Reconnect via Facebook

A guestbook notification in my email today. From Ng Hooi Hooi of Class of 1998 who wishes to reconnect with her year-mates. I see some other notifications too. My apologies for not tending the blog very well these days. Do please go to the Facebook page below - it's for Tmgs Oga and I hope it will lead you to your old school friends. God bless!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010644378152

Coming Up--TMGS Reunion in Penang 2012

Specially to Cheang Seok Chin, Class of 1986, and all others who do not know as yet--a group of girls is organizing a reunion in Penang (this would be the third since 2009).

The theme is Blue-White (school colours ma). The venue is Bayview Beach Resort and each ticket is RM65. Tickets already on for sale. For full details and tickets, search on Facebook for TMGS Next Reunion 2012 Penang. The organizing committee has also negotiated special prices for rooms at the hotel.

Updating a bit, there was a renuion hi-tea earlier this year, in February. The theme was Bollywood Fantasy and we met at the Holiday Villa in Subang Jaya. My guess is more than 300 ex-TMGS girls were there, including our former teachers too. My Class of 1980 was there (that's us in the pic) - two tablefuls, including classmates we have not met since we left school in 1980. We had a lot of fun. We made a lot of noise. And we were very happy to be making all that noise again as a class, haha.

So, Seok Chin, I do hope you can find your 1986 mates on the TMGS Facebook page. It is a closed group, so you''ll have to ask to be added. Ask, and the door will open (I'm sure). Cheers!

Methodist Get-together

Time flies. That, unfortunately, is a fact that hits me from time to time. It's now more than three weeks. I had intended to write this the very next day. But, I went smack into a period of intense activity where I hit the ground running from point to point.

It's still momentous enough for mention here. And so, with apologies for the delay, here is what happened.

That morn till afternoon..

...and that evening...

It was July 23 and the place was Holiday Inn Glenmarie in Shah Alam. The occasion was the inaugural Inter-Methodist Alumni Fellowship Golf & Dinner. And the hosts were the Methodist Boys School Kuala Lumpur Alumni Association.

Peter Yap, organizing chairman of the event, said they had invited 23 national and regional Methodist alumni associations.

"Fifteen alumni associations responded and are represented. The response is encouraging, especially with the presence of Hong Kong Methodist College," Peter said, pictured here receiving a thank-you gift from Kiana Shek, who is the treasurer of her alumni association and had flown in from Hong Kong with the secretary, Charles Yan.

Fellowship ran high that evening, helped along with the presentation of Methodist schools in the country and in Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Hong Kong. It reminded us of the pioneering and ministering spirit of our school founders, their prolific activity in Malaysia and surrounding areas, and their legacy that continues to build lives till today.

The Methodist get-together was another important step in a historic endeavour sealed just in May, when Methodist alumni associations had met to form a national-level Federation of Methodist Schools Alumni Associations.

The federation aimed to provide a coordinated body which could perform bigger projects to achieve the aims of alumni bodies to serve their alma mater better, said federation protem chairman Dato' Lee Tak Lum, a former student of MBSKL.

In his dinner speech, Dato' Lee said:

"There must be more than 500,000 Methodist alumni in this country but we are not seen. We are in little groups doing our own little things. La Salle alumni have got together since 30 years ago.

"The time is right for Methodist alumni to get together. I am sure all good things will come from our federation, including doing things for your alma mater."

The federation and golf-and-dinner do are the ground-breaking first steps. Peter said more events were in the pipeline. "We aim to organize this golf-and-dinner as an annual event for all Methodist alumni associations to look forward to and will be targetting more regional Methodist alumni to join us. There will also be other events we will organize along the way and invitations will be extended to all Methodist alumni associations."

I was simply bowled over by the warmth and congeniality of our hosts. They made every effort to make us feel welcome and at ease. My husband, who had accompanied me, enjoyed the evening of "good company." Our hosts had even prepared a souvenir of the special edition event tee and cap and MBSKL school bag for each representative.

