Blog Status

Update: Please note that Joanna Yeoh has resigned from the BBGS OGA Executive Committee on 16 August 2009 and is no longer able to represent the views of the Association. Kindly contact the President for any further information. Thank you.

Dear Friends,

It's been such a pleasure to serve the BBGS community through this blog and I've been so blessed by your kind words, support and love. Thank you for recognising and greeting me at the gala reunion last week.

Our readership passed the 37,000 mark this morning and we're only two years' old. I can only hope that the blog will grow from strength to strength in the coming years and more of us will be re-united with kindred spirits from our school days.

Back2BBGS is my personal blog which was set up to preserve BBGS memories in cyberspace. I take great care to ensure that the facts are correct, sources are credible and permissions are obtained for the stories and images. It is a matter of personal integrity, in addition to copyright.

From today onwards, this blog will revert back to its original intent and will remain a personal blog.

I am unable to adequately represent or be personally responsible for matters relating to the BBGS Old Girls' Association (OGA) or the Elena Cooke Education Fund (ECEF). The OGA has agreed to set up an official website as the channel of communication amongst its members. Meanwhile, all queries regarding monies and administrative matters should be addressed to the OGA President at syphang@gmail.com.

All other personal stories of girls, teachers, staff and reunions are welcome and will continue to be published as per the original intent of the blog.

Thank you for your kind understanding.

Regards,
Joanna Yeoh
Founder of Back2BBGS Blog a.k.a "The Blogger" :-)

Something to share

Fong Foong Mei (Class of 1989) is one of our stars, having won a Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 2007. She recently shared with me a very personal and thought-provoking article that was recently published in the Wall Street Journal. I'd like to share it with you.

Dear Joanna,

We last corresponded after news of my Pulitzer came out a couple of years back. I thought you might find this recent story I wrote of interest to the blog, it's a rather personal piece and deals with infertility--certainly not something Ms. Yeap, Mrs. Aziz and all warned us about.

BBGS was an amazing school because it taught us to reach for the skies. But one of the byproducts of career success for us has been delayed--or missed--opportunities for children, as we stay in school longer, start families later and come up smack dab against biological realities. Since running this, several old classmates have reached out to me and shared their own stories about difficulties starting families. So I thought it might be a good idea to have this piece find a wider audience among old BBGS-sians. I'm fairly sure there are not a few of us who have faced or are facing such difficulties.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124211172418310007.html

(PS. Also, you might have heard but the girls from my year--1989--are planning a 20 year reunion on July 11 in KL. I'm hoping to make it but not sure. Details on http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=26855598970&ref=ts)

Best,

Foong Mei

Are you a true-blue BBGSian?

NEWSFLASH!

You're all invited to try out the new Facebook quiz entitled "Are you a true blue BBGSian?". It was designed by Tan Lu Meng & myself (Class of 1987).

Come back and tell us if you enjoyed it. Better still, send it round to all the BBGSians you know ;-)

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.

Surprises in the mail

Writing a blog is not the easiest job in the world. Especially when your audience comprises passionate women who live up to the highest ideals.

Sometimes, I really have to rack my brain to come up with memories worthy of our beloved school. To do that, I dip into old school magazines and the Centenary publication. An idea forms and is slowly nurtured into a story that is acceptable by BBGS standards. It is a slow and often painful process.

But you know, all the hard work pays off when I start receiving emails from readers far and wide, who tell me how much these blog entries mean to them. Take for example this recent email from Mr. Eric Gray -

Joanna,

Thank you very much for putting Lalitha's poem in the BBGS "blog" site. I am the late Lalitha Gray’s husband. I was very moved to read the poem (also Miss Cooke's words) as it is years since I had seen it.

Reading an account of a Phyllis Thom/Briggs, who was imprisoned by the Japanese during WW2 and recently died at 100 ys:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/85/a3454085.shtml

Someone reminded me that Miss Glasgow, former Head of BBGS, was likewise imprisoned, and lived to be 100 too. It appears, she also wrote an account of her war imprisonment, for a few friends. I wonder if anyone who reads this site has a copy, which they would not mind sharing (maybe by scanning)?

I see you were one of Soosila and John Hillman's guests in Brisbane. I forwarded the poem to them.

