Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Pecking order

0 comments

Winning Ways: By PUAN SRI T.D AMPIKAIPAKAN

Showing disregard for our superiors at work could backfire and we could be shown the door.

WORK culture is fundamentally hierarchical – the rules of the corporate game operate from the top downwards.

Although many modern businesses try to be flat-based in their management structure, they are still not absolute democracies. Employees today have to deal with many employers and even more career changes, with every change requiring adaptation to the various business styles and corporate cultures.

Where does hierarchy come into this picture and what part does “rank” play in the purview of the corporate culture?

Rank is all about the pecking order. Every society – be it the family, a company or a social service organisation – has a specified hierarchy where there are bosses and subordinates. Even peers have a pecking order. In the family, the father is the “CEO” (head of the household) even if he is not the breadwinner. The firstborn is always respected as the eldest and given more opportunities even if the youngest member of the family is the real leader. In many Asian families, sons are favoured over daughters and choice education is their gain.

In the business world, the selection of the person who holds the reins of the company is often carried out with great care. Leadership skills are considered and selected. The leader of the team has an obvious rank but the team members may or may not be ranked. The work culture of the team/organisation is determined by the management style of the team leader. It may be autocratic or democratic, depending on the leader’s personality.

Within the business world, particularly in Asia, the pecking order is vital for the smooth workflow in the organisation. Employees are taught the following:

  • Respect the hierarchy.

  • Respect the position even if you do not respect the person.

  • Do not offend your bosses. Even if their decision-making is wrong, you may, if you dare, bring it to their notice discreetly and only if you have a good relationship with them and have earned their trust. Even then, there is a risk that you could offend and suffer a major fallout!

  • Never bypass your boss. If you have a grievance and do not have faith in your boss’s fair play, duty and rank demand that you inform your boss of your decision to see the bigger boss. Still, be prepared to lose out, as the pecking order may not see the urgency to declare a “management selected boss” as a bad choice.

    New management styles dictate that bosses be more democratic and more of a team player. Although your rank is for the purpose of identification, you are still responsible and accountable for everything that happens in your office. Above all, your role is to see that the members of your team achieve the following:

  • Learn the skills required to grow in the job as well as develop a career path.

  • Develop interpersonal and leadership skills for succession.

  • Learn to manage upward and downward communication effectively.

    Notwithstanding all these new ideas, respecting rank is still very much in vogue.

    In the business world, rank means power. Why do you think people are so conscious of the fact that their job titles should sound classy? Who wants to be an “office boy” at the age of 35? “Office assistant” or “executive assistant” sounds much better. Being ‘”assistant manager” does not sound as good as “assistant vice-president”. Even housewives are now known as “homemakers” or “domestic directors’. The job specifications are the same but the titles make a difference.

    One should always be conscious of the position of the person with whom you are dealing. It does not matter how familiar the person is to you. You should not forget your status. Just because the chairman takes you into his confidence does not mean that you can dispense with the basic courtesies extended to one in his/her position. Hence maintaining a respectful distance in whatever you do keeps the balance in the relationship.

    Consider the following instance where commonsense did not prevail and familiarity did breed contempt.

    A bank manager was posted to a small town where a long-serving bank clerk became his “trusted assistant” in helping him fit in. Over the year, the manager decided that the clerk’s hard work should be recognised and promised him a promotion. However a small crisis in the department forced the manager to make a decision, which was not appreciated by many employees.

    Being familiar with the boss, the clerk took it upon himself to question the boss’s judgment. The manager, who was offended, decided that he would not promote the clerk and later told the clerk that if he did not understand and respect the pecking order, then promoting him would be a big mistake.

    Thinking that your boss has lost the plot does not give you the liberty of offending the pecking order. I know of a senior manager who decided that his CEO was going crazy trying to bring about changes to an established work culture which he did not buy into. He tried to undermine whatever his boss tried to do. He stopped all forms of communication, thereby offending the CEO, who was trying to be a role model and show the staff that he was a very hands-on person.

    This lack of communication developed into total disregard for management directives as well as the basic courtesies and protocol given a CEO. When employees decide that they no longer need to abide by the rules of the corporate game – established or changing – the only way out is through the door.

    Hard work, sincerity, being knowledgeable and being highly skilled are laudable qualities in any employee, but these will not hold you in good stead if you do not show loyalty and respect for the hierarchy. Management wants people whom they can trust. Organisations want employees who understand “management perspective”.

