Of where I've been

It's a little annoying sometimes when people think that I am where I am today because of luck.  I am not a high-ranking official in any organisation or some big shot but I am successful in my own right.  

How exactly did I get to be where I am today?  Let me share part of my journey.

When I left school after finishing my "O" levels, I was undecided about what to do.  In my family, education was not a priority.  If you wanted to go to school, you could and if you didn't, it wasn't a sin.  The fact that I even completed my secondary education is an achievement, of sorts.

I didn't know, then, what I wanted to do.  I gave tuition and earned some pocket money.  A neighbour told me to learn shorthand and typewriting because she said the skills would help me, no matter what I chose to do.  Thanks to her, I can touch type today.

This prompted me to check some colleges and I found out that the best was Goon Institution.  It would mean taking a bus to PJ from KL, four days a week to attend evening classes.  I was excited but tinged with some sadness that I couldn't be chauffeur-driven when I saw how packed the mini buses were.

My first class of typewriting was uneventful.  I joined a class of about 50 other students. No one looked up when I walked in.  Everybody seemed to know what to do.  I sat down and had my first lesson.  It would be the only time I would have someone watching over me.  My progress depended on me and on how much I wanted to do to get ahead.  It is a skill that is the most useful in today's cyberworld, I think.

For shorthand, the class was smaller.  There were about 30 of us.  I sat next to a girl, Assunta Menon.  She was the first baby born in Assunta hospital.  It was nice to be her shorthand buddy.

The teacher was running late.  Suddenly an old man, in the mould of George Burns, just about five feet in height, walks in and says he was going to teach us shorthand.  Oh my goodness!  An old man was going to teach us!!!!!!!!  My initial reaction was shock and disappointment.  I couldn't believe that they would designate a dinosaur, a tiny one at that, instead of some young and dynamic teacher.

*Knock my head here*.  The dinosaur turned out to be Mr Goon Koon Leong, the founder of Goon Institution.

(pic from here)

Come on, don't tell me the resemblance isn't uncanny!

After one lesson on Pitman's New Era Shorthand with the famous Mr K L Goon, I found that I loved it.  There was something in the way he taught the subject.  He passed on that love of shorthand and teaching to me.  Often in class, I sat mesmerised at how he made such a difficult subject seem so interesting.  He motivated us and unreservedly gave us all the years of knowledge and experience he had.  I wasn't to know then that my class would be the last class that he would teach.  It was an honour to have been his student.

As I continued with my evening classes, I began to have a dream of teaching.  I didn't know what to do about it, or where I should go to or how to go about it.  I hatched a plan.  A simple plan and the first step towards the door of opportunity is all it took to get me going.

One evening, I went in earlier than usual and poked my head into the office of Mr K L Goon.  He was alone and I knocked on his door to get his attention.  He looked up and motioned for me to enter.

Our conversation went something like this

Me:  Good evening, Sir.

KLG:  Good evening.  What can I do for you?
Me:  I have some questions and hope you can give me some answers.
KLG:  Sit down.  What do you want to know?

Me:  I just wanted to tell you that I love shorthand and I can see myself teaching it one day.  Please could you let me know what I should do to start the ball rolling?

He smiled.  Looked at his fingernails and without looking at me, he carried on

KLG:  First, you have to pass your shorthand exams.

Me:  I know.  I will.

KLG:  What are you doing now?

Me:  I'm giving tuition on a part-time basis.

KLG:  Why aren't you working full-time?

Me:  I have no skills, no experience, no nothing.  No one will want to employ me.

KLG:  How old are you?

Me:  Almost 19. I'm 18 now.

KLG:  Okay, Come work here.

Me: Oh!

KLG:  Yes, You can start next week.

And just like that, I got my first real job as a clerk earning RM170.00 a month.  Three months later, I had a RM20.00 increment and I felt like I was on top of the world.  This was in 1978 and it was enough for me to survive.

