Vernon's brother is now an airline pilot and was essentially responsible for getting him on the Net by introducing him to Global Chat. Vernon was born and brought up in Petaling Jaya. He sadly admits he does not have exotic indigenous bloodlines from Sabah or Sarawak as assumed by many viewers of Cyberwave. The surname Emuang, pronounced correctly should sound like aye-mong, is of obscure Penang Eurasian origin. "Both Mum and Dad are of that ilk," he reports.  

While I've always been interested in how things work, I've always been more curious about the kinds of effects those bits of technology will have on people. For instance, I once made a revolving disco light with remnants from an old phonographic turn-table and a coloured light-bulb, and then subjected my childhood buddies to sit in a darkened room and to tell me how they felt. This was about the same time when my interest in music, the radio and dee-jay-ing was peaking. Additionally, I have always been fascinated by the world at large. The short-wave radio (hold the 'short' jokes, please) was a constant companion in my early teen years. I also had dreams of one day having my own ham radio and making contact with people all over the world.  

You may have heard Vernon present Celcom On The Air, from 1991 to 1994 over the Blue network and THR, another one of his many fantasies from youth realised in adulthood.  

I am not intimidated by technology, nor am I a tech-head. Rather than tinker for hours with bits of wire, switches, microchips and the odd power-point, you could say I have a deep fascination for the way in which the mind works or is stimulated by the influence of technology. A slew of inanimate electronic components, hernia-inducing instruction manuals and techno-babble can make me go blur as much as the next guy. For me, technology is more enjoyable when it helps you connect with people, listen to their point of view, challenge their assumptions, and contribute some small iota of difference to their lives - and they, to mine. Exploring points of view, changing perceptions, and arriving at solutions are what Vernon does in his real job as a Creative Director in an advertising agency. He also lectures from time to time on Creative Writing for copywriters at Institut Ilham, a school of communication studies.  

The world of information technology brings all these areas of deep personal interest even closer together for me. The computer and its never-ending evolution keeps me in perpetual intrigue and off the streets (yes, I'm known to be a bit of a party animal). The Internet is like a candy-store for my inner child. I am irritatingly curious and down-right nosey. Both these weaknesses are adequately sated by the infinite information available at the click of a mouse. I can source for books, music, and other non-essential trivia without having to pull on a pair of trousers. Through IRC (or internet relay chatting), my ham radio dreams have been more than realised. E-mail has transformed me from the world's worst correspondent to the most impatient Eudora-ean.  

Vernon owns a laptop, a Mac Classic, a 486- and a Pentium 133. He has one handphone, two phone lines, two message retrieval facilities (one is his secretary, the other his parents), two e-mail accounts, a home-page, and he founded and ops a chat channel, #malaysia on irc.qdeck.com. He also shares Steve Jobs's fascination with (or anguish from) sleep deprivation from delayed sleep disorder.  

So how did I end up on Cyberwave? Well, after having pursued an English degree in Australia majoring in Theatre Arts, I did look out for performance-oriented work where I could continue to make use of my training. On arriving back home after graduation, I hit the local English-language performing groups. Since then, I've been in many stage productions, a good number of videos, and a handful of films. The radio show Celcom On The Air broadcast nationwide allowed me to develop and present a media style and personae true to my own personality that seemed to have some success. So when Keith Liu (Head of Current Affairs, then) heard my voice on the phone and asked me if I might be interested, I said yes. It seemed a natural progression to what I had been doing. Needless to say, the audition process was nerve-wrecking.  

Vernon has performed on stage and on video in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, and has been critically acclaimed for the roles he has played. He once fronted an alternative rock band in Perth called Lift Strike in New York and also co-hosted a late night show on campus radio called The Mixed Bag. He was the famous sandwich-board man during the early years of Central Market where he played opera from a ghetto blaster and blew bubbles from the mezanine floors. He claims "It seems I will do anything short of criminal for fame. I have no shame."  

Television isn't as easy as it seems. There are so many people involved and so many aspects to consider. Concentration is key, and quite a strain especially for someone who seems to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. Nevertheless, Jeff (whom I did not know before Cyberwave) and I seemed to hit it off and I guess the on-screen spectacle of two completely different characters in heights, looks, age(?), and styles gave the show its own unique branding. I am glad that it has worked out though I have to keep reminding people that there is a serious side to me. Has Cyberwave changed my life? Well, now I have an obligation to behave myself in public.  

Vernon is available for frivolous chatter or deep and meaningful conversations depending on his astrological dispositions. He is serious in his endeavors to illuminate himself and those around him. He does not take too kindly to the self-righteous and will defend with his life your right to a great party.  

1. Don't underestimate your older brother. 
2. Technology should never rule your life. Neither should you deny yourself the self-empowerment that information technology can bring you. 
3. Stop. Look. And always listen. There's always a good lesson lurking where you least expect it. 
4. Always wear clean underwear, eat less meat and more veggie, and drink plenty of water. 
5. Use violence only as a last resort in a life-and-death situation. Convert, first; alienate, second; kill, only if you're a turd. 
6. A religion is only as good as the man who practices it with maturity and compassion. 
7. When in doubt, log off. 
8. Parenting is the most important duty on earth. 
9. Ask for a discount. 
10. Sleep is an interruption of life.