Mastery – If someone has a mastery of something, they are extremely skilled at it. In this series, we learn by unlocking the secrets of contemporary masters, from sports people, writers, singers, explorers, artists, and scientists to musicians.

At a time when others have hung up their goggles for good, butterfly queen Cindy Ong Pik Yin continues to make waves in the international swimming arena.

A swimming prodigy who started competing at the tender age of five, Cindy is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, at 37, an age when most of her peers have given up swimming competitively, Cindy keeps hauling in the medals and breaking records.

She is ranked world number one in the 50m freestyle with a time of 26.71 in the women’s 35-39 category according to the latest FINA masters ranking released on Feb 18 2021. She is also ranked No 2 in the 100m butterfly with a time of 1:04.31.

To learn how Cindy became the “Butterfly Queen” as she is affectionately known among swimming circles and sporting enthusiasts, we should first go back to where it all started – her hometown of Ipoh.

“I learned to swim at the age of five and it didn’t take me very long to learn all four strokes. I guess I learned them all in three to four months and then started competing shortly after.

“Back in January 1989, I was five-and-a-half when I competed for the first time in the Ipoh Swimming Club Gala. The pool was 30m-long back then and I broke the one-lap 30m butterfly record, which stood until the pool was demolished a few years ago,” Cindy related.

The crowd went wild when the young girl completed her lap but then, Cindy as innocent as she was, was merely puzzled by all the fuss.

“When I touched the wall, I saw everybody clapping. My coach was clapping. My dad was literally jumping up and down. I didn’t understand it.

“I thought ‘wow’ to myself that so many people were cheering for me because I won. And then when I finally met up with my dad, he said, ‘You broke a record, you broke a record!’

“And I thought I broke something. I thought I was in trouble. But they were so happy, I didn’t understand what breaking a record meant until much later on as I grew older.

“Till today, I still feel elated whenever I’m the first to touch the wall. The feeling is always there. The bigger the competition, the more intense it is,” she added.

For Cindy, who comes from a family of swimmers, it was never a question of whether she would learn how to swim but rather how far she would go in the sport.

Her elder brother, Allen Ong, is a Malaysian former swimmer and two-time Olympian as was her aunt, Ong Mei Lin, who was one of Malaysia’s first female swimmers to represent the country in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

“My dad and another aunt were also school swimmers while an uncle represented the state. I think that is why my parents let me swim at an early age.

“Training at a young age, I’d have to say I was rather lazy. I’d always try my ways to get away with not going for training while my father never really pushed me. I swam maybe three or four times a week.

“The push started when I was 12 but it was more of an internal push. When I broke my first national age group record in 1996, becoming the fastest 12-year-old in the country in the history of swimming in Malaysia, I found my intrinsic motivation.

“When I knew the magnitude of that, I was like ‘wow, that’s cool!’. I’m the fastest in the history of Malaysia and when that finally digested, I had more motivation to train harder on my own,” said Cindy.

A transformed Cindy would diligently train five days a week after that – practising swimming drills, bettering her strokes and putting in lots of speed work.

At 15, she was drafted to the national team at the National Aquatic Centre Bukit Jalil but an overtrained and overworked Cindy, who trained up to 10km a day, left after eight months due to unfavourable living and schooling conditions.

“I returned to Ipoh and trained under my former coach, putting in about seven to eight sessions of swimming a week. I still trained while sitting for my SPM exams. I’d swim in the mornings before sitting for my papers with my hair still wet,” said Cindy who would later go on to complete her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology & Sociology at Drury University in the United States on a Drury Academic Honor Scholarship.

“When I was in Form Five, I got a call one day from a stranger and I thought to myself, ‘oh what did I do now?’ It turned out to be my future coach calling from the United States. He called to offer me a full ride to the United States on what I would estimate to be a RM500,000 no-strings-attached scholarship,” she added.

As soon as she finished her SPM, Cindy flew straight to the United States where she started university mid-term in January.

“The term started in August and so I had to do a little bit of catch up but it worked out. I got my degree in three-and-a-half years instead of four.

“Training in the United States, I had some sort of a culture shock. It was so different from what I’ve been accustomed to back in small town Ipoh, Malaysia.

“We trained ten sessions a week, on which Saturdays was a five-hour session involving dry land exercises, sit ups, push-ups, running up and down, and jumps for an hour; followed by an hour at the gym; and then swimming for three hours,” said Cindy, who remembers the training to be physically taxing but worth every effort.

