I Did the UNTHINKABLE |
I interviewed Fabrice Grinda, the CEO and founder of OLX
The request came together with the email
to share their business with readers of this site
I contemplated for days
I couldn’t decide
or more like
I wasn’t confident of doing it
Then came my husband advice
‘You need to scare yourself once in a while’
and thus this
I can’t describe how nervous I was
I did my homework
YET
I couldn’t stop my heart from throbbing
my hands from sweating
my feet from turning cold
I was stumped for words
I kept going back and forth my list of questions
I could hardly concentrate
and it was not even face to face
it was JUST MSN live chat !
and in case you are wondering why
Why was I such a wreck
here’s why …
because
I was that little girl
in your elementary class
whom you could hardly recall
the one who rarely muttered a word in class
the one who would sit in the most remote corner of the class
the one who wished that the ground would swallow her up
whenever a teacher started calling names
to read
to write
or to answer
the one who struggled in her English lesson
the one who risked losing her place in university because of this subject
the one who had to attend remedial lesson for GP
the one who was appointed as the GP representative
not because she was the brightest in that subject
not because she was the most outspoken
not because she possessed some outstanding leadership qualities
in fact
on the contrary
it was the opposite of ALL the above
and in case you are still not getting it
it is okay
All I really want to say is
By my own standard
THIS IS A BIG DEAL
and I am glad I did it.
6 responses to "I Did the UNTHINKABLE"
No one would have ever known
That you once struggled with English
With the poetry that you’ve been writing
Impressing one and all, your website they’ve been visiting
Where have you been
What have you done
To have made such a vast improvement
So different from that little girl
We once knew, but could hardly recall, from elementary class
(my humble effort inspired by your poetic writings *hehe*)
reduce grammar mistakes 
Rachel : hey Byihui, thanks for dropping a note. Sometime it is easy to write in short sentence
Hi there! You are a stay at home mum according to your profile - how come you get to interview a CEO?
Btw, thanks for dropping by my blog and leaving comments!
You stay in Paris? Cool! : )
Rachel : hey foongpc, I had added a little extra to the post…to explain how I got to do it…in actual fact, I really don’t know why. I guess they just throw a coin, and landed at my site
*laugh* sorry I laughed at your struggle (again?) I can totally picture you in your class and the look on your face when they appointed you to be the GP representative…. *laugh*
*Pat on your shoulders*
Oh girl! you did it! After the sweating and the shaking… what matters was YOU DID IT!!!!
you reminded me of my event last year, when the Singapore Mothers Forum invited me ON STAGE and speak to a couple of hundreds of parents!!! *faint* in case you missed that, you can find it under the most commented post widget on my sidebar. Its ranked no. 2! *laugh*
Rachel : yes I read that, you deserved a pat on your shoulder too
impressive~! kudos, once again. and mind i ask, what is your trick of learning?
im still struggling with my english, which was 3rd language for me! and now becoming my main communication tool. must learn from you… if not, all mistake will reflected on hy…
Rachel : Hey PC, I think writing and reading helps. Conscious effort to write in proper sentence and maybe having someone to help out in the grammar. I love to hear opinions on what people think about what I wrote. I must say sometimes it is hard to get truthful comment from strangers but you can always try people who are closer to you. My family, close friends and husband often give me good feedback. I am still working on it but hope that helps
You are eating a BIG humble pie
Rachel : hey Nic, very nice of you to put it that way
Hey! Just wanted to say “hi, from a quiet little girl to another.”
Cat musta got my tongue in primary school, I hardly said a word too, and being picked on to read out loud was one of my worst fears.
Doing interviews was part of my job as a writer (and I’ve done everything from internet writing to being a music journo), and I still got the pre-interview jitters as an experienced journo, esp if I wasn’t dealing with an area I knew a lot about.
I must say that you can write really well and I can’t imagine myself being a journalist! It is really something.
Rachel : Hi E thanks for dropping a note and I am glad to know someone who went through the same childhood fear
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