    You may not agree totally with what they do but you need to understand their reason for doing it. Saying “My job’s great. It’s my bosses that I can’t stand” will do you no good. If you offend the pecking order, be prepared to be shown the door.

  • The Star

    Saturday, April 21, 2007

    Dealing with snobs

    0 comments

    It’s unfortunate that most people who fervently admire those they think are of a higher class or social standing aren’t content just to copy their idols, they often also feel the urgent need to put down anyone they see as a threat.

    If you are stuck in a room of snobby wannabes who take great pleasure in making you feel bad, there is a strategy to help you cope:

    Develop ISC

    Snobs are insecure people who feel they’re not quite good enough as they are. If they were happy with themselves, they wouldn’t be so desperate to compete, right?

    To insulate yourself from nasty remarks, the first thing is to develop an Indelible Superiority Complex (ISC). Tell yourself 10 times every morning and evening that you are tops, and you will believe it.

    Monkeys face snobbery too.
    Secure in the knowledge that you are just as good as anyone you meet, the posturing of snobs around you will no longer affect you. After all, you are just as good if not better than them.

    Play The Game

    If you are forced to spend time in the world of one-upmanship, you might as well enjoy yourself by spinning outrageous tales and seeing how long you can have everyone going.

    When the ladies talk of doing all of their shopping in Paris, mention quite casually that you like French perfume but you’ve heard real connoisseurs prefer shoes from Milan. If the gents are boasting about buying a beach house in Bali, ask if they’ve considered Marbella.

    You can be sure someone will be catty and ask when you were last in either place. It’s your choice whether you laugh and admit you were only teasing at once, or whether you egg them all on with fantastic stories of buying overcoats in New York at breakfast, shawls in Cairo at lunchtime and villas in Portugal in the evening before collapsing into giggles and confessing.

    Turn The Tables

    When the talk is about whether pink diamonds are better than blue diamonds or next season’s luxury car model “only’’ going for the price of a house, admitting you are entirely uninterested in such things will stun the average audience of snobs.

    You can take the high road and talk about the rich joys of ordinary blessings like nasi lemak and a really good chicken curry, or the pleasure you get from cooking up a meal with friends.

    Alternatively, you can really stir things up by saying you can’t think why anyone would want to waste so much money on things that don’t really matter.

    Throwing the gauntlet will cause one of two things to happen: they might agree, which means you can have a good chat about things everyone likes to do. Or you will receive sneers.

    But while you have the protection of the ISC, these won’t dent you. Also, stirring up the group by declaring you won’t play the snob game is a great way of meeting the people at these parties who aren’t snobs and who are really worth talking to.

    The Star

    Stories of snobbery

    0 comments

    If you have to join the cocktail crowd and don’t know enough about finance, politics and other complicated stuff that keeps the brainy types winking significantly at each other, you can always amuse yourself by watching one of the most popular games in town: keeping up with the Joneses.

    To get you in the mood, we’ve culled six stories from professional snob watchers. Enjoy!

    #1 Table Manners

    At the big company do’s, there’s always a table that stands out. It may simply be set a little apart from the rest of the room and boast some extra flowers, or it may be set on a stage, draped with bunting and has a waiter standing behind every chair.

    However it’s done, these frills ensure that the favoured few who dine at the top table won’t be mistaken for the simple, run-of-the-mill guests. But as PR manager, a certain David, found out, even if there is no seating plan and everyone is regarded as a VIP, table-territory rules still exist.

    “A year or so ago, we invited our best clients together with a sprinkling of celebrities for a celebration gala,” David explains.

    “Looking around and checking everyone was happy, I saw one of our best clients standing alone.”

    David went over for a chat, then invited the client to sit down for something to eat. As he seated his guest and took a chair himself, a woman tapped David on the arm.

    Recognising her as a model, David was about to introduce her when she said, “You can’t sit here! This table is for celebrities only!”

    #2 The Working Class

    When the social lions got together under one roof, a hostess with social ambitions was keen to have the press present. Not only would pictures in the glossy society magazines announce how exclusive her parties were – but she also wanted to rub salt into the wound of her social-climbing friends who were not invited.

    “I got a phone call from the socialite asking me to send a reporter and photographer in to do the red carpet thing,” says Dawn, a PA working in Kuala Lumpur.

    “You know, datin such-and-such arriving in her new Gucci, datuk so-and-so looking relaxed . . . the usual stuff.”

