Prize award ceremony @ SKTC

31.1.2010

Prize award ceremony @ SKTC

Today, Danny received his Std 3 awards. He managed to grab the award for being first in Std 3, best in Mathematics and best in Moral Studies. The whole ceremony was a mundane affair, a far cry from the razzmatazz and pomp of the yesteryears. At least I can tell from my experience in Hutchings and PFS.

I remember in Std 1, I was chosen by Mr GS Reutens to partake in a Mexican dance. 5 “couples” were chosen and it was an all-boys school, I was dressed up as a Mexican girl. I remember somebody (one of my classmates) called out, “hey, mummy, see black girl!” Now who says that Malaysia was utopia and land of milk and honey then? Racial stereotyping and discrimination was very much alive then as it is now. Anyway during the dance, my head scarf got loose and fell off, much to the amusement of crowd.

In one of the later years in Hutchings, my seniors (with the help of Ustaz Sheikh Muhammad) managed to put up a brilliant puppet show. I cannot remember the plot of the story but I remember that they used the theme score from the TV series “Voyage to the bottom of the sea” when the puppets had to go underwater to salvage something! It was a hit with the audience. In Std 6, I was chosen to be one of the dancing members of Boria. I was in a dilemma then as we were required to wear long pants for the event and I had never owned or wore a pair of long pants in my entire life (at that time). The question of asking my parents to sew a pair for me as the Sham household was perpetually in dire straits all the time. In desperate situations, the pawn shop will be the guiding light and saviour. In fact, my first pair of long pants was sewn for me for Deepavali by Malaya Tailor in Campbell Street when I was 14 years old. Anyway, I managed to borrow a pair of light purplish pants from R. Charles. After all the effort, I was dropped from the Boria group as I was apparently not good enough and had to contend with watching the show from the audience’s seat. These ceremonies were highly prestigious and a lot of effort was put into it by dedicated teachers. Off the cuff, I can enumerate a few; Mr Phuah, the Senior Assistant (who drove a station wagon Austin) who had eyes at the back of his head as well, Mr Khay, the music teacher, Ustaz Sheikh Muhammad and many more.

In PFS it was done at a much grander scale, full with pride and tradition. Scholars and board of visitors donning complete traditional colours and tunic used to be present on their Speech Day, which is what the award ceremony or parents and teachers’ day is called. Unlike in Hutchings where it used to be a real important day for me where I will be receiving awards every year without fail, it was a non event for me until Form 6. Now that is when I finally managed to wrangle myself a prize in Physics. There is a story behind this achievement.

It was May 1982 and monthly Physics test was due. As usual Mr Khoo Kay Tatt (@Ketat @Tennish) was elusive, mystical and vague on what was to be tested. His standard answer was you will be tested on what you were taught. The problem was nobody understood what he was trying to teach. He makes the subject mind boggling and mysterious than it already is. And finally test was out, 3 long questions and 2 of the subjects not covered in his classes! For the first and last time in my life, I actually failed a test! I only obtained 16% marks. I was devastated. I made a vow never to let that incident to repeat itself. I drew up a strategy to cover myself in all areas of Form 6 Physics so as not to be caught with pants down again. I detailed a comprehensive plan to cover all areas to be tested. I remember the Physics midyear examination paper was scheduled for a Monday and Friday was on off day. For three complete days (24 hrs – 6hrs for sleep), I was eating, drinking, breathing and seeing Physics and nothing else. Exam came and went like anything else in life…

When the results were out, the Physics results was last to be out as Mr Khoo was marking it. I obtained 90% compared to 3 other guys in U6Sc2 who had 92%. After going through the paper, I realized that my marks were under recorded. Then came the tormenting task of squeezing 2 marks out of Mr Khoo and I eventually succeeded! I got top marks for Physics in the whole of form 6!!! From someone who got a miserable 16 marks in the monthly test, to suddenly leap frog to receive the Physics prize is a formidable achievement I should say. RRF boy does it again!

Reminiscing Form 1

28.1.2010

Reminiscing Form 1

Just the other day, Koay Tian Soo shared his Form 1 A class photo shoot (above). I am the third one sitting from the left end. KTS is on my left. Boy did it rekindle old memories. Memories of Rifle Range, Hutchings School and subsequent progression to PFS reignited certain electrical transmissions in some glial cells in the hypothalamus and the limbic system. This subsequently sparked some twigs in the cerebral cortex which in turn sent impulses down the central and peripheral nervous systems! I think I will start with the first few days in PFS. In the 70’s, the primary school assessment test was done in Standard 5. We were tested on Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics, Science and Kajian Tempatan. (I think). Incidentally, we were the guinea pigs in 1970 that started the curricula in Bahasa Malaysia (or Bahasa Melayu as it is referred to now). In that year 1974 Primary School Assessment Examinations, only Syed Abutahir obtained 5As. Aqbal Singh Sambhi and yours truly secured 4As.

