Vijayakumar has posted a comment to our blog

vijayakumar has left a new comment on your post "More Pictures from Kim Chuan's treasure chest":

I am vijayakumar your classmate from 1965 to 1968. I left for India and would like to contact all my class mates. I am very surprised and happy to know that you still remember me. I was trying to contact all of you for quite sometime. My e-mail address is nvkumarsree@gmail.com

Hoping to hear from you soon. I am in Singapore till this Saturday (5/3/2011). May contact me on 81445361

Thanks

Vijayakumar



Posted by vijayakumar to Bukit Panjang English School Class of 1970 at March 2, 2011 12:27 PM

An Old Photo with Miss Heng in it

Another treasure found ! This was from the treasure chest of Fei Kuen, younger sister of Lee Kuen.

This photo was taken in 1967 by Mr Yuen, husband of Ms Heng. Some of these students were from our year and the rest one year younger.

Front row from left:
Ng Swee Keow, Woon(or Voon) Chong , Nadira (school athlete), Alice Lee , Edward Lee Chee An, Kwoh Leong Keong


Second row from left:
Lee Kuen, Fei Kuen, Koh Kheng Song, Lim Leong Foh (Leong Ding's younger brother), Tan Chee Keng (Gek Lee's younger brother)

Back:
Tan Gek Lee, Loh Poh Choon, Miss Heng

FREE HEALTH SCREENING for us over 50s

From: "Cancer Screening" <cancerscreening@singaporecancersociety.org.sg>
Date: March 5, 2010 1:24:01 PM GMT+08:00
Subject: Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign : Just 1 more minute could save your life

Dear Friends,

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Though it is the easiest cancer to detect, it is the top cancer in Singapore. We seek your support to spread the news of the free talks and FOBT (Faecal Occult Blood Test) kits. Early detection increases the chance of cure and saves lives. So please pass on the message and we hope that with your help, we will be able to reach out to more people.

We give our free FOBT kits to Singaporean and PR who are 50 years and above.

For any enquiries, please call 64215 804.

Click to this http://www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg/wwd-health-talks-n-forums.shtml#ccamlocations for the locations of distribution outlets.

Thank you. 

Watch out for these symptoms

Senior moment or memory roulette?

When does the forgetfulness that's common with age signal a bigger problem?

RICH POPE / MCT ILLUSTRATION

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BY RACHEL SASLOW

WASHINGTON POST SERVICE

Where did I park my car?

What is that lady's name?

Where are my glasses?

Some call these ``senior moments'' or ``tip-of-the-tongue'' experiences. They're mundane for many elderly (and not-so-elderly) adults, but when do they become something more serious? How does one know when it's time to get screened for a memory disorder?

``The reason it's becoming such an acute concern for everybody is that baby boomers are starting to get into the higher-risk age group, but the bigger driver for this is the baby boomers' parents,'' says James Lah, an Emory University neurologist who is 48 and has parents ages 73 and 81. ``That age bracket is very high-risk, and seeing it in our parents makes you acutely aware and afraid of that prospect.''

The risk of mild cognitive disorder and dementia increase with age; Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia. About five million Americans live with Alzheimer's and, in 2008, it passed diabetes to become the nation's sixth-leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, partly because of the lack of treatments to stop or reverse it. Some studies estimate that a person's risk of developing the disease doubles every five years after age 65.

Memory lapses start in our 20s, though people don't typically notice or fret about them until their 50s. In a study published last year in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, psychologists asked about 2,000 participants to solve puzzles, identify patterns and remember words and details from stories, among other memory tests. The top performers were 22 years old; researchers saw a notable decline in the ability to make rapid comparisons, remember unrelated information and detect relationships by age 27. A weakening memory can usually be detected by around age 37, according to the study. The good news was that people's vocabulary and general knowledge increase until at least age 60.

``Once you hit your 40s and especially your 50s, your memory is not as good as it used to be,'' says Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry and aging at the University of California at Los Angeles. ``The brain science of aging certainly backs that up.''