Here I was, receiving mine from Dato' Lee and Peter (incidentally, I was there on behalf of Mrs Goh, on behalf of our TMGS OGA). Thank you - once again.

One can never come away from such an event without being indelibly impacted. It awoke in me the sense of being part of a wider, rich and worthy picture. It awoke my husband's consciousness to Methodist schools. When we travelled north the following week, he was the one who spotted and pointed out to me the Methodist schools in Teluk Intan and Lumut.

To TMGS Old Girls Association and the newly formed TMGS Taiping OGA Central Chapter, I hope you will lend your fullest support to the federaton.

To all Methodist mission schools, may you shine ever strong!

TMGS Taiping OGA Central Chapter

A group of alumnae went for the recent AGM in Taiping and a new chapter begins!

I know Nita, Odi and Hana went. Odi is based in Penang and will be the liaison person there. Nita and Hana are based in KL and will spearhead things here.

The hope is to unite the former students of TMGS and provide a platform for us to continue seeing each other through the years and to keep strong our bond with the school. If you would like to know more, please visit the Facebook account here.

TMGS Old Girls' Association AGM

The TMGS Old Girls' Association is inviting alumnae to attend the upcoming Annual General Meeting. Details:

Date: 26 June 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 3.00 pm
Venue: Taiping New Club

To those who can attend, please let any of the committee members (see email addresses below) know a week before the AGM as tea will be served.

Contact persons:

C. Yogamalar -- yogakhng@streamyx.com
Rohani Md Yusuff -- rohani1951@yahoo.com
Nyana Morrison -- briannyana@gmail.com
Mrs Goh/Lye Ngoot Soo -- lyengoot@hotmail.com
Cheng Hiong Khoo -- hiong191@gmail.com

Please inform others. Help keep our school torch burning bright. Live Worthily!

First-ever gathering of Methodist schools alumni

Here, I reproduce an invitation from the Methodist Council of Education to the first-ever gathering of alumni of Methodist schools throughout the country. It is hoped that alumni will unite to form a body to better support our Methodist alma mater.

METHODIST COUNCIL OF EDUCATION

67, Jalan 5/31, 46000 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 603 79565310 Fax: 603 79583346

To: Alumni/OBA/OGA

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Gathering Of Methodist Schools Alumni/Old Boys/Old Girls

Greetings to you!

I am pleased to inform you that there is an initiative to hold a Gathering Of Alumni/Ex-Students of Methodist Schools in Malaysia.

Date: Saturday, May 29, 2010,

Time: 2-5 pm

Venue: Methodist College Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4, Brickfields, KL.

2. The aims of the gathering are: (a) “social networking;” (b) sharing of activities; and (c) election of a protem committee towards the formation of a federation of an Alumni of Methodist Schools in Malaysia.

3. You are cordially invited to join us in this event. This invitation is open to office-bearers and members of Alumni Associations/OBA/OGA of our Methodist Schools: Government-assisted Methodist Schools, Methodist Afternoon Schools, Methodist High Schools, Wesley Methodist Schools and Methodist College, as well as individuals who are ex-students of a Methodist School.

4. The suggested programme for the afternoon is as follows:

2.00 pm -- Registration, Light Refreshments

3.00 pm -- Introduction

(Moderator: Mrs Anna Hue)

Words of Welcome to MCKL-Ms Moey Yoke Lai

Opening Address-Dr Lim Boon Hock

Sharing: “Formation of the Federation of Alumni” Tan Sri Dato’ Chan Choong Tak

Sharing by some Alumni

Election of Pro-Tem Committee-Dr Lim Boon Hock

Closing Remarks-Mr Yong Chee Seng

5.00 pm -- End

RSVP: Telephone (Office) : 03-79565310

Email: choonneo.tay@methodisteducation.edu.my

Sms: 016-6941456

Looking forward to seeing you.

Yours truly,

TAY CHOON NEO

Deputy Executive Director

March 4, 2010

It's been a looooong while...

