Candle 40: Loke Ying Lee

The following letter is from one of my juniors, Loke Ying Lee (Michelle) who wrote in response to my last blog post.  I am honoured that she has chosen to share her story on this blog, warts and all.  Our lives are enriched by the different paths we take, and there is no one "perfect" template in our quest to become all that God has created us to be.

Michelle Loke Ying Lee with her beautiful daughter, Chloe.

Dear Joanna

This is Loke Ying Lee, ex BBGS, 1979 - 1989 and perhaps I should have stayed to do sixth form at BBGS just like you.

I just read the story about your 1989.  I was touched by your courage to finally tell your story.  I felt that your year seems to have been a particularly fine vintage.  Perhaps it is the effect of juniors looking up to seniors.  You might have bemoaned your physical appearance.  I always thought you and Tomasina were equals as shining lights for the rest of us.

For a very long time, I kept my silence about my story.  It hasn't been anything nearly as glorious or glamorous.  Far from it.  I made mistakes, some of which led me to end up as a single mum.  But I am learning to forgive myself.  And I understand now, why you have been collecting BBGS stories.  Here is mine:

I wasn't supposed to go to BBGS.  In the dying days of 1978, my Singaporean aunt dragged my mother to see a school government official and somehow persuaded him to re-assign me to BBGS.  Asian tiger aunt at work, even then!

Being a born blur sotong, I got lost on my first day of school, Standard 1.  I couldn't find my way back to class after recess.  I'm pleased to say that my geography classes (thank you Mrs Abraham) helped me somewhat.  I can now read a map and have successfully navigated (more of less) my way around three continents.

By the time I got to Form 1, I still had a lisp, and couldn't pronounce 's' at the end, as in 'ass'.  That year, we had Mrs Aziz for English.  I was sufficiently terrified and respectful of her that I instinctively rewired my brain to address her correctly as 'Mrs Aziz', rather than 'Mirthirth Athith', which would have drawn such a petrifying glare from her that I would not have progressed to Form 2 to receive my much needed geography lessons.  So thank you, Mrs Aziz for the instant elocution lessons.

Choral speaking was, of course the main activity which we BBGSians learned to present, and speak well.  I don't remember being any good personally, but I do remember having superb tutors (haha - you!) and we sailed through those friendly competitions.  Thinking about it, this was probably what taught me to appear confident at presentations in later life.  

Perhaps the most painful part was growing up, and finally understanding the disparity in wealth levels among the little girls who had grown up together.  I estimate probably 80% of my graduating class of '89 (Form 5) went abroad to study.

I wasn't, am not, all that smart.  I didn't have a scholarship to fall back on.  Being poor and stupid is an unfortunate combination.  However, I had learned two more skills from BBGS:  sheer tenacity and the most useful - how to cook (thank you Miss Yeap for convincing me that cooking is better than learning to balance the books).  With that, I eventually graduated with a degree in Law and a Financial Analyst charter, survived in the world of asset management and raised a reasonably healthy daughter on home-cooked meals.

Looking back, I am grateful my aunt engineered my move to BBGS.  My regret is that I have been away for more than 20 years during which time the school has been demolished and most of my classmates have dispersed to the four corners of the earth.  I haven't given back at all.

This has been my story.  And now with my daughter at Uni, I begin my 'second life'.  If anyone wants to contact me, they can look me up at mya.loke@gmail.com.  I might be a bit different (older, for a start) from what they remember but there is still a bit of the dorky, blur sotong Ying Lee in me.

Nisi Dominus Frustra

The Year I Was School Captain

Three days ago, I uploaded this photo of my BBGS prefect badges on Facebook and watched in amazement as it triggered almost 300 "Likes" and many comments expressing sentiments of fear, terror and even hate! Some kinder souls used the word "legend".  This was all in response to the year 1989, when I served as School Captain, otherwise known as Head Prefect in other schools.

I am well aware that my reputation as a garang (fierce), no-nonsense School Captain became my identity in BBGS and lasted for decades beyond that.

But not many people know that I did not want to be School Captain.  In fact, I didn't even want to return to BBGS for Form Six.  I had no other choice.

This is the first time I'm sharing the story of what really happened in 1989 - The Year I Was School Captain.

Family Finances

My dad lost his job in 1986, when I was in Form Four.  That spelt the end of my dreams of attending private college after SPM.  I watched in envy as my friends registered for Year 12 at Taylor's and A Levels at Prime College, with plans for further education abroad.  That was no longer an option for me.  If I wanted a degree, it would have to be from a local university in Malaysia.  That meant facing the dreaded STPM exams and competing for entry on the race-based quota system.

In order to make ends meet, my dad started a business supplying barbecued seafood to supermarkets and every family member chipped in to help.  It was very hard work.  My dad drove to Selayang wholesale market at 3am every morning to buy seafood supplies, with only a few hours' sleep after closing our outlets at midnight.  There was always the fear of near-miss accidents on the road if he was too tired and fell asleep at the wheel.  

My mother was a super-hero who held down three jobs.  She taught in school during the day, came home to help my dad prepare supplies for the next day, and continued giving private tuition at night to supplement our family income. 

My sister Julie and I also did our share of physical labour.  At the end of the school day, we would drop our bags, change out of our uniforms, eat lunch quickly before starting to clean and prepare hundreds of kilograms of seafood for the business.  Once all the supplies were packed in the late evening, we would start our homework and get ready for school the next day.

That was our routine day in, day out.  Seven days a week.  Even on public holidays.

Some of my classmates knew about our changed circumstances and reacted in different ways.  One kind friend lent me her SPM revision notes and books so I didn't have to buy any. Another less-sensitive soul asked me if I bothered showering after cleaning all that sotong (squid)!

Academic Excellence

I had always been a good student up till that point.  However with the family pressures and making the unfortunate choice of entering the Science Stream, which was not my forte, my grades suffered. I failed miserably at Add Maths and Physics, which dealt a huge blow to my self-confidence.  My SPM results did not live up to many people's expectations.  I remember sitting dejectedly in Miss Yeap's office the day the results were released.  She shut her office door, pulled out a box of tissues and gave me a big hug.  That simple gesture opened a floodgate of tears.  I have never wept so hard in my life.  Miss Yeap cried too.

After the tears subsided, she advised me to switch to the Arts Stream for STPM, and offered to petition the Ministry of Education for my transfer to BBGS.  This meant I had a lot of catching up to do especially in subjects like History, English Literature and Accounting, which I had not covered in the Science Stream.  I was determined to focus on my studies, without the distraction of extra-curriulur activities.  

Upon my return to BBGS in Form Six, I did not even want to be a prefect, let alone School Captain.  When I was elected for the leadership role at the end of 1988, it was Miss Yeap who persuaded me to take it up.  But, I had to get my father's permission first.  

After a long discussion, he agreed to put me on a 3-month probation as School Captain on two conditions:

1) That I top the class in Upper Six for term exams.  Second place was not an option.