While it's not healthy to over-interpret everyday memory lapses, it's important to bring up with a doctor anything that strikes you or your family as unusual. It's also wise to do this sooner rather than later, because treatments for Alzheimer's, though not completely effective, may provide some help when the disease is diagnosed early. Also, a doctor can screen a patient for other conditions that can cause memory loss, such as stroke, a bad interaction among medications or a thyroid disorder.

More common conditions such as depression, hormonal changes, stress, fatigue and a poor diet can contribute to forgetfulness, so sometimes lifestyle changes can restore memory function. The strongest memory-protective lifestyle strategy is physical exercise, Small says. Just 10 minutes of brisk walking each day can help lower one's Alzheimer's risk, he says. Lah says his male patients hate his suggestion to take up ballroom dancing, which is more likely to protect against dementia than, say, golf, because it is more physically demanding and requires a more active thought process.

``It's always good for a giggle during an otherwise difficult discussion,'' he says.

Some people turn to ``brain calisthenics'' such as crossword puzzles, playing music or learning a language to stay sharp. A study published last year in the journal Neurology backed up this approach: Scientists found that people who did 11 such activities a week delayed rapid memory loss by about 1.3 years compared with those who did just four a week. Still, both Small and Lah say, it's a stretch to claim that any of the brain exercise programs are proven to prevent memory disorders.

Others swear by ginkgo biloba, but a study last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that the extract does not reduce the chances of dementia. Then there are omega-3 fatty acids -- which Small says some studies suggest may be helpful although ``the evidence is not overwhelming'' -- and the much-ballyhooed pomegranate juice. The bright-red seeds of the pomegranate have lots of vitamin C and other antioxidants, which fight the free radicals that can damage brain cells. Studies show an association between ingesting antioxidants and having a lower risk for Alzheimer's, but any claim that drinking pomegranate juice would be beneficial would have to be based on a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, ``which I have not seen,'' Small says.

``With memory lapses, it's the degree of the problem,'' he says. ``If you forget where you place your keys, that's common. But if you put them in the refrigerator repeatedly, that's a problem.''

Starting with Small's example, here are some common ``senior moments,'' juxtaposed with situations that might be more troublesome:

NORMAL: Forgetting your keys.

PROBLEMATIC: Putting your keys in the refrigerator.

Acting as if the keys belong between the milk and the eggs shows a level of confusion that interferes with daily life, a good benchmark for determining if a slip is something more serious. So if you find your car keys in the dairy drawer, is it time to see a neurologist? Not exactly, says Molly Wagster, chief of the behavioral and systems neuroscience branch at the National Institute on Aging. ``I can see a cognitively healthy person of any driving age getting distracted, carrying several packages at once and then they get a yogurt out on the way to work and put the keys in the refrigerator,'' Wagster says.

Multitasking gets more difficult as people age. What's important is that the person realizes something is missing and they keep searching for it until they find it, she says. People with dementia might forget that they need to find the car keys and then forget that they need to go to work.

NORMAL: Forgetting where you parked.

PROBLEMATIC: Forgetting where you parked once a week.

Working memory is a kind of short-term memory that is particularly vulnerable as we age. Our working memory contains information that you hang on to for a short while for a specific purpose, such as where we parked the car. The brain also has to be able to change and update information in the working memory.

``If you park in a parking lot next to a large shopping mall and go in, walk through several stores and exit from a different door, you need to be able to update your working memory because you're exiting at a different orientation,'' Wagster says. ``But once you get to your car, you don't need that information anymore'' and can therefore shed it.

While forgetting where you parked once in a while is normal, doing so once a week suggests a faulty working memory, interferes with daily life and could signal a larger problem.

NORMAL: Forgetting a person's name.

PROBLEMATIC: Forgetting a person's name and then repeatedly asking him or her, ``What's your name again?''

It's normal for our brains to change over time, just like our muscles, bones and skin show their ages, Lah says.