Greetings,
Eric Gray
Bedworth, Warwicks., England

A beautiful woman

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk in the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things have to be renewed, restored, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself and another for helping others.

SBU - A Perspective

Some time ago, I posed a question on the BBGS Facebook group asking SBU students what it was like to belong to the new school. Here's an interesting perspective from Nik Hizwa Jasmin, who's currently studying in Australia. This feature does contain some strong opinions(and sad developments) but then again, BBGSians are known for being forthright, so let's keep an open mind and hear what she has to say...

I was fortunate enough to be a part of both schools, BBGS and SMKSBU. Unfortunately, even though they are still considered as the same school, I look at it as 2 different schools. I did my entire high school in the new BBGS building in Cheras but, when people ask me , "Where did you go to school?", I say BBGS, not SBU simply because SBU has no culture and nobody knew what SBU even means. I did primary school in BBGS so, I knew the culture very very well and had great respect for the school.Unfortunately, when we moved to Cheras, I felt like the building looked like a shoe factory and had no resemblance at all to BBGS itself. The hallways were so dark and the classes were so rigid. To me, from my own 6 years of experience in Taman Shameline, the inside and outside of SMKSBU is literally like a factory. But the museum is great though.

During my time, we still had inter-class Choral Speaking competitions and cheerleading. I took great pride when my class won the inter-class Choral Speaking competitions and we were so proud to win national cheerleading competitions. These are the things that made BBGS a well-known school. The students are normally the loudest people cheering in the hall because we have the BBGS spirit.

Of course, recently we won the 2008 national cheerleading competition and I could not have been happier because it has been years since we won. Congratulation girls! But I also heard that the new headmistress thinks that Choral Speaking, and celebrations in school are a waste of time and they no longer have Choral Speaking competitions, Teacher's Day celebration, Hari Raya celebration, etc in school. I feel saddened by this as I remember the best times during these events in school.

Honestly, as an alumni, I feel outraged by the decision. Why are they totally demolishing the BBGS culture? Now, not only is the heritage building of BBGS gone, but the culture that was supposed to be brought over to the new generation has also been demolished with time. Not to mention taking boys in and making it a co-ed school.

When I started Form 1 at the new building in Cheras, we had an amazing headmistress who was determined to keep the culture and she had the same BBGS spirit as the students. We loved and had great respect for Pn Noor Rizan Bapoo Hashim. In 2003, I personally think the school started to crumble slowly when she got promoted to a higher post in the Education Ministry and left the school to a headmistress who had no clue what the school was about. Of course, we're happy for her as now, she has become a highly regarded member in the Education Ministry, but we certainly felt a great loss.

As students, we can feel the lack of the BBGS spirit and it breaks my heart. But I do hope that the heritage of BBGS continues and grows with every new generation in SBU.

On the shoulders of giants

It's a rainy Sunday morning in Shanghai, and I've had to abandon plans to wander around the colourful, crowded, humid streets of Puxi and stay home in Pudong instead, to enjoy the air-conditioned comforts of a home. And I began to wonder:

Why does Puxi feel so different compared to Pudong?

While it's fun to wonder around the lively atmosperic streets of Puxi, would I really want to live there permanently?

Old Shanghai alley house vs. Modern apartments in Pudong

Many lament the loss of old shikumen (stone terrace houses) as the city modernises, and I understand their frustrations. After all, my beloved Bukit Bintang Girls' School, a beautiful century-old colonial building is now a spanking new shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. We watched helpless as our classrooms and corridors came crashing down in 2000, to make way for commercial development.

Romantic idealism aside however, I also identify with the aspirations of many local Chinese who want to better their lives and living conditions. After all, many of these old structures are dark, damp, musty and often not very hygienic. Why wouldn't they aspire to live in a modern apartment with electricity, running water, wireless broadband and a swimming pool? Every parent works to better the lives of their children and next generation. It's the energy that fuels evolution.

The heart-wrenching transformation of the face of Jalan Bukit Bintang

As with all things however, there is a need for balance. In our rush to modernisation, we must not lose our cultural identities and links to our roots. So, let's build our comfortable new homes and shopping malls, but let's also conserve areas of historical value so that we won't forget the sacrifice of the generations past. So here's my plea to all city planners, government officials, business investors and commercial developers. Before you give orders to swing the wrecking ball, please consider the historical and aesthetic value of a site, for it may bring inspiration to your children.

