(This is reproduced from the posting I made on my Facebook Page on 24th November 2025.)

Several weeks back, I passed by this 4-storey shophouse in King’s Centre, Kuching. It didn’t look like much, but it housed my first college where everything began with only a handful of students. Initially I took the first floor which comprised of two classrooms and one administrative office. Subsequently the 2nd and 3rd floor were also rented to add more classrooms.

I had the facade painted blue and someone commented that it looked like a police station. As I recently stood outside and surveyed the area, the place was still as crowded as it was many years back. The corner coffeeshop and the grocery store are still doing business there. The building looked dilapidated and the paint was fading. There was even laundry hanging from the windows.

But no matter how it looked, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Back then, more than 20 years ago, all we had was one desktop computer, some keyphones, and just enough desks and chairs for the few staff and students. We couldn’t even afford a fax machine and I had to pay to use a friend’s fax. Just taking a look at this building is a reminder of the long onerous but eventual satisfying journey that had been taken. It’s always in these humble and unassuming places that the very first steps were taken by those who dare.