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those were the days !
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On our way to China Black yesterday , Yan and I laughed our asses off comparing the photos on our ICs .
Fugitives ( Yan on the left )
The photos were taken when we were about 15 , which makes it about 4 years ago and boy were we glad that we are much more normal looking now.
Its amazing how much difference a few years can change a person , both personality and appearance.
Yan giving her love to her smelly soft toys
Me looking quite naked at the most Traditional Chinese Wedding of the year. Tube tops ALWAYS give rise to the wrong impressions in photos . My two front teeth looks obnoxiously prominent here . Damn.
During those lower secondary years , the both of us barfed at the sight of each other and we hated each other pretty much , to the extent that whenever we crossed paths , we would make very disparanging remarks very loudly only to have the other retaliate with an equally insulting retort.
For example :
Me ( As Yan is walking towards me ) : Eeee .. ER XIN LOR !
Yan : XIA LAN LOR !
We were both Ah Lians back then and since she was in the Normal stream and I , in the Express , we hung out with different crowds until sec 4 when i was so unfortunately transferred to the Normal stream due to very bad results and ended up in her class.
Things took a change for the better and now we're best of friends. Not alot of people can make me laugh ( usually when i laugh , i'm just being patronising :P ) but whenever we're together , its one big joke the moment we meet.
But we still have arguements la , especially with our shared unsolvable problem of tardiness.
Anyway.
The Ah lians back then all had awful taste , in terms of dressing and the way they carried themselves. Yep , the two of us were victims and come to think of it it was amusing how we disliked each other so much even though we were so similar . Both of us were skinny , gross and we wore our uniforms in the most disgusting way ever .
It was The style when i was 13 , damn it ! I bet that this will not turn even the most die-hard uniform fetish fan on.
DON'T LAUGH ! If you're born between 1980-1986 , then most likely you would have commited this fashion faux paux if you were a girl and not geeky or seen your schoolmates wear their uniforms that way since it was the so-called "in" style.
I remember being reprimanded by Miss Chinniah during a flag-lowering ceremony ( back then we had afternoon sessions. Yes , i am THAT old. )
Miss C : Why is your blouse tucked in so tightly ? You think you very voluptuous huh ?
She thought i didn't know the meaning of voluptuous so my retaliation came as quite a shock to her
Me : Yah , at least i'm bigger than yours.
Not surprisingly she gave me The Eye followed by The Once-Over and dragged the discipline mistress over( who was a total bitch who cut my shoulder length hair a year later into a very short crop as coloured hair was prohibited , making me cry and becoming the joke of the year ) and as a result i had to un-pick my very short skirt , unfold my sleeves on and on top of that , loosening my blouse AND getting detention for being rude.
It happened so long ago but that will always be etched in my memory , man.
Some of the other damning attributes of an Ah lian :
1) The swagger in her stride. Loose arms are also a trademark.
2) The "Chao Chee bye !" , considered one of the most vulgar phrases in my vocab but so often used when i was that age. To be uttered with a flair , like "CHAO chee BYEEEEEEE" and then continued with what you want to say , e.g "CHAO chee BYEEEEEEEEE la ! You think you what , see what see ?" . Not forgetting the numerous animated gestures that follows.
Other common phrases include
Kao bei kao bu
BCAC ( Buay Chio Act Chio )
BLAL ( Buay Lian Act Lian )
Lao Lan / Xia Lan ( Seldom hear it nowadays lol )
3) A bad DIY dye job , usually copper brown
4) Fake branded goods , the popular brands back then were Fendi , Ferragamo , Chanel and Valentino.
5) Gang poems , usually acccompanied by techno music.
6) IRC nicknames like fEndi_gEr , xIaO^wAwA , bAbygUCci , xIaOangEL , sILLy_mUiMui , starRy^aNgEl etc etc.
The Ah lian of today i must say look much much better than the Ah Lians of yesteryear although they are still equally disgusting.
And oh , never ask someone whether he/she is Ah Lian/Ah Beng because NOBODY admits to being one.
Not very the glam , you know ? :p
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I'm glad to say that things took a change for the better and that horrid style was banished forever to be replaced by a more comfortable look when i was in sec 3
Taken a few months back when i suddenly missed my secondary school days
As you can tell , i had alot of fun during my 5 years in SGS and most of the people i know often agree that the times you have during your sec school days are the best and the friends you make that are always those that remain with you for the rest of your lifes.
I can never understand how some people can lament about how they hated secondary school , how glad they were to "leave that shit hole forever" during graduation when everyone else is crying and hugging each other.
More often that not , i noticed that those who do complain about their tormented sec sch life were the ones that everyone shuns simply because their attitudes leaves much to be desired ( though i know of some who totally abhors school cus they hated their uniforms and the "regime' ) and no , if you think that looks play a part , i can safely say that many of the popular schoolmates i know of are big sized but equally big hearted ( Everyone from SGS/SGT now .. " TEE CHEE CHING !" )
Tertiary education is one big blur where everyone seems to be in a hurry with schoolwork , relationships , NS and work.
Where got time to forge lasting friendships ?!
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listening to : Solid base - Sea of Love . ( Ah. Old school techno. Perfect company for this Ah lian-ish entry. )
JUST KIDDING !