Monday, June 9, 2008


Jade,
Yes, 31st May this year will be a memorable day for me. It is the 65th milestone of my blissful journey in life. It is also the tenth anniversary of my retirement from teaching. It has been what I would herald it as 65 blissful years of my life. To commemorate this special occasion I shall endeavor to weave together all the wonderful episodes of glittering experiences and all that make up the sixty five blissful milestones of my life journey.

There is just one life for each of us : Our Own ! Euripides

It’s that wonderful feeling I get as I look around with certain pride and cannot help but smile each time I recollect those years gone by. It’s that wonderful feelings of joys to pause and ponder and to take stock of all the accomplishments ( failures as well as success) that have contributed to make me what I am today. As we journey through the horizontal escalator of life we come into contact with many thousands of lives that are interconnected with ours. We see our old managers, and teachers as well as people who were dependent on us. We see people who are grateful who are grateful to us and people to whom, we are still indebted even though a great many of them are no longer alive. Above all you sense that in some particular way you’re still connected with them they have made a very strong impression on your life.


Each person you meet is in a specific stage of their life ; a stage you may have passed or not yet reached . Judging them by your standards and experience is therefore not only unfair, but could lead to unnecessary anger and frustration. Anon
.

With each episode of past nostalgic experience comes fond memories of the characters that had played their invaluable part in it. It’s the people involved in it that help to make the event more meaningful.

My childhood world revolves round Argyll Road ( nicknamed “Bengali hung”-meaning Bengali Street ).. You know the roads in Penang had special nicknames which still exist today. There were names like “gor par teng”( Penang Road ) “chia chooi “ ( Burmah Road ), “lam chan nar” (Carnavon Street ) , “teow lung balai” ( the section where Odeon Theatre was. –the list goes on –many of which I’ve forgotten. Argyll Road ( especially 215B Argyll) will always hold a special place in my heart. Today whenever I take a trip down memory lane that was once the playground of Argyll Road my eyes go moist as I reminisce what a golden childhood I have had then and all the wonderful friends there. There were the Ongs, the Choys and the Koays who made up my playmates there. There were an abundance of games to play in the small vacant space between the Koays’ and the Ongs’ houses –marbles, tops, kites, cowboys and red Indians. Then there were the entertainment the street had to offer – the ting-ting man selling ice cream and junk food at whose ‘tikam “(roulette ) we tried our luck ; the klentong or harbedasher ; musical tok tok sounds of food vendors ; not forgetting also the intermittent solemn music of funeral procession from a nearby funeral parlour. There was also sound of the cymbals and gongs from the live stage operas from the New World park. Argyll Road never slept until after the wee hours of the morning with Chinese oldies blaring out from the open-air restaurant of the neighbouring Savoy Hotel. Today it’s so grave quiet. I wonder where have all the boys gone ! There were Phornchai (my best of childhood friend –we called ourselves “Partners” after Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis’ MGM movie of that name ) the Koay brothers of Mickey and Jimmy,the Ong brothers of Hooi ,Yeow and Kuang. Then there were the girls – Daisy, Betty , Peggy a Gloria and Chooi Ling. Those were the happy days that made up my childhood.

Whenever you are sincerely pleased, you are nourished. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Strictly it is not nostalgia that I feel when I mooch around old haunts in my hometown. There is no yearning for the past but rather it is as if the past were solidly there beneath the present. What is missing are the people who were there before. The little ais-kacang stall has doubled in size and style minus the Ah Chek ( Hokkien for uncle ). He is no longer there to give me that little extra . Savoy Hotel still stands firmly beside our heritage home. Dato Kramat Padang opposite the Penang Buddhist Association used to be the haunt where the guys and gals congregate to relax and lepak after school activities. That’s where you will find us at sunset all set to arrange for weekend dates and activities. Another popular rendezvous of school boys and girls was at Gurney Drive. I remember , once, when I accompanied my good friend to his blind date there. The rain on that very night made it more romantic.

