Promonova's Launch Party BigBash 10/03/12

Was it not enough that we shared the same name and now on a planned night out on the town he had to bring along a date with the same name as my wife, and off we went Lyle & Candice and Lyle & Candice. Well only he knew what he was doing and meeting new people throughout the evening and seeing their reactions to our names were just priceless.

Apart from nights out on the town, Lallo had established himself as quite an event manager putting together parties earlier in his career under the brand Fevanova which later grew into a viable business known as Promonova. And of course the FamBam were always in attendance supporting his events and to extend a helping hand and if the launch of Promonova's Big Bash was anything to go by then you knew Lallo had a talent for this industry.


I'm going to share a little story with you all and goes something like this:

Two friends (let's call them VersatileLyle and Lallo) were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and VersatileLyle slapped Lallo in the face. Lallo was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand “Today my best friend slapped me in the face”. 

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a swim. Then Lallo got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but VersatileLyle saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone “Today my best friend saved my life”.

VersatileLyle asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” Lallo replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

"Do not value the things you have in your life.
But value who you have in your life."

I think that Lallo's modus operandi was to show people a good time, that we shouldn't value material worth and that family should always stick together no matter what.

Did I tell you about the time we drove up to the Berg River Resort?

Part 4 ....

"VersatileLyle"

Out!

My life changers

The Club closed and ties were broken yet again...


A year or 2 later I was introduced to a lovely young woman. I experienced a bewildering sense of déjà vu, as if we had met before and having met so many people during my post high school escapades, the general consensus was that I might just be right, however, I was proved wrong.

...and her mind wondered as to how this could be...

We befriended each other in cyberspace and she noticed that we shared a mutual friend and her mind wondered as to how this could be. Then as it dawned on her, she inquired if I was the kid who lived at the "Brown Gate". While wrecking my brain trying to figure out where the heck this "Brown Gate" was, I finally figured it out - it was at my grandparents' home where our mutual friend, Lallo, lived. Then as the cloud of déjà vu lifted, I realized who she was and we had indeed met before. She was none other than, "the girl with the long hair". So yet again Lallo and Candice found their way back into my life.

Then the accident...

Plumstead, where Lallo's life was turn upside down

One ill-fated night while out on the town, Lallo and one of his best buds, were involved in a tragic motor vehicle accident ultimately resulting in his friend losing his life. This loss of a close friend had a devastating effect on Lallo and though I was not completely back to being close friends with him, I felt deeply emotional for his loss. All this news was conveyed to me at the time through my new "friend" Candice. She tried inviting me one evening to join her to visit her cousin, an invitation I would go on to decline. I felt I needed to give their family time to recover from such an event and when the time was right I would go and make my return in the Arendse home.

"Boys will be boys"

As my friendship with Candice blossomed into courtship, it also brought about a renewed friendship yet again with Lallo. And the phrase, "Boys will be boys" never rang clearer. We got up to so much mischief by partying up a storm whenever the opportunity arose. One memorable moment was playing poker and slots at GrandWest Casino for my birthday at 4 in the morning! When I say 4 in the morning I mean we only got there at 4! He had a way of always turning any occasion into one for the history books.

From courting "the girl with the long hair" we decided to get married. From then on end me and Lallo were not only friends but family. I was officially inducted to be a part of the FAMBAM...

Fambam

TO BE CONTINUED...