Discovering the fact you are different from your peers and making this difference work to your best advantage as the quirky and out of the norm individual.
There are concrete reasons why smoking is extremely BAD for our health:
It causes serious diseases and health issues, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases being on top of the list;
It reduces the quality of life;
It is a HUGE waste of money;
It is a serious health hazard especially to non-smokers;
It affects economic productivity; and
It STINKS and doesn't make you look good and cool!
I hope all my family and friends who smoke should consider quitting smoking for good for the sake of their own health and that of the people around them especially their loved ones who are staying with them. I have seen the negative effects of smoking on a non-smoker, i.e. my aunt who died of lung cancer two years ago. And yeah, the pain of losing her through no fault of her own still pains me tremendously even today. Thus, every day should be a NO SMOKING day.
The Chinese New Year of the Rabbit has dawned upon us for six days already. Many of the people I know, Chinese and all other races, would have enjoyed the festive camaraderie that usually comes with the holidays with their family and friends. We often get caught up with our own plans and agendas that we tend to overlook the importance of spending time with our loved ones, especially our parents.
As usual, Petronas the national oil and gas company of Malaysia has commissioned Leo Burnett Malaysia, an advertising agency to come up with a memorable festive advertisement for this Chinese New Year. Although, the ultimate creative force of Leo Burnett is no longer around, i.e. the late Yasmin Ahmad, however, the creative team there has outdone themselves by creating an advertisement to remind many of us that we should not forget to spend time with our loved ones, especially our aging parents.
I have always like festive advertisements done by Leo Bunett for Petronas. That was how I got to know the late Yasmin Ahmad and her works. Truthfully, I have not seen any of Yasmin Ahmad's movies but I'm absolutely smitten by the advertisements she and her creative team at Leo Burnett have created for Petronas over the years. That is why I often look forward to the major festivals we observe here - Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali and Christmas, also Malaysia's Independence Day, although the latter is not a major festival.
This year was no different for me looking forward to the Petronas festive advertisements although Yasmin Ahmad is no longer around. I guess her legacy still lived on as her husband; Abdullah Tan Yew Leong is also attached to Leo Burnett. I'm sure he is working very hard to keep Yasmin's creative legacy alive there as well as in the hearts of many of us ordinary Malaysians, regardless of the fact if we personally knew the late Yasmin Ahmad.
I think Yasmin Ahmad would have been very proud of this noble effort of imparting the message of unity and harmony to Malaysians through festive advertisements like how Petronas has commissioned Leo Burnett to do every year. And I really salute Yasmin Ahmad to be the true Malaysian she had always been.
It's the time of the year again where Chinese all over the world will be ushering the Year of Metal Rabbit in a few hours' time. I would have looked forward to celebrating Chinese New Year when I was younger as it was the time I would be able to meet up with all my extended family members and also collect as many red packets as possible. Not to mention, the amount of mandarin oranges, cookies and tidbits I pig out during the holiday period.
Now that I'm older with work commitments, Chinese New Year has become another one of the many public holidays we observe in Malaysia, with some differences. First and foremost, I would be looking forward to my brother and his family coming home for a visit, and other family members dropping by the house for a visit. Another would be the foods I get to eat to my heart's content for the next two weeks. And the highlight of it all... the red packets I'll be receiving, yes I'm still eligible to receive them.
Basically Chinese New Year is the same holiday I look forward to when I was younger but this time a major difference would be I would be having my nephew and niece home for a visit. And yeah, being an "auntie" is no walk in the park. Gong Xi Fa Cai and a blessed New Year to all my family and friends who are celebrating.