When love is not madness, it is not love. Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Trishaws still ply the streets of Penang today except that they have their share of facelifts. Ah in those days they were the prima donnas of the road; cars, motorcycles and buses stop at their hand signals and chivalrously let them pass. I vividly recollect riding in the old–style becas and the lung chia peh who used to rest on our five-footway. Once we were fascinated when we saw him smoking a special type of pipe with tobacco stuffed inside it, his eyes closed either from exhaustion or enjoyment - we could not tell. Brother Teik Hock just couldn’t resist it and asked to have a try!

My school-going period stretched from 1950 to 1962 ; started from Wellesley Primary School just opposite our heritage home in Argyll Road from Standard one to Standard 3 and then in Hutchings School (where Penang Museum stands today ) from Std 4-Std6 . I was a fragile sickly looking child during my primary (elementary ) school days. Grandma made sure that I always had a sweater on. I was barred from eating food from the canteen and Granny made sure that food was sent to me during recess. The Headmistress, Miss Coupland ( who later became our Education Lecturer in Brinsford ) was very strict with food taken or purchased over the fence. She was a sworn enemy of junk food vendors . She would chase after them with a long cane in her hand. They in turn would swear at her with all the foul obscene words that could a sailor blush . Somehow or rather Granny managed to outwit her in smuggling the food over the fence to me during recess time. Our form teacher was a tyrant. She somehow reminded me of Granny in Beverly Hillbillies. She would knock your knuckles with a ruler if you fail to recite the multiplication– tables or if your writing was unreadable.

Without pain there would be no suffering, without suffering we would never learn from our mistakes. Angelina Jolie

Hutchings School was some distance away and this created another problem for Granny. She was desperate to find transport for her precious grandchild. I suppose she must have prayed hard for that as her prayers were answered when our Phornchai ( Chin Wooi ) came as a student boarder to stay with our neighbour ( the Ongs ). He studied in a private Chinese primary school (Han Chiang Primary School ), a short distance away from Hutchings School. I was able to thumb a lift from Mr.Ong, ( Ah Too - piggy – because his size ). It was there that I had a scar engraved deeply on my forehead. I was hit by a flying duster. Our teacher , Mr. Dawson missed his target of a naughty boy behind me and it hit me instead. He was pale with shock when the doctor at the General Hospital Penang reported the matter to the police, It was lucky that his sister was my aunt’s colleague in Telecoms. His teaching permit was at stake and this sent the whole family to visit me at home and the matter was put at rest. The Headmaster at that time was Mr. Lim Teong Aik , a very active member of the Buddhist fraternity in Penang. He had spotted me and granny at prayer and lectures services in Penang Buddhist Associations regularly. Hence at the yearly Wesak procession he made sure that his son, Gim Hin and I would be the flag carrier in the lead.

You are in God’s hands
I will strengthen and help you …..
I will uphold you with my righteous hand. Isaiah 41:10

“There’s no doubt about it. my feeble-looking grandson got admitted to Penang Free School “ – how granny used to sing with pride to her friends in the temple.

Penang Free School was one of the premier schools in Penang ; nicknamed the Eton of Malaya It was the school of royalties ; the school of the elite; the school of scholars. It has a rich legacy right from it’s founding in 1816. I was proud to be associated with it. It was an all-boys school until late 1950’s when it had its first co-ed status with the first batch of Form Six girls from St. Georges Girls School. During my days there , all the Principals were British “mat sallehs “. I wasn’t the intellectual type and was really pleasantly surprised that I got to be a “Free”

It was in Free School that I saw a complete change in me physically. I wanted to shed that timid sickly looking image. Each day I cycled five miles each way to school. I took up body-building under the charge of Mr. Teoh . It was in this school that I got myself interested in games, sports and fine arts. It was mandatory for us to have basic training in sports and games and also to join a uniformed unit. I joined the 1st Georgetown Scout Troop. It was from it that I was toughened up by activities like swimming, tracking and rock climbing. Of course I didn’t tell granny about all these when I went on such gregarious outings. She would be over laden with worries till I return . I had to smuggle out my swimming trunk and my friend would take it home to wash it for me after use. We joined the school choir under the Musical and Drama Society. Our choir and drama groups won numerous trophies in interschool competitions held annually.

