A winner of the University of Otago postgraduate award, Dr Goh Chee Leong completed his doctoral thesis in developmental memory. He lectures in a broad range of psychology courses including motivation and counselling psychology, apart from working as a corporate trainer, specialising in conflict resolution.

Goh also has research interests in eyewitness memory, work related stress (!) and youth issues.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Being woken up on a rainy morning by my wife and baby daughter, and realising that it's the start of a week-long holiday.

Which living person do you most admire?

My father.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Being Malaysian, its got to be food doesn't it; Fresh Bluff (a place in New Zealand) oysters and escargot in cream sauce with some New Zealand white wine, followed by some rib-eye steak, and then chocolate ice cream with fudge topping.

Alternatively, 20 sticks of Haji Samuri sate, Kajang would also hit the spot.

What is your favourite journey?

From the office to my home at the end of the day. Also love driving up to Camerons (on the Tapah road). I know the rest of the passengers all get car sick, but as the driver, I love the forest cover as well as the sense of escaping up to mountains.

What is your greatest regret?

Not persevering with piano classes and not learning Mandarin. I am trying to rectify that belatedly now.

Which talent would you like to most have?

I've always wanted to be able to fly. But I'll settle for Johann Cruyff's footballing talent married with Franz Beckenbauer's tactical nous.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

Nothing. If we were all perfect, where's the fun in that?

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

Movie director or a gifted football player somewhere in Europe. Those have always been my boyhood dreams.

Who are your favourite writers?

I read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings at least once a year since I was in university. I like Vikram Seth's work as well as Kazuo Ishiguro. John Wyndham for science fiction and Henri Nouwen for spiritual direction.

Who is your favourite hero of fiction?

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird . I think his roles as a father and a community leader and activitist were a great inspiration to me.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My father.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your level of belief in religion?

9.5. I am a Christian. As imperfect as I am, I do try to live by the principles of love and grace taught by Jesus. I believe the Bible still has a relevant message for our world today in our families, our leadership and how we live in general. More specifically, in a world where self acceptance is such a problem and where so many people are out to prove something to the world, we are reminded that God loves us for who we are, not what we can achieve. It's a very hard lesson to grasps, but a profoundly important one.

What is your motto?

Life is an opportunity to be taken.

COLLIN NUNIS is a student and contributor. He wants to be a journalist when he graduates. If you would like certan personalities to be featured, drop a line at dina@malaysiakini.com .