Cindy returned home just shy of 19 and competed in the 2004 Sukma Games, this time winning six gold medals and was awarded the Best Sportswoman Award. She also qualified for four events in the 2004 Summer Olympics but did not compete due to a chronic shoulder injury, which persists till today.

Feeling burned out as most swimmers do, Cindy eventually took a hiatus from swimming for about ten years and had 3 kids.

“It was a relief. After so many years of swimming, I didn’t want anything to do with the water anymore. But after a while, you miss it because it was part of your life, you grew up with it and it is so deep-rooted.

“After the birth of my second child, I was overweight. I couldn’t even fit into my clothes and it was a wakeup call. I did the only thing I knew, which was swimming.

“I started swimming, started losing weight and one thing led to another. I started signing up for races because I know that signing up for a race even when I’m not ready motivates me to get ready.

“My first race was in Singapore and when I competed, I said to myself ‘oh, I think I still have it’,” said Cindy, who hasn’t looked back since.

So determined is Cindy to excel in her sport that she even competed at eight months pregnant with her third child and clinched a silver at the Malaysia Masters Speedo International Championship. Seven months following the delivery of her baby boy, she competed among 9,000 participants in the 2017 FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest, Hungary, placing fifth in the 100m Freestyle event.

In 2019, she bagged five golds and two silvers at the FINA World Masters Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, being the first and only Malaysian to have won gold on the world stage in the sport of swimming. Cindy was recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records for the Most Gold Medals Won by an Individual Swimmer in a World Masters Championship (Female) in 2019.

“Looking back, I can’t see myself any other way. I did try to picture myself being a non-swimmer but I just can’t see what I would be like, where I would be, what my habits would be, who I would have met back then – my whole spectrum in life, I just can’t see my life any other way.

“Swimming has moulded my life in more ways than I think I know. I hope I’ll never have to stop swimming. I want to swim for as long as I can.”

Words and Phrases to Learn:

arena – a place or scene of activity

prodigy – a young person with exceptional qualities or abilities

peers – a person of the same age or ability

haul in – to obtain a lot of

circle – a group of people with a shared profession or interest

enthusiast – a person who is very interested in a particular activity or subject

demolish – pull or knock down

went wild – to behave in a very excited, uncontrolled way

puzzled – unable to understand, perplexed

hoo-ha – fuss, uproar, commotion

literally – in a literal manner or sense, exactly

elated – ecstatically happy

intense – fierce or tough

internal – existing within the mind

external – coming or derived from a source outside

magnitude – the extent of something

digest – understand by a period of reflection

motivation – a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular manner

diligent – constant in effort to achieve something

bettering – improve on

recognition – acknowledgement

drafted – to bring someone into a team

full ride – a scholarship that covers all expenses related to college or university

taxing – physically or mentally demanding

shy of – slightly less than

chronic – persisting for a long time or constantly recurring

hiatus – a pause or break

persist – occur over a prolonged period

burned out – to lose energy and enthusiasm

deep-rooted – so having a persistent influence

wake-up call – a thing that alerts people to an unsatisfactory situation and prompts them to remedy it

excel – to be exceptionally good or proficient

clinch – to win or secure

spectrum – span or scale

Cindy Ong’s motivation to succeed in the swimming arena has been a continuous and lifelong effort. While few can be as good as her in swimming, her story inspires us to work that much harder to achieve our dreams and goals in life. Like swimming, mastering English requires time, practise and diligence. At ILTI, we have the best teachers and resources to guide you through in your journey towards mastering English. Find out more about what ILTI can do for you by calling 010-395 3067 or visit ilti.edu.my today.

Ps. Have you been inspired to swim too? Check out our swimming school, Aqua Labz, on the same campus. More information here.

Mastery – A master is someone extremely skilled at their craft. In this series, we learn to unlock the secrets of mastery of contemporary masters, from sports people, writers, singers, explorers, artists, and scientists to musicians.

The story of Aw Kah Meng, chef and owner of Ipoh’s Morel Restaurant, is one of tenacity and perseverance. Starting from scratch in the world of culinary arts, it was his humility and unrelenting pursuit of skill and knowledge that has enabled him to master up as a culinary chef.

Long before there was Morel, a young and idealistic 20-year-old from the small town of Kampar headed to Singapore with the dream of becoming a chef.

“In a way, I was quite naïve. With a knapsack on my back and what little experience I had as a kitchen helper and cook, I stepped foot in Singapore thinking I could easily find a job.

