Shih Chung Branch School: The House of Remembrance

In 2003, Shih Chung's hope of resurrection was soon dashed when a restoration cum construction project was canned due to strong public protests, especially from residents and businesses nearby. The plan was to turn the Shih Chung site into a three-block columbarium and a Buddhist institution, called the House of Remembrance.

I'm not sure if the fire happened before or after the Penang Municipal Council approved the building plan.

Source: The Star

Shih Chung Branch School: Grim

Blogger Jazz Koay presented a more accurate portroyal of Shih Chung, as of September 2008.

Shih Chung Branch School: Fish Talk

And here's my comprehension of the school anthem:

花开桃李
Babel Fish: The flower opens the students
(I have a feeling this is going to be HILARIOUS... however, peach and plum = students, spot on)
Ah Eng: The peach trees and plum trees are blossoming
(Students are ready for knowledge)

满院芬芳
Babel Fish: The full courtyard is fragrant
Ah Eng: The courtyard is full of fragrance
(Something wonderful is happening)

问谁手植
Babel Fish: Asked that who plants personally
Ah Eng: Who planted them by hand?
(Who is going to nurture them?)

崇华发轫在平章
Babel Fish: Honors China to commence a venture is distinguishing clearly
Ah Eng: It's time to honour China by establishing a new venture that's clear and distinguished
(It's time to honour the Chinese society and expand its boundaries with something new and exciting)

时哉勿失
Babel Fish: When do not lose
Ah Eng: Don't lose this moment
(Grasp this moment)

中实外强
Babel Fish: Outside reality strong
Ah Eng: Solid in the core and strong on the outside
(As we have a solid foundation and a strong community)

培材立校
Babel Fish: Cultivates the material to set up the school
Ah Eng: Nurture talents and set up schools
(Set up a school and nurture our talents)

可把他乡作故乡
Babel Fish: May do another region the hometown
Ah Eng: Treat foreign land as your hometown
(And make foreign land our own)

愿我多士
Babel Fish: Hopes my toast
(OMG ROFLMAO)
Ah Eng: Hopefully many people in our society
(Hopefully the many educated people of our society)

努力发扬
Babel Fish: Develops diligently
Ah Eng: Spread and expand diligently
(Will actively spread and expand)

敦品励学
Babel Fish: Sincere urges study
Ah Eng: Good behaviour and study well
(Good behaviour and diligent learning)

两交相
Babel Fish: Two hand over
Ah Eng: Both hand in hand
(As both will complement each other)

蔚成大器
Babel Fish: Becomes the great talent luxuriantly
Ah Eng: Become something great
(Be someone great)

干国栋梁
Babel Fish: Does the country pillar of the state
Ah Eng: Pillars of the country
(Be the pillars of society)

永标荣誉
Babel Fish: Forever sign honor
Ah Eng: Always have honour
(Always be honoured)

冠槟榔
Babel Fish: Crown betel nut
(Betel nut, is Pinang in Malay, which is Penang, in English)
Ah Eng: Best of Penang
(And to be the best of Penang)

With help from Eugene, Baidu, Yahoo and Babel Fish.

Shih Chung Branch School: Peach & Plum Blossoms

A rather old school (pun intended) anthem with a simple melody but VERY DEEP words. I STILL have problems pronouncing and understanding some of the words in the last sentence of the first line. Homework: Interpret the school song!

Shih Chung Branch School: Hauntingly Beautiful

I chanced upon Michael LaPalme's flickr set one day and these beautiful pictures he took brought back so much memories, which eventually led me to set up this blog.


I later found out that he's done a tremendous job in digitally removing tonnes of debris from the building's surrounding. For now, the only trace of DI you can see is the duplicated grass patch at the bottom of the second picture.

Thanks Michael, for the inspiration and these wonderful photographs.

Shih Chung Branch School: Waltzing with Mr Wong

Mr Wong was our English and PE teacher. His English rhymes, verses and songs were the most inspiring education to me during my primary school days. He's taught us many but I only remember a few, especially Hickory Dickory Dock:

Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down
Hickory Dickory Dock

I recited this in a singing competition and on being creative, added "Tick Tock" at the end of the rhyme. Unfortunately the judges disagreed with my avant garde attempt at altering an old classic thus I was given a one point deduction and only took 2nd place. *sob*

Another of my favourite is Waltzing Matilda:

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

I only found out TODAY that this is Australia's most widely known country folk song. And I guess we were only taught the first two paragraphs of the complete composition due to its context and because thoughtful Mr Wong has spared us the agony of memorizing the impossible for a Chinese student.