Several months after that, I was told that the son of K. L. Goon needed a clerk cum secretary.  Apparently, they had decided that I would fill that position.  It was going to be in another branch and he had a tough reputation: he was a taskmaster and I was really worried that I would not measure up to his standards.

In some way, I saw it as another door of opportunity and I walked into it, hesitantly but confidently.  My motto was "Give your best and do your best".  Goon Kok Chee or K. C. Goon turned out to be a great mentor for me.  He taught me many skills and gave me a platform from which to develop all the potential he saw in me.

I had not yet any formal certificates but I was happy and contented.  I had a great boss and learning so much every day with a salary that was enough for all my expenses.

One day, K L Goon visited the office where I was working and he asked me if everything was doing okay.  I said I was happy that he had confidence in my abilities.  He urged me to take up the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Private Secretary's Certificate (PSC) examinations. I laughed and said that the classes were ongoing and there was no way I could join them. He insisted that I had to join in the next intake.  He assured me that I could take the entire course without paying for anything except the exam fees.  There was no way I could turn down the offer.  The entire cost would be about RM1500.00 without the examination fees.  On my own, I would never have been able to afford it.  It was the third door of opportunity that I walked through.

In January of 1980, I enrolled for 18 months of night school while working full-time to chase after what was a much-coveted piece of paper.

In the midst of the one and a half years, K L Goon also 'forced' me to attend one of the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) programs called "The Effective Secretary".  This was an absolute drop-from- heaven kind of gift for me.  The syllabus covered aspects of secretarial work that the LCCI PSC didn't cover.  Of the six of us who attended, only two passed with a distinction.  I was one of them.  I was the youngest in the group and I felt a strong sense of gratitude and pride.  I have, in turn, paid it forward and helped others to better themselves when I had the opportunity, exactly as K L Goon and K C Goon had done for me.

My greatest achievement was passing the LCCI single subject Shorthand 100 words per minute examination in 1981 and getting the First place in Malaysia.  It is, for me, the most important milestone in my life.  It sealed my place in my own personal history as the highest recognition of my hard work.  I received a Silver Medal from LCCI.  Often when I am spring-cleaning, I chance upon this medal and it always stops me in my tracks to see how far I am come since then.

In 1981, I sat for the final examinations and while I was relatively confident of passing, I harboured a tiny fear that I would disappoint, not only myself, but also K L Goon and K C Goon who had faith in me and opened up doors that allowed me to grow professionally.

In the end, I got through in the first attempt and I am a qualified Private Secretary with a certificate from the famous and renowned London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  

To my benefactors, lecturers and supporters who helped me along that path, I thank you for a debt I cannot repay.

I hope that emulating kindness and generosity to others, will in some small way, be a tribute to them.

Beauty is in the "i" of the beholder!

Lo and behold, that's me with my iPhone and iPad2.  Thanks to Steven Jobs and Stephen Grosse.

Earlier, Stephen gave me an iPod.  I didn't use it very much.  Then I found out that if you combine your iPod with Mitone Speakers, you get a remarkable sound system.

I was already satisfied with my Blackberry but when the contract to upgrade the phone came up, Stephen decided to get me the iPhone.  Two weeks later, he got me the iPad2.

I found these on the net and it seems appropriate to share it here.


The modern i-Family...
Son: iPod
Daughter: iPhone
Mom: iPad
Dad: iPAY!!!! :(

and another one

I am addicted. 

I bought all the iPhone, iPad, iTouch...

now iBroke,ihomeless and iRegret.

Of being happy, happier and happiest!

In general, I am a happy person.  I've learnt that being happy is a conscious decision.  Occasionally, I found that even when I was happy, something could come up to make me happier.

This is me with my "happy" face.

Yesterday, when I was killing time between sending and picking Jared up (okay! I was shopping!), I got a BBM from Stephen.  He said that he had received a handsome bonus.  Of course, whatever he gets, for me in Malaysia, is multplied by 2.3 at least.

So I get a beautiful bonus too!  Stephen is so sweet.  Along with the cash, came words for why I deserved it and that made me love him even more.  

