Monday, December 17, 2007

40th Reunion Dinner on December 1, 2007

Thanks to Brother Fuan Wah and Brother Boo Hock who made the precise reports on Clobs6567’ 40th Reunion

 

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1. By Brother Khoo Boo Hock , December 11, 2007

 

Clobs6567,

 

Yes! It turned out to be an amazing, wonderful Reunion. Evey Clobs6567 who came back from far and near to Penang was happy & enjoyed the Reunion and had NO regrets coming back for The 40th Reunion.

 

 Prior to the actual Reunion, there were the following negative signs which could affect the turn-out:

 

(1)  The additional passing-away( the 10th) of Lim Beng Kok A3505 (Date not known);

 

(2)  Soon Fong Lee 9844 who was hospitalised in the Penang Gleneagles Medical Centre & diagnosed with 3rd stage cancer of his lung. 

      He was under chemo & radio-therapy and was advised by Doctor NOT to meet people in view of his poor resistance;

 

(3)  3 days before The Reunion, Hor Swee Aun A0064 was under-going a by-pass of his heart. 

 

However, come 1 Dec 07 from 6.30pm at G-Hotel Ballroom, we were overwhelmed by the turning up of the following:

 

(a)  From the US - 9822 Chan Chew Beng;

 

(b)  From Canada - 9587 Beh Kheng Seng Henry;

 

(c)  From UK - 9940 Choong Lee Kong Dr. + 9964 Por Thean Chye;

 

(d)  From P R China - 9783 Bak Heng Kin;

 

(e)  From Taiwan - 9495 Teh Kim Hock @ Luku;

 

(f)   From Thailand - 9803 Chan Teik Huat + 9810 Chow Pit Hooi + 9922 Ong Choon Hoe + A0094 Lim Kim Hua;

 

(g)  From Brunei - 9941 Mooi Si Phuai Philip;

 

(h)  From Australia - 9821 Loh Jin Keat + 9781 Oh Eng Tat + 9881 Lim Teik Wee Prof. Alan; 6 members of 3 generations of Oh Eng Tat & wife,

      their child & grand children were present in the dinner;

 

(i)   From Australia Perth - 9749 Chew Swee Lim + 9830 Wong Peng Choon + 9943 Foo Kiat; there were 100% return of Clob6567 

      from Perth;

 

(j)   From S'pore - A high turn-out which includes 9872 Goh Giang Beng Dr. + A0611 Kuek See Chong + 9964 Khaw Kheng Joo , except

      9720 Yeow Yew Kim, 9938 Atomic Leow, A0126 Heng Zee Kek;

 

(k)  Some surprise turn-ups in 9536 Chan Yee Seng + 9703 Cham Cheng Long Dr. + 9708 Teoh Phooi Keat Dr. +  9733 Lim Eng Huat + 9815 Lim Heng Moh + 9837 Chong Yee Khiong + 9843 Yong Chan Shing + 9887 Saw Kong Hooi + 9888 Chow Sek Khoon + 9999 Goh Chiong Hong + A0013 Ong Hua Lim + A0024 Yeong Chun Khuen + A3399 Leong Aun Hock + A3412 Lim Lye Seng;

 

(l)  Ladies From The 1969 6th Form - Hor Yee Choo & Ooi Ee Lee Dr.(with spouse) also attended. 

 

There was a table + of former/present teachers with the familiar Messrs. Lam Chen Long & Wong Liang Kek.

 

All the 20 tables planned were taken up.

 

A grand-total of RM120,000/- of contribution was collected before & during the dinner. 50K each will be for Clobs6567 scholarship fund and The Phor Tay Secondary School Building fund, and the balance of RM20K would go to CLHS Private School.

 

Reported by your co-ordinator/Volunteer: Boo Hock 9728

HP:016-6985118

 

If I missed out anything worth reporting, please forgive me!  There had been requests to thank all the members of our organising committee for the warm reception & hospitality before and during their stay in Penang for The 40th Reunion.

