Monday, September 29, 2008

QUR'AN RECITAL AT CEMENTERY


Full of people at the Muslim cementery on the eve of Hariraya. They recite doa for the well being of the soul of the death Nowadays cementeries are clean. Gardeners maintain the area; not like in the early years when small children armed with scoop and cangkul were asked to do the job before they're given sedekah in a form of 20 to 50 cents per person.
Sense of sadness at the family graveyard. But life has to go on. 'Ada hikmah di sebalik dugaan."
Don't go to cementery without bringing Buku Surah Yassin and Tahlil. At any time mosque official is more than willing to guide you performing the recital. Make an appointment cos their services are greatly needed at this time of the year..

Some make the tambak (grave) beautiful with space for seats facing the Kaabah. The top should be open so the dew would fall into the soil of the grave.


Customary, Aying asah-asahan are poured into the grave after the Tahlil and Qur'an recital. The water contains the dust of kayu cendana which has aromatic smell. This bark of the plant is expensive and exported to West for making perfume. When you pour do recite some verses; at least bismillah or surah Qadr.



QUR'AN RECITAL AT CEMENTERY
Muslims in Brunei are encouraged to visit their family cemetery and to recite verses from Al-Qur’an, the Surah Yasiin and the tahlil. The visit is as frequent as possible but many choose to do so prior to Hari Raya. They ask Allah 's forgiveness and the family soul be put in heaven.

When a Muslim dies, an iman read talkin; reminding the death how to answer questions from Malaikat. Actually the talkin is not only for the death but reminding who still live to behave themselves in a manner according to Islamic religious teachings.

11 HOURS HARIRAYA PREPARATION


Nerve center of Brunei shopping area, Gadong ,where u can buy anything that may brighten you home during Hariraya. Cafe and restaurents are there for u to dine after breaking fasting.


All lighted up. Technique to usher customers. Textile centre at Serusop.




Years ago bunga api was banned. Then came national celebrations with groups sponsored the bunga api show. Import licence was given that give acess to selling bunga api to general public.



It worth to buy carpet if yours already lost colour or smelly. But I cannot understand why people buy pilliow, bed sheet during hariraya. Your guests will not be visiting your bedroom.



Shoe centres are another crowd puller. I do not know what shoe fashions are on now. Pointed, flat or rounded. At one time kepala bedukang style was in a great demand.


This is plastic. But with good lighting it lights up like original that passer-by tempted to buy. Don't be mislead. It'll swallow your budget.


See the little kid. The father wanted something. But he was attracted by something else. The tot had a weapon - crying. If the father did not entertain him, he cried with the loudest voice possible.

With all products going for sale, mata jadi pangling, you don't know what to buy. At the end of the day you buy the unnecessary stuffs.

How much is enough for Hariraya spendings ? Go to any shopping centre u could see full of people. Good time for business people. They say Brunei dollars are strong. People are encouraged to spend in country. But yet, checking with airlines, seats are full. Still people go outside for choices beside going for holidays.

The joy of Hari Raya Puasa actually begins before the first day. A week or so before the big day, excitement mounts as the house is readied for the celebration with new furnishing and decorations. So what actually u’re praparing for ? For those who’re so buzy with shopping, please don’t forget ur religious obligation, the zakat fitrah. It just a few dollars. Because of its cheapness people sometimes forget.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

RUSHING FOR SUNGKAI


Tamu on fire ? No... othewise the lady and son on the foreground would panic. It 's a corner of tamu where traders sell ikan and daging salai. If u like pais daging, go there but u must be strong enough to pass through the thick smoke.


This's normal tamu crowd of Stadium at about 3 pm. People just simply buy and don't want to cook. Everything are there... kebab, kueh, cendul, mee, fruits, martabak....



This is not a grand sale or jualan gila as u heard in radio. Everything they want to buy during puasa. But once u sungkai, it's a matter of a glass of drink and a few pieces of dates that make u stomach full. The rest is your cat's share or belong to your dustbin.


Red hot...... that make you swollow your saliva especially during puasa. But once sungkai you hardly could finish one stick.




Satay barbaque. Just mention they've all. Satay daging, satay ayam, satay perut, satay urat, satay udang, satay tongkeng, satay unta, satay kasawari.....


Almost finish.... See both hands of the ladies. Bagful of penyungkaian. But this was not the last gerai they visited, I presumed.


