fulfilled
my short 3 day filming trip in ipoh has been fulfilling. this is what i tell people when they ask me how it went.
true that it is physically tiring but every cell in my body felt satisfied because this is the kind of story i want and love to do.
along the way i met so many inspiring people and gathered so many stories.
let's start from my cameramen. i waited for my cameraman and his assistant to come pick me up from the airport. when i was told a few hours before my trip that he was bringing an assistant, my radar went on hyperdrive. "what if he charges me extra for the camera assistant? how am i to answer to my company?"
embarrassed to ask him about the additional cost, i started observing his every action once i stepped into the car. "is he holding an invoice? is he going to ask me for payment NOW? is it safe travelling with these two men? what are they like?"
my cameraman turned out to be this gruff, loud man. his phone kept ringing and i realised that i'm not the only person he speaks to and ends the conversation in a hurry. he does it to EVERYBODY.
and my camera assistant, who is a big burly bear, turns out to be a soft-hearted and respectful man who everyone loves. he treats every elder person he sees with respect, always greeting them and makes every lady we see smile. casanova.. the best part is, we have got quite similar taste in music, judging from his choice in radio stations.
at one point, my cameraman decided to be hip and join us, all 40 years in age. so he put in this CD and immediately this techno music blasted through the stereo. "Ice ice baby..." i stared in horror. 10mins later, my camera assistant turned it back to radio mode and we were jiving to the latest hits. :)
even though i couldn't communicate with my interviewee, she was the sweetest old lady. very obliging even though i was worried sick that i would tire her out. and her family members were so hospitable. they kept offering us coffee, food, dessert and brought us out to eat every night.
on top of that, they were all inspiring. the 13 year old granddaughter is the most compassionate person i've ever met. when i met her, i was convinced that only God can create such a compassionate person because ever since she was a little tyke, she has been looking out for everyone around her, caring for them and loving them. and i had this long conversation with the daughter over dinner one day. she asked me about my job, about my trip to nepal, what i like to do and in turn, i asked her how she feels giving so much to society. very inspiring lady who i will always remember.
and the son-in-law. he's like my translater/fixer/host. a 60 year old guy who opens up his life to me and makes sure i get whatever i need. he candidly told me about his medical condition, shared with me his struggles and never treated me as an outsider. on our way to look for ipoh goodies, i asked how he met his wife and he told me the most beautiful real fairy tale i've ever heard.
she was his first love but because of his suitor's jealously, he missed marrying her and in a fit, he went to the nurses' dormitory - where he had 12 girlfriends there (!), and asked all 12 to marry him. then he was a manager of a big company, drawing a high salary and one of them said yes to marry him. she became his first wife. when he suffered a huge setback in life and became downtrodden, his wife couldn't go through poverty with him and left him. one day, he was in the market and thought he saw his first love. he marched up to her and found out that she was a divorcee like him. immediately he asked for her hand in marriage. IMMEDIATELY! they agreed to meet again the next day and talk more about their lives and decide if they should get married. a few days later, he went up to her mother, my interviewee, and asked for her daughter's hand in marriage. that's where the drama escalated.
she took her walking cane, attempted to whack him in his head. he grabbed hold of the stick and in a fit of anger, she demanded her sons kill him on the spot. her daughter intervened and told him to leave first. a couple of days later, he found out that his mother-in-law had sent his wife to london because she objected them and she wanted her daughter to remarry her ex husband.
when she was due to come back, his mother-in-law ordered her son who is a general in the army to send his men to the airport to watch out for him. but he had one up. his friend was the Minister of Home Affairs so he had a pass which allowed him access into the airport. the night before, he went in and stayed there, waiting for the plane to arrive. when it finally did, he whisked his wife-to-be off to australia to marry her and stayed away from his mother-in-law for 6 years. they finally returned when they had their first son. by then she wasn't angry anymore and accepted them.
drama can???!!! now he is her favourite son-in-law.
it's a drama cum fairy tale. a love story that came into full circle.
on top of that, i witnessed 3 cows and 1 goat slaughter. i think i'm getting used to this. it's painful listening to all the sounds. it was harder knowing that the animals KNOW they are going to die. the cows were so terrified their bowels failed them. it is exactly how they describe criminals on the death row. the whole time i was thinking, "can i still eat beef?" and then later on watching the people saw off the parts of the cow and the goat hanging from the tree as they skinned it alive. wah.....
but i'm proud to say that i didn't faint at the sight of blood. it's getting better.
before i left, i called my host to thank him for everything. and he said this that touched my heart, "i hope you have everything you need. if anything else, at least know that you have a friend in Gopeng."
