*5xmom singing a sunny song* ('cos tym came a visiting liao, no more PMS liao)
Hey, do you all know what a pen-pal is? If you are reading this blog regularly, then I am your pen-pal and you are my pen-pal - sort of.
Let me tell you what I did when I was in Form 3 or Form 4. We have RTM Blue Network/radio. Nolah, not some blue films/porn stories station. Blue is the English station, Red I think is the Tamil and Green the Chinese (which has all sorts of dialects news like the li koh bo wa koh, po koh sim boon or tungkuabdulaman tunabdulajak). Someone...please tell me you know what I am talking about.
In those days (late 70s), my family can't afford TV (only B/W also) and radio is the only source of entertainment. So, all I did was listening to the Malay network (can't remember the name, must ask Pok Ku) which plays songs by Hail Amir, Uji Rashid, Alleycats, Dahlan Zainuddin.....(hey, I terror nyanyi Dari sebuah desa....etc) plus the Blue Network. Songs like Sometimes when we touch la, Feelings la, Babe la etc.
Then, there was this programme where you got to select a list of songs and the deejay will play your selection. And the deejay will announce your address, yes, you read correctly, your home address over the air. And yet, we never heard of molesting lah, stalking lah, rapes lah. People were so tame then.
As you guess it, I gatal and got some soppy, love songs played and walau-eh, I got 60+ letters from all over Malaysia. Can you imagine a 14-15 yrs old girl receiving 60+ letters in a span of 2-3 days? I was over the moon and so fun getting some nerds writing dumb letters, some buaya making proposals and out of the few, only one stood out and lasted for a year or two.
My pen-pal's name was Yusof. I don't know what in the world has happened to him but we were such pen-pal then. We can write 5-6 pages of letter almost every alternate days. I wasn't in love or anything like that. We were just soul mates, someone older than me who gave me a lot of guidance while I provided him...actually, I don't know what he found in me except I was very special to him. Once, I saw his name on TV3 and was very sure it was him. Achieved what he wanted to do. (sorry, secret, kenot blog this).
I think the fun of having pen-pals is no longer there. Cyber pen-pal is no fun. Chat room is scary and dangerous for young, naive girls. Waiting for the posmen everyday was so thrilling. Opening the envelope to find small cards and things enclosed was so sweet.. Reading the letter in the privacy of the bedroom is so much more romantic instead of putting the face in front of the PC. A written letter needs real sincerity and effort so one can't lie with a written letter. With cyber pen-pal, any idiots can copy and paste stuffs and passed on as their own heart and soul.
Gee....I miss the good ole days when things were so much more innocent and safe. Now, I see the nicknames my kids use as their IM, I susah hati liao. Last time, we never need nicknames. Turn back the clock please.... I wonder if Yusof still remembers his Cina-amoi penpal from Penang. *sigh*
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