2011 - Galaxia Press Event

Calvin at Galaxia animations press conference 2011.

2011 : SVB Showcase 2011 in Silicon Valley

Calvin speaking at Silicon Valley Bank event in P.Alto Silicon Valley, CA, USA.

2011 - Tai Zhi Loong Signing Ceremony

Cooperation signing agreement with Tai Zhi Loong in Hangzhou.

13 and a Champion of Games

Yes ! At the age of 13 I was already a top console games Champion in Malaysia. Our homes were lined with trophies from every tournament and championship in the last 3 years. Me and my 2 brothers were the most popular gamers in the country simply because we won at every tournament from ATARI to COLECO VISION consoles basically from every games genre we were the best - Donkey Kong, Sega F1 and Centipede.

Were we that good ?

Basically we were better than other kids simply because our mom allows us to play games non-stop everyday. So practise makes perfect and we became damn good at it.

Then there was the National Championship and that year we had very strong competitors whom knows more about the games tricks than us. There were 2 key competitors we pointed out among ourselves - (a.) A family whom their dad also encourages them to win the Chanpionship and had helped them analys the game. (b.) A group of non-schooling kids whom hangs out at the shopping playing the game everyday for hours.

They had better play mechanics.
We lost at the first 4 state tournaments as only the No.1 gets to go to the finals. Looking back it's crazy ... we wanted so badly to be in the finals so we traveled to 3 different states to make sure we get into the finals. After we got into the finals we knew we need to understand what's their play mechanics are or else we may still lose at the finals.

We had a plan.
Become friends with both competitors and get them to teach us their secrets. Being friend with the kids is easy, we took them for good dinners and ais creams ... ta da ... they shared their game play with us. Then come the family which it took us a little more time but this time we challenge them while my 2 other brothers study his move.

Guess who won the Championship finals?

The Fight and The Power

I was sitting at the canteen taking my lunch when suddenly I felt something was not right. Around me was about 10+ of those dudes whom I topple their event. They came up and asked me to pay for their losses. I told to them to 'F' but it was a mistake I learned as we broke into a fight and it was just me against a dozen or so bad ass.

It was no Jackie Chan movie, even with my Tae Kwon Do black belt I was not able to fight like Jet Li. Luckily I managed to grab the canteen bench and I wack like a crazy man who-ever who stands in my way.

The fight ended when teachers and etc prefects rushed to the scene. I was badly hurt, a black eye, bleeding nose and mouth. Bruises all over my hands and legs. Torn shirt. The ambulance came and I was thinking shit was it that serious ? Where was I hurt that serious ? Oh ! It was not for me but one of those dudes whom I hit him accidentally with the bench on his head and he was bleeding, his white shirt was covered in blood.

11 of us was taken to the hospital.

My school discipline teacher wanted to expel me from school. But he cant do so as the next day my dad went to school and told the headmaster that this fight was serious and that the school have gangsters and he wants to bring this to the press. This was bad reputation for the school indeed and my head master knows I m a popular guy at the press. He expel 2 guys from the gang instead.

This was not over for I knew they would come and hit me again. I knew I had to get help quick and its not from my dad. How to deal with mini ganngsters was to use the bigger gangsters ... I called the boss of the disco as I knew he surely have such connections. He dispatched 2 guys to me and I meet the gang whom came with 20+ school dudes. But as soon as they saw the 2 guys that came with me they sorta like had a big surprise. They told them that if they know who they are then they should know I m as I m their boss providing them with a job managing security at the club.

After that day the mini gangsters dare not bother me anymore. That's Power.

The Competitions

After a few months other teams started to copy my events and launch their own. This include my 3rd brother whom was organizing smaller events at a much smaller club. He was helping for sometime and had learned the trick of the traits.

I dont mind smaller events but I will not allow anyone or any new group to topple my mini empire. So when there was a big event coming forward I device a plan to kill them completely.