Let everyone develop his special talent.
Nothing else will keep him permanently happy. Unknown

When I graduated from the Lower Certificate Examination ( LCE ) I not only got myself elated by some astonishing results in subjects that I used to be hopelessly weak in but I also got my instrument of independence from Granny. The fourth form year is usually the ‘honeymoon’ year of a student’s life. It’s the season for widening your social circle. It’s that time in your academic cocoon where you are not too stressed up with studies. Those were the days of Elvis Presley ; the era when rock music filled the air and rock-n roll and twists were dances of the nights at parties. Those were the days of matinees, picnics or week end stay by the seaside, where teenaged –students congregate to cherish relationship. The highlights of my teenage diary entries was an all night party on the eve of Chinese NewYear at a rented bungalow in Batu Feriinghi and again when we got our Form Five results. In those days we got our Cambridge Results from the local newspapers ‘ The Straits Echo’ The whole street where the Straits Echo was swarmed with nervous –looking fifth form candidates eagerly waiting for our results. At the stroke of mid-night the papers would be out hot from the printing press. As you ran your fingers gingerly through the pages you would silently say that little prayers that you had in your heart. BANG ! – if your name is there you would be catapulted sky-high and if not you wished the ground beneath your feet would just open and swallow you up!!!

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money. It lies in the joy of
achievement and the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D Roosevelt

The short transitional period of 10 months after getting the Senior Cambridge results to the time I started my tertiary education education in Brinsford was the best period of my life. It was a period filled to the brink with lots of activities – picnicking, hiking, partying and even mahjong playing with friends. Love ( puppy love ) was in the air . but none got serious in it. We were all peer good pals, ready to socialise and help one another.
I didn’t get the necessary mark to gain entry into the Sixth Form of my school but was offered to do it at Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star. I turned it down as I knew that it would involve a lot of expenses. Right from young my ambition was to be a teacher . I guess I was born with just a red ball point pen - not a fountain pen ! It was with this dream in my mind that I went to St Anthony’s School in Teluk Anson ( Teluk Intan ) . I must say it was there that I had my opportunity to discover that teaching was more than just writing on the board. Motivation and building up a good teacher-pupil relationship were two very important factors for a successful teaching career. - this was what I had learnt from the Principal Brother Alban when he gave me his last handshake before I left the school for Brinsford. Adios Brother Alban and thanks for the guiding words:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes...your destiny.

'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle'.

Just how do you feel each time you attend a school or college reunion? You long to meet again those characters from those good old days but you are scared that you may find them and they may find you horridly changed. No doubt about it, you will be torn between eagerness and dread. You will be eager to see how your old pals and old SO4 s (term used for girl friends or boy friends ) who were once your idols. You will be equally dread to find that you can no longer communicate the manner you did when you were there. What if the evening drags on in stiff conversation and laboured jokes? Many were no longer what they were before. That lady in tidung couldn’t be the Zahara Omar that you “twist and rock” with in college dances at JCR ( Junior Common Room ) and that grey-haired man carrying a tongkat – oh no not that stout tough P.E.college rugby forward who stormed goals and girls’ hearts with such stylish ease! That betied, becoated pillar-of-society man over there in the main table , cannot be , yes it is Dato Steven Kang who came to JCR in shorts and slippers and whose voice could drown the crowd there. The utter lack of change in some is just as stupendous. More than four decades down the road from Brinsford Lodge and you still find the Brinsford spirit in everyone present at every reunion. Handshakes are extra-hearty and laughter ultra-loud as barriers fall away and everyone you meet join in joyfully in the reminiscences of those crazy days in Brinsford – those ragging days to orientate freshmen or freshies as we were called.

Characters do not change. Opinions alter, but characters are only developed. Benjamin Disraeli

