Borneo Post: St Joe Class of '76 - Spirit of 1Malaysia

Many thanks to Borneo Post for publishing an article by our buddy George Lo on the St Joe Class of '76 and the Spirit of 1Malaysia. You can go to the original article on their site by clicking this.

While I'd certainly like for you to visit the Borneo Post Online website, I know that after some time, most news publishers will archive older articles and then they will no longer be accessible to the general public (except perhaps for paying subscribers). So I'm taking this opportunity to reproduce George's article  here on our own blog ...  Also it may be easier for you to add comments on it.


St Joe Class of ’76 – Spirit of 1Malaysia
By George Lo

KUCHING: Long before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declared his dream of 1Malaysia, there was a group of guys who epitomised the very essence of that dream.

Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayuh, Indian, Eurasian – they worked together, ate together, played together, dreamed together. Race was never an issue between them. Friendship surmounted all.

More than three decades after they parted company at the doorstep of their beloved alma mater, the boys of Form 5 (1976), St Joseph’s School, Kuching are getting together in a Grand Reunion on Dec 23 at Merdeka Palace hotel.
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This reunion has its genesis in a popular blog set up in the beginning of this year by one of the 1976 fifth formers, James Yong, a regional director of Cisco Systems based in Singapore.
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This blog has reconnected old chums from across the globe.
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Old boys of 1976 from far-flung places as UK (James Kuo, John Lee, Ho Boon Chiang), Siem Reap (Bartholomew Sinos), Bangkok (Peter Tiong), Hanoi (Nick Lau), Perth (Kevin Chin), Canada (Chieh Lipp Kee, Bertram Chew, Michael Yeo), Manila (Chong Chi Nai) joined hands with their former classmates in various parts of Malaysia through the blog and found that their friendship, like fine wine, had blossomed with the passage of time.
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As another old boy, Dato’ Anthony Macpherson, CEO of NST, says, “The spirit that brings us together is the very spirit of 1Malaysia.
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“We never thought any of us was different whether we are Iban, Bidayuh, Malay or Chinese. We were 1Malaysia 33 years ago and we still are today.”
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Any member of the St Joe Form 5 (1976) cohort who has not registered to join the Grand Reunion, can call Robert Chin at 016-8774018 or Ben Wong (012-8989868) to book a seat.
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Anyone who knows anyone in Form 5 St Joe 1976 is welcome to check out the blog:
http://stjoe-form5in1976.blogspot.com/


Good article, Georgie boy!

Now all you boys who haven't yet signed up for the Grand Reunion, how could you stay away after such an impassioned write-up ? You're not just doing it for yourself. You're not just doing it for your old school. You're doing it in support of your country too !  ;-)

You know what you have to do ! See you ALL on Dec 23rd !

Caption Time Again ...

Here's an interesting chap in an interesting outfit ...

The best and most creative captions will receive the usual "no-prize".

An even bigger "no-prize" if your input is given in rhyme.

Over to you guys.

Inviting our Teachers

As you may have read already from some of the comments, our friendly organizing team of Ben Wong, Bob  Chew and Robert Chin turned professional couriers yesterday, driving around Kuching to personally deliver the Grand Reunion invitations to some of our former teachers and special guests. Many thanks guys! Most impressed by your dedication and the personal touch.

Here's what the invitation card looks like ...

And here are our intrepid trio's various stops ...

Mr Clarence K M

Back in 1976, Mr Clarence was the Form 5 Science form teacher and he also taught us Additional Maths. Thanks to his excellent teaching, many of us can still differentiate and integrate with gusto (or am I being too hopeful here? Whatever it is, it certainly helped me when I was trying to coach my daughter on her maths homework!). Now aged 71 and fully retired, Mr Clarence looks hardly a day older than when he was our teacher. Definitely someone who holds the secret (or mathematical formula?) to anti-aging. Mr Clarence has two daughters and a son . The eldest two are living in Australia. So he spends his time between Australia and Sarawak, where he lives with his wife and youngest daughter at Lorong Poh Kwong, Kuching

Mr Lee Hock Kia

Mr. Lee started teaching Art at St Joe in 1974 and retired from teaching in 1992.  He was a popular and talented art teacher who taught for a total of 28 years. Initially he had taught at a Chinese school but was persuaded to join St. Joseph’s in 1974. I guess Bro Albinus & other teachers used all their charm and influence to bring him over to St Joe. And after he arrived, art classes were never the same again in St Joe. Now aged 74, he continues to pursue his passion for art in his own home at Jalan Foochow No 2, and he holds regular exhibitions in and around Kuching.

