Autograph Books

Do you have an autograph book?

A rare occassion happened today. I was cleaning up my room and I came across my autograph books from ages ago.
These autograph books are from my late primary school years, back when writing pointless well-wishing messages for your classmates were still considered cool.

Looking through them brought back a lot of nostalgic memories. Not sure if kids these days still keep something like that. I suppose with Friendster or Multiply these days, it’s a lot easier to keep in touch with your old schoolmates. There’s no point keeping an autograph book now.
But before all these online social-networking sites were invented, this was what we do. Each one of us kept these fancy little notebooks with fancy little covers, and we passed them around among our classmates and wrote messages in them.

My autograph book has a Little Bobdog cover on it.
If I carry something around like that with me today, someone would report me for commiting a crime against humanity.
Having a Little Bobdog notebook is about as bad as me wearing Hello Kitty underpants to go out. Litte Bobdog! Can you believe it? What the hell was I smoking?

Normally on the first page of our autograph books, we would write some sentimental crap about how we’re all leaving school soon and how we should treasure our friendship together.

It’s very ironic, because I don’t even remember half the people who left messages. in my autograph book. Who the heck is Tan Yen Yeu? I don’t remember knowing anyone called Tan Yen Yeu!

You gotta cut my cheesiness some slack because these were written WAY back in 1991.
Thank goodness I don’t write like that now. FRANCE no longer stands for Friendship Remains And Never Can End. France in 2006 stands for Our Football Captain Likes To Headbutt Foulmouthed Italians And Gets Himself Sent Off.

In 1991, I was a young and stupid 9-year-old who doesn’t know how to spell “friends” and wrote “souvenir” as “sasnival”. What kinda word is “sasnival”? I must be writing in German.
It felt a bit strange to see people referring to me by my Chinese name. Most of my friends call me Kenny. I’m still not used to people calling me Tze Foo.

A friend of mine suggested that I might as well drop the “Tze Foo” and replace it with “Dot Com”. That way my full name will become “Kenny Sia Dot Com”

By this point, you must be wondering how much vocabulary a 9-year-old has to be able to fill up the pages of an autograph book. The answer is: not much.

Almost all the well-wishing messages written were tacky poems copied from somewhere, like this one.

Sometimes, I don’t even know if what they’ve written were meant to be well wishes. If it’s a joke it’s not funny at all.

In fact, I was so disappointed with the quality of messages left for me, that I myself wrote in my own autograph book.

I know, how pathetic right.
At least some of the poems still have potential give me a chuckle after so many years.

My favourite poem in my whole two books though, was this one. I saw this poem repeated several times. Seems like my classmates seem to have a penchant of wanting to marry me with a giant hairy ape.

Coincidentally I just came back from Hong Kong. But it’s 2006 now, so I’ve taken the liberty to “update” the poem a little bit.
Here’s how it should go:


Go To Hong Kong
Eat Until Song Song
Come Back Hong Kong
Become King Kong


Missing Person: Does anyone know where Michelle Kirsten Tai Sue Ping from Cheras is at? She has been reported missing since last Friday. Michelle Tai has been found. She’s now safe and sound.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It sure has been a very long time since I last saw blue skies in Kuching. No thank you, haze.

140 Replies to “Autograph Books”

  1. Kenny, what did you do to the person who asked you to GO TO HELL?? 😀
    And your Chinese writing is nice and neat – damn envy. Mine looks like a bunch of earthworms curled up from eating too much decomposing crap, wriggling all over the page 😛

  2. HAHAHAHAA…….
    i used to have a BODDOG autograph like urs…!!!
    exactly the same the 1…
    hahahaa…..
    well…sometimes its good to look back something old….its memories for everyone….

  3. wah… sialness!!
    i drew bobdogs for my friends all the time when i was that age. hahahahhaaa having bobddog anythg is cool whatt!
    shit. luckily my autographs got not many tacky crap like urs. got original poems tho. must be the difference btw chinese and malay ed schools.

