Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Serikandi Tun Fatimah

It’s funny how when you call someone you’ve not met in 10 years and they instantaneously know that it’s you. That’s what happened today; when I finally got round to calling a long lost senior from school (thanks to Noni who made this "jejak kasih" possible). I just said hello, and she immediately recognized my voice.

What does that tell you? That I don’t sound like a mak budak.

Ehem.

On a more serious note, it is lovely to hook up with long lost friends. Especially those from the days of Tun Fatimah. I have to admit my guilt of not being so actively involved in school reunions etc..etc.. It’s just that I find these meets, sometimes, to be rather pretentious. People are more interested in the car that you drive, the position you hold, rather than the person you are today and how the years away from school has changed you or not. And for these reasons mainly I stay out of these meets. I can’t hold a fake smile on my face for too long. It’s too energy consuming. I prefer to hook up in smaller groups and engage in true heart to hearts which I find more fulfilling.

That said, school was fun, with a capital F. I mean, imagine living with friends for 5 whole years? Sharing rooms with 10 to 15 other shrieky, pimple popping teenage girls? Sharing tears and laughter together..some, even shared underwear on bad days! Then there were the “school” stuff that really made us the proud STFians we are. The brass band that toured all over the country winning competitions, the hockey team that was the reigning champions for I don’t know how many hundred years (actually it was 15 years or something like that), the inter school debates and the Piala Perdana Menteri yearly where every boarding school would meet to vie for the trophies and where in cases of all girl (or boy) schools like us; some of us would have a taste of our first cinta monyet with the guys from the Malay College or the Royal Military College etc.. Now that I think of it, it’s hard to stop myself from gagging! I mean, what were we thinking then?

Then close to heart still, are the girls I met there, those I learned to love for the lovely people they are with fantastic personalities to match and those who I know are my friends for life. Practically sisters, in fact. No matter how long we have not met, no matter how different we are now and most importantly, no matter how much weight we have gained, we’re still great friends. Those are the friends who saw you grow from a scrawny little comot 12 year old to a budding woman of seventeen. Those are the friends you ate with, slept with, shared stories, hopes and dreams with. And those are the friends who’d recognize your voice instantly, through a random unplanned phone call, even though it’s been years since you last spoke.

I suppose my absence from all these meets will make some think I have forgotten school and the five glorious years that we were there. Don’t get me wrong. There’s still a Serikandi (oh that’s what we call ourselves, for glamour, oomph and to sound like kick-*ss women) burning somewhere deep within me. She’s probably been in a comfortable slumber all these years and needs a little wake up call. This year seems appropriate indeed as the school celebrates it’s 50th anniversary. Maybe I will make that trip back to school this June and see whether I can remember how it feels to be 17 again and reaffirm to myself that much of the Serikandi spirit still burns within me. Afterall, it 's got a lot to do with the person I am today.



P/s Is it scary or is it scary? As I bloghop, I tend to find myself landed in the blogs of ex-STFians hiding behind some name or another. How interesting it would be if I could find out whether I actually know all these girls just as how I connected with Noni through this blog. Who would have thought that she was the long lost senior who stuck three fingers down our throats during choir practise so that we’d sing better, mouths opened as wide as the Batu Caves. Or so they say. I think they just found it a cheap sadistic thrill doing that to juniors. Sheeesh. (Noni, you know I sayang you and I still takut kat you as I say this.) So, just for the heck of it; those of you Serikandi’s out there..raise your hand PLEASE??







42 Comments:

Blogger Iskandar Syah Ismail aka DR Bubbles said...

selamat menyambut ulangtahun ke-50 kepada toink toink STF.

kami next year pulak.

budak star

5:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ iskandar...

aloo budak STAR. I've met a few of ur seniors in this blogosphere as well... its dang creepy... jomlah gi STF punya fund-raising dinner... I'm rooting for ur alumnus to go. And the Serikandis will return the favour tawun depan. Howat? Email me if interested k?

jap eh D, wanna write but have something to attend to first.

6:03 PM  
Blogger anedra said...

iskandar: haha! you know this song? "twinkle, twinkle little STAR.."

it ain't toink toink..it's "toing toing" honey. eh, tahun berpa ya doktor bubbles kat situ?

anon: ok. i'll wait. whoever u are!

6:05 PM  
Blogger LifeBloom said...

