Influencing the young
A Seremban girl’s fascination with multiculturalism has helped her find a niche in academia. Today, as assistant professor of an American university, she plays a key role in shaping social policies.

Horse crazy
Edylyn Ching pursued her dream of working with horses all the way to Kentucky.

Committed to serve
From watching medical dramas to becoming Australia’s first nurse practitioner in hepatology, Saroja Nazareth, has come a long way.

Master cook
Cooking comes naturally to Beh Kim Un. So it’s only natural that he opened restaurants.

Citizen of the world
Steve Oh may be a jack-of-all-trades but helping those in need seems to be what’s closest to his heart.

A life aquatic
Dr Michael Cheah’s penchant for aquatic resource management has taken him places as he researches, develops and teaches the ‘fishy’ subject.

Hong Kong high life
For Debbie Goh, it’s been a long and winding road towards realising her dream of becoming an actress.

Gift of the gab
PATSY KAM speaks to a former salesman who talked his way to success.

Making women beautiful
Malaysia-born chemist Kuldip Gill has created a range of skincare products suited for the Malaysian climate. He speaks to SHEELA CHANDRAN about his enthralling job of conjuring skincare formulations.

Man of the earth
WHEN Professor Goh Kuan Meng says he loves earth, he is not talking about the planet. He really does love the earth (soil) we walk on.

Raya away from home
Nurul Huda Rahim enjoys life as Information Officer with Tourism Malaysia in the Big Apple.

Kyle of all trades
The United States is still the land of opportunity, PATSY KAM learns, as she tells the story of an aspiring Malaysian musician who makes the cut.

Healing music
Clinical specialist John Joshua Subbiah feels that music can do much more. Other than indulging in music for his own satisfaction, he uses music for healing, particularly the sitar, when he works with stress management groups. By MAJORIE CHIEW learns more of this musical healing in London.

Swede phase of life
The Swedes are among the friendliest people in the world. Just ask Kuan Huai Ly.

Merry Mark
HE is a military history buff and used to do stand-up comedy. Next year, Mark Kulasingham hopes to lead a battlefield tour through Singapore, Malaysia and up to the Myanmar- Thailand Death Railway.

Making it in Texas
Joseph Mathew of Klang is making a name for himself as a budding businessman in the United States.

Taste for fine food
WHILE studying for the Diploma of Management at the Australian Institute of Management in Sydney in 1980, Jess Ong worked as a kitchen hand in a small French restaurant in Victoria to pay his rent.

Healing hands
Being a doctor in Hong Kong is not all about medicine, discovers a Malaysian gynaecologist. WONG LI ZA has the story.

Champion of women’s football
A footie-mad Klang boy turned pro football coach has been quite the happy camper for 17 years, showing Kiwi ladies the best way to kick balls, writes IZUAN SHAH.

Dressing up Disney cast
How many Malaysians do you know of who work in Disneyland? Not many, one would imagine.

High-flying in Germany
She’s been jet-setting all over the world but she has not forgotten her roots. MICHAEL CHEANG speaks to a high-flying Malaysian who co-founded a club in Germany to promote Malaysian culture.

Pleasure in academia
A Jack-of-all-trades ends up in academia in Australia, writes MAYGALA NAVANEETHAM.

Lending a listening ear
LOH FOON FONG speaks with a professional counsellor in Texas who’s intent on helping others.

Buying for a living
MAJORIE CHIEW speaks to a professional shopper.

A passion for cars
Batu Road boy Wong Hee Loong has been obsessed with cars ever since he could walk. IZUAN SHAH meets the engineer Down Under.

Breath of chi
Practising tai chi in the water takes the ancient exercise to a whole new level.

Man of strategy
Despite having lived abroad for nine years and strategising for international companies, Lee Kay Ree's heart still lies with Malaysia, writes WONG LI ZA.

Pua’s mighty ‘Pen’
S.INDRAMALAR speaks to the creator of the now indispensable Pen Drive.