Syed Abutahir is said to be older than his birth certificate age. He was the school Head Boy and was well composed of things. He was in the school soccer team as a striker. He used to be first in all class exams. In Std 1, both of us got 398/400 to be joint first in class. After that, it was usually he who is first. The others who had the joy of sharing this glory include Aqbal Singh, Lim Eng Seng and I.

An interesting rumour that circulated in Hutchings was that many boys there were actually older than their declared age. It is said that many of them were actually smuggled in churns on board trawler boats. It is interesting to see many Std 6 boys with pubertal growth spurts and facial hairs. I remember Dowlath Ali (many years my senior) who actually had to shave periodically.

Abutahir lost his father (only remaining parent) when he was sitting for Std 5 end of the year exams in which he defiantly maintained his first position in the class. After Std 6, he received a scholarship from MARA (with a recommendation from the Islamic Religious Studies teacher, Ustaz Sheikh Mohamad) to study in a residential school.

Aqbal Singh was then already signs of child prodigy. At around Std 5, he could discuss world politics and about the birds and the bees at length. He was tall and big built. Well, to one who is pint sized like me (the smallest in class), everybody appeared big. He kept a big thick turban which was knotted at his vertex. His father had a grocery shop and was brought to school by a Gujerati shop assistant. He used to have a great passion for Origami and used to carry around his faithful companion “Harbin’s Book of Origami”.

Coming back to the Assessment Exams, the results were the primary determinant of placement in secondary school. Being a feeder school to PFS, about 20 students with the best results will be placed in PFS followed by Georgetown Secondary and Westland Secondary School. I remember some the guys who made in to PFS with me – Aqbal Singh Sambhi, Ahamed Kameel (now Professor in IIU, he later was instrumental in my improvement in studies at the Upper Secondary School stage), Meer Sadik Habib (did well in athletics (athletics captain in Hargreaves house), a hit with the girls in Upper 6, later did Gemology in the US to take over his father roaring jewelry business and bring ‘Habib’s Jewels’ to its present status), Lim Eng Seng (a great rival in studies in Std 5 and Std 6, he left for KL later but reunited in USM – he did Chemistry), Sukhdev Singh (who think is a heck of a hockey player – he got to PFS ‘B’ team as a reserve player, joined MAS as a pilot and is now triple his size), Unnikrishnan (he joined us in Std 3 later joined RMAF, succumbed to IHD at a tender age of 42yrs), Leong Chee Keong, Leong Hoe Chew, Ronnie Cheam, Yong Chee Khuan etc. etc.

It was euphoria in the Sham household during the school holidays.

January came, and I had to sit for an assessment for placing into respective classes. The first thing I noticed during the pre-secondary school days was that there were far too many school rules and regulations. I was fascinated with the school tie that needed to be knotted; of course, nobody in the circle of people that I knew, could or need to know to knot a tie!

The first day of school in Form 1 was a cultural shock for me. There I was, a boy from low-cost flats, standing in the school hall full of tradition and splendour waiting to sit for the exams. There I was with an inferiority complex with minimal exposure to academia compared to those confident lads from high society oozing with knowledge and intelligence from all orifices, rattling in impeccable English whilst clinging on to their 300-odd paged paperbacks of Alistair MacLean and Leon Uris. I felt small, tiny, and I targeted myself for Form 1E. The exams commenced to place the students from Form1A to Form1H.

Results were announced late on the second day of school, after sitting for 3 papers. The teachers called in the names one by one on the second day after recess. I was pleasantly surprised and proud when I was placed in Form1A! I attained 248/300 marks. Rifle Range Boy does it again!

hutchings school

I studied in Hutchings between 1970 and 1975, after which I went to Penang Free School. My batch mates were Syed Abutahir (Head Prefect), Aqbal Singh (a child prodigy by my standards), Lim Eng Seng (my class competitor), Ahamed Kameel (professor at IIU), Thazlin Ghouse, Eddie Lee Boon Teik ( who introduced me to CCR the band ), Hang Tuah, etc.
I remember my teachers - Cik Aishah ABd Rahman Std 1, Mr Khoo Cheow Hin with story telling skills & girlfriends & Ms Tan Geok Kee Std 2, Mr Lee Seong Teik with his VW -Std 3, Ms Olive de Mello & the pretty Ms Yeoh Std 4, Mr Ever Smiling Cheah Yong Chee Std 5 and Mr Chan Teik Huat Std 6. I also remember Mr Paul Ng....
I wonder where all these people are!