Exploring Penang Free School, Day 3

Day 3. I arrived at Penang Free School to see that their Additional Sports were going on. The boys were running around the 400-metre track and as usual, there were the quick ones and the not-so-quick ones who panted their way across the finish line. But the important thing was to finish the race, not how fast - or slow - it takes the participant. So in that sense, each and every one of the boys was a winner. That distraction aside, Siang Jin and I continued with our exploration of the nooks and crannies of the school premises. 

Click here for Day 4 pictures
Click here for Day 2 pictures
Click here for Day 1 pictures

Kedah road trip

Over two days, my wife and I, together with 13 other people, including six monks from the Nandaka Vihara Meditation Society, went on a road trip to explore the southern and eastern parts of Kedah. Our journey took us up to Kedah Peak where we spent the night at the Jerai Hill Resort. The whole road trip went quite well except for one adventure when in our search for a durian plantation, our cars almost became stuck in the middle of a muddy jungle track.

The overnight journey took us to the Sungai Merbok mangrove forest reserve, the Sungai Batu archaeological site, the Bujang Valley archaeological museum, the Jerai Hill Resoirt, the Gurun Buddhist Association, the Wat Charok Padang, the Baling hot springs and the Sedim rainforest recreation park. We also visited a cafe in Yan known for a drink extracted from the fruit of the nipah palm.

Foo Heong Restaurant

Somehow, I found myself in the news again. It is good to know that I am still remembered, even only occasionally. About a month ago, I was contacted by Bernard See, formerly a staff of The Star newspaper but now freelancing with them, who wanted to ask me questions about the Foo Heong Restaurant. He must have tracked me down from this blog. And anyway, my number could still be with The Star's office in spite of all these years. Of course, I have also known Bernard for quite a while too, having bumped into him many times when I happened to visit the newspaper's office in the 1990s. However, it has been a long wait until the story cleared his editor and made it to the Metro section last Monday. Here it is.

Lingering memories of popular sar hor fun

- Bernard See -

The Star, 26 June 2023

FOO Heong Restaurant in Cintra Street, Penang, was the place to go to for delicious sar hor fun (fried rice noodles with thick gravy) infused with wok hei (sufficient intensity of heat) from the 1970s up to the late 2010s.

The restaurant, which mainly served Cantonese dishes, has since closed down and the building is up for sale.

Many food lovers, especially those in their 60s and 70s, are left with only memories of its famous cuisine.

Quah Seng Sun, 69, The Star’s former chess columnist, said during its prime, the restaurant was one of Penang’s “hottest” dining establishments, attracting a large number of patrons looking for a delectable dinner.

“Every evening, the restaurant would be abuzz with activity as tables in the double-storey restaurant would be fully occupied.

“There would be superb course dinners, but my personal favourite was their signature dish, sar hor fun, which every table would seem to order,” he said.

Quah, who used to work in a bank, recalled the time when his first supervisor invited him to a celebratory dinner at the restaurant in the late 1970s.

“It was an occasion to commemorate his promotion as the manager of the bank branch in Komtar.

“We were given a table upstairs, and the dishes served that evening were exceptional.

“Adding to its allure was the presence of the stocky restaurant owner, a gruff individual with a perpetual scowl on his face.

“He would sit at the counter, taking orders on slips of paper and shouting them out to the cooks in the kitchen.

“None of the staff dared to provoke his temper, making his stern demeanour an integral part of the restaurant’s unique charm,” he said.

Quah said after the owner’s passing, his children took over the business.

According to him, the absence of the former owner’s thunderous shouts marked the beginning of a decline in the restaurant’s fortune.

“As the decades passed and the original cooks either retired or passed away, the quality of the food began to be affected, resulting in a drop in the number of patrons.

“However, nothing prepared me for the sight that unfolded when I passed by the restaurant in 2014.

“I saw the entire ground floor was empty except for a group of family members gathered at a table beneath the staircase, while the first floor was in darkness,” he recalled.