I knew they booked a huge hall at a local Church and hired a mobile disco company to spin music and lightings. To me it was the perfect inexperience move - their cost was high. I had no cost at all back then as I negotiated a revenue sharing deal with the largest disco club in the city. So 2 weeks before their event I announce in a big way - SPECIAL THANKS CONCERT we hired a semi-famous singer for my event which coincide on the same day and time as theirs.

The best part was we announced my event was FREE with FREE drinks as a thanks for everyone support. I had the disco boss support to kill off any potential competition. We packed a FULL HOUSE and they my competitors lost a lot of money. To make matters worst I make a call to the Church to complain about the event that's its not right to organize such an event at a Church.

Now this group was not any tom dick and harry. They were a group of gangsters or mini mafia dudes at schools *linking several schools or something like that. They vow revenge on me which lead to me having the biggest fight in my school history.

Private dining and special treatments

What do the richest kid in school do?

I was the most popular client at the largest toy store back then Kathy's Toys, the boss knows me well as I buy almost every of her most expensive toys. I gave some to the people whom is helping me. The canteen at school make special dishes for me every afternoon as I paid extra to them.

It was a popular thing to do every Friday after school to hangout at McDonalds. But for me I had a room booked at the top class Chinese restaurant opposite McDonalds and dine with my managers discussing what show we should organize the next week or the next month?

It was fun to be rich.

STEP ONE *richest kid in school

After the 1st private event. I lost total interest in Computer club and Interact club and soon gave up my post totally. I became obsessed with STEP ONE and I recruited key members myself from every school in the city. I named them my General Managers and Asst General Managers of each school.

Their duty (1.) Promote my monthly events and (2.) Sell tickets.

I also changed the policy and strategy. This time the tickets were cheaper as I have gotten the disco big boss to also become my sponsor so I dont have any cost at all. And I implemented a commission structure for presold tickets to all the managers at each school. I gave them 1.50 per ticket and I advice them to share between 0.50 to 0.75 of each ticket to another 10 or more helpers.

I did not know the method I used was sort-of like MLM back then.

I need to ensure a big success so I make it as charitable event so I can get more sponsors to back all my events. I make headlines at THE STAR again and my events all became a huge success. From once a month we shifted to once every week and I was operating a very lucrative business back then similar to Hasnul.

I became the richest kid in school.

STEP ONE *Fame and Fortune

My next project initially for Leo Club was a MEGA LEO CLUB FASHION SHOW to be held at a local discotheque as we need the lighting and sound system. I had arranged everything including PEPSI as our main sponsor and a few top local designer brands providing the clothing. But after Felix had a look at the financials he had a different thought, he said lets take this private if I m really confident at making so much money.

And that's what we did ... the Leo project became private.

I form a new achoc company name - STEP ONE.
My 1st step into the business world and everyone's 1st step as an entrepreneur. The biggest challenge was since we went private we did not have the publicity of the clubs to help us to push the event so we had to call all the people we think are the famous dudes and gals to help us spread the news and help us sell the tickets to the event.

1 week more to the actual event day we sold less than 20 tickets, it was doomed to fail. Everyone panicked as there was cost involved including the rental of the disco, the DJ and staff needed. It was not free man power anymore. Felix and the rest of my buddies wanted to back-out as they said their parents would kill them if they incurred such a big lost. I took over the entire stake of the event 90% while Felix remain a 10% share for I needed him to still continue to push the news forward. We were hoping to meet a much lower target of 100 people and was even thinking of giving out FREE tickets.

On the day of the event which was supposed to start at 3pm I went to have my hair done and then took a taxi to the disco. There was a bad traffic near the mall where the disco was, there were so many people or should I say 'teenagers' and then I say Felix waving at me and scouted hey man ... FULL HOUSE.

We sold an astonishing 1200+ tickets and make 4,000+ that day.

We learned that people knew about our event but didnt want to buy up-front for many reasons. But they did turn-up and it was a huge success.