  4. hahahaha. this is hilarious! you made me dig out my primary school autograph books to read.. my friends’ poems make a bit more sense than your friends’ ones. hurhur~

  5. autograph books, i almost forget such thing ever exist before. kenny thanks for reminding me of my pri school life.
    oh ya.. there is this poem very popular in autograph books one, the one with, “roses are red, violets are blue, ……..” i cant really rmb liao. LOL

  6. quoteIn fact, I was so disappointed with the quality of messages written for me, that I myself wrote in my own autograph book.unquote
    in 10 or 20 yrs down the road, you may be disappointed at what you have written on this blog. right? haha.. thx for sharing. 🙂

  7. MWhahahhahhah!! too bad i lost my autograph 🙁 I found the same things in my bf’s autograph too..so lame and so…so…duno how to say lol..xD

  8. Nice entry, this reminds us how far we’ve gone from since… I totally forgot I do have similar autograph books! Not one, but one for every year throughout primary and secondary school time…hehe…
    kinda missed those good ol’ time…sigh..

  9. Haha reminds me of my sister’s autograph book. She had a crush on a teacher and made the rest of the teacher sign in the book before she dared to approach him. All he did was write some silly thing about growing up and study hard. Darn corny stuffs

  10. Lol..so cute! Those autograph booklets are really ‘in’ many years ago. I think I have a few of them, just dunno where it is now..heh. Gah, makes me feel so old right now.

  11. i still have mine and i still get a good laugh reading the entries. though i m much older, but i have to say i remember almost everyone in my entry. the youngsters these days… heh heh… *kidding*
    i guess over time, people stopped putting down their favourite items. in my book, my friends use to put:
    favourite gal friend, favourite guy friend, favourite food, friends, good friends, best friend (dun ask me the difference between good friend and best friend or even better friend)… and the list goes on.

  12. eh..haha bring back memory…if my memory serves me right (talk like the one in iron chef) …i never write like those in your autograph book, usually i write about fav food, address, buddy list, and the name of the girl i love, and curse the one i hate when they give me the book to write autograph

  13. Eyyy sentimental value ok. I had one too… Must go and dig the boxes.
    Roses are red,
    violets are blue,
    King Kong is fat,
    And so are you.
    p/s: by this time you should know I’m only joking. 😉

  14. hahahha. autograph. good old memories. i *think* i once did wrote myself an autograph too. hahahhaa. and i remember how my brother always bring back people’s autograph and never turn them. oh btw, where are the sasnivals? nobody gave you any?

  15. Autograph books are still popular i think. I did it in Form 5. Almost everyone did. But i guess the difference in what is written is the age when you’re 12 and 17. Hehe.
    I like bobdog!!! I had a bobdog pencil case. THey don’t sell bobdog nowadays i think. Damn.

  16. I’ll start my comment with…
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!
    It’s so funny!!! Innocence of kids. I still have my autograph book with me, but guess it’s a lot better cause I was 12 at that time.
    Hahhahahahhaa this entry is really funny.. especially writing to yourself.. HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA!!!

  17. i used to have 10 of those autograph books. each and everyone of them were lost by dear friends who were supposed to write in them.
    so by the time i was 12, i gave up on autograph books.it’s devastating.

  18. Hey Kenny,
    I went to Lodge in Kch waaaaaaaay back, cant remember the autograph books, but certainly can remember bobdog. How did the faze ever start again? And wasnt there like another faze as well? Was it Kerope or sumthen like that? Anyway those guys sure woop Mashimaro’s @$$, tho Mashi is teachin kids the good values of getting stoned and wasted HAHA

  19. Oh gosh. And I thought it was a uniquely Singapore thing to do. MAUAHAAHAH!
    ROSES ARE RED
    VIOLETS ARE BLUE
    I HAVE A FRIEND
    MY FRIEND IS YOU
    BIRD FLY HIGH
    HARD TO CATCH
    FRIEND LIKE YOU
    HARD TO FORGET!
    And the FRANCE one. AHAHAH!

