Love is in the air....!

It was sometime in August 1981 when Prema (my girlfriend then) and I decided to make a trip to Singapore together with 2 of her other friends, to do some shopping as our wedding was just 3 months away in November that year. We stopped in JB and met up with Imbaraj, my childhood friend who was working there. During one of the days that we spent in JB after our shopping in Singapore was done, we stopped at the Istana park just opposite the water-front. As I lay on the ground chatting with Prema, her friend Suja took this candid shot. I liked it very much because it just oozes with so much love as can be seen from the eyes. So recently when we went to Kerala, we met up with an artist who was more than happy to transfer the image into canvas. What turned out was a masterpiece that hangs proudly in my home now!

Ravages of time

…..and how fast time flies. It appears that only recently we took this first photograph though in reality it has been about 40 years. We didn’t intend or plan the photo shoot. We were walking past a photo studio in Bukit Mertajam (BM) one day and decided to have our photo taken. Just like that…no other reason whatsoever. Just plain vain I suppose. It was a time when we were so carefree………didn’t have any commitments, having just completed secondary education. We used to sit down and reminisce of our school life and talk for hours on end about the pranks that we played among friends………so many fond memories. There were occasions, though rare and far in between, when I would take the bus from Butterworth (where I lived) to BM with the clear focused intention of attending school. But as Imbaraj’s house was located just outside the school perimeter fencing, I would sometimes drop by at his place to see if he was ready. During a couple of such visits, he had convinced me to skip classes. I realized then that it was exciting to skip class. I come from an orthodox family with rigid value systems. School was a must. To skip class was a crime that was unheard of in my family circle, so to speak. But his family was different. For them, it was ok to skip classes if you were tired and couldn’t wake up on time in the morning. Of course my initial reaction to this tolerance was shocking as well as amusing but I later got used to the idea. It was fun not to be in school on a school day. Nevertheless, as I said earlier, playing truant was rare and far in between. Not that we were bookworms or studious or anywhere close to that but more because of the many friends we had in class whose company we enjoyed as much as they enjoyed ours (I guess). …………..and how time flies. When you look back, 40 years is indeed a long time. And the changes that it brings with it, people term it as growing up………….. or maturing perhaps. But looking at the ravage it causes to the physique, we may as well stick to ‘aging’! Me : O! Lord! How I wish I can be young again…..! Lord : You have run out of wishes, my son and if you are not careful, may soon run out of time too!

RAVAGES OF TIME

…..and how fast time flies. It appears that only recently we took this first photograph though in reality it has been about 40 years. We didn’t intend or plan the photo shoot. We were walking past a photo studio in Bukit Mertajam (BM) one day and decided to have our photo taken. Just like that…no other reason whatsoever. Just plain vain I suppose. It was a time when we were so carefree………didn’t have any commitments, having just completed secondary education. We used to sit down and reminisce of our school life and talk for hours on end about the pranks that we played among friends………so many fond memories. There were occasions, though rare and far in between, when I would take the bus from Butterworth (where I lived) to BM with the clear focused intention of attending school. But as Imbaraj’s house was located just outside the school perimeter fencing, I would sometimes drop by at his place to see if he was ready. During a couple of such visits, he had convinced me to skip classes. I realized then that it was exciting to skip class. I come from an orthodox family with rigid value systems. School was a must. To skip class was a crime that was unheard of in my family circle, so to speak. But his family was different. For them, it was ok to skip classes if you were tired and couldn’t wake up on time in the morning. Of course my initial reaction to this tolerance was shocking as well as amusing but I later got used to the idea. It was fun not to be in school on a school day. Nevertheless, as I said earlier, playing truant was rare and far in between. Not that we were bookworms or studious or anywhere close to that but more because of the many friends we had in class whose company we enjoyed as much as they enjoyed ours (I guess). …………..and how time flies. When you look back, 40 years is indeed a long time. And the changes that it brings with it, people term it as growing up………….. or maturing perhaps. But looking at the ravage it causes to the physique, we may as well stick to ‘aging’! Me : O! Lord! How I wish I can be young again…..! Lord : You have run out of wishes, my son and if you are not careful, may soon run out of time too!