Circle of life
S.S. YOGA speaks to an Australian-based Malaysian designer who made his debut back home.

Sold on law
An advertising executive turns to law and wins an award. MAJORIE CHIEW finds out Trevor Choy’s winning formula.

Strong medicine
A Malaysian doctor hopes to make a difference in Britain, writes WONG LI ZA.

Worlds apart
It is a rare opportunity to be able to witness a country in transition. Chong Mooi gives her account to LEE TSE LING.

Wall Street romance
Husband and wife Jas Rashid Ong and Surina Shukri enjoy their work as investment bankers in New York’s Wall Street.

Man of steel
He can’t bend steel with his bare hands but Lee Kok Loong is a wizard with the material, writes ELIZABETH TAI.

Holistic sojourn
One person’s love affair with all things English leads him to become a theatre director in London, writes MELODY L. GOH.

Florist to the stars
It is the stuff Hollywood fairy tales are made of. Concocting beautiful bouquets for beautiful people, hobnobbing with Alist movie stars and getting paid big bucks to do it. It’s all in a day’s work for Razak Ahmad.

Noble pursuit
A gutsy Malaysian gave up his law career to search for the meaning of life. THAM AI MEI has the story.

Treasure of experience
If life is a journey, then Goh Lee Fen has reached three major destinations. FOO YEE PING catches up with the hotelier turned financial office manager.

Happy to be of service
AZHARIAH KAMIN speaks to a legal eagle who champions the Chinese community in Birmingham.

Silat in the US
During the day he works as a Unix and Network system administrator, and on some evenings he teaches computer science at a community college. But during his free time Sheikh Shamsuddin Sheikh Muhammad Salim does what he likes best: teaching and promoting Silat Gayong.

Through the lens
A photographer shares with the world his view on life, writes LOH FOON FONG.

Romancing the screen
How does one become a filmmaker? Well, you could start off by marrying one, writes RIZAL JOHAN.

In the land of opportunity
It doesn’t really matter which part of the world you’re in as long as you know how to get around, suggests ALLAN KOAY.

Kungfu master
A Malaysian has come up with his very own brand of kungfu fighting in London, writes CHOI TUCK WO.

Masking triumph
A Malaysian filmmaker makes it in Cannes. Will that pave the way to Hollywood, wonders ALLAN KOAY.

Technology banker makes it good in America
Who did you call when the Y2K bug hit the United States? Probably a Malaysian programmer, writes LOH FOON FONG.

Designer from scratch
A solitary sewing machine changes the fate of a building science student, writes MICHELE LIAN.

Master of his craft
A young mechanic from Ipoh set out to see the world and eventually found his niche as a martial arts expert in Switzerland.

'Peasant boy' born to shine
RUBIN KHOO meets an academician who shifted from ‘peasant’ to pedigree status at Stanford.

A Malaysian Black Cab driver in London
The next time you hail a Black Cab in London, don’t be surprised if the driver greets you with “Selamat datang”. You may have bumped into David Chan Phong Mun, 45, one of the handful of Malaysians out of the estimated 25,000 Black Cab drivers in London!

Food trend-setter
Life seems like one big culinary adventure for Andrew Lim who researches food trends in the Land of the Free. THAM AI MEI reports.

Meet Dr Justice
Dr Cary T.T. Ooi, who is a medico-legal consultant with the Medical Defence Conspiracy (MDC) of Australia, turns out to be more fun and interesting in an e-mail interview than mysterious or over-serious.

A ‘green’ architect
The talented Gerard Lee, one of the youngest associates in an architect firm in San Francisco speaks to SHEELA CHANDRAN about his aspirations.

Providing the Asian touch in New Zealand
Need something from Malaysia? A marketing company in Auckland will source the product for you, writes JACKSON TEO.

A Hakka in New Zealand
Malaysian Bob Moo advises clients on financial trends all the way in New Zealand, writes MAJORIE CHIEW.

Warrior poet abroad
Hilary Tham is a poet transplanted from Malaysia to the United States. THOR KAH HOONG, her student for a semester, shows us her wit and wisdom.