Some of us are of Cantonese descend (I'm Hock Chew but very eloquent in Cantonese due to my early education in the language, thanks to mum, VHS and TVB) and boys being boys this lovely song was given a slight colloquial twist:

Waltzing MaTIUda, Waltzing MaTIUda
"You'll come a-Waltzing MaTIUda, with me"
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"You'll come a-Waltzing MaTIUda, with me"

This version only survived one practice session as Mr Wong quickly noticed our heightened enthusiasm during chorus.

Illustration by W W Denslow

Shih Chung Branch School: Boo! Bamboo!

What I remember about Mr Boey, our teacher-in-charge, was his "Big Wood". Ok it doesn't sound right after translation so I'm just going to stick to its original Mandarin pronunciation of "Da Mu", which literally means, big wood. It was a nasty thing. Instead of the usual rattan, Mr Boey has opted for a thick bamboo stem of about 30cm in length as his caning device of choice. Naughty boys would get spanking on their butts while defiant girls got them on their palms, for not so convincing physiological reasons.

Poor test results, being late for classes, daydreaming, failure to hand in homework, fights etc would all be promptly dealt with using Da Mu. I wasn't a particularly bad student (as a matter of fact, I was a TEACHERS' pet) but I've had my fair share of Da Mu, mainly because of very miserably executed left-handed Chinese calligraphy, if I remember it correctly.

One day, during primary four I believe, I was so fed up with Da Mu I chucked it into a dried up fountain overgrown with weed next to our classroom after everyone's gone home (Da Mu was kept in Mr Boey's unlocked drawer in our classroom). It was only recovered the next year when we decided to clear up the space next to our classroom and turn it into a mini garden.

No one missed Da Mu as Mr Boey brought Da Mu's brother, Da Da Mu the next day after he realised that it's gone missing.

Shih Chung Branch School: Indomie! Me! Me!

The first time I had instant mi goreng was in Shih Chung. My cousin, Teh Hee Hong, was in the same class as me (actually there's only one class for each grade, but more about that later). During one of the recesses, her mum brought her lunch while I was still waiting for mine. As she opened the lid of her square Tupperware (Tupper Bear, as we used to pronounce it) case, the most exotic and mouthwatering smell whiffed through the air and I was fixated! On seeing the hungry look upon my face, Hee Hong generously offered me a spoonful. MMMMMMMM... the memory of that most delicious mouthful of springy, semi-dried MSG-coated instant noodle never left me.

Of course I've had instant noodles before but they were all frugal varieties from Cintan and ...Cintan. Tossing instant noodles in sweet soy sauce with fried onion oil and MSG powder without diluting them with soup? Unheard of.

Hee Hong's mum, Auntie Tin, was kind enough to prepare two portions of that heavenly lunch, one for her daughter and one for me, for a week that followed. I was in taste bud paradise. Naturally I can't remember what my mum made me for lunch.

Shih Chung Branch School: Elephant Tree

I returned to Shih Chung in 1982 as a primary one student. It was the 1st day of school and after my mum got me to my seat, she left. She promised she'd come back with my lunch during recess. I wasn't excited at all seeing all those new faces. I felt queasy. My mum told me I've always cried on my 1st day of school, at both the kindergartens I went to. So today I'm not gonna cry, I told myself.

I remember the classroom was very noisy. There were kids crying and kids running around. Before long this skinny boy seated on my left stood up, took out his belt and started to do the human helicopter maneuver. I stooped lower and lower, trying to get my head as close as possible to my desk to avoid being torn apart by the chopper. Alas! My effort was in vain and something hit my head pretty quickly, and hard (but not hard enough to cause a cut). Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at him to find out that he was swinging the belt with its buckle end outwards! I kept quiet and swallowed all those tears as the teacher entered the classroom. The boy's name is Lim Khoon Leong and that's how I remembered my 1st day at Shih Chung.

Of course I poured every bit of my guts out during recess.

Shih Chung Branch School: Prologue

It was 1981, I was five. That was when I first stepped into the compound of Shih Chung Branch School at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang. I can't remember much of the one year I spent in Shih Chung Kindergarten except the once after I was denied permission to go to the toilet I decided to do something outrageous (for a five-year-old) but more on that later.

My mum wanted me to start early in learning English so I was transferred to another kindergarten housed within Convent Light Street the next year, and boy was it a fun-filled ride! But that's another story.

Oh I do remember there was a HUGE (Banyan?) tree by the entrance of Shih Chung watching over me. When I left at the age of twelve in 1988, it was still a towering giant, greeting students, parents and teachers who passed by...


This is not the tree, but it had aerial roots like this one.

Source: banoffeepie.com