Blast From My Past | Pictures From the Early 90s and Memories Associated With Them

One of the best things about Facebook is that we can reconnect with old friends from the past, even those who lost touch for decades. Some 15 years ago, I reconnected with my ex-schoolmates that had lost touch for many years. Like everybody else, the first thing we did back then was to share some old photos from our schooling days. We had a blast discussing and laughing at those photos, and I felt grateful that we could stay in touch again. After that excitement of initial contact, gradually, we returned to our lives with careers to pursue and families to raise. And those photos had been forgotten until they resurfaced again recently in the form of Facebook Memory.

Looking at those pictures, I had a great laugh and even reshared them again on Facebook. But I knew not everyone is keen to see their past get dug out and re-post for everyone to see. So I made sure not to tag anyone because I knew it could embarrass someone. I knew because I noticed some friends quietly untagged themselves from the photos I posted in the past. Personally, these photos don't embarrass me at all. I am proud of them because they are just moments from my past frozen in photographs. I am sharing some of these photos here; you can spot me in those yellow circles.

No, I didn't get permission from anyone to share them here because, come on, look at the quality of the photos...unless you knew me personally from that time in my life, there is no way you knew anyone in these pictures. So chill.

❤️ From 1990 ❤️

This picture was captured during a school assembly sometime in 1990. I was in Form/Secondary 1. A talk or speech was probably ongoing, or we wouldn't be sitting on the floor.

❤️ From 1991 ❤️

This photo really cracked me up! That classic "rock on" hand gesture was the coolest thing to do when taking pictures back then. This picture was taken in 1991 at the height of the worldwide rock phenomenon. Our generation listened to Guns & Roses, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkin, Radiohead etc. Why the obsession with American bands? I have no idea. A totally different time but a wild time nonetheless. This photo was captured during an inter-division sports meet. I was just 14 years old. Recently it dawned on me that 3 of my ex-boyfriends were captured in this photo 🤣. I told my husband, and he just cracked up. Gosh...I miss those days....

❤️ From 1992 ❤️

I was a scout back then. And let me tell you a not-so-secret: I joined the scout not because I was keen to become one but because the most handsome guys in school were scouts. And it was cool to hang out with them. I guess kids worldwide aren't so different from one another, regardless of our era. We all wanted to be accepted and part of the "it" crowd. It is shallow and stupid, but back then, it was essential for the survival of our self-esteem. This picture was taken in 1992 during the annual scout camping. We were hiking along the beach (hence the rock cliff) and someone, probably a teacher, took a photo while we rested.

❤️ From 1994 ❤️

This is probably one of the last photos we took before sitting for our national examinations, SPM or MCE (Malaysia Certificate of Education). We were sweet 17 and the Class of 1994. We literally had a party in the jungle - BBQ, games and a lot of fun stuff. I left school right after sitting for my examinations and never returned. Heck, I didn't even return to collect my certificates. I had the school mail it to me. Some of my classmates enrolled in Form 6 but I registered for a Diploma in IT and never met any of my friends until Facebook years later.

So there you go, a blast from my past. I miss those times, but everyone has long moved on with their lives. I am still in touch with a handful of my friends from school, but some prefer to keep their distance, and our friendships drift away. Many years ago, that used to upset me, and I took it as a sign of rejection from them. But now that I am in my mid-40s (hell, yeah), I realized that assumption on my part was unfounded. We all have lives to lead, families to raise, jobs to keep, and not to mention countless bills to pay. Some had it good in life, but some aren't so fortunate. Some have gone through a failed marriage or the death of a child. We all have unspoken traumas to varying degrees. To think that a friend from my past would just pick up our friendship where we had left, and act like nothing has changed, is plain ignorant. I am all good if any one of them decides not to initiate contact and becomes strangers for the rest of our existence. I respect that. Now, I am just grateful that I knew all of them at one point in my life, and I still carry our memories in my heart, and no one can take that away from me, forever.

That's it for now. If you read this far, thank you. I appreciate it so much! Kindly give me a follow if you like my content. I mostly write about making art, life musing, and our mundane yet charming family life here in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

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