By Gloria Chandy, Editor

Before Facebook and Friendster, there was FRANCE and ITALY to bond friends.

Those of a certain generation will remember scribbling 'Friendship remains and never can end' (FRANCE) and 'I trust and love you' (ITALY) in the autograph books of friends.

Autograph books? Yes, they sound unsophisticated in this age of the Internet and smartphones, but these little journals were what kept people bonded and socially connected decades ago.

It was also a much smaller world then and our friendships were chiefly confined to school and neighbourhood pals. There was no possibility of making a thousand friends as one now can online.

But whether friendships are forged using high-tech or low-tech means, they are a crucial part of our lives.

We all need other people to sustain us through good times and bad.

Friends give us much-needed boosts of security (we all feel safer in numbers) and affection (we all need to feel appreciated). They are the people we turn to when we need someone we can trust.

We make many friends throughout our lives, and while some friendships die as we go our separate ways or change our ideas and our ideals, others are more lasting.

My best friends are a small group of people with whom I have hung out for close to 40 years. We have matured together and strengthened our bonds despite distances and absences.

The strength of a friendship is tested and proven when you return after a long absence and feel like you had never left.

Last month, two of my best buddies and I spent a weekend in Kuala Lumpur with another good pal and a one-time colleague whom we had not met for 30 years.

The reunion was heart-warming and unforgettable.

The years melted away as we recounted hilarious incidents from our youth, for humour has always been a strong basis of our friendship. We picked up a thread that hadn't been broken despite the long pause.

Moments like these underline the meaning of friendship. It makes one realise that true friends are not a passing phase in your life. Real friends are forever.

gloria@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.