Those Were The Days ( KC's story )

..........Cont'd

Bad Encounter With Tan Boon Chong But Have Good Opinion of Sim Cheng Huat - by KC

Sim Cheng Huat (Not so notorious but unforgetable)
Somehow many of you tend to remember Sim Cheng Huat as a rascal but actually he can be a nice guy too. I remembered he was always quite friendly to me and he readily agreed to sign my autograph book too! (you saw it in the flashback video).

As for Cheng Huat, I think he had lots of "survival" skills then.  He was friendly to those whom he could copy from during tests, etc; more so to those who allowed him to copy or did not complain about it to the teachers. So, Bon,you must have been one of them.  I'm sure he scored very well whenever he copied from you !! hahaha. And now you should know why Cheng Huat was not friendly to Juan Ngoh and even threatened to "wait for her outside school"!  

Slippers Stealer
There was actually a more horrible guy by the name of Tan Boon Chong, quite tanned and stayed somewhere in Jalan Cheng Hwa area.  He liked to fight with that tall guy called Rajendran. I once had my brand new pair of slippers stolen by him on the first day I wore it to house practice.  Remember we had to leave our slippers at the foot of that big tree close to the school's main gate during house practice? My slippers disappeared after that and I had to walk bare footed all the way home! Went home and cried like mad because I really treasured all my belongings in those days. 

On the next house practice, I went earlier and was watching everyone's slippers like a hawk when I saw him coming in wearing my pair of slippers!  I confronted him immediately and he sheepishly handed them over to me. I was then quite happy that it was his turn to walk home bare footed but come to think of it, and knowing him, he could have stolen another pair of slippers on that day! Anyone lost your slippers there before ?

Boon Chong was one who did quite badly in his studies then.  I remembered he spoke more Hokkien; usually punctuated with lots of vulgarities, more so when he fights with Rajendran. 

Tee Chee Sun ( textile seller's and not pig farmer's son)
I do remember Tee Chee Sun but I thought his father owns a night market stall (the "pasar malam" of the old days). I have seen him at the stall with his father when the pasar malam was held weekly along the main road outside our place then. I think that stall sells cloth by the yards.   

Juicy Love Stories Not to be Shared
Err... but I don't have any juicy love stories to tell leh.... I only had my first girlfriend after my 'A' Level exams !! Like Bon, I also now regret that I didn't develop as fast as Sien Chi and knew nothing of such things in primary school ! You know, as I was looking through my autograph book to extract some of the pages for that flashback video, I actually told myself : "Oh my, none of the class girls wrote in my autograph book!!" haha.

KC
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Not the end yet............to be cont'd

Those Were The Days ( Bon's story )

......Cont'd

My Carefree Childhood - By Bon

Now that Janet has started sharing, I hope this will open the floodgates a bit for whoever feels like sharing or whatever we may recall from those days so many years ago ....

I actually don't remember much of my own recollections of those carefree days except for

- worrying that I don't have appropriate clothes and shoes to wear when Mr Chow invited us to those places of interests (Botanic Gardens, etc) because we were very poor then.

- how I was going to train/practice and beat Parathiyar and Leong Ding at badminton matches and how to beat Princess Elizabeth Pr School

- not studying much except for History (favourite subject)
- wondering how come not made a prefect ??

- always looking forward to School Sports day because got cakes and drinks (cold Milo, yummy) to heart's content

- having to do housework at home, including going to market for fresh produce and groceries at 11 miles Yew Tee Village area

'Almost Drowned' Experience
- remember being swept away by heavy flood water just after Roy Daniel's house while walking home. Drank some mouthfuls of water but luckily someone pulled me up. Don't know who though, a passer-by. I think another girl, Josephine (always in pony tails), was just ahead of me and suffered the same fate but was also rescued.

Familiar Faces
- There was this girl, Tiang Moi (or something like that) who lives off Woodlands Rd (opposite Lor Lompang). In the early 80's, still see she and hubby ran a chicken rice stall at  Bukit Timah Hawker Centre.
- Kept in touch with this guy, Ng Peck Hoon, who lives in Lor Lompang till early sec school. Met him again in NS somewhere, can't remember where though.