“Of course, things weren’t fine. My English isn’t good and I only wanted to learn international cuisine.

“I went to 5-star hotels for interviews and I could only fill up my name in the application forms. I was down and broke,” Aw, now 39, related.

But he persevered. It took Aw two months to finally land a job at the Swissotel The Stamford as a kitchen helper and garde manger, an entry level cooking position where one prepares salads, appetisers and cold cuts.

“For three years, I did the same thing. By the time I left, I was already an expert at cutting fruits. I think I could have done it with my eyes closed.

“I could work a 5,000 pax function but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to learn more and made up my mind to leave for the St Regis Singapore,” he said.

At the St Regis, Aw had the chance to pick up some French cooking, Malaysian and Singaporean local foods, and even making desserts.

“I went through a brief stint under French chef Julien Royer, whose restaurant has now been named The World’s 50 Best and awarded three Michelin stars. Unfortunately, I was not picked to be his kitchen crew.

“I was sent to the Room Service Kitchen. Whereas my only experience of cooking local food came from the vague instructions from my mother and through trial and error as a boy, here I learned to cook char kway teow, prawn noodles, chicken rice.

“I didn’t despair even though I was initially intent on learning French cuisine. I’d go to work early and seek cooking tips from the chefs at the French kitchen. With what I had learned, I’d practise at home.

“Part of my duty as a Room Service Kitchen crew was also to prepare breakfast for the French restaurant. Along with preparing breakfast, I’d set up the kitchen for the French cuisine chefs to show that I was really sincere in learning,” Aw related.

His sincerity did pay off. Very soon, the chefs were advising him on what ingredients to get, what knives to buy, and what books to read.

Always with a hunger to learn, Aw moved on to il Lido, a renowned Italian restaurant by celebrity chef, Bruno Menard. At 26 and more matured and skilled in and out of the kitchen, Aw was determined to move up the kitchen ranks. And so, he did.

“As usual, I started from the bottom with the appetisers. In my four years there, I worked through all the stations except the dessert station and left as a Junior Sous Chef, who is second to the deputy head chef.

“I gained experience as a butcher, in the fish station, and the main course station. In fact, it was from my time at il Lido that I discovered that I love using my hands. I love making pasta,” said Aw, who still makes his own pasta at Morel.

After years of slogging off, Aw finally got his big break when he was hired as head chef at another Italian restaurant, the Burlamacco Ristorante, where he stayed on for five years before heading back to Malaysia to realise his and his Penang wife, Chin Siau Hooi’s dreams of setting up their own eatery.

“Back in Singapore, Siau Hooi and I would talk about coming up our own place. It was our dream from the start.

“We saved our money and never once considered taking up permanent residency in Singapore because we knew that one day, we would come home to Malaysia. Besides, my parents are still in Kampar and my young daughter is with them,” he said.

With a leap of faith, the couple landed in Ipoh and set up Morel in three short months.

“You could say it was a brave decision but I believe if you really put your heart into doing something, you can achieve it,” said Aw, who managed to turn his restaurant from one of casual dining at a single shoplot in Soho Ipoh previously to one of contemporary fine dining at a spacious bungalow lot behind the Ban Hoe Seng Honda Sales Gallery on Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun, in a period of three years.

After 16 years of working with no breaks in between, it is only fair to assume that this hardworking chef can finally slow down though that is not the case.

“I continue to work over 10 hours a day, seven days a week. I wake up at 2am to go to the fish market so that I can pick out the freshest catch. Sometimes, I’d be making pasta till 2am.

“Throughout the time, I’d be experimenting with new recipes and cooking techniques. Right now, I’m experimenting with fermented foods, which I believe can add more taste and colour to elevate the dining experience.

“I think the hardest thing about being a chef is coming up with new recipes and dishes. There’s a lot of research involved and often times, it ends up in failure. My biggest challenge has been making pizza dough. It has taken me three years to learn and improve,” he said.

Whereas his wife and staff are his official food tasters, Aw, who continues to dream of owning a pizza joint, and also a fish shop cum café in future, also gets his customers to try out his new creations in order to get their feedback.

“One must be open to criticisms and suggestions. How else will we improve? What’s the point of cooking a dish and you love it but your customers hate it?” he asked.

“To be a chef, attitude is everything. First and foremost, you must have passion and motivation. You must also partake in teamwork, have patience and be responsible,” added Aw.

Who better to give advice than one who from the get-go had all the right “ingredients” to be an excellent chef?