Retiree Terrence Ng, 67, remembers ordering the famous sar hor fun for dinner and supper back in 1988.

“I was jobless for about six months that year and would spend most of my time playing mahjong.

“I would get someone to order the Foo Heong sar hor fun, which I would eat at the table,” he said.

He added that wedding dinners were also held at the restaurant, especially in the 1970s.

Two red ‘For Sale’ banners with the sales agent’s handphone number now hang across the restaurant, which apparently closed a few years ago.

The restaurant still has its Facebook page up, but it was last updated on Oct 7, 2020.

Exploring Penang Free School, Day 2

 Day 2 saw Siang Jin and I continue to explore the nooks and crannies of Penang Free School. While I had arrived at about nine o'clock in the morning, he was already at the school pavillion to have a good look around. I left him to wander about the place. Later, we had another walk around the main building, the Library, the Archives building and also the Sixth Form Block. Before we left for the day, we chanced across some boys playing chess in the tuck shop.

Click here for Day 4 pictures
Click here for Day 3 pictures
Click here for Day 1 pictures

Exploring Penang Free School, Day 1

Spent four glorious days last week in revisiting Penang Free School with my friend, Siang Jin. We have some projects in mind regarding the school; however, it is not quite time to reveal them yet. But the four days in the school brought back many schoolday memories. We took our time to explore and rediscover many nooks and crannies but Siang Jin more than me. We spoke to the Headmaster, the teachers and the students. We saw them in the School Assembly, watched their activities on the school field and in the canteen. We walked the corridors, spent time in the Pinhorn Hall, visited the Kutub Khanah Tunku as well as the School Archives. Of course, we were never without our cameras or mobile phones, and these pictures from our first day are some which I would like to share. These were shot with my mobile phone as unfortunately, the memory card in my camera was full. 

Click here for Day 4 pictures
Click here for Day 3 pictures
Click here for Day 2 pictures

With this year's School Captain, Nicholas Lew

Not often that we got a bunch of School Prefects to sit down and listen to us

Baron Otard and Penang Free School

Any connection between Baron Otard and Penang Free School/The Old Frees' Association? Yes, but not much at all. In fact, only very fleetingly. An Old Free who is not a drinker probably won't be aware of this, and a drinker who isn't an Old Free probably will not know it either. But for a drinker who is an Old Free, chances are likely that he would have noticed it sometime during his drinking sessions, if he hadn't drunk himself silly first. I belong squarely in the first category.

Picture by Lim Eng Cheong

That is why yesterday, I expressed some surprise when I saw a friend post some pictures of a drinking-and-makan session and this picture appeared: the coat of arms of the Baron Otard brand of cognac. Part of it said "Fortis et Fidelis" and in my head, I went, "Huh?"

That's almost exactly the motto shared by both my alma mater, Penang Free School, and the alumni body I belong to, The Old Frees Association, except that it is "Fortis atque Fidelis". So what's the difference between "et" and "atque"? Not very much, it seems. 

In Latin, both conjunctions mean "and". However, there are some differences in their usage and nuances. 

"Et" is the most common word for "and" in Latin and is used to connect words, phrases or clauses. It is a neutral conjunction that signifies a continuation or addition of ideas without any particular emphasis. 

"Atque" is also used to mean "and" but it carries a slightly different connotation compared to "et". "Atque" is often used to indicate a stronger connection or a closer relationship between the things being joined. It can be translated as "and also", "and even" or "and particularly". It implies that the second item is more closely associated with the first one. All these as explained by ChatGPT.

As for "fortis" and "fidelis", they are adjectives that carry different meanings. "Fortis" means "strong", "courageous" or "brave", and conveys the idea of physical or moral strength, courage or resilience. It can be used to describe people, objects or abstract concepts. 

"Fidelis" means "faithful" or "loyal", which signifies trustworthiness, reliability and steadfastness in relationships or commitments. It is commonly used to describe someone's loyalty, fidelity or devotion. While both "fortis" and "fidelis" are positive qualities, they differ in their emphasis. 

