Off Stone 3: Lim Yin Foong, Jenny Ng, Sreerema Banoo & Khoo Hsu Chuang

Off Stone 3: Lim Yin Foong, Jenny Ng, Sreerema Banoo & Khoo Hsu Chuang
Off Stone, held at Jin's Art Gallery, A-3-17, Centrio Pantai Hillpark, Oct 5-27, 2024, was sponsored by the SCP Group and was in aid of the Penang Hospice Society.

LIM YIN FOONG

YIN FOONG joined The Edge shortly after we launched in 1994. I met her there and have been following her work post-Edge tooher evolution from journalism to creative non-fiction. What she portrayed at Off Stone is a small but important and meaningful part of an interesting journey...

Mother-daughter conversation

For years I’ve been working on a family memoir about my maternal grandmother. A lack of personal archives means I have to rely heavily on conversations with my mother to learn more about Por-Por’s history. Yet there remains many gaps and silences, so much that remains unknown. This collage is a creative response to these gaps.

By incorporating one of our many conversations with a sewing pattern of a quilt that Por-Por made, I am trying to capture three generations within one container.

It is inspired by the creative non-fiction of the poet Victoria Chang, whose memoir Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief features collages of family photographs and conversations.

I was trained as a journalist to seek the truth, to separate fact from fiction. But creative non-fiction, a literary genre that honours fact and truth-finding even as it pushes boundaries in telling true-life stories, has allowed me to play with different forms as I look for new ways to address those silences in my grandmother’s life story.

For Yin Foong’s bio, click here

Creative non-fiction writer and editor
Lim Yin Foong is a writer and editor who currently lives in Norwich, UK. A former journalist, she has worked for The Star, The Edge Malaysia, and was Founding Editor of Personal Money, Malaysia’s leading personal finance magazine. She holds a Biography & Creative Non-Fiction MA from the University of East Anglia and is working on a family biography about her maternal grandmother.

Click here to read about Hinterland and here for Hinterland’s story on Off Stone.

JENNY NG

JENNY joined The Edge in 1997 and worked for Personal Money before joining the corporate desk. Being friends and co-followers on Facebook and Instagram, I found out a few years back that she had started sewing. The pieces were quite impressive so I decided to invite her to be part of Off Stone.

So, she sews

My earliest memories include one of cutting up children’s books and getting told off for it. This was followed by cutting up fabric samples my late mother kept under her bed that she intended to make patchwork pillow cases or blankets from.

As a young person contemplating a future career, I chose finance because I was told it would put a roof over my head. And so, dreams of a career in fashion or the arts were discarded in favour of something more practical.

But thoughts of putting needle to fabric kept returning and I found myself at a Singer sewing machine during a difficult period in life. I learned to make bags, pouches, simple tops and skirts from the internet. I eventually went for dressmaking courses and one of my projects is displayed here.

At first, the sight of needle and thread stitching pieces of fabric together was a welcome distraction. And the sound of scissors cutting fabric brought back childhood memories of watching my late father make his own shirts and pants.

You see, my grandfather was a tailor and taught his sons the trade. However, my father didn’t have to sew for a living as he held a government job and for whatever reason, none of his four children were taught to make their own school shirts, pinafore or pants.

Perhaps that is why I sew.

The following is an excerpt from Jenny's Instagram: ‘Now, about the dress. A hexagon is a six-sided polygon and one of the strongest shapes in nature as it distributes forces or weight evenly across its sides. It is a pattern commonly found in nature (honeycomb, for example) due to its efficiency and strength. The shape is also found in the eyes of crustaceans like the mantis shrimp, who has a complex visual system that gives the critter the ability to see UV, visible and polarised light. I tried to capture this polarised vision using a black background overlaid with a glittery web and pink and neon green stitches. I used a gold shimmery fabric for the dress to reflect the strength or power of the hexagon shape. And the cape is also another symbol of power (like superheroes, you know? 😆). This took about a year to complete as classes were disrupted during the pandemic and I took my time sourcing for materials...‘ Click here to view her post

For Jenny's bio, click here

From corporate recovery to financial journalism
I became a journalist to escape the arduous and demanding world of corporate recovery. It was the Asian Financial Crisis and we were neck-deep in work. I threw in the towel when I realised I didn’t enjoy cleaning up other people’s mess. The Edge hired me and except for a stint in investment research, I have been in financial journalism for over two decades. I am still with The Edge and as managing editor, I oversee the corporate desk. In Corporate Malaysia, someone is always doing something and the many scandals keep us very busy, filling up the column inches. Doing things with my hands, like sewing, helps me decompress.

Her Instagram handle: Just Jenny Handmade.

SREEREMA BANOO

SREE’S stint at The Edge’s property section, ‘City & Country’, was relatively short, however, I bumped into her once in a while after she left. I discovered recently that she had started to crochet and the pieces are quite impressive. I am glad she decided to take part in Off Stone. This is her story...

My crochet journey

Crochet quietens the noise. Last year, after some chaotic and stressful few years, I made a change, and that in itself had its challenges. I picked up crochet then, after some four decades.

Crochet, through the meditative qualities, helped me get out of my head. When I crochet I think of nothing else but the stitches – yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through all the loops, and so on and so forth – and the pattern that’s before me (or in my head).

Cliched as it sounds, crochet is all about being in the moment. (Be distracted to your peril!)