that's why i love being a journalist. :)
true that it is physically tiring but every cell in my body felt satisfied because this is the kind of story i want and love to do.
along the way i met so many inspiring people and gathered so many stories.
let's start from my cameramen. i waited for my cameraman and his assistant to come pick me up from the airport. when i was told a few hours before my trip that he was bringing an assistant, my radar went on hyperdrive. "what if he charges me extra for the camera assistant? how am i to answer to my company?"
embarrassed to ask him about the additional cost, i started observing his every action once i stepped into the car. "is he holding an invoice? is he going to ask me for payment NOW? is it safe travelling with these two men? what are they like?"
my cameraman turned out to be this gruff, loud man. his phone kept ringing and i realised that i'm not the only person he speaks to and ends the conversation in a hurry. he does it to EVERYBODY.
and my camera assistant, who is a big burly bear, turns out to be a soft-hearted and respectful man who everyone loves. he treats every elder person he sees with respect, always greeting them and makes every lady we see smile. casanova.. the best part is, we have got quite similar taste in music, judging from his choice in radio stations.
at one point, my cameraman decided to be hip and join us, all 40 years in age. so he put in this CD and immediately this techno music blasted through the stereo. "Ice ice baby..." i stared in horror. 10mins later, my camera assistant turned it back to radio mode and we were jiving to the latest hits. :)
even though i couldn't communicate with my interviewee, she was the sweetest old lady. very obliging even though i was worried sick that i would tire her out. and her family members were so hospitable. they kept offering us coffee, food, dessert and brought us out to eat every night.
on top of that, they were all inspiring. the 13 year old granddaughter is the most compassionate person i've ever met. when i met her, i was convinced that only God can create such a compassionate person because ever since she was a little tyke, she has been looking out for everyone around her, caring for them and loving them. and i had this long conversation with the daughter over dinner one day. she asked me about my job, about my trip to nepal, what i like to do and in turn, i asked her how she feels giving so much to society. very inspiring lady who i will always remember.
and the son-in-law. he's like my translater/fixer/host. a 60 year old guy who opens up his life to me and makes sure i get whatever i need. he candidly told me about his medical condition, shared with me his struggles and never treated me as an outsider. on our way to look for ipoh goodies, i asked how he met his wife and he told me the most beautiful real fairy tale i've ever heard.
she was his first love but because of his suitor's jealously, he missed marrying her and in a fit, he went to the nurses' dormitory - where he had 12 girlfriends there (!), and asked all 12 to marry him. then he was a manager of a big company, drawing a high salary and one of them said yes to marry him. she became his first wife. when he suffered a huge setback in life and became downtrodden, his wife couldn't go through poverty with him and left him. one day, he was in the market and thought he saw his first love. he marched up to her and found out that she was a divorcee like him. immediately he asked for her hand in marriage. IMMEDIATELY! they agreed to meet again the next day and talk more about their lives and decide if they should get married. a few days later, he went up to her mother, my interviewee, and asked for her daughter's hand in marriage. that's where the drama escalated.
she took her walking cane, attempted to whack him in his head. he grabbed hold of the stick and in a fit of anger, she demanded her sons kill him on the spot. her daughter intervened and told him to leave first. a couple of days later, he found out that his mother-in-law had sent his wife to london because she objected them and she wanted her daughter to remarry her ex husband.
when she was due to come back, his mother-in-law ordered her son who is a general in the army to send his men to the airport to watch out for him. but he had one up. his friend was the Minister of Home Affairs so he had a pass which allowed him access into the airport. the night before, he went in and stayed there, waiting for the plane to arrive. when it finally did, he whisked his wife-to-be off to australia to marry her and stayed away from his mother-in-law for 6 years. they finally returned when they had their first son. by then she wasn't angry anymore and accepted them.
drama can???!!! now he is her favourite son-in-law.
it's a drama cum fairy tale. a love story that came into full circle.
on top of that, i witnessed 3 cows and 1 goat slaughter. i think i'm getting used to this. it's painful listening to all the sounds. it was harder knowing that the animals KNOW they are going to die. the cows were so terrified their bowels failed them. it is exactly how they describe criminals on the death row. the whole time i was thinking, "can i still eat beef?" and then later on watching the people saw off the parts of the cow and the goat hanging from the tree as they skinned it alive. wah.....
but i'm proud to say that i didn't faint at the sight of blood. it's getting better.
before i left, i called my host to thank him for everything. and he said this that touched my heart, "i hope you have everything you need. if anything else, at least know that you have a friend in Gopeng."
that's why i love being a journalist. :)