"Fortis" primarily relates to strength and courage, whereas "fidelis" primarily pertains to loyalty and faithfulness. 

In the case of Penang Free School, our motto has always been explained as "strong and faithful". As for Baron Otard Cognac, their motto means "strength and loyalty", the values upheld by Baron Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard in his time.

A bit of historical trivia. When did Penang Free School adopt "Fortis atque Fidelis" as its motto? It cannot be as long as the school itself because when the Prince of Wales' Island Free School was founded, it was only a modest schoolhouse using some rented premises in Love Lane. Only when the Free School became more established was there a school crest. And even then, the motto was added later. 

So the question remains: when was the motto adopted? For the answer, check out page 128 of Let the Aisles Proclaim. 

Clubhouse's diamond

Who rolled up to The Old Frees' Association at 4.30pm on 17th June 1963? None other than Tuanku Syed Putra, the Raja of Perlis who was also the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong at that time. Uniquely, he was the last King of Malaya, the first King of Malaysia and the only King that Singapore had ever had.

On this date in history 60 years ago, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong officially opened the Northam Road clubhouse. He was met on arrival by Saw Choo Theng, the President, and then introduced to the Management Committee before adjourning to a private tea reception in his honour at the lawn on the other side of the building.

The clubhouse in 1963. The exterior has changed little over the decades except for a different porch as well as the restaurant or kitchen to the main building's left. But the interior has changed considerably from the original design.

Ignoring a brief four-month temporary sojourn in rented premises in Perak Road, the Northam Road clubhouse is the fourth since The Old Frees' Association was founded in 1923. At first, the club had its home at 10 Leith Street but it then shifted to 156 Hutton Lane in 1932 and 2 Mandalay Road in 1939 before finding a permanent home here in Northam Road. Will it relocate again? That will be left to the future....

Harassment cannot be condoned

It's come to my knowledge that within the last few days, there was a chess coach that had made some disparaging remarks in a public setting against one of our top women chess players. The remarks have not gone down well within the local chess community. Players are unhappy over the incident and a report against this chess coach has been made to the Malaysian Chess Federation. 

This matter, however, seems to be a little beyond the scope of the national chess body to deal with since the coach was entrusted by the Ministry of Higher Education to coach the national universities chess team. Nevertheless, the Federation can and should charge the culprit for bringing the game into disrepute. 

Despite the coach offering an apology for his actions, I fear that the damage has already been done. Mere apologies cannot erase the uneasiness and lack of trust between him and the chess players under his guidance. It is difficult to envision a scenario where anyone can place their trust in him again. His honour and standing have been severely compromised. Making sexist remarks against another person puts him in the same category as a sexual harasser, which is morally unacceptable. If I were in his position, I would consider tendering my resignation. It is clear that nobody, and I mean nobody, can continue working with him under these circumstances.

1937 Board of Prefects

This image has been making the rounds on social media in recent days. No doubt, it has been circulating in connection with news that the prominent old warrior, Lim Kean Chye, died last Thursday on 08 June 2023 at a ripe old age. Some people had said the long retired lawyer was 105-years-old but The Malay Mail mentioned him being 103-years-old.

It would not be wrong to say that Lim Kean Chye would reach his 104th birthday come this December. He was born in 1919 which made him the contemporary of Lim Chong Eu who was born in the same year. Both the unrelated Lims studied at Penang Free School and in 1937 when the above picture was taken, Chong Eu was one of the senior prefects (he was seated on the far left) and Kean Chye, standing third from right, was also on the Board of Prefects although not a senior.

Some people also speculated that they were contemporaries of Wu Lien Teh as well, because Dr Wu was featured seated with the Prefects in this 1937 picture. But this speculation was wrong. It's true that Dr Wu (or Gnoh Lean Tuck) was the Head Boy in 1894 but it was only coincidental that Dr Wu was in this 1937 picture with the School Prefects. At that time, the famous doctor was still living in Shanghai and he moved back to Malaya two years later when his home there was destroyed by Japanese bombing. 