Best Friends
- Best friend then was Kian Seng. Also very close to Kim Chuan and Way Seng.


Regret Not Being Matured Enough
Looking back, was a bit regretful that I wasn't as mature as Sien Chi and didn't share in his early interest in girls. Goon-du, lah ! 


About Sim Cheng Huat and Tee Chee Sun (both not contactable but unforgettable)
I don't remember Boon Chong but I agree that Sim Cheng Huat was not that bad at all. We were actually quite good friends. Maybe, he was only 'bad' with the girls.
Recalled him,Shukor,Mohammed Ali, Way Seng sitting around edge of the well at home.
I think I remember this Tee Chee Sun person. If I am not mistaken, he lived in Lengkok Saga, further up the road from Sim Cheng Huat's house. His dad had a Volvo, I think and they sold textile/cloth. 

Goon Lye Hock lived in Stagmont Ring near 12 miles Woodlands Rd. I used to see him till early secondary school days. Now we have lost touch completely.

Rgds
Bon

*********************************************************************************************************************

More stories coming up.................

Those Were The Days ( Janet's story )

Dear Friends of BPES

Our gathering on 7 June 2008 , according to Mr Chow... "It is just the beginning. In time, more will be connected and as we approach this stage of our lives, every time we get together we recharge one another and bring back youthfulness to all."

I agree with him wholeheartedly. However, most of us would have wanted to catch up with one another but the evening was too short for everybody to do so. Hence some of us have agreed that our individual recollections be posted to the blog for all to reminisce and to maintain our bonding. I am sure you have noticed the flooding of emails during the past week under the heading "Its payment time". Those interesting contributions have been collated for this blog...Have fun reading!
AL


My unforgettable group dating and copy cat days by Janet:

Not much juicy story to tell except that Ah Foo and I were "lamposts" to Iris & Sien Chi .. There was nothing going on between Ah Foo & Me OK! ;).. We were staying in the same neighbourhood behind the wayang stage at Coconut Hill End..

I remember Sien Chi, Iris, Ah Foo & I went swimming in one of the swimming complexes. While trying to swim, I somehow got underwater. Upon seeing all the legs dangling by the wall & hearing the howling water sound, I was really frightened . After that incident, I dared not go underwater for a long long time till adulthood... We were just trying to lend a hand to SC.. They call it group dating?

Some time when I recalled my primary school days, I felt quite embarrassed. I supposed in your mind, I was very naughty & very fierce,right? Because I was class monitress and prefect. Tell me frankly ..
(Janet was very confident. That was why she was Mr Kanda's apple and was a prefect cum monitress of Pr6A)


On one occasion I was severely caned by my mum, leaving behind "kway teow" lines all over my legs. Normally during recess time, I would play 'One-leg catching' in the quadrangle under the hot sun, bare-footed. Because of this, my feet would develop some blisters.. With all "kway teow" strokes on my legs, I was so embarrassed that I just stood against the wall outside the tuckshop during recess, thinking that no one would notice.. So silly.. haha.. Aiya.. I regretted having done all those I naughty things. But I was quite strong willed too. I was afraid of nobody as a result of all those caning.

In Pr6, I met my match, Cheng Huat! One day I saw him copying during our Chinese test. Immediately, I told the teacher aloud, "lau shi, Cheng Huat dou kan shu". He was then punished. (If I'm not mistaken, he was caned by Mr Kanda). After that, Cheng Huat threatened and warned me that he would "wait" for me outside school! I was fearful and dared not go home immediately after the bell had rung. I waited till everybody had left school, then sneaked out, looking back and forth just in case Cheng Huat pounced on me! I lived in fear for the following few days.. haha.. Somehow, he didnt take revenge on me.. Phew! Else I wouldn't be here to organise our class gathering.. :)

Well, these are some small incidents to share :)

I have got some confessions to make....but it's not what you are thinking....

