Choong Khuat Hock: I never knew him

I never knew Choong Khuat Hock even though he was a fellow freelance columnist with The Star newspaper.

But I knew that he came from a very illustrious family in Penang. His father's brothers, Eddy Choong and David Choong, were famous badminton players.

I knew one of his uncles, his father's cousin, actually. I worked together with Dr Choong Sim Poey for many years in the Penang Chess Association. I also knew one of his many cousins, Ben Choong, who is the secretary of the Old Frees' Association. For some years in the 1990s, we worked together in the OFA.

So all I knew about Choong Khuat Hock is from the newspapers which have been giving his untimely death rather widespread coverage since earlier this week.

From the newspapers today, I knew a little bit more about him. Here is a moving eulogy by one of my friends and previous employer, Mark Chang, the founder and chief executive officer of JobStreet.com. From this eulogy, more details of his life have emerged. Yes, he lived a rich life of spontaneity, adventure and curiosity, and, above all, he was utterly professional in his career as a financial analyst, which is more than most of us can claim to be.

My follow-up blog post on Choong Khuat Hock is here.