Funding Director for LEO CLUB

After my success at Interact Club, the President of Leo Club invited me for a chat. He too wanted to mimic such success for Leo Club. His name was 'Felix' another guy that actually change my life during my secondary school days. Felix is a highly enterprising guy and he is famous for his 'Mak Boss' jacket he copied from the HK movie "A Better Tomorrow" worn by Chow Yun Fatt. Highly fashionable guy whom introduced me to tailor-made my school uniform instead of buying off-the-rack which I did and it was 'special'.

He offered me the Funding Director post at Leo Club if I would plan a similar project for Leo Club. The key was to make money and lots of money he told me his objective. I took office at Leo Club for 2 months only as we spin-off my next project private.

'Hasnul' pop by school looking for me after hearing what I did on the newspaper. What he told me next became my greatest change in my school life - I became an entrepreneur. He changed school to Kuala Lumpur and is now operating 'Tea-Dance' parties every weekend at a small disco club in town. I drop-by 1 of his parties and I knew what my next project would be.

I wasnt as enterprising as Hasnul or Felix as mentioned I wanted fame more than fortune back then. I just wanted to be on the cover of next month newspaper like a star haha ...

My Magic Shop at 13

When we were 11 or 12 we spend a lot of time after class at a friend of my 2nd brother home simply because his dad was a toy trader importing toys from Hong Kong to sell to retailers. We always envy him because he has so many toys at home.

I became fascinated by Magic when I was 12 ... was it David Copperfield ... nope I dont think so he was not out yet then or was it 'Roy & Siegfriend' a magic show I watched at Genting with my mom. So on a holiday trip to Hong Kong with my mom I got hold of a trade magazine of suppliers in Hong Kong and there was a manufacturer for magic tricks products. I used my grandma shop fax machine and asked them for a price list, I was surprise at the prices they quoted me. The magic store I frequent is ripping me off as his margin was above 300%.

I beg my dad and mom to loan me some money as I wanted to do this business. My grandma told them to let me play as she likes it that I wanted to be a businessmen like my grandfather. She said its just a small amount of money and I could use my aunt huge grocery store to sell those products.

"Ta Da" I started my 1st business selling magic tricks at school as well when I was just 13. The business didnt last very long as predicted by everyone but it was fun and we *me and my brothers make some nice pocket money.

Best Funding Director Award

After I took office at Interact Club for the next 7 months all I did was just 1 project (*now usually the funding department is supposed to be hyper active doing 1 project every alternate week such as washing the teacher cars and helping the neighbours to cut the grass for a small fee, I had a big problem here for I have never even washed my dad's car before and at home I had never had to lay my hands at housework. How the 'F' m' I gonna manage such projects ???).

Plus I had a promise to all my computer and table tennis club members that if I m elected I will make sure they get a ticket to attaned atleast 1 event. Each event each school is only given 10 to 15 tickets only and I probably have 200+ dudes on my list.

Then I came up with the perfect idea of solving both problem at 1 shot.

I would organize the biggest inter-school event in the entire city. THE INTERACT CLUB TALENT SHOW was borned, I will hold this event in a mega hall that can sit thousands like a concert. Every Interact Club will send in 1 talent to perform and there will be a grand prize. 17 schools Interact Club participated, 3 thousand+ interacters attended the event and a total more than 20+ talent show including my own band.

*Yes - my own band called 'Digital Art'. Just another of my fancy gimmick to get fame.

This Talent Show was a big success and my Interact Club score a huge profits of above $ 23,000 making us the richest club in the city. This project was noticed by ROTARY Club which gave me the 1st award "BEST FUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR".

This was my 1st project and my last at Interact Club for my life change entirely after this project at school.

My Strategy to Win

The very first thing I did was to pull in my own gang of voters. I needed more supporters and I called on to every member at my computer club and table tennis club to join Interact Club. I promise them that if I win I would do my very best to ensure everyone of them gets 1 ticket for 1 event.