  20. LOL so totally reminds me of mine!
    my friend left a message saying
    ” you is my best friend. you look cute like pig.”
    honesty’s the best policy when you’re seven I guess

  21. gosh..hahahahaha.. thanks kenny..that brought back many memories
    i have two autograph books ..one pri school and the other sec. i should take it out and go thru the pages haha..
    birds fly high hard to catch
    friends like you hard to forget….
    to think that you actually wrote in your own autograph book hahahha…

  22. i’m studying in form 6 and i can tell you that kids these days still have autograph books despite the convenience of friendster and other such websites

  23. haha…i think it’s a phase that all of us went through right? sad to say i lost my primary school autograph book long long time ago. still have the one after my form 5 graduation though. yup, it’s a trend in my place! one thing amusing, i still receive those poems in my year 2000 autograph book. can you imagine that??!

  24. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
    good one!!
    brings back memories!LOL!
    im sure kids nowadays dont keep autograph nemore lah!tho friendster is supposedly for ppl above 18 yrs old..i’ve seen 13yr olds who r 100yr old in friendster
    -_-”

  25. I still keep mine and once in awhile I’ll look through it and syok-sendiri laughing there like idiot. It does bring back loads of memories.
    Does kids nowadays still keep an “Autograph”? I wonder.

  26. Kids nowadays do still pass an autograph book around. My sis who is in primary 6 does that and she’s also been writing on many friends’ autograph books from school!

  27. i still keep my autograph books.mine is a scented one with sailormoon on the cover.well, that was 10 years ago.i love bobdog, i still have a bobdog pencil case.

  28. all my frens got autograf book. n everyone take turn to write in it. i also want to write in it. but no one give me his/her wan. i so sad and cry.

  29. Kenny, I can so relate to this entry.
    In fact, we also used to pass around a book where our classmates can write about themselves. The typical stuff are favourite food, song etc.
    Of course, we also need to let everyone know who is our FAVOURITE FRIENDS, normal friends and enemies.
    Strange times, in hindsight. But at least you know who your enemies were, then.

  30. A very hilarious but rather embarrassing entry, isn’t it? Hee..hee! An instant cure for depression. How come there’s no S.A.R.A.W.A.K. acronym in your autograph book?

  31. I still have my autograph books (pri 3-5). And they never changed at all in those 3 years. ehhehe…. copy lai copy qu. Mind you I still remember most of them though, have even met up with some of them years later. (very few though). hmm… I dunno about the Malay ed schools being original though, as I wrote in my fren’s books (from St Teresa and St Mary) and poems all the same ler.. english ones of course.

  32. Love this post as it makes me wonder to the old times. Yeah, we were used to buying autographs to let others drop by some words in those, especially in primary 5, 6 and form 5 before the graduation.
    But how many ppl will remember those friends who have written in their auto after some time? How many ppl will keep in touch with them?
    Quite useless though it may refresh our memories.
    But this is called ‘kids’ mar.. Haha..

  33. I’m in Form 5 and I still see these around.. we’ve started passing ’em around now since it’s nearing the end of the year.
    Age old tradition I guess? I still have mine from primary school.. it’s like a hard copy of memories.

  34. Sure we still do own autograph books (and I’m in Form 5 and practically a pro in writing these already XD). They just give you this sentimental, nostalgic and warm feeling when you read them.

  35. lol… memories~~~
    the roses are red, voilets are blue is the most overly-used poem…
    i still remember some ppl will fold the corner of the page and put some riddle in it…

  36. omg!!i have totally forgotten about “the autograph” book! it’s really funny reading yours.. makes me wanna look for mine..now where did i chuck mine??

  37. ah the sCRAP book. that brings back fond memory.
    that reminds me burning my friends ones when they pass it to me, then when they ask back, i said i didnt get any. muahahaha!

  38. hahaha. damn you are funny.
    well, guess that must have been some springcleaning for you to dig out your autograph book.
    which i reckon has plenty of years spent buried in the dust.
    hmmm. i used to have those too…
    wonder if pri/sec kids nowadays still do them not?

  39. do u know why u r not getting sponsors or more hits?
    u are trying too hard kenny.
    every post is like d same old boring shit.
    try writing more controversial things man.
    u r not trying to get d whole world’s approval r u? so js write a blog as it should be without all this lame stories abt a lifeless guy.
    potential sponsor.