    “I didn’t like the woman but I was polite and said I would do what I can. Then she floored me completely by saying, ‘Oh and do be sure to tell them that they must do their thing and leave straight away afterwards. You know I can’t have my guests mixing with the working class!’.

    “The funny thing is that her father started his career as a truck driver.”

    #3 The Ultimate VIP

    “The thing about corporate events that I hate most are the VIPs,” says Milly, a lawyer working for an international media firm. “It’s always 1% of the people who cause 99% of the hassle.”

    When Milly’s company decided to run a long weekend consisting of a series of back-to-back presentations, culminating in an awards presentation and dinner on the final day, Milly arranged a simple, egalitarian layout that would allow everyone to meet and mingle easily until the final big ceremony.

    Unfortunately, one of the VIPs turned up two days early.

    “When I saw her, my heart sank,” Milly says. “She looked all around and said, ‘Where is the VIP seating?’ When I told her there wouldn’t be any for another two days, she threw a fit saying, ‘How could this be? Do you know who I am?’.”

    “The suicidal part of me wanted to say, ‘Yes I know who you are. You are a stay-at-home, bitchy wife of a sponsor. You can barely string a sentence together’. But I bit my tongue.”

    As the unexpected guest fumed and ranted, Milly persuaded someone to throw some material over a few chairs and put a Reserved notice on one of the tables.

    “It’s stupid, but there it is. Once she saw the table, she cooled down. She thinks she’s too important to sit with the rest of us, but everyone knows she was just an ordinary kampung girl until she managed to marry a rich man. Just shows you, doesn’t it?”

    #4 The Latest Is Greatest

    As every good snob knows, buying the latest trendy gear isn’t enough. To be really snobby, you have to get your hands on goods before they go on sale.

    Says Vincent, a jeweller and keen socialite: “All the ladies love to see what’s coming into fashion, so designers and jewellers have these private little parties where they invite their best (or potential) customers to look over new arrivals a week or so before it goes on sale.”

    Seated between two ladies at a party hosted by a designer, Vincent admired the watch his neighbour was wearing. “After admiring it, asking the price, and saying all the usual things one says to be polite, she glowed and said proudly, ‘It’s part of Cartier’s latest collection, you know’.”

    Before Vincent could draw a breath, the woman on his right broke in with the crushing put-down, “It’s hardly new dear, I saw that model in Hong Kong a month ago.”

    #5 The Reverse Snob

    If you’re not in the mood to compete by outsnobbing everyone else, you can turn the tables on the in-crowd by making a big point of not joining in.

    “My husband has to socialise as part of his job, but some of the Datins really get me down,” confesses Tilly, a Datin herself.

    “There’s a silly set who can only talk about their hair, make-up, clothes, nails and cosmetic surgery, all things that bore me to tears.”

    Unwilling to jump on the bandwagon, Tilly has found herself on the sharp side of a few comments. “They were looking down on me but I absolutely refuse to win their respect by buying Louis Vitton purses, Dior handbags, manno-what’s-his-name shoes, and other supposedly vital accessories priced at RM1,000 or more an item,” she says, scandalised.

    Rather than compete or feel intimidated, Tilly resorted to psychology.

    “I buy my handbags at the pasar malam, my shoes in the shop down the road, and I’m really upfront about it,” she laughs.

    “I say, yup my bag cost me RM20 and it’s going to last me all year. Isn’t it great? And you know what? They don’t know what to say! Reverse snobbery really works; I think it’s the shock factor.”

    #6 Better Than White

    People still living in colonial times provide some of best snob stories. But colour snobbery isn’t always what it seems to be.

    Says John, a housepainter, “My local pub is run by a Mat Salleh and I must confess that I get this extra pleasure from placing a drinks order from him. There’s something about ordering white people about that makes me feel very successful. Quite superior, actually.”

    Interestingly the drinks pourer in question is fully aware of this.

    “I hear this all the time and I think it’s a great thing,” he enthuses. “John and his mates spend a ton of money here because of it, so it’s making me rich. Also, they buy me drinks, so I get the profit and a free beer! Frankly, I don’t give a toss about who is better than whom. All I know is it’s working for me.” – By MARIA DANIEL

    Note: in order to prevent our sources from being ostracised, all names have been changed.

  • Do you have a great snob story? Share it with us at weekend@thestar.com.my

  • The Star

    Thursday, April 19, 2007

    Few Malaysians satisfied with their sex life

    0 comments

    KUALA LUMPUR: Although most Malaysians agree that sex is important, fewer than two in five (38%) of them are satisfied with their sex lives.

