Nothing is more exciting than finally have that job you always dream of. It has been my long passion to be part of an airline.
One might say that I was so close even the tiny ants could not get through of it but came a test. It changed everything.
I am more than mortified.
Called for an interview to work for some reputable airline in the world, I was nothing short of thrill but then came along a disaster that neither could I blame myself for nor the lord who made it possible.
Just a few days before that, I had some strange skin infection spreading out all over my palm and went up to the wrist.
When I went to see a doctor, he could not even make of it. He prescribed some lotion and a cream that only added salt to the injury.
And there went the story.
I was called in back for the second interview with that airlines, but sadly especially given the circumstance I had to turn it down.
Although its been confirmed as not being contagious but I rather take no chance.
It feels as if I am falling down into a dark hole. I am stuck in there not knowing where to go. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.
I am completely devastated.
For all of you who are reading this right now, please be extra cautious! If you work in an environment which requires to use your hands, or computer keyboard, again I can't stress it enough that there is no harm of being careful! Nobody knows how many hands have landed on the keyboard and some might be carriers of infectious disease.
Remember!
Pack a wet-wipe up when you go outside! Keep the hands sanitizer handy at all times. Wash your hands as regular as possible particularly after using the loo.
If you are a carrier of some stupid killing disease, please be more accountable! Seek immediate treatment! Don't be such a jackass!
Flying is the only way for me to get off the load of my chest, by that I mean, going away on holiday!
It felt so good after coming back from one! Except for certain cases when the person I traveled with was a complete pin in the ass, mind my language!
The thing I'd enjoy sparing time for, nothing else as far I can remember.
Some even might ask, what does it take to travel? Do we must have a lot of money to do that? What about the time it takes?
The answer to that would be rather short and simple; passion! What would you do for the thing or hobby you are in love so much? Everything!
As a frequent flier, time is of the concern, nothing else is! So it is of important to plan out your weekend getaway way in advance. Be sure to have all it needs prepared.
Three days are minimum for me, but then again it varies depending on the time and budget available. Being an easy traveler myself, I couldn't care less about the place I'll stay in for as long it has got the things a room should, I am all good.
Your short trip doesn't have to complicated, remember ultimately you just want to relax! For a solo traveler, be sure to have a little medical kit packed up in your bag just in case you need it! Who knows!
My Medical Kit
If I were to choose of beach, wild or city, the first two would definitely be the ones.
Lack of sleep could eventually lead to series of health issues and brain cells death being among them as quoting from the recent studies done by a few major international research organisations.
Looks no further, I myself am having this similar issue, only get a few hours sleep out of ordinary patterns in a day, and one of the major problems I'd always have throughout the day later is mood swinger, I tend to be hostile more easily than ever; even to the slightest problem as "low battery on my phone" could end up being a big problem to me, then my day is ruined.
I have been working out on it since so long as far I can remember, but all the ways that I could possibly think led to the dead end. Nothing seems to be effective.
Then I tried to relax by occasionally taking a weekend getaway whenever is possible, and here is to my amazement that it does seem to work and obviously costly too! But it is surely not for long till thing gets back to the square one. The unpredictable climate change - the heat - only adds up to the problem.
I even took supplements to ease my isomnia.
After consulting friends and some physicians, they came out with a rather odd but cold be true suggestion that time has come to start a family, or simply put to get married.
A suggestion that has yet to be put to test. My journey is far from the finishing line, still have a lot more to see.
If you have any better way to fight and put this to an end, why not share it with me, I'll feature that in one of my posts later?
