NEW YEAR GREETING SENT OUT @ 1.11 AM ON 1.1.11

To download PDF version of Nov-Dec 2010 bumper issue of BBGS OGA eNewsletter for printing, please click on http://www.box.net/shared/tybyldy3l4

FESTIVE GREETINGS FROM BBGS OGA

BBGS OGA Facebook - Significant Milestones

OUR 1000th FACEBOOK FRIEND CAME IN AT 1.31PM ON 15 NOV 2010

Gaik-Li Che, who is now based in Vancouver, studied at University of British Columbia. As she has not replied to our query, our guess is she is from the Class of 2002 (probably BBGS-SBU).

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OUR 2020th FACEBOOK FRIEND CAME IN AT 12.56PM ON 24 NOV 2010

Nor Shariza is a BBGSian from the Class of 1995. A graduate of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Shariza is the third generation in her family to have studied in BBGS. Both her sisters, Nor Sharikin and Nor Sharini are also BBGSians. In fact, Nor Sharini was even more excited than her and commented on her status even before Shariza added: "So glad to be in touch with all of u...Proud to be the 3rd generation in the family of BBGSians!!!"

Nor Shariza with her niece, (Sharikin's daughter).

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OUR 3000th FACEBOOK FRIEND CAME IN AT 11.31AM ON 17 DEC 2010

Sian Mei Yeoh confirmed: "Hi, I was in BBGS for primary school (1992-1998) and since my family moved to PJ, I transferred to Sri Aman in the middle of Form 1. She studied Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University and is now living in Chicago, Illinois in the United States.

Dinosaur Meets the ‘Last of the Mohicans’ and Newbie

by SY Phang

Photo caption: (L-R): Dinosaur Sow Yoong, Newbie Ebbe and Sasha, the ‘Last of the Mohicans’. Isn’t it wondeful that the BBGS culture has united three people of different ages, races and religions?

Sometimes I wonder if it is really worth getting ‘emo’ over BBGS. My maiden trip to Pavilion resurrected memories that I thought were buried with the school’s demolition.

Fortunately, I came across Joanna’s blog which was therapeutic. Listening to the school song once again gave me goose bumps while answering the questions in “How BBGS Are You?” evoked nostalgia. Blog stories of successful BBGSians around the world made me proud of our alma mater.

Soon, I was networking with BBGSians of all ages to find out their sentiments about reviving our alumni. Through Facebook, I learnt that Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif is trying to start a BBGS-SBU Alumni.

Sasha, the “Last of the Mohicans”, completed Form 5 in BBGS just before the school was relocated to Seri Bintang Utara (SBU) in 2000. She has been asked to start the alumni and be its first president.

“You must meet Ebenezer Abel Paul who is helping me to register the alumni. He is passionate about BBGS!” enthused Sasha, a busy young lawyer.

“Did you say he? How did the guy come into the picture? Why is he so passionate about BBGS?” I asked Sasha not knowing that SBU is a co-ed school. From the centenary magazine, I learnt that there were boys studying at BBGS during its early years—notably the late Mr David Boler, a former headmaster of Bukit Bintang Boys’ School.

“Wait till you meet Ebbe,” replied Sasha who arranged for a meeting at Deli France in One Utama on 28 May 2009.

I was simply bowled over by this SBU guy when he answered my pointed question: “What makes you so passionate about BBGS?”

“Strangely, I fell in love with BBGS when I joined SBU in 2003. Even though there was only 20 per cent of the BBGS culture left in SBU then, I was overwhelmed by its rich heritage,” explained Ebenezer (Ebbe).

“Hey, I was not the only one who felt that way. My sister loves the school motto which inspires godliness in her. We would frequent the BBGS museum to soak ourselves in the history of this great school,” he added.

Formerly a SBU School Captain, Ebbe is now doing his A-levels at HELP University College. He was among the first batch of 77 boys to be admitted into SBU. Goodness, did the girls bully the boys?