But that still wont ensure my path towards winning.
I cant lose as I m a popular guy then and if I lose it will total shame.

I decided not to follow their tactics to print banners and flyers. Instead I keep silence all the while till elections day. My challenger from the A-TEAM was 'B' a really nice guy in school. He gave his 20 minutes speech on why he was the most suitable guy for the funding director post. Then a few other members of the A-TEAM stand up and asked his supporters to give 'B' their full support.

Then it was my turn to talk on stage.
My speech was less than 5 minutes for I invited the head Rotary guy to say a few words to give me his blessing. My speech was short and I still remember every words of it till today ...

"Dear fellow members, I m not a part of the popular A-Team. I stand here to just tell everyone that (1.) I have proven to be the most capable guy in getting funds for the club recently and have broken every funding record since Interact Club started. My capabilities are also proven in the school computer club which is the richest club in school. (2.) The funding director job is to have the ability to bring in MONEY into the club as running events requires MONEY and I m the best guy in school as far as getting money is concern. (3.) I promise everyone today that if I m elected as funding director I would ensure that our Interact Club becomes the richest Interact Club in Malaysia within 6 months."

"And B I like you and to show my sincerity I will put my own vote for you as funding director" ***I held up a piece of paper with "B" name written on it and showed it to everyone. Then I said my last words ... "A-Team members please dont let me lose by a huge margin k !".

As I end my speech 'B' stand up and told everyone that I m his best challenger and he is also going to vote for me. He then writes my name on his piece of paper.

At the end of the day when the votes was counted ... I won 'B' by 1 vote. A-Team won all the other post including normal committee positions.

The Battle for Funding Director

I remember clearly back then Interact Club was the hottest club in my school. The office was managed by some of the top guys in my school and those running for office actually team-up like a real political party. They have banners and head bands + they were handing out flyers to vote for the A-TEAM promising to serve the club with all their strength and might.

All my buddies told me that there was no way for me to WIN. The A-TEAM had some of the most popular dudes at school, all straight A's students from the best class in school. Back then I was in the 3rd class *well used to be in 2nd class but my studies dropped due to much extra-curricular activities.

I didn't have a plan to WIN but I knew I wanted to WIN.

My cue came when THE STAR told me they would be launching a special newspaper 2 times a week reporting the WORLD CUP. Now World Cup and soccer is really a big thing back then. I knew from this news I have gotten my chance. I negotiated a deal with THE STAR that they would sponsor half of all the newspaper sales to the clubs whom will help them sells them in school, they agreed.

The paper will be sold for 0.50 and the club would get to keep 0.25 each. I immediately told the ROTARY head responsible for my school Interact Club that I want to bring this deal to the club and we could do it for all the Interact Club through-out the city. He agreed and the project was a huge success racking in more than $ 2,600 for the club. Now this is a big thing back then as usually all the funding projects were washing cars and doing odd jobs which only racks in a few hundred dollars.

I became an instant star among all the Interact Clubs all over the city. On every meeting they were talking about my newspaper project. I knew then that I had the chance to WIN despite I will be battling the A-TEAM.

Not everyone likes a famous guy

It's funny many times I have put what I want over what the club really want. Like at the time when we were planning the petition to Malaysia Minister of Science and Technology, I had to choose a Vice President to assist me and the choice is wide as every member at LSCC was the smartest dude in their school.

I selected the President of TTDI school computer club to assist me simply because I like a girl that's studying there. I put all the meetings at her school for organizing this petitions and I even tried to get her to join in the meetings.

To my surprise she told me to "F" off as she have no interest in getting fame and she just wanted to concentrate on her studies only. This was the 1st slap on my face and I realized that fame was not everything after-all.

She later became my 1st girlfriend and we dated for 9 years. Thank you Carolyn for helping me get over my craving for fame.