Feel thirsty ? You've variety of coloured drinks at the tamu; red, yellow, green, white, pink. This is a speciality during Ramadhan; air gelagah (sugar cane juice)


SUNGKAI... SUNGKAI... SUNGKAI
Last 10 days of puasa. Many minds undecided- to fulfill the religious obligation going to mesjid and do the ibadat or following the crowd to do last minute shopping. Even at home housewives prefer to buy kueh at tamu rather than cook by themselves.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

W.S.Rendra


Lots of his work are translated to various languages; to English, Dutch, German, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Hindi, Sangskrit, France Italy, Korea, Africa, Bulgaria and Czech.


Me and Rendra. It was a rare opportunity to have a photo session with this great poet.



Another pix with Sosojan, herself is a local novelist and sajakis. Sure lots of questions asked during Rendra's stay in Brunei to receive MASTERA Award.


My two Pengiran friends with Rendra.......


W.S Rendra, the well known poet from Indonesia. He was in Brunei Darussalam on 21 September to receive another award, MASTERA Award. I like his poems since my school days and the way he delivers; full of command.

Unlike many Indonesians, he is still strong, both mentally and physically, and eager to talk about his poems and the nation. Born on Nov. 7, 1935 in Solo, Central Java, Rendra or Willibrordus Surendra Broto, still wants to create masterpieces like the Javanese poets Mpu Sedah, Mpu Panuluh and Ronggowarsito did in past centuries.

The graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Art, New York, is known for his satirical observations of social and political issues in his poems and theater scripts. Potret Pembangunan dalam Puisi (Portrait of Development in Poetry), Bersatulah Pelacur-Pelacur Kota Jakarta (Jakarta's Prostitutes Unite!) and Blues untuk Bonnie (Blues for Bonnie) are among his collections of poems that discuss social and political disparities. The graduate of Gadjah Mada University also played in several films, such as Yang Muda Yang Bercinta (The Young Who Love).

People do not only talk about Rendra's literary works, but also gossip (jealously) about his once "harmonious" polygamous marriage to actresses Soenarti and Sitoresmi Prabuningrat. After divorcing Soenarti and Sitoresmi, he now lives with his third wife stage actress Ken Zuraida in the three-hectare home and theater workshop.

He’s now 73 year old. Jakarta Post interviewed him on his 70th birthday. This is part of the interview at his unique home in Cipayung, Depok, West Java

"You and your friends just celebrated your 70th anniversary. How did you feel? "

Well, of course, I thank God for giving me a long life. It is a blessing from God. But, again, life is fana (impermanent). Human beings can neither reject birth nor death. We grow from infant, teenager and then get old. So, what does it mean? Why I am given a long life? It is I who decide whether to spend my life only as a vegetable or to grow old while improving the quality of my religious life. If I cannot improve my religious life, I think it will be worthless. I looked inside myself and discovered that my attitude and religious life was not mature.

"At the age of 70 you still look healthy. How do you maintain your health? Is it because you drink tea regularly? "

This is not tea. This is taken from leaves on the mountains in the Himalayas and China. Local people take the herbs on the mountains and make them into beverages that benefit the kidney, liver, colon, heart, pancreas and other organs. Researchers have then found that the leaves also have a similar composition. I do not know the distributor of this drink here. I get it from my students in Sydney.




I eat vegetables, but not all vegetables. I take the ones that are suited to my blood group. I am concerned about diet. I had reduced rice since the age of 35. That is why at the age of 60 I was not this fat. I started to become fat at 65. Of course, there must also be a culture for the body. I join the Bangau Putih exercise group. I maintain a diet and do light exercise. I do not use barbells or jog. I follow the rhythm of age. I do not deny my age. I do not drink coffee or regular tea. Sometimes, I drink tea from Mount Lawu and Garut. I do not drink alcohol.
And of course, having sex. Having sex refreshes our body and mind. Once a week is enough. Twice a week seems to be fun. When I was still 50 years old, I had sex three times a day. Eating three times a day; having sex three times a day. Occasionally, I check a draft of my writing. If I have the mood to do so, I will write. Then I go out of my room and read newspapers, watch television or phone colleagues.

"Do you still read newspapers and watch television every day? "

The Holy Koran. I read randomly. Often, journalists come interview me. Students and workers also come. I get information from social interaction .