  40. Well, that’s where you’re wrong, bro. I don’t believe that Kenny’s doing it for the sponsorship. Every person is entitled for the content of their own blog and I, for one, find Kenny’s stories interesting. To each, their own. Thanks Kenny, for the memories of yesteryears.

  41. Went To Hong Kong
    Ate ’til Song Song
    Back From Hong Kong
    Became a King Kong
    Sounds so much better right… 🙂
    CHEERS…

  42. Dear Kenny,
    I know that you don’t know me but can you please do me a favour?
    My friend’s cousin is missing: Here are the details. I would really appreciate if you would post it up. You don’t have to link me at all (this is so not a publicity stunt).
    So many people read your blog – maybe one of your readers have seen her.
    Thank you so much.
    Hugs,
    J

  43. HAHAHA what the hell! damn funny leh!
    i still remember those chinese phrases!! why you write inside for what?! hahahahaha
    your chinese quite good leh. how about blogging in chinese? teeheehee.

  44. honestly, kenny, when i read this entry, lotsa memories of my younger years jus came bak 2 me… yea, nostalgia brings out the tears… but ur entry was humourous as well, so i was pretty much laughing n cryin thruout the time i spent readin!
    and kenny, ure a 好漢子! few ppl wud b so generous as 2 share these reli private things… but they do warm our hearts… thanks!

  45. Wow.. I used to have lots of autograph books too, back in primary school days.. Haha and yep, my friends used to write me poems like these too.. 🙂 But umm.. I lost the autograph books.. Over.. The past year.. ._. I doubt kids these days would ask their friends to sign auatograph books anyways, since theres MSN. :\

  46. LOL. I like the poems ~^^ And yes I have quite a collection of autograph books. All gone anyway.. This entry really brought up some of my childhood memories 🙂

  47. your hongkong poem had me chuckling for a good whole minute.
    i think we girls have alot more of such autograph books than you boys.
    in fact, i have one from my tourism pageant! everyone wrote something. show u next time.

  48. lol.. holy cow. LITTLE BOBDOGS! i pratically drew them on every autograph book they passed around. it was like my trademark or stg. reading through the comments made me smiled like i am a freakin 60 yr old granny looking at my grandchildren. now that i think back, wth was i thinking writing down stuff like fav friend, fav colour (when i wrote down all the colours i known), fav food etc.. n i often see “fav enermy” too! rofl.. life is so fun =)

  49. Sandra, even though we have MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Friendster and blah blah, I doubt we will keep in touch with every single one in our contacts, right?
    Those are just part of the tools for us to communicate with them easier. Still, you gotta put in some effort to really communicate with them. 🙂

  50. I use to have them too when I’m studying in primary & secondary school! It’s gave a good memory in the past. But this current blog we have nowadays replace it…

  51. I have one too… but as I tumbled upon it some time ago, I couldn’t remember most of them. Its ironic how when we were so super duper close years back then, but then we can’t even recognize each other on the streets now. We all move on…
    Life sucks, people move on but deep down inside they still don’t want to let go.
    Nice entry btw, one of the more “meaningful” ones you’ve posted.

  52. hahaha… Remembering memory lane, I used to also own Autograph books. haha.. nowadays i think with the help of friendster, autograph books seem no that popular. Yes, it was the era of the power rangers. I love the gold ranger. Tommy. =p Chill yea.

  53. somebody lost my autograph book! I don’t remember who I last passed it to..and whoever it is lost my autograph book or just plain forgot to give it back to me! *sob* I have nothing to remember my primary school friends.. nothing to keep as sasnival. =P

  54. OMG…little bobdog! That was the craze during the 90s…and I think my autograph was of that silly dog as well. I think kids today will sneer at all this autograph thingy that we used to do when we were growing up…LOL I can’t stop laughing myself!! :p

  55. i used to have a couple of these autograph book and still keep it…so that one day…i’ll be able to look back and see whether i remember the ppl who wrote in them…..
    Now, as i grow older, i realise that it wasn’t necessary to have such a thing called autograph book because half the ppl who writes in that book doesn’t give a damn about you….and those who care…you’ll always be in touch….i still keep in touch with my primary school friends who were close to me then and cared…the rest….wonder if they still remember me??