After all wasn't it Sir Isaac Newton who said, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants?"

Warmest regards,
Joanna

A plea to the new generation

UPDATE: For those of you following this saga, I'm now Facebook friends with this SBU student, and we've agreed to keep the flag flying high - so do turn up at the alumni gathering on 6 September 2008. Cheers, Joanna

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

I've just received a note from a SBU student, asking me to announce the formation of an alumni association on 6 September 2008 at the new school premises.

It made me very happy and sad at the same time. I'm thrilled to know that the new generation cares enough to organise an alumni and reach out to the "older" generation. Yet, I am a little disappointed at the quality of English in the note, quoted in full below without edits.

(From SBUian to me)

hi. first of all, i know tat you are one of the ex of bbgs rite,? I think you have heard tat there will be an alumni going on in our school on 6 Sept. For more info, you can go to bbgs-sbu-alumni.blogspot.com. There'll ber an application form and hopefully you will be able to make it. Oh ya, can help to inform your other friends too ? Soory because i don't realli know them but hopefully can know them when they attend the alumni. Please reply if you have seen this msg.

(From me to SBUian)

Hi, I'd be happy to help you publish this information and I commend your efforts in setting up the alumni network. However, in keeping with the traditions of BBGS excellence, I'd appreciate if we could use proper English in terms of grammar, spelling and punctuation. Let's keep the flag flying high!

Come on girls...good English is the hallmark of a BBGS girl and some of us have gone on to become Pulitzer prize winning journalists. I encourage you to live up to the highest standards.

- From your super super senior

________________________________________________________

In less than 24 hours, this blog entry has drawn some interesting responses. I'd like to share some of these comments with you....

CW said...
Hi super super senior, I am quite amused with SBUian's enthusiasm in organising the alumni. It is this type of spirit & initiative that SBUian has, which is so lacking nowadays. And probably this girl wrote the email in a jiffy, hence the short forms & lack of grammar correctness? Whatever it is, let's admit it. BBGS indeed has instilled the best values in us. But not everyone graduated from BBGS with superb language skill. Not everyone will win a Pulitzer prize. But all of us have a talent or two or maybe more, to make BBGS stand proud still. Ok, so what is your plea again?

Joanna Yeoh said...
My plea? Simple sentences, proper English. That's all. You're right, not all of us will win a Pulitzer prize but we can still try to maintain some basic standards, don't you think?

Ade said...
Joanna, I do agree with you. This issue also happens to be one of my pet peeves so I feel that I really have to give my two cents' worth. It's the era of sms and internet chats that is contributing to these 'abbreviated' spellings and grammar.

Although it may be 'acceptable' when sms-ing, or in the chat forums, but it just does not come across well in writing.From SBU-ian's writing, it seems that she was 'chatting' with you but in the written form, rather than writing, which is really a no-no.And yes, not everyone is blessed with good grammar and spelling, but we can always T-R-Y.

That said, "Pulitzer prize winning journalists" is rather far-reaching for most of us mortals lah (ok so we are Malaysians, we can add some 'lah' here and there when giving comments Heh). Maybe "good blog writers" is nearer to earth? :-)

Hamizah said...

Hi Joanna..

It's great that you've created some brouhaha over good english.. It was in BBGS that I first got a big knock on my head over using perfect english... remembered when my class mates laughed at my inappropriate "did" or "done".. or the lack of it! It was hard... BUT, I learnt from the hardest way.. (remember the all english speaking day -- MONDAY? Duh.. that's when Monday Blues was created..) and now, I'm doing the same for my children.. During weekend, it's all english day.. It's imperative that the younger generations are taught & use proper english, because after school years, it'll be too late.. Believe me.. And yea, I'm not into abrreviation either.. It's lck feelng if x prpr wrds r usd..dnt u tnhk..?? :))

Concerned SBU-an said...

Dear super super senior,

I am equally appalled at the quality of the e-mail. As a concerned SBU-ian, I would like to apologise on behalf of the author. I myself am a former BBGS girl, albeit a young one. I only completed my Tahap 1 in primary school before we were kicked out of our plot of land. Haha!

Regarding the comments, I would like to reassure our other super super seniors that the level of competant English may have degraded in popularity (let's face it, we are facing a global english crisis), there are still those who practice the international form of communication (ring a bell?)