He made two visits to his alma mater, Penang Free School, in July 1937 when he was already 58-years-old. On his first visit, he gave a lecture to the boys and on the second visit, he demonstrated the dissection of a rabbit to the biology class. This picture was taken on one of the two occasions.

Due to the picture's ambiguous caption, there was also an assumption that the unnamed Headmaster in this picture was HI Saunders. Again, I have to clear up the wrong information. The Headmaster was Leslie W Arnold, seated in the centre beside Wu Lien Teh. Arnold was Headmaster of Penang Free School from 1934. He was evacuated to Singapore in 1941 when the Japanese bombed Penang and he never returned after the War. Seated on the other side of Arnold was Humphrey I Saunders, one of the three senior prefects of the School. 

Apart from Saunders who went on to Singapore after he left Penang Free School, it is interesting to note that the Head Prefect, Chiu Ban It, seated between Chong Eu and Dr Wu, was later to join the Anglican Church and became Vicar of the St Andrews Church in Singapore. In 1966, he was appointed as Bishop of Singapore and Malaysia. 

There are one or two other interesting characters in this picture which I may write briefly on, if I wish to return to this subject later but for now, this is it.

ADDENDUM: There are sceptics who doubt the authenticity of the first picture, claiming that the individuals appear too old to be Prefects. Some comments questioning the validity include: "Strange (that) most looking too old to be students/School Prefects??", "I don't (think) this is a Board of Prefect(s) but a kind of board of governors or trustees" and "A doctor said all look too old to be students...certainly Chong Eu, even Kean Chye." 

While everyone is entitled to their beliefs, I stand firm in presenting the undeniable facts. It would be highly improbable for well-known personalities like Lim Chong Eu, Chiu Ban It, Tan Ah Fee, Lim Kean Chye, Oh Kim Seng and the others to have coincidentally served together on a board of governors or trustees. 

(Note: while the Board of Governors was only constituted in January 1958, after the country's Independence a year earlier, the Board of Trustees was formed in September 1921 with members mainly selected from the Settlement Government and the British community in Penang.) 

The only plausible explanation is that they gathered during their time at school. To substantiate this claim, I offer concrete evidence in the form of an extract from the School Magazine of May 1938, which not only listed these individuals as members of the Board of Prefects in 1937 (the Prefects were also known as School Officers then) but also included their names in conjunction with the aforementioned picture.

Rose Chan, I love you

There's an interesting story about the legendary striptease, Rose Chan, in The Malay Mail yesterday which can be read here. There was also a very popular song by Frankie Laine, called "Rose, Rose, I love you", which people think referred to Rose Chan. Whenever I think about this song, however, I am reminded of Zainal Alam's own rendition of this classic which he sang in the four main languages of this country. 

The lyrics to Frankie Laine's version of Rose, Rose, I Love You is reproduced below. 

Rose, Rose, I love you
With an aching heart
What is your future?
Now we have to part

Standing on the jetty
As the steamer moves away
Flower of Malaya
I cannot stay

Make way, oh, make way
For my Eastern Rose
Men crowd in dozens
Every one imposing

Just to glimpse my Eastern Rose
But she cried with lowly
"I love you, yes I do
Never leave me lonely"

Sail across the ocean
To the shores of ebony
Far across the water
To Malaya's coral sea

I hear a voice that calling me
And I know I must return
From Russia, snow to China sun
Our love will always burn

So goodbye, my love
Rose, my Eastern Rose
All the world must know
We will never part

Rose, Rose, I love you
With your almond eyes
Fragrant and slender
'Neath tropical skies

I must cross the ocean
To the shores of ebony
Far across the water
To Malaya's coral sea

I hear a voice that's calling me
And I know I must return
From Russia, snow to China sun
Our love will always burn

So goodbye, my love
Rose, my Eastern Rose
All the world must know
We will never part

But did this song really referred to Rose Chan? I posed the question to ChatGPT and this was the response:

There is a common misconception that the song "Rose, Rose, I Love You" is directly connected to Rose Chan. However, this connection is largely a result of speculation and urban legends.