Out of a very British sense of fairness perhaps, I am feeling a little uncomfortable with the amount of bad news or negative stories I have been writing about Korea recently on this blog and the general malaise about North Korea as well. Believe me when I say that things aren't all bad, indeed they are very often good and better than back home in England in many regards. This goes without saying really when you think about it, because if everything is bad then why the hell have I stayed here for so long? So here is a list of reasons why I think Korea is actually a pretty decent place to live most of the time. Life is simplified (for a foreigner or native English teacher) It really is stupidly easy to live here, even if you cannot speak the language. When you arrive everything is usually sorted out for you; you have an apartment without looking for one, furniture without shopping, and are set up with a bank account. Life generally is made exceptionally easy with great delivery services, you don't have to search around for the best energy providers, public transport is efficient and cheap, and if you live in even a small city or town a convenience store, supermarket, gym, department store, doctors, dentists, pharmacy, a variety of restaurants, and all the services you can possibly need are all just around the corner. Korean Food As a man who is from a country well known for terrible food (for good reason), I can tell you that I really love the food here, and enjoy being introduced to such a wide variety of different Korean foods. Korean people take great pride in their food, and for this reason I am never short of generous souls to take me out for lunch or dinner to a different restaurant so they can watch me gleefully gorge myself on another new Korean dish. I have met some foreigners who say there is little variety and that it is all the same spicy taste, but I think they have simply not gone out there and experimented or tried enough different Korean foods. There is great variety here, and most of it is extremely healthy, yet another tick in the box for Korean cuisine. You can even travel to experience specialty food, something that I seem to be doing more often. Korea has a rich culinary tradition and certain foods are considered especially delicious in different parts of the country where they specialise in them and this is well worth exploring. Finding Work and the Work Itself As a native English speaker, finding work in Korea is easy and for me as a man who is married to a Korean it becomes exceptionally easy. As long as you give your work as a teacher here its own meaning and try to excel at your job, you will be appreciated and at the same time as finding work as an English teacher quite undemanding, you will be challenged enough to make things interesting. This challenge is greater when you have to plan all your lessons without the aid of textbooks or any syllabus, like I have to. This takes extra time and effort but is rewarding as it gives me an intellectual freedom in my job that I really enjoy. Even for teachers without this amount of freedom, relishing the challenge of teaching and motivating students whose language it not your own is the key to enjoying the native English teacher experience. The Lack of Petty Crime There will always be stories that can be shared that are exceptions to this rule, but it is nice to be able to walk around with at least some level of faith that nothing will be stolen or if you lose something it might get returned to you. As I have mentioned before on this blog, some shop owners just store their stock outside on the street under some shelter from the rain and no one steals anything. I could not imagine this happening in Britain. Also, if you lose your wallet you do have a great chance of getting it back with everything still inside. Reckless vandalism also appears to be almost non-existent. Perhaps much of this is because of a Confucian based culture's greater respect for authority, an aspect of their culture to which I have pointed out a fair amount of downsides to, but this happens to be a happy result of it. The Lack of Politically Correct Nonsense
Sometimes in my British world of forcing school kids to wear goggles for a game of conkers, law suits for tripping on cracks in the street, failure to criticise anyone within a group of people for fear of giving offence, and everyone wins sports for the young, I yearn for some spade calling bluntness and this is what you can get in Korea. Kids are wondering around at night buying street-food without fear of abduction or anyone reporting their parents to social services, obese people are called lazy people who need to exercise more and this is widely accepted, my high schoolers are given the responsibility for cleaning their classrooms and changing light bulbs without the fear of them having an asthma attack from dust or killing themselves with electric shocks (no one has died yet), and people trip up and make a mistake by not looking where they are going and slink off in an embarrassed manner without looking for the nearest person to claim money off of. There are many more examples I could go through. Sometimes they are too harsh, too blunt, and don't consider individuals very much or empathise with them but mostly I do appreciate their clarity and no-nonsense approach. Random Acts of Kindness I sometimes experience a level of sweetness in Korea that I rarely experience back home. This can be in the form of offering food, surrendering an umbrella or lending one when it is raining, the offering of lifts in a car when I have looked lost and other kind gestures. Whether these acts occur out of a sense of duty or not they can be very heart-warming. One of the situations where I often find kind acts being done to me is while hiking, where offers of food, drink or assistance seem to be particularly common. Exploring the Country With a little bit of knowledge of Korean it is possible to explore the whole country just by taking public transport - which ties in with what I said about the ease of living. With mountains, beaches, gorges, forests, islands, different foods, temples and historical landmarks, Korea is a great place to travel around with the added bonus - especially for a skin-flint like me - of not breaking the bank either. It is a great country to explore and one that is still relatively free of tourists, so a genuine feel of the culture can be experienced.