2) That I continue to help him with the family business operations, as well as taking on the added responsibility of book-keeping.

My father made me draw up and sign a contract, which was pinned up on the wall in front of my study desk throughout 1989.

Personal Insecurities

I was an overweight, pimple-faced teenage girl surrounded by pretty girls half my size.  That did nothing for my self-image and added tremendously to the insecurities of adolescence.

The only thing that made me feel good about myself during those years was the power and authority that came from being a school prefect.  And so when the opportunity to become School Captain came along, I responded the only way I knew how.  With an iron fist.  I got the job done by putting on a stern demeanour and ensuring that everyone followed the rules strictly.  That did not make me the most popular girl in school.  

While I was protected from negative sentiments by my position, my poor sister Julie was not so fortunate.  She often became the target of insults and brickbats from resentful girls who could not "touch" me.  Fortunately, she formed a close bond with a handful of friends who shielded her from much unkindness.

The year 1989 went by very quickly.  I studied hard while serving my term as School Captain, and continued to help my father run the family business.  I emerged top STPM student in BBGS that year, went on to study Economics at University of Malaya and graduated with first class honours.  That led to a British Council scholarship for an MBA in England, and an international career in HR strategy and consulting.

I am forever grateful to my parents for working so hard to ensure that I received a good education, and for loving and supporting me in difficult times.  To my sister Julie for the courage to live as "Joanna Yeoh's sister" and going on to become a success in her own right.  To my teachers, especially Miss Yeap, for her compassion, encouragement and love.

And so dear friends, 1989 was indeed a watershed year in my life.  

It was not only the year I was School Captain.  

It was the year I grew up and became an adult.

Candle 39: Yong Ai Lian (Irene)

I was delighted to hear from Yong Ai Lian (Class of 1963), a bubbly BBGSian from the 1960s who is sharing with us her precious memories and priceless stash of photos.  Ai Lian's enthusiasm is infectious as you will no doubt see when you read her story in her own words.

Hi Joanna

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Yong Ai Lian ( surname is Young in Mandarin) It is an identity I myself hardly recognise as I have since marriage, subserviently taken on the patriarch namesake.

After discovering your blog and ploughing through all the archived posts,( for 2 days and nights) I realised that there's hardly any 60's BBGSians except for Mrs Yeoh posted. As you may guess, I only decide to google  BBGS after reading about my beloved Ms Cooke's demise.

I am not prepared for the great impact your back2bbgs blog has on my fading memory. Can you imagine this grandma yelling out to her 'old man' to listen as she croaks out the school song to the strains of the video choir.

Joanna, your fantastic blog is a wake up call. At my age, I've been told often to just live in the present and one day at a time, Suddenly this past is catching up with me and here I am sitting in front of my old cupboard, digging out my old BBGS album. I have precious photos of my classmates and I in the orignal BBGS uniforms..the alternate green and white trimmings on the pinafore. There's also photos of the three wonderful caucasian teachers doing the "twist" at our class party.

Hope to hear from you and perhaps through your blog, my old old friends may reconnect with me. Thanks for the trip back down memory lane....I have found Yong Ai Lian again!

===========================================

Name: Yong Ai Lian
BBGS Primary Years: 1954 -1958 ( double promotion from Std 1 to 3)
BBGS Secondary Years: 1958 - 1963
Temporary teaching jobs: BBGS Pri Sch 2 1964 / BBBS Primary(PJ) 1965
Tertiary:  Malayan Teachers' College: 1966 -1967 (more fun than study - those were the days)

Postings

1. Negri Sembilan (got married and lost touch with all childhood friends )

2. Melaka ( busy juggling between job and raising 3 kids.)

Note: 1st few years of teaching..still could maintain the BBGS spirit.. started the Girl Guides Brigade in a rural school, actively involved in teaching folk dancing and dramas, even coaching 'gymrama'.  As the school culture and educational policies change down the years, so did my BBGS spirit..it just died a natural death.

My Three Pride and Joy

• all my three kids managed to graduate from NUS & NTU (Spore)
• my eldest daughter is an endodontist and she set up the first endodontic clinic in Alexander Hospital in Spore. She has emigrated to New Zealand after marriage.
• my second daughter graduated from NTU in computer engineering, worked briefly at SIA, then set up her own business, She thought it would be easier to be self employed when her kids arrived. She was proved wrong.  Both her mom(yours truly) and she had retired from the 24/7 time consuming business and she is now actively involved her primary daughter's school committee besides being a HDB 'tai tai'.
• my youngest son had rejected an NUS offer to study Dentistry as he couldn't imagine himself looking down into people's mouths throughout his whole life. .(hats off to his 'jieh jieh'). So now he's attached to an MNC and travelling all over the world to places his poor mom has never been in her whole lifetime.

Current Position:  Recuperating in Melaka from the "die die must do" lifestyle in Singpaore and confined to just watching K-Wave dramas

Pic 1(Form 5 class pic)

Mrs Swarfield ( hope the spelling is correct) was actually a doctor but she'd rather we call her Mrs.  Her Health Science lessons always tickled us as she gestured a lot especially at the anatomy parts. We might have lost our innocence then.

This Arts Class is the one and only class . After my LCE, I got an A for Domestic Science ( compulsory for form 1 -3), and B for Science & Math  so I was put in Form 4 Arts class. I was quite blur at that time. Later when I wanted to apply for overseas nursing I found that my lack of Maths & Science in my certificate was a handicap and I regretted my choice.  However, this Arts Class had the most warm and loving members I've ever known and for that I have no regrets.

  Mrs Hooi

My Form 4 form teacher who graduated from Singapore and specialised in History. I always scored As for her History tests and exams as she usually asked me to type the past years questions for her and I became quite good at spotting questions, We had typewriting classes back then with one Mr Mah - a Chinese Muslim. Typing was conducted with music,,,one note for letters and another note for space, My friend who had higher grade piano skills showed off by typing faster than the music rhythm and was reprimanded for that.

Miss Catherine Angus

I practically hero-worshipped her.,.she was pretty , warm and caring. My love for Shakespearean plays probably grew after her emotionally charged interpretation of a soliloquy in French by Lady Macbeth ( I think). She entranced us completely with her smooth rendition of French words that we felt we understood every word . She became my 'guardian angel' after my father ( whom I was very close to )passed away suddenly when I just entered Form 5, She dragged me to the corner of the balcony (where prayers are conducted everyday before class) and soon I was attending the Gospel Hall in PJ where I had a brief spell with Christian teachings. I have long since strayed

 Miss Isobel Albert

Another icon of BBGS - She taught us Literature and her stern blue eyes never missed a single movement during her lessons, Once she asked me whether my well written assignment was my own work (there was no internet and hardly any books to plagiarise in those days) and I was so hurt that I did not look her in her face whenever she came to class, She noticed! One day she caught me alone and started chatting.,,,and I am not sure whether she did apologise for her mistake or not....but I was soon good friends with her again,

Pic 2 (Choral Speaking)

It was the first time Choral Speaking was introduced and my Form 5 class was the proud winner of this brand new shield ( if I am not mistaken, donated by Miss Glasgow who mooted the idea before she retired) I had the honour of attending her retirement ceremony just as soon as I entered secondary. She reminded me of the Queen Mother, graceful and dignified, Miss Angus trained us but Mrs Swarfield took the honour as she 's our form teacher. No, we didn't compose our own at that time. Miss Angus chose a very simple poem , rather more of a nursery rhyme.."The Owl and the Pussy Cat went to sea...in a beautiful..". but her rendition of it was not unlike her Shakesperean performance and we happened to be excellent copy cats.