The following is an excerpt from Sree's Instagram: Super chuffed and honoured to have been included in Offstone, an exhibition organized by @siang_jin to showcase the works of journos and ex-journos after hours or post-career. I admit I was initially very hesitant, having only just picked up crochet a year ago, but the project was illuminating (it made me really reflect on why I crochet and the peace & contentment I get from it). We all have stories to share, and whether journalists or otherwise, the outlet for that storytelling is diverse; painting, photography, the written word, pottery & crafts. So, it was also fab to see and appreciate the amazing works of other journos and more importantly the stories told through those pieces. Double fab to be exhibiting with @justjennyhandmade (check out that Tudor-era dress!) and grateful for all the kind words of encouragement from the guests. Thank you everyone for attending the reception, yesterday (13/10), Click here to view her post

Today, it’s fair to say that crochet consumes me. I find tremendous joy in discovering and learning new stitches, experimenting with new patterns, playing with various colour combinations and yarns, crafting bags, purses and even clothes, and along the way discovering a kind and supportive community of fellow crocheters. It’s been a wonderful ride, and what’s displayed here is a small part of that journey.

For Sree’s bio **Click here

An ever-evolving ride
I got my start in journalism in 1997 at the Business Times, where I covered general business news (including the odd political event). In 2000 I made the move to The Edge, and spent almost four years at the property section, ‘City & Country’. They say that when things get too easy or comfortable it’s time to make a shift, and that was so true in my case. This year marks two decades since I started my career as a freelance writer; for local and regional publications as well as corporates and institutions of higher learning on varied topics ranging from the general economy and select industries to sustainability and ESG.

Her Instagram handle: Wabi Sabi Crochet 31. Website: sreeremabanoo.com

KHOO HSU CHUANG

LIKE MANY of the other participants of Off Stone, Chuang met me at work, in his case, at The Edge. I am glad he has decided to go down the entrepreneurial path. It suits his disposition. Works such as his have a future in the disrupted and devolved world of journalism. With his drive, I am sure he will grow in his niche. This is how he views the business...

Golden era of journalism

Since time immemorial, stories have stirred people. The most powerful, like Faith, have mobilised billions. Others, like Bitcoin, have moved entire markets.

And while the old platforms – newspapers, radio and television – have ebbed in importance, us humans pine even more for the next narrative, only today we seek them out on social media.

For journalists like us, the innate need to chronicle events and people continues unabated.

The only difference today – and it’s a great difference! – is that thanks to YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, we can reach billions of people for free, instantly, with immediate feedback in the form of Views, Likes and Shares.

That’s a massive leap from the 90s, when editors and TV executives were in complete control of our access to a wider audience.

If we do not parlay this freedom – A Golden Era of Journalism – we are only selling ourselves short.

‘I love the Internet. It’s allowed me to continue my work as a journalist - but with a few key differences, all positive. They are: immediate access to a global audience. Excellent and up-to-the-moment data analytics. An ad share model that is USD-based and paid monthly that rises exponentially the more frequently and higher your quality of work. And an ability to work remotely, so that you are no longer tethered to a desk. I talked about this and the fun I am having with it, to a few friends, thanks to Lim Siang Jin’s kind invitation, at his lovely studio at Centrio in Pantai Hillpark.’ From his Facebook post

When I started the Do More Podcast, it was born of an idea to tell the story of The Asian Century. I would speak to smart, successful people who would share their principles so that our fellow humans would benefit from their wisdom.

It would be in video. Inspirational, not divisive. Housed on YouTube, as the No.2 search engine in the world. Long form and in English, naturally. And it would feature mainly Asians, since it’s our century. Oh yes: no politicians. Obviously.

It’s been quite the ride. Brutal, for sure, since you compete globally for attention.

But it also guarantees the following: new neural networks ‘cos there’s lots to learn. New social networks, since people like to talk. A chance to share ad revenue with your host, unlike our previous jobs. And the possibility of working anywhere in the world as a digital nomad. Which is appealing, since pear shapes are a possibility in Malaysia.

It’s been so much fun that I’ve started another channel, also on YouTube, less serious, which allows me to grow old disgracefully.

And if Siang Jin organises Offstone Pt 2 next year, I’ll tell you how it went. Until then, Carpe Diem!

Click here to reach Do More Podcast

For Chuang’s bio **Click here

Journalist and entrepreneur

With experience in internal audit, tax consulting and financial media, Chuang counts over a quarter of a century’s experience working in and covering corporate, financial and capital markets in KL, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and London.

He has worked for Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank, KPMG Peat Marwick, The Edge, Bloomberg, Thomson-Reuters, BFM Media and the Australian Financial Review. His last full-time job was at Thomson-Reuters in London in 2008.

Chuang was a co-founder of Asian Auto Interactive, an auto portal that was sold in its entirety to Main Market-listed Delloyd Ventures Bhd in 2002.

In 2020, he co-founded an investment-focused social media platform, Xifu, in a joint venture with Main Market-listed Excelforce Bhd, exiting that same year.

Chuang’s media experience spans print, newswire, Internet, radio broadcast and digital TV.

Do More, a trademark of KHC Ventures Sdn Bhd., was begun in 2012 as a corporate content consultancy, adding podcasts and media spokesperson / crisis training in the present day.

He is also a corporate trainer, having since 2006 worked with entities that have included Khazanah Nasional, Bank Negara, the Ministry of Finance, Petronas, HSBC, Securities Commission, RHB, Gamuda and General Electric, training C-Suites and board directors on the science behind building value via the media.

Lim Siang Jin

Lim Siang Jin

Malaysia