Got a call from a local high school photography club in Kota Kinabalu. “Mr. Louis, how much do you charge if we want to invite you to speak to us?”

That is a good question. I am not Justin Beiber or Selena Gomez so I’ve never considered taking money from high school kids. The phone call brought me back to people who touched my life as a teen. Top of my list was Cikgu Bustaman. He was the best and funniest history teacher. He inspired me to enjoy history. Yup, you heard me right. HISTORY. To Bustaman, history isn’t about dates and dead people, but stories of what happened then and how it affected our lives today. I aced history in high school and went on to be a history major.

Then there was my choir master, Mrs Khoo. She worked us HARD. She is a perfectionist and perhaps why I liked her despite the punishing practice schedule. We would groan silently when she scheduled for extra practice sessions. Yet, deep down, I knew we needed it. I’ve grown to love and appreciate music, rhythm, harmony & tones. Somewhere amongst the hundreds of hours of practice, I fell in love with music.

Back to the phone call. I don’t charge to speak to high school kids. Happy to have a chance to emulate my teenage heroes, Cikgu Bustaman and Mrs. Khoo.