Anedra: You took me through a time warp with your posting and I landed smack in my boarding school. Age 13. Trying very hard to fit in and live with 30 girls in a cramped space. 5 years later those 30 girls are my sisters in crime and I never could imagine my life without them.

8:49 PM  
Blogger munirah hayati said...

sarjan nyonya from batch '95 reporting for duty! (okeh kapten Noni :)) i'm here :P)

kak Dena, i used to have a crush on an mckk debater - hehe, u probably know the kemaman boy. i also had a crush on a SAS debater who later became my senior in peterborough and bristol.. hizatul isham, kenal? last time jumpa dia kat my ex-workplace, and he's put on weight..no longer crush-worthy..eh! this is not mengumpat, Atul is a keanu reeves look-alike who's better off chubby! hehe - my GOD, i was really a serial crush-er with a record number of crushes! :-O!

i have a 'hutang' catching-up meet with almahera .. you remember alma kan? i've mentioned her juga dulu2, masa i baru discovered your blog.. hehe. some name-dropping is required coz i know u dont remember me :) bye2

11:47 PM  
Blogger mommy@lif said...

hi dena, am no srikandi but gotta know one from batch spm95. most of x-stf yg i jumpa , and i shall conclude -> lepak type, cool and kind-hearted.

btw my friend tuh dulu pailang stf. haha kalau kita jadik jumpa for friday lunch date, leh citer pasal dia.. kot² la u kenal.. erkk u spm batch bila uh?

12:42 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

noni: oh, ok! see ya!

lifebloom: what wd we do without that sisterhood eh? miss those days lah. life was so much more simpler then.

nyonya: haiya..no need to name drop lah! cuba u bagi nama betul..mana tahu I ingat ke.. Almahera of course I know, we were in the PPM debate team together. And my oh my...all those crushes! Ya lah..you're a serial "srucher" alright! :)

alif's mommy: what's a pailang? and yes, we'll have to have that lunch date soon! Me? SPM 1992. Tua dah.

1:02 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

nyonya: ooops, I meant "CRUSHER"

1:02 AM  
Blogger Kak Teh said...

anedra - go to mama irma - she is a srikandian. - there's an entry abt this. me - ex srikendi

1:20 AM  
Blogger SimplyMas said...

Hmmmm... I love my school days too! With a capital L! School friends are the friends that last forever and ever!!!

3:29 AM  
Blogger Bergen said...

Here's looking at you, Srikandi! Cheers.

4:22 AM  
Blogger Ely said...

school days are always the best in our lives kan? no bills to pay, nothing to worry about except homework, exams and bfs hehehe.

10:01 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

kakteh: kendi pun ada sri eh? thanks for the info, I will go over.

mamijarum: u've got that right.

bergen: merci beaucoup sir.

ely: all it was, was FUN FUN FUN! oh yes..and no buns to bake too! hehe..

5:17 PM  
Blogger Iskandar Syah Ismail aka DR Bubbles said...

anon: we are not creepy guy but when it come to stfian we are creepier than ever..heheh...i remember the time when we were exchanging letters (love for some) with you guys during the good old days.masa tu asyuk masyuk dgn budak STF aje.hahaha. TKCian apa kelassss!

u all punya fundraising dinner mahal ler beb...biasaler budak star, alumni dinner pun malas nak bayar (pegi nak!) mana email?


anedra: yo sis, me batch 93.btw, i x have "jambu" during my days in STAR hahaha.u belum dengar lagu cheer kami for MC-Gay-Gay boys

6:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Deyne Dear,
OMG! I miss those days, remember staying up in the corridor, makan maggi sejuk, raiding the dining hall, dll? Above all, I miss our D-8 family so much! I am not sure if I'll make it for the 50-year celebration but I'm planning to be in the motherland in April/May, so we MUST hook-up. Details will follow once I get my dates finalized, stay tuned.
Loves,
aa@ny

6:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anedra,

why don't you give a try and come for the Dinner on 1 April and the back to school program sometimes end of June. It will be different than what you have on mind. Yeah, may be some of them are quite "bz body" but not all of them. Trust me. Most of the seniors are down to earth person, and love to help others. My MIL had an operation for her cataracts done by Dr. Muhaya whom i know from the networking, and alhamdulillah she treated her well. With her confidence, she did the operation on both eyes. SO my MIL are much better now compares to her friends who have the same problem. They are few others that are very supportive and help the younger generation especially in biz. I really hope to be there for our 50th anniversary, but its about 2 weeks before my EDD. Alin pun nak tag along....