My apologies for not writing here for such a long time.

Been busy. Also, with the school receiving RM560,ooo from the state government, the urgency for fund-raising was lifted. With this allocation, the roofs of all the blocks have since been repaired. The ceilings of the science lab rooms too. And also the support beams of the school hall. Will post soon the photos provided by Ms Lim Lay Hoon (quite some time ago; fresh round of apologies!).

Would also like to inform everyone that the Cherish TMGS website has not been accessible for some months now because the web design company which did it for us has been in a limbo. CK Loh, the web-master who kindly donated the site to us, has been fighting pancreatic cancer these past two years. When the website was down, we didn't want to disturb him and his family. CK lost his fight and passed away on Saturday, May 1.



To CK, we bid you adieu with sadness. We honour your memory and remember your good deed to us and our school. May you rest in peace and may your family find solace and strength in the times you have shared.

Those who know CK may wish to visit his blogspot "Taiping Coffee."

The Star, Northern Metro

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Trip down memory lane

By RASLAN BAHAROM

THERE were plenty of shrieks, hugs and tears of joy when more than 300 former students of Taiping’s Treacher Metho-dist Girls School (TMGS) gathered for dinner at a hotel in Taiping recently to celebrate the school’s 120th anniversary.

Many of them are now in the prime of their lives but memories of their school days, their ‘naughtiness’ and ‘no nonsense’ teachers are still fresh in their minds.

One ex-student Tan Sri Dr Asiah Abu Samah, who remembered praying for rain to skip the afternoon co-curricular activities, said her prayers were usually answered as Taiping is well known for its rainy weather.

Dr Asiah, who was the former Human Rights Commission of Ma-laysia commissioner, was one of the evening’s guest of honour together with Inland Revenue Department director-general Datuk Hasmah Abdullah.

Both of them paid tribute to the teachers during the dinner. They also noted that the 1Malaysia concept had already been practised since those days as they were never conscious of their ethnic or social backgrounds.

Former SM Convent Taiping teacher Muhitah Mohd Rose, who left TMGS in 1959 after completing Form Five, was the luckiest as she won a return AirAsia ticket for two to Guilin, China.

The grandmother of seven, who retired in 1996, said she would probably bring along one of her six children for the trip as her husband. Ahmad Khairuddin, passed away about two years ago.

“I have never been overseas before and I am looking forward to do just that with the free air tickets,” she said.

TMGS Old Girls Association (OGA) chairman Ahsaniah Othman in her speech said this was the biggest gathering ever organised.

While catching up on old times, the former schoolmates were entertained by a dance troupe made up of Kuala Lumpur-based OGA members calling themselves Dancing Queen.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil-fitri

By now, most of our Muslim friends would be home with their families. And probably cooking up a feast for this evening's buka puasa. How many of our TMGS alumnae are back in Taiping to celebrate Raya, I wonder?

Wherever you are, I wish you and family a wonderful festival...salam kasih pada hari yang mulia ini dan maaf zahir batin diucapkan kepada sekalian!

It's making me remember the ketupat, lemang, rendang, serunding, jelly gula and cookies we used to wallop at Raya open houses. Oh, also that sugar-coated siput-shaped cookie/biscuit (hardly see this today). Dressed in our best, we would cycle from one house to another - first to Pokok Assam where Norma, Norliza and Norhayati lived; then, to Assam Kumbang where Azrinah lived; then to Permeen's house in Simpang and once even venturing to Nor Azah's house in Changkat Jering. Raya memang best - with friendship, adventure and food!

Going sentimental and remembering also Yuslipah (who passed away in Form 5), Nor'ashikin (best singer), Noor Hayah (my model for school concert)...all my classmates of 5 Science Red.

Website Out-Of-Service

Our apologies. We overlooked the annual renewal fee for the Cherish TMGS domain. We are sorting out matters and hope to get the website on again soon.