I used to wonder why Bon could write English Composition so well. Whenever Mr Kanda asked me to carry English Composition books, I would always try to look through Bon's book. At times I would 'borrow' sentences and rewrite mine before SUBMITING TO Mr KANDA .. It had never occurred to me that Mr Kanda would know that I copied. :) Too Simple minded then... Mr Kanda however NEVER UTTERED A WORD to me!.. I suppose he felt that at least by copying I learnt something.. For that, I appreciate him. Thank God, I didnt get caning like Cheng Huat!

Maybe my composition did improved, thanks to you, Bon. Will buy you coffee, some time..




Janet


*******************************************************************

PS: Akan datang, more to come......

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Mr Chow's Word Of Thanks To All Who Celebrated His Birthday

• 

(PS: The email from MR Chow dated 9 June 2008 was also addressed to all who were present)

Dear Bon Hian,

I could single out that you make the best MC, saying the right thing at the right time and calling things to order. You did just that last Saturday. Well done.

Never in my mind did I dream that it would happen but yes, it did. Thank you to each and everyone of you. Now I will have a lot more to add into my 'happy moments' collection.

Thirty eight years did not seem very long after all. Everyone of you is now a personality of your own, a husband, a wife; a father, a mother; an example, an icon. It depends where you have the greater scope of influence. You were my students at a time when I was just a few years older than all of you and now you are my friends. I am very happy to see what you have all achieved and I feel humbled.

It makes me realise that the 43 years I have put into this vocation have not been 'unproductive'. I am greatly inspired, motivated and rejuvenated.

There are still many more of you who are somewhere out there. Ai Lay, Janet, Kim Chuan, your goodself and some of the others have done a fantastic job. It is just the beginning. In time, more will be connected and as we approach this stage of our lives, every time we get together we recharge one another and bring back youthfulness to all.

Do allow me to thank all of you again for the wonderful gesture, the fine gifts and most of all the kindness and respect you have bestowed upon me. I will always remember them. My wish now is that the time will come when all of you will have this same gratitude and appreciation bestowed upon you.

Cheers!
Chow Chee Wing

*********************************************************************************************

Mr Chow,
Thank you for your kind words. Of all our teachers at BPES, I would not be wrong to say that you made the deepest impression and had the biggest impact on our young minds and lives then. We are all the wiser and richer for having known you in those early years. The pleasure is ours.



Rgds,
Bon

Letter To Mr Kanda Returned

On 26 May 2008, I sent a registered letter to Mr Kanda in Johor Bahru. The letter was returned on 16 June 2008.........................




Hi

Just for info, the registered letter which I sent to Mr Kanda on 26 May has been returned intact, today. Reason given was 'RumahTutup/not in.??

Regards
AiLay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rumah tutup means "house closed' in Malay, essentially meaning no longer in existence.

At least we know we tried our level best. Hope he is alright and well if still around.

Rgds,
Bon  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looks like we have reached the end of the road..

Janet

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Success From Self Motivation

Message From Way Seng:-

Dear Friends,

After the wonderful gatherings at Ai Lay's house to celebrate Mr Chow's birthday, it is time to get back to work.

Motivate yourself
Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs ..

who arranged a running competition.

The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.
A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants....

The race began....

Honestly:

No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top."

or:

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"




The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one....

Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up....

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher....

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out....

That the winner was DEAF!!!!


The wisdom of this story is:

Never listen to other people's tendencies to be

negative or pessimistic....
because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power words have.

Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore:

ALWAYS be....

POSITIVE!
And above all:

Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!

Always think:

God and I can do this!

Pass this message on to 5 "tiny frogs" you care about.

Give them some motivation!!!
Most people walk in and out of your life......but FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart
In two days tomorrow will be yesterday. Today is no special day and I have no particular reason for writing to you... I have no news to tell you.... nor any problems to discuss with you.... or gossip to tell you... It's only one of those happy moments ... when I thought of you... and I would like to share these thoughts with you...
MANY SMILES BEGIN BECAUSE OF ANOTHER SMILE...


To The World You Might Be One Person; But To One Person You Might Be the World.

