The Dinner

The dinner was great.

The food served was Malay but I don’t remember much about it or even what was on the menu because we were too busy yacking about how good the food was at school. Believe it or not, STF, unlike other boarding schools (or so I,ve heard) did serve really good food; so much so that almost everyday, as soon as the bell rang at 1.30pm at lunch time, you’d see the girls racing to the dining hall. Literally, scores of girls ran, like their life counted on it; to the dining halls! The skirts of our kurungs lifted above the knees so that we could run fast and get first place in the lunch queue. You betcha, I was one of em..And am proud to say that, we were always earliest!

I was exceptionally excited to meet Noni whom I haven’t seen, in like yonks. I was also actually wondering how she looked like cos my memory has proven to be very poor and I couldn’t really remember her face. Anyway, a few steps into the ballroom, I saw this lady in a white nyonya kebaya and no doubt it was her!! YAAYYYY! So the lowdown is this. Noni remembers me as the budak yang kuat nangis. (Loooong story, but true. I cried in Form one. For 2 weeks. And then stopped. And never cried since! Heheh!) Well, yup. That was me. Guilty as charged. But my memory is also quite selective you see; I could not for the life of me remember Noni counselling me!! Thanks for refreshing my memory Noni. I know now, that you not only were you someone I feared; but you are also someone I owe a lot to! Mucho mucho gracias! Love ya.

I also realized last night that it is possible to not know that you’ve missed someone a lot until you see them right in front of you. Jaja couldn’t make it due to last minute changes in her work schedule. So I called a senior whom I was recently in touch with and asked her whether she would like to come and she agreed. After 15 years of not seeing her, you bet, my nerves were acting up. But as I spotted her in the ballroom, I couldn’t stop myself from running towards her and giving her the best hug I had in me. It was great to see her. And although I hadn’t given any thought to it over the past 15 years, I realized last night that I really did miss her. A lot. Kak Nik, I remember the days when you let me sleep on your lap all the way from JB to Penang for our PPM debates in that uncomfortable, un-airconditioned school bus and never complained. You were always so good to us. And although my brain is half functioning most of the time..I do remember that we had a great time! THANK YOU.

Me and the adik-adiks. Didn't realise that I am THAT short!!

Then there were all those whose faces I could remember but not their names! Especially the juniors who came to say hello. Sharini, Yan and Ryzah and Emma (but I remembered Ryzah and Emma!)..and the rest of the gals from your groups; you know who you are. Oh man! Sorry! I just couldn’t cough up the names! Some have grown so (which should be expected lah kan?) but I wish they didn’t! haha! Cos they should always be my little sisters forever and ever. Oh well.

And if you think the old gals from an all girls boarding school are all prim and proper; well, think again! For most of the night, throughout the speeches and whatnots, we were behaving like “ladies” for a while, but the moment Anuar Zain took stage; almost all of us forgot the significance of the wedding bands we were wearing on our fingers and were screaming our lungs out at him and practically fighting with each other to grab his arm, leg or whatever! It was hilarious! Especially when seeing the “older” super duper seniors acting up like that. But I gotta give it to Anuar Zain lah. He is a real hottie; he knows exactly how to work the crowd and I do remember (with guilt) at some point during the performance that ..I WANTED HIM!!! Gulp. But that was last night lah. Now, back in the normalcy of real life… I know I can’t have him. WHy oh why??

Best buddies. Linda and I.

Well, as for me, most people said I look exactly the same. Should I be happy?? It freaked me out actually! When I look back at the photos of myself at school, I was always this scruffy, sometimes sweaty school girl. Far from being a well bred, elegant, groomed lady. And after all these years, they say I STILL LOOK THE SAME! Noooooo!!!!!

Anyways, despite that, last night, this Srikandi went home feeling deeply satisfied by a most gratifying night of reuniting with old-old fast and firm friends, taking many, many walks down sweet memory lane and also finally rediscovering a major part of where she came from. I felt seventeen once again; and after forgetting how it feels like to be seventeen for the longest time, it was the most refreshing and exhilarating feeling ever and I'm still feeling seventeen today!! I’m glad I went ; and guess what? I’m already thinking of what to wear next year! *winks*

Ps. AE84 – Where were you?
Yan, Sharini, Ryzah if you read this. Email me!
Linda (and hubby) thanks for being there and for being so beyooootiful!

PPS: ..and God bless InaLim; another junior of mine. I forgot to mention her which was really bad of me cos she worked hard at making this event a success together with the rest of the committee. The spirit never dies eh Ina?