There is still hope, I hope.

Moonlake Lee said...

Hey Joanna

I understand your dismay about the standard of English in the letter....but look on the positive side- the new generation is trying to build a bridge to the "mature" generation....and I think this effort should be applauded.

We really do not want to alienate them and should encourage them in a positive manner :)

I have noticed a trend, however, among the younger generation used to using abbreviations while SMS-ing..that the SMS-speak also gets carried over to emails. I hope that more awareness is brought to this issue....and that while it may be acceptable in SMSes, it certainly is not acceptable in a more formal or business context.

Who's in your clique?

Clique is defined as a small exclusive group of people, coterie or set. And rightly or wrongly, BBGS was full of them! All of us belonged to a clique that comprised friends with whom we felt most comfortable. Our ties were defined by year, class, societies, houses, games and in my case - prefects.

Best Pals (L-R) : Tomasina, Siew Ling, Lu Meng, May Yee, Joanna
Others not in the picture include Usha and Irene

I am so blessed to have grown up with these wonderful friends. We spent so many years together in primary and secondary school. From the everyday classroom to recess to science labs. Or the annual Speech Day, Sports Day and Teachers' Day. And even the occasional State Level debate or chess competition or choir competition. WE WERE TOGETHER.

These were the friends with whom I competed in exams or choral speaking, sang with in choirs, learnt the chemistry table of elements with. These were also the friends who laughed and joked with me as we prepared to play communists in a drama competition. Mourned with me when we started failing Add Maths and Physics. Encouraged me when my dad lost his job. WE WERE TOGETHER.

Today, this clique of mine has spread their wings far and wide. We're based in Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa. So even if we may not re-unite at the Class of 1987 reunion at the end of this month, I am content that we have shared our girlhoods and adolescent years and become loyal women with our race.

Who was in your clique? Are you still in touch? Have you dropped them a note recently? It's never too late...old friends will always have a place in their hearts for you.

Kakiseni.com

Today, my mailbox revealed a lovely surprise from a *real* writer and editor. Kathy Rowland's online magazine has published an article on BBGS and the Pavilion. She invites us to check it out and join the discussion. So girls - what are we waiting for? Let's all go to: http://www.kakiseni.com/articles/features/MTMyOA.html/all#top

Dear Joanna,

I'm the editor of an online arts and cultural magazine, www.kakiseni.com. We ran an article about the demolition of BBGS and the construction of Pavilion in its place. Its a particularly considered piece, which looks back to our education system as being complicit in the kind of rampant destruction that's come to signify how we define progress in Malaysia. The discussion board has generated comments from BBGS students (the article itself is written by an exBBGS student).

I thought you, and perhaps other BBGS alumni might be interested in it, and joining the discussion. Visit it here : http://kakiseni.com/

Best
Kathy
--
Kathy Rowland
Managing Editor
www.kakiseni.com

Anyone in Shanghai?

Another adventure beckons and I'm off again...this time to Shanghai. Beginning in April, I'll be re-locating to this bustling Chinese metropolis for work. It's only a 6-month stint that's exciting and scary at the same time. While I've lived abroad before, this will feel entirely "foreign" because I can't speak the language!

So here's a chance to put this blog to the test. Any BBGSians in Shanghai willing to lend a helping hand in my quest to "balik Tongsan"? Tips on accomodation, travel, shopping and language lessons would very much be appreciated.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers, Joanna

No $ please!

An interesting thing happened once this blog started showing up as top of the Google list for "BBGS". Along with the congratulatory notes, came the subtle hints. "You should consider putting ads on your blog. Can make lots of money you know?"

Well, thank you but no, thank you. Putting ads up on this labour of love would be like tatooing your favourite child.

This blog serves as a reminder to live up to the ideals of our childhood. To remember a time when we were taught to become all that God created us to be. It's a tribute to the pioneers, missionaries and teachers who sacrificed all so that we could become "loyal women with our race".

What do you girls think? Am I being overly idealistic and impractical?

Choosing significance

"We live when we are true to ourselves, authentic in our feelings, responsive to our convictions; we live when we love, when we are involved in the lives of others, when we are committed and concerned. We live when we build and create, hope, suffer and rejoice."

