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Pride
In my 13-year-or-so of advertising life, I have been in agencies of
all sizes and shapes. There was the sole proprietor company where I started
as a fresher, the small Singapore-originated SilAd, Tactic Advertising
that did the groundbreaking of KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport),
141/Bates Malaysia where I served 5 years in, and the European network,
Euro RSCG Malaysia. Some of them might have changed management, or even ceased
operation; the good news is, I am still alive and kicking.
But life goes on, and needs rejuvenation every now and then. Therefore
I decided to take a break in 2003, and did a Degree in Advertising (surprise,
surprise) as well as a Masters in Media, in Southampton, England.
Whilst doing my MA Media, I spent a year working as a part-time lecturer
in Southampton Solent University, teaching the Advertising undergrads
concept and idea generation, art direction, and layout skills on Apple
Macintosh.
Here are some of my students who made me proud.
Passion
Art and craft is my first love, and art classes in school had never failed to have
my full attention. I picked up the drawing board pretty early. At the age of 4,
I was already illustrating scenes from movies I've seen. Figure drawing has always
been what I'm best at. The fact that not any two human beings, or any two parts
on a human body that are exactly identical, made figure drawing such a fulfilling
enjoyment.
However, thanks to those horribly tacky 1970s Chinese movies (in which all
artists or painters ended up extremely sad and poor then died of incurable illnesses),
my humble talent wasn't what my folks would have wished their daughter to take
major interest in - or worse - make a living out of. There were times I had to hide
my drawing activities underneath my homework.
Although my parents wishfully thought that I could become a doctor (or something
to that effect), and I have actually studied A-level sciences; little do they know
that I was nowhere near doctor material. Hence, I ended up getting involved in
advertising industry and began my life as an art director within a year of
commencing work.
It wasn't exactly easy being a female junior art director back in the early 1990s,
if you know what I mean. Everything from trying to get an idea through to a
photographer, to convincing the advertising folks that creative attire doesn't
just mean sloppy t-shirts and jeans. Then there was this notion that creative art
people are in general, err... illiterate (which is of course, untrue). Great amount of
will power is certainly essential in order to stay put in the industry, besides
passion. On the other hand, contrary to popular belief, I am literate (thank
goodness for that). But then of course, things got better through time. I have
been able to wear some nice clothes to work in the past few years, finally.
Hail the new millennium!
If there is only one thing I can take with me to a deserted island (and if death is not a
choice), it has to be food. Let's face it, it's the most basic essential for living beings to
survive! Will worry about handsome celebrities when my stomach is being taken care of.
And don't even let me start on environmental sustenance. I just can't help but ask,
why can't an A4 paper be used on both sides before it is put into the recycle bin?
Or in most people's case, the bin? Why aren't there more promotions and awareness
campaigns on the subject? Why... why... why...
Phenomenon
Depeche Mode, the greatest creations since mankind. My mental life support machine.
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