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Dear Everyone,
Hi! And how are you all? I just came back from a wonderful holiday in Moscow and the Scandinavian countries. I have always wanted to go to these countries and hence this was a once in a life time trip. It was as good as I envisaged it to be. The main thing that hit me was how expensive everything was. Imagine paying US 10/ for a cup of coffee!!! I am definitely not going to complain if the local mamak shop charges me US 30 cents next time. Norway was so scenic and beautiful. Everything was so organized and efficient and I could even drink water from the tap!! It was also so good to find that there are minimal jams in the capital cities of these countries as bicycling is a very important mode of transport. I was even told by the hotel receptionist that there are more bicycles in Copenhagen than cars!!
The joy of the holiday was however marred by the untimely demise of two people who had a great influence in my life, Michael Jackson and our local movie director Yasmin Ahmad. I would like to take this opportunity to use the newsletter to pay tribute to this very talented duo.
Michael Jackson
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Yasmin Ahmad
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I grew up with Michael Jackson being one of my idols. I remember when the album ‘Thriller’ was released, me and all my friends were awkwardly trying to ‘moonwalk’ and dancing to tunes like ‘Billy Jean’ and ‘Beat It’. These were the only two songs being played almost every night at every pub, disco, club you could find, and MTV was monopolized by him during this period. Seeing him perform made my hair stand on end. He was a genius! He had his weaknesses, but I would like to remember him for his talents as a composer, performer and a singer. He definitely played a significant role in my life.
I came to know Yasmin Ahmad through her ever famous ‘Petronas’ advertisements. They never fail to warm my soul and bring tears to my eyes. I still have all of them in my computer and watch them whenever I am in need of inspiration. In all her advertisements and films, she had this remarkable ability to bring out the human element aspects so beautifully whilst at the same time capturing the essence of racial harmony in Malaysia. I had the opportunity to meet her briefly at the airport and what struck me most about her was her humility. She spoke to me as if I was her good friend, although I was a stranger to her. Thank you Yasmin for the wonderful, wonderful memories you leave behind and importantly for being a positive influence in my life!
Both the above personalities were geniuses in their respective fields. The thing that set them apart was that they were willing to be different; to do things that no one dared to do, to take risks so as to bring their art form on to the next platform. They were leaders who through their talents were able to leave a memorable legacy behind for the world. They had their fair share of critics, but never allowed the criticism to stop them from doing what they believed was right. May the both of you rest in peace wherever you are. Your work and legacy will forever be etched in all our hearts. I shall miss the two of you, very, very much. Take care.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I do hope all of you will have a great month ahead. Take care!
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