Message from Website Jaga (Dec 2009)

Dear friends,
Firstly at the close of 2009, I felt it's timely to take stock of the reconnection status for our Class of 1976, since this was the primary objective of my creating this blog.

While we had almost 70 boys attending the Grand Reunion last week, we have actually reconnected with many more individuals - like those who could not attend for various reasons, but had been contacted via email or mobile phone.

So the following chart shows how many we have reached ...

Secondly I need to inform you guys that I've had to slightly change the way comments are posted onto this blogsite. Previously your comments were posted instantly after you entered them and clicked on "Post Comment". However, as we have seen some mischievious or malicious individuals (who I'm sure are NOT from the Class of 1976 or 1974) who're constantly trying to put unkind comments on this site, leading to my having to delete them from time to time, I've now configured it such that the comments go into a temporary area where I have a chance to check the comments first, and if it is malicious, I won't allow it to be published. I'm sure all of you agree that this blogsite is for friendly chats, sharing of memories and reconnecting old friends, and not for causing hurt or anger by stupid and insulting remarks.

Festive wishes to all
--- James

Grand Reunion Update #7

TODAY's the big day (since it's past midnight as I post this) ... At 10am this morning, some of the old boys will gather at St Joe admin block for a one-hour tour of our alma mater. After the school visit, we will proceed to the new St Michael's Cafe on 3rd Mile for a nostalgic brunch. Then at 7pm sharp, we will meet at Merdeka Palace for the "Mother of All Reunions" where about 70 Fifth Formers from 1976 a well as 9 special guests will enjoy a grand evening and mark "The BIG 50". I'm sure it will be a blast and we will be bringing you all the juicy details on this blog over the next few days.

On Tuesday evening, some early returnees got together for dinner at Topspot, then adjourned to Badger's Bar at Sarawak Club. I couldn't make the dinner but dropped in (together with my wife) to join the gang later. Here's the group shot ...

Update

Today's update is especially for those old boys who are not able to attend and may like to view part of the evening in cyberspace. We have a limited number of Notebook PCs & webcams working in tandem with chat programs like MSN or Yahoo Messenger or Skype, that you can try to link to.

Here are the id's of some of us who should have Notebook PC's in operation on the evening :

Mark Chin : Skype id : Mark_mongol
Mark Chin : Yahoo Messenger id: mn.mark60

Philip Chin : Skype id: pipchin23@hotmail.com
Philip Chin : MSN: pipchin23@hotmail.com

James Yong : MSN: jslyong@hotmail.com


Using the appropriate chat application, try to connect to one of us. I must however add that while we'll try our best to make the webcam connection happen, we may be constrained by the hotel's wireless Internet coverage. So let's keep our fingers crossed. If it doesn't work well, don't worry too much. I promise you won't have to wait too long for the blog postings.

See you all later - either in person or in cyberspace !

Grand Reunion Updates #6

I almost forgot it was update time again. It's now ONE WEEK to the Big Day !!!

Here's the NST frontpage for today ... 16th December 1976

As usual, lots of exciting events happening in Malaysia and around the world ... I can see headlines on a deadly landslide at Sungei Kuyoh mine, a bomb explosion at Baghdad airport, Japan's LDP president announcing his resignation, and Sheik Yamani calling for a six-month oil price freeze ... Then we have the ads (which always fascinate me) - Waterman pens, Ban Sin Optical Co, Cathay Pacific and the new Austin Allegro ... ok, ok so some of those companies haven't quite made it after 33 years.

Updates

Now for our last batch of updates. It's likely that over the next few days, there'll be several other little announcements to add, so please check back on this posting frequently.

(1)  For now, let me share with you the programme for the day (23rd Dec). Note that the morning and afternoon sessions are optional, but we hope many will join as it'll give us all more time to relive old memories.

10.00am : Down to Memory Lane (School Visit)

• Meet at 10.00am sharp at School Office.
   Please be punctual. Prefects will be on duty, and fines may be hefty
   Bring cameras if you wish to record the event for posterity.