    According to the latest Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey 2007/08 report, loss of romance and sexual prowess are key factors for the lack of sexual satisfaction.

    SSL Healthcare Malaysia general manager Voong King Yee said: “Many Malaysians have lost the sense of adventure, interest and romance, which explains why they are not fully enjoying their sex lives.

    “Sex plays a fundamental role in our physical and emotional well-being. Thus, it is important that we protect and nurture our sexual health as well as that of our partner's,” he said, adding that 64% of Malaysians would like more intimacy and better communication with their partners.

    The survey was conducted on more than 26,000 respondents across 26 countries, of which 1,026 were Malaysians.

    The respondents were asked about every aspect of their sex lives. covering health, general well-being, education, beliefs, attitudes to sex, and social circumstances, in a bid to comprehensively chart what constitutes sexual well-being.

    Consultant clinical andrologist, reproductive and sexual health specialist and Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey local expert Dr Mohd Ismail Mohd Tambi said: “There are reasons why people are not satisfied with their sex lives. It could be due to problems in physical and emotional health as well as physiological issues such as vaginal dryness, painful sex, and erectile dysfunction.”

    “Such issues can be dealt with and cured. Despite sex being perceived as fun and exciting by most, satisfaction is still only marginally equal between men and women, with 40% of Malaysian women saying they are satisfied, compared to 37% of men,” said Dr Ismail.

    He pointed out that people could also improve their sex lives and sexual satisfaction by spending more time with their partners, de-stressing and introducing more romance into their sex lives.

    “The ability to talk things out with your partner can lead to an emotional relationship filled with love and respect, which can then lead to ultimate sexual pleasure.

    The Star

    Few Malaysians satisfied with their sex life

    0 comments

    KUALA LUMPUR: Although most Malaysians agree that sex is important, fewer than two in five (38%) of them are satisfied with their sex lives.

    According to the latest Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey 2007/08 report, loss of romance and sexual prowess are key factors for the lack of sexual satisfaction.

    SSL Healthcare Malaysia general manager Voong King Yee said: “Many Malaysians have lost the sense of adventure, interest and romance, which explains why they are not fully enjoying their sex lives.

    “Sex plays a fundamental role in our physical and emotional well-being. Thus, it is important that we protect and nurture our sexual health as well as that of our partner's,” he said, adding that 64% of Malaysians would like more intimacy and better communication with their partners.

    The survey was conducted on more than 26,000 respondents across 26 countries, of which 1,026 were Malaysians.

    The respondents were asked about every aspect of their sex lives. covering health, general well-being, education, beliefs, attitudes to sex, and social circumstances, in a bid to comprehensively chart what constitutes sexual well-being.

    Consultant clinical andrologist, reproductive and sexual health specialist and Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey local expert Dr Mohd Ismail Mohd Tambi said: “There are reasons why people are not satisfied with their sex lives. It could be due to problems in physical and emotional health as well as physiological issues such as vaginal dryness, painful sex, and erectile dysfunction.”

    “Such issues can be dealt with and cured. Despite sex being perceived as fun and exciting by most, satisfaction is still only marginally equal between men and women, with 40% of Malaysian women saying they are satisfied, compared to 37% of men,” said Dr Ismail.

    He pointed out that people could also improve their sex lives and sexual satisfaction by spending more time with their partners, de-stressing and introducing more romance into their sex lives.

    “The ability to talk things out with your partner can lead to an emotional relationship filled with love and respect, which can then lead to ultimate sexual pleasure.

    The Star

    Tuesday, April 17, 2007

    Scam involves import of luxury 4WDs without APs

    0 comments
    By EDWARD RAJENDRA and EDDIE CHUA

    KLANG: The Customs Department has stumbled upon a scam involving the import of luxury 4WD vehicles without the use of approved permits (APs), when its officers raided a potong kereta warehouse in Sungai Puloh, off Kapar, yesterday.

    The department’s preventive unit seized 33 chassis, bodies, engines and other parts belonging to Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Land Rover vehicles.

    Selangor Customs director Datuk Abdul Razak Yaacob said initial investigations found that the parts belonged to used 4WD vehicles bought from Japan whose parts were shipped here in different consignments to elude detection.

    “We also found that they smuggled in the chassis, declaring them as engine components, as chassis parts need APs to be imported.”



    He said the dismantled parts, marked according to the vehicles, were reassembled here after a buyer has been secured.

