My Alma Mater

This poem was written by Ruth Hew (5 Science 4) and taken from the 1985 School Magazine. Ruth was Head of the Literary Department for the School Magazine that year, and I remember being in awe of her deportment and writing skills when she asked me to join the department. Reading this poem again today definitely brought a catch to my throat.

There are no high, cloistered halls,
no wide, bay windows,
no tall, stately buildings.

There are no towering spires,
no imposing gates,
no chiming bells.

There are no rolling lawns,
no immaculate courts,
no cobblestone roadways.

There are no stern professors,
no musty book lined rooms,
no hushed atmosphere.

There are no gowned students,
no teas of cheese and wine,
no muted whispers.

But there are sprawling colonial styled buildings,
scattered shrubs and trim grass,
majestic palm tree guardians.

There are strong, upright morals,
time-tried traditions
far more than book knowledge.

There are dedicated teachers,
gatekeepers of wisdom's portals,
lovingly nurturing young minds.

There are bright young girls,
chattering, giggling, irrepressible,
energetic, determined, fun loving.

There are binges in the canteen,
antics in the classrooms,
action on the playing fields.

There is a living, growing entity
pulsing, throbbing with life,
and the joy of living.

This is my alma mater
second home for 11 years,
surrogate mother, teacher, refuge, friend.

BBGS, I am proud to own thee,
thy name, traditions, principles
for my own.

NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Just as Julius Caesar spoke these famous words before the Roman Senate after the Battle of Zela in 47 BC, I spoke them today as I walked into Pavilion KL for the first time. It was a bittersweet moment.

Veni : I Came...

I came to see the Pavilion because this is where BBGS used to stand. It's right in the heart of the Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur - prime real estate - which eventually crowded out our beloved school when the land was re-gazzetted from educational to commercial status. Yes, some investors made a lot of money but really, as Bukit Bintang developed, it was no longer a conducive environment for education. As someone who had to endure the piling works for Regent Hotel & Lot 10 during her SRP and SPM years, I remember the distractions very well.


Vidi: I Saw...

I saw a very classy mall with amazing luxury shops, and stunning architecture. I saw tourists and locals alike enjoying themselves on a day out. I even saw another BBGS girl wave at me as I rode the escalator up to the ground floor. During the entire trip, I was busy trying to figure out where all our old haunts were. Here are some guesses...let me know if you agree.

• Prada/Gucci wing - Clinic Block
• Coach/Ted Baker/ Coast - Office Block
  
• Jaguar showroom - Primary School
• La Bodega - Canteen

One thing I do object to is the Paris Hilton boutique. It was so un-BBGS that I was tempted to march into the store and serve them an Offence Slip :-)


Vici: I Conquered...

I've conquered the gloom and despair surrounding the removal of our beloved halls and grounds. As BBGSians, we all need to grieve the loss and then, let go and allow the process of healing to take place. It starts when we let go of the negativity and move on. Let's embrace the good, wholesome and positive values that BBGS stands for. Those values will not, and must not die.

Finally, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to Poesy Liang for taking time off to show me around. It certainly made my day more enjoyable and Poesy's sunny disposition helped dispel any morose thoughts that threatened to break in. She is one BBGS girl we can all be proud of.

Girls, look what I found!

Spring cleaning is a chore that not many people enjoy. But sometimes, we find lovely surprises like old school photos. Cheong May Yee (Class of 1991) recently found some real gems and posted them on Facebook. Thanks for sharing them, May Yee. I'm glad we're back in touch.

So, dive into those dusty old cupboards, drawers and boxes and share those good ol' BBGS memories with us!

Note: Photos and captions by Cheong May Yee

Std 6B - 1986 (School 1)

5A3 - 1991

Merdeka - 1990

Ahhh lepakking in front of the netball court (sick bay wing) hmmm which is now....Christian Dior or is it Prada?!? (Pavilion)

Moira (L) and May Yee (R) at a recent reunion

Nostalgic images

Thanks to the generosity of Salmi Azira and her sisters, we have more old photos of the school! I'm especially pleased with photos of the Junior Library and the Prefects' Room (which was my home away from home for too many years). We just love the nostalgia don't we?

Do keep sending in more photos and stories, and together we can keep the memories flowing and our spirits soaring!