Mention ragging and I am sure many Brinsfordians will just shrug their shoulders and say that what took place in Brinsford was far worse than those locally . Many will agree that ragging is good for the soul. It toughens you up. It takes the airs and graces out of you, cuts you down to size , makes you realise that you are not all grand to have been chosen to come to England to be moulded as a teacher or whatever, that you have a lot to learn ; not to mention too that many turned overnight music composers. Yes, we learnt them all, the sizzling songs our rollicking seniors had composed specially to round off the freshies education –songs like “ We are langut freshie”, “Our soldiers go to War “ and the naughty versions of “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain “ Daisy, Daisy. ” We might not know all the lyrics by heart at the beginning but we were confident enough of the refrains to sing along with gusto. Within a week we could sing all the songs by heart, better than “God Save The Queen “ or “NegaraKu”.
Wash clothes and bedsheets? In Brinsford we had to play rugby in the snow, had to get “washed” in “royal flush” if you were found to be uncooperative or obstinate. The ragging period was one of servitude and the masters were highly imaginative in their demands. But if you were the humble, friendly type you weathered through it well and you came out of it with high regards and respect from your seniors. There was so much fun and excitements. The girls may find their panties and bras hanging on top of the tower of boiler house! The girls also got their dosage of ragging and they gave as zestfully as the boys. I must At the end of the ragging period each freshie graduates out as a very matured ,confident and not-to be bullied or looked down individual in a foreign land. It’s for MALAYA !

Train up a fig tree in the way it should go, and when you are
old, sit under the shade of it . Charles Dickens

For teaching practice we were exposed to all the different types of institutions namely the elementary ( primary ) level ,the secondary modern types ( where the rowdy ones were ) and the grammar schools ( that’s where the ‘A’ or cream were ). Yes we were celebrities in our own rights. In elementary schools (primary ) we were presented with gifts and stalks of flowers . In secondary modern schools we received piles of love-letters and in Grammar schools we were showered with lots of questions both academic and personal. In such schools we should be well armed with knowledge of the subject topics of what we taught. In a nutshell, we gained invaluable experience from them.

We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled, but as candles to be lit. Robert H. Shaffer

When in Brinsford we had our fair share of studies, travels and entertainments. Time management was very important for us. For short mid-term breaks we toured Scotland or Ireland. For long weekend breaks we visited the Lake Districts , London or any other tourists spots nearby. For summer holidays we ventured into Europe on a shoe-string budget; northern Europe in the first year and the Southern part in the second year. There were 10 of us - all men – we travelled by night on the trans-continental express trains to cut costs on accommodation . If needed to stay overnight we squat in railway stations or put up at youth hostels for low prices of bed and breakfast in return for cleaning-up jobs like cleaning and washing before leaving. At youth hostels we got to meet students from all over the world. It was sort of whistling while you work duty and everyone enjoyed one another’s company. There were numerous excursions organized by the Students Union. There were trips to London Palladium to watch live shows like the Black and White Mistrals and the Royal Albert Hall for ‘My Fair Lady’ ; there were trips organized to Stratford –on Avon to watch live Shakespearean plays. Then also there were the annual Llangollen Music Festivals where dancers from all parts of the world assembled to share their musical talent.

Good times are even better when they are shared.

In a land ‘far from the federation under cool England’s sky’ it was not surprising to find young men and ladies coming together in pairs. It was quite common to find lots of “Mr.& Mrs” couples in Brinsford. Love was sown at weekend dances at JCR, nurtured during SO4 ( time when men and ladies could meet in the privacy of their rooms ) hours of 4pm –6pm , blossomed at college campus and wilted off when back in Malaya. The only sentiment that really withstood the test of time (to date 53 years ) is the Brinsford spirit. This is evident in the overwhelming response from ex- Brinsfordians from all over the world at reunions held every other year.

The best and beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not
touched but felt in the heart. Helen Keller

My teaching days spanned from January 2nd 1965 in Sekolah Menengah Rendah Bruas ( known now as S.M Raja Shariman ) right up to May 31st 1998 when I retired in SMJK Yuk Choy , Ipoh . It was a span of more than thirty three wonderful and meaningful years working in four secondary schools.

No those memoirs of Bruas will remain evergreen in my mind. They were fondest memoirs of bittersweet refrains. As mentioned in my write-out of my Bruas days this little hamlet could be rightfully regarded as my workshop. Workshop? Yes it’s the first workshop where I put what I was trained for in Brinsford. There were lots of interesting challenges that were thrust into us. There were only a few trained teachers amongst us and we were all fresh from college then. The rest were temporary teachers fresh from SPM. We held the helm steadfastly and took up the challenges with confidence and steered the school to greater heights before we passed the baton to the next generation. It was in Bruas also that I had my first short of Cupid’s arrow. It was a bittersweet relationship of five years that crumbled when we found that “our two worlds collide “ . We parted. I went my way and “what’s too painful to remember I simply choose to forget “ ( adapted from “The Way We Were ). That’s another bittersweet lesson learnt from Bruas !