 

Words and Phrases to Learn:

cook up a storm – to do something with a lot of energy and skill

tenacity – persistence, determination, perseverance

perseverance – persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success

start from scratch – from the beginning, without using anything that already exists

humility – modesty

unrelenting – stubborn and persistent in his efforts

idealistic – unrealistically aiming for perfection

naïve – showing a lack of experience, judgement or wisdom

broke – having completely run out of money

stint – a period of time spent at a particular activity

vague – unclear meaning

trial and error – the process of experimenting with various methods of doing something until one finds the most successful

intent – determined to do something

slogging off – to keep on going until the person achieves his or her goal

leap of faith – the act of believing in something whose outcome cannot be known

contemporary – modern

elevate – raise to a more impressive level

partake – join in

Chef Aw is testament to skill and talent taking time to cultivate. It is not something that can be acquired in a day or two but rather years and decades. Like cooking, mastering English doesn’t happen at the snap of the fingers. Take the advice of the chef, put in lots of patience and passion, and you’ll get there eventually. The good news is, you don’t have to go at it alone. ILTI has the best teachers and resources to help you on your journey towards English proficiency. Find out more about what ILTI can do for you by calling 010-395 3067 or visit ilti.edu.my today.

Mastery – If someone has a mastery of something, they are extremely skilled at it. In this new series, we are going to look at local case studies and interview contemporary masters, from sports people, writers, singers, explorers, artists, scientists and musicians, so we can learn how to unlock the secrets of mastery.

Let’s learn about inspiring characters who have mastered their skill or trade, and learn some new words in the process. Let’s get to know artist Kareem from Ipoh and his journey as an artist.

As a child, Kareem would sit with his father and watch him draw and sketch. These father-and-son bonding sessions marked the birth of a young artist, who would go on to showcase his first solo exhibition as a teenager.

“Watching my father draw and sketch piqued my own interest in art. Very soon, I was drawing all the time.

“At around the age of four, I started learning seriously from my father, who was also an artist.

“Then when I was about six, my parents insisted on me taking formal lessons under master artist, Chow Ngan Moi, from which I learned drawing, sketching and Chinese brush painting until I was about 18.

“I received additional training, especially in sculpture, batik, art history and art appreciation from my art teachers in school,” related Kareem, who is now 26.

According to Kareem, he was either drawing and painting or singing and dancing from a young age.

“I am very lucky to have been raised in a family which respected the arts. Whereas my father was an artist, my mother is involved in the theatre. My mother taught me to sing and both my parents were at one time quite involved in the Perak Society of Performing Arts (PSPA).

“I, too, was into theatre and performing. I was a costume designer for PSPA productions in my school days. It was my first job at the age of 15,” he said.

After completing his formal education came the time for Kareem to make a choice. To be a thespian or an artist – that was the question.

“I decided to do the sensible thing and went with art. It was also part of a realisation that as much as I like acting, I’d always be unconsciously sketching or drawing in between sets.

“Now, art is my life,” said Kareem, who debuted his first solo exhibition “In the World Through My Eyes” at just 18.

The exhibition showcased some 100 works comprising of sketches, drawings, paintings, statues, sculptures and Chinese brush paintings, demonstrating Kareem’s mastery of different mediums of artwork.

Later in 2019, he organised and curated the “From the Art Room” exhibition for his students of the “Ipoh Fine Art Class” with the support of the People of Remarkable Talents (PORT) to raise funds for a children’s home.

These days, as a professional artist and art teacher, Kareem is either taking orders for paintings and customised artwork or teaching art on the weekends if he’s not working towards another exhibition.

“I draw almost every day and I try to complete as many drawings as possible within a day. Creating a completed work of art can take anywhere from a week to a couple of months, sometimes years, but I enjoy the process!

“My father has been my greatest inspiration and though he is no longer with us, I’d like to believe I’m carrying on for the both of us.”

 

Words to learn:

contemporary – belonging to or occurring in the present

sketch – a rough design of a painting or drawing

showcase – to exhibit or display

pique – to provoke or arouse

scribble – to write or draw hastily

formal education – learning delivered in a school setting

thespian – an actor or actress

realisation – to become fully aware of something as a fact

unconsciously – without realising or being aware of one’s actions

incline – have a tendency to do something

debut – a person’s first appearance or performance in a particular capacity

customise – to build according to one’s specifications or preference

inspiration – encouragement, influence

Skill and talent takes time to cultivate. As Kareem has taken years from the time he first picked up a pencil to sketch until he finally put up the courage to showcase his work to the public, mastering English does not happen overnight. So take heart and put in lots of practice. You will get there eventually. The good news is that ILTI is here to guide you on your journey towards English proficiency. Start your journey in Cambridge English now by visiting ilti.edu.my or call 010-395 3067.