    He said the reassembled vehicles were sold for as low as RM45,000.

    The raid was held after the department received a tip-off that the warehouse had imported second-hand car chassis without proper documentation and APs.

    Abdul Razak said they believe more people could be linked to the scam. He also said

    the potong kereta outlet had been in operation importing car parts from Japan since last July.

    “We don’t know how many of these vehicles have been reassembled and put on the road. We urge anyone who may have bought them from this potong kereta outlet to assist us in the investigation.”

    A source told The Star that such vehicles could be put back on the road as second-hand ones using details and registration of condemned or totally wrecked automobiles.

    In yesterday’s raid, Customs found parts worth RM1.5mil.

    Two workers at the warehouse were also arrested.

    The Star

    Sunday, April 8, 2007

    Wedded bli$$?

    0 comments

    Who are the lucky few who marry into very, very rich families, and does money bring a happy-ever-after ending? A look at some celebrity-billionaire pairings.

    Hong Kong actress Carina Lau, 41, for example, is rumoured to be caught in a love triangle with Taiwanese tech billionaire Terry Gou, 56, and long-time boyfriend, actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai, 44. Gou’s US$5.5bil (RM18.7bil) fortune puts him at No.142 on financial magazine Forbes’ latest rich list.

    He is also the fifth-most eligible billionaire – after the likes of Google co-founders Sergey Brin, 33, and Larry Page, 34 – according to the magazine. (See sidebar.)

    Carina Lau and Terry Gou ... are they for real?
    Last month, after months of being spotted in public with Lau, the widowed Gou revealed to the press that he is eyeing Lau as a possible life partner, saying he is “serious” about the relationship.

    In Hollywood, Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek, 40, recently announced her engagement to – and pregnancy by – Francois-Henri Pinault, 44, the French chief executive of luxury goods group PPR.

    Josie Ho ... supportive of hubby.
    His company owns brands from Gucci to Balenciaga, so she should be flush in couture for life. He also happens to be the son of retail billionaire Francois Pinault – age 70, US$14.5bil (RM49.3bil), No.34 on the Forbes list. Francois-Henri, however, isn’t on the list.

    In Hong Kong, newlywed model Cathy Tsui, 24, and her husband Martin Lee Ka Shing, 35, are expecting a child too. He is not to be confused with Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka Shing – age 78, US$23bil (RM78.2bil), No.9 on the list.

    But Martin Lee is very much a catch. He is the son of real estate billionaire Lee Shau Kee – age 79, US$17bil (RM57.8bil), No.22 on the list – whose fortune is second to just Li’s in Hong Kong.

    Which other stars have married into serious money? Let’s take a look.

    Taiwanese former screen goddess Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia, 52

    Billionaire Spouse: She has two daughters with her husband of 13 years, Esprit Far East chairman Michael Ying, 57. The Hong Konger has a US$3.1bil (RM10.5bil) fortune, much of it from selling his shares in the clothing brand, and is at No.279 on the Forbes rich list.

    Cathy Tsui ... feels lucky.
    Happy Ever After?: Maybe not. Early in their marriage, the couple made a show of their wedded bliss. When Lin gave birth to a girl at age 41 in 1996, Ying named the baby Oi Lam, a Cantonese name which means “loving Lin”. Their second daughter, Yin Oi, was born in 2001 – in Cantonese, her full name is a pun on the phrase “still in love”.

    By last year, however, rumours were rife that the couple were breaking up. Tabloids alleged that he was dating a divorcee from Shanghai and that his wife was moving out of the marital home. Lin stayed silent about the stories, but her friends denied the rumours.

    But tabloids reported that she was seen dancing the night away with a younger man in a club in February.

    Chinese-Australian actor Conroy Chan, 33, who appeared in his friend Daniel Wu’s 2006 mockumentary The Heavenly Kings, and in Jackie Chan’s 2006 movie Rob-B-Hood

    Billionaire Spouse: Hong Kong actress-singer Josie Ho, 32, one of 17 children of Stanley Ho. The 85-year-old Macau casino king is worth US$7bil (RM23.8bil) and is No.104 on the Forbes rich list.

    Happy Ever After?: Maybe. They were together for six years before they got married in Melbourne in 2003. In reports, they come across as a cool, laid-back pair. She supports his hobbies, like forming his own band called Ye Sei Mei (a bitter Cantonese herbal tea). He seems not to mind that she has the hotter career between them.