“Oh no! The girls took good care of us and made us feel welcome. I was so happy in SBU that I turned down an offer to go to Victoria Institution,” replied Ebbe.

Awesome! Ebbe was smitten by just 20 per cent of BBGS culture while studying at SBU. No wonder those of us who got the full blast of this amazing school never got over it. Do you blame us for wanting to keep the BBGS values alive?

Ebenezer wonders if the BBGS Old Girls’ Association would admit SBU boys as associate members while they wait for the BBGS-SBU Alumni to be registered.

Note: This article first appeared in Joanna Yeoh's blog www.back2bbgs.blogspot.com prior to the grand reunion at Pavilion on 4 Aug 2009. During the AGM held on 11 July 2009, the BBGS OGA has decided to modernise and change its name to BBGS Alumni. We also want to admit former BBGS teachers and former SBU/ SBS students as associate members. We are still waiting for ROS approval for our constitution amendments.

Get BBGS Souvenirs for Your Class Reunions

BBGS T-Shirts (RM 12 each)

A hot item at the BACK2BBGS Reunion at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 4 Aug 2009

BBGS Eco Bags

RM 10 (for 3 bags)

RM 5 (for 1 bag)

Excellent as goody bags during class reunion parties. The OGA distributed them during the AGM-cum-Annual Gathering 2010. The Class of 2000 ordered them for their recent 10th Anniversary Reunion.

BBGS Golden Heritage (RM 5 each)

Guaranteed to make you nostalgic with the School Song, Centenary Song, Choral Speaking, Interviews with former Headmistresses, Miss Cooke, Miss Yeap and Dato' Noor Rezan bt Bapoo Hashim. Listen to the upbeat Bahasa Malaysia version of the school song.

Pens (RM 5 for a packet of 5pens)

Umbrellas (RM 20 each)

Keychains (RM 10 each)

TO ORDER: Email bbgsoga@gmail.com or contact the following:

Yin Ling: 016-371 5642 Subang Jaya / Taman Maluri,

Sow Yoong: 012-292 1460 Bandar Utama/ Kota Damansara

Moira: 012-672 7931 KLCC / Kelana Jaya
Sherena : 012-321 2692 Enak KL, Starhill, Jln Bukit Bintang

Kwan Poh Lan: 012-631 2343 Sri Hartamas / Taman Seputeh

BBGS OGA Reunion Dinner @ Melbourne

Grateful thanks to Susan Chee (left) who visited Miss Ma (middle) with her son, Russell (right). Also, our deepest appreciation to Chan Wai Heng for coordinating the event. Miss Ma will be celebrating her 94^th birthday in a few months’ time. She was born on 14 Jan 1917.

Come 22 October, the BBGS Old Girls’ Association will be holding a reunion dinner in Melbourne to honour Miss Ma Tak Yan, the former headmistress of Bukit Bintang Primary School 2.

BBGSian Susan Chee (Lau Su San, Class of ‘72) was given the special task of scanning and sharing these precious photos from Miss Ma’s treasure trove of BBGS memories. We hope to gather more information and photos of BBGS when we meet Miss Ma in Melbourne. Please spread the word to BBGSians Down Under.

Date

22 Oct 2010, (Friday)

Time

7.30 pm

Venue

Allpeople Chinese Restaurant,
12/2 Burwood Highway,
BurwoodEast,

Melbourne, Australia

Tel : 9889 8198/ 98898182

Cost

AUD 50 per pax

CONTACT PERSON IN MELBOURNE

Chan Wai Heng
Mobile : 0438627368

Tel : (03)98366271

Email : chan.wai.heng@hotmail.com

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BBGS Photo Gallery

Remember this eye-candy building? For alumnae who started school at the BBGS Primary School 1 & 2, this photo will evoke childhood memories of teachers, concerts, sports day and fun fairs as well as recess games like five stones and hopscotch.