You have been Tagged by the Froggy, which means you are a great friend!!


Way Seng

Mr Chow's 60th Birthday Cum Reunion

Saturday, 7 June 2008 will be fondly remembered by those who attended a wonderful and memorable gathering at my house to celebrate the 60th birthday of a beloved teacher, Mr Chow and reunion of schoolmates from BPES II.

It was not an easy task to gather almost twenty people who have not met one another since leaving our primary school in 1970 (except for some who went to the same secondary school). Janet, the main organiser through her resourcefulness and Bon, through his superb memories of names and faces, managed to track down at least half of those who turned up.

The highlight of the evening was during the flashback video session. Kim Chuan had painstakingly collated some old black and white photos gathered from few of us who really treasured those precious possessions. Whatever evidence we had of our BPES days were scanned and sent to him. When these photos and authographs were projected onto the screen, there was full attentiveness. No one other than those who shared those childhood days in BPES could appreciate more and identify themselves with the pictures. There was also much fun in attempting to identify some schoolmates in the photos.

The evening was well spent with Bon Hian being the excellent MC who kept everything in order. Here are some mails sent by some of us after the gathering.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hi all,

I have put some pictures from yesterday's great evening on picasaweb.

URL is http://picasaweb.google.com/bpes65. Please visit to view the photos.

Thanks to everyone for putting together the wonderful evening. Bigs thanks to Ai Lay for hosting and the good food and coffee,
Poh Gek and Janet for organising, Kim Chuan for the flashback video, Bon Hain for testing our brains with catch phrases,
Mageret and Sien Chi for mental health knowledge...

Rgds
Leong Keong

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All,

Just wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone for making last Saturday night gathering and reunion happen. Really wonderful to see so many of us again and I am sure it evoked many warm memories of nostalgia for all of us.

Special thanks and heart-felt appreciation to Ai Lay and Janet for all their efforts planning and organising the entire occasion.

Let's continue to reach out to other ex-schoolmates and ex-teachers of BPES and keep our own blog alive and well.

Rgds,
Bon

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hi All,

The party is over and now it's time for a review? No, it's time to express our great appreciations to Ai Lay, Janet, Kim Chuan, Bon and all the rest who have put in a nice place, a wonderful spread of food and drink, a casual and warm welcome for Mr Chow to celebrate his 60th birthday with all of us.

I have a special "Thank you" to Ai Lay who has given us a hand-written card and a gift set to mark the occasion.

Cheers/ Kian Seng

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Hi everyone

Saturday was indeed a wonderful and memorable evening to see so many old friends including Mr Chow. It was my pleasure offering my place for the gathering and helping Janet in organising this meaningful event. In fact I had a fun time organising it. I truly enjoyed working with Janet and Bon who had also helped in planning the program.

Of course the success of this gathering wouldn't be possible without the people who attended it. Special thanks must also be given to Poh Gek who contributed the bouquets and birthday card, and Kim Chuan who had painstakingly gathered our old photos for the flashback video.

For those who did not turn up, I would say they have missed something which can never be replayed - the atmosphere of nostalgia, the recollections of old times and the surprise look on everyone's face when Margaret appeared. We had not expected to see a Bollywood star look alike!

Freddie has kindly volunteered to host our next gathering - either at Christmas or Chinese New Year. We shall all send him reminders when it gets closer. In the meantime we shall all keep in touch with one another and continue to post to the blog. Thanks to Leong Keong and Way Seng who have beaten everyone to it immediately after our reunion.

Regards
Ai Lay

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hi dear friends,

All has been said, but A BIG thanks to all of you who made it possible. I have spoken to a current teacher from BPPS. I may be able to get MR.Murthi no. Will keep you all update. Till than May GOD bless us with peace and harmony. Regards.

Velaisamy Suppaiyya

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hi All,

It was great that we were able to meet up again and also with the rest of our classmates to celebrate Mr Chow's 60th Birthday. I enjoyed the flashback video the most, bringing back fond memories & recalling some faces.. It is a pity that most of us could not find all our old photos & autographs. Mine went missing after shifting out of my parent's house.

