When I sit alone by myself sometimes I reminisced those times that left strong impact on me. Mostly they were my first experiences. Since I am older already therefore I have so many “first times”. Some that I will share with you.
First memory
My memory went as far back as the time when maybe I was four years old, since I remember I already have my brother Nazri as a baby. We lived in a village, a kampong and our house was just next to a school. I remember standing by the fence looking at the kakak-kakak at the school cooking the corn porridge in a big kuali, I guessed it was lunch for the whole school. At the time school was still subsidized with nutritious food like porridge and powdered milk. ( I really sound ancient !!) At the end of the cooking, they will give us a bowl of the porridge.
My first cat
My first cat was called Intan. I think it’s a male cat though. He was blackish/greyish in colour. I got him maybe when I was around 6 years old. Actually all my siblings got a cat each. Zul, my brother had a cat which was addicted to sucking our toes and earlobes. I used to kick his cat because I hated it when the cat sucked my toes and earlobes. But I loved my cat Intan which was the most well behaved and very clever. A couple of years later my parents had to move from the house to go to another area in the state. We had to walk across a railway track to get to the lorry which carried our things. Intan refused to cross the railway track because he was so scared of the train. My parents decided to ask the neighbour to look after him for a while. Not long after that when we went to see him, we have been told that he died, possibly because he missed us. I was so sad.
My first magazine / paper
They were Utusan pelajar and Dewan Pelajar. In those times, Utusan pelajar was produced weekly and Dewan Pelajar monthly. My father bought them for me without fail started when I was small around standard 1 or before. I loved to read them. I learned stories like Medusa and Hercules from those magazines. You know they published the stories bit by bit on each issue and always to be continued in the next issue. I would scream with joy whenever my father brought them home. He always passed it to me first. And from there I developed love for reading.
My first day at primary school
I was enrolled to Sekolah Kampung Tanjong. A very old school in a remote village. I don’t know whether it still exists now. I remember my first day at school feeling small and overawed by all the teachers who looked so fierce. My father sent me to the school and left me there. I didn’t cry.
My first dress
It was a red dress with bouncy fully pleated skirt, lacy and layered, and I loved that dress so much. It was so glamorous. I was standard 2. I drew the dress everywhere, feeling so beautiful when wearing the dress. My sister got a similar one but yellow in colour with slightly different design.
The first actress I admired
She was Farah Fawcett in One Million Dollar Man series. I loved the hair. I spent hours blowing and curling my hair in front of the mirror using my mother’s hair dryer. As far as I was concerned I really looked like Farah Fawcett.
My first boyfriend
I got two in Primary school. Both were my classmates. One is short and fat. The other is tall and thin. Everyday I will fight with one of them. When I befriended one I will make enemy of the other. Then I switched. Terrible girl! When I moved to the secondary school we parted ways but continued to write letters to each other.
My first day at boarding school
I was twelve years old going to thirteen. My parents sent me there and left me all alone. The school seemed so enormous and the seniors looked so big and were all so nasty!!! Actually not all, and the boy seniors were so handsome…..
My first love
This was monkey love even though happened when I was a little bit older but I was still naïve like anything. I was a late bloomer. When I was studying oversea I fell in love with this Malay guy who was not even interested in me. Sob, sob, unrequited love, Cinta tak berbalas!!! Berlagak habis!!! See siapa rugi now ….??? ;-)
My first true love
My husband lah…. Siapa lagi…. A solid love, unwavering, steady, sturdy and will be there forever … Love that grew year after year of being together and sharing everything.
My first pregnancy
It was so beautiful. I could do it over and over again. No morning sickness and I ate a lot. In fact I ate all the time. My excuse was I was eating for two. But my… I was not a beautiful sight since I bloated with water retention from top to toe.
My first baby
My miracle of life. When I saw you Fatini, and looked into your beautiful eyes and see that you were perfect I thanked God for his blessings and gift to me. I promised to myself that I will give my best to you.
My first night at home with my new baby
My God, what a night to remember. At the hospital she was at the nursery and I slept undisturbed. Then I brought my baby home. My beautiful bundle of joy refused to sleep and this was the first night ever in my entire life that I didn’t sleep until morning. It was an experience as well as a shock to me and I continued this way for the next 4 months.
Well, enough of my firsts for the time being and thank you for accompanying me down my memory lane.