 

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2. By Brother Chin Fuan Wah, December 17, 2007

 

To All Our Friends,

 

The way to describe the night on December 01, 2007 at the banquet hall in G-Hotel is noisy with groups of friends here and there all talking non-stop. Kok Hin being the MC, had a difficulty time to control the crowd because nobody seemed to pay attention to him. There were so much to talk among friends, so much to catch up after all these years. But it was the kind of atmosphere that we wanted for the re-union dinner. It would be a meaningless re-union if every one of us were to just sit round the table quietly listening to whatever announcement came out from the MC.

 

At the end of it we all knew It was a fantastic 40th Re-union dinner!

 

The committee would like to say a big “Thank You” to all of you for your attendance and contributions. Without your fantastic response and presence, it would never be such a meaningful re-union for all of us.

 

As mentioned in Boo Hock’s earlier message, there were a number of our friends who came back from far away for this re-union the first time. We hope you have enjoyed it and we hope it was really meaningful to you and we want you to come back for the next re-union in 2009.

 

To all those who have missed this re-union or who have not attended any of the re-union, we hope you will make an effort to attend the next re-union in 2009.

 

The organizing committee would also like to thank everyone for their contributions to the following 3 special funds that we have targeted in this re-union dinner

 

  1. The CLOB Class 65/67 Scholarship Fund

This scholarship fund was set up in 1972 when we celebrated our 25th re-union dinner. The purpose of this scholarship fund is to assist poor and needy students from the 3 Chung Ling Schools (Chung Ling High School, Chung Ling (B’worth) High School and Chung Ling (Private) High School), who are accepted by the local universities and colleges to continue their tertiary education locally.

Only the annual interest earned from the principal amount of the scholarship fund is used to distribute to the selected candidates. The principal amount remains untouched.

We have assigned The Penang CLOB Association to manage the fund and to carry out the selection of the candidates. Over the years we have increased the principal amount and the total amount as at September 2007 stands at RM310K. We would like to correct here that the total amount as at September 2007 is RM310K and not RM380K as announced at the re-union dinner. We apologize for the error.

On December 01, 2007, we again raised another RM50K to increase the principal amount to RM360K.

 

  1. The Phor Thay Building Fund.

Many of you may be asking the reason we get involved in Phor Thay High School Building Fund. Our reply is simple. It is just a small gesture on our part to help the Chinese Education in Penang.

The amount raised during the dinner is RM50K.  

 

  1. Contribution to Chung Ling Private School

This is something that was not planned.

About 50 of us went back to our Alma Mater in the morning on December 01. Both the headmasters of Chung Ling High School and Chung Ling Private School briefed us on the achievements, changes and development in the schools.

Of the 2 briefings and presentations, we were all impressed with the briefing and presentation by the headmaster of Chung Ling Private School. All of us agreed that he has done a fantastic job in increasing the student population from about 200 to coming to about 1000 and also changing the public’s perception on the quality of students in private school. He accomplished all this with limited resources, manpower and facility.

As a result of this, a few of our friends decided to chip in RM20K on that night as our contribution to help the school to improve some of the sporting facilities.

 

 

So in all, we managed to raise RM120K on that night. We thank all of you for your generosity.

 

Attached herewith is the list of the donors for the above, we would like you to check if we have missed out any names or amounts donated.

If you find your names not in the list and the amount that you have contributed differ from what is stated in the list, please inform us by return immediately.

We will rectify it immediately and we would also like to apologize for the error.

The figures in red mean payment received in cash, blue means payment via cheque and black means amount committed during the re-union dinner but we have not yet received the money.

 

We will be finalizing this list and total amount collected by end of December. We will be handling over the money to the respective organization in January 2008.

 

Therefore, if anyone of you would like to contribute any amount to any one of the above, you are welcome to send your contribution by cheque to us before December 31, 2007.

 

To those who have agreed to contribute but have not yet pay up, we would also like to appeal you to send your cheque to us before December 31, 2007.

 

Please issue cheque in the name of “Tan Kok Aun” and send it to the following address,

 

Tan Kok Aun,

Penang

(Sorry for deletion from the text for security purpose)

 

 

The committee would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year 2008”

 

See all of you again in 2009.

 

 

The Organizing Committee.

 

Saturday, December 15, 2007

BROTHER POR THEAN CHYE




During the recent reunion dinner, I met up with some long lost clobs656769.

Brother Por Thean Chye travels a long way from UK to participate in this memorable event.