Nostalgia is recalling the fun without reliving the pain. Anon

At the start of the school calendar year of 1967 I found myself in the Lower Secondary School of Chemor. It was the year when the school just had a building of its own. For many years it had been sharing the building of the Pei Ching Primary School. Again I saw the school grow from a lower secondary (up to Form 3) to a full secondary school ( now known as SM Aminuddin Baki ). Before that students who passed the LCE examinations were sent to SMJK Yuk Choy or Anderson School, Ipoh. During my ten years service in this school I gained lots of experience. It had two media then ; namely the English medium as well as the Malay medium. I taught in the two media and this gave me invaluable opportunity to prove that I could do equally well in two media. I was head of the Agricultural Science Department, Scoutmaster of the scout troop and later took over the helm of Leo Club Advisor.

It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed. Harvey S. Firestone

It was during my term as scoutmaster that our troop joined force with the Perak Scouts Association to organize numerous fundraising projects. We had a fundraising movie “For A few Dollars “ for the school scholarship fund under the patronage of Dato Lim Kheng Yaik, the then Minister of Primary Industries, who had had his clinic in Chemor prior to his appointment as Minister. The Minister also graced the occasion with his presence at the show. After the overwhelming success, the then State Commissioner Mr.Yeoh Seng Choon roped me in to help organize a charity concert “Malam Fantasio” at the Town Hall Ipoh. Together with a few scouters and guiders we succeeded in making it a night of songs, cultural dances and fashion show with auction of dresses modeled to raise funds for the handicapped homes of Perak – Rumah Kanak-Kanak Cacat , Batu Gajah , Sekolah Kanak-kanak Cacat Tasek and The Kinta Valley Home for the Blind. The show was sponsored by Tasek Cement and was under the patronage of the then Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Shah who also graced the occasion by his presence.

So important to just be there to hold the hand that reaches
out for you

The Leo Club of Chemor was chartered two years later and the Headmaster appointed me as the first Teacher–Advisor of the club. I got to meet members of the Lions Club of Ipoh. I used to attend meetings with the Lions at Ipoh Club and was later appointed chef-de-mission for the Ipoh contingent of the Leos to the International Leo Club convention in Singapore. Then came the ugly May 13 in 1968 racial riots that shattered the image of our country. The unity of the country was shattered and it took a few years to build it up. In it’s effort to build it up especially in the rural areas many “muhibbah” ( unity ) programmes were launched in new villages. Schools, clubs and communal associations were designated to hold Muhibbah Concerts to promote unity among the people in villages. This was when the Leo Club of Chemor represented the school in contributing cultural dances. Everywhere we went the members were well received by all.

The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work
superbly well. Sir William Osler

Brinsford teachers were the first batch of Agricultural Science teachers in Malaysia and since Kampar is nearer to Tanjong Tuallang than Ipoh, I accepted the offer to start Agricultural Science in SMJK Pei Yuen, Kampar in January 1977.Tanjung Tuallang became my second hoe when we got married in 1976.The stork brought your dada to us in February 1977. Our house at 126 Jalan Raja Kam in Ipoh became our weekend-home On weekdays starting Monday mornings at 6a.m. we would load all our things into our car. I would get down at the bus stand in Gopeng to take a bus to Kampar and the family would proceed to Tanjong Tuallang. After school I would take a bus from Kampar to Malim Nawar transit to Tanjong Tuallang. On Saturdays we would drive back to Ipoh for the weekends.

