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In a nutshell, tell us about yourself

When I was 15, dad bought us our first internet-enabled PC. It was a dial-up that had to be placed close to a phone socket. The best place for it was a corner in the living room. There was a problem. In the middle of the room was an upright piano, sitting on a carpet. Dad decided the only way to move it was to get help from a few of his friends over the weekend, after our failed attempts to move it. The weekend was too far away. Defeated by the lack of brute strength, I heard the voice of Archimedes whispering “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world”. I managed to get the piano sitting on a pile of glossy prospectuses and glided it across the other side of the room, single-handedly; freeing up the space I needed, that very same evening. That single event has underpinned my outlook in life and my constant questioning of what is conventional practice.

What are your loves?

Food, my kids and my husband (he’ll be reading this!)

What are your hates?

Wasting time. Patience is not my virtue.

What’s your idea of a perfect weekend?

Walking on the beach and in the countryside of rural Norfolk, and then retiring to a country pub.

What would you desire most if stranded on a desert island?

It would be a novelty the first few days, and I would savour the moment. But after that, WiFi withdrawal syndrome will most definitely set in.

What makes you laugh?

Juvenile jokes with my kids and Michael McIntyre.