RIFLE RANGE BOY

Malaya had it better. Not that we were not colonised but because our colonial masters were much kinder than some that over neighbours got. Look at the Indochinese countries and the mess the French left behind. Their masters not only pilfered the region of its wealth but try to erase their advanced ancient culture. The Dutch left a bad aftertaste even long after their long departure. Belgians used their subjects as target practice to milk their dry of their diamonds, minerals, natural resources and even exotic fauna. Even the Land of the Free, the Thais, did not gain so much of order in their country. Elsewhere, the Spanish wiped out a civilisation with their carnage and smallpox. Malaya was left by the captors a proper system of administration, legal and education systems when they finally gain independence. With this head start, they started their status as a new country with an advantageous jump-start. The euphoria of the new nation pushed it great heights producing new ta...

http://m.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2038580/how-one-malaysian-school-became-bright-spot-colonialisms N. Balakrishnan celebrates the  founding two centuries ago of Southeast Asia’s oldest English school, which gave generations of youth an education not just of the mind, but also of the heart.  N. BALAKRISHNAN PUBLISHED : Thursday, 20 October, 2016, 12:39pm UPDATED : Thursday, 20 October, 2016, 12:39pm The Penang Free School. Minority voices have been saying that the old school was a colonial relic best forgotten. But while the school may have been “elitist” in one sense, it was also an avenue for social mobility for many. Neither of my parents knew any English. The reason I can write passable English is down to the schools I attended in Penang, Malaysia. Penang Free School, my secondary school, celebrates its 200th anniversary on October 21. It was established three years before modern Singapore was “founded” by Stamford R...

31 years ago, they all left to start journey to their future, armed with the scroll of their knowledge. In their long treacherous and arduous journey, they must have swam through many sharks infested waters weathering through inclement weather. Some would have hit the jackpot; some into bottomless pit; some through bad decisions of life; some with incurable maladies; some through painful divorces; some trapped in the clutches of the black dog; some ventured into untested territories and God forsaken places; some happy; some sad and some were ashamed of their absence of achievements. The idea of getting together at 50 mooted about a year when YTH got a handful of people together for a simple dinner. It was followed a series of small meeting here and there. The killer shot materialised when my better/other half schemed my 50th surprise birthday party. All salutations to geeks who started social medias. With the help of emails, WhatsApp, FB and mobile communica...

30.1.2010 Flip, flop, flip, flop… Recently, the Education Ministry came out with a list of 20 best schools in Malaysia. No surprise for those who guessed that PFS was not it. It is all part of the flip flop policy. Perhaps it is part of the master social engineering strategy. Before the 1980’s, each major town in Malaysia used their prestigious grammar school. I guess we have to thank the British for this. After watching Avatar, I am not so sure. Again, this is part of British’s greater agenda. In Penang, we had PFS, SXI, and BM High; in Taiping they had St Edwards; in Ipoh, it was Anderson; KL had VI and St. John’s; Seremban had St. Paul and KGV; Malacca had SFI; JB had EC and so forth. These schools had their own proud age old tradition and used to excel in academic as well as extracurricular activities. Entry into these primier schools was reserved only for the outstanding students. Students had pride donning their school colours. After the New Education Policy was set into ...