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work
to play and to look up to the stars. Henry Van Dyke

Despite the stress of juggling between career and parenthood our days in Tanjong Tuallang could be summed up as one fun-filled phase of our life. Tanjong Tuallang may be an-out-of the way hamlet but many wonderful recollections nurtured from there – the clinic staff who had shared with us the thrill of working together in the vegetable garden in the evening, the friendly folks who would make sure you got the bonus with each purchase made. We were never lonely there ! We left Tanjong Tuallang in mid 1976 but I still continued to work in Pei Yuan although this time I travelled daily from Ipoh. Ti came in November 1978 followed by Chien in December 1980. With our added commitment and responsibility I must say that I kept a low profile in co-curricular activities when in Kampar as my hands were full with added paternal responsibilities

True friendship is seen through the heart not the eyes. Unknown

My eleven-year term in SMJK Yuk Choy, starting from January 1987 to May 31st 1998 has been a very memorable one. It was the school where I retired from government service. I applied to go back to Ipoh after a tour of three schools in three different towns. My children then were of school-going age and things were not convenient. There were times when they were made latch-key children while parents worked.

By love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

When in Yuk Choy I was active again in extra-mural activities again. I took over 72nd Scout Troop when Mr. Joseph Lai was promoted to Headmaster in a primary school in Tanjong Tuallang in 1990. The scouts of 72nd were a very disciplined and enthusiastic lot and during my term of office there the troop churned out two batches of Pengakap Rajas, won numerous trophies in scouting competitions, making it one of the most promising troops in Ipoh . This was possible through the diligence and enthusiasm of the boys. There was good relationship between me and the students – a lasting friendship which started as a teacher-pupil relationship and later developed into father-son relationship to a few. It is now into ten years after I retired and these filial ones still come a-calling especially during Chinese New Year.

You see people you’ve loved, although the relationships have ended. You sense that in some particular way you’re connected with them. Tiki Kustenmacher

Teachers who educate children deserve more than parents who give birth; for bare life is furnished by the one , the other ensures a good life. Aristotle

It was 31st May 1998. It was the day I retired from teaching service. As I took my final walk down the aisle formed by colleagues and members of the uniformed units to bid a fond farewell amused reminiences of 32 years of pleasantries I had had as a teacher kept rolling back. I cherish the days I had spent with them both in the classrooms and out in the open. I knew I was going to miss the studious and angelic ones from the “A” classes, the “dinosaurs” from “Jurassic Park”. They were the ones that had enriched my teaching days ! My role as a teacher didn’t end at the exit gate of Yuk Choy! With more time at my disposal I expanded my English tuition classes. My mornings were all filled up with swimming and walks in parks. My wife left to work in National Guards Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia just in February 1999. By then our children were all in the upper forms.

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it
himself. Galileo Galilee

I joined Kolej Utama in 1999. In the year 2000 I switched over to ELS and did part-time job as English instructors at Petronas University Tronoh twice weekly. Through my involvement in the ELS modules for CIEP ( Certificate for Intensive English Programme ) and GTS ( Graduate Trainining Scheme ) I had the wonderful opportunity to enrich myself with exposure to the teaching of the English language to foreign as well a local students of all ages. My part-time teaching at Kolej Teknoloji MARA, Ipoh further enhanced my testimony as an instructor of English when I was also involved in courses tailored for officers in private as well as public services for proficiency in the language. All these added more frills to my teaching career. Students from all corners of the world were in the list of students that I had taught. Each day as I sit pensively to reminisce all the wonderful events that make up 65 years of my life, memories of their infectious smile and warm friendship flash through my mind.

True love never dies as we can see in our eyes only, when we
let go that we can truly say goodbye. Anonymous


The month of May this year has been a month of disasters that killed hundreds of thousands of people and left most part of the earth’s surface in ruins. First it was in Myanmar when a cyclone swept Myanmar then an earthquake in Wenchuan ,China. In China alone 80,000 were reported dead. Millions of homes were brought to the ground and families torn apart as a result of these two major catastrophes. What is most nerve-wrecking is to piece together all the shattered remnants of the disasters and restore them . This includes the physical , psychological as well as structural destruction s resulting from it.

In this world, there is always danger for those who are afraid of it
George Bernard Shaw.

The past few weeks have been very agonizing .It was heart - rendering to find victims screaming their hearts each time bodies were excavated from the rubbles. The cyclone that swept Myanmar rekindled the traumatic experience I had when cyclone gonu hit Oman about a year ago. I was alone at our apartment at YN building , about ten minutes drive from SQUH. The nurses staying here were put on hold in SQUH leaving me and a handful of non-medical staff behind in “white house” . The cyclone hit Oman hard leaving a trail of destructions ; bridges and flyovers split, roads turned into wild rivers, properties and lives washed off . The town was plunged into total darkness . Strong winds hit hard on the windows and doors sending pounding vibrations synonymous to the ghostly scene unreeled in movies.