"Do you still read poems or speak at seminars out of town or overseas? "

I have not reduced my travel because that is my source of income. I earn an income from poetry reading or speaking at seminars. I set a fee. Traveling offers me the opportunity to support my life here.

"Is there a database of your creations?"

I often receive criticism about this. I had promised to make it years ago. Some of my files were destroyed in heavy rain. Some of my files are also kept in a university in Cologne, Germany. A friend of mine from Germany gave me money for the trash. Later, I found out that some of my poems are also stored in universities overseas.

"Do you plan to stage a play in the near future? "

That is a problem. The cost for rehearsals is high because of transportation. When I was in Yogyakarta, there was no transportation fee. They came for rehearsal on foot or by bike. But, now, it is impossible. The cost of the lighting and sound system is also high. It could reach Rp 50 million. The cost of staging Sobrat, for example, was about Rp 400 million. It is impossible for me to do it again, because I suffered financial losses. I pushed through with Sobrat for the sake of regeneration. I lost Rp 9 million. I lost Rp 18 million for other performances in the past. I must have a savings of about Rp 25 million before staging a play. It functions as a financial reserve, otherwise I will not have money to pay for possible loss. I will not accept a contract below Rp 400 million. Today, it is difficult to get a contract above Rp 500 million. The company gets no return from it but only maintains its image.

"What is your fee ?"

Everything is already clear when there is an invitation for an overseas tour. I will get a per diem allowance and fees. My charge for a poetry reading here is Rp 25 million. I get Rp 10 million for speaking at seminars. That is my fee now. But, if there is another fuel price hike, I will make an adjustment. People must understand. I set the rate because I need to pay for electricity, phone bills, my children's education, medical checkups and other expenses. That is why I set the rate.
People often do not view my activities as work. This is crazy.

14th MASTERA Conferance


Leaders of delegations of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia sign the declaration. The Conferance started on 19 to 21 September hosted by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei.


Photo session of the three reciepients of Anugerah MASTERA with Dato Paduka Haji Jimat Ampal, (in blue Baju Melayu) KKBS Permenant Seccretary, the Guest of Honour that afternoon.


The guests, among others the SEA Write Awardees, Haji Salleh and Haji Abdul Rahman. The function followed by Bersungkai and Sembahyang Fardhu Maghrib berjemaah.


W.S Rendra of Indonesia; poet and drama writer. Among his poem collection are Ballada Orang-Orang tercinta (1957), Sajak-Sajak Sepatu Tua (1972), Perjalanan Bu Aminah (1996). On drama collections Orang-Orang di Tikungan Jalan, Mastodan dan Burung Kondor.

Dato Dr Hajah Siti Hawa bte Haji Salleh of Malaysia is specialist in filology and tradational Malay Literature. She speaks Sanskrit, Arab, Batak, Jawa, Dutch, German, English and of course her mother tonque Malay.


Prof Madya Haji Hashim Haji Abdul Hamid, Leader in ASTRAWANI for almost 25 years. An expert in creative writing especially in Sajak, Pantun and Syair. Delivered various working papers within Brunei and regional seminars.


MASTERA AWARDS
I went to Songket Ballroom Hotel Rizqun on 19th September Function: Perrasmian Sidang ke 14 MASTERA and Penyampaian Anugerah Sastera MASTERA Ke 3.

MASTERA ? I was a bit confused between MASTERA and MABBIM. The two used to organize functions side by side. Now I know. MASTERA is Majlis Sastera Asia Tenggara (Arts Council of Southeast Asia.) while MABBIM is Majlis Bahasa Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia – (Language Council of Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia); a regional language organisation which is formed to plan and watch out for the development of Malay language/Indonesian language in the region. It consists of three countries - Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.

MABBIM is the successor of Majlis Bahasa Indonesia-Malaysia (MBIM, Language Council of Indonesia-Malaysia) MBIM became MABBIM when Brunei joined this council on 4 November 1985. Singapore remains as an observer until today.
THE 14th conference of the Southeast Asia Literature Council (MASTERA) discussed on the projects and five-year MASTERA plan (2008-2012), particularly on joint publication projects, tradition on poem and novel writing and the development of writing among youths in the region.
The conference aimed at fostering close literary relationship, understanding and cooperation between the countries in an effort to develop and expand regional literary towards creating high calibre literary figures worldwide.
The highlight was the 3rd MASTERA Award granted to renowned literary figures who have been active in writing and contributing to the development of high quality literary works in the Southeast Asian region.

