A Quiet Holiday, A Powerful Monday
It’s a Monday, but not the usual kind.
The school is quiet because of the holiday season, the streets feel slower, and the air feels almost like those MCO days — still, calm, a little nostalgic.
I spent the day simply — walking my children, walking the dog, letting the hours breathe.
And at the same time, investing into the future in a different way: building custom GPT.
One-time effort, tenfold future payoff.
Building systems now so that one day, they won’t need me to hold every piece.
Beyond Corporate Shooting: A Soul-Searching Process
Earlier this morning, we had our corporate photo shoot.
But we decided to do it differently.
No rigid scripts. No staged smiles. No artificial branding.
We began with what I call soul-searching —
raw, unscripted interviews asking each key team member:
- Why are you here?
- What does education mean to you?
- How do you personally relate to Stellar’s mission?
It was not about polishing the answers.
It was about unearthing them.
From there, after gathering these authentic moments, only then would we plan the official interviews and structured shots — not based on “what looks good,” but based on who we truly are.
Through this soul-searching process, one thing became clear:
Stellar is not just an organization. It is a movement of identity, meaning, and legacy.
Rooted Identity: Embracing Our Malaysian Story
During my interview, I anchored my thoughts around one simple but powerful word: self-awareness.
If the next generation could only receive one gift, I would give them this:
The courage to fully embrace their identity.
Because without strong roots, every wind — political, emotional, cultural — shakes you.
Without strong identity, differences become threats.
But when you are secure in who you are, differences become beauty.
I reflected on my own journey.
In my early years, I saw Malaysia through the lens of disappointment — broken politics, poor education, endless frustrations.
I dreamed of leaving, of running, of finding something “better” elsewhere.
But the second half of my life taught me a different truth.
When I stopped fighting my Malaysian identity, I found strength.
When I embraced the hardship, the failures, the unique complexity of being a Malaysian Chinese, I discovered opportunities others couldn’t see.
I stopped looking at Singapore with envy.
I stopped seeing Malaysia as a burden.
Instead, I saw a battlefield where my roots could matter.
Where my unique story had meaning — not just for myself, but for the next generation.
Money, Meaning, and the Bigger Dream
Later today, a conversation with one of our incubated entrepreneurs reminded me how easy it is to lose direction.
He confessed:
“Making money is easy now. But I feel empty.”
Not from arrogance, but from the honest ache of someone who has tasted success — and found it lacking.
I shared with him the truth I live by:
I’m not interested in money for money’s sake.
Money is a tool.
A servant, not a master.
At Stellar, managing growth, building new campuses, acquiring land, taking loans — they are necessities.
But at the heart of it all, our true mission never changed: to impact lives, not bank accounts.
Building a better school.
Building a better society.
Building a better Malaysia.
Money flows to those who carry the weight of real responsibility — not for personal gain, but for nation-building.
And if our dream remains pure, money will never define us.
It will simply fuel us.
A Vision Beyond Ourselves
Our journey at Stellar is no longer about just a single school.
It’s about becoming a role model — a living example of what is possible when we embrace our unique identity instead of running from it.
We are not trying to be another elite institution hidden in luxury.
We are trying to be a lighthouse —
an imperfect but relentless example of how a tiny school in a commercial lot could spark something bigger:
- Inspiring students to dream bigger than their surroundings.
- Helping other schools model best practices.
- Influencing even government education policies.
- Reviving the pride in Malaysian education from the inside out.
You can laugh at us.
You can mock us.
You can ignore us.
But you cannot deny that something real is happening — because we are clear about who we are and what we stand for.
One Life at a Time: The True Measure of Impact
In the end, it always comes back to one thing: impacting one life at a time.
A student who once gave up now dares to believe again.
A team member who once felt small now discovers hidden potential.
A community that once felt forgotten now finds new hope.
And through it all, we are not chasing numbers.
We are chasing transformation.
One child.
One heart.
One future.
Parenting: The Blessing of Ordinary Moments
As I finished my reflections tonight, walking with my children at the playground, the reality of all this became even clearer.
Eann — my Iron Man son — turned back to look for me when the others ran ahead.
He didn’t have to.
But he did.
Because somewhere deep inside him, he remembered: we walk together.
Parenting is not about grand speeches.
It’s about being there.
Being the steady light in ordinary days that teaches them loyalty, love, and resilience.
Later, at dinner, my wife cooked a meal specially as per my liking.
Small gestures.
Big meanings.
Our marriage, our family, our growth — none of it came easy.
But everything meaningful was built over thousands of small, faithful, sometimes unnoticed moments.
And for that, I am deeply grateful.
Closing Reflections: Gratitude in the Small Things
As the final week of holiday winds down, I have decided to slow down with it —
to spend the evenings with my children, to savor what time will one day steal away.
Because in the end, life is not just measured by milestones.
It’s measured by the memories we built along the way.
By the ordinary days we chose to make extraordinary — simply by being fully present.
Good night.
