"Jahat Tapi Cerdik!"
"Ha ha ha ha !" I laugh out loud seeing the above picture. Only STARIANS could come up with something as hilarious as that! The slogan makes a bold statement about who we are "Budak STAR!" I could visualize HM Pak Ya saying those very words about STAR boys, in hindsight of the infamous demonstration. I can also visualize certain STAR old boys turned politicians living the very spirit of the phrase. Afterall, doesn't they say that in politics, you need to be a little bit of both to survive! But on this particular score, I will leave to the politicians amongst us to comment.
I came across this photo in Nuar Hassan's FB albums. Thank you for sharing many wonderful moments of STAROBA everywhere, with STAROBA everywhere!
Once I stop laughing, the tag line makes me reflect...
"Jahat!" The word when taken by itself does not reflect generalization of Budak STAR accurately. "Nakal!" would be a better descriptive. "Mischievous" is also quite true, not too different from Dennis the Menace character in Beano comics.
The era I was in STAR, it was the era of 'Dandy', 'Beano', and 'Mad' Magazines. Without the benefit of an extensive behavioral research, I dare take a risk in saying that those magazines had some influences on us.
"Cerdik", to me is a notch higher than 'Bijak'. I like 'cerdik', and I think it describes most of 'Budak Star' very well (Typically 'perasan' type that we can be!) 'Cerdik' is both intelligent and cunning!
The 'perasan' does not last too long. I then ponder a little more...
Yes, STAR days shape us! Yes, STAR memories, stay with us. Yes, going down the memory lanes, warms our hearts! I can go on to list all the 'Yes(ses)' and convince myself that the world should have stood still and let us live those days in the past - happy and carefree! Even lulls us into a dreamy world of 'Hippies', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', bell-bottom trousers and the Bee Gees!
Then I remember this quote, "The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be!”
And I reflect on conversations amongst 'Budak Star' whenever we meet at re-unions; whether its is a chance meeting at a wedding, or at organized functions such as the 'Majlis Jamuan' as announced by the banner in the picture.
Going down memory lanes itself is not a problem, to the contrary, it is healthy! However, bringing everything back to the past, is denying the possibilities that people may have changed. Three decades is a long time for us to unlearn some of the negative traits, and to learn and develop better and new ones. The evil eyed, mischievous Dennis the Menace may have developed into a man who have graduated from a few schools of hard knocks. A man re-defined!
In my humble opinion, there is a difference between 'Enjoying & Leveraging the past' and 'Re-living the past!'
I am all game and fun for enjoying the past, and leveraging our alliances to benefit each other, STAR, and the society, for the present and the future.
That is where I draw the line and my pondering stop...
Thirty five years after, I am a product of STAR who have benefited from aging. As an 'orang tua' I no longer wish to be known as an orang 'Jahat!' I want the 'Cerdik' side of me to take over and lead me to 'Jalan yang lurus!'
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