While Rose Chan was a prominent burlesque performer in Singapore and Malaysia during the mid-20th century, there is no concrete evidence to support the claim that the song was specifically inspired by her or that it was written as a tribute to her.

The song "Rose, Rose, I Love You" was composed by Chen Gexin, a Chinese songwriter, and the lyrics were written by Wu Cun. The song became popular in China and was later covered by Frankie Laine in English. The association between the song and Rose Chan appears to be a later interpretation or rumour without substantial evidence.

It's important to approach such connections with caution and recognise that they might be based on speculation, hearsay or popular mythology rather than verified historical facts. The true origins and inspirations behind songs can sometimes become obscured or distorted over time.

USM chess team tournament

When was the last time that I played in the team tournament at Universiti Sains Malaysia? Possibly a decade ago? It has been so long that I can't remember. One of the reasons why I had avoided this tournament was the general inefficiency and delays. Invariably, their tournament would start at least an hour after the advertised time because they had to cope with last-minute entries, changes to the teams' line-ups, updating the amendments to the pairing system. All these had added to the delays and general frustration in the playing hall. But yesterday, I was surprised to see that conditions have vastly improved. I was prepared for prolonged delays but the tournament started almost on time; maybe only 15 minutes off the stated time.

The USM team chess tournament is now in its 29th year. I remember in the first few years of its inception, the Penang Chess Association was heavily involved with advising their Bridge and Chess Club on the organisational and technical aspects. The USM Bridge and Chess Club had taken inspiration from the GACC chess tournament in Kuala Lumpur which was organised by the University of Malaya, and wanted to emulate its success. 

GACC stood for the Grand ASEAN Chess Challenge when the tournament was first conceived and along the way, it evolved into the Grand Asian Chess Challenge. At first, universities in the ASEAN countries came to compete in the GACC but later, the net was cast wider to encompass universities from the wider Asia. 

Anyway, the USM had approached the Penang Chess Association when I was still its secretary, and I readily said Yes to them. Yes, the Penang Chess Association would lend our assistance and support. I saw yesterday that the Penang Chess Association was still involved but now, more on the technical aspects of updating the important Swiss Manager system.

The faces of the USM Bridge and Chess Club change every year as new batches of students come and go. And they are from everywhere around the country, here to study at the USM. And their involvement in this tournament means credit points to them during their studies here. Their club advisor has also changed since the last time I played. Then, my old classmate, Prof Teoh Siang Guan was their advisor but like me, he has retired and since then, disappeared from the USM scene.

This year's tournament went better for us than I had expected. We, the team from The Old Frees' Association, finished third in the standings. apart from myself on the third board, we had Liong Ing Kiat on first, Ung Tay Aik on second and Vesyal Arulsyankar on fourth. Vesyal is our junior member who played with us at the astro Merdeka team event in Kuala Lumpur last year. Luckily, he was free to play yesterday as a last-minute stand-in for Terry Ong who was down with a Covid-19 infection two days earlier. The age gap difference for our team was, what, 50 years?

The problem with me is that in the last 10 years or so, I have been unable to remember my games once they are completed. It is so unlike in the past when I was younger and could replay my games once they are finished. Now, I can only remember the results, maybe how I had played the openings and not much else! The scourge of growing old! Like, for example, yesterday. I had two especially good games in the first (knight versus bishop ending) and sixth (beating Looi Xin Hao) rounds, but I can't remember the sequence of moves at all. I also remember that I had a satisfactory touch-and-go win but was it in the third or fifth game? Gosh, darn it! Impossible to remember at all....