11.00am : Brunch at St Michael's Cafe (Rock Road, near Timberland) after School Visit

1.00pm :  Reflexology Session

(** For Morning Session, Please RSVP to Jensen Ng Khoon Teck at H/P +6013 3991341 to confirm attendance before 21 December 2009 **)

7.00pm "THE BIG 50" REUNION PARTY
            @ MERDEKA PALACE HOTEL
            (BALAI MUHIBBAH, 2ND FLOOR)


(2)  I'll also repeat the call for drinking attendees to bring 1 or 2 bottles of some of the spirits they'd like (whisky, brandy, cognac, rum, etc etc etc), as Merdeka Palace will not charge corkage for those.  There will be corkage charged for beer however.

(3)  I've also been requested to add another reminder on the "Dress Code" for our reunion party ... well, you probably know it is causal white shirt (long or short sleeve or no sleeve) with jeans or dark colour long pants. So if you don't have any shirts white enough, there's still time to bleach them. Ha ha!

(4)  The party starts at 7.00pm . Group photo will be taken at 7:30pm so that we can all get the prints before the night is over. Do make sure you are around at 7:30pm (even if you have to go to the toilet, please hold it in !! LOL) ,,, or you might find yourself missing from the official photograph.


(5)  Note that the venue for brunch has been changed to St Michael's Cafe, which is at 3rd Mile, next to Timberland Hospital.

(6)  All attendees should take note of the following mobile nos :

Jensen Ng KT : 0133991341
Robert Chin : 0168774018
Ben Wong : 012 8989868
Bob Chew Pok Vun : 013 8020620

Grand Reunion Updates #5

Boys, we are another week closer to the Big Day ! The countdown shows only 14 more days! That's only 336 hours! Or 20,160 minutes! Or 1,209,600 seconds!

Let's see what our trusty NST frontpage says today (9 Dec 1976)...

Hmmm ... Problems between Vietnam and Thailand brewing ...  Malaysia's PM was Hussein Onn, with Mahathir as Deputy PM ... Exxon and Petronas still in the news ... And the stylish among us write with Waterman pens, clean our faces with pHisoDerm and wear Bata shoes :-)

Updates

Today I'm going to reveal a bit more about our Lucky Draw prizes. While we haven't quite ordered the prizes in terms of value and indicated them as #1 ,#2, #3, etc, it is most likely that the top prizes will include:

* Return Air Asia tickets KL-London-KL for Two
   (See the Big Ben, Westminster, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Sq, etc)
   with free 1 week stay for two persons at apartment provided (thanks Dato' Anthony!)

*  Cisco MinoHD Flip pocket camcorder    (http://www.theflip.com/)
    (Take HD quality video & easily share with friends & family)

*  Three One-Year Subscriptions to The Borneo Post
    (applicable only for Sarawak residents)

*  Complementary (2 days, 1 night) stay at Merdeka Palace

*  1 Dinner Voucher for 2 persons at Merdeka Palace

*  Gift Hampers

We will have other surprises before the day arrives. Stay tuned !

Grand Reunion Updates #4

Another week has gone by. It is now 2nd December 1976. Exactly three weeks to the Grand Reunion !!!

Enjoy the news headlines for the day ...

Thailand had security problems 33 years ago, and nothing much seems to have changed in that department !

Malaysia Cup was and still is a crowd puller (didn't Negri Sembilan just win last month?).

Update

I'm not going to give any extended update this week, except to thank all the generous guys from the Class of 1976 who have been so forthcoming in their extra sponsorship for the event.

I saw so many "red marks" against their names in the Grand Update (Part 2) posting ... but unlike on our report cards 3 decades ago, these red marks are GOOD things, ok? LOL.