The recipients were Prof Madya Haji Hashim Haji Abdul Hamid of Brunei Darussalam, W.S. Rendra of Indonesia and Dato Dr Hajah Siti Hawa bte Haji Salleh of Malaysia.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Nuzul Al-Qur'an

Brunei celebrates state level Nuzul Al Qur’an on evening 17 Sept 2008. Muslim calendar changes after the Maghrib prayer. So 17th Sept is also 17 Ramadhan, the anniversary of first surah of Al-Qur’an (iqra…) bestowed (diwahyukan) to Prophet Mohamad in 610.

Al-Qur’an, the guidance for Muslim, contains 114 surah received by Prophet Mohamad (diwahyukan) within 23 years – 13 year in Makkah (1,456 sentences) and 10 year in Madinah (4,780 sentences)

Muslim Bruneians are encouraged to read Qur’an and to practice what are asked by Allah. (do and the don’t). The Government of His Mjesty provides free Al-Qur’an Mushaf Brunei to his subjects. In fact, His Majesty in one of the titah requested government officers to read Qur’an prior to giving services as to hinder from bribery, misuse of the position and to be honest, trustworthy and obedience.

A-Qur'an is a thick religious book. There's a scheme to memorise the whole contents. In Brunei students enroll into Institut Hapatiz Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and a number of them already completed memorising 30 duzuk.


The Qur'an teaching is not only for the next world (akhirat). It's useful for the guidance of everyday life. Brunei's Qariah in International Qur'an Compitition, besides the fourth best in reading, is an expert in ICT.


You could study at your leasure time in your house. Now there're teachers who're willing to come to your house at a fee. Alternatively you could learn by yourself using computer (cd and internet) as well as i-pod.


There's nothing to shy about reading Qur'an. Opputunities are open wheather your're youngsters or pensioners. If you want free tution just go to any mosque.


The writing is in Arabic. Basic is you've to know Jawi writing to make you easier reading the manuscripts. Of course various translation in many languages are there for you to study the contents.


Monday, September 15, 2008

Prawn story - sedekah ?

Few friends said they missed my regular weekly column on Pelangi, Katak Atas Tempurung. They suggested me to download into this blog. Ok. I put here the prog on
16 Sept 2008. This is about how much is the weight of two mid size prawns.

Actually it’s not the weight of the prawns but rather the sedekah and bercakap benar as the focus of the story. I went to one of the wet fishing gerai, one day prior to the Puasa. Seeing a small longgokan of prawn I asked for a kilo. The seller quickly put a handful of prawn into a plastic bag. As he put into a weight, he took out few. That's okey. But he seen to be not satisfy. He took out another two ekor. A said “ dua ekor pun kau keluarkan” He answer there’re a lot more down here. I felt cheated. Luan jua orang ani minatnya. After all dua ekor if he considered a sedekah, was actually a good deed.

This is the segment of the script

“Berapa beratkah dua ekor udang yang sederhana besarnya ? Jika awda menggunakan timbangan kilogram tentu saja payah untuk mengetahui kerana berat dua ekor udang tidaklah seberapa. Awda kenalah menggunakan timbangan berukuran gram seperti timbangan yang digunakan suri-suri rumah tangga semasa membuat kueh-mueh.

Masa kecil dulu, saya pernah ikut memukat udang. Jika kelurusan kena pada masa dan tempatnya, mata pukat dipenuhi oleh udang. Kerja memisi tidak mencukupi semasa di laut. Pukat diangkut ke darat. Malah pukat itu tidak lagi digunakan kerana terpaksa dikoyak-koyakkan untuk mendapatkan udang. Nisbah harga udang yang ditangkap lebih jauh dari harga pukat. Nilai dua ekor udang yang saya katakan di awal tadi tidaklah seberapa.

Ada satu gerai yang menjual udang. Udang itu sudah hendak habis. Yang tinggal itu di timbang. Saya mahu membeli sekilo. Penjual pun memasukkan kesemua dalam plastik. Proses menimbang itu terlalu cepat. Beberapa ekor dikeluarkan. Mungkin timbangannya lebih. Tidak berhenti di situ si penimbang melihat lagi mata timbang. Di ambilnya lagi keluar dua ekor udang.