Office Block & Clinic Block

Junior Library & Staff Room

Dear Joanna,

I enjoy reading your blog at back2bbgs.blogspot.com.
Recently, I flipped through my old photo album and found these pictures.
These pictures were taken in 1998-1999. I thought of sharing it with you :)

Thank you.

Love,
Salmi Azira (Batch 1998)

and sisters
Salmi Azrina (Batch 1992)
Salmi Azuriza (Batch 2000)
Salmi Azuhani (Batch 2006)

Dusty corners

I was looking through some photos online recently and chanced upon this forgotten corner of the school. Remember the porch in front of the hall? Here's what some of us recall about this space:

• "Chope"ing it for Choral Speaking practice
• ..and Cheerleading practice
• ...and Choir practice
• ...and Drama practice (hey - this was the original KLPac man!)
  
• Lepaking after school while doing homework
  
• Getting flashed by flashers (a.k.a desperately gatal old men) roaming Jln Bukit Bintang
  

What do you remember about this corner of the school?

Playing "Jamban"?!

This highly-amusing conversation took place between some cultured BBGSians on Facebook. Like most primary girls, I remember playing "Jamban" too. What a name!

Ms W: U look so cute...and this corner leading up to the staircase... i nearly forgotten this structure had u not put in the pic

Ms A: This is near where we played 'Jamban'!

Ms J: Jamban, wat game was that? i remember playing this game where we run from post to post, and one person in the center will be trying to take over a post

Ms A: Yup, that's Jamban! We gave it that name (or maybe our seniors did!) coz it was played just outside the toilet.

Hahaha..Does anyone else remember playing "Jamban"?

P/S: Thanks so much for allowing me to share this photo, Jeannette.


Update on Thursday 24 April: Note from Lee Siew Sze

Hi. Hope you don't mind me adding my two cents' worth. I was at your blog and happened to read something about the game we played in school called "Jamban".

I believe that game is a different one to the description. The game described in your blog was "tiang", hence the running from post to post. Basically, the "catcher" needs to grab a tiang as hers in order to relieve her position as catcher. The girl caught would then be the catcher and the other 4 players will "tempt" the catcher by swapping posts with each other.

Jamban, as I recall, involved leaping to and fro the corridor (where the tiangs as mentioned above were) to the window sills that jutt out from the toilet windows, hence the name jamban. Again, there is a catcher who has to catch a girl in the midst of leaping from corridor to window sill in order to relieve her position as catcher. The girl caught would then be the catcher and the other players will tempt the catcher by leaping to and fro. If I'm not wrong there were 3 window sills and I think unlimited number of players.

Anyway, keep up the blog. It's fun to have memories of BBGS school days.

Once a upon a time

I've been hunting high and low for photos of the primary school. Thanks to Wan Norhafizah, I found some! She's been generous enough to share her class & prefect photos from 1990. Sigh...so many years my junior.

Thanks Wan. I really appreciate your support.

Std 3 Kuning (1987)

Std 6 Prefects (1990)

Before Pavilion, there was..

Hi Everyone,

Lately, I've been reading a lot about the "evil" Pavilion that "stole" our school grounds, and it doesn't feel right to be thinking such bitter thoughts about my beloved BBGS. So in a bid to inject some positive energy into this debate, I'm posting some pictures of what it used to look like. And we can all think happy nostalgic thoughts...



Sharing my favourite photo of BBGS...again.



Office block where most of my classrooms were: 1C1, 5Sc5 and Form 6. This was the "face" of BBGS to the world outside since it fronted Jalan Bukit Bintang. Just look at how pristine and clean the lawns were...amazing...



Prouse Wing which had 6 classrooms. I spent some years here in 2C1 and 3C1. I used to love walking to the school hall under the canopied walkways that were planted with purple morning glories.



Clinic Block which housed 3 classrooms downstairs and the Home Science kitchens upstairs, which were my sister's favourite place in the whole school.

Hope you've enjoyed this pictorial tour through the old grounds.

Warmest regards,
Joanna

Our School Grounds

Driving past Jalan Bukit Bintang last week, I felt a sense of great loss at not seeing our beautiful school.

I miss seeing Office Block & Clinic Block...

I miss the palm trees...

I miss the manicured lawns...

I miss hearing the sound of the school bell ringing...

So I started combing through pages of old school magazines searching for a reminder. It wasn't long before my eyes settled on this old familiar photo of BBGS. How many times have we seen this picture of the school? It's almost a cliche.

And yet looking at it, I'm comforted and happy again...for now.