Things people don't know about me
1. I was born in a poor family. I have 14 other siblings! Life was a daily struggle in my old neighbourhood - Tanglin Halt (Queenstown). It was tough but I get a lot of love from my family.
2. I ate bread edges everyday for 4 years in secondary school. I don't have enough money for food so I went to a nearby bread factory and asked the owner if I could take the bread edges that they threw away daily. I didn't tell my mom about this, until recently.
3. I got my big break in broadcasting in 1985 (I was 16 then) when a young radio producer, Zakiah Halim, auditioned me for a radio show. Together with 3 other radio talents, we hosted a show that lasted for 5 years - the longest running radio show at that time. The young producer who brought me into the broadcasting industry is now the Senior Vice President of Malay Broadcast Division of MediaCorp. Then a TV producer/newscaster in MediaCorp, Sujadi Siswo, gave me my break on TV. He took me under his wings and mentored me to read news on TV. His brother, Basir Siswo, offered me a job as a TV Producer / Journalist in a current affairs programme called TINJAUAN. I'm forever grateful to Zakiah and the Siswo brothers for giving me the opportunity to be in the broadcast industry. Alhamdulillah.
4. My late dad worked 3 jobs to keep all of us fed and educated. He taught me the value of hard work and sheer determination. My mom loves all of us unconditionally. She is in her mid-80s today and she continues to be my source of inspiration.
5. I'm married to a kind, loving and intelligent woman. She is my life and business partner. My rock...my friend. We have 3 lovely daughters.
Other stuff you may not know...
6. I miss my childhood friends dearly. They epitomised the joy of true friendship. On the eve of every Hari Raya, three of my closest friends will go to nearby basketball court and lie down facing the sky - we chat till after midnight. No distraction, honest and fun conversations.
7. I can't refuse a warm tau sar pau (red bean pau). :)
8. I'm afraid of heights but I don't mind flying.
9. I respect people who are passionate about what they do and genuinely love why they do it.
10. I set up ScreenBox to showcase real human-interest stories that can touch lives and make a difference to mankind. I strongly believe that great stories can open minds, close socio-economic and cultural gaps between people and move mountains.