Terkedu juga saya melihat telatah si ampunya gerai itu. Dua ekor udang itupun di kiranya. Sayapun bersuara: “Alang-alang jua wang dua ekung udang atu” Maka jawabnya: “Banyak lagi udang atu dalam ani” Dalam minda saya membandingkan rezeki yang melimpah ruah yang diberikan oleh Tuhan kepadanya tapi ia bagitu berat hati untuk menambah dua ekor udang yang terakhir. Lagi satu, saya terasa terpedaya kerana kerana saya sangkakan itulah udang terakhir yang dijual. Rupanya ada lagi udang yang tersemunyi. Saya hampir-hampir mengeluarkan kata-kata: Lain kali Wang, pakai timbangan gram menimbang udang ani, supaya inda lebih walau segram.

Inilah realiti hidup walaupun di sana sini para ulama berkali-kali menasihat supaya ummah mengerjakan kebajikan, bersedekah, beramal, tidak berbohong dan sebagainya.


The prawns in the pix are much larger in size than the one I mention in the story.

The fate of a radio station

Brunei has five radio channels beside Netradio that could be access through Internet. Listeners in fact have the privilege tuning other neighbouring stations as where and when they like.

Occasionally we read complains about radio service. We should consider the duration of DJ on air and how many thousand words they utter in the process of delivering info and entertain the listeners. There‘re bound to be slip of the tongue, though the manager wish his DJ make no mistakes. Now let’s consider if there is no radio service. Payah jua tu. I pick up a news from Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Website (CBA) on struggles of Kirabati (pronouns Kiribas) to stay on air.

“Radio Kiribati is facing an acute shortage of daily earnings, and had to cut its staffing to remain on air. Pacific Magazine reports that the national radio station's acting manager, Tibwere Bobo, says the problem began two weeks ago, when Radio Kiribati's AM transmission was off-air due to a break down in the transmitter. "Our engineers after installing the spare parts would have to monitor it before they can declare that our problem had been solved," he said. "This could take a few days." The station is maintaining its FM transmission which only covers South Tarawa and the remote Line and Phoenix Groups.
But money generated from this service on a daily basis is minimal and not enough to cover the daily expense of Radio Kiribati transmissions. The radio station is trying to cut costs, and has applied for an overdraft from the bank. Mr Bobo says more measures will have to be taken if the AM transmission is not restored soon.
Kasihan…. How lucky Bruneians are compared with this island nation. We’ve no license, no tax.


Diddy, one of the the Pelangi DJ. U're lucky cos the station is funded by the government. And futhermore u've a lot of peminat. Station pun stable. But, nya orang putih don't sit on the laurel.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Great Eastern 100th years celebration

I was at the Jerudong Park Restaurant on 26 August attending the 100th years celebration of Great Eastern Assurance. The company was established in Singapore 100 years ago and one of the leading life insurance company in Brunei.

I bought life insurance in 70ies and already mature once. Then reinvested and now waiting for maturity in a few years time. As a life planner I find many Malays lack knowledge of the life insurance. Some have wrong perception. Its good to have some saving and protection for your old age.

For convenience of friends who wish to know about Insuran Hayat (life insurance), I download here basic information some of the products.

MENGAPA PERLU MEMBELI INSURAN HAYAT
Bagi memastikan keluarga terdekat biskita mempunyai wang tunai dan pendapatan jika abiskita meninggal dunia.

Agar anak biskita mempunyai wang untuk pendidikan

membolehkan biskita mempunyai pelan tabungan untuk masa hadapan sebagai sumber pendapatan apabila bersara.

JENIS JENIS INSURAN ASAS

Insuran Bertempuh (Term Insurance)
Insuran Hayat Seumur Hidup (Whole Life Insurance)
Insuran Indowmen (Indowment)
Insuran Berkaitan Perlaburan (Invertment-link Insurance)
Perlindungan/’rider’ tambahan (Supplementary ‘rider’/Cover)


The cake....


Let's the future would be more prosperous.....



Pandai jua c Lion ani menyanyi......


Nah dengan penuh perasaan bah.....


Enjoy themselve that night.....