Almost a nomad
David Lazarus is not your typical Malaysian abroad. In fact, he is more of a Malaysian travel-a-lot. The globetrotting former journalist left Malaysia in 1969 and with the exception of about six years when he was based in Kuala Lumpur, he has lived and worked abroad ever since.

Analyst at heart
A Malaysian is helping students to settle down in Britain, writes HILARY CHIEW.

Connecting the world
One man is helping to bring the world together through telecommunication, writes MAJORIE CHIEW.

A life less ordinary
RIZAL JOHAN catches up with the files of Irene Ng, better known as the lead actress in Disney Channel’s The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.

From Kedah to Kagawa
A Malaysian goes out of his way to help other foreigners adapt in Japan, writes MICHAEL CHEANG.

Making waves with Mindy
A young Malaysian filmmaker is creating waves in Chicago. MUMTAJ BEGUM has the story.

Passionate about food
MAJORIE CHIEW speaks to the owner of two award-winning restaurants, a Malaysian.

Sunny occupation
Willie Wei-Hock Soon is so passionate about his work that one can even sense his enthusiasm through his e-mail.

Pewter in print
What is it like to be a daughter of the Royal Selangor pewter heritage? LI EE KEE talks to author Chen May Yee for the inside story.

All for equal treatment
A Malaysian woman is lending her voice to the underprivileged in the United States so that they may be heard. ALLAN KOAY reports.

David Gan's promising career with Estee Lauder
A fascination with the human body led David Gan to science and a promising career with American cosmetics giant Estee Lauder.

Best food forward
Whipping up new food products is Lynn Lye’s speciality. The food engineer tells CATHERINE SIOW how a childhood pastime became a passionate occupation.

Local son soars in Europe
Ng Kah-Ming is arguably one of Malaysia’s most successful exports in the field of classical music. JASON CHEAH caught up with the currently Oxford-based musician when he made a flying visit home recently.

Feng shui to the fore
Ask Honey Lim about feng shui and she has lots of interesting things to tell you, says CHARLES CHAN.

Dr K. Gunasegaran, virus expert
Dr K. Gunasegaran, a viral immunologist in Australia, tells LOH FOON FONG about his passion for basic science research.

A slice of the Big Apple
Kuala Lumpur boy Wong Yew Weng took one bite of the Big Apple and he was smitten. Today the art director with a Manhattan-based advertising agency is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Cindy Crawford and Halle Berry.

Reaching for the starlights
The former stocky and Afro-ed leader of 1970s and 80s band The Deltas is now a member of D’Starlights, a dance band based in New Zealand. CHARLES CHAN has the story.

Prof Wong is staying the course
Professor Wong Shue Tuck has held teaching positions in various parts of the world and served with government and UN agencies. He now lives the easy life in Canada, occasionally teaching one or two courses annually, writes LEE TSE LING.

Help for the psychotic
Dr Frank Chooi treats the criminally insane released from prison. LI EE KEE speaks to the Teluk Intan boy.

Shirley Lim: For the love of writing
Only a writer such as Shirley Lim Geok-lin, who teaches at an American university, has the luxury of writing what she wants. She tells MAJORIE CHIEW a thing or two about the realities of the publishing world.

Writing in Prof Lim's blood
The credentials of US-based Prof Shirley Lim Geok-lin, poet, writer and professor of English, might sound intimidating but she is not. MAJORIE CHIEW chats with the humble, warm and down-to-earth writer over a cup of teh tarik during her visit to Malaysia.

Dr Christopher Wong thrives on challenges
Paediatric radiologist Dr Christopher Wong finds it fascinating trying to heal a fellow human, and treating children gives him the greatest fulfilment, writes IRENE KIEW.

World Bank's catalyst for change
World Bank education specialist Lee Ching Boon helps to shape the education policies of Third World countries.

New start Down Under
A couple of career hiccups sent one man to the southern hemisphere to earn a living, writes HISHAM ZULKIFLI.