Aske'

9:04 PM  
Blogger anedra said...

doc bubs: you come to the fundraising, I'll buy you your book, "The Infidels". Mau ka tak mau?? Brings yr pals along!

And I think I;ve heard that song..Just happened that we STFians tumpang the STAR bus to one of the PPM dinners in Penang. Nasib tak baik, bas MCKK and STAR sudah lumba atas jambatan Pulau Pinang. And the boys were screaming to each "twinkle-twinkle little star" (from the MC bus) vs what i think is your "MC Gay Gay" song from the bus windows. Haiya! Itu macam ke pemuda harapan bangsa??

As for the TKCians, no comment. We dont wanna start World War III do we?


Amriejie!!!: You know u'r one of those gals I sumpah sayang sampai mati! Yup..miss those days. It was like a 5 year pajama party, kan?

Aske': Alamak..don't get me wrong lah. I was not referring to our seniors in the alumni. I dont know them. Plus, I have faith in the "products" from our school and most gals have been absolutely nice. It's just that there are some who spoil it which disgusts me sometime. But that happens anywhere, in any school etc.

Whatever it is STF still ROCKS! And you take care! :)

9:18 PM  
Blogger mommy@lif said...

pailang = gangster sekolah aka budak bermasalah disiplin

erkk pejot tak tak?? hehe

10:42 PM  
Blogger AuntyN said...

Sini Dena *raise my hand* SPM 76. Dah tua dah ni tapi masih "young at heart"
I have never been to any school gathering too, That day it was my classmates je tu

6:40 AM  
Blogger Cik Ana said...

tumpang lalu kak anedra ;)

been reading ur blog 4 a while. n when u started to cerita all abt STF.. me pn nk tumpang rase nostalgia evntho me not a serkiandian.. but grew up dikelilingi dgn akak2 serikandian ;)

i used to meng'ekor' my mom when she did her rounds at the hostel.. penah jugak joined my mom mkn kt BIG table at the dining hall tu ahah.. had my fair share of fun during sumbangsih every yr, kenal w some of the akak2 pengawas, went to ko-op, tido kt bilik waden, used to get all excited watching the band performed. n all that continues until laa me jd malu nk meng'ekor' my mom lagi. hehe. what i want to say is.. serikandi during the late 80's and 90s really lived up to the name - serikandi. they oozed w maturity, confidence n elegance evntho rata2 baru 17. bukan nk ckp ape, but me don see that much w the current batch. so sedih :(

anyway, dont be surprised when u come back to STF ltr.. no more terrorizing monkeys n jungles behind the sch ;)

warm regards.

11:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think maybe u know Mastura Sulaiman?

-hazel-

4:55 AM  
Blogger Iskandar Syah Ismail aka DR Bubbles said...

sis,

u know arnie hj fadzilah tak?by any chance u know where she is now? last time i heard she was working at kajang hospital. she's your batch i think.

5:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

kak anedra,

if u manage to be there (i think around june, they will be celebrating 50th anniversary) , i maybe be there too!..heheh..leh jumpa kan?

9:42 PM  
Blogger anedra said...

auntyN: So tahun ni nak pergi the fundraising dinner? April 1st. Ada Anuar Zain?

Simply Syana: Thanks for dropping by! What an interesting story u have here..who's yr mother? Oh, and I do remember the monkeys. Once, kena kejar up the steep steps at Block E by those rascals! Hehe..Lepas tu kena gelak pulak tu dgn the seniors from the Block! HAiyaaa..Malu!

Hazel: Yes, she's from the same batch. You know her?

Bro Iskandar: Of course I know her. Her dorm was right next to mine. She's a doctor now? Salams to her if u ever do see her alright? So, what about my book offer?

Noha: eh? You're going? Maybe lah then, if I go we definitely meet. Jangan tak tegur ok?? Which batch are you??

5:57 PM  
Blogger Iskandar Syah Ismail aka DR Bubbles said...

hahaha.. will think it over.
ish lama dah tak jumpa dia..last was in star when she did matric there. met her dad once 4-5 years ago and he told me where she was then. la ni lost contact terus.