Grand Reunion Updates #3

I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Kuching this week and discussed various aspects of the Grand Reunion with the Organizing Committee. There has been good progress. Despite minor hitches, we're well on our way to putting on "the Mother of All Reunions" !!!

Today is 25th November 1976, and the headlines from the New Straits Times includes a million dollar drug haul on a train, detention of red suspects and Chinese troops being sent to Fukien in China. Exciting stuff !  I also note that there are four prominent ads on the front page - Bata (Essex) shoes, Waterman pen, Esso "Uniflo" motor oil and Yashica cameras. All four brands are still around in one form or another, showing the power of advertising.

Now for the updates. This week, I'd like to bring up a couple of sponsorship opportunities for the consideration of company leaders who wish to capitalise on this event that many (even non-Josephians) are talking about.

(a)  Corporate Sponsors for Gift Bags
We hope to provide each attendee of the Grand Reunion with a "gift bag", which will be used to hold the various souvenirs, awards and prizes they may have won on the night. The bag will be of good material, and feature two colours. On one side, it will have the St Joe logo, a few event title lines, and the blog address. On the other side, we have space for up to FOUR companies to feature their logo, name & a brief tagline or web address. This is good marketing space. It will be sighted by more than 80 influential people on 23rd Dec, and beyond that, we envisage that the bags will be used by their families or members of their organizations, thereby bringing even greater visibility to the sponsors. A total quantity of 100 bags will be produced.

Sponsorship fee: RM1,000
No of sponsors: Up to 4 max


(b)  Corporate Sponsors for Souvenir Pens
We hope to give a souvenir ballpoint pen to each attendee. The sponsor will have his company logo & 3 lines printed on one side of the pen, and the other side will have the words "St Joseph - Form 5 Class of 1976". A total of multi-coloured 500 pens will be produced (of which about 100 will be given out at the event, and the rest is for the sponsor to distribute later, at their own discretion).

Sponsorship fee: RM1,500
No of Sponsors: Up to 4 max

In addition, all sponsors will also get prominent links to our website for a period of 6 months.

Interested parties, please contact Ben Wong(+60128989868) or Robert Chin (+6016 8774018) as soon as possible. We will go on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Grand Reunion Updates #2

Boys, we're another week closer to the Grand Reunion. The tension is building up ...
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After last week’s update, I had a couple of emails from our buddies who were quite certain that on 11th Nov 1976, they were "travelling around the states of Malaysia” or “making steady progress with their special someone” or sadly in one case “getting an early start by reading the Form 6 text books”. In any case, thanks for those reflections.
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Today is 18th November 1976, as the New Straits Times frontpage shows …
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Some interesting headlines, don't you think?

Three items to share with you on what to expect on the big night …
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(1) The Minister of Fashion has informed me that the dress code for the night will be blue jeans/pants and white shirt.
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(2) We will feature a video show on “Walking Down Memory Lane”. In trying to develop a good show, we urge you to send in any relevant old photos you can find. Email them to Website Jaga at jslyong@hotmail.com. If you are technologically challenged and don’t have the foggiest how to scan them in, don’t worry - just pass the photos to Ben or Robert, and they'll do the rest. Please submit before the end of November.
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(3) There will be a number of novelty awards with real prizes given for such impressive achievements as:

- The Shiniest Head
- The Biggest Waistline
- The One bringing the Most Interesting Item from the 1970s

   and many more …

We also welcome more sponsors of prizes for our lucky draw. In appreciation for their contribution to the event, all sponsors will have a banner ad on this blog until the end of Mar 2010.

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 !

Update from Website Jaga (Sept 2009)

Dear friends,

Over the past three months, we've had a number of interesting & fun activities which have brought more members of our St Joe Form 5 (1976) cohort together.

Today I want to give you all another quick progress update on our "State of Connection", as well as share the recent visitor statistics. I will also highlight some new features of the blog., which I think many of you will find useful.

You may remember that in June, I told you that we had reached 37 individuals, which represents about 30%  of our three Form 5 classes combined. With help from all of you, we have advanced from there, as can be seen from the chart  below.