 Pic 4 ( Bon Voyage)

Mrs Pamela Brampton! What a lady! I believe she was a professional actress from UK or was it US. Her brief stint at BBGS ( halfway my form 4 till mid Form 5) brought unique experiences to our lives. She introduced a sort of modern dance to her PE class and we were made to wear short sleeveless blue tunic to dance to the tune of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.. We were divided into several groups - one group is the wind, one the rain, one the thunder and lightning and only one girl is the Sun. I think my group members were flowers and there were some farmers too, So the music started out soft and my group -- flowers or what,,,I just remembered having to go low then stretch up up to the sky .." reach higher higher- the sun is up- reach outwards and upwards to feel the warmth of the sun,,..stretch....!" Then when the music went louder , the thunder and lightning group had to thrash their arms forcefully around. Well, although we rocked to the music of Elvis at that time, we were still inhibited when it came to flaring out our limbs in ballet like tunics. One Malay classmate of mine came in wearing long sleeved tunic because her strict father forbade her to wear sleeveless. Mrs Brampton pulled her aside but I think later on someone must have explained the religious situation to her as my friend continued to wear her long sleeved tunic.

She also instilled the love of theatre in me. My late uncle (an engineer) used to volunteer to do the lightings in the old Town Hall for the Philharmonic Society plays and I had the opportunity to see a lot of plays ,"Merry Widow" & so forth, mainly by expatriates during the 50's & 60's. However Mrs Brampton produced a play for British Council and she introduced a new style stage (forgot the term) where the stage was in the middle of the hall and the audience sat around the stage, almost within reach of the stage players. My classmates and I were not so interested in the new style theatre as in "Mrs Brampton ..got kissing scene or not...you got kiss the hero or not...yes? yes?" Obviously, we rushed to catch the play.

Pic 4 ( The Twisters)

See what I mean.."C'mon let's do the twist.." so the normally serious teachers took to the floor and twisted their butts off to the strains of Chubby Checker's screamings. Even the new art teacher who's very quiet and reserved, seemed to take the opportunity to release the real her. The taller Chinese teacher was Mrs Ngai ( Homescience teacher) whose bark was fiercer than her bite. All the Homescience or Domestic Science (as was called then) teachers were so fierce that we nicknamed them 'Bulldogs". I was hopeless at cooking as my granny still had her 'ah mah jie" until I got married and she went back to China. So I always volunteered to do the washing up while my partner did all the hands -on stuff, cooking , baking etc as she was very fast. However, during the finals I had to stand on my own. I was to serve oven scones for tea. Unfortunately for me, they bought a new gas oven and I was privileged to be the first to use it. My scones were badly burnt even though I had rehearsed the 10 minute baking time a week ago. So I took all the scones and hid them in my apron pockets and tried to scrap off the burnt parts when the invigilator was not looking then smeared them all over with jam. Later Mrs Ngai realised that the oven heat for gas and electric ovens are different and gas heat up faster. Too late!

Candle 38: Ong Jin Kar

(L-R) Kevin, Joel, Daniel and Jin Kar

I knew it was going to be an interesting reunion when 8-year old Joel Chee rushed into the restaurant, plonked himself next to me and said "My mum says you were the Head Prefect and everyone was scared of you!" Haha...that's the story of my life in BBGS, dear boy...

Joel is the son of Ong Jin Kar from the class of 1986. Jin Kar, her husband Kevin and their two boys were on their way back to Perth from Bristol (UK) where Kevin has spent the last year completing his opthamologist specialist training. She even found time to co-found the European chapter of the BBGS alumni in the UK, together with Doreen Craig. They organised a successful reunion in London, which brought together a large number of BBGSians.

Jin Kar migrated to Perth shortly after secondary school, studied at the University of Western Australia and worked as an accountant before becoming a full-time mom. She enjoys living in the city which is idyllic for bringing up her kids. Her sister Jin Hui, whom I met while in Perth last year, is also based in Perth and the sisters catch up regularly.

We were joined by Moonlake Lee and her family and all 3 of us had a wonderful time chatting over dinner while the kids and husbands entertained themselves. We were amused at how some girls had glamourised themselves beyond recognition, while others have stayed exactly the same. Jin Kar was kind enough to place me in the "glamour" list! Haha... So you see little Joel, people aren't so scared of me anymore :-)

Candle 37: Yap Ying Moi

Here's another update to Project Kindle. This time we're hearing from Yap Ying Moi (Class of 1980) who now lives in Japan. She's especially keen to get in touch with her classmates so if you know Ying Moi, please leave a comment on this blog post and we'll reconnect you! Many BBGSians have found their long-lost friends through this blog...hurray...that's the reason I set it up in the first place.

Dear Joanna,

Thank you for having me as your FB friend. I graduated from Tingkatan 5 in 1980, which means I am much older than you. If I am not mistaken , you were still in BBGS in the '90s. (Joanna: Actually, I left in '89!) It is great to be connected to a former BBGSians, and if you know anyone of my age, could you refer them to me. I was under Ms. Cooke and for the last 2 or 3 years I was under Mrs. Ang. I am now in Japan but I go back to KL every year.

Name: Yap Ying Moi
Years in BBGS: 1970 - 1980.
Based in : Japan
Job: Language teacher, interpreter and translator
People I wish to be reconnected to: Chan Ooi Kuan, Chia Bee Joo, Leong Yin San and anyone who thinks she knows or remembers me.

Candle 36: Allyn Rabiah Seddek

Another BBGSian in the news...and why not? This time, it's Allyn Rabiah Seddek (Class of 1987) who was featured recently as a successful entrepreneur running a Thai Restaurant and premium gifts business. We were from the same graduating year, and she playfully asked me if I remembered her as the "naughty one". I most certainly do, and congratulations girl...way to go!

Candle 35: Seto Wai Ling & Chang Wai Fun

What happens when a classmate you haven't seen in 22 years announces on Facebook that she's stopping by Singapore? You happily round up other BBGSians and have a mini-reunion of course!