Today as I reach the 65th milestone of life’s journey, I pause to look back with great pride of the past blissful years that I have enjoyed and cherished. Life’s metamorphosis has brought about tremendous changes; from a feeble-looking baby born on 31st May 1943, followed by the stage of life where I spent most of my formulative years taking things in (e.g. education and training ) to equip myself to take the role of adulthood and consequently leading to a relaxed new life as a retiree on 31st May1998. Then in September 2003 I had a CIBG ( Coronary Intravenous Bypass Graft ) done at IJN ( National Heart Institute ,KL) which remove the blocks for smooth flow of life. With a new lease of life it was globe- trotting for the past few years .


Time goes by so fast: people go in and out of your life.
You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much
they mean to you. Anonymous

Before I step out of this milestone to continue the journey , let me clasp my hands together and thank the Almighty One for His protection and guidance
Our life consists of more than just our own life. Many thousands of other lives are interconnected with ours.- our parents, siblings , spouse , children , grandchildren , relatives , colleagues, managers ,teachers, students - list goes on . Even though a great many involved may not be alive or are not reachable we still sense that in some particular way we are still connected to them. They contribute to your life history. To them I extend my words of thanks for being there for me when I need them.

When we feel love and kindness to others
it not only make others feel loved and cared for ,
but it helps us also to develop inner happiness
and peace . Dalai Lama

My Bruas Days - 1965 - 1967

20th April 2008

Dear Jade,
How good are the good old days ? This is the question , I am sure we have sometimes silently asked ourselves as we join old pals on a nostalgia kick. Memory is notoriously clever at touching up pictures from the past.

Whenever I meet up with old pals, ( be it schoolmates, college-mates, or ex-colleagues ) and the mood is right for reminiscing we never fail to re-enact the wonderful time we had had in those years gone by.

The only way to make friends with time is to stay friends with people. Robert McAfee Brown

It was just about a month ago that I had the opportunity to sit over a cup of tea with my Indian friend, S Murugesan, after a lapse of more than forty years. We were the best of friends back in the early days of 1965 in Bruas, a town that is steep in history not only for Perak but also to our lives. It was the town with many firsts ; the first ancient capital of Perak ; Gengga was it’s name then. It was the town where I was first posted to graduating as a “freshie”teacher from Brinsford. It is the town where I had my first exposure to rural life. I must say I had been, before being posted there, a city boy all surrounded by the comforts of life and never knew what it was like beyond Georgetown , Penang, and Brinsford, England. I must say that what I am today was what I had gone through in Bruas,, notably at Sekolah Menengah Rendah, Bruas. I saw it grow from just a single storey building with a few classrooms housing both the primary and lower secondary sections (up to Form 3 ) to two separate buildings of the primary and the secondary sections under the management of two separate heads.

Happiness is not in the possession of money; it lies in the joy of
achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt

I remember , on the weekend before the start of the academic year of 1965, I was overjoyed when I got an official letter asking me to report to the Principal of Malay College Kuala Kangsar on 1st January 1965. A date which had gone down as an important day of my life history – “satu hari dalam sejarah diri”. Yes, it sure was a memorable day for me ! Happiness was short-lived when the Senior Assistant told me that the Perak Education Department had made a drastic mistake as they were not in need of an English and Agricultural Science optioned teacher . He dropped a bombshell that I had to report to SMR Bruas instead. I was shattered ! I was flabbergasted! Where on earth is this god-forsaken place .I had to call up my uncle who was then in an estate in Trong to ask him where Bruas was. It was a relief to be told by him to wait at the Shell petrol station in Simpang and he would drive me to Bruas. At least I could rest assured that Bruas was not too far away from civilsation and after all not anywhere in Timbaktu!