Mr Nicholas Jee

It's incredible! This bachelor teacher who taught us to appreciate the beauty of the English language through his Literature classes turns 60 next week. Mr Nicholas Jee retired in 2000 after a teaching career of 31 years at St Joe. When we met him on the street, he was as spritely as ever. He now lives at Pending Heights, Kuching.

Mr Augustine Ong

Mr Ong joined St. Joe in 1974 and left in 1984 to pursue law. He became a practicing lawyer and is now teamed with his nephew as a partner. In his teaching career, he taught English, Geography and Commerce, through which he has left an indelible mark on many of us. He lives at Tabuan Desa, Kuching.

Father Nicholas Ng

Father Ng also hits the Big 50 this year. How do we know? Because he was our classmate in Form 5 Science in 1976. Clearly he received his calling from above, and he was the only one in the class who spurned material things and became a Catholic priest . When we met him this morning , he was very busy, but still managed to squeeze a little time out to have a chat and at our request, even posed in his priestly robes in front of St Joseph’s Cathedral.

Bro Albinus

Bro Albinus is (we believe) the only La Salle brother remaining in Kuching, if not in Sarawak. It was good to see him in good health. Unfortunately he will not be able to join us for the Reunion as he will be out of the country.

There are still other teachers we are trying to get in touch with, and we'll update everyone on further progress later.

What a great job B B & R have done ! Three cheers for them and for our former teachers who have done so much for us. Hip, hip .....

Day 2 (13 Nov 2009)

This evening, Bob, Jensen and Robert delivered the invitation card to Mr Anthony Goh at his home.

Mr Anthony Goh, now aged 59, taught Woodwork, History, English and PE at St Joe from 1972 to 1977, before leaving for the Batu Lintang Training College. Now he teaches in Lodge School.

He was a popular PE master and a supreme commander in sports especially rugby and athletics. He reminisced that at one particular inter-school sports meet, St Joe was the Overall Champion for boys and girls even though we didn't even have girls representation.

Mr Goh lives with his wife and two children (already working) at Lorong Sg. Maong Baru, Kuching. His hobby these days? Fishing !

Grand Reunion Updates - #1

From today onwards, we'll be giving you weekly Grand Reunion Updates on what you can expect on the evening of December 23rd.  It will be done like a striptease show ... we won't reveal everything at once ... rather a little bit will be shed each Wednesday. LOL (Psssst .... there's a striptease picture at the end of this post, but make sure you read the rest first).

December 23rd will be a magical evening, where we will meet and greet each other, behave like carefree schoolboys again, eat-drink-and-be-merry, and generally be transported back to December 1976, the last time when so many of us were together at St Joe ...

And to augment that nostalgic experience, the reunion organizers have, at great expense, installed a very special Time Machine within this posting .... ZAAAAPPPPP ..... upon reading this, you will be immediately transported back to 1976.

It is now ... 11th November 1976.

Don't believe me? Look, even the frontpage of the New Straits Times assures you it's so ...

Enjoy reading what happened on THIS day 33 years ago.

Do YOU remember what you might have been doing on that day? Do share some of your recollections.


Now for a few quick updates on the Grand Reunion:

*   We are very grateful to Air Asia for sponsoring tickets to some exciting destinations as one of the prizes for our lucky draw. ( I won't reveal where the destinations are until closer to the time).

*   To make the reunion even more meaningful, we have arranged an optional programme on the morning and afternoon of 23rd December, which will include a visit to our alma mater St Joe and a few other interesting places in town. Details will be shared over the next few days.

*   All those who have registered and submitted their dates of birth by last week's deadline will each get a very special customised souvenir to take home.