Sonny storms into international comics circle
Malaysian-born artist Sonny Liew draws attention in the comics circle. This writer-artist talks to LEE TSE LING about his international debut solo production Malinky Robot.

Malaysian manga
LEE TSE LING peruses the works of Sonny Liew.

A Malaysian chef in New York City
With such an early exposure to good food, it is not surprising that Simpson Wong ended up as a chief chef in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world – New York.

Peck V. Choo-Kim is breaking the sound barrier
Being deaf is not a barrier to communication or progress, writes PATSY KAM.

Arty flair
A Malaysian artist is actively promoting the art scene in her community in Boston, LEE TSE LING discovers.

Interior designer has a fondness for colonial designs
Christopher Ong’s keen eye for design has taken him far and wide, and landed him a plum job as interior designer for hotel mogul Chris Blackwell. Lifestyle tracks down the Kelantan-born Ong in the Big Apple.

Entrusted with research funds
IF achievement for a businessman means making millions of dollars, achievement for Dr Michael Chew, science programme officer at Wellcome Trust in Britain, is the opposite – he spends millions.

Faith leads the way for Robert Chai
MICHELE LIAN speaks to a pastor who found his calling in New York.

Siva Muthaly is paying it forward
A lecturer becomes a celebrity of sorts when he opens his home to foreign students. S. INDRAMALAR finds out what sparked off this generous hospitality.

Web wizardry
Spidey would not have come alive without the help of its technical director. CHRISTINA KOH finds out how the web was spun.

Radio Kampong
A Malaysian goes all out to promote her country in Canada. MICHAEL CHEANG finds out what makes the host of radio show Kampong Ku tick.

Life’s a song for Ai Cheng
Singer Ai Cheng from Sarawak is singing a different tune these days as he hits the Taiwan music charts. He talks to THAM AI MEI about his down-and-out early days.

A kelabit in Kiwiland
LIM MAY KUAN meets up with a midwife in New Zealand and discovers her remarkable roots.

Treading a path to destiny
For some, the road to religious enlightenment can be a long and often mysterious journey. This is what happened to Lhobpong Rinpoche, a 50-something former businessman, who is the first Malaysian to be recongnised as a 'Rinpoche'. In this exclusive interview with StarMetro, he shares his tale with SIMON KHOO.

Pursuit of justice
FOR many of us, the adrenaline rush of seeing justice done may be felt vicariously by watching gripping court dramas on television. For Tan Sen Kwang, a.k.a. Judge Sen K. Tan, the gratification and action are real, and part and parcel of his daily life.

Planning for New York
New York City’s budget chief who hails from Taiping gives ALLAN KOAY a first-hand account of Sept 11.

Back from London to receive award
MOST people know Datuk Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat as the world famous shoe designer whose clientele includes Hollywood celebrities and members of royalty.

Malaysian makes it big in Canada
A Malacca-born entrepreneur tells CATHERINE SIOW how he came to be the president of an IT company in Canada.

Our own Fred Astaire on ice
Disney is the stuff of dreams for young people with a creative bent. Some aspire to become animators or voice talents but for figure skater Phua Hoong Yee, 26, it’s always been to skate in a Disney spectacular. HELEN ANG talks to the first Malaysian to become a part of the 'Disney on Ice' family.

Providing solace
Those suffering from mental health disorders in London are given the chance to return to society through care and counselling given by a charity organisation run by a Penang-born social worker, reports LOH FOON FONG.

Top of the food chain
CHOONG KWEE KIM catches up with a dynamic couple who built a chain of restaurants in the United States stemming from a small Hokkien mee stall.

The numbers game
ELIZABETH TAI tracks down a Malaysian based in Toronto who makes a living playing with numbers.

Dance in his soul
RUBIN KHOO finds out what it takes for a Malaysian ballet dancer to succeed in Hong Kong’s competitive dance scene.

Ticket to fame
MICHELE LIAN is almost out of breath, catching up with a Malaysian hip hop dancer in Melbourne.

