A Sad Day for Design Education

This morning the students and I sending off Ellison back to the US. He has been teaching design in Malaysia for more than a decade. This time around he won't be back for at least another 8 years. It is a loss to the education industry here in Penang at a time when it is so difficult to find dedicated and committed lecturers. The government has been talking about 'brain drain' of our human resource to foreign countries; today I witness this situation first hand. There are a lot of good and talented people in Penang but if the industry as a whole does not know how to treasure and reward them, more people are going to move elsewhere seeking better working environment.

At a time when most advanced countries are competing against each other for highly qualified people, isn't it time for Malaysia to be more serious in retaining existing talents and attracting new ones?

Retracing Memory Lane

Went back for a one day presentation session at KDU on 9th july 2009. Managed to catch up with a few old friends and students along the way. The college environment is more vibrant now especially with all the display at the foyer. As for the fourth floor, only a few familiar faces, the rest were new students to me. I enjoyed the presentation whole day long, it reminded me of those teaching days again.

However, towards the end of the day when people start going home and the gallery became quieter and deserted, a kind of sadness enveloped me. In retrospect, our team has put in tremendous effort building up the school to its current status but we would have to leave it behind in the end due to certain circumstances. Over the years we have established emotional connection to the place where we educate and share our experience with students to the best of our ability. We once had burning desire to grow the school and everyone working towards the same vision and goal. It was indeed a memorable period in my career.

The day-long rain on Saturday reflected my mood and it further dampen my spirit at the same time. I guess that's the way things go, nothing is constant in this world and we will just have to learn to adapt to changes as they come along.

I sincerely wish everyone (lecturers and students) success in their future endeavours.

Desire to Win

They are fired up and they want more. Those who won competition must have this feeling every time they successfully beat the rest to climb to the top. Now that they have tasted the sweetness of victory, they must not stop but keep competing even after they leave college. Winning competition is the guaranteed way to gain recognition in the design industry.

Passion in Education

Most people work to earn a living. What keeps them going is the idea that they are going to receive their pay cheque at the end of the month. But this is not the case with the lecturers in KDU Design School. All of them work for the love of education. They put in extra hours even after classes have finished in preparing more teaching materials for their students. They went down to the ground whenever there was a competition to support the students even though it was held on weekend. Simply put, they are passionate in what they do.

I was told that the students in private colleges in Singapore are not as lucky as those in Malaysia. Students dare not complain even though they not happy with the lecturers or the school. And the lecturers usually give nasty comments, sometimes even personal attacks. How I wish this is the case for Penang.

Design lecturers are indeed the gems of KDU and they deserve all the respect.

Hip Hop Graffiti 2009

Nick and Jamie with their winning art work.

Melinda and Cat with their winning art work.

Once again you guys have made it! This event has been held annually since 2007 and you all have participated in it enthusiastically. Congratulation to Nick, Jamie, Melinda and Cat who have won 3rd and consolation prizes respectively. I'm sure that it must be an emotional moment for both Nick and Melinda who have participated in 2007 to have finally won the competition. This prove that as long as we persevere and never give up, we will succeed eventually!

KDU Achievers

Pillars of Expression

Today I happened to browse through Marlene's and Melissa's blogs and found these wonderful pictures. It is the project we have been talking about for so long and it has finally materialized! This is indeed one of the best news I ever have since I left KDU. I'm really touched to see these pictures because they reminded me of all the struggles everyone have been through in the Design Department.

Maizul jokingly said that these columns are dedicated to me, however I would rather think that it is a contribution from all of you to show the importance and relevance of art in our society. Thanks to Maizul's creativity and the hard work of the students, the execution of these art works marks a big step forward for KDU aspiring to be the premier art school in northern Malaysia.

Well done and once again thanks to those involved for making this possible!

Thank You!

Today I'm deeply touched that Design students and lecturers specially arranged a farewell lunch for me on my last day in KDU. I need to thank Julius, Jason, Ellison and Nee Nee for saying all those nice and touching words about me. Before I came into the room, I already have in mind of what to say to all of you but due to the 'LIVE' situation and also overwhelmed by the presence of so many students, I may have missed out something which I wanted to say. I hereby include in this post the complete speech:

"When I joined KDU College in 2005, our department office was located on the 2nd floor next to iMac Lab. The fourth floor then was just a huge empty corridor with only dry and wet studio. There was no gallery during that time. Today, this once empty corridor has transformed into a creative space for you to freely experiment your ideas and express yourselves through your design. In terms of student population, I only have one student in my first class which was History of Architecture I. I found myself lecturing throughout the class most of the time as there was no way to have group discussion. Today, our school has more than 100 students who will be the great designers of the future.

Throughout my career, I enjoy myself the most while I was here at KDU College. I still remember that when I first apply for a position at KDU, I mentioned in my cover letter that teaching is about creating a mutual learning environment not only for the students to gain knowledge but also for the lecturer to learn from that experience as well. True enough, I’ve learned a lot from you, my students. I envy the kind of energy and excitement that you possess which I wish I had when I was your age. You guys make the working environment here so much more interesting compare to the dull corporate world outside. Personally, I hope that my work here has benefitted at least a few of you in this group in one way or another. By winning so many competitions since 2006, you all have proven your ability to achieve your goals. Although you are the new kid on the block, you have managed to beat other rival schools such as Equator and even USM. The secret recipe here is belief. You have proven that with strong conviction and belief, you can possibly beat anybody. I can see that most of you enjoy your studies here at KDU. You will soon realize that all those deadlines and sleepless nights become your sweet memories next time. You will remember the fun of having group projects at your peers’ house. Those people you hate whenever they copied your design or slacking off in group projects, you will one day remember them as well and with a smile, not with hatred. All the struggles you encounter here will become unforgettable memories. You will also realize that most of your true friends are actually those you met at college.

I’m also fortunate to work with a group of brilliant people here in KDU. Without them, the department can’t possibly be developed into its current status. I’m talking about your lecturers. Trust me, they are the most hard working lecturers you can ever find. All of them have passion in art and design. They have tried all sorts of ways to deliver lectures and share their experience with you in the most effective way. I would like to share with you one secret. If you want to learn more so that it worth the fees you paid here at KDU, keep approaching your lecturers. The more you ask the more you learn. And I’m sure they all have been waiting for you eagerly to disturb them as much as you can. But better to make appointment first la.

I’m glad to also announce that Shirley has been promoted to be the Program Leader of the department. I’m sure she will lead the department to greater heights. Finally, I’m sure that all of you have gotten valuable education as well as friendship here in KDU. Some of you will go on becoming great designers in your own field. As for me, I’ll be leaving this wonderful island for job opportunities elsewhere. However, do keep in touch and feel free to discuss with me anything especially those related to design.

Thank you and wish you all the best!"

At 5:30pm today, I switched off the light and closed the door of my office for the last time. It is interesting to realise that how these mundane tasks which I do everyday become so significant. I decided to take pictures of these special moments...........