ILTI (Ipoh Learning & Training Institute) is looking for an inspirational, dynamic and vibrant Mandarin teacher to join our teaching team that provides high quality teaching and learning for our language students.

Being the longest established English Language centre in Ipoh, we’re expanding the language classes offered at the centre. The minimum requirement for this position would require you to have a diploma in education or a certificate in teaching.

Here’s what you’d be expected to do if you join our team, you would be required to prepare materials for lessons based on the HSK syllabus and handle course related matters.

* Passion – the influence of teachers often extends beyond the classroom and well into the future. Passion and commitment are essential elements that contribute to successful teaching.

* Communication skills – teachers are strong communicators, as they educate the generations to come. Not just based on books alone but also life experiences that will develop the leaders of tomorrow.

* Teamwork – this job involves working with colleagues towards shared values and goals, so you must work well with people from all walks of life #BetterTogether

Send us your covering letter and resume / CV to us today. Apply at https://www.facebook.com/job_opening/2809080015852364/?source=post

Read on to discover how the ambitious pharmacist explored her talent and ignited her passion in public speaking:

Does this sound familiar? I think so…

“You better get a professional job as it earns more money.” “With such a good result, you should get yourself a professional degree; don’t waste it.” “Your neighbour is working as a doctor; he is living such a good life…”

Yes, I’ve been receiving those buzzing comments from the “kepo”(s), so many times that I already lost count of them. As science stream students, our career options are always limited to doctors, pharmacists, nutritionists, engineers, bio-technologists and the list of professions goes on.

Caught up in the herd mentality, we tend to neglect our dreams to look good in front of others; which is very much the Asian culture. Just because of the noises around (the comments and opinions from neighbours or family to be exact), we let our inner voices go unheard and jump into a decision without having our life purpose all figured out. Yet, the same happened on me.

Fortunately, I managed to escape from the herd society half-way! Yet, the saying “path to success is to take massive, determined action” by Tony Robbins spoke my effort. After stepping into the pharmaceutical journey that was encouraged by the herd environment, I did not give up on my interest and talent in public speaking due to the empowerment from my church leaders.

I set my goal to be a professional multilingual emcee, holding the ambition to speak and inspire people. Reminiscing my first day at university, I saw a gentleman who kept on talking in front of the first-year crowd at all orientations. I guessed he should be the student leader. I wrote my personal details, talents and interest on a piece of paper, approached this total stranger, introduced myself briefly and passed him the note. The whole conversation only lasted for less than 30 seconds.

Yet, that’s the point of time when I embarked into my emcee career and started to host on prestigious events with a crowd of 2,000 people. I started from nowhere, but of my little faith and courage.

To date, I am thankful to have much experiences in hosting various functions, notably having the honour to host the Malaysia Largest Lion Dance “Eye-Dotting” event which was recognised in the Malaysia Book of Records.

Most recently, I was beyond pleased to host the Nanyang Business Award 2019 and met people from all walks of life. Better still, as a former emcee coach, I was glad to initiate a Talk Show with a panel of six and the response from audience was overwhelming!

It was never easy juggling with both my pharmacy and emcee profession. However, my burning desire in achieving my life purpose and ambition is keeping me going after all these years.

Here’s my shout out to all the graduates out there – don’t waste your time living someone else’s life. Do what your heart desires because this is what makes you a successful individual. Once you discover it, treasure it, pursue it and realise it.

Bernice Choy

Meet our new centre manager who has gone beyond the mat to achieve professional and personal success:

After years of dipping toes in various fields while travelling across the countries, Thevagi or popularly known as Eva settled down for a career in the education industry, as a centre manager by day while carving out a space for her yoga mat in the after-hours.

Eva loves investing in people who are transforming themselves and others through education. Her entry into ILTI has opened up a different door while adding values to her career path. Skilled in business education management, Eva started on her job and got herself ready to elevate with ILTI as she aspires to take the language centre to the next level to benefit people from all walks of life.

In line with her aspirations, she has been fetching a Zen-like experience to the co-team while working in tandem with all of them to improve the organisation’s productivity by enhancing the centre’s facilities and a whole lot more. She plans to implement and oversee all components of a quality English Language centre by contributing to the success of the teaching faculty.