Young People I am very fond of young people in Korea, especially between the ages of about 11-20. Really young kids just annoy me, period, regardless of their nationality, but that is just my personality. Young people in Korea, in my opinion are especially kind, fun, friendly, open-minded, and polite. Contrary to what some believe, I find them generally highly respectful of foreign teachers - something I explained in a previous post, here. Reverse the situation and have Koreans teaching in English schools and I doubt whether student behaviour would be so kindly. The reason for their affability might be because of their respect culture and the fact they are slightly oppressed by it, both in their dealings everyday with elders and their monumental amounts of study. Respect culture is something I profoundly dislike but I must admit it does seem to create nice kids, perhaps exactly because they are slightly down-trodden by it. There is Always Plenty of Controversy and Conflict Some might think that this is a bad thing, but if you can embrace the difference in the culture here, you will never be short of a talking point over dinner. Some people think embracing a culture means accepting it, I disagree. Arguing against things you believe are wrong is important regardless of culture. I have conflicts with Korean culture all the time but I don't necessarily accept their point of view as equally valid, I enjoy the battle against it, even if many of these battles have to be fought in my head or keyboard in hand on my blog. If you want a debate, to write, or to be intellectually stimulated, there can be few better places to be in the world than in Korea with so much up for discussion. This more than makes up for the stresses of clashing with the culture sometimes. If you want a stress-free life that doesn't challenge your principles, go home or stay away. If you want a bit of spice and interest and have your worldviews challenged, come to Korea and enjoy the ride. People are Genuinely Interested in you A year or so ago I took a trip to Indonesia and I was constantly disappointed by how many times someone would start a friendly conversation with me that always, in the end, turned out to be an emotional blackmailing tactic for me to buy something off of them. You just never experience this in Korea, people are genuinely interested in you and where you come from or they want to practice their English with you. It leads to many unexpected and pleasant conversations that can put a little smile on your face. I have always felt a touch of innocence in many of the people in Korea in this regard and it is a very charming trait about them. These are my own personal joys about living in Korea. If any of my readers would like to add to this, by commenting below, I would be really interested to know if I have left anything out.
Disclaimer : The article produced and solely owned by Christopher Smith(click here) nor has any part of it been changed or altered.
We have a dream -be it as we were child or even right now as an adult- so do I and what's mine is to have the life that I always dream of; even though as it may seem is beyond achievable but nonetheless its worth dreaming after all.
Its come to the detour in which there are only two choices to pass through, its either you make a turn to the right or the left. But one thing is for sure; what lies ahead is delusional.
Right doesn't usually mean positive, sometime what you find along the way on the left could be greater than the former.
I drove all the way and came to the crossroad, where a turn could possibly change the present from either the worst to the better or the other way around.
Its been sleepless nights this past week thinking of how could all this possible be ended. And here is the real deal, after giving a long contemplation and thought, said to myself "I want to migrate"; settle down at a new place.
In my consideration of all, Korea crossed my mind as the best second option right after Japan, having said that, Japan as you might know is really not a cost-friendly city to dwell on.
Cost of living there in Japan will likely drive you up the wall, nothing is cheap or affordable about staying -in this context living- in Japan.
I spent hours all day long went on the internet, tried to gather as much information possible; tabled and compared it with some of other cities that I had in my list, worked out on any way at all reducing the cost but sadly none of them seemed to be on my side.
For starter, I will just be staying for slightly more than a month, basically to fit myself in to the cultural and not to mention the weather as well.
I'll likely rent a cheap dingy apartment- hold a sec, did I just say "dingy"? -sounds like really not a good idea but judging by my last trip to Korea, even it looks like a rundown building, scary on the outside as you step inside, surprisingly everything is in a superb order! The cleanliness is second to none! That's Korea.
Korean in comparison to Japanese are more friendly towards foreigners. Helpful!
I am planning to depart in a week times, only if nothing else works, as the last resort I'd give this a try.
Just wait till a week has gone by, and nothing is updated since then, be my guess! Perhaps I have abandoned this crazy last minute idea.
For an explorer world is a playground for him, hi there...I know it took ages before this entry came up on here as my life is at stake, I have never been feeling well of late.
