It’s funny I keep bumping into people I know more than a decade ago.  Some more than two decades even!  The latest I bumped into was a friend I used to party like three times a week in my 20s and yet, I couldn’t recognise her.  Well, not at first. 

I took note of her only because she kept looking my way.  I glanced at her momentarily and sort of found her vaguely familar, but I couldn’t place her immediately.  It was only hours later that I managed to put two and two together.  It was a bit scary considering we used to be quite close and I couldn’t recognise her!  Maybe it was because we saw each other mostly at night then?  HA!

How much do people change in a decade?  I looked at my ex-boss and I was a bit shocked at how much he has aged; although I could recognise him.  I saw an ex-classmate whom I’ve not seen in almost 30 years and I managed to call her name.  But this woman was different.  When I looked at her face then, I had little impression.  What happened?  Was it her hairdo?  Was it my failing eye sight?  Or was it because I simply have erased her from my memory?

I wonder how I look to people whom I’ve not seen in a decade or more?  Most seem to tell me that I look about the same – not that I haven’t aged – but I guess it’s because I haven’t changed much in terms of weight and *ahem* height.  Or perhaps it was because I have made an impression on them. 

But what about in another 10 or 20 years?  Will I be able to recognise or remember people I used to know?  And will I be recognised and remembered too?