I found these inspiring words in one of Ms Cooke's speeches from the 1989 School Magazine. And it captures so beautifully some thoughts that have been echoing in my heart for some time now. Do I want a life of success or a life of significance?

The pioneers of BBGS were missionaries who left the comforts of home to travel all the way to Malaya so that neglected females could have an education. They chose significance.

Principals and teachers like Miss Cooke and Miss Yeap spent many years teaching, counselling, cajoling and inspiring thousands of girls, when they could have just focussed on bringing up their own families. They chose significance.

As I go about my busy life, am I making a conscious effort to choose significance over success? The BMW, Louis Vuitton and platinum cards are some indicators of success, but what measure do we have to demonstrate that we have achieved our fullest potential?

This question is especially relevant when we attend school reunions. We're all so excited to meet old friends and laugh over old memories. But do we sometimes wonder if that School Captain is now a successful CEO? Or if that school hockey player ended up representing Malaysia in the Olympics? Or if that first-prize winner ever graduated with a PhD from Cambridge? Are these appropriate measures of success?

What about the successful lawyer who gave up her career to bring up her children? Or the doctor who chose to practise medicine in the rural interiors of Sarawak instead of a private suite at SJMC? Or the financial guru who chose to work with underprivileged children in a NGO?

I can't speak for any one of you, but I know that I want my life to account for something. I leave you with some final words from Miss Cooke. She says...

"Girls of BBGS - you have a rich heritage. Look back on the founders of this school and all they stood for and fought for. Gain great courage and stimulation to live life at its highest levels and remember you can only do that as you seek God's help and receive His strength to do so.

I challenge you to live a wholesome, vibrant life totally committed to giving nothing less than your best while always remembering our school motto -
Nisi Dominus Frustra.
Without God all is in vain"

A place to call our own

Judging from the response in this recent poll, it appears that many ex-BBGSians would love a place to call our own. A clubhouse of sorts. If it's on the site of the Pavilion, even better. After all, it's the classiest joint in KL and we were undoubtedly the classiest chicks in town. And very modest too! :-)

If we could have a little gallery or cafe, what would it look like? Perhaps it will be cozy, English-cottage styled, with liberal doses of BBGS-green? Or a more formal Georgian-styled dining room? Or maybe a 1950s Malayan-style tuckshop? We could fill it with loads of photos of the old school, old girls, trophies, memorabilia and lots of happy memories.

What would be on the menu? All our regular canteen and food-sale favourites, no doubt. I'm thinking of:

• Sambal and sardine toasties
• Coconut candy
• Mrs Abraham's caramel fudge & pizzas
• Mrs Chua's tiramisu
• Mrs Aziz's rock buns
• Sengkuang/Pineapple slices topped with red sweet sauce & peanuts
• Ice balls with syrup
• Ais kacang
• Nasi lemak
• Lam mee
• Curry puffs, cakes, lepat pisang (and all other Home Science experiments)
• Watery orange cordial served in grimy cups (err..maybe not!)

Any ideas, anyone?

Thank you Google

I'm so excited..and I just can't hide it...

This blog now appears on the TOP of the list whenever anyone googles "BBGS".

HOORAY....this is one success factor I've been aiming for since the inception of this blog.

Thank you so much to all the BBGSians who have made this happen.
Let's keep the flag flying high!

Labour of love

Hi Everyone,

It's the 9th of January 2008 - a watershed date for this blog. We broke the 1000-visit mark in just over 6 months!

THANK YOU to all of you for visiting the blog, contributing your stories and forwarding the link. Thank you for caring.

Many readers have written kind and encouraging words to me about this blog. Allow me to share with you about this labour of love.

Last June, I was in a hotel room surfing the web when I googled "BBGS" just to find out what was available. I found very little. And the little I found was outdated, sentimental and not of the quality that BBGS is known for. There was a lot of negative emotion about the loss of the school building, school name, school legacy and moaning about the evils of the Pavilion. I felt it wasn't representative of the BBGS I know and love. "Be the change that you want to see in the world" is a quality that I learnt at school. And so I decided to help re-build a positive image for BBGS in cyberspace.

When I started doing research, I learnt that a key to having a successful blog is to write about your passions. And so I started blogging about my two favourite things: BBGS and travelling -- check out http://aunty-jo-jo.blogspot.com/. I have always wanted to be a writer and these blogs have provided me an avenue to fulfil those dreams.