``Just as you don't run as fast at 70 as 20, likewise those brain cells you've been carrying around for 70 years don't fire and transmit information as quickly as they did when you were 20,'' he says.

To retrieve information such as a person's name, it has to be stored correctly. That means that when you meet a new person, you have to learn his or her face, name and some identifying details and then consolidate those bits of information. If that system isn't working, retrieval won't be possible.

``Where it becomes much more worrisome for those concerned with Alzheimer's, it's not just the retrieval process that becomes inefficient: The brain cells and networks responsible for learning information become damaged.''

Repeating questions is a common symptom of Alzheimer's and could signal a damaged short-term memory.

NORMAL: Inability to program the cable box.

PROBLEMATIC: Forgetting how to turn on the TV.

Programming a cable box is something you rarely have to do, and with three remotes and increasingly complicated entertainment systems, it's normal to need some help. But if someone watches television every night and is suddenly befuddled by the buttons on the remote, that could be a problem. People with memory disorders often find it difficult to complete daily tasks that they used to do automatically, such as driving to work, remembering the rules of a favorite game or even bathing.

Yellow Yellow Happy Fellows

Just received this letter from Yellow Ribbon Fund, well done runners!

6th September 2009 - Beautiful Sunday
6.9.2009 Happy Birthday Botak

It was also a Happy Sunday when the race begin but for a few of us the FUN begun on Saturday, 5th September. ....the shaving ritual

Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 6th September 2009
Total sum raised = $25,610.

Our Happy Fellows
Names in green denote runners at 6th September 2009, Yellow Ribbon Prison Run.
$5,000 - Wong Hoo
$1,000 - Botak, Mohan, Teck Khing, Yi Feng, Franklin Tan, Patrick Peng, Nick Soon, Vincent , Philip Kho
$500 - Peter Poh, Anthony Lim,William Tay , Ong Bee Chuan, Chan Teck Huat, Lee Teck Seng, Lim Jew Tim, Sin Wey Kian, Thomas Goh, Chew Kian Giap , Sim Sew Bee, Clifton Yong, Ng Goh Hock,
$300 - Lee Teck Khing, Ng Chow Leng, Ng Kai Wa, Chan Ming Tat,
$200 - Nicky Ting, Dave Ng, Gary Theh, Lim Kok Ann, Melvyn Ho
$100 - Alvin Wong, Billy Phua, Ang Eng Yeow, Daniel Ong, Dorothy Loh, Sam Foong, Allan Kwek, Ernest Sim, Lawrence Tan, Hazel Goh, Eugene Lim, Sam Khor, Doris Lim, Tan Kong Chee, Zeng Shiyao, Ng Kim Hoo, Bay Eng Seng, George Lee
$55 - Chia Way Seng, Ong Poh Gek, Loh Kim Chuan, Margaret Rajesinary, Bala Krisnan, Janet Chew
$50 - Mag Yong, Zhao Ming, Li Bin, Shirley Tan, Justin Ong , Calvin Chia, Andrew Yong, Roger Lim, Tan Cheng Keat, Toby Lim,
$30 - Edwin Chionh, Willie Chan , Lau Shen Lian, Shao Chong, Shao Jean
$25 - Lee Ai Lay , Lee Bon Hian
$10 - Tay Lian Kun, Andrea Yong, Freddy Yeoh, Ng Chun Chuan, Yap Shui Huat, Mavis Goh, Tan Heng Yee, Lim Choon Leng

A Dear Knees Letter

Dear Knees, oh How I hate to write
Dear Knees, I must tell you tonite....

My dearest right and left knee,

Please forgive me for the unnecessary trauma I caused to both of you due to my ignorance and wrong running method in 2009. By running so many marathons last year, it make me the bigger fool. I don't know where the pluck I got the focking idea of running heel down first (ouch!). It was after watching Evolution Running that I realized how much agony I bestow upon you (which happen to be me too). I never meant to hurt you, trust me, it pain me as much as you. (of course lah stupid! those are my knees what!).