(L-R) Lu Meng, Seto Wai Ling, Joanna & Chang Wai Fun having dinner at Cedele in Wheelock Place

This evening, I had the pleasure of catching up with Seto Wai Ling and Chang Wai Fun, another 2 schoolmates from the Class of 1987. As expected, we repeated our life stories, recalled silly school stories, caught up on the goss about fellow classmates and teachers and it was a barrel of FUN! When we meet Lu Meng, we'll always get the drama story, the hockey story, the "all American girl" story...in that order...we missed the Naimah one this time, though...you're losing your touch girl :-) We'll definitely be meeting up again after Chinese New Year (once I get my act together and actually start planning a reunion for Singapore-based BBGSians)


Seto Wai Ling arrived in BBGS in Form 4 as a minor celebrity, having won national chess championships. She studied Economics & Philosophy in NUS before accompanying her husband to MIT in Boston. There, she threw herself into Japanese language studies while enjoying the myriad activities that MIT had to offer. She currently resides in Melbourne and calls herself a "professional student".


Patricia Chang Wai Fun was THE Mathematics wizard in my year, sweeping all the prizes while I could barely understand my dy/dx. Not surprisingly, she went on to study Actuarial Science in Canada and is now the CFO of a large insurance company. She has also worked in China & Indonesia and currently resides in Singapore with her family.

Candle 34: Melinda Tai Mei Lian

Hi Joanna,

I found your blog by chance—what a joy! I am not sure if my story will qualify for your project. (Joanna says: Of course it will. This forum is for BBGSians of any age and creed. CBNers stay away!)

You probably do not know me as I was many years ahead of you at BBGS from 1962-1974. My headmistresses were Ms. Ma Tak Yan in Primary 2 and Ms. Cooke in Secondary. I remembered how I was such a riot at primary school for talking too much in class and was often send to the office. Those were the days. Ms Cooke was a joy and a sweetie---I always looked forward to her class.

One of my fondest memories was “Funfair Days” where each class would either cook, make something or perform for the event. One of the best times was when our class was voted for cooking the best popiah! There are so many teachers' names that I may have forgotten, the ones that I remembered fondly was Ms. Boey, my Bible teacher. Despite her disability she is forever cheerful and helpful.

I have some great friends, unfortunately I have lost touch with them when I got married and immigrated to the United States.

Melinda Tai Mei Lian

http://www.melindatai.com/

Candle 33: Chang Wai Min

When Wai Min walked into the mall, I recognised her smile instantly. She's one of these people with bright cheerful dispositions that light up a room! She's from the Class of 1985 and was a Shirtliff cheerleader at school.

Wai Min came to Melbourne to study accountancy and stayed on to work, marry and raise a family. She has 6 kids (yes, you read that right) ranging from 15 years to 9 months. She keeps up with BBGS news through this blog and was only too happy to share her memories.

One funny story includes a teacher with strange pronunciation who kept referring to John Marlowe as "John Mah-lau" (monkey in Cantonese)...haha...

Thanks for dropping by at the mini-reunion, Wai Min. Let's do this again soon :-)

Candle 32: Ida Mok

With the large numbers of BBGSians residing in Melbourne, it almost feels like home! Today, I had a mini-reunion with a few of them at Westfield Shopping Centre in Doncaster. We chatted and laughed ourselves silly over a few lattes and sandwiches at Jones the Grocer.

Ida Mok from the Class of 1988 is as effervescent as ever. I remember her as the school photographer and she remembers me as the School Captain who gave her two offence slips! She was quite a comedian in school and that hasn't changed. It was a laugh-a-minute with her around, and the hours just slipped by.

Ida read and practised Law in England before moving to Australia with her family two years ago. She now runs a successful service business from home, while caring for her two boys: Ethan and Caleb. She credits the BBGS for inculcating a sense of integrity and humility, and is now passing on the values to her kids by making them memorise the school song and wash toilets! :-)

She's chosen to focus on bringing up her kids instead of a career because that's what's important for now. Good on you, girl!

Ida struggling valiantly with 2-year old Caleb whom she affectionately calls
Ho-sama (her little terrorist)

Candle 31: Melody Gan

Melody Gan from the class of 1990 shares her BBGS memories with us.

Hi Joanna,

You probably do not remember me but I think you were a few years ahead of me at BBGS. Anyway, after years of being incognito and moving from country to country, I finally succumbed and joined Facebook. When prompted for the entry for high school, I was stunned to find that there was no entry for BBGS, but an entry for CBN. How can that be possible??!!! So I googled BBGS and found out that the name has been changed, and that led me straight to your website.

Anyway, I think it is great what you are doing to keep the BBGS spirit alive! How are you, by the way? As for me, I have been away from Malaysia for 17 years. It saddens me to know that BBGS no longer exists as it was instrumental in giving me the strength and fearless (in mandarin - "bu pa shi" or in cantonese "mm pa sei"...not afraid to die) attitude that propelled me through my life so far. I was there from 1980-1985 for primary school and then 1986 to 1990 for secondary school. Do you know anyone from class of 1990?

BBGS was a life-turning experience for me as I was incredibly shy as a kid, but somehow had the guts to try for every activity in the school. Hence, I was in a play every year in secondary school, became head cheerleader of Cooke House in Form 5, represented the school in rhythmic gymnastics and some dance performances. It was utopia for me as it taught me that you could achieve anything you set your mind to.

One especially funny memory was in Biology with Mrs Wong who was one of my favorite teachers. I was in 5S4, and we were supposed to dissect cockroaches that day, which of course no one relished. It was the last period of the day for us, and we were trying to slip chloroform into the plastic bags which contained the roaches when some of the girls panicked and the roaches escaped. Of course that resulted in pandemonium as about 40 screaming girls ran out onto the netball field which was right next to the main road. Unfortunately, the girls from 5S5 were having their class photo taken, and were neatly stacked on benches and tables on the field. There was also a lot of traffic on the main road. We were hysterical and had our skirts up to our chests, and jumped all over those girls. Before long, we had 80 screaming girls all over the field and traffic came to a standstill. We certainly exposed ourselves that day and needless to say, Mrs Wong was not amused.

My friends were some of the most amazing girls I ever met and have turned into some pretty incredible women - too many to list and I do not want to single anyone out since they were all great but some names that come to mind are Yap Lee Mei, Ng Wei Leng, Gan Gek Choo, Lisa Ng, Lee Li Ling, Ammetha Kaur, Sujatha, Chin Yoke Yuen, Lim Ping, Loke Foong Wai, Amarjit Kaur, Rekha, etc. Unfortunately, I have lost touch with so many of them due to my frequent moves and intense work schedule.

Joanna says: A great way to get back in touch with your friends is to share your story on this blog and I guarantee that our readers will get in touch with you! I have already sent Melody the emails of two friends on her list :-)

Candle 30: Juliana Yeoh

I am very proud and honoured to introduce our next BBGSian: Juliana Yeoh. She is my sister and my best friend. And as sweet as that may sound, it's not been an easy ride. I've always known that her BBGS experience was very different from mine but it's only in the last two years that I've begun to understand how significantly different it was. Here's Julie in her own words...

