Some Old Pics...

Prefectorial Board 1969

Form Five A 1969

Form Four A 1968

SMC Berape ye ! (Clifford School Primary)

SMC berape ?

Of Coconut Trees and Weddings

We often attend wedding invitations of our friends or relatives. Ever noticed the diferences between the present and yester years ? yes ! privatisation vs gotong royong [gr]...(cooperative method) of wedding celebrations.

The choice of method is related to various factors for example : financial status, space availability, the community in situ, among others.

Let's preview briefly the gotong royong method of holding wedding ceremonies.

The young and the energetics would perform the hardcore jobs like establishing make shift tents(bangsal), cooking avenues, including preparing the coconut milk in large quantities using the traditional method (back then we don't have any coconut grinder yet) using the coconut scraper (kukur kelapa) that is being kept in every household. As kids, some would ride at the back of their mom on this scraper thinking of going someplaces on horseback...!!

The elderly would combine all their resourceful talents into practice like who will cook, who will prepare the raw materials, who will do the washing, etc.

Plucking the coconut from 'Malayan Tall' variety is a highly skilled job. In those days, you can always call the official 'coconut climbers'. They have special knives if you could remember. Dominated by one ethnic, no point mentioning. No wonder the price of coconut is going up and down.....pay him to climb up, and come down.

That's one method, the other one is by using monkeys (the bigger one - pig-tailed monkey and in Malay called beruk). This profession is dominated by another ethnicity...? This you've got to be carefull, you know these monkeys have their off days too...and if you are the owner of the monkey make sure it rides in front of the bicycle, not at the back.

If your name is (xxx) and the monkey sits in front of your bicycle, they will call 'beruk (xxx)', if sitting at the back, then you had it...they call you '(xxx) beruk'....and if you have one in front and one at the back, then it will be 'beruk (xxx) beruk'... the option is yours..( I'm not putting any name here, choose your own).

Remove Class/Foundation Class to CSKK

Nothing much can be extracted from the primary school years. Since the Special Malay Class is in English Medium, you need to repeat year 4 again , losing a year there. Time is lost to travelling to and fro from your house to school. Once the school had an afternoon session, but not for long. You see..some need to travel 1o miles per trip x 2 that will be 20 miles daily, and the school bus.....oh sometimes stranded on the way.

The other option is to travel via the normal bus, walking approximately one mile to reach the station. Quite often we slipped in thro the broken fence of MCKK to take a short cut and 'happily' chased by the gardener....!! if I could retaliate then..

After completing std 6, then off to CSKK in 1965 until 1969, the arch rival of MCKK as what they had been telling, yes true to a certain extent.

Secondary school is where you begin to develop your character and formulate your ambition. Needless to say everything were stuffed into your throat including "treasure Island', 'Robinson Cruisoe' among others that contributes nothing to your character building as a Muslim !!

Some guys got lucky with the - all girl's school (GEGS) of Bukit Residen, managed to strike a few chords with them. Of course the girls preferred the MCKK guys. Some resort to a very unorthodox method of mass circulation of adresses, writing on pieces of papers and letting the winds doing their job, hoping to be picked up by someone.

Then came the School Certificate syndicated with MCE examination in 1969. Most were separated after this exam for as long as 30 years, until being reunited again by the effort of some classmates organizing a few gatherings. Thanks for the effort .

A few had gone.....Al Fatihah..

A true story to touch your soul - Inshallah

This came from a friend via e-mail (credit to the sender)


Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumma prayers, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE" and other Islamic literature.

This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for the Imam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain. The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready!'

His dad asked, 'Ready for what' 'Dad, it's time we go out and distribute these Islamic books.' Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.' The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to hell, even though it's raining?'

Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather. ' Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go Please' His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the booklets. Be careful son.' 'Thanks, Dad!' And with that, he was off and out into the rain.


This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet. After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone- chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST BOOKLET.

He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally deserted. Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered.. He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally, he turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch! He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.