Speaking of multipotentiality, Eva is a yoga instructor apart from being a white collar. She runs her own studio locally in Ipoh. Eva said – “I believe yoga has helped me in career in achieving overall wellness – physically, mentally and emotionally. Even casual yogis can parlay their skills into big career benefits.”

Read on to explore what happens when dreams meet passion:

Many of us romanticised during childhood about our professional lives as adults, when perhaps it seemed the world would be our oyster. We bet your current career is the thing that you have never thought you would do or end up with. In this case, Shalini considers herself lucky as she became what she dreamt to be.

She always wanted to be an educator since young. At this point, she could still reminisce the moments when she taught her friends in kindergarten and the scenes which she was on cloud nine role playing as a teacher at home. This is her open secret and yet, the passion of becoming an educator has been pounding with her heart and remained alive in her soul throughout the years.

With the passion firmly embedded in mind, she got her feet wet in the education field pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Education (TESL). And that’s how she landed as an Assistant Principal at ILTI and got her childhood dream fulfilled!

Being an assistant principal has taught her a lot about leadership as she evolves and elevates together with ILTI. Ranging from teaching, choosing interesting and suitable books for her students, providing good customer service to leading all the staff and teachers, she has learnt much along the way with the guidance from her higher-ups.

No doubt, she has been granted a plethora of opportunities to unleash her potential and explore new possibilities in herself. Never in the wildest dreams of ILTI’s biggest function of the year- the Cambridge Certificate Presentation Ceremony which happens annually. Shalini said, “I did not know that I could create a better learning environment for my students with the cooperation from several parties. Yet, what makes me the happiest goes to improving together with my students.”

She would never forget the intoxicating feeling of success and the happiness felt when a slow learner who had zero knowledge in English language managed to ace in his examination. She loves seeing her students smiling and enjoying their lessons at ILTI. “My heart melts when they bid hello and goodbye to me each time. They are just sweet and precious!”- she said.

She also shares that as educators, they don’t just share their knowledge, but also instill good moral values in students and make better citizens for the world. “We build bridges to them, not barriers and eventually mould them into better individuals.” – said Shalini.

She then added, “I guess it all starts with passion and I really enjoy every bit of my job as an Assistant Principal. I am grateful for the early experiences that make me the person I am today and I thank God for every fibre of my being.”

Meet local journalist Mei Kuan and find out how she landed the role of senior reporter at Ipoh Echo:

The saying “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” by Marc Anthony did not quite ring true throughout my job search right after university. The thing was, I did not know what I would love to do in the first place.

Fortunately, to have an English language and linguistics degree under one’s belt (and first-class honours to boost), the career opportunities are extensive.

As a science stream student with an English major, I was not even aware of the publishing world, let alone the print media. I never thought I would end up writing for a community-based newspaper but wow, am I thankful to be here.

Thanks to news diversity, I get to meet people literally from all walks of life. Think exclusive one-on-one with Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dato’ Asir Victor, Ipoh-born Olympian, Irene Ang, actress who portrayed “Rosie Phua” from the famed Singaporean sitcom, Halim H. Berbar, multi-award winning French photojournalist, Carol Selva Rajah, international authority on food history and culinary art, M. Kulasegaran, Human Resources Minister and Andrew Goledzinowski AM, Australia’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, just to name a few.

I use my voice to highlight the everyday people doing extraordinary things, the unsung heroes and struggling non-profit organisations especially welfare homes. Since my director-cum-editor is an ex-serviceman, I can dip my toes into writing about the military community. Plus, I can keep my scientific knowledge from school year alive by penning science-related topics from time to time. Not only that, tagging along with our established food columnist with a discerning taste equals to getting to eat at new restaurants on a regular basis from high-end to street fare and discovering the story behind the food.

As a journalist, one gets free access to much-hyped events, exclusive media previews, major conferences and enlightening talks. Did I mention I pick up the ins and outs of photography and editing along the way? Talk about multitasking!

Journalism has definitely given me a sneak peek into different career fields and an opportunity to reach out to inspirational figures – which in turn worked out the answer to my initial, big question: perhaps this was what I wanted to do with my life.

A shout out to all graduates on the job hunt who have not got their life purpose all figured out yet. Don’t lose sight of your growth, trust your process – we are people who are learning as we go. Keep your eyes on your own paper and not get caught up in the clutter of comparison especially on the internet – it’s not a race.

Tan Mei Kuan, Ipoh Echo