Last Thursday, I was a back in office and to prevent me from falling asleep, I was listening to an hour and a half long podcast although I didn't listen to it in one shot. It was an interview with a well known entertainer and host in Singapore named Suhaimi Yusof, a household name here and he also had made a name for himself in Malaysia as well.
He was a former radio deejay, a host, comedian and sometimes actor. He is such as valuable 'treasure' of Singapore and even in the latest government initiatives campaign, they had him on board as well because his name is recognisable to anyone irregardless of race.
His interview was a very insightful and filled with gems based on his experiences and family background. He was pretty candid about many things and though he was the one being interviewed, the interview didn't actually need to keep prompting him because he's just has a natural gift for talking. He also talked about his role as a Dad, different from his usual happy go lucky personality that we often see him in social media and on the television. He is strict because he wants to instil good values in his children while they were still at an age where they can be moulded into character. When they grow up, it will be harder and pretty much on their own.
However, he educated them with explanations by making them understand the consequences and why he reacted in such manner to them if they were misbehaving. So at least they know what they did wrong. He also shared his struggles in the entertainment industry but at the same time, he also said that he learnt a lot from the people he knew by taking the initiatives to learn such as video editing. Back then, it was a complicated and tedious process unlike now with technology. So he volunteered to help those in the background while at the same time, he learn new skills as well which came in useful as he branched into production.
But just as we thought that this guy's life is almost perfect with few setbacks, he shared a story that he had never told anyone. That he had an accumulated loss of investment to the tune of $500K. But even in the midst of his crisis, he could pray to God and ask him, of all the people whom you could choose, why choose this 'broken face' man like him. He was thinking that even in his crisis, he could still humour himself. The reason unclear how exactly he lost such a huge amount of money but he only hinted at wanting to help his friends and also grow his money.
Unfortunately, he suffered a setback. So nobody knew that his family ate Maggi or instant noodles for 6 months and they kept the secret from the children until they found out themselves. But even in such situations where most families would start to fall apart due to money, he tried his best to keep them together and even injected humour into it like why his children can't get certain toys. He was completely down and out, crying when he came home and looking at his children sleeping and promised himself
to sort this out.
However, he told them that being at the bottom means the only for them now is to go up. If you don't experience this, you will never learn in life. Thankfully, things started to look up for him as he used his producing skills to create a set of bestselling DVDs or videos and the money they earned helped to clear all of his debts.
Suhaimi also talked about his recent weight loss and he was known as a rotund entertainer but because age is catching up and he could not eat as much and as bad as he did when he was younger. He was more prone to illness and he went for a recent surgery to remove his gall bladder.
Overall, his principles in life are very strong and guided by religion. He didn't let himself fall deep but take it one day at a time while continuing to perform his best as a father and husband.
If our guiding principles in life are strong, we are more calm and are more mindful in our words and actions. Sometimes I feel a bit sad when I read about other people's plights as they shared their questions in regards to their life's problems. How most of these problems won't happen if we are understanding and kind enough towards others. Also how we often assume the worst in people and prefer to hear negative things about others because with social media, people can spread rumours and lies easily which then victimise other people.
Each day is a gift. The past is in the past and what we can focus now is the present and create a better future. There are good times and there are also bound to be bad times. Life's experiences also shapes us.
I don't want to live in regret so I started this humble online shop to make pretty gift boxes for people but recently, I have been quite disheartened because I have had 3 people who went MIA on me after contacting them. I usually give few days grace for their reply as to when they will collect but eventually, they still don't and sadly, I have to block them because I don't wish for them to contact me either coz I was already disappointed and I no longer want their money.
It's already a long and tedious process to make the boxes but I do it out of love and passion for this craft but of course it saddens me when I have to throw them away. It's not as though I can recycle them fully. But I thought about how many continue to support me and I asked God to give me customers who will not disappoint me and treasure my hard work. I will still continue as I truly think this is my calling and purpose in life as well. There are still people willing to pay for my service.
Let us continue to stay humble and kind, think first before speaking and then think about the other person's feelings instead of being selfish or egoistic. Because eventually, it can fall back on us and our feelings can get hurt too.
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