FRIENDS KEEP YOU ALIVE

Assalamualikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Today, Saturday 20 February 2016, I felt so much blessed when I got to meet many of my longtime friends including colleagues and ex-bosses. Very long ago, they are like a family to me when I was a journalist working at Utusan Melayu (from 1967 to 1992), one of the most respected Malay newspaper at that time, situated at Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Kuala Lumpur.

This gathering happen through a WhatsApp group known as Buletin Suara Keramat (BSK) Utusan with members comprising of ex staff of the editorial department of Utusan Melayu. 

More nostalgic when today's gathering  took place at ZAM Newsroom Cafe owned by our ex Editor-in-Chief, Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin who created the atmosphere of the editorial department as the deco for his cafe.

My special thanks goes to Tan Sri Johan Jaafar, also Utusan Melayu former Editor-In -Chief when he came out with an idea to start a WhatsApp group known as Buletin Suara Keramat (BSK) Utusan. He first invited a few friends whom he knew and later it grew to more than 100 members comprises of ex editors, journalists, sub-editors, photographers, graphic artist and the editorial support staff including the librarian and teleprinter operators.

Healthy friendships actually keep you alive. As many have said, friends are an important ingredient in life. Though we have our family, but friends are equally important to human being.

When among friends I felt "young and vibrant", the memories of good old days linger and that keeps me smiling and happy. No doubt all of us spend most of our young days with friends from school to college than the  university and at work, lastly when we retired.

Friends at work are like our second family. We share and support each other in good and bad times. We laugh and cry together. 

Once "retired" some of us drifted apart, "drown" in our own world but some manage to continue the friendship.

There are various reasons why friends are 
important to us, among them, friends are 
open and free to unlimited adventure, laughs  and fun times, we share secrets, they are our partner in crime, we share and hear 
endless jokes, they are the cure for 
loneliness, they care when you are in need 
and accept you as you are.

But opportunities to meet again like what we did through BSK Utusan WhatsApp group is something amazing. The main purpose of BSK is to keep a healthy spirit of friendship.

Members must come in with an open heart 
and be mindful of any sensitive issues as well as respect for each other.

What do old friends do when they chat or 
meet? Actually it is endless flashback of
episodes and memories they share together
and what they did or go through together. 

Now that most of us are retired and had already pass through the age of 50 at least, while some are in the 60s and also 70s, what else will these friendship means to us. 

To me most important is to get connected and do some networking and we can support each other. If we felt lonely, we can invite a smaller group to meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Other  than that, we can organise visits such as visiting friends who are not well, help those who are in need. We also have plans to visits friends "places" of interest  such as the business outlet.  Apart from that, we can also share some hobby together if it happen to be the same.

On a bigger scale we meet once in a while to catch up with each other, like what we did today. 

The WhatsApp group is a popular media in this present world, it is a medium to keep us (friends) close and updated of each other. News reach every member in split second. I  must admit that I really enjoy reading material posted by friends in the WhatsApp and we get to know our friends status.

May Allah SWT blessed all my dear friends always and love all of you@20.02.2016