I Just Won An Award!

Today would be the most historical day in my life. Now, before I go any further, let me take you back on a story that is something important happened to me past few months back when I was working in a top web agency working as a senior web designer. This is not a resolved issue between me and that person. After being evaluated for my work performance, oh, which includes of graph of the good side of 'Muid Latif' and the bad side of 'Muid Latif', I remember once that I refer him as ‘Mister Simplicity’ told me that designers at my age HAVE to be an art director. This is in order to prove you are a successful person in the industry and to achieve acknowledgement and recognition as a designer. So you either have to know what it takes to be an art director or loose it or, be what ___? (fill in the blanks if ya’ know what I mean). Right at that very moment, I was bolt from the blue to see how antagonistic and hypercritical that man was. I got mortified. Even my professor (Dr. Shukor) whom I regularly meet and get consulted for almost 7 years now never even thought to mortify me. We both appreciate and respected each other and I looked up to him like my own father. Oh, but not that particular person of course. I learn to think what is wrong with me instead and learn from it. Having said that, I recall back what he thinks about lecturers who work in art & design institution. He told me that being a lecturer is a last resort; a dead-end career where he would think it’s something not worth it to integrate interest and passion. I take a moment, analyze and thought how far true his statement was, so I start doing some research including asking one of my counselor, Puan Fatimah to give her opinion about what type of person he was and why he have to be so disapproving about what I do in the past and future. Above all, he got it all wrong about me. He believes all things existed by system, do things accordingly and being perfect in every single way. She covered me with so many psychological facts of human behavior including physical preferences. All I can say, long time ago, I looked up to him like 1o feet tall and now when I see him, it’s always the negative side of him. I never abhorrence that person however after what he said on the 10^th 0f February 2006, I lost my admiration towards him.

Anyway, after I had received numerous advices from many people, partly from my family, to close friends and even very influential person from the industry (thanks Weng Keong, Jai, Yasmin Ahmad, Izuddin, Tim Grass of Axis Films, Hasnul, Haryany @ Noni ). I know that I didn’t loose it at all. I’d once become Head of Creative in Netinfinium before. So been there, done that. I lead my team (my junior designers) to become extra creative and progressive. They learn a lot of things from me and I learn a lot of things from them too. It is called the gift of trading education and experience. After all, knowledge is the precious gift you can find and to be appreciated. That’s how I looked up my lecturers. Even when I see them today, I couldn’t be more excited and welcome their presence with warmth sincere smile.

So, what’s the award you mention just now?
For the first time (ok, the MSC-APICTA awards doesn’t count because it falls under student project), I finally got an award. Yeay! I’m really proud of myself. This has been such a prestigious and unforgettable. It started yesterday night around 10:45 pm on my way back home. I went to 7-11 to buy 2 dozen of eggs and a fresh milk. So, at the corner of the shop, there’s this three kids starring at the toy rack and playing some of the toys. One of them said that he wish to get one of these. I looked at them and smile (oh..hell not like Michael Jackson way!). I felt so sympathy for them and they look so adorable. I thought of buying those toys for them, because by looking at their dirty clothes, they are children who live in places not as good as us. But buying a toy won’t help a children mind grow, so I bought Vitagen yogurt drink instead on my way out of the store and pass it to them. For those kids. I choose Grape, Apple and Orange because all three are my favorite flavor. So what the hell 7-e, Kids and Vitagen got to do with the awards? So see them in such a precious smile and listening to them saying ‘Terima kasih abang’, it almost shed the tears out of me. I never felt so happy and I take that as a gift, an award that cannot compared to any other.

Changing My Personal Point of View:
Have you heard of ‘Zero Rebounce’? That’s a term of my friend, Mahen who use to be a senior copywriter in my two previous companies that I work with. ‘Zero Rebounce’ is a study, and process of how we build a brand (partially design), analyze, evaluate, execute and present to client for approval without rejection = zero. Most important, we need to recognize the type of product we want to help the client sell. Of course, normally we always come up with several of choice, probably two at least. Unless your creative rationale is convincing enough to support the work we produced. That’s normally happen in the design world because we felt variety help to save us.

Recently, representing Multimedia Development Corporation, I designed a logo for what I see a very potential government project created by MDEC/MSC which is called MSC-CMCI, which defines as Creative Multimedia Content Initiative. Anyway, this is not just an ordinary logo development. I really get to use the process, from studying the brand, to research, to stylize and a bit of oriental influence. Two design, one approval, and the next thing I notice, the logo has been printed, and animated. This logo will be launched by our very own Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi today. I never been much happier to work with an organization which surprisingly accept new ideas and to see how people acknowledge your effort. There are hundreds of VIPS, to minister of this and that, all came and applause on our presentation. To get the Prime Minister to see your design, and liking it, now that’s a real award you can’t get elsewhere. I hope it will be a new beginning of a new day, and in years to come. I never had been more contented.

And I go on:
I’m not a primadona designer nor artist. I am not famous because of my name, but I’m recognized for my work. I am talented, versatile and creative. BUT I never said I am super-creative, there are out there whose creativity is on peak of Mount Everest. I don’t believe one person can have all in one package. I don’t put attitude. If you say I’m arrogant, each and every of us born with it. If you say I like to ‘expose’ myself, that’s because I want people to recognize me. I like to make jokes and be funny because I like to make people happy and laugh, and at times, I also want to be serious but not fierce. I don’t take shortcut in life. I learn the hard way. God knows what I’ve been through. I learn things by myself. I build myself without having to rely on others, like most people who take advantage of their father’s wealth or family background. I take LRT to work. I remember I use to ride a bike fell down the road and got injured. I’m not ashamed to say I drive a Kancil. Yes, modern KL women may look down on me but it doesn’t matter anymore. Sometimes I have plenty money and most of the time I’m broke. I have a lot of friends but when I’m in trouble, I don’t look for them and I like to solve it on my own. Or else I won’t be walking from KL Sentral to Bandar Tasik Selatan from 12:45 a.m. to 3 a.m. in the morning! So, are you blaming and punishing me for having so much compassion in what I really like to do? If you got a problem with me, pick your own size first, and try to be on my shoe.

Disclaimer:
I write what is best for my own blog. For those who can follow and understand what I have been gone through, my deepest appreciation goes out for the support and respect of my opinion, however for those who doesn’t, kindly abandon yourself from this blog immediately. The choice is really up to us to take the good things in us and the bad things aside.

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