The first time, I….

…. took a plane ride

Was to Ipoh, on a Fokker Friendship plane.  Last time, they gave you fans to fan yourselves on the plane.  I took the ride on my own, right after my SRP (PMR exam).   I was only 15 years old and dare to do it on my own.  You see, my second sister got married in Ipoh and all my family members have gone down except my eldest brother because I was having exam.  Right after exam, big brother took me to the Bayan Lepas airport and briefed me on how to fasten seat belt, which way to go and what to do when I reach Ipoh.  WOW, clever or not?  Daring or not?

……took a bus ride 

I was in Form Four, barely 16 years old.  It was from Kluang, Johor all the way back to Penang.  I had accompanied my eldest sister from Penang to Kluang to help her took care of her small kids on KTM train.  So, I took the bus ride home alone.  Remember that at that time, there were no PLUS highways, only crooked and narrow roads.  It took something like 14 hours, if I remember correctly.

Now, come the chi-kek part…..

I didn’t know that buses can be freaking cold so I was only wearing a long sleeve shirt.  The ride was at night and there was this moustache man sitting next to me. I was stick thin, nerdy and none of those ‘barely sixteen, barely legal’ stuffs, ok?  Midnight, the bus was like a freezer and the kind man covered me with the blanket he was using.  OMG, I was so scared, yet appreciative.  So, I pretended to go to sleep and buat dunno at all. I dare not move nor go down to pee until I reached Ipoh.  That time bueh tahan liao, so have to wake up.  Anyway, it was morning already, so not sked kena molest.  Since then, moustache men always get an extra glance from me.  *sighs*
Now, as a parent, I don’t think I would dare to allow my 15 years old son to ride a plane on his own.  I don’t think I will let my 16 years old son to ride on a long bus trip like I did.  The world has since been so corrupted.

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18 thoughts on “The first time, I….”

  2. lilian,
    I think you should try and get your son exposed to things like this, they aren’t that bad afterall are they? My first bus ride home alone was when i was barely 17, ok maybe not as young as you but I felt no fear.. (mlk to png)

    My dad sort of regretting not letting us (my bro and I) try out all these things by ourselves (taking rides on our own) coz he believed that we will learn things along the way and not be too dependant on him. I nwas too sheltered from these things till i had to study away from home and I learnt that I wasn’t as bright compared to other kids my age when it comes to this :$

  3. you so good life. my first bus ride was my first day in school. seven years old. no friends. don’t even know if it is the right bus. see other students climb in, i oso climb in. luckily the bus not going to Melaka!

  4. Yup… remember the good old days at 6 when I boarded the bus to go to kindy. People board, I also board, see people go down, me hop down too! Follow the herd mentality. Long, long time no take bus already. Didn’t step on a plane till I’m way past 27 🙂

  5. First time on a plane by myself? Cant recall, oh yeah!! now I do, from Sibu to Kuching where I met up with my cousin’s and other relatives to go KK for my cousin’s wedding..err..how old was I then? Can’t recall….how long has that guy been married…STP? KNB? u know, the one that got bitten by a dog and by the way is now single but dnt know if available 😛 Can’t really say that I was alone at that time, at the airport, my parents met the at the time, Archbishop of Kuching and basically, he took me under his watch and sat next to him on the 40 minutes plane ride to Kch, mind u, I recalled he was praying the rosary all the time…most boring plane ride I ever had hahahahaha

    First bust oops..I mean bus ride alone was errr..Sibu? Form 4, so, 16 years old, Kpg Nangka to St. Mary’s church for Mass in the day time….dnt know why I didn’t wait for my mom to pick me and my aunt up, must be something to do in church at the time that warranted me to go earlier…

  6. my 1st bus ride alone? 7..school bus leh. public? 11.. but i sikit daredevil..okla..devil only.

    1st plane ride? mas, 7 yrs old. see g/ma. i remember coz my two front teeth kena pulled out and i had to ask for straw to drink water.. of course, i was wid my 8 yrs old bro.

    i think early exposure good, more street wise.. not so easily conned.

  7. i took a Fokker Friendship plane once and was really amused that they gave out fans as the ‘air-conditioning’ would start only later.
    i was such a bumpy ride that i was almost sure it’ll crash, scariest ride i’ve ever taken.

  9. I think there should be a degree of freedom in a controlled extend, we would prefer to the our kids grow up a lil more independent rather than dependent but nvertheless the world is a little mad and we just have to make the best judgement.

    I was not really independent until I was in my uni years but it was a worthwhile experience. Cheers!

  12. my first bus ride alone was 12 yrs old…whereby the tuition van driver not come to PJ to pick me up to SS5 for tuition…actually I also very scare that time..alone at the bus terminal…my size was thin thin n small…call my mum from the public phone and she told me how to ride a public bus…and wat to say when paying a ticket in the bus…sit in the bus very nervous…

    since young i was kind of independant la…mum taught once I know already that kind..take school bus since 6 yrs old and go in to Std. 1 class the first day by my own..no parent accompany too…

    now, how dare a parent let a small kid having that alone experience? will just simply get lost half way….i hope i can let my son to hav that too…but see la few yrs later how the world outside…

  14. i had the longest train ride from edinburgh to london when i was err….18 i think…was travelling with my brot..kekkkeek…not so scary la….longest bus ride from mangalore to bangalore in india….alone…at 19 yrs old…now this..is scary..didn’t sleep a wink….how many hrs ar?…ard 9 hrs kua…sum more no toilet half way….meletup almost…hehe

  15. I had my 1st bus ride when i was 6, to the kindergarten. It was half an hour journey back and forth. I was all alone with other kids, felt so scared as i didnt know them and the aunty was huge and fierce.
    At age 18, i had my 1st plane ride. From Penang all the way to Australia, transited in S’pore. I asked all the way from Penang till i arrived to Australia. About where to go, what to do….heheheh.. I was so excited that i finally go aboard. The 2nd time around, i hugged mum so tight and cried so much… cos i really miss her and miss home.
    I used to envy those kids who got parents to take them around and be their driver. Me and my sibling have to arrange transport ourselves no matter where we want to go. But thanks to mum and dad, we’re more independent compare to a lot of our friend.
    Hei Lilian, thank you so much for ur blog. I love it so much.

  16. if son oredi so worried i can’t imagine if i have daughter(s) next time… will be sleepless every night even when they’re 40y.o.

  17. Hi Lilian, it’s a pleasure to read your blog. Found it accidentally though. I think you should write more 1st time experiences… 🙂

  18. My first long distance express bus alone (got sister 14yrs also-lah) at 13yo from Boarding School (Jasin, Melaka) to KL.

    Kai-kai to KL from home at 13.

    Bus hopping on the West Coast melaka to penang at 17yo with friends.

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