Many thanks to

1. Ai Lay for her generosity & graciously open up her house for our gathering. She's such a warm & hospitable host.

2. Kim Chuan who painstakingly (Ai Lay's words) collating all the photos & getting the software just for this occasion, and burnt midnight oil JUST FOR US! You should see his face when the program did not work on Ai Lay's TV & the projector was a low-end model, and it jumbled up all the icons on his desktop! And that was 2days before our gathering..haha.. Thank God we managed to get it worked somehow.. Phew!!

3. Bala for volunteering to frame up our 1st group photo for Mr Chow

4. Our MC, Bon, saying the right thing at the right time..

5. Poh Gek taking her initiative to get the bouquets for Chow & Ai Lay,

and of course, YOU & ALL WHO CAME, making this gathering a meaningful & memorable one.

I am wondering if you could share with me some of your thoughts of our class gathering and the old days.. Can you recall after that night of recollections, any incidents or persons during the BPES days that leave great impressions on you?
How do you feel after that night of reunion? Anyone among us made a particular impression? Was it a waste of your time? Some of them had to cancel their other functions to attend this.. Would you want to keep in touch and gather again? Any other suggestion?

Personally, I wish we had more time to sit around and talk, recalling the good old days, hearing all the secret "puppy love" stories..You never know, some girls may be eyeing at some of you guys..haha.

Hopefully we can have another great gathering again some time.. Arh..I thought someone is inviting us to his house...sometime Christmas or Chinese New Year??

I will be developing the group photo & post it to you for it to be framed onto the photo frame (door gift) from Ai Lay.

I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK & SHARINGS..... Else will send you a yellow card, Reminder... haha :)

regards, Janet

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hi Mr Chow,

We are so glad to have you celebrating your birthday with us, your 50yrs old students. There is no other great perfect moments as this.. You have made such great impact on most of us, though the deeds at times may not seem too significant. However small it may be, it sure has been deeply etched in our memories & thoughts. Thank you!

God bless you,

janet

Sand and Stone

Sand & Stone:

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE .

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, Why?"The friend replied, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.


Thank you to all the organisers of Mr Chow's 60th Birthday gathering.
Cheers.

WS

Photos of 7 June 2008 gathering

http://picasaweb.google.com/bpes65/2008MrChow60thBday

What Mr Kanda Wrote In The Magazine

Do you remember the Photo of Mr Kanda with an article written by him flashed on the screen last night? Most of you may not have had the chance to read what was written by him. So I am reproducing it here for you:

"I wish to express my thanks to the principal and the editorial committee for inviting me to write this article for your souvenir magazine.

As I reminisce about the years spent at BPPS, I feel terribly nostalgic. I joined the staff in 1954. At that time, there were three schools functioning in one building under different principals. The schools were Bukit Panjang English School,Bukit Panjang Afternoon School and Bukit Panjang Malay School. The wooden classroom furniture was in terrible condition. The classrooms were crowded and there were no fans. Fans were installed in 1976.

We did not have the modern sanitation. Instead there was the old bucket system. An old man used to come in daily to clean the buckets. Everybody in the School "sensed" this old man's presence without actually seeing him.

At that time, the quardrangle was covered with gravel. The assembly sessions during the afternoon resembled a sandstorm. The quardrangle was cemented when Mr Felix Choo became the principal in 1960. It costs the school $1310!

Mr Choo was succeeded by Mr C.B. Jesudason in 1962. He retired in early 1970. It was during this time that we experienced a terrible flood in February 1967. The quardrangle and the school field looked like a huge reservoir. All the teachers and pupils stayed back on the upper floor until the flood receded at about 11pm

One of the greatest fears of parents and teachers alike was the pupils having to cross the road in front of the school as there was no overhead bridge at that time. It was constructed only in 1976. During the sixties, the teachers had to perform the duty of patrol attendants - a rather nerve-wrecking task! Later this job was given to paid road patrol attendant. We had some rather interesting characters employed as attendants. One of them was an irascible old man. Another was a rather weak old lady who was succeeded by a robust fellow who claimed to be a magician. He used to disappear on certain duty days!.

