Yasmin Ahmad

Just came back from a yum-cha session with the gang and to now find that Yasmin Ahmad is gone?? We were just talking about her just now.... I'm shocked! Seriously, this news to me is even bigger than Michael Jackson's.

If given chance, I would had really hoped that one day I could work with her, well everyone in the Advertising and Design industry would love to do that. But too bad, there will not be that chance anymore.

I remember Yasmin was the name of a famous Advertising and Design person, an idol I named when Joseph, my Corporate Identity lecturer then in One Academy pass us a slip of paper in our very first class with him asked us this question "Who in Advertising and Design is your inspiration?" That was 7 years ago.

I also remember how jealous I was when a few of my classmates then had the chance to interview her for a project. In the video they took, she really seemed really friendly. But I too met her once before when in McCann I think 2 years ago. She came to see Hwa and me being at the correct place, at the correct time, I was the one who opened the door for her and invited her in. I remember her speaking to me in Mandarin. That was my closest encounter with her.

There are numerous stories about her spreading in the industry. Good or bad, news about her always catches people's attention. But funnily, no one ever talks bad about her.... People who has met her and worked with her before always say that is is always jovial. Even in pictures, she is never seen 'normal' or 'serious'. I bet she is surely the life of the party....

It's really sad to hear someone so prominent in this industry gone. Everyone and anyone on the streets will tell you that the festivals in Malaysia will never be the same anymore without her commercials, but to us in the industry, it's more than that, something so profound that it's hard to explain, like a spirit.

There is nothing left to be said and done now.... the only thing we can do now is to thank her for all the inspiration she has given us through out her life and hope to keep on learning from her even if she is not here anymore.... You will surely be missed...