Miss Ma (third from left) and her former pupil, Miss Elena M. Cooke (extreme right) who later joined BBGS as a teacher. On Miss Ma's right is Mrs Chuah Kim Neo who was the headmistress of BBGS Primary School 1 from 1957-1969.

“I should like to thank Miss Glasgow particularly for graciously consenting to declare open the new building. To the post-war generation, Miss Glasgow and the Bukit Bintang Girls’ School are synonymous. She returned in 1946 after her internment and was Headmistress until 1958. She has devoted her life unstintingly to the school ...”

Excerpt from Miss Ma’s handwritten speech (above) during the official opening of the BBGS Primary School on 24 September 1960. Miss Ma is a former student and former teacher of BBGS. She became the first headmistress of BBGS Primary School 2 in 1958 and retired in 1977.

Miss Glasgow officiating the opening of the BBGS Primary School at 4pm on 24 September 1958.

The BBGS Primary School Recorder Band performing at the official opening of the Primary School. Were you there?

Miss Ma during Sports Day in 1977.

Can you recognise any teachers here?

Please join the BBGS OGA to receive our monthly eNewsletters. Membership application form can be downloaded from the blog. We are also on Facebook. BBGS OGA and BBGS Australian Branch.

PS: You can now download the October 2010 eNewsletter from the blogsite.

Getting to Know Our Bosom Friends

“Dr Evelyn would definitely get full marks if she were rated for her presentation on breast health,” commented a participant working for a training consultancy.

The talk, that was open to both BBGSians and the public, received “thumbs up” for being interactive and highly informative.

Dr Evelyn had us in stitches with her humour and hilarious powerpoint cartoons that drove home the point of taking charge of our breast health.

There was never a dull moment as Dr Evelyn introduced exercises, demonstrations, quizz and gave away prizes to keep us attentive and engrossed.

Thank you Dr Evelyn for taking time off to share your knowledge with our alumnae and guests. For more photos, please check out of Facebook (bbgsoga).

Dr Evelyn's excellent communication skill and sense of humour

kept participants engaged throughout her presentation.

Learning the techniques of self breast examination.

Demonstrating a point about maintaining breast health.

Dr Evelyn with her former teachers, Miss Yeo Kim Eng and Miss Phoon Pooi Lan (fifth & sixth from right, respectively) and some BBSGians who were at the talk.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mosaic Community Studio, Centrepoint, Bandar Utama. More photos in BBGS OGA Facebook.

PS: We just received news that Dr Evelyn has been nominated for The Malaysian Women’s Weekly Great Women of Our Time Award 2010 (Health, Sports & Wellness category). The nominee with the most votes from readers will also receive RM5,000 from The Malaysian Women’s Weekly to donate to a charity of their choice. Dr Evelyn’s CODE is 17. Read about her in the October 2010 issue of The Malaysian Women’s Weekly 


To vote:

SMS to 32733:

MWW GWOT NAMENRIC NOMINEE’S CODE E-mail

Eg: MWW GWOT Sue Lim 750505142222 17 sl@yahoo.com

Closing Date: 25 Oct 2010 for SMS voting and each SMS will be charged RM1.

NOTE: The PDF version of the BBGS OGA September eNewsetter can be downloaded from the blogsite (see right column)

SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHT

You &Your Breasts

My advice to ALL women – Be responsible for your own breast health! Ignorance or fear does not make cancer go away.

—Dr Evelyn Ho is a consultant clinical radiologist. She is the immediate past president of the College of Radiology as well as the founding editor and creator of www.radiologymalaysia.org. In 2005, Dr Ho received the Inaugural Novartis-Malaysian Breast Cancer Council Award for her leadership in breast cancer advocacy.

Photographs by courtesy of Dr Evelyn Ho, Webeditor, Radiology Malaysia.

