STAROBA Back to School 2010...a sentimental walk through the school..

Sunday, 18th July 2010

Sunday morning pakdokter went back to the school for the "Finals" of the interhouse Under-14 and Under-16 soccer matches which was initiated by a few outstanding ex-soccer players of STAR during pakdokter's days in school. As pakdokter had some time to kill before the matches, pakdokter decided to take a walk and 'look-see' the condition of the school.

From the exterior, the school hall and the main school block still look somewhat grand.

Inside the school hall, pakdokter felt proud to see pakdokter's name etched on the board listing the 'Scholar of the Year'. Pakdokter was 'Scholar of the Year' in 1969.

However, pakdokter cannot say the same about the floor of the school hall where the Monday morning school assembly and the Friday prayer were and are still held. The timber strip flooring looked so faded and dusty and made pakdokter feel quite ashamed of its condition. Surely the school could afford a tiny sum to clean and polish the floor, at least for this 'home-coming' occasion!

Pakdokter must admit though, that the hall now looks so much smaller in size than how it appeared those days.

the list of 'Scholars' of STAR

Walking towards the main classrooms block, pakdokter came across a new building which pakdokter later learnt was to be the Computer Centre which was still under construction.(wonder for how long...). Pakdokter's first class ( Form Remove A) was the first class on the top floor of the three-storey building. It used to fit in 40 of us then but today there were only 20 desks in the class. Well, this must be some improvement.

Standing at the window of the class overlooking the hostel block and the horizon expanding beyond the Kinta Valley, pakdokter recollected those days when pakdokter used to go there every Sunday morning looking beyond the horizon imagining pakdokter could visualise home and see pakdokter's family. That was how homesick pakdokter was and how unhappy pakdokter was at being seperated from pakdokter's family at such an early age....

the new Computer Centre under construction..


pakdokter class of Form Remove A in 1964..

this class used to pack 40 of us..

view from the window of the class-room

where pakdokter used to pine for pakdokter's family..

Next stop was the 6th Form Block ( or it was then the 6th Form Block). Pakdokter's room was packed with some of the old boys who have chosen to spend the weekend in school. They probably did not have enough of 'school experience' after having lived 5 to 8 years in school....

The 6th Form Block was in a fairly good condition - this was probably because it was built much later in the school's life....

doesn't this look like a 'transit' centre

for illegal immigrants?....

this used to be the 'Remove Block'....

freshies were all housed here to spare them from the 'seniors'

pakdokter was a dormitory prefect here

under pakdokter's charge then were

Datuk Dr Awang Adek ( current Deputy Finance Minister)

and Datuk Idris Jusoh(ex-MB of Trengganu)

the dormitory in the 'Remove Block'

where pakdokter was dormitory prefect...

Next stop was the 'Blue House' - where pakdokter spent at least 4 years of pakdokter's life in STAR. The block looked OK from outside but.....

the 'dorm' pakdokter occupied in 'Blue House'

pakdokter's bed...

second from the door...

current occupier is a Gaza sympathiser...

'mana' sink in this bilik mandi...

shower cubicles with no shower head...

'geli' to look at the slimy floor and wall...

clogged toilet.....yeak...

pakdokter has 'censored' other photographs

because pakdokter does not want to 'dirty' this blog...

Well, this is something which pakdokter hopes the new STAROBA committee can look into. Pakdokter can remember the former President, in his speech, reporting that they have met the PM and the DPM and was promised RM38 million to redevelop STAR.

Well..don't hold your breath waiting for it!

Can the STAROBA, with so many successful enginneers, architects, quantity surveyors, contractors etc etc in its membership, pool its resources and rehabilitate at least one of these hostel blocks. Pakdokter does not think it would cost that much to redo the wiring, plumbing and repainting of at least one of the blocks.

In fact if enough funds could be raised , perhaps STAROBA should even fund the construction of a completely new hostel block with modern comfort and facilities and offer it to the best of its students based on merit to be housed in the STAROBA block!

If STAROBA can initiate this and present it to the government, surely pakNajib or pakMuhyiddin would not want to be embarassed and keep us waiting for the promised RM38 million......