At 21

I read the blog of a certain young lady. She writes so eloquently, just as my niece does. Youths today, they express themselves so naturally, without inhibitions. Unlike us. Do we sound like stuffed shirts in our blogs? Not wanting to offend, we are ever careful with our choices of words. Armed with limited vocabulary, since we know no slang, (at least I don’t-lah) we touch on safe topics, trying hard not to make too many grammatical errors. (Because amongst us FEMS, there is an English teacher! Nanti she laugh at our English like she laughed when I couldn’t pronounce Haagen-daz!)

Did I feel the way she feels at 21? That was like eons ago. We didn’t have the internet then. I was in my late 20s when I even first heard the word ‘internet’. Being not very bright, I didn’t understand what my more ‘exposed’ friends were talking about. It was only when I joined the corporate world that I experienced being on-line for the first time. It was all dial-up then. Took forever for a page to load, but we bore with it and went ga-ga over the amount of info we could derive from it. It was really a big deal then! Now, just about everybody we know is either contributing to blogs or chatting on MSN. Even though many things are left unsaid in our blogs, it still helps us unwind and let off steam. (Play smart. Don’t mention names and you can get away with a lot of unpleasant confrontations!)

During that era, there were no karaokes. Fast food joints were just starting out in our part of the world. In spite of its novelty, not many of us could afford to frequent them. The first fast-food joint I ever visited would have been the KFC in Port Klang. It was at the same spot where it still stands, furnished with wooden tables and chairs, unlike the plastic ones today. As with most new establishments, there were rumours claiming it was haunted. Hmm … so was the first supermarket in Port Klang for that matter. Aiyoh … Port Klang got a lot of hantu! First snack bar I went to? Aces, situated next to the Embassy Hotel. The signboard is still there, but is it still surviving and do people still use the term ‘snack bar’? One of our favourite haunts? Emporium Makan in Klang.

How did we ever release tension or de-stressed then? 21, 21… There are flashes of memories of what went on when I was at that age. In many ways, I was still very naïve. (Not talking about ex-rated movies la… That one-ah, some of the old girls came over to my house to watch the “Immanuelle” series acted by Sylvia Kristel while we were in Form 4 or 5.) Discos? Oh, does anyone remember, there used to be a disco in Klang?? It was on the top floor of Chi Liung Plaza. I was there a few times. They were playing songs like “Give it up” (KC & the Sunshine band), “Do do do de da da da “ (Police). Waaa… all these songs very nice to dance to-man!

The term “lepaking” was most likely coined during our time. (some people feel we are ‘over the hill’ now.) Topics of conversation at 21 focused on ‘so and so is dating who’, ‘who found a job where’ and “omigosh who and who are getting married”! Gossips on divorce and extra marital affairs didn’t start until a few years later but of course at 21, we touched on who was two-timing whom.

As I remember what it was like when I was 21. I realize that many of the people I hung around with then are still hanging around with me today and that was like 25 yrs ago. People like M & S were part of my history… they go way back even further. 39 years to be exact. It leaves me with a warm feeling realising that if I still have the same friends today as I did then, I must be doing something right.

So in a way, I guess the answer is easy. Way before they had the Internet, the karaoke, or even the Play station, we’ve always had our friends. Somebody once said, we all need different people to unlock the different chambers of our hearts. Friends are like a length of chain, linking us to sanity. How we end up today are mainly thanks to them. They shaped and influenced us into becoming who we are today. They were there throughout the passage of our growing up, and they will be there whilst we grow old, supportive, encouraging and ever present.

Today even as our hairs have gone grey, our bodies no longer slim or lithe and our topics of conversations may have changed. To my friends, both old and new, as the saying goes, one is silver and the other is gold. I'd just like to say 'Thank you.'

F