IE Application

1. +
C: Describe a time when
you took a great risk. What
was the outcome?

2. +
A Bright Future…
 I was a straight ‘A’ student in
primary and secondary
schools and also during pre-
university studies (A Levels)
 Family and friends had high
hopes and expectations for
me- to be a successful
professional… doctor, lawyer
or accountant
‘’We did it!’’ : My friends and I
appeared in several national newspapers
based on our outstanding results for our
secondary school final examination

3. +
But…
In my early 20s, I
chose to become
an actress instead

4. +
Which path should I take?
 At that time, I was going down a well-
trodden path, pursuing an Economics
degree under the University of London
program in Malaysia
 At the same time, I took an Acting course,
and received job offers in the theatre and
television industries immediately upon
graduation
 It learnt the hard way (through
unimpressive exam results) that it was hard
to balance full-time studies with a
blossoming acting career

5. +
I took the riskier path…
 I decided to leave university and to
pursue acting full-time
 It was a big risk – the entertainment
industry is notorious for being
competitive, and there was no
guarantee that I would succeed
 But I took it anyway, wanting to take
advantage of the opportunities
available to me then
 Knowing that one day, I could return
to university as a more mature
student

6. +
How did I fare?
 In just 5 years, I went from an
ensemble member in a theatre
production to a leading actress in
million-dollar films
 I was shortlisted for nomination for
The Best Actress Award
(Anugerah Skrin)
 I was the lead actress in Ghost 2,
which won the Special Jury
Award at the 5th Seoul
International Drama Awards

7. +
But what I cherish most is not awarded
at any award ceremonies
Building teams
 I broke down barriers and established great on-set
camaraderie for Untuk 3 Hari, a film produced by
one of the best studios in Malaysia
• I questioned standard practices wherein the
technical, creative, and administrative teams rarely
interacted - by reaching out to connect with every
co-worker
• I secured a lead acting role in the studio’s next film
based on my collaborative reputation
(Top-bottom)
• With the production manager on set
(administrative team)
• With co-stars Harun Salim Bachik (in costume)
and Nur Atirah (creative team)
• With directors Johan John and Tony Pietra
(technical/creative team)

8. +
And now…
I applied what I learnt from
acting to continue building
strong diverse teams…
 In my various classes at
the American University
of Paris
 As Vice President of
Busy Professionals
Toastmasters Club Paris
 As President of National
Society for Collegiate
Scholars (NSCS)
Group 3 of Leadership class (L-R)
Isma Husein (Malaysian)
Belen Diego (Spanish-American)
Pierre Barankaya (Belgian-Senegalese)
Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi (Qatari-Mexican)
With Vice President of NSCS
Erielle Delzer on our spring
break in Stockholm
With other members of Busy Professionals Toastmasters Club Paris

9. +
Creativity – Problem solving
 I was trained to hone my creativity as an
actress
 It has become second nature for me to think
out of the box in my work – whether I am
employing an unusual structure in an essay or
adding a skit to a presentation to engage the
audience
 More importantly, I make use of my creativity
when solving problems – like finding unique
solutions on how to deal with an uncooperative
team member or how to face confrontation
 Now I continue to explore my creativity through
sculpting, drawing, dancing Salsa and creating
speeches for Toastmasters

10. +
Adaptability…
 As an actress, not only was my role
different in each production, but also I
worked with different team members
each time– no two projects are exactly
the same
- I learnt to adapt to different cultures,
practices and requirements
- I became eager to challenge myself
with new roles
- I cultivated my curiosity and
developed a strong desire to learn and
explore

11. +
What comfort zone?
 This experience made me
brave enough to step
outside my comfort zone…
 like moving to France,
where I did not know anyone
and was quite unfamiliar
with the culture and
language
 My curiosity and ability to
step outside my comfort
zone allow me to enjoy
traveling, either solo or with
friends, exploring new
places and culture, trying
new things (like skiing!) and
meeting new people, some
of whom are still close
friends today
A map that I keep in my apartment – purple spots mark
the places I’ve explored in Europe
Tried skiing for the first time in
Voss, Norway. Stumbled so
many times, but I had so much
fun!
Made friends while hiking
near Florence, Italy
Exploring Budapest,
Hungary as a solo
traveller
Made an Irish friend in
Stockholm, Sweden

12. +
Glamour? Maybe. Hard Work? Yes!
 Although the entertainment industry is synonymous with
glamour and fun, this is just one small part of it
 What the audience see as a two-minute clip may have
taken hours to produce
 Doing an emotional, teary scene in harsh surroundings
– like a thick rainforest jungle – after already working for
12 hours straight, with only two hours of sleep, shivering
in a pair of shorts in the cold mountain weather, while
being directed by an impatient director? All in a day’s
work!
 Also, as an actress, I was never allowed to rest on my
laurels as I had to constantly prove myself to get future
jobs through auditions
 Therefore, I learnt to push myself, not shy away from
hard work to reach my goals, and to work well under
pressure

13. +
Discipline & Organization
Through acting, I learnt to be very disciplined and
organized
 One of my directors would throw an actor out of
the set if he/she is even one minute late
 I see for myself how one person can positively or
adversely impact a team- if one actor is late or
disruptive, the project may not be ready on time
and the whole production may lose money
 I was also juggling several projects at the same
time while studying Theatre through a distance
learning course. So, I had to manage my
workload well
 While I struggled with managing my time and
workload before I became an actress, now I am
excellent at prioritizing and organizing, allowing
me to excel in my studies with a 3.95 GPA while
also being very active in curricular activities and
maintaining a healthy social life

14. +
People often ask me, why did I
leave the entertainment industry?
 Acting was fun and rewarding,
but I felt that I had more to
offer…
 While managing my family’s
fashion boutique business, I
became very interested in
business and wanted to pursue
a formal qualification in it
 So I decided to leave all that
was familiar and study at the
American University of Paris

15. +
The Acting Adventure
Overall, I appreciated how acting gave me an insight
into how big and rich the world really is…
 I have acted in big and small theatres and on
beaches, in jungles, in multi-millionaires’ homes,
in derelict buildings, in swanky corporate
offices…
 I met so many people – young and old, poor and
rich, from different races, from technical and
artistic backgrounds…
 Through my roles, I’ve ‘lived’ the lives of a single
mother, a seductive thief, a confused school girl,
a cancer-stricken woman…
 I tried my hand at so many things, even those
that terrified me at first…
 And I came out of the experience a more mature,
refined, confident person, eager to learn more!