Moments rooted in memory
New York-based artist Eng Tay, whose works resonate with rusticity and poetic vision, returns to Malaysia for his first solo exhibition in seven years. TAN GIM EAN caught up with him in the Big Apple last month.

Back to his roots
Being a Malaysian-born Chinese has fuelled a Penangite’s curiosity to find out more about his Chinese ancestry, discovers THAM AI MEI.

Unravelling the workings of the mind
Halfway across the globe, there is a Malaysian who is actively involved in psychological research. THAM AI MEI tracks down Arlene Modglin to find out what she’s contributing to the world of science.

A higher calling
Priesthood and computers are as different as chalk and cheese. Anthony Gerard Lee tells ADELE LIM how it’s possible to dabble in both.

The next best choice
MICHELE LIAN catches up with Ben Teh, who trains nurses in London.

Immersion in art
Artist Tattfoo Tan believes in taking art to the community and sharing it with the masses. He speaks to LOH FOON FONG about his passion and his New York adventures.

Sweet on cakes
Award-winning cake decorator Rosalind Chan has made baking cakes an art form, writes CATHERINE SIOW.

Playing with light and shadows
This lakeside ville in Qingpu, Shanghai, exemplifies Malaysian architect Chan Soo Khian’s forte in combining structure and material to suit the surroundings and climate of an area. StarTwo catches up with the award-winning master builder.

Preserving nature
Architect Chan Soo Khian’s work spans the region and won two prestigious awards recently. Some of his work include the Hereen House in Malacca, Andrew Road House in Singapore and a Columbarium in Guangzhou, China.

New horizons
What is it like to wake up in a different country every six months? Six young adults tell ADELE LIM what it’s like learning on the job.

Teaching the elite
If you speak, live and eat economics, you might just get invited to Tony Blair’s house. JASON LIM finds out how Prof Danny Quah does it.

The entrepreneurial princess
Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zerafina Idris is Selangor’s highest-ranking princess, so one would expect her to be flitting from one palace to another and riding in chauffeured Rolls-Royces. Why then is she selling curry mixes, ready-made sauces, soaps and toiletries in London? KEE HUA CHEE finds out.

Perfecting the voice
Few Malaysians pursue Western classical singing, and even fewer make it overseas. VERONICA SHUNMUGAM gets the notes from Loh Siew Tuan.

Making it in a man’s world
At the helm of ICI Paints in Asia is a Malaysian and a woman at that. GEOFFREY LIP speaks to Chew Gaik Hean to find out her formula for success.

Composing winners
Freelance composer Chong Kee Yong has been slowly making a name for himself in the smaller classical music circles in Western Europe, writes JASON CHEAH.

American dream
Today a respected specialist surgeon in America, a health policy lecturer and an author of medical textbooks, Dr Lee Keat Jin was just a naïve, sheltered schoolboy in Penang half a century ago. ZACK YUSOF speaks to the doc about his struggles and journey to self-realisation.

Still shaking up the world
Close to 30 years of music from Datuk Shake gives you one impression ... a heady pop survivor. JASON CHEAH speaks to the venerable musical Datuk from Johor who lived in France and now in the United States.

The chef’s supplier
An engineer by training, Penang boy Jerry Lee tells CATHERINE SIOW how he landed in the food service industry and his recipe for a thriving business.

Face of success
Ling Tan is Malaysia’s very own success story on the catwalk. She talks to S.S. YOGA about her roots and her work.

Aiming for the stars
A Malaysian makes good in the international arena of telecommunications. LI EE KEE speaks to Danny Tham to find out what it takes.

Local boy struts his stuff
SHAILAJA MENON talks to Gavin Chan, the world acclaimed Salsa dancer, winner of the People’s Choice Award at the recent Sydney Latin Fiesta.

Man of the arts
One man’s passion for film is translated on screen, writes MICHELE LIAN.

Marketing in his blood
Ford’s marketing man, Steven Tan, says all it takes is a bit of science, art and creativity, or so he tells PATSY KAM.