For the benefits of my follow runners, may I have your permission to replay our October 2009 Interval training (which now seem so brainless) so that they will no make the same mistakes as I do :((

My non-fatal mistakes were :
1) Arms not swinging backward
2) Heels not flicking backward

My fatal mistakes:
1) Over strike with foot way in front of knee
2) Resulting in BANG! Heel hitting the ground first!!!!

Hopefully it will save many of my friends and also many of your friends with a common name call KNEES.

thank you and sayang sayang

yours dearest-ly

botak
12 January 2010

How not to run like Botak

BANG!! right heel hit the ground first

Over strike, right foot is way in front of the knee



Arms not swinging back

Left foot ahead of knee again

Contact! BANG!!! left heel hit the ground OUCH!!!!

video clips of evolution running

http://www.5min.com/Video/An-Introduction-to-Evolution-Running-29683878

A Classic Record of our History

This is a classic record of our HISTORY. Many scenes bring nostalgic sentiments....the turbaned Indian directing traffic....the ahpian Chinese bearing sacks of rice over bouncy planks....and bumboats with simply punt power.

Many of us weren't born yet but I am sure you will recognise some of the buildings in the video. This is a MUST watch for your children too.

Click on the web-link and enjoy :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvhY6DtfZs&eurl=http://ramblinglibrarian.blogspot.com/search?q%3D1938&feajture=player_embedded

Some Old Photos...

taken during those good old days when we were studying at BPES.....

Try remembering some of these faces, you may meet them along the streets one day. The world is not so big after all.

Freddy's Passion and Perserverance

This is Freddy's latest feat in a recent marathon held in Beijing !

Well done, Freddy !

The Yellow Ribbon Run on 6 Sep 09

7 am, 6 Sep 2009. Prelude to a Beautiful Sunday, Ready to go for a meaningful run.....

Weather was cool but this Botak was hot !

He made it ! 10 km in 55 mins, having broken his own record.

What an achievement and also not forgetting how much he helped to raise for the Yellow Ribbon Project..

Time to celebrate

Behind every successful man....is his INSPIRATIONS !

A Surprise for Mr Kanda !

Last Saturday, Mr Kanda received a wonderful surprise....A former student of him found our blog and contacted him. He saw our post entitled "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise" posted by Sien Chi on 16 July 2008 and left a comment there.

Rajen Daniel was Mr Kanda's student in 1963. His sister was also taught by Mr Kanda and he also has two other brothers who went to BPES. The younger brother is Roy Daniel from our class of 1970.

Rajen Daniel is currently a doctor, living in Boston. He left a comment on the post as follows:

"I am very eager to contact Mr. Kandasamy and other school teachers at BPES.
The only teacher I am in touch is Mr John.
I am very grateful to my teachers who instilled a sense of value in our lives.

Daniel"

Reminder to Live Well & to stop smoking

William Goh Lye Guan; 1957-2009

A President's Scout, an ex army friend, some of our classmates who went to RI may know him. Cheated death once and survived a shipwreck that changed his life.

As I went to his wake yesterday and met some old friends, I thought it is useful to remind us of the fragility of life and to live well, live healthy and not let the little worries and stress in life bother us too much.

Anyone who is free every Wednesday morning and want to trek Bukit Timah Hill and inhale free oxygen can join me and my wife at the base around 9am.


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

Sep 3, 2009

Shipwreck survivor dies

By Serene Luo
		This picture was taken last year in happier times at the Singapore Cricket Club. In foreground, Mrs Wendy Goh and Mr William Goh Lye Guan, in back row, from left to right, Ryan, Russell, Reuben, and Rachel. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE GOH FAMILY

