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.

BBGS OGA Annual General Meeting 7 August 2010

Dear OGA Members,

What a feat it was to get the accounts ready for our AGM on 7 August! This is a testimony to the commitment of our volunteers to keep BBGS alive.

After the 10 October 2009 EGM, we got news that our newly-elected Treasurer, Cheah Swee Peng, was hospitalised for Hepatitis A. Upon recovery five months later, she had to deal with the critical illness and demise of her mother-in-law.

The Exco pulled together to manage the various responsibilities among themselves until Swee Peng could return to the accounts. We wish to record our thanks to the BACK2BBGS Working Committee who had so graciously dug out all the data after almost one year.

That’s not all. In the midst of the auditing process, our auditor Foong Mei Lin, was down with Influenza A. But she soldiered on to complete the task. What a commitment!

Our other auditor, Loo Mi Li is another shining example of dedication and professionalism — values taught by BBGS. She even had her children in tow when she met with the Exco on a Saturday morning as her maid was on leave.

All in, Mei Lin and Mi Li audited 13 years of accounts for us—all within one year as the OGA had been dormant for several years until it was revived on 11 July 2009. No wonder they feel the need for a break. Although we are very sad to release them, we really appreciate their sacrifices. Both of them work for the same prestigious consultancy and they have certainly set high standards for us. On behalf of the OGA, we wish to say a very, very BIG THANK YOU to Mei Lin and Mi Li.

We are pleased to enclose the Notice of AGM to be held on 7 August 2010. The audited accounts will be emailed to you by 28 July, together with minutes of last year’s AGM and EGM.

Please let us know by 1 August if you are attending the AGM.

Nisi Dominus Frustra!

On behalf of the OGA Exco,

Phang Sow Yoong

President, BBGS Old Girls’ Association

A Big Thank You to Our Auditors

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

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2010

NOTE: The PDF version of the NOTICE OF AGM 2010 can be downloaded from the blogsite (see right column)

Still a Teacher at Heart...

Miss Yeo Kim Eng—50 years in BBGS as a student and teacher.

Pang Hin Yue (Class of 1982) catches up with retired BBGS teacher, Miss Yeo Kim Eng,who has a gift of boosting the self-worth of her students. Her house is always filled with former and present students who gather there for class reunions, choir practices or English classes.

With 50 years in BBGS, first as a student and then a teacher, Miss Yeo Kim Eng is iconic to her students. Besides imparting knowledge, Miss Yeo gave her students a sense of self-worth and helped them overcome their fear of speaking in front of the class

She might not have studied psychology but she certainly knew how to suss out her students, paying attention to those who needed the extra nudge to step out.

“I could tell if a student had issues about self confidence. I would assign her tasks that made her feel important,” she disclosed when we met for lunch at her house that still retains the old charm of Petaling Jaya.

It was certainly true in my case. My weekly assignment was to deliver her record book to the principal’s office. With Ms Yeo’s encouragement, I felt honoured to perform such a duty.

“Ambidextrous and Kleptomania”

As her reputation as a strict teacher preceded her, any student worth her salt knew not to commit the cardinal sins of mucking around and being slothful. To ensure her message was clear, she taught us the word, “alert” on our very first day in her class.

It is to her credit that my vocabulary increased. I learnt such words as “ambidextrous” and “kleptomania” during her English class (1980, 3S) and subsequently, discovered the thesaurus because of her devotion to improving her students’ command of the language.

We each had a “Vocabulary” exercise book and we took turns to share new words we learnt with our class. We had to note down the meaning of the words and construct sentences with them. The weekly exercise of speaking in class and the annual choral speaking competition certainly helped me when I worked as a journalist years later.

Commanding voice

Miss Yeo embraced diligence and excellence as a way of life and she expected her students to do likewise. There was little room for idle chats as we had to pay rapt attention to her every word. We never knew who would be called to answer questions!

To Miss Yeo, every student is worthy of her attention. By the end of the first week in her class, she would have memorised her students’ names and called them a few times in her commanding voice.

The respect she gained from students over the years remains strong. It is not unusual for her former students to stream into her house for class reunions. Miss Yeo can still remember their names and recall their antics in school!

Inspiring students

“One of my ex-students found it both strange and privileged that she was sharing a room with me when she stayed overnight!” recalls Miss Yeo with glee.

If Miss Yeo has inspired many students, it is because she had exemplary teachers in BBGS who made a deep impression on her. She inherited a legacy that is grounded in love: to serve others, be disciplined and do the best in big and small matters.

She was specially touched by Miss Mary Glasgow who became BBGS headmistress in 1947. “I saw how she reached out to students and how she carried herself with such humility and grace,” says Miss Yeo.

Two Red Eggs

Whether she was teaching the top class or not, Miss Yeo gave her best and relished the times when she taught students with learning issues.

She recounts a heart warming incident in which a student gave her two red eggs as a token of her appreciation. “I received it with much joy, touched by her sincerity,” says Miss Yeo.

Although Miss Yeo retired in the 1980s, there is no stopping when it comes to sharing her wealth of knowledge. These days, not all her students are from BBGS. “My door is always open to welcome students who wish to gain knowledge,” she says.

A true BBGSian, Miss Yeo was instrumental in translating our school song fromEnglish to Bahasa Malaysia. In everything she does, she is guided by ourmotto: Nisi Dominus Frustra.

Sharing the Good Food Life

Karl and BBGSian Yuw Ming who is from the class of 1979

After five years of working life, Ho Yuw Ming, a company secretary, became restless and started dabbling in the food business. Together with a few friends, she set up a restaurant in Bangsar while they were all holding fulltime jobs.

 

In 1996, food played Cupid when she and her business partners went on a cruise where Karl Rathswohl was the general manager. He invited them to join him for dinner and discovered that Yuw Ming shares his interests in antiques and food. 

 

They married in 2000 and started their first restaurant in Penang after Yuw Ming and her partners closed their Bangsar outlet. The Austrian-Malaysian couple brought an East-West fusion to the food at their Old China Café. After two years, they returned to Kuala Lumpur where Karl became a consultant to several food businesses.

 

Yuw Ming, who works with Westin Hotel, is privileged to enjoy hubby’s home-cooked meals. However, since her husband started Karl’s Beisl, she dines there with him after work. This suits the gregarious foodie fine as she often meets BBGSians who patronise Karl’s Beisl which has a dedicated pork-free kitchen for Muslim customers.

 

Yuw Ming attributes her management and social skills to BBGS where she was a prefect, choir member and President of the Christian Union. Her love for food was partly nurtured by the school’s Food and Fun Fairs and Domestic Science lessons.

 

Thus, she is more than happy to sell our souvenirs to keep BBGS memories alive. If  you  are  in  Solaris  Mont’ Kiara, do get your BBGS mementoes from Karl’s Beisl. Check out www.karlsbeisl

Come and reconnect with BBGSians @ Karl's Beisl!

We will accept walk-in registration provided there are still places on that day You are welcome to invite your non-BBGS friends for this event.

 

NOTE: At 3.30pm, there will be a special demonstration on how to prepare Apple Strudel—the authentic Austrian style.