When you're sick not only the pain will be there to accompany you...but also the fear of death...
As far as I see this is that that is not the solution to all problems, being a muslim and from what I have been taught; it is of paramount important not to give up on everything as much as the saying goes " failure is the real victory ".
Whatever you are planning to do bear in mind that nothing should ever stop you from making it real. No matter how much pain you are in, just go for it.
You only have one life to make that happen, and anything comes after that will not matter anymore.
Even in this condition I still believe that a miracle will come along to lighten the burden and get rid of the anxiety.
I miss all of my old friends....I wish they were here to be with me....
To those I have wronged and each one of you, this could be the last chance for me to seek forgiveness.
Mistakes are part and parcel of one's life and for me perfection is just another human's creation.
Deeds are there to fix the flaws of sins, to make up for what sins aren't able to do. Every inhabited things come in pair as to complement one another even to the extent of a dining table, it won't be called dining table without those chairs around.
The real deal is in here....
Your life here and thereafter begins from this miracle.
I beg for your forgiveness in anything I have done....
With a clear direction comes the determination, I have fully tendered my resignation with the present company!
I am still in mixed feelings as to whether the decision that I have come to is the right one or perhaps the other way around but most often is not.
Was it done in haste?
Pretty much!
I can't bare another second thinking of that!
What's all in my head is trying anything possible to get out of there sooner!
But so long as I have done it, that be good enough for me!
Everyone at the office be it from my own team leader up to the manager was baffled!
They didn't see the signs coming that I would be leaving in such short notice not to the slightest.
When I was pulled in to a meeting, I decided not to break the truth and in fact I just kept the precious little gem all to myself.
I am sick and tired of getting stuck in the similar situation over again. What's wrong with you people?
Anyway,
It will likely take up a great deal of time till I get back to normal life fully, some adjustment is required here for my body clock to be back to the way it was once.
In the meantime, where shall I go next for my holiday?
I really wanna you guys to check out this amazing journey! I have been following this fella for awhile now!
His journey seems to be endless with spectacular stories in each step of his way.
The video is somehow blocked by BMW and can only be accessed by an invitation link!
In quest to find the answers to his starving inner voices.
He took a sudden turn that in many ways would not turn up the way he expected.
But he succeeded!
In his first journey crossing Asia from China with his little bicycle was just amazing beyond words in which has been neatly documented on his blog.
He left his career and a normal life behind not to mention his own family and wife to be a nomad, cycling around on his bicycle in search of the signs of THE ALMIGHTY!
I grew up with these funny yet amazing characters, an adventure of a young boy accompanied by an imaginary tiger of his that never failed to put even the slightest smile on my face to this day.
Its never just a comic strip, it is story of a little boy with full of life and has a knack for everything.
He is smart!
Who'd have thought a young boy could live with an imaginary tiger he creates on his own. This has been sensational!
In each strip, it is loaded with positive vibes, and I feel sometime that I wish I were the boy, Calvin.
I recently stumble upon this article:
‘Dear Mr. Watterson’ Celebrates the Glory of Calvin and Hobbes on Film
A new documentary, ‘Dear Mr. Watterson,’ explores the undimmed greatness of the long-gone comic strip through interviews with fans and other cartoonists.
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like Calvin and Hobbes and I hope I never do. It would be like meeting someone who didn’t like music, or ice cream. And what would we have to talk about?
Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes comic strip began its syndicated run in American newspapers in 1985 and continued for a decade. The last strip ran on Sunday, January 1, 1996. In that ten-year span, the strip came as close to perfection as a comic strip can, ranking with Krazy Kat, Pogo, Peanuts, and Doonesbury, with nods (for the drawing) to the various strips of Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff.
Dear Mr. Watterson, Joel Allen Schroeder’s mash note documentary (and his first film), is a lovely tribute to the strip, assembling fans and Watterson’s fellow cartoonists (also fans) to talk about what the strip meant to them. It contains no shocking revelations, no strange (or strained) interpretations. Rather, it’s like an on-screen fan club, only with girls allowed—sorry, Calvin. There’s also no appearance by Watterson, a man who likes his privacy, but hats off to Schroeder for respecting that.