  56. d truth, well why don’t you advertise in some other blogs then? I don’t need you. I got more than enough potential advertisers lining up at my door.

  57. haha.. i still keep my autograph books too.. from chinese primary n gov secondary… many would put who were their freinds.. some of which i didnt even knw!! the funniest were the guys who wuld put ”maybe you” as their friend followed by a whole list of other guys names…
    even had teachers writing their pantun.. 😀

  58. Singapore Version!!
    If U Go To Hong Kong
    Please Buy Me A ping Pong
    If U See A King Kong
    U become My Gong Gong
    Birds Fly High Hard to catch
    Friend Like U Hard To Forget
    Why is T So important To Stick Insect ?
    Cause No T Become sick insect

  59. OMG!! haha, i had one of those at 2000.
    9 years into the future and we were still as cheesy as 1991 kenny 😀
    Same poems too!! Wah lao…
    and kenny, i see artistic flair. Keep up the good work! ^^ In your “good luck” i see the g creatively configured to look like a stick man
    wahwahwahwahwah…
    i’m high after breakfast ^^

  60. I think my primary authographs are still with me at my hometown. Secondary’s had been passing around for years and nvr came back..

  61. I have been following your blog for a while. This post is so funny, I laughed till I teared, and I have to swallow all my laughter in case my colleagues think I’m mad.
    Point is: I also had the same ping-pong-king-kong, king’s-ship-queen’s-ship and FRANCE autographs when I was young.
    Way to go!

  62. Oh yar… we’re about the same age, so i definitely had autograph books!
    Roses are red violets are blue (favourite starting lines… the rest you can make up depending on creativity just so long the last word is ‘you’ so it rhymes)….
    And kids used to chope the favourite first page / last page… and tease you about who your supposed ‘bf’ or ‘gf’ in the class is. And they’d paste stickers in yr book… and fold the corners to “hide” a message inside. EH, you got any folded corners or not?

  63. Wow! Those poems can really last until 2002! I remember my friends wrinting those in my autograph books as well. Those were really the good ol’ days ^^

  64. hey!! thanks for making me laugh. was depressed but feeling much better.. 🙂
    used to have autograph books too.. mainly all teachers but got some friends too… eh, how come yr english so bad laz time and now so good?? hahaha.. all in all.. u’ve improved a lot! no more “sasnival” yea..?? lol!

  65. LMAO!!!!!
    Darn funny entry!!! Good ol’ primary school days hahahahah……
    I have a few autograph books too… wonder if I still have them. Wanna take a look too. LOL! 😛

  66. I have two autograph books. One in primary and another one in secondary school. I still keep both of them in good condition as “sasnival”. 😉
    Damn.
    U make me miss those good old days even more especially when i’m feeling depressed and homesick lately.

  67. Last time we even have a booklet passing around, each will be givin a column, listing down the person whom u like the most, in sequence. The silly me went to wrote a gal’s name, only to realise that its suppose to be opposite gender names.

  68. What about the sadistic one like :-
    Drink hot coffee
    Drink hot tea
    Burn your lips
    and Remember Me!
    (Of course, back then we didn’t know what sadistic was. LOL!)

  69. Michelle Tai has been found as of yesterday walking aimlessly near a petrol station by 2 kind Indian ladies. She has been reunited with her family and although a bit shaken, she remains unscathed. Prayers of many have been heard and answered!