This is my "happier" face.

When am I happiest?  It's when I have moments that money cannot buy.  Too many to mention.  No picture could capture that face!

By the way, my grandpa would have been 101 today if he was alive.  I was always his favourite grandchild.  I miss him.  Happy Birthday, Pa!  

Of 3 Angels

There are days when everything works out so well that you feel so immensely blessed.  Then there are also days when nothing goes right.

Yesterday was one of those days.

I needed transport to Bangsar because I didn't have my car.

Angel 1 sent me there
Angel 1 also paid for my lunch



Feeling good, I then discovered that I left my passport at home

Angel 2 sold off my 2.30 pm ticket
Angel 2 got me a seat on the 4.30 pm bus



Feeling anxious about how to retrieve my passport from home

Angel 3 came to pick me up
Angel 3 sent me back to Bangsar.

Three obstacles and yet everything worked out so well.  Yes, I remembered to thank my lucky stars and also the angels that made everything run so smoothly.  Small blessings are so necessary.

It isn't the first time that people have just appeared, out of nowhere, to help me.  I am truly blessed.

(all pics from photobucket)

A portrait of me!

When I began blogging, I had a tough time because I wasn't sure about the "rules" that encapsulate the virtual world.   It seemed that everyone had his or her own style and theme. Many had tons of "followers" and I was just a tiny drop in the ocean.  It appeared to be a daunting task to plod on without direction.  

Yet along the way, I found that other bloggers were genuinely kind and helpful.  It seemed so unlikely but it was easy to get help and direction from people I didn't know at all.  All I had to do when in doubt was to ask and the advice came so quickly and willingly.  Tip my hat here to Antares and Masterwordsmith for their generosity.

Anyway, one the pleasures I derived, from other blogs, was finding little treasures that made me smile.

The one that stood out is "de minimis" with his piece on Obama and JFK: Inaugural address.  In that blog, I found an excellent portrait of Obama done by Dan Lacey. Something about it struck a chord in me.  I found out later that the JFK portrait done by Aaron Shikler inspired him.

 

Prompted by curiosity, I visited the site of Dan Lacey.  He's an unusual painter of pancakes.  I saw beyond his pancakes.  I loved his style and, on impulse, I wrote him to ask if he could do a painting from a picture I had.  He agreed.  Although it took a long time for him to get it done, due to being in high demand, the wait was worth it.

He transformed a simple picture of me into a work of art.  I'd like to share it with you!

I've had loads of wonderful responses to this on Facebook and via email.  The one that makes me smile the most is from my friend of "The English Cottage".  I could hear her voice as she wrote, 

"I think he's captured you quite brilliantly!

You look a trifle saucy - just look at the hair - big and healthy and so full of life! It says sexy and sultry, and yet, the gentle curls barely touching at both sides of your neck - suggesting where you've just been kissed (by the hair lah, but also . . . .) And the locket, modestly placed high on the chest, but the neckline ... ahhhh, open, and fading out of site. Very suggestive!

I lovely forehead, not messed about with hair - so much in the forefront, and therefore showing that you're a thinker, and an intelligent woman, not just a beauty with no brains, k!

The smile is how I always think of you.

But best of all - the eyes: Smiling, and beautiful and bright. And looking far away into the distance - seeing a happy future, planning something? Seeing the years ahead, and knowing they will be good - no matter the curve balls, all will be fine in the end.

How did you like that? That's the kinda thing mad people who do literature and language do! Also people who look at paintings and try to see what the artist saw, and try to decipher the subject through the way she was painted. Why did he emphasize this, why was this so subtle? So many things to see and so many answers to discover!

Of course, I am just a fraud, because I already know you so well.

But seriously, I think he captured you very well. He found the essence that is you - not just the lovely face that we all can see; but also the lovely soul shining inside."

The icing on the cake is when Stephen says he loves the painting and has put it as his laptop wallpaper.  He even suggested we frame it and display it in our living room.

So have you had your portrait painted?  :-)