(L-R): Joanna & Juliana at Lake Tahoe last spring

My journey in BBGS started from Primary 1 to Form 5 (1980-1990). My perspective will be slightly different than most. Here is my story.....

Throughout my time in BBGS, I have always been "Joanna Yeoh's sister" or "Mrs Yeoh's daughter". I never really had my own identity. Not many knew me for who I am or what I can do. I am so different from Joanna in every way and the opposite in terms of personality. I have the utmost respect and love for my sister, Joanna and I knew I would not achieve or do the things that she achieved. But in BBGS, I somewhat felt I did not live up to those achievements or standards Joanna had set. It was kind of hard living in her shadow (and I don't blame Joanna for it). This was my life. I lived with a huge chunk of insecurity. In my later years, I grew to find my identity and evolved to be the person I am now. A little late but I made it!

My most enjoyable times in BBGS will have to be the times I spent with the ‘Croakers” and working together in the Interact Club. Till this day, 20 years down the road we are still great friends despite being scattered all over the world. These are great friendships I made in BBGS. They loved me for who I am, with all my baggage. Thanks to Facebook and the blog we are now connected. Even now that I am here in Sacramento, California; I have Sujatha Rajagopal living in Tracy, just 2 hours drive away.

BBGS shaped my character and planted in me values that make me who I am today. Integrity, independence and achieving your dreams, no matter big or small, these are the values I hold dear to this day. It is now becoming a rare asset.

After BBGS, I did my STPM and then received a sponsorship from Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC) to study nursing at Klang College of Nursing. After graduating, I worked in SJMC and later in Sunway Medical Center. The lessons I learnt in BBGS like cleaning toilets and sweeping floors, has taught me that no job is beneath me. Nursing is not a glamourous profession, no matter where you are in the world. It is a profession of servanthood. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but with the right attitude, nursing is the best job in the world.

In 2006, when I received an opportunity to be sponsored for a green card and work as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the USA, I jumped at the chance. It has always been my dream to work as a RN in the USA.

I am now living in Sacramento, California. Many Americans have remarked that I did a very brave thing by jumping on a plane and flying halfway across the world to establish a new life here. The only thing I can tell them is that it was my dream to be living in the USA and I worked hard to achieve my dreams.

Looking back, being an RN, helped me develop my personality and chipped away all the insecurity that I once carried on my shoulders. Through my personal experience, I now can understand people a little better, see through the front many patients put up and help them with the core problems that they face.

I am really enjoying my life here in the USA and whenever I can, I plant the BBGS seed in the people here. Dream big dreams and work on achieving it.

Candle 29: Lucy Low (Leng Ah Mooi)

I was thrilled to hear from Lucy Low this week. She was the School Captain in 1962 and writes to us from Sydney. Lucy's a little shy about sharing a photo but we're still honoured to share her heart-felt memories.

They say time is never an issue when you retire. I am well into my first year of retirement and time is still an issue. God works in mysterious ways. It took a severe dust storm, brought in by strong winds from the Australian dessert, to restrict me to housebound activities in Sydney. What else was there to do except to wait for it to settle before one could start the clean up. This is one of those very rare moments that I found time to Google and stumbled on the BBGS blogs. What nostalgia and memories when I found myself listed in the Honour list of captains (1962)! Very nice and very satisfying ….. I wonder whether my adult sons and grand children can find me in the list ….

I started in BBGS Afternoon School and Mrs Siew was my teacher and companion then! Lucky for me, Mrs Siew was newly married then and she absolutely loved kids! She was only a few blocks away from me in busy KL city and shopping was her favourite past time. Guess that was the start of my passion for chocolates and ice creams as my mother could not have possibly afforded them. Then it was BBGS morning school followed by the secondary school. There were so many teachers; each moulding my humourous as well as my serious nature. Their dedication and determination in spite of their pidgin English (one Chinese educated Science/Maths teacher), their loud abusing voices, their threatening fingers/rulers, their softness, were so very inspiring and left such an impression on me. I am so sure my genetic make up must have taken such a bashing from that inspiration to remain even to this day albeit the energy level now is fast gaining speed. Thank you BBGS teachers and thank the Lord for exposing me to them.

Life in BBGS could not miss a mention to our beloved Miss Elena Cooke. She played a very important role in my younger days which contributed to a very significant part of adult me. Many knew Miss Cooke as determined, disciplined, detailed minded, and a no nonsense head mistress. But, she was a lot more and is best described in the crude poem (I was not known for my English language, let alone for my poetic skills!) I wrote in 2008 to amuse her when I discovered that she was sick. The ‘never give up’ attitude I learnt from her and her team of teachers rose onto my shoulders with the end result being a rough and tumble gathering of words:

BBGS, here we go …..

Our beloved school of old

History, geography, maths and all

But nothing beats the lessons from Gospel Hall.

Praise to the Lord, we sang and sang

Words never failing, our ears rang and rang

Eternal love and wisdom our Almighty Lord provides

Lessons from BBGS, we always carry on our sides.

Parents taught us home values and all

Life skills and success we proudly stand tall

Sources of such skills, not from books

Definitely from parents from Miss Cooke.

Our love, gratitude, and appreciation

To you, Miss Cooke, and to mention

Your lessons demonstrated in our ways

Our prayers to the Lord for you always.

I share a few incidents with you to bring home the true Miss Cooke with the intention to illustrate the life lessons we all learnt from her. Those ‘bee-hive’ hair styles in the 1960s sure kept me very busy and challenged as a school captain. They were a total ban from school and one of my responsibilities was to execute that ban! Most girls knew the consequences if they did not lower those bee-hives except for one student. Wow, that defiance was amazing and amusing too! She ended up with a self hair wash in Miss Cooke’s office basin! Mistake to take Miss Cooke on …… That was the Miss Cooke most of us could relate to.

Then, one day, I was abruptly called into her office and was told “I need you to come with me to translate”. We were off to a very sick student’s home to visit not the sick student (she was in hospital) but to see the grand mother who blatantly refused to give permission for the grand daughter to undergo surgery to save her life. There was this old Chinese thing about being cut up (surgery). The visit was very short, but boy, was it effectively and humanely executed! Miss Cooke was literally on her knees begging the grand mother to give that permission for surgery as that was the only slim chance her grand daughter could live. I still have not learnt tears control from that incident!

The last memorable gratifying incident I like to relate had to do with me personally. Miss Cooke signed for me as my ‘financial guarantor’ to the Australian Embassy when none of my poor relatives could do so, to enable me to pursue my tertiary education without any request from me as no one would have asked a head mistress to act as ‘financial guarantor’ (she had independently discovered my difficulty). There were endless stories to do her justice but that could fill the whole book. The words in the poem above were truly heart felt and expressed in the best way I could to reflect what BBGS and Miss Cooke and her team have done to contribute significantly in my life journey.