Lest this sound rather tame, let me hasten to say that it’s a surprisingly pleasurable film. It would have been worth it just to see shots of Calvin, his parents, Susie, Miss Wormwood, Rosalyn the baby sitter, and all the products of Calvin’s overactive imagination—the dinosaurs, the space aliens, the malignant snowmen—but listening to Watterson’s fans speak about how much they loved the strip was a reunion of sorts, a sweet reminder of how much fun it was to get up every morning and scan the funnies to see what a boy and his tiger were up to. It’s been almost two decades since we last had that pleasure, and as cartoon historian Charles Solomon says, the demise of this strip left a hole in the comics that’s never been filled. Or ever will be. And Bill Watterson is still missing in action.
“No one has ever used real estate in the funnies to better advantage than Watterson did”
There are surely many cartoonists as funny as Watterson, but I’d argue that almost no one has ever drawn a comic as well as he did. Even in the incredibly shrinking scale of modern newspaper comics (three years ago Calvin and Hobbes wound up on a commemorative postage stamp, and size-wise, that’s a sadly logical leap), Watterson worked miracles, especially on Sunday. He had to fight for half a page but you like to think that he got it not just because his strip was so popular but because someone recognized that he deserved it.
Sunday was when the dinosaurs came out in force, and the intergalactic landscapes zoomed over by Spaceman Spiff, another of Calvin’s several roles. When Calvin was forced to play house with Susie, Watterson drew the entire comic in the style of one of the comic soaps like Mary Worth or Rex Morgan, M.D. Best of all were those occasions when Calvin imagined himself an eagle or a songbird—if Watterson hadn’t gone into cartooning, he could have made his fortune as a naturalist painter.
A scene from the documentary "Dear Mr. Watterson." (Gravitas Ventures)
The draughtsmanship and the inking in those Sunday strips is loose but precise, laid in with an impressionist’s knowledge of just how much drawing is necessary to convey a tree, a brook, or a red wagon barreling down a hillside. As Berkeley Breathed (Bloom County) says in the film, “The guy’s making it harder for the rest of his. He’s setting this impossible standard.”
Tell me about it. A few years ago I was working on a memoir about my childhood and at one point decided to incorporate drawings in the text. Calvin and Hobbes had always been one of my touchstones when writing, because the strip, while it never gets very dark, never sweetens the idea of childhood. The anarchy, the disconnect between the adult world and the world of the child, the idea that fantasy—especially fantasy manufactured by children themselves and not that borrowed from books, television, or movies—is more real to a child than the lamp posts and sidewalks of his own neighborhood. All these elements thrive in Watterson’s world, and I hoped, if I was lucky, to capture a bit of that.
So for a couple of months I drew some of the events I’d written about, assiduously copying Watterson’s style, particularly his knack for landscapes. I learned a lot, and I’d love to say I put what I learned to some use. But all I learned was just how good Watterson was and the pointlessness of trying to match his inimitable accomplishment—it was of a piece, complete in itself: you couldn’t just break off a chunk or borrow here and there. And my estimation of that accomplishment grew and grew the more I put pen to paper. In the end I abandoned the idea of art in my book, but my appreciation of Watterson and his creation had deepened immeasurably. If you put a gun to my head, I can do a pretty fair imitation of Krazy Kat, but if you ask me to copy Calvin and Hobbes, you might as well just go ahead and shoot me.
I miss that kid and his tiger like I miss being six years old. Dear Mr. Schroeder, thank you for bringing it all back home.
I have seen grows everywhere and things change over the time, just last week another friend of mine left for Geneva to pursue his dream of becoming a life changer. I wish him all the best in anything including his future endeavours.
Geneva
But as for me, at this point still in quest for my own future, trapped in uncertainties.
The more I give it a thought, the more I realise that if I stay the same and afraid of facing the challenges, I won't go anywhere.
I am making sure the direction I am heading to is the right one. I am tired of feeling guilty.
And another would perhaps be leaving too.
Amsterdam
On the same floor as where I work now, we have another process just joined in to serve Japan and that is one more important and big market for my company.
I have nothing at all against it but, if you have been up on that floor, you can tell for sure how limited the space is! It is getting crowded and shrunk to the point that I feel it is never a good idea to have them share the same floor.