  70. haha…omg i still have my autograph book too…btw my youger sis..she’s 12..shes starting to collect autographs already..so yea they are still doin it…

  71. Heh, I had a autograph book for my 21st. Something for people to write in messages and something to do while sitting around the table having a meal. I think the vocabulary was somewhat more… advanced 8-p

  72. i still have mine…
    being form 5 now i added some requests like asking them to write their sexual fantasy partner and location…
    lol still ask my classmates to write for fun

  73. =)muahahahhaha Kenny u really have those bobdog copy ar..really veli girlish eh…I have one myself too.
    Just like most I do forget about all those rhyme poems we used to wrote THANKS GODNESS you bring us back to the past….at least some kids now can see what a good childhood we have…at least we care to write…with our hands…SINCERITY muahahahaha

  74. What nostalgia!! I used to have a few of these autograph books in primary and even secondary schools! And I went to Chinese primary school so I can identify with those stuff your friends wrote..hehe. Oh I had a few favourite `proverbs’ like `chi de ku zung ku, fang wei ren shang ren’ which i always wrote for my friends too :p
    but i dont know where these `treasured books’ are anymore.. it’s ages ago~ 🙁

  75. Yar, autograph books are so corny. Come to think about it, they actually got this even cornier version whereby they’ll fold the corner of your page and write “Do not open”.
    Then when you open, the corner reads: “Why you open?!”

  76. dear kenny,
    have been reading your blog for quite some time.:) Really had a good laugh and enjoy yr blog a lot. Great sense of humour there!
    Keep on blogging.!!
    regards,
    reader from singapore.

  77. i have the same feeling as u,kenny…i have 3 autograph books-1 since primary,1 at secondary & at last but not less,college time…that the most beautiful autograph book i had for my frenz…& lucky i still keep it with me so i can meet back all my old frenz…i felt it’s childish & a waste of having a book for autograph page…but yet it’s bring a lot of sweeet memories to me when i flipped through the pages…

  78. yea memories just like the autograph book durin the old days should b opened sumtimes to flash back what used to happen and how the sweetness or maybe some foolish things done during a kid…this also make me realised that WHERES DA HELL DID I PUT MY AUTHOGRAPH BOOKS??? LoL

  79. i remember those times too…but i think i’ve lost my primary skool ones.s..the one i have now(well,i think i have)..are my early days in secondary skool…where we’lll get our seniors to write for us..pretty nice and creative ones i have to say.. no cheesy poems and all..heheh. ;o)

  80. This blog entry certainly has brought back lotsa good old chilhood memories to me… Sad that I threw away my old autograph book for no freaking reason. You’re a great writer I must say, and I truly enjoy reading your blog. Keep it up.

  81. my god…i still have mine and its funny when u look into those books…aahhhh the nostalgia….cant believe we all did that before…
    and to think i wrote those tacky poems as well in other people’s “autograph books” and the funny thing is some of the people who wrote in mine i didnt even know coz the book was just passed around…hehehe oh well…

  82. I LIKE AUTOGRAPH BOOK VERY MUCH . TILL NOW I DIDN’T HAD A AUTOGRAPH . BUT WHEN I READ UR AUTOGRAPH MESSAGES {FUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNY} I FELT BUY ONE. KEEP SMILING ! TAKE CARE! BYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE .

  83. 世界有亚洲, 亚洲有马来西亚,马来西亚有…有我自己… LOL! I love it… I thought only girls do autograph thingy! I had one too during those days!! I have a pen, my pen is blue, I have a friend, my friend is you! 好笑!

  84. i wan to get an autograph book now. sounds so cute. ahahhaha.i do have a few. but no idea where they are. that’s primary…my friends have autograph books even in secondary school. which i thought was lame…come on for sec student??? but i do wish i hav now….

  85. This was written on the back inside cover of MY book, by my Dad.
    “By Hook or By Crook I’ll Be The Last To Write In Your Autograph Book”.
    My brother (little monster) wrote:
    “Roses Are Red, Violets Are Black, You’d Look Better With a Knife In Your Back”.

  86. name:annette toh ying xian
    color:blue,black and purpe
    food:so many song:s.h.e,by2 and more
    friend:jia hui,wan tieng, kah ling, kah yan, chin yi , qian ni , jarod, bryan, tik han, ming jun and more
    i go to hong kong,
    to buy a ping pong,
    you go to hong kong,
    to kiss a king kong,
    i wish for a bird
    but the wish did not come
    i wish for someting
    but i wish for a fan
    fan become friend
    look at the water
    see the fish swin
    when a friend in need
    we held than
    than is them

  87. My son PSLE just over. Shared with him this page `autograph’ with lots of memories. Will this generation follow up?

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