In my 35 years as a teacher, the greatest joy was teaching the children of my former pupils. I retired in May 1989 with mixed feelings. I was happy that I could now spend my time reading all the 'penny dreadfuls" that i had accumulated over the years and sad at the thought of parting from my colleagues and pupils.

In conclusion, I wish the new school even further achievements in the years to come."

you can run but U cannot hide

hi all,

your gals and guys have done a great job in keeping the BPES kampong spirit alive. really enjoy all the inspiration, gossip and "scandals" at BPES Times. it proved at 50's something we still have the fire. looking forward to more fire at saturday nite live from 28 Maple Ave. ai lay, a gentle reminder, #28 got fire insurance or not??

way seng was asking about my sundown marathon?? YES, we make it, ok lah, a few of us nearly make it.

your 50's something friend at 20 km check point

if my boss, patrick (in red) can run, anybody's can. it's in your mind

Our 2 ultra marathoner completed the arduous, demanding, back breaking 84 km ultra marathon in 13 hrs +. Hope that i will be strong enough to join them next year.

23 out of 29 of our runners completed the 42.195km marathon. For myself, i squeeze my juices, bite my teeth, grab my *@ &^%# in the last 2 km to break the 6 hrs barrier. my time 5:59:23. we also got 8 runners (your handsome friend, me included) to shave botak for this marathon.

now to my favourite topic,

can i get some motivated 50's something to join us in august singapore bay run?? BTW i am on a mission to get 1,000 runners for stanchart mara, just in case you don't know, i am fetish about 50's something runners, especially those who are ;

fat,fleshy,flabby
curvy,chubby,tubby with weirdo moniker like "red dot" etc....

plus that busy body that asked me about my marathon!

you are my man (woman??) . i will pester and bug you come this saturday. you can run but you cannot hide.

So ladies and gentleman, here is the appetizer b4 year end stanchart mara.

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your friendly 50's something friend
guan huat

Mr Kanda We Want to Hear From You

22 May 2008

Mr Kanda's address in my autograph was #25 JALAN MARIAMAH (or  Mariaurah? )JOHORE BAHRU.-November 1970

Ai Lay
...................................................................................

No 25 and that is what I remembered though I got the road spelling wrong. Not bad memory for a old uncle. Mariamah is correct.
Perhaps you can write to him? I was in JB on Sunday and if you had told me earlier, I would have driven to his house to look for him provided he still lives there.

LSC
......................................................................................

You guys are amazing with your memory and efforts. I will ask one of my golf khakis if he knows the place in JB.

Rgds,
Bon
.....................................................................................

23 May 2008

Do any of you know Kandasamy's full name ie including surname ?

I was thinking a quick way would be to check the residential telephone book in JB to locate his phone number using his address as confirmation.

Rgds,
Bon

.......................................................................................

His name in my autograph is signed Kanda Selvadursamy or selvadusamy ( Can't really make out his cursive writing)..

AiLay

......................................................................................
24 May 2008
Bon,
The last time you checked out on Kanda was with MOE, am I right?  We can try Bukit Panjang Primary School, they may still have his contact, though the chance may not be high.

janet

....................................................................................
26 May 2008
Janet,
BPPS is not helpful as far as staff or ex-staff records are concerned. Both Ai Lay and myself found that out not too long ago when we called the school.

I have asked someone whose family is from Kota Tinggi to check the JB phone book if Kanda's name is there. Will revert if anything.

Rgds,
Bon

........................................................................................
28 May 2008

I have just sent out a registered mail to him this morning. Did not give too much details but only provided our mobile numbers.
Have also attached copy of his autograph to authenticate our sincerity.
Lets hope for the best.

AiLay

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I just received word that Kanda's old address at 25 Jln Mariamah is no longer landed houses anymore. Just many condos at the place now.
Also, his name is not found in the JB telephone directory too. We will just have to assume that Kanda is no longer contactable unless he responds to anyone of us from Ai Lay's letter. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Rgds,
Bon

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Our hopes dashed......The End???