The Hunger for Fame

Back in my secondary school days I wasnt really going for the money, I was after fame instead but money came along the path towards chasing for fame. I come from a well to do family where mt father was the 1st batch of charted bankers in Malaysia and my mom family is a millionaire being Malaysia 2nd largest Chinese medicine / TCM wholesaler.

I grew up at my grandma TCM shop in China Town handling her cash register.

Back to the hunger for fame ... I was 14 then and the most popular club in school was Interact Club and Leo Club. It was a social club where boys can meet girls from other schools. WOW everyone practically wants to become members of this club. I became a member but for months could not get a ticket to attend the social events at other schools simply because tickets are very limited.

I knew that the only way to make sure I get every ticket to every event was to run for office at both the clubs but then there was rule that you can only take office at 1 club. But this time it was not a club I founded where I wont be contested. This time I have to win the votes of the members.

Like I mentioned I really think I m probably the smartest kid in school so I will device a method where I will hold office at both clubs. Back then I really dunno how but I have the passion to get this done.

I became the FUNDING DIRECTOR for both Interact Club and Leo Club of my school but I quit after being on post for 6 months because I found what's more interesting in life - THE POWER OF MONEY AND ULTIMATE FAME.

President of Presidents

I was not contended being just the President of my school computer club, I had a hunger for more fame. I started to become my school table tennis club President which later I realized was not a popular club. Then I meet a reporter at THE STAR (*Malaysia leading newspaper) whom interviewed me on how I started my school computer club. 1 interview followed by more interviews and I became a key guy at the newspaper company.

1 day I was introduced to their chief editor of their Tech section and he asked me the ultimate question what's next after computer club? I recalled a movie probably it was about King Arthur where he was "King of Kings" so I mentioned "President of Presidents" of computer clubs jokingly. He took the idea very seriously and called me a week later to discuss the possibility of forming a 'leaque of school computer clubs' LSCC was formed fully sponsored by THE STAR. I became the founding President again uncontested and we have more than 25 school computers clubs on the leaque.

We kick started many top key events such the petition to Malaysia Minister of Science and Technology to abolish the internet fees for schools. It was the 1st time I appeared on TV handing over the petition. The biggest key event that we did was the COMP QUIZ *Battle of the Schools Computer Clubs. Comp quiz ran for many years after I left school.

The reason LSCC managed to do so many things was not because of me but it was because we gathered the top brains in more than 25 schools.

Bukit Bintang 1st Computer Club

I co-founded my school 1st computer club ( Bukit Bintang School Computer Club ) when i was 13 years old. At that time I admit I didnt really know what's a computer club should be but if I can play games legally then why not. The guy that really founded the computer club was 'Hasnul', he is 1 year my senior. I had forgotten how we became friends and why he had chosen me to be his co-founder but this guy change my life entirely in my secondary school time.

After founding the club not too long Hasnul lost interest in managing the club and left to do other non-school related activities to make money. I took over as President of the club and remained as President for the next 3 years uncontested or would I say I ensure that I was not contested.

That's me back then when I was 15. I believe I was the "smart-ass" in school. No teachers in the computer club would be able to stir my decisions on how the club would be run.

Cookies and Toys

I remembered clearly when I was in kindergarden there was a big 'hoohaa' where my parents was called to school to meet my teacher. There was a big complain by a few parents on me of cheating their kids of their toys.

Because my aunt was manning a top grocery store in town I have access to various types of imported cookies such the Danish Butter Cookies whom to me is still my favorite cookies till today. I would bring these cookies to kindergarden and when my classmates wants to share my cookies I would ask them to exchange their toys with me for thse delicious butter cookies. I ended up having a new toy every week.

National Holiday October 1st

I did not go anywhere for this National holidays so I decided to catch up with my work and put what I want to do on papers. Update my blogs for my companies and hey why not start a new blog about myself ... my life ... my road of entrepreneurship or basically a blog diary of myself.

So here goes what I can recall and remember of my path ...