| Subject: Re: VA VA VINCE |
Author:
ROMAR
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Date Posted: 06:42:40 08/24/03 Sun
In reply to:
ROMAR
's message, "Re: VA VA VINCE" on 06:41:40 08/24/03 Sun
"I was touched that they wanted to learn about me too, be my friend. I learnt to eat with my hands, helped them with their English ... When I was announced the winner, it moved me so much that the public accepted me for who I am, and didn't care if I was a Malay, Chinese or Indian ... It's not about race."
And Vince should know, not being a stranger to racist remarks. A child of mixed parentage, he has been a target of vicious jokes and name-calling.
"I had a hard time, not just because I was fat, but also because I looked white. Remarks like "Balik England lah!', "Orang putih', "Mat Salleh' ... all those kinds of things. "Kids can be cruel; they really don't know the extent of what they say and do. Maybe these values came from their parents, their upbringing.
I had good Malay friends who defended me when their peers made fun of me. "I've learnt to put these things aside and just appreciate what I have now. I feel more accepted by the (majority-Malay) community now. I'm deeply touched. I'd like to see this in every Malaysian - Chinese, Indians, Malays alike.
"We enter competitions together, do things together. We're always talking about a multi-racial country. But there's no point when that's only on the surface. On the inside, we have to come together as well. No more categorising.
"It's not about singing and performing, it's about learning about each other. You get to understand the other person. We understand why people act the way they are, what upsets them. And it affects you too. The experience has been an emotional roller coaster," he said.
In this respect, Vince is almost always spotted crying at the end of each show. What's the deal? "Yup ... (laughs).
I am a sensitive man. I'm not like Brendan Fraser in Bedazzled though. You remember the sensitive man' crying all the time (makes a hilarious impersonation of that scene) waahhh ... not like that-lah.
"The moment a person leaves, you know you've created a bond with them and you won't be seeing them for a while. It's sad." He likens the Akademi to a jigsaw puzzle, where all 12 of the students make a complete picture when together.
Every time a student leaves, there's a missing piece. But come the finals, the jigsaw puzzle is once again complete when all the students are reunited. It was, as he said, the reward at the end of the journey.
Along with a new Suzuki Vitara, RM10,000 and thousands of screaming fans, of course!
How did it all start? The love for music ... and that smooth-as-chocolate voice?
(continued)
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