Not quite. We hope whoever reads this blog, who knows how much we want to hear from Mr Kanda and knows how to contact him, will help us. Please.

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Discovering The Southern Ridges

HENDERSON WAVES
( From weekend TODAY...May31 - June1,2008)

Take your family to see this new bridge that is literally making waves for being the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore.

The Hendersen Waves was built as part of The Southern Ridge, a 9km chain of green space that includes Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill, Kent Ridge Park and West Coast park. The 36m-high bridge connects Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park.

From 7pm to 2am daily, the bridges wave forms are lit with LED lights that give off an ethereal feel

Learn more about the Southern Ridges and the Hendersen Waves at http://www.nparks.gov.sg/southernridges.html


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Spies Beware - LSC has a Brighter Idea!

From LSC to Friends Of BPES:
RE: SNOOPING



"Telecommunication and Telephone switch exchange technologies act like gigantic computers that can record and track every phone call made, and if need be, on request from owners and rulers, record any particular phone number's actual calls if they so desire. Singapore has that capability too.

GSM and 3G technologies can triangulate and position you to accuracy within 5m of where you actually are.

If you don't want to be tracked, don't carry a mobile phone.

If you love to be tracked, carry 2 or 3 mobile phones from all carriers, so they get confused, by placing different phones at home each day."


LSC

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Love Without Regret (from Janet)

Our Wise Janet said:-

Very true! Very inspiring!

TO ALL I KNOW............

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign, which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were u the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what u said but in a different way.'

What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'

Do you think the first sign & the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course, both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Invite the people towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets..

When Life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve.

Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

Lived Life to the fullest.......and Make A Difference.. ... JJJ

'As we live each day, may we do our part to make one difference.. to plant hope & touch hearts..
And through each day, may it be our goal... to encourage and inspire those around us.... God bless .. '

Best internet pictures

Dear BPES enlightened members,

Here is the link to the best internet pictures of 2007.
Enjoy.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3082128/bestpictures

WS

Thank You Mr Kandasamy!

Looking back into my primary school days brought fond memories, tears, joy, fear & laughter..

For one thing, I will always remember the soft side of Mr Kanda ( his kindness & generosity), despite his strict outward appearance as a discipline master.

Mr Kanda was our Prefect master. One day, when we were in primary six, he stomped into our class, and called me out. I was told to follow him. I was fearful and confused, wondering what have I done wrong . And he was walking towards the principal's office!! Upon reaching the principal's office, he lifted me onto the bench which was outside the office ( the bench was too high for me) and instructed me to sit there. He then went into the office and came out with a first-aid box. Thereafter he removed the dressing on my injured knee, cleaned my wound & applied some medicine. He then told me to see him should I injure myself again, and never to use my traditional methods of treatment. Then he sent me back to class. I was so touched.

You see...I came from a not-so-well-to-do family. Whenever we had injuries, my dad would pound some herbs & apply onto our wounds. Once, I fell and had bruises on my knee. Being naive & ignorant, I will let the dogs licked on the wounds, believing that it will help in the recovery. At times, I will pound some leaves together with some chicken "pooh" and apply onto my wound..Yuks!!


It so happened that just after that incident, we had to write a composition (can't remember the topic). So I wrote all these traditional remedy in the English composition. Mr Kanda must have been shocked after reading my compo that he had stomped straight into the class and got me out to the principal's office & help me changed the dressings. Subsequently for the following few days, he continued to dress my wounds till it healed.

There was also another occasion when we were writing about our hobbies for English composition (again?!). I wrote that I like to collect stamps. But as my family did not receive many letters, I had very few stamps.

One day, Mr Kanda called me, and discreetly gave me a bundle of stamps..WOW!! There were so many and mostly were from Ceylon. I was so elated! Stamps from other countries were a rare commodity at that time! And he continued to give me a few more times. He also gave to other students as well, if I am not mistaken, Iris was also one of the beneficiaries..;)

At times, before the bell rang for class recess, Mr Kanda would ask me to buy some curry puffs from the school tuckshop for him. Other times, I helped collect or return the students exercise books.. Doing "chores" and running errands for teachers at that age made us feel great and important.