It is the shelter of each other that people live. Irish Proverb

What was initially a dream shattered , later turned out to be the place where many dreams were built on. Initially every Friday would find me packing desperately for home but as time went by trips back home became less frequent. There were many weekends that we ( me, hunchy and blacky ) would opt to stay back in Bruas. Most of the outstation teachers from Ipoh and Sitiawan would make a beeline for home but for us it was fun to stay back. There were times when duty compelled me to remain behind but there were also times when social life with friends had the edge over travelling all the way back home. Activities in Bruas kept us busy all the time. School work filled up our weekdays and in the evenings we had volleyball , hockey and tennis games together.

The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and
to find it in our pleasure. Francoise de Motteville.

Our Headmaster , Mr. Chung Shin Yee was a sports enthusiast . The Staff Club team from SMRK Bruas was an unbeatable hockey team in the Dinding and Batu Gajah districts. He was not only our Head but also our icon, a man much respected by the staff. Every evening, without fail, he would stand in the middle of the school field with a hockey stick and all, including the mahjong hard-liners would spontaneously stop all games to report for roll call.

Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things. Peter F. Drucker

Mr. Chung definitely has my vote as the best H.M I ever worked with. A very charismatic man, he commands the love and respect of all those who have worked under him. During school hours he addressed us as Mr. …Miss or Mrs. but when “yam char” at the local coffee shop it’ll be our names or at times our nicknames. He always had high praises for us ( told to his senior assistant ) –
“I can never find any fault in them. They have a good balance of work and play. They are just out from school ( that‘s hunchy Mun Hwa ) , still under training ( that’s blacky Muru ) or just fresh from college (that’s me , shorty ) and they have done so much for the school.’

A leader is a person with a magnet in his heart and a compass in his head. Robert Townsend

Mr. Chung would chat with us late into the night at the local coffee shop and would call to inspect our teaching record book as well as the students’ exercise books the following morning but he would find all our work up-to-date. Once he told us to organize a concert for the school speech day ( it was the very first for the school ) and we lined up an interesting one for him, from both the primary and secondary sections. When the curtain was drawn open there was a thunderous applause at the decorations that formed the backdrop. It was a sight to behold. Our English Society was without doubt one of the best in the Dinding District. We had debates, drama, poetry reading and spelling quizzes as well as elocution contests in our fortnightly meetings for primary, lower secondary (up to Form 3 and later to senior group comprising of students from Forms Four and Five,. At year end we always topped it up with more elaborate programme. Once we even had a court role play comprising of two teams ; one as the defense and the other as the prosecutor. At the end of 1965 the school produced its first school magazine.

Efficiency is doing everything well. Effectiveness is doing well those things that matter. Being efficient is just an input of effort ; while being effective is an output of effort . Peter Drucker



In extra-mural activities we had our share of glory! With Mr. Chung Shin Yee as the Perak State Commissioner of Scouts and a Sports lecturer in RTC ( Regional Training Centre ) the school did him proud when the students excelled both in Scouting as well as Sports. We churned out our very first batch of Pengakap Raja ( King’s Scouts ) in 1966 and in the Perak schools sports contingent in MSSM a handful were from SMK Bruas. He was indeed a very inspiring Head who always had confidence in his staff. Once when I was told to become the scoutmaster of 8th Bruas Scout Troop I reiterated that I was just a second-class scout in school and begged to reject. He refused to budge . Instead he took out from his drawer a copy of “Gateway To Scout Tests and said ,
“Take it home and make sure you learn up the contents and prepare yourself to be one step ahead of the boys. Any doubt you come and see me. I’ll send you to Taiping Camp for training for four weekends. “- Thanks Mr. Chung!!!!

There are no hopeless situations, there are only men who have grown
hopeless about them. Clare Booth Luce

Bruas was, no doubt, at that time, an out-of–way town. You could call it a cowboy then with just one main road where all the shops were sited. There was no bank at that time and teachers got to change their pay cheques from one of the enterprising shops there. There was a health centre and a post office. The PWD ( now known as JKR ) man in charge served as in the PIBG and hence we could get a wonderful tennis and volleyball courts in the school compound. What really fascinates me is the spirit of the students of the Govt. schools there. Many of the “anak” Bruas have gained recognition both locally and overseas. Those students who were with me during my short sting there have graduated as lawyers, doctors, lecturers in university, top-police personnel , artists and entrepreneurs.