A quick update on the school refurbishment - plans are still in a preliminary stage. The Board of Governors has received the RM560,ooo allocation from the Ministry of Education, but there are some technicalities to be sorted out. Let's hope that this will happen soon because the allocation has to be used by December.


The 120th celebration dinner organized by the TMGS Old Girls Association - on Aug 15; four Saturdays ago - was a hearty gathering of old and young.

We got to see old familiar faces that were missing at the hi tea - Miss Looi, Miss Satwant, Mrs Khir, Mr Mak, Mr Mahendran, Puan Zaitone, Mrs Ng and many more former teachers. I am sorry though that I was spaced out and did not "circulate," but my friends did and were very happy to meet up and chat with former teachers and schoolmates.

The whole affair felt like a family reunion. It struck me that people were saying hellos not only to their former classmates or yearmates, but also to their sisters' classmates and yearmates - many a times going beyond the initial hellos to sitting down for a good yak to catch up. And there were sisters, cousins, aunts and moms in the mix of alumnae, with TMGS at the heart of it all.

To Siew Har (1977, sis of my ex-classmate), thanks for your warm smile, hello and invititation to sit and chat after more than 20 years of no-see...say hello to Siew Ai, please. To Ting Hui, 2001, glad to meet you in person. Here she is, in black-and-white dress, with former classmates and Puan Zaitone.


Bouquets to the OGA for organizing the dinner! Kudos to Mrs Goh as organizing chairperson! Below, OGA prez Puan Ahsaniah delivering her welcoming speech. Grand ole ladies, indeed.


The programme included singing of the school song, raffle for a handphone, lucky draw, singalong and DQs. Nice touches were the cutting of the 120th cake by the oldest alumnae present (see pix below) and inviting a rep from each decade to come onstage to say a few words. The commemorative bag containing a souvenir programme and car sticker was a lovely touch too.


For quite a few of us, the celebration in Taiping was also meaningful because it meant a trip back to a hometown not seen for many, many years. Literally, a trip back in time.

My yearmate, Permeen, came from Singapore. She arrived on Friday evening and spent Saturday morning walking around the town and even took a bus to Simpang to visit familiar homeground. When we arrived near lunchtime, Permeen has a few mini bags of snacks which she had bought to taste for memory's sake. I happily chomped down her coconut candy from a mamak shop. Permeen had not been back for, if I remember correctly, 17 years.

Where her feet could not take her, Seong Chooi's car did. Off to the Lake Gardens, Maxwell Hill, TMGS primary and secondary schools, passing the museum and prison. And cendol at this nook between Station Road and Barrack Road (can never remember the name).

A look at the pictures posted by Datin Rosni and Rohana showed that they too took the trip down memory lane. Rohana made the drive from KL with Hasnita and their stops included the old market in town and the Bismillah shop for cendol (they even took a picture!).


Datin Rosni, 1972 (with black hat in pix below), took her mom, who is also from TMGS, to the school. With them is Siti Maznah, 1977, in white in pix below.


The morning after, this gang went for an early morning walk at the Lake Gardens. Here, Nita, Rohana, Siti Maznah and Ena strike a pose under the iconic raintrees -- while my friends and I were still snuggled up in our beds in Permeen's room!


We did wake up in time for the Meet-Mr-Chuah session at Prima kopitiam along Kota Road. We had heard the night before that seniors from 1974 have arranged for that. Mr Chuah was really there! Greeted him. Of the four of us, he remembered Permeen. Ratio of 1:4; 25% hit rate...trying to be mathemical here in honour of this Add Math teacher of ours. Wish I have the picture of us with him; am sure lots of girls would like to "see" him again,wink-wink. My verdict? Not bad at all.

And so, the curtain has come down too on the 120th dinner. It is already September. We hope what's left of the year will bring good outcomes for refurbishment so that our alma mater may start her 121th year in glorious shape.

God bless TMGS, one and all.

Photo credits - with thanks to Rohana, Datin Rosni and Sharifah Talha.