The pay is super darn good though! That could be another reason why I don't like seeing them up there.
I have done some thinking, I would probably be taking Japanese classes given that as of now unfortunately they do not have anything for German.
Yes, I do speak German!
Could anybody who speak Japanese tell me a little bit of how hard to learn the language in term of grammatical and pronunciation contexts?
Where would be the best place I can go to to study Japanese here in KL?
Even if it is to the extent of having to fly off to Japan, I'd definitely do!
Most people look forward to taking a vacation from the stressful duties of work. Unfortunately for some individuals, the only memories they return home with is how horrible their travel experience was.
This year, make sure you have the best vacation ever by packing the following must-have travel accessories. They'll ensure a safer, smoother, more comfortable and enjoyable path to the paradise island of your choice.
Top 10 Travel Accessories
10. Medication Traveling long distances can surely put a damper on your trip — especially if you're going from New York to Australia. The last thing you need is to be running to the washroom every five minutes during a 20-hour flight. Get it here.
9. Camera It's a good idea to carry a light and easy-to-store camera. You never know who you might bump into while traveling, or what spectacular scenery might come in your path. Don't be one of the many people who regret having no memories of their vacation. Get it here.
Translation: "It was my pleasure waiting on a dirty, rotten American duck." Get it here.
7. Iomega Digital Audio Player Traveling can sometimes become a little dull, or even noisy. Why not soothe your ears with some of your favorite music while traveling? But traveling light is important, that's why you should leave your tapes and CDs at home, and consider storing digital audio files on 40MB PocketZip discs instead; 2 discs come included and provide 80MB of storage. Get it here.
6. Magazines When traveling, taking a few of your favorite magazines along for the ride can be a very good idea. Instead of sitting around fiddling your thumbs trying to figure out why the French waiter called you an American Duck, pull out a magazine and enjoy the articles and interesting pictures. You'll be amazed at how quickly time flies. Order them here.
Top 10 Travel Accessories
5. Travel Neck Pillow If you think you might enjoy a snooze while traveling, bring along aTravel Neck Pillow. It will ensure a more comfortable ride, while sparing your neighbor the scare of finding your head on her lap.
4. Deluxe Personal Care Kit The Deluxe Personal Care Kit allows you to take along all the essential items to help keep you well-groomed without having to pack your medicine cabinet. The kit includes the Rapid Groomer™ for nose hair; the Five O'Clock Shaver for quick touchups; cuticle scissors; finger and toenail clippers; twin-blade razor with 3 blades; tweezers; file; lint brush; toothbrush; penknife; comb; and more. Get it here.
3. Luggage Losing your luggage while traveling will lead to big headaches that can ruin your vacation, especially if you're traveling for one week, and it takes three days for the airline to locate and deliver your belongings. I always recommend a carryon bag for all the essentials including underwear, bathing suit, T-shirts, pants, sweaters, and your personal care kit. Get it here.
2. Undercover Passport/Money Belt Each year, thousands of tourists have the delightful pleasure of running into a friendly, welcoming mugger. If you want to reduce the chances of having your wallet and cash so kindly taken away by one of these lovely individuals, you will need to be a little more discreet with the Undercover Passport/Money belt. Get it here.
1. DISCOVER — Wherever You Go! Traveling can lead to a lot of unexpected expenses. You never know when you'll need a little extra purchasing power in order to buy gifts for the family back home, or take advantage of lower prices due partly to a strong exchange rate. Don't take a chance; always travel with a credit card. Get it here.
Basically all these are just random items a man would carry along with him but its all a different story for me.
The stuff that are needed the most in my case as follows:
1. Enough sleep prior to boarding (I could be cranky all the way if I hadn't have ample sleep the night or day before, it'll spoil your journey I tell you!).
2. Full tummy (I hate in-flight meals, its a big NO way for me, arrive at the airport as early you can and enjoy whatever you like before boarding, get yourself all charged up! and ready to board!).
3.Sufficient and proper clothes, do not overpack your bag with stuff that is not part of your travel, save the space for later when you buy something such as souvenir (you can always wash the used clothes later).