Friday, September 5, 2008

Good Old Days

I was reading AKBS – Asrama Kerajaan Brunei Singapura. In one of the articles written by my good friend Awang Haji Duraman bin Tuah, he mentioned about the government early policy of sending student to overseas; in early 50iest to England then to Malaya. When written Brunei Constitution was introduced in 1959, the government then diverted sending students from Malaya to Singapore. I was part of this scheme and sent to Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman (STAR) Ipoh in 1962 with a very little English education background.

Reading the AKBS I wish I could write or at least co-write the same memorial book. A lot of happy memories could be printed out especially when experiencing the cultural shock of staying together in same hostel room with Malayan students. My bed was between 2 students from Kelantan. Whenever they spoke to me, it was with a very thick Kelantan loghat; just like ayam and itek. Macam babau tak saya using sign language. It took time for me to understand what they meant. Another shock was when learning English. I download here part of the class environment written by my senior, Osman Omar as in the book, STAR – Through The Ages 1992. We, the class of 1962 experienced the same environment when learning English under our well known tall bagaikan galah teacher, Cikgu Aziz Khan.

“ Spelling was on the timetable everyday. The idea was to pronounce a word and then spell it. It sounded reasonable and logical. The magic word which Cikgu Karim asked the class to spell that morning was YELLOW.

Jabar from Jerantut Pahang was given the honour to spell it. Jabar was a well-built boy. He had a round face and straight hair. ( Years later, he would turn out to be our hundred yards champion.) He bravely stood up and spelled ‘Y-E-L-O, sir…. Nobody said anything. We were not sure whether it was right or wrong.

Suddenly Zaini Dewa, who was sitting next to me, laughed loudly and said “salah cikgu” and he spelled, Y-E-L-O-W sir. We laughed. Not that we knew he was wrong but his voice was so funny, macam itik nila. Then we heard SHUT UP. We knew where it came from and also knew what it meant. They were the easiest words to remember. Cikgu Karim voice was very powerful and commanding and his face had turned red..

“how do you spell it Omar ?” Choosing me next was natural because I was sitting next to Zaini. I wasn’t sure of the right spelling, but out of fear and shock I spelled ‘Y-E-L-L-O-W sir, and I started praying ! I was beginning to think I was right because everybody remained silence for a few seconds until suddenly The itik nila laughed again !

Why do you laugh, Zaini ? Demanded Cikgu Karim. “Salah Cikgu” he replied.
“Yang betul – Y-E-L-L-O-H sir, he said, instead of the “Y-E-L-O-H he had spelled earlier.

We all became very conused – Y-E-L-O, Y-E-L-O-H, Y-E-L-O-W, Y-E-L-L-O-H
- until Cikgu Karim asked me to write Y-E-L-L-O-W on the black board.

Now, you all write Y-E-L-L-O-W 100 times, and Zaini, you write it 200 times. We knew then which was the right spelling.

That’s was the story written by Osman Omar.

I went to Malaya after completing my Darjah Enam education in 1962.. At that time there was no sekolah Menengah yet in Brunei. No even Malay medium secondary classes. With a good grade, I presumed, was the reason I was chosen to continue my study in Malaya. I did’nt know the type of scholarship. End of the every month I was given 30 dollars pocket money, that’s all. . I attended Remove Class for a year and turn myself into an English medium full residential school student.

I’m sure a lot of Malay medium students experience the roller coaster of learning English.; not only during those old days but at present day.



"Macam-macam ada" the happenings in a residential school. The story was edited by our famous Science teacher Cikgu Lau Hut Yee and Art teacher Cikgu Tan Teong Leong. Mr Lau was so dedicated to his "children". Until his retirement he was still single.



The book tells the story of early Brunei students in Singapore. Many now becoming big bosses in private and public sectors and successful entrepenuers. If you need a copy get it from Pusat Sejarah.

That was Cikgu Lau with a baggy trouser. He was in charge of the Red Cross. The picture below was a life circle of STAR student. Mohd Tajri received a prize from the then PM during a school assembly in 1958. Nine years later Tajri received universiti Malaya scroll from the same PM in 1967. Tajri was one of the pioneer students from ulu part of Malaya and becoming successful
personality.

These are a few Brunei students in Singapore. See the fashion in 60ies. Try to recognise them. Maybe one of them is you boss now.