Badrolhisham Bidin

Life was never easy, but we survived. We were without smartphones, house phones were scarce, only the upper M40 (and above) then could manage a phone at home, the B40s could use the public phones that could be seen everywhere. This was in the 70s – 80s. Actually the terms T20, M40 and B40 were unheard of then.

Even then, we could not speak for hours like what we do now with smartphones, because a mere five minutes could cost you a bomb, especially if you called outstation, so we limit our conversations to important points.

A brief salam, how are you, how’s everyone at home? Then, straight to the point for the reason you called. So and so is unwell, he is recuperating at home after a week in hospital. The last part was always “send our regards to him/her.” Everyone said goodbyes and that was it.

If you speak to a friend on the phone, you will get a deadly glance from your parents. That glance equals put down the phone now!

There would be some smart alecks, with just a press of certain numbers, can get free calls for as long as they want. It usually won’t last long, a week or so the most. But somehow, you will get a new combination of numbers and the cycle went on.

Just voice calls unlike what we all are experiencing now, I remember it started off with an app called Skype, we can make video calls. Now, everyone is on Whatsapp. It is either message, calls, or video calls. If you missed your loved ones at home, just start a video call, and you can see everyone at home. Or a group video call.

I remember when I called my Uncle in Muar using a public phone right in front of my rented house in the 90s. I chatted with him for about 20 minutes, asked him how he was, he said he was fine but a little tired. I told him to rest and that was it.

Early next morning, I was on an outstation assignment and could not be contacted. When I came back two days later, there were many messages from my mother to call back.

Pak Andak Mahfodz passed away a few hours after we bade farewell due to a heart attack.

I love old phones. My housemate when I was a bachelor was a Telekom staff and he would bring home old and colourful phones, up for sale at between RM30 and RM50. I would grab them all.

When the house phone rings, the whole house would reverberate. Every room would have an extension, including the bathroom. I loved climbing up the roof to fix phones, until one day when I suddenly found myself in bed. First it was dark and stuffy in the ceiling, next second I was lying in bed. I fell through the ceiling as I was installing more extensions. Apart from some minor injuries, I was ok, but that was the last I went up to install phone extensions.

Now, each subscription of Unifi would get you a free cordless phone which never rings. No one calls home and soon you forget to charge it and later becomes a toy. I bet you don’t even remember your house phone number, if you have one, that is.

Everyone now walks with a smartphone in hand. It is getting more expensive, but who cares, you don’t need a DSLR with a telephoto lens to get a close up of an object located 800m away.

Samsung S series are getting smarter, iPhone gives crisp and clear photos, minus the zoom capabilities that Samsung has. Not to mention Oppo, Huawei and many other brands. Nokia used to be the darling of most. I had most of the models then. The most unique one was the curved phone that looks like a banana. And it was yellow.

Telegram was not an app that you have on your phone. It was sort of a short messaging system (SMS). If you had an emergency at home, for instance the passing of loved ones, you go to the Post Office and tell them you want to send a telegram. Short and sweet. For instance, Pakcik XXX meninggal. Balik Segera. (Uncle XXX died. Come home).

The service ended in 2012 as no one used it anymore.  An app called Telegram was introduced the following year, just like Whatsapp, but it is often misused. On many occasions, I received messages from so-called friends asking for money. But it is useful as quality of photos sent via Telegram is retained.

Facebook was the craze in 2004.. You can add anyone you fancy as friends, whether they want to accept you as friends is up to them. But when Internet was unheard of, it was the Kembang Setaman or pen palcolumn in magazines. You send your pictures and brief information to the editor who will publish them in the column, if you are good looking/beautiful, be prepared to receive a gunny sack of letters from admirers. There were many who ended up as couples and later husband and wife.

Facebook is fast taken over by other social media platform, such as Instagram, TikTok and X, but remains on the Net. What I love most about FB is the Memories column daily. You get to see what you published since day one. Owhhhhh! That’s how I look in 2012, most of you would scream! Or that’s when we first met! Or “the wedding photos you published.”

Can you survive without the smartphone – NOW? Hmmmmm!

Caption: The writer found an old public phone in Ampang in 2021 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic