Kuala Lampur, Sept. 14 -- "Beep... beep!"

That familiar sound of the postman's motorbike bell was enough to bring everyone to the front door.

For our family, it was a sound filled with possibility. We would look towards the gate wondering what he might have brought that day.

Perhaps it was a letter from a relative, a postcard from a friend, the latest issue of a favourite magazine or simply an envelope bearing news that had been eagerly awaited. We never quite knew.

That uncertainty was part of the excitement. Looking back now, I realise that the postman was delivering much more than letters.

With each visit, he carried the possibility that something important might be about to change.

As a young student, I experienced this most viv...