*   And we will definitely have live entertainment.

OK, that's all you're gonna get today ...

except for the striptease picture I promised you ... So here you are.

Ha ha ha !

Five Ways to Pamper Your Feet

Today we focus on your FEET. Don't laugh, ok? These two lower parts of your body have had the pressure of moving you around for the past 50 years, over smooth or rough surfaces, in dry and damp conditions, when you were thin or fat .... Yes, our feet have worked hard for us and although they are a strong and complex anatomical structure, they still need that extra step (no pun intended) in footcare to make them even more resilient.

So today it's time to look at how to treat your feet much better ... pamper them so they will continue to support you over the next few decades.Taking care of our feet is not just about cutting our toenails or performing a quick foot scrub when bathing. Apparently there's a lot more and some of our experienced kawans will show you some ways if you are clueless.


(1) Be wise in choosing your shoes

I personally believe comfort comes first, and that no part of your body should suffer for the sake of fashion. And I've seen some crazy shoes over the years. For ladies, the tight-fitting super high-heeled shoes may be in vogue this season, but such footwear could only hurt your toes and bones. Whether men or ladies, we should be wise in choosing our shoes.

Here's what shoe experts say:
*  Your feet shouldn't feel cramped inside your footwear.
*  Make sure that the toes have enough space to move around inside closed shoes.
Blisters, corns, calluses, and even toe problems can arise from frequently wearing ill-fitting footwear.

But there is also another (more radical) group that says that the shoe itself is the problem, not the solution. These people say we'd all be better off bare-footed. I'm not qualified to comment but you may want to check out this very interesting article that was published in New York Magazine not long ago, and decide for yourself.

(2)  Foot soaks

A foot soak or foot bath is a wonderful way to repay your feet. After a long day (especially if you are on your feet a lot), soak them in a basin of warm water with sea salts and essential oils.

A salt foot bath relaxes the feet and takes away any swelling. Essential oils like eucalyptus and peppermint can reinvigorate your senses, while lavender and chamomile could help you relax.

And here's a trick for those with sweaty feet, I'm told that soaking them in warm water with tea bags could help minimize sweating. The tannic acid from the tea could also help get rid of any foul smell that is emanating from your feet.


(3)  Go for the occasional foot massage

There is a distinction between foot massage and foot reflexology. Foot massage just focuses on rubbing and manipulation of parts of your foot, and making you feel good. Foot massage usually makes no further health claims. However, according to the principles of reflexology, different parts of the foot correspond to different parts of the body. (I think there is a link to a reflexology site somewhere). For instance, a toe massage can potentially ease sinus pain, while applying pressure on the arch soothes a tummy ache, etc.

Well, I'll let our buddies Jensen, Norbert, Edward and Jude show you how it should be done. Maybe they can even tell you where to go for the best foot massages.


(4) Fish Therapy

Ahh, fish therapy or fish spa is more advanced and recent service, lah! I'm curious about it but have never actually gone for this myself. I don't think you can get this treatment everywhere, though I think more outlets are opening up. Hmmm, I wonder if the SPCA has any view on this ... or maybe fishes don't come under their purview. LOL

Well let's hear from the gents (above) who have gone for this form of pampering, and have them comment on how it felt.

And for added fun, maybe later Dato' AM can also share with you a Lat cartoon related to this kind of treatment ;-)


(5) Real Men get Pedicures?

Masculinity is a farce in society. Many men still have an impression that pedicures may implicate one as “gay” or "effeminate" (siau chia, in Hokkien), and that it is not the “right” thing to do. I'm not talking about those pedicures that leave roses or other floral designs on your nails, but more the cleaning and tidying up of your feet. And it's probably not a good idea to wait till your foot looks like this ...

Well, I guess it depends on the individual to make up his mind on whether or not pedicures are for him. At 50, some would have reached a point in life where they are more comfortable in their own skin, and do not care about the misperceptions of others. Or they may find that they're too old to learn new tricks.


In this posting, I'm only including five ways to pamper your feet. I'm sure there are many other great ways that I missed out. So hurry up, those who know do share your experiences with everyone. What are you all waiting for? Got those feet moving !