On Old Friends

Coming back for raya meeting old school friends and teachers that I have lost contact with for some time was indeed a refreshing experience. Most of them have had a turn in their lives, have moved from a student life to having a career. Time has changed so much for the past seven years since I left the school but Taiping is still the same old town that I have known for the past 24 years. Coming back here has seen that I have to change my Malay accent to the northern dialect which I have to admit that I have to think for a while first before I utter something. I have called Australia home for the past 6 years and my Malay there is conversed in KL-type accent.

I enjoy meeting old friends and share the old stories together, had a laugh together. They are still of the same old characters. My Taiping friends are of less complicated people. We do not talk about having a lot of money, about having a business and bragging about career. We talked about teachers, about friends that we did not manage to keep in contact with and of course about school. These less complicated topics are easy to talk about and a great source of amusement to us. It brings back the good old memories and I am actually amazed by how much I can appreciate those memoirs now. Sometimes the bitter past can be a sweet one when we laugh and pick on each other.



Time has inevitably changed the path of our life. Every junctures that we take now is decided by us and will lead to future consequences. We begin to assume responsibilities to family and to ourselves. We still talk about the same topic we used to talk before e.g. flirting with girls, picking on some friends etc. but now we also talk about the future more seriously e.g. married life. We begin to feel the burden that we need to carry in the years ahead. I am happy that at least I know that most of my friends know where they are going or at least have the noble intention to have a rewarding life. The most important lesson that I learned when meeting them is that we cannot judge people by their conducts at school. People grow and mature. By time and God willing we begin to feel the sense of responsibilities that we need to have. An urchin may become someone important in the future. People are funny and unpredictable and life is complex that it can take its turn so quickly without us realising it.

It is interesting how we can learn from each other so much regardless of our background. I find it fascinating how people can be so enthralling that every move we take can serve as a lesson to others. Probably that is the reason why God say that human being is the best of His creatures. It is also worth mentioning that every step we take will be recorded and rewarded if the intention is right. God reward the good action when we intent to do it before we actually carry out the intention but only record that bad action once we commit it.

Let us all savour the good old times and benefit from every bit and pieces that have been left behind for us to glance at to remind us of our roots. When we reach upon a star, make sure our feet is still on the ground.

15 Oct 2007, 7.08 pm Taiping