Old friend...

I have heard about a lot of goodness that facebook has brought to some people... and the bala it brought to others...

And recently I dont know why that I had the sudden urge to want to find my old friends... old school friends and university friends... So, after several tutoring sessions given my my sons, I created a facebook account... using my real full name and putting my utmost "skema" photo... haha!! The objective is so that old friends would recognise me...

Since then I managed to find and be found by a number of primary and secondary school friends.

And today I met one of them, Saerwati her name... a dear dear old friend from primary school. We were in the same class for 5 years I think... It was good talking about the past... the good old primary school days... the best years of school of all... memories like being the most famous group of girls in the school... sharing lunch that we brought from home under the tree near the school during recess... sport days... and many other fond childhood memories... really mengusik jiwa...

But when we talked about the present... the mood suddenly changed... If this was a movie, the background music, which was playing a happy song, suddenly changed to a sad sentimental one... Sigh... From her I heard news about many other friends... at least one of our classmate had died... at least one is divorced... and our lives' stories too were somewhat similar... except she gave up half way when her husband was adamant not to let her go... and she didnt want to subject her children to the messy divorce proceedings... Hm... But she told me to be strong and never give up...

Actually, when we first talked (over the fon and emails) about meeting, she wanted to invite one other friend (male) from primary school also, in KL. And that friend is only free after work, hence at night. So, given my circumstances, it is not possible for me to meet friends on social basis at night. So, I gave her one excuse after another not to go. But she kept pushing... until I had no choice but to tell her my predicament. That's when she agreed to just meet me alone..

So we met today... after 33 years... the last time we met was on the last day of standard 6 in 1976. After that we went to different secondary schools - I went to a boarding school in Ipoh, and she went to a day school not far from our primary school... and we havent heard from each other since... oh, except once through my sister because she married my sister's classmate back in 1980s when I was was still studying in the US...

Oh, at her age... which is the same as my age... she already has one grandchild... Tiba2 rasa pulak diri ni dah tua...

33 years... that's a lot of years...