We're now at 50 individuals or 41% - on our way to the target of reaching 60% by year end, which I think is still achievable. So do continue to spread the word about this website, and show any others you are in touch with how to access it.

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In terms of visitor numbers, we're hovering at over 105 visits a day for the past week. Around 50 are repeat visitors. The next chart illustrates the general trend.

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We are also connecting many new friends - other Josephians, Teresians, Marians etc etc. We warmly welcome them and hope they will not be shy & put in some comments.

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Next, I wanted to highlight a new feature of Blogger which allows the display of the most current comments made. Some of you have asked me if there's an easy way for you to know what are the latest comments, without having to trawl through many pages. Well, there is now! Just look on the right side of the blog, and scroll down a bit to find the list of new comments. You can also click on the comment to go to the posting it was for.

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Lastly, I'd like to invite those who haven't done so to register themselves under the ROLL CALL posting. Just click here to get directly to that post (which was made in June).

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Hope you continue to enjoy the blog & do keep it alive by sharing info or photos or thoughts you have.

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Best wishes

--- JY aka WJ

Update from Website Jaga (June 2009)

Dear friends,
xx
When I first started this blog in January 2009, the goal was to try to see how many of our old mates in the three St Joe Form 5 classes of 1976 I could reach, and to attempt to rebuild the community we had - first in cyberspace, and hopefully through a series of mini-reunions, build up towards a grand physical reunion. It is now almost 6 months since the project began, and I thought it would be good to share the modest progress we've made together on this journey.
xx
Take a look at the following chart, which gives a snapshot of where we are (as far as I can ascertain).
xxx


Allow me to explain how I came up with the chart. I've been keeping track of who we have connected with through this blog. This would include former classmates who have made comments on the blog or who have sent me emails, and also a few who have told me they have accessed the blog but not "said" anything (why so shy lah :-)
xx
So this is indicated by the blue bar, for each of the classes as well as a consolidated one. In other words, we have reached 25 of the members of Five Science, 4 of Five Arts1 and 8 in Five Arts2. Of course this is just an approximation, as there may be others who have accessed but never said anything or told me. These numbers also do not include the increasing numbers of people from other years than 1976, classmates who left prior to Form 5, as well as from various sister schools ... many of whom have been active in the blog conversations and made it even more interesting. I hope they continue to participate actively and spread the word to others as well.
xx
Then there is a very slim purple bar, which sadly indicates those in our cohort who have passed on - two in Five Science, two in Five Arts 1, none (as far as I know) in Five Arts 2.
xx
And the yellow bar indicates the total numbers of students in each of the classes.
xx
So you can see that we have reached 54% of Five Science, 11% of Five Arts 1 and 21% of Five Arts 2. Taking all three classes as a whole, we have reached 30% of the entire cohort, or 37 old boys.
xx
I'd say this is a reasonable number - it is, after all, numerically almost one whole class. It is a small achievement, considering that most of us have separated for 33 years and many of us are dotted all over the world.
xx
However I think we can do better, and I'd like to urge each of you to take a look at the lists of names of our classmates in the early January postings (i.e. "Who were in Form 5 Science? 5 Arts 1? 5 Arts 2?") . You can probably recognise those who are already active visitors of this site and I have (for most of them) also indicated their email id's too. If each of you can try to contact a couple of people who are NOT on yet, pass them the website address and encourage them to take a look and better still drop a comment or two, I think we'll be able to expand our community even further.
xx
Finally, thanks for all your active participation, your contribution of news , info and photos ... do keep it up. We are almost reaching 30,000 visits when I last checked! I will try to post interesting material to keep the buzz going. By all means, send me suggestions on what you want to see, call up your other friends and together let's try to hit 60% of our cohort before the end of 2009.
xx
xx
Have a good weekend & best wishes
xx
--- James aka Jimmy aka Website Jaga
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