Snippet from a news article on Sin Chew Daily

Briefly after registering for Philatelic Society of Malaysia (PSM)'s membership during last year's stamp fair, Mr Tan Chee Hui of PSM introduced me to a journalist covering for the event then. A month later I was contacted by the journalist's colleague now ready for an interview - a small section in the newspaper "People with Stories". 

As the article was written and published in Mandarin (and also the fact that my Mandarin throughout the interview was substandard, insufficient to convey my intended views), I thought a translation would be better for non-Mandarin speakers. 

Photo credits to Mr Chen Jinghui, photographer.

The article translation: 

It was around 2014 that I found my father's philatelic book from middle school during spring cleaning, which was the first time I discovered stamps. My father then explained the purpose of stamps. The beginning of my journey in this hobby was in 2017 since prior to that, I did not know that anyone was selling stamps.

When I enrolled to study in West Malaysia in 2016, I learned that POS Malaysia was still launching new stamp issues with about 15 themes every year (a rough estimate - there has been highs and lows), so since 2017, I have been queuing up every year on the day of the launch of new stamps, and I have never stopped buying them.

Philately is also a very expensive hobby, therefore I needed to reduce my spending. In the early days, I buy whatever that looks pleasing to the eyes, but now I have narrowed down my direction of collecting - I prefer stamps of North Borneo (Sabah) and Perak; this is because North Borneo's stamps have a lot of historical significance, and Perak used to have many post offices, so there are many types of postmarks.

In order to better understand stamps, I do a lot of homework and research. I think there is more to stamp collecting that we can also understand the history and story behind it. While collecting North Borneo stamps, as a Sabahan, I am understanding, documenting and preserving the history of my hometown, and I hope to pass it on in the future.

Many collectors who are much older than I am do not actually understand the history and value of the stamps they collect (in the sense that what they have might be much more valuable than perceived) so I often share some thoughts and research on my blog and Facebook philatelic groups, including tips for protecting stamps, differences between the same stamp, and tips for distinguishing authenticity.

Comparatively, stamps were once consumables that were indispensable for communication in the past, stamps today are issued in the direction of commemorating events and anniversaries. The role of stamps is diminishing and may even cease to exist. Therefore, it is all the more necessary for me to collect, at least in the future, there will be people who will know stamps and how they look like. 

I enjoy collecting stamps. Now, I have more than 20 stamp albums, and ever since I started collecting stamps, I meet people of all ages and friends who were influenced by me (to collect stamps).

The original article can be found here 

I take this opportunity again to thank everyone especially senior philatelists that has provided enough guidance for me to progress in this hobby. In a similar fashion, I hope to pass down and grow the hobby among the younger generation. I personally feel that this effort requires much more than just a one-man show. Through posts in Facebook groups and stamp fairs, let's hope for the best in this hobby.