He really lives up with his name, Thean Chye 天才.

The last time Malaysia held the trophy (Thomas Cup) for world team badminton was in 1967.

Whereas our clob656769, strong Brother Thean Chye’s interest in sports makes victories for the country, Malaysia; the state, Penang and our mother school, Chung Ling in 1967.

He is an active member of the school badminton club who represent our school in several badminton competitions and won as champion or runner-up in the competitions.

Thanks for let us share your proud and past glory in Badminton.

Wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Brother Thean Chye.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

老人得志

前几天收到CLOBS64/66 杨坚兴学长 摘自台湾联合报系的一篇文献, 值得分享


老人得志

【聯合報李家同】2007.11.13 03:12 am

我告訴了大家一個驚人的消息,我在教一些頑皮的男孩子彈鋼琴。此言一出,舉座嘩然,大家一致認為我吹牛吹得太不像話了……

我現在已經是七十歲老翁了,人老了,免不了會想當年。最使我們老頭子懷念的是我們大學才畢業的時候。當時我們個個進入了相當不錯的公司工作,或者到大學教書,不論做什麼工作,可以說人人都意氣奮發,對於未來充滿了憧憬。每次同學會,我們免不了稍微吹一下自己在做什麼,而且也頗以自己所做的工作為傲,因為我們認為我們都是很厲害的人,可以對我們的國家社會有所貢獻。當然我們也夢想在自己的事業上有相當程度的成就。現在回想起來真是「小人得志」也。

我們這批台大電機系畢業的小子們的確拚得厲害,所以我們也都做得相當不錯。在大學裡教書的都成為了很有名的教授,很多位得到了各種榮譽。在工業界擔任工程師的同學也紛紛在技術上常有突破,替公司爭取到不少專利,也有好幾位升到總經理,雖然弄不清楚技術的細節,但總能掌握技術的關鍵性質,使公司能發展出有高附加價值的產品。同學中也有做大老闆的,他們大多數越來越有錢,一開始,每年有幾百萬的收入,已經令我們羨慕不已,到後來,他們年收入個個都近億,我們卻又沒有什麼感覺了。

有一位同學,他在三十幾歲就已是教授,做了系主任,大家都叫他請客,不久,他就成了工學院院長,然後是教務長,最後做成了大學校長,奇怪的是:我們對他做成校長並沒有太興奮,好像是理所當然的事。我們想,如果他做不成那才是新聞呢。

五十幾歲以後,我們反而變得意氣消沉了,大概是因為我們的事業已經到了最高峰,沒有什麼了不起的事情了,舉例來說,做研究的人雖然有一些不錯的成果,但是他們往往提到世界上有很多遠遠比他們厲害的人,所謂天外有天也,不僅做學問的同學有此感覺,幾乎每人都有此感覺。我們固然羨慕某某同學錢賺得多得很,但他們在全國的富豪排行榜上,卻完全排不上,和這些富豪比起來,他們是「低收入戶」,沒有什麼值得驕傲的。就以那位大學校長來講,雖然大家都說他將那所大學辦得不錯,但他知道世界上有好多大學都比他辦的大學有名。他無論如何努力,也不可能辦出一所哈佛大學來。

所以我們同學聚會,大家就不再會吹噓自己有多厲害,反過來常常交換生病的心得,某某人心臟開了刀,某某人膝蓋有問題,某某人如何醫好五十肩,某某人好像有了六十肩,不知如何是好。每次有人介紹好醫生,大家趕快記錄下來,希望將來能找他看病;有人講某某醫生糊裡糊塗,大家也趕快記錄,將來一定要避開他。

可是,有一天,我們的大富翁忽然告訴我們一件事:他說他有一天去上班,發現他的秘書好像忙得厲害,他問這是怎麼一回事,原來他的下屬之中,有一位要起一個會。這位大富翁問了半天,才知道那位同事家裡有急事,需要錢用,但是不可能向銀行借到,只好向同事借。所謂打會,就是一種互助的行為,大家共同借錢給他,替他度過難關。大富翁好奇究竟這位下屬要借多少錢,他們說他要借三十萬。這一下大富翁完全愣住了。他以為天下人人家裡都會有三十萬的存款,說實話,他有多少現款,他自己是不清楚的,但當然是遠遠超過了三十萬。
大富翁又注意到很多學童繳不起營養午餐費,他發現營養午餐費是每月六百元。他是個非常仔細的人,他明查暗訪那些繳不起營養午餐費的家庭,發現的確不少家庭真的有問題。