A CLOSE shave with death when a cruise ship sank made a Singapore money broker steer a new course in life, making family his priority.
Mr William Goh Lye Guan was one of the survivors of the sinking of the Royal Pacific, a Singapore-based cruise liner that collided with a Taiwanese trawler in the Malacca Straits in 1992.
Following the tragedy, which claimed the life of a family member, Mr Goh cut back on his work and even became a stay-home dad, a notion virtually unheard of even today.
He took pride in running a tight ship with his brood of four, ferrying them to and from school, tuition and ballet classes.
But on Monday, this devoted and loving father died following a year-long battle with oral cancer. He was 52.
The ill-fated Royal Pacific had been on its maiden voyage in 1992, a three-day cruise to nowhere.
Mr Goh was on the ship with his wife Wendy, now 52, and his first-born and only daughter Rachel, now 19. His wife's sister and husband were travelling with them.
Of the nine missing or dead, six were Singaporeans, including Mr Goh's brother-in-law, architect Charles Law, who died while trying to escape.
Mr Goh and Mr Law were good friends, said Mr Goh's brother Steven, 47, and the tragedy probably made him take stock of his life. Mrs Goh started her childcare business in 1995, and the couple decided around then that 'Daddy would stay home to take care of the kids'.

Mini gathering to Welcome home our friend from Dubai

Can you remember our Head Prefect in P6 , Judy Er Bee Lang? Can't blame you if you cannot recall as it was 39 years ago, very long ago......

Well, Judy, who followed her husband for job attachment in Dubai, was back during the National Day holiday. A small group of our friends met up with her over two lunches. They really have had some great times catching up on what was left 39 years ago !

Here are some photos taken with her : -

L to R : Judy, Polly, Geok Hong and Irene

Judy said :

Dear All,

It was a great get-together session catching up all memories after a long time.

Thank you for inviting me & I look forward to attend more gathering.

Cheers.

Judy Er

Everything you know is about to change.... chapter 2

Chapter 2, the story continue... run with me

YRPR 10km
Andrew Yong, Andrea Yong, Anthony Lim, Elton Chew Kian Giap, Lau Shen Liang, Lee Teck Khing, Daniel Ong, Billy Phua, Roger Lim, Lee Teck Seng, Ng Kim Hoo, Zeng ShiYao,
Chan Ming Tat, Mag Yong Kwang, Bay Eng Seng, Sam Foong, Franklin Tan, William Tay, Sim Wong Hoo, Botak Sim, Sim Shao Chong, Ernest Sim Li Ern, Sim Li Bin, Patrick Peng, Peter Poh, Vincent Teo, Hazel Goh, Mohanadas Kandiah, Mavis Goh Hin Fang, Huang Zhao Ming, Sin Wey Kian, Melvyn Ho, Yap Shui Huat

YRPR 5Km Run
Chia Way Seng, Bala Kerisnan, Ong Poh Gek Joycelyn, Margaret Rajesinary, Lee Ai Lay, Lee Bon Hian, Janet Chew, Loh Kim Chuan, Sim Shao Jean, Shirley Tan, Philip Kho

I am encouraged and touch by so many of you signing up for YRPR "read voluntarily" (Quote my old friend, Way Seng (" the fact that we have a great friend in Freddy to "cajole, bribe, demand, threaten, and now even considering hijacking us at the end of the 6 Sep 09 yellow ribbon run" is actually a blessing........")

I hope after the run, running will become part of your weekly "ex" regime. If you find the "ex" regime too tough to handle, lighten it by adding a S to ex = "Sex"

Something you know is about to change...
SEX is no more a dirty word

In fact, I confess my favorite past time is S.E.X.... I do it many times a day

Sleeping
Eating
X-training!
won't you join me in this wonderful activities?

Something you know is about to change...
Pain is no more a chore...

Pain has a new name, it is call marathon

won't you join me in this "painful" walk?

Something you know you better change...
non-runner, run
runner but non-marathoner, marathon
non-durian eater, eat durian lah, you don't know WTF (what the fruit) you had been missing!

Everything you know about running is about to change...

Road = run
Mountain = climb
Food = come
Zii = fun :))

A good day is when I get to run...

A great day is when I inspire (con) you to run :)