Ho Kah Hoong

Cheras · Kuala Lumpur

Ho KahHoong

Also known as Leon Ho. Head of Marketing at BlackRevo, the youngest of five brothers, raised by a mother who sold newspapers.

Scroll and grow up with me

Where it starts

It starts with my mother.

She sold newspapers in Taman Desa, and she raised five sons on her own. Home was Cheras. I'm the youngest of the five.

Ho Kah Hoong as a primary school boy in glasses and a white school shirt, standing in front of his mom, who is smiling in a red top
Mom and me, primary school days

Age 3

The youngest of five.

Being the youngest had its perks. Whatever I asked for, my family would try their best to give it to me.

So yes, I was spoiled.

Kah Hoe · 12 Kah Kit · 11 Kah Ching · 6 Kah Wah · 4 Me · 3

Age 7

The one who learned Chinese.

Out of five brothers, I'm the only one who did. I even challenged Kah Kit once:

“You so smart? You know what is 清高?”

哈哈

清高 · qīng gāo · lofty, above it all

Age 10

The big field in front of our house.

Golf, jogging with our dog and our rabbit, and football with my brothers, and sometimes our cousins too.

Cheras4:00 pm

Boys! Dinner!

Every evening at 7:30, Mom would jump out of the house and shout for us to come home for dinner.

Age 12 · Same primary school

I saw her once.

She was twelve. I didn't know her name, and I didn't think about her again. Not yet.

Age 13 · Form 1

A quiet kid in Form 1.

I hardly spoke to anyone. My only friends were one Malay friend and one Indian friend. Truly 1Malaysia.

The first time I noticed Irene, she was number 42, right at the bottom of the list. I laughed and asked why she wasn't even trying. Another girl told me, “She's not lazy. She was just admitted to hospital.”

After that, Irene was always at the top. Always above me.

Age 15 · In loving memory

My grandparents.

They loved us so much. My grandfather and my mom would take us out to eat and slip us some pocket money.

They're not here anymore. We miss them.

Age 15 · Form 3

Eight of us around a table, four girls and four boys, just hanging out.

I asked her, “Irene, who do you actually like?”

“Stupid, I like you lah!”

The whole class heard.

I was so touched. It takes real courage for a girl to say that out loud, in front of everyone. We've been together ever since.

Kah Hoong and Irene as teenagers in 2014, smiling behind a birthday cake with lit candles
2014
Kah Hoong and Irene in 2025, his arm around her, celebrating a birthday
2025

Age 15 · Something I'm proud of

My first business.

At fifteen I started selling Tamagotchi. I took the money I made, bought motorbikes, and sold those too.

  1. SellTamagotchi
  2. BuyMotorbikes
  3. SellMotorbikes

Still one of the things I'm proudest of.

After my studies

Then came work.

  1. 3years

    Digital Marketer

    A marketing company

  2. 2years

    SEO Specialist

    BlackRevo

  3. Now

    Head of Marketing

    BlackRevo

Five years apart

Same sofa. Same spots.

Mom in the middle, my brothers around her, and me, still the baby, lying in front.

Ho Kah Hoong with his mom and four older brothers on the family sofa in 2021, Kah Hoong lying across the front
2021
The same five brothers and their mom on the same sofa in 2026, in traditional Chinese shirts, with Kah Hoong again lying in front
2026

Today

Still with Irene. Still a Volkswagen guy.

  1. First carPolo
  2. ThenPassat
  3. My dream carTouareg
  4. Irene's pick, hahaArteon
A red Volkswagen Polo hatchback with my plate, WXW 3320, the car I started with
A grey Volkswagen Passat saloon with my plate, FD 3320, my second car
A blue Volkswagen Touareg SUV, my dream car
A yellow Volkswagen Arteon, Irene's pick

Car photos via Wikimedia Commons, backgrounds removed: Polo by Dinkun Chen, Touareg by Vauxford, Passat by LuvsMG481, Arteon by KGC626 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

From Cheras to BlackRevo

That's the short version.

The long one has more football, more exam results and a lot more Irene.

Read my full story