This tribute to BBGS and Miss Cooke is not complete without a mention of Mrs Simon (Miss Junie Lim). Her dedication to the Girl Guides is definitely unquestionable – I just found out that she is still currently the State Commissioner – she must be in her 70s? I take a humble bow with my hat off to you, Mrs Simon and if anyone reading this has her email address, I will certainly appreciate you forwarding it to me. Believe me, the Girl Guides principles were excellent foundation to build life skills. Go for it girls if you have daughters, grand daughters, and/or great grand daughters, especially when you still have Mrs Simon as the State Commissioner. There is absolutely nothing to lose but heaps to gain!

Lastly, just a brief mention about me as requested. I have finally thrown in the towel after a fairly successful and very busy work and home life both in KL and Sydney (mainly the latter since 1981). I managed to raise 3 independent boys (sometimes too independent, as one of them had escaped from me, and is working in Hong Kong) and blessed with 3 grandchildren. Thank you Lord and thank you Miss Cooke and her team of 1962 teachers from BBGS.

Candle 28: Shaz M Zain

First of all Congratulations to the Reunion Organizing team & Back2BBGS for all that you’ve done! A splendid blog! I have been reading about Project Kindle since it started, but never thought to write in as I thought maybe I’m not good enough to be in it, but then, none from my batch responded and I was approached to send in, so here’s my story…

I was at BBGS for 11 years, from Std 1 (BBGS1: 1988 - 1993) & up to Form 5 (1994-1998). It was the best time of my years…Its all I remembered about my childhood, even my sisters also went to BBGS, and I have to say we all share on thing in common, we are proud to be a BBGSian!

What I miss most about my primary days are “main getah” , “batu seremban”, “galah panjang” before school starts or during recess. I wasn’t one of the good obedient ones as I used to break rules and be called up to the teachers room, once or twice to the principal’s office. There were many forbidden places for BBGS girls during that time and among them are Karyaneka and 7 Eleven! I used to visit Karyaneka, that was right opposite the school at that time, on days that I stayed back for computer classes, and of course I brought a gang (my close friends and partners in crime at that time was Sarah, Aireen, Andarmi, Izliana, Safina) with me, it was like a small adventure of ours visiting the different state houses, the mini zoo and also entertaining the Mat Salleh, there was once, they actually got us to sing the ‘Negaraku’ and recorded it on tape. We also went to 7 Eleven to get our Slurpees occasionally on those days we stayed back…I don’t really remember where the money came from since I only got 30 to 50 cents a day for pocket money but it was there somehow… Other than that I don’t really remember what I did, but there were complaints but all this small adventures of us never did reach the teachers & our parents..thank god!, anyhow I turned out fine didn’t I?



In secondary school, my fondest memory was of course the Choral speaking – we took this seriously every year, we always did our best and I really enjoyed the times we spent rehearsing and the interclass competition,. Other than that there was this after assembly singing conducted by Mrs. Abraham. And the most colorful event during the year was the sports day, the cheerleading competition was always an awaited event! I really loved it especially when Green house kept winning those years! Yes I was a full fledged Green house member, loyal all the way, unlike some who changed when they crossed from primary to secondary! Next best event is the Teachers Day, I always looked forward to the teachers singing the song “Saya Guru Malaysia” and their performance with the students. They were such a sporting bunch!

Another note on Choral Speaking, I remember one historical event that I am so honored to have been a part of. We once did a presentation for the Director General of Education in 1997. The poem was all about him as he was retiring, but the guests really enjoyed it. That dinner took place at the old KL Hilton at Jalan Sultan Ismail. Also, our class won that year for interclass competition – the judge was actually at the dinner at KL Hilton (I think there was some biased-ness since we didn’t think it was that good compared to 4sc2, which did better that year, but it’s ok, they won the next year! But they were a bunch of sour grapes for the entire year and hated our class for it!)

On the friendship in BBGS,I was in classes 1k – 6k in primary and form 1U-3U and then 4&5sc1. I managed to make lots of friendsand I still keep in touch with most of them. We just had our batch reunion last year and were able to trace about 70% of contacts. To name a few I still keep in touch with are Eliana, Amyrah, Azita, Nur Fareedza, Haslina, Hasliza, Nani, Hana, Sh Syikin, Nurul Asyikin, Poova, Fikriah, Faizah, Nina, Adriza, Noor Hazlin, Najua, Zahirra, Baemisla, Farrah, Zuien, Lili, Diana, Audrey, Ti Min among others.

Teachers were also great, and it's nice to know that some still remember me from those days, when we met at the recent reunion at Pavillion, this was what they told me or implied:

• Pn.Jagdip – she was my teacher in Std 5 I think, teaching English, she always scolded me for being naughty and she remembers me as that only! *laughs*. I remember meeting her again in SBU, and she remembered my name then…
• Ms.Jeyanthi – She was my science teacher in Form 2. She was telling us how she missed BBGS, how things are not the same anymore. She says we are independent, we didn’t need to be chased after to get work done be it social events or homework! Also, she said all they did was threatened us to get things done, and it was done! We were a good bunch…
• Pn.Wahiddah – Class teacher Form 1U & 2U (year 94 & 95), she remembers us too. And she’s still small and we have grown taller than her now (she said this!) *laughs*.
• Mrs.Lyla Roberts - My English teacher in Form 4 & 5(sc1) - 97 & 98. She did something really nice for me back in Form 4, you see, for the Choral Speaking at Hilton (explained above), we had to wear these peach baju kurungs with kain batik and there wasn't any with my size, she went to get the same peach material and got it tailored to my size, I actually told her it's ok, I didn't want to join, but she insisted and went out the extra mile anyway...so yeah for that I'm grateful.
• Pn.Azawiyah – didn’t really teach me, but she remembers me..

The other teachers that taught me were Mrs.Chong (Maths & Physics), Ustazah Rohaizan (Agama), Ms Kok (History & English), Pn Halimatus (Chemistry), Pn.Rohaizan (Biology), Pn Zarina Abd Rahman (Science & Maths), Pn.Zarina Othman (Geography), Pn.Baynum (Science), Pn Norhayati (Malay and History), Primary school: Ms Kua (Standard 6 class teacher), Pn.Norhayati (Standard 3 class teacher) , Pn.Ranjan (Standard 2 class teacher) & Pn Norziah (standard 1 class teacher) – Those are the few that I can remember: Thank you all.