4.Medicines are the most important things I must have especially of that prescribed to you!
5.Reading materials like novels, mags or anything that can occupy yourself while waiting.
6.Camera, ipad or any communication devices.
7.A free mind, leave your work, stress and whatever behind (or it will ruin the entire holiday).
8.Be prepared as early as possible (I had an incident in which I almost missed my 6 hours flight, oh boy! The memory still lingers on).
Different people have different items that they must have while travelling.
I am not quite sure myself, but everyone seems to be talking about the late director, Yasmin Ahmad be it on facebook or twitter.
So I decided to bring back the memories, I in fact dedicated a post to show that how much I am in love with every of her amazing works, the post was created back in October 7, 2009.
She had only one clear mission in all of her creative ads that is to keep us united and embrace the differences each one of us hold,
I have a wonderful story about the late Yasmin Ahmad the person behind every inspiring commercials we see on the tv from Petronas that I want to share with you this time, the story below was extracted from
LEO BURNETT MALAYSIA's WEBSITE.
Yasmin Ahmad
Midway through a wonderful presentation to clients on the 23rd of July 2009, Yasmin said, “I don’t feel well”, then lay her head on the table, and lost consciousness until she passed away peacefully on the 25th.
At 8pm on the Tuesday night before she died, Yasmin called whoever was still working in the office to come to the Leo Burnett amphitheatre.
In the quiet of that night, she told us things beautifully prophetic. She asked those present what they want to learn from her. Naturally most people said they wanted to learn how to make good TV commercials and movies. Her answer to that? “I can’t show you how to do it. But I can point you in the right direction”.
Then she played us her Petronas Merdeka TV commercial ‘Tan Hong Ming’ (which won numerous awards including Cannes Gold) and said, “I didn’t do this commercial.”
“God did it.”
“Doesn’t matter whether you call it the Tao, Allah, or God, God is One. Be open to this Higher Power, and each one of us can be a channel.”
She explained how she had initially thought that she was done with shooting Tan Hong Ming who said his best friend is a boy who wears a songkok (a headgear often worn by Malaysian Muslims). But Tan Hong Ming kept pestering her, pulling at her baju kurungand saying strange things like “I’m a vegetarian”. So she kindly humoured the 7-year-old, putting the camera on him and asking, “Do you have a girlfriend?” And that’s when the magic just flowed.
Nothing was scripted. It was all real. It was just an innocent little child, speaking from the heart. And when Ummi Qasrina came by, her heart echoed these same pure thoughts. All the team had to do was keep the camera rolling.
One of her amazing works
“Only God can do things like that” said Yasmin.
Then Yasmin took us through another Petronas TV commercial which was not written by her, but by Ng Choo Seong. She reminded us that Nisha Khiruddin wrote one of the most loved and most insightful Petronas Chinese New Year commercials. That one of our most junior staff, a visualiser, Ken Wong Woon Kian, affectionately known as “Ayam” to her, did three TV commercials in just three years of his career with Leo Burnett. That Christie Herman, a Christian, did what’s probably the most watched Petronas TV commercial for the Hindu festival of lights, “The Boys in the Hood”. That we can go through the entire list of Petronas TV commercials, and realize that many were not written by her, but by each of us in the office. And that we can continue doing so.
One of her amazing works
“To tap in to this kind of inspiration” said Yasmin that Tuesday night, “we just need to open our hearts and humble ourselves to the One”, she repeated “doesn’t matter whether you call it The Tao, Allah or God”.
Then, Yasmin literally demonstrated how she humbles herself five times a day - on the very floor of the Leo Burnett amphitheatre - standing, bowing, kneeling, prostrating. “At every point, I become smaller, smaller and smaller” she said, “reminding myself that I am nothing.”
“And God, everything.”
On that very night, she also reminded us that “Energy cannot be destroyed. It just takes on different forms.”
She said we “should not have a guru. Because, even if one is a very good imitator, at best one will be limited to being a poor imitation of the guru.” She directed us to God, “upon Whom there are no limits.”
Yasmin didn’t leave Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur in the lurch when she died. She handed us over to God. Upon Whom she has always counted on for inspiration. Unto Whom she has now returned.
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