It is everyone’s business to be Breast AWARE! If you are a husband or wife; father or other, brother or sister; son or daughter; friend or relative - You SHOULD attend this session. Yes, males can also get breast cancer, although their risks are very much lower than that of females. Breaking the Silence Saves Lives —Take Charge of Your Breast Health NOW!

TIME/DATE
3-5pm, 19 September 2010 (Sun)

VENUE
Mosaic Community Studio

S20 (2^nd Floor), Centrepoint,
Lebuh Bandar Utama,

Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya

SPEAKER

Dr Evelyn Ho, Consultant Clinical Radiologist

(BBGSian, Class of 1979)

TOPICS
The Basics About the Human Breast

How to do Effective Self Breast Examination

How to React/Interact with People with Breast Cancer

Is there Life After Breast Cancer?

The Right to Take Control (Patient Autonomy)

COST

RM10 per person to cover hall rental and refreshments

ENQUIRIES
SY Phang (012-292 1460); Dolly Foo (012-679 7856)

bbgsoga@gmail.com, www.bbgsoga.blogspot.com

As we can only accept payment from members, we encourage BBGS OGA members to coordinate payments from their families and friends attending the talk and bank in the money into:

Bukit Bintang Girls’ School Old Girls’ Association

EON Bank Account: 2044 1000 55514

Please fax bank slip to 03-6157 0191 (state names and purpose of payment).

The BBGS OGA is truly proud of Dr Evelyn Ho’s contributions to women’s health in Malaysia and beyond. We caught up with the busy radiologist over dinner and began to understand why she is so passionate about promoting breast health. Her maxim is: “If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing to the best of your ability”. Sounds familiar? Please scroll till the end for enlightenment.

MY PASSION & MISSION...

Public Education: Creating awareness and educating the public from all walks of life is essential for empowering people to act appropriately for their own breast health. I believe in the holistic approach without all the doom and gloom—from early detection (which coincides with my work as a radiologist) to rehabilitation from cancer or living with advanced cancer based on palliative medicine principles.

Radiology Malaysia Website: The website is bi-lingual (English and Bahasa Malaysia) to reach a wider audience.

The website http://www.radiologymalaysia.org gives information about our
professional body, directory for palliative care and support groups, general health information, as well as a subweb on breast health. Breast Heath is not only a female problem. Caregivers must also be given knowledge and support. In many instances, the person with cancer has to tread on glass just to support or protect their loved ones from the disease.

Book: I have written a short guide entitled The Art of Being Breast Aware, now in its 2^nd edition. This helps everyone perform systematic breast examination without fear or anxiety. It is very sad that old wives’ tales and gossips have greater impact on women than listening to the professional healthcare expert.


College of Radiology Value Added Mammogram Programme: I organised the first subsidised value added mammogram programme in Malaysia in 2001. The money donated for this programme is almost fully channelled into paying for those underserved to access mammograms. We try to keep administrative costs to the minimum.

OutRageously Pink Nite 2004 and 2009: Together with my breast health partners, we organised the first Street Party in 2004 in Bangsar. This was an innovative fun event to raise the awareness of breast health among the public. It was exhausting as we did everything on our own, with no funds to start off with. But God has been good, and sponsors were generous when we asked for freebies for goodie bags. The event was an outstanding success! In 2009, we organised another Outrageously Pink Nite in a more controlled environment. It was held at Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur, where the young and old had a great time. We even had Harley Davidson bikers promoting breast health awareness!

For more information, check out:
www.radiologymalaysia.org/breasthealth

OPN 2009

http://www.radiologymalaysia.org/breasthealth/BCAC/2009Reports/1107_Outrageously-PINK-Nite-II.htm

OPN 2004

http://www.radiologymalaysia.org/breasthealth/BCAC/2004%20Reports/OPN/index.htm

MY BBGS MEMORIES...