On some rules I loathed about back then, but kind of miss now:
- Wearing house badge is a must!
- Ribbon on the hair (ponytail)
- Spot checks
- Offence slip which translates to picking up rubbish after recess
- Toilet cleaning
- Class deco competition
- No rolling up sleeves (baju kurung)
- Cangkuk at all times (baju kurung)
- Queuing up outside the class after recess and being checked from head to toe by the prefects

On leaving BBGS in 1998, I joined matriculation under UKM in 1999 and subsequently went on for Actuarial Science in the same University. When I graduated in 2003, I joined a local bank as a Junior Executive in Risk Management Department and did my masters in Finance part time from RMIT . I recently left the local bank for a better position and hopefully future to join an Islamic Foreign Bank. I wouldn’t have come this far if it’s not for the strong foundation built during school days, BBGS has been a great part of me and is still is.

Candle 27: Rose and Sunitha

Candle 27 is a special joint-effort by two BBGSians, who are separated by half a century in years but strongly united in family spirit. Rose Ponnudurai, from the Class of 1941 (yes, you read that right!) is our most senior contributor to date, and her grand-niece, Sunitha Priscilla Arthur, is from the class of 1992. We thank them both for adding such richness and depth to our treasured archive of BBGS stories.

Sunitha with her Aunty Rose

Rose Ponnudurai (class of 1941) Imagine sitting for exams with warplanes flying overhead…. Or waiting 4 years for your results. That’s what Rose Ponnudurai experienced. An ex-BBGSian from the class of 1941, she sat for her CSC (Cambridge School Certificate) just before WW2 broke out. Here are some of her stories: “Miss Glasgow - I remember her for teaching me English. She took the trouble to personally coach me. You’d never think of a person holding such a high position like a principal, coming to your house at a low level. Real affection to help out, not just talking. I believe that is true Christianity, not just talking about (the Lord) Jesus, but doing the work that Jesus did. I remember this humorous incident: one time, Miss Gibson stopped by our house because she said “I get the smell (of fresh cow’s milk) just like in Ireland.” So I asked “Would you like a cup of milk” and she replied “Yes why not?” So I got her some milk and she was so happy. Because the smell reminded her of her homeland. When sitting for the CSC, we heard planes flying over the school. Some of my classmates started saying we’re going to be bombed. But we weren’t. Immediately after the exams the war broke out, so I had to go and stay in the estate with my parents. For the next four years we didn’t hear anything and I thought well, that’s the end of the exam results. I didn’t mind that actually! But after the war, my brother informed me that the results were going to be released. And I became so afraid, I kept telling my mother “Don’t know if I’ll pass, don’t know if I’ll pass.” I was not keen that my brother was going to get the results for me, but anyway I passed, and that made me happy.” Aunty Rose just celebrated her 87th birthday. Thank God for her alertness & strength till this day. She is an encouragement to many by her love, sense of humour and “mirth that has no bitter strings”. Widowed at a young age, she had to single-handedly raise 5 children (at the time ranging in ages 2 to 12). Aunty Rose credits the lives of the missionary teachers in BBGS for moulding her character. Sunitha Priscilla Arthur (class of 1992) As for me, I joined BBGS primary School 1 in Std 6 after moving from Melaka. I remember being totally miserable the first few months because I missed my old school, friends, old house…. Also my former school was coed & my first impression of BBGS (& KL) girls were that these girls are wild! (No offense intended :-). In a coed school, we girls tend to be a bit more, ahem,… well-behaved, we sit nicely (not like the boys), we’re soft-spoken, etc . And everything about BBGS just felt so strange & intimidating. But after some time, I grew to really love BBGS. And I’m grateful for the friends who made the effort to get to know me, reserved as I was. I remember Marina Ramli asking me questions about me, my family, former school, etc etc etc., felt almost like interrogation, but she really took time to make me feel at home. And Yap Lee Pheng who insisted I join in a game of “Bisik-bisik”, Yung Mei (Mei Purcell) who always cheered me with her jolly sense of humour, Mui Teng who showed me the canteen & insisted that I must eat (‘cause I was reluctant to go there, didn’t like crowds). Also my class teacher & other classmates from Std 6 Kuning 1987 who were so nice to me (if any of you are reading this-THANK YOU, it’s the little things that matter). Secondary school (1988-1992) were truly years of moulding & shaping. I’m grateful to my principal Miss Yeap & teachers: Mrs Abraham (she managed to make me actually LIKE Geography), Puan Sharifah, & others & also those who taught at the Christian Union meetings and camps (esp Miss Cooke, Miss Moey, Miss Siew, Mrs Kok, etc). Also am grateful for the many friends. It’s so nice to be reconnected again because of the Back2BBGS event - thanks again Joanna & the whole committee! But the most important thing that happened to me in BBGS was the divine encounter I had in Dec 89, in the school hall. Experienced the tangible warmth, love & reality of the Lord Jesus & realised for the first time that God is really REAL. This totally changed my life. Looking back, I know it was not by chance that I came to BBGS. God had everything planned. Indeed at the end of the day, this truth remains: NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA.

Update:  Rose Ponnudurai went home to be with the Lord on 20th April 2021, aged 98.  May she rest in peace.

Candle 26: Yang-May Ooi

Yang-May Ooi is a Malaysian-born writer and blogger (and BBGSian!) based in the UK. Her latest book, International Communications Strategy, co-authored with Silvia Cambie, is out July 2009. She has also published two novels with Hodder & Stoughton, UK. Yang-May blogs and podcasts at her multimedia online “magazine” Fusion View, the cross-cultural blog at www.fusionview.co.uk. She shares her memories with us on Project Kindle.


My childhood friend from KL, Mei W, sent me a link awhile back to a blog all about my old school Bukit Bintang Girls School, Back to BBGS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I was at the BBGS Primary School 2, from between 1973-75, after which I left to come to school in the UK. Although I was there for only a short period, I’ve always had fond memories of the place and the friends that I made there.

Sadly, the school is no longer on its original site. In modern KL, the location is prime real estate, right in the middle of the shopping district. It clung on for as long as it could but eventually gave in to commercial pressures around 1999. The site is now the location of the luxury Star Hill development of condos - Bukit means Hill in Malay and Bintang means Star.

Although the primary school building was more modern than the colonial style secondary school, I loved the school building for its open verandahs and I seem to remember giant banyan trees and rain trees in the grounds. There was a very basic canteen near the playing fields selling laksa and fried noodles as well as stinky salted fish satay sticks and bubble gum. I would sometimes buy a bowl of laksa (10 cents, I think) but other times bring in home made sandwiches - chicken, corned beef fried with onions or fried luncheon meat, or home made fried rice.

I can still remember the names of some of my classmates - Gwen, Bek-Ngan, Jia Yee, Latifah, Valencia, Dolly, Helen. My class teacher was Miss Teh and our Malay teacher was Cik Zaleha. Miss Ma, the principal, was a very elegant Chinese lady who always wore a cheong-sam. Her deputy was Mrs Bux, whom we were all scared of because she had a very stern presence.