Standards? That was easy. The BBGS blog had to be good enough for Miss Cooke or my mother to read!

Content? That was a little more challenging. I began with some self-indulgent memories and semi-autobiographies. Thankfully, I found a stash of school magazines while moving apartments so I began to draw on these well-researched resources. I also began hunting down old classmates and teachers and begged them for stories. Felt like being Editor of the School Magazine all over again!

Networks? It began with a handful of emails to close friends - 6 to be exact. And the word began to spread -- slowly. Somehow, this little blog found its way to Facebook and the networking really began to gain momentum. And today, we're here celebrating 1000 hits.

So let's keep writing, networking and sharing those BBGS dreams and we'll make it to 10,000 hits by the end of 2008 shall we?

Take care everyone and remember...

NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA

Warmest regards,
Joanna

Everyone's a critic!

Just found this really cool tool that assesses the reading level of blogs. Here's the result for this BBGS blog.

College level. Not bad huh? :-)

Good for a laugh

I just found a new group on Facebook with a hilarious description. Well done girls - definitely no self-pity here!

Group: Traitors who like BBGS Shopping Centre

Description:

I know we were all very sad to see the school go. I personally felt a real rush of emotion as I drove through where the primary school gates used to be.But let's face it, if they were going to tear down our school to build something, it could have been a lot worse. At least we got a nice, classy mall with lots of very nice shops, and (even more important for us BBGS girls) lots of nice places to eat.

To put it in perspective, when they tear down St Mary's it will probably be to build some Grade C Offices and Service Apartments while if they ever pull down CBN, it would probably be a late night entertainment centre for Ex Johannians.

Are SBU students part of BBGS?

I've been corresponding with a whole new generation of BBGSians on Facebook. These young ladies also attended Seri Bintang Utara, so I posed the following question:

"Dear all,
I belong to the '80s era of BBGS when we still had the buildings, and the traditions were very much alive! What was it like to belong to Seri Bintang Utara? Does it still feel like BBGS? If truth be told, many old girls from the earlier days probably wouldn't even consider them to be BBGSians. How can we help them preserve some of the culture? Or is it so different that it no longer matters?"

Emily Chang replied:

Our school moved to the new premises when I was in Form 4. I can't remember if they changed our name before that, but I still feel very much part of BBGS. This is because I've been in BBGS since primary days and honestly, I still say I'm a BBGSian :)

Sadly though, I think that all our BBGS traditions are slowly slipping or have they already slipped away? It's a pity..

Ainun Ghazali replied:

Hiya! I think this is a rather important question to tackle because it's something that I've been wondering over awhile as well.

I've been a BBGS girl since Std 1 till the day I graduated secondary school in 2002, and I am very proud of my alma matter.

I suppose I was fortunate enough to experience both the BBGS culture and the SBU culture, since we transferred when I was in Form 4. Even before I had graduated, sadly, a lot of the ol' BBGS spirit was waning.

Choral Speaking, despite being such a huge tradition in our school, had taken a step back in terms of its importance in inter-class competition when our school was not allowed to compete in the nationals anymore for the fact that we had won too many times already.

Cheerleading has not really been what it used to be. The Fun Fairs and Sports Day spirit that I had looked forward to so much in my first 2 years in secondary school was pretty much absent.
Even our school motto has changed from the famous,"Nisi Dominus Frustra" to "Kecemerlangan Tekad Kami".

We have a museum in the new school compound, a modest room that displays the very few artifacts and history that is left from the old school compound. And despite a stint as a museum prefect for a year, I feel that the museum does not do much justice to the legacy that is BBGS.

Before I left school, Form 2 students were required to do an assignment on the school history. And despite the good intentions, I'm not really sure if the new generation really understood the spirit behind the school. Much of what made BBGS so unique and beautiful in its spirit, tradition and culture have sadly dissipated into the past. And the fact that now SBU is a co-ed school, I suppose is a final blow. What is left behind is our school song, the centenary song, a much neglected museum and an attachment to the history pages.

Personally, I acknowledge BBGS and SBU as two different schools, with two different alma matter.

I may have graduated from SBU, but I will always and forever be a BBGSian in my heart.