就這麼巧,有人告訴他,如果他每月出七百五十元,就可以使一個非洲家庭的成員有食物可吃,所以這位飽食終日,無所事事的大富翁開始覺得他大有可為,他雖然不是台灣的大富豪,但顯然也可以做不少的事。

在過去,他不覺得他多有錢,現在他忽然感到他是非常有錢的人。他知道六百元對他毫無價值,但是對一個窮小孩子而言,這就是一個月的午餐費用。七百五十元也是沒有什麼了不起的,但是對一個非洲家庭而言,這是可以使他們免於饑餓的錢。

所以他一再向我們宣揚他的一種想法,就是說我們自己也許有一件東西,對我們自己沒有什麼價值,但是對於別人卻極可能非常有價值。七百五十元就是一個好的例子。

我們的另一位同學講了一個有趣的故事,他說他小時候在屏東的一所小學念書,他知道他小學畢業以後,他的媽媽就將他穿過的制服捐出去了。當時他想,誰會去穿舊的小學生制服呢?因為小學生制服上繡了XX國民小學的字樣。最近他在埃及旅行,看到當地一個小男孩正好穿了一套他念過的那所小學的制服。當然這套制服大概不是他穿過的,但他從此更不敢亂丟東西,因為他可以隨手丟掉的東西,別人可能將它當成寶貝。

最近,我們的同學會變得比較有趣了。大家已經好久不吹噓了,現在老毛病復發,大家猛吹一氣。老張有一次忽然問我們,「何謂負數?」我們大家認為他的問題頗為可笑,我搶著回答說:「賺的錢是正的,欠的錢就是負的。」老張立刻問我:「那你如何解釋負負得正?」我怎麼樣也講不清楚了。最後老張用數列的方法來解釋負負得正,大家雖然有點不服,也只好承認他的說法是行得通的。原來老張在做幾個弱勢孩子的義務家教,他總算知道如何教負負得正了。

不久,老楊又問我們如何求通過二點的直線方程式,我們異口同聲地說要從斜率著手,但是他說現在國中二年級學生就要學直線方程式,但沒有學過三角,怎麼辦?他將他的方法告訴了我們,我們都很佩服,因為他的方法的確很簡單,國二的學生一定可以學通。而我呢?我告訴了大家一個驚人的消息,我在教一些頑皮的男孩子彈鋼琴。此言一出,舉座嘩然,大家一致認為我吹牛吹得太不像話了。我只好解釋給他們聽,我用的是簡譜,簡譜是沒有左手伴奏的,我就教這些頑童伴奏的一些方法,隨他們如何利用,只要拍子對了就可以了。我們吃飯的地方正好有一架鋼琴,也有些簡譜,我隨便拿了一本,隨便翻了一頁,就彈了起來,這一頁正好是〈新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢〉,雖然這是第一次彈,居然彈得有模有樣,迴腸盪氣,令那些糊塗老頭佩服不已。我們同學中有一位真正會彈琴的,卻硬要說我半拍都幾乎彈成了一拍,非常不對。他被我罵了回去,我說我的彈琴只有一個人聽,就是我自己。管它一拍半拍,只要還有個調子就可以了。

自從那次以後,我的老友老董就拜我為師,他悟性極高,一下子就學會了。他信教,現在幾乎每天都在家彈聖歌,樂不可支。

我們這批年過七十的老頭子,終於發現我們的剩餘價值還滿高的,也完全否決了「老人無用論」。我們都有一些東西,過去並沒有感到這些東西有什麼價值,現在這些東西,對我們而言,仍然沒有什麼了不起,但是對於別人極有價值。最沒有料到的是我們常可以將中學生搞不懂的東西講得一清二楚,我們也都捐錢幫助窮人,即使數目不大,也一定對有些人很有價值。

我們真是「老人得志」矣。
2007/11/13 聯合報】@ http://udn.com/