There were 50 pupils to class and I always came bottom - 49 or 50! - except in English, where I usually got 100% in all the tests. My family despaired that I was a dunce. At best, I was lazy and didn’t study as I should. They tore their hair out that my father was spending all that money to send me to school in the UK - what if it all turned out to be a waste of his hard earned money and I spent my years in England a layabout, good-for-nothing dunce? What if I never amounted to anything?

I think my difficulty at BBGS was that the text books and schoolwork was in Malay and I had previously gone to an English language school. We spoke English at home. I read in English, wrote in English, thought in English. At that point, the medium of instruction was still English and my friends and I also spoke in English. I was finding it hard to deal with the school work in another language, even though it was the national language of Malaysia. Also, I knew I was going to school in England and that I would never need to use Malay there so what was the point of it all?

In the UK, it took me awhile to adjust but as it turned out, this is where I thrived. I was still never top of the class to my extended family’s disappointment but I’d come in at respectable above average ranking. I never matched the string of A’s that my parents and uncles and aunts boasted of in their O’ and A’ levels but trundled solidly along with Bs mostly and the occasional shocking C and even an E! But I think I found that being in England suited me and I felt free to develop those other talents that I had that couldn’t be measured by exams.

But there are many things about Malaysia that I miss - the food, the climate, the warm and friendly Malaysian way of being, Malaysian English, the rain trees, that orange sunlight in the evenings after school. And although I did dismally at BBGS from an academic point of view, I had a happy time there with my class mates and my memories of the school and the sense of place I have about it makes me sad that it is no longer there physically in the location that I remember. Reading through the Back to BBGS blog has made me feel a bit like an old lady, looking back at her young days!

Back to BBGS is the personal blog of an Old Girl, Joanna Yeoh, and collects the memories and stories of BBGSians. It’s a huge undertaking for one person - thank you, Joanna, and all power to you - and all the BBGSian contributors - for creating such a fantastic resource and archive!

Candle 25: Carolin Teh

Project Kindle continues with memories from Carolin Teh who currently resides in New Zealand. We want to hear from more of you so keep sending me those stories!

From self-loathing to self-acceptance

Most people begin to ask the big questions of life – who am I, where am I going – at adolescence. It was at BBGS that my socialisation process was catalysed, in no small way, by the battle lines that were drawn there. These lines were hardly distinct but they were there as undercurrents that made you quaver in the company of the girls that were smart, wealthy, good-looking and / or popular. In other words, they separated the economic- and social-haves from the have-nots. However, they led to my self-discovery.

Self-discovery for me was a journey that constituted making comparisons of self with these groups of girls of which I could never be a part. The process was frequently heart-breaking: of course, I wondered why I wasn't one of the bright ones; it wasn't my fault that my parents were of the proletariat, so I didn't have designer colour pencils to bring to school; certainly, I coveted the graceful beauty of the Low sisters – Caroline, Jeanette and Lydia. And very often my internal monologue composed of wishing life had fairly and evenly distributed its bounty of resources and good DNA.

Ironically, it was also in BBGS that the journey towards finding my identity was to consummate in my attaining self-love as the result of the love of God in Jesus Christ. Which is why when I think back on my years in this great school, including the primary ones (1968 – '78), I am only extremely grateful. For when all the chips have been counted, it is really my identity in Jesus Christ that is worth much more than good genes and great wealth.

Here are but some of my favourite school memories:

• Being in the line-up of girls in primary school to cheer on HRM Queen Elizabeth II's motorcade as it passed Jalan Bukit Bintang;
• Demonstrating in front of my fellow-Sports Day folk dancers, because Mrs. Singam thought my extensions were perfect;
• Playing Hopscotch under the Frangipani tree;
• Meeting celebrity sportswoman, Marina Chin, during the netball challenge against Sekolah Air Panas;
• Beating CBN at a Netball Championship finals;
• Mrs Thanen's informing the English class that she thought my writing went after her own heart – I still don't know what she meant, but I thought then it was probably a compliment;
• Being the Careers' Club treasurer for two years;
• Seeing my art creation in final print on the programme cover of the school's production of 'Aladdin';
• Dancing the Charleston on Teachers' Day (despite being out of sync with the music and the hideous dress - which resembled nothing like those in the flapper era - I had to wear);
• Performing in 'Noah's Ark' as one of the skeptics who drowned. That was fun to do; as was helping to make the costumes and props;
• Beating my friends at 'Five Stones' - this was a game I always looked forward to playing between classes;
• Chowing down on 'chee cheong fun' at the 'Hilton Drive-in' after swimming lessons with the Swimming Club.

BBGS – memories of you can always put a spring back in my steps. Thank you for eleven proud years.

On leaving BBGS in 1978, I read English Literature at Monash University in Victoria, Australia. I was there for four years and returned to KL to teach at Taylor's College. At various times, I held a range of posts in the educational arena that included being Academic Director of ELS Language Centres in Ipoh and Founding Principal of the Keris College School of Languages. I authored or co-authored five publications in Malaysia including the award-winning "Malaysia Wonders and Contrasts" (Fototeknik, 1986). I emigrated to New Zealand in 2003 where I now live with my husband, Christopher, and teach part-time at a Catholic School. The rest of the time is spent assisting my husband in his Outreach Ministry and blogging!

Finally, I'd like to share my tribute to Miss Cooke with the BBGS alumni. Read it here: http://themilitantchipmunk.blogspot.com/2009/01/still-fundie-after-all-these-years.html

If you would like to connect with me on Facebook, please use this link: http://www.facebook.com/carolin.hehir?ref=profile

Candle 24: Foo Soo Wei

Again thanks to the publicity from the gala night, I've re-connected with some of my classmates from Class of 1987. Foo Soo Wei and I were together from primary right through to secondary school. She is now a respiratory specialist practising in Sydney. Here she is in her own words...

Dear Joanna,

Greetings from Down Under! This is ( Foo) Soo Wei here. We were in the same class for a number of years. It has been a while since I have returned to KL for any great length of time.

I have been directed (by my sister, Soo Yee) to your blog for BBGSians and I just want to commend you on your efforts including the reunion you help to organise. It is so great to see that BBGS spirit and motto continue to live on in people's lives despite losing the building etc. It was very sad to see the school torn down ........

Anyhow, I am currently in Sydney working as a respiratory consultant at one of the metropolitan hospitals here. Enclosed is a photo of me and my other better half - got married not long ago in Melbourne. (Joanna says: Congratulations Soo Wei and hubby!)

Please send my regards to your mother. I will always remember her as Mrs. Yeoh and though I can't remember the details of what she taught, I always enjoyed her lessons. It is hard to find good teachers nowadays - I kinda know what it's feels like to teach as I'm involved in teaching medical students. I even enrolled myself in a course last year in effective teaching methods!!!

Lastly, THANK YOU again for the blog site. It is great fun just meandering through the bibs and bobs of your blog. The words Nisi Dominus Frustra brings back many pleasant memories of BBGS....

With best wishes
Soo Wei