Miss Cooke: She is, of course, the headmistress par excellence! Miss Cooke left a remarkable impact on me. She was strict about punctuality, neatness, politeness and cleanliness (aah...those snow-white school shoes!). I also remember the handshake Miss Cooke taught us and her advice about “exuding confidence but not arrogance”. Not forgetting her favourite maxim: “If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing to the best of your ability” (reinforced by my mum’s similar credo). Wherever you go, leave the place as clean or cleaner than when you found it.

Activities: Choral speaking and debating competitions; Maths and Science interschool quizzes; singing in parts during school assemblies was wonderful; and folk dancing—I really loved that!

BBGSian Mdm Soh Geok Kim is 97, going on 98!

By Lim Yuet Suan

Mdm Soh getting a kiss from her grand-daughter-in-law, BBGSian Cheah Swee Peng

during her 97^th birthday celebration. Her grandson, Stanley (right) is the better half

of our BBGS OGA Treasurer.

Having turned 97 last October, Mrs Oh Cheng Tew nee Soh Geok Kim happens to be our oldest BBGS alumna in town! She started schooling when she was eight and had her first taste of BBGS life (circa 1920) in what was then the Chinese Girls’ School in Brickfields.

Today, she has four surviving children, 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren scattered all over Malaysia and around the globe.

Born of Baba Nyonya heritage, Mrs Oh lived in a time when women did not have many opportunities open to them. The fact that she was educated enabled her to delay marriage until she was 22, when most girls would have been married at 15 or 16.

Meeting Mrs Oh for the first time, I was struck by her wonderful sense of humour, humility and graciousness. Although she was using a walker because of a recent fall, she is still full of energy! And she has an amazing memory, being able to remember Miss Glasgow, Miss Prouse and Miss Luke who were among the pioneers of our beloved school! How cool is that? It puts us 40-somethings to shame.

After finishing her Senior Cambridge, Mrs Oh worked as a sales assistant in a supermarket near Robinson’s. As traditional and social pressure would not allow her to put marriage off any longer, she was match-made to a nice young man, Mr Oh, of course!—with whom she would have four sons and a daughter Geok Lan, who is also a BBGS alumna. Some of you may know one of her sons, Mr Oh Kong Lum, a former headmaster of Bukit Bintang Boys’ School.

Even though Mrs Oh did not become a career woman owing to her traditional marriage, she excelled in her role as wife and mother. She could make the best nyonya kaya and kuih bangkit, and would often be invited to school to give demonstrations of these delicacies. Her granddaughter-in-law, Cheah Swee Peng (BBGS School Captain 1985), is now the lucky keeper of these recipes.

Here are some of Mrs Oh’s memories of life in BBGS:

Of her principals and teachers

“I remember Miss Prouse and Miss Luke. They were both very strict but very kind. In my time, children were meant to be seen, not heard. In other words, we mainly kept quiet and did not ask a lot of questions. Miss Prouse was especially involved in sewing. We knitted and sewed clothes (based on paper patterns from Robinson’s), cushion covers and curtains to raise money for the school building fund.”

Of transport to school

We used to walk to the school which was in Brickfields at that time. Going home, we would suffer under the hot sun but sometimes we took the rickshaw which cost 5 cents!

Of the lessons in school

We learned English, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Geography and History. We sang choruses and hymns and we said prayers every morning and listened to the scriptures. We also did exercises but we did not have a Sports Day. I learned about God and that’s how I became a Christian; my husband did not mind me being one either.

Among Mrs Oh’s friends, compatriots and classmates were Miss Ma Tak Yan, Miss Yeo Kim Neo, Miss Margaret Gibson and Mrs and Mrs David Angus. When asked her secret to her long life, Mrs Oh had no ready answer.

However, I think her philosophy in life—which is to let go of any bitter feelings or unpleasantness and move on with a sense of humour—helps a lot! The lines in our school song, “Teach us delight in simple things, And mirth that has no bitter springs, forgiveness free of evil done, and love to all man ‘neath the sun” reminds me how Mrs Oh is a wonderful example of someone who has lived and continues to live along these lines.