    When he was photographed partying with two women on a beach last year, she did not get flustered.

    She joked that the pictures were blurry and told reporters: “You help me tell those women, if they get close to my husband, that his wife is very fierce.”

    Hong Kong model-actress Cathy Tsui, 24

    Billionaire Spouse: Billionaire’s son Martin Lee, 35. Their lavish wedding in Sydney last December was planned by Hollywood party organiser Colin Cowie, who has co-ordinated receptions for the likes of Michael Douglas and Jerry Seinfeld.

    The event was rumoured to have cost HK$100mil (RM43mil). The bride’s family reportedly got a dowry of HK$400mil (RM172mil). It was enough for an envious relative to accuse Tsui’s father of moving an ancestor’s tomb to bring good luck to his daughter – and bad fortune to other clan members.

    Happy Ever After?: Maybe. Apparently, Lee had a crush on his future wife when she was a 15-year-old model and he was 26. Their marriage seems to be a dream come true for him. On their wedding day, his bride, dazzling in a 50-carat diamond necklace from him, said: “I’m so lucky to have such a good husband.” She sounded like she meant it too.

    Marital happiness, however, has eluded Lee’s dad, Lee Shau Kee. The tycoon, who made his fortune in property as founder of Henderson Land, is divorced. – The Straits Times, Singapore / Asia News Network

    The Star

    Sunday, April 1, 2007

    Living the stuff of his dreams

    0 comments

    TALL, suave and handsome. At 32, Zhang Zhen Hong will literally and metaphorically sweep any girl off her feet. If she’s not swayed by his prowess on the dance floor, she'll likely be won over by serenades and Canto pop.

    But it's not just all salsa and showmanship. A respectable professional, Zhang holds a full-time job as a legal manager at a public listed company. His passion for law is equal to that for dance and song.

    Pursuing a career as a singer did not seem a promising career for Zhang who is the second of four children from a traditional Chinese family. So he dutifully packed his bag and left for England to obtain his law degree.

    Promising start: Zhang, who won his first singing contest a the age of eight, has finally released his own album.
    “At the time, the typical Chinese mindset was that only lawyers, accountants and doctors made good money. But fortunately, I did have a strong interest in law and it was something that I wanted to pursue,” says the graduate from Exeter University.

    Even while he was memorising cases and having his fill of Acts and provisions, he managed to take time off from the grind and put on his dancing shoes.

    “I was reading law and taking dancing lessons at the same time!” says Zhang who now teaches salsa and hip-hop during weekends as a hobby.

    Now that he earns a comfortable salary as a legal manager, his aim is to achieve his childhood dreams.

    Born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Zhang was just a few years old when it was clear that he had a talent for singing. However, his parents didn't take it seriously as they felt it was natural for most children to hum and sing along to songs.

    Zhang took part in his first singing contest at the age of eight and won second place with a rendition of Mun Sui Qin San Zhong Xi Qing.

    “I sing whenever I get the chance, in the shower, at home, in my car, at music studios and karaokes. It’s just in me. I love singing,” shares Zhang, who loves Canto-pop and Japanese pop music.

    “Everyone has a childhood dream and mine is to sing and release albums,” he says, citing Tamaki Koji (lead singer of Anzenchitai) as his favourite Japanese singer.

    “I was very active in musicals in my high school days and have had lead roles in My Fair Lady, and West Side Story.”

    After returning to Malaysia with a law degree, Zhang got himself a job and continued taking singing classes after work and even managed to take part in the singing contest organised by the Malaysian Philharmonic Society in 2004.

    “I was a finalist at the contest and I sang a song by Glen Mederos titled Nothing Is Going to Change My Love for You,” says Zhang who started composing at the age of 16 and wrote his first song to a girl he liked. Like a sad song, his romance didn't take off.

    He managed to get a few production houses to help him produce his first album Shou Hou, which was released just a week ago.

    When asked why a Chinese album, Zhang replied: “I grew up with Chinese music and am more inclined to sing in Chinese.”

    “It took me three years to come up with this album. My work schedule is hectic and I can only record during my free time.”

    He says he composed the entire melody in the album and wrote half of the lyrics. His inspiration came from poems, articles, and personal experiences.

    “It’s comforting that I am finally able to release my first album and realise my childhood dream. I will continue producing more albums,” enthuses Zhang.

    “I am living my dreams!”

    The Star

     

    The Malaysian Life Copyright © 2008 Black Brown Pop Template by Ipiet's Blogger Template