8:00 PM  
Blogger anedra said...

doc is: ek eleh...what's there to think about? kata sanggup hantar angin santau kat samy vellu. takut eh? ;p

8:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mastura and I was in the same class in MBA. She has just delivered her 4th baby last week.

-hazel-

5:03 AM  
Blogger Cik Ana said...

i am SIL nohachomel. *lol* so, mesti da tau who is my mom. ;)

6:49 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

hazel: did u say 4th?? wow!

simply syana: I know, she told me! kirim salam your mak for me. peluk cium sekali. dont know if she remembers me tho.

5:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey gal...bangganya to know that you are a fellow srikandi..been reading your blog, in fact you are one of my must-read blogs..fantastic churning out of words!!
jom lah pegi dinner, would love to get to meet u in person..insyaallah will be there for the whole works, dinner, futsal, treasure hunt and of cos GJC..
u r rite, friends made during STF time, kawan sampai mati punye..

MAJU MAJU MAJU SEGERA MAJU...

AE batch 84 (ancient huh??)

11:32 PM  
Blogger rose said...

Anedra,
nice write up sis :) Bangga baca bila ada yang tolong promote our GJC coz my hubby dok complaint "mana tak nampak pun stciker GJC kat mana2 kereta atas jalan kat KL ni" which makes me feel so sad. But he'll comfort me whenever i tak jawab dia by saying "agaknya depa ni duduk kat luar KL kot" :)
anyways, try to attend the dinner eh dear :) any chance of any of u or ur frens know Ema Muliati's whereabouts. She's my sister's pet-sis..

12:18 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

AE batch 84: *blush-blush* hey thanks for coming over. It's nice to know people read the silly stuff i write here. am trying to gte my team organised for the treasure hunt. as far as the dinner is concerned, it's too soon for me to commit on that. dont know what my schedule is like then. futsal? sounds interesting..tapi buatlah sekali sekala kat Ampang pulak..nearer for me. haha! anyways, lots and lots of hugs to you! and hope to bump into you at the treasure hunt or something!

rose: hello there! dinner? insyaallah..cannot janji for now! As for ema, not sure where she is. The last time I met her was 5 yrs back i think. if i find out nanti I gi yr blog and tell u k? *lotsahugs*

2:16 AM  
Blogger Hazyr said...

Hi there
*another hand up in the air*

It's ryzah (89-93) here, Kak Norzie's bedmate for a couple of years in C-10. I can still remember you clearly because it was you and kak Norzie who first introduced me to NKOTB when I was in Form 1. And I had to bear you guys' singing whenever you come over to 'lepak' at our dorm! hehe... just kidding :)

2:34 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

hazyr: hello!!!!!! of course i remember you. very well too! oh mann!! those were the days lah! memang masa tu gila NKOTB..you should have seen us dance to their songs too! Or did we torture you with our dance as well?? anyways, u're in ampang?? me too! kalau nak teh tarik or whatever, give me a buzz eh? take care! muaahhs!

5:07 PM  
Blogger rose said...

Dena,
isshh malunya kalau you gi my blog yang tak seberapa tu, hehehe. But, surely i'll be more than glad to hear from you abt anything at all. *hugz & mwahz*

6:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

had difficulty logging into your blog yesterday, what happened?
wish those events are held around ampang too..cos that's where my humble abode is!
will definitely look out for you at d treasure hunt..looking 4ward to put "face to name"..

hugsss..AE84

12:37 AM  
Blogger anedra said...

rose: I think yr blog is lovely. I'll come visiting..see you!

AE84: itulah..dont know what happened yesterday. panic kejap! I had to republish my blog today. that's why the "test" up there! I hope to see u then! I will update! hugs back!

9:08 AM  
Blogger Iym said...

Hi there.. iym here, batch 90-94. been reading yr blog. I remember you and Ryzah too.

ps: hi K Ryzah.. <- my dorm mate kat C-10

6:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh dear..terlambat giller nak angkat tangan... me too me too... spm 2000 lah tapi... hehehe

4:25 AM  
Blogger LightsOfHonesty said...

hehe..
school time is so much fun
i agree!

adilah gregarious 0509

12:34 PM  
Blogger Hanani Hakim said...

yeah!love to be stfians!!together we join hands to reach our goals!!*english version*

10:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

stf terbaek~~~ toing formsis~~hahahahha,,memories yg ade mmg xkn dpt kt luar,,plus kite je phm sesame kite~

2:46 AM  

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