Somehow, all these did help to build up my self esteem and confidence. I have had my teachers to thank for - Mr Kanda, Mr Chow, Ms Chong, Ms Goh, Ms Heng and Ms Sharifah..

While writing these, I reminisce about my childhood days in BPES, those gestures still touch my heart, bring tears of gratefulness. My teachers have a great part to play in molding me into what I am today!

I wish we could locate Mr Kanda, and I really want to thank him again from the bottom of my heart for the kindness he had extended to me.

A Brief History Of Our School (an extract)

"It was a peaceful morning in January 1932. The first Principal Mrs Downe and her staff of three stood at attention as the Union Jack was raised to the strains of 'God Save the King'. Behind them stood the first sixty pupils of the school facing a new building from bricks and sturdy teakwood.

Bukit Panjang English School (as it was then known) was one of the very few primary schools in the northern part of Singapore. The first principal Mrs Downe and her staff had to go round Bukit Panjang Village and district to persuade parents to send their children to school. After much effort together with the assistance of Mr Goh Tong Liang , a prominent resident, they managed to enrol the first sixty pupils.

A week after the school started Mrs Downe and a teacher were transfered out because of the small enrolment. Another teacher Miss Alvis, was appointed the new headmistress. She teamed up with another chinese lady teacher to teach all the pupils. Words soon spread about Bukit Panjang English School. From a humble beginning of two classes, the school grew from strength to strength. By 1941, there were classes from standard one to standard six. By this time Singapore's first civil airport was opened at kallang in 1937 and a giant naval base,King George VI Dock was opened in 1938.

In 1941, Japan declared war and joined the fray of warring nations in the Second World War. A few months later the Japanese occupied Singapore on 16 February 1942. It is believed that the Imperial Army occupied the school building during the war.

On 12 September 1945 the war ended when the Japanese surrendered to the British but the school did not reopen until January 1948. The principal, Mr C A Peterson took office and left transfered in 1951. He was succeeded by Mr Wee Loh Siew. By then the enrolment had steadily increased to 350. To cope with the increasing demand for places, Bukit Panjang Government Afternoon School was opened in July 1952, with an initial enrolment of 112. During this period, the school published an annual magazine under the editoralship of Ms Boswell. These magazines provide an invaluable record of the school in the fifties.

In 1955, this Afternoon school was moved out to form the nucleus of Princess Elizabeth School. In its place, the Bukit Panjang School II was opened with six classes and a staff of seven. With each passing year, the enrolment of both sessions increased substantially and by 1959 all classes both in School I and II were full.

In 1959, Singapore gained Independence from Britain and the People's Action Party swept into power. Mr Lee Kuan Yew became the first Prime Minister of Singapore. In Bukit Panjang English School, Mr Wee Loh Siew was succeeded by Mr Felix Choo in 1959. Due to the growing enrolment, two classes had to function temporarily at the Bukit Panjang Community Centre until 1965.

Meanwhile in 1962, Mr C B Jesudason was appointed the principal. During the sixties, the school excelled in the field of athletics. On 8 August 1965, the Repulic of Singapore was born. It was a period of changes in the new born nation.


In Bukit Panjang Primary School, Mr C B Jesudason was succeeded by Mrs J Thanabalasingam in 1970. The following year, Mr Chen Yoon Chee took over as the head for the next 13 years. During his tenure, much emphasis was placed on academic excellence. He was succeeded by Mr Chew Soi Tee who served as principal from June 1985 to June 1989. During his term the school maintained high academic standard. The present principal, Ms Ng Chwee Poh was appointed in June 1989. Soon after, plans were set in motion in anticipation of the school's relocation.

A year later in June 1990, Bukit Panjang Primary School moved into its spacious, bright new pemises at 109 Cashew Road auguring a new beginning. "

(extracted from the School's official opening of the new building and 60th anniversary on 3 July 1992)