Great Expectation A brief introduction on Author Pseudonym Nnadia, born in Shanghai, immigrated to Hong Kong. Discovered at the age of fifteen in a singing contest. From then on, started singing, acting & studying. Graduated from the Hong Kong Chinese University. Burst into the scene with 'Songbird', recent serials include Cold Blood Warm Heart, A Knot to Treasure, Instinct, New Shanghai Beach, etc. Latest album is Girls of My Age. Preface The following is a first person account based on an interview with Nnadia with the materials re-organised to present a truthful picture of her. The names mentioned & incidents related are according to what Nnadia said. Essays 1 to 3 cover the circumstances that led to Nnadia's entry into the entertainment industry. Essays 4 & 5 cover 'news' that Nnadia herself could not have imagined. Essays 6 & 7 cover Nnadia's perception of herself and her future family. Each essay is interesting and moving and when combined with some literary sketches and portraits, the reader is presented with not just a written language to enjoy but also a visual treat as well. Introduction of the Characters (1) Hu Wei ( Nnadia's Chinese literature teacher ) (2) Ou Yong Yu ( Nnadia's Chinese histort teacher ) (3) Xiao Sheng ( Scriptwriter of ' Songbird' ) (4) Feng Mei Ji ( TVB Human Resource Executive ) (5) Mrs Liu ( Boss of Crown Record Company ) (6) Xiao Xiao ( A classmate & friend of Nnadia; however, this is not her real name. ) Quotation Regarding the past, I can only mention what I can remember, some are fragmentary, others are dreams ... Essay 1 A girl who gazes at the sky and dreams When I was small, I had a great dream. I wanted to be an astronomer. I loved to gaze at the sky & dream, look at the stars & moon, probe about inhabitants in outer space , think about how to go to the moon. I really did not want to live on Earth, because I knew that the earth was sick. You can tell that I had intentions to save the earth from young, I had already discovered things that nobody else had discovered. I wanted to live in outer space. Unfortunately, in secondary school, I was not very strong in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and especially Mathematics. Whenever I had a Maths exam , I could never wait to hand up the exam script. I was fortunate that I passed my Maths during my University entrance exam. I had no choice , though I had an interest in astronomy, I did not have an aptitude for it. Just had to accept the fact that the astronomy field would be short of one talent. Of course, this is astronomy's loss. Very Ah-Q indeed! I'd always enjoyed singing from young, had been trained in church and was a church choir member. Yet, I never thought that it would become my job. Essay 2 The early stage of singing When I was in From 3, Xiao Xiao & friends asked me not to restrict myself to singing hymns alone. They said I should try singing some commercial/pop songs and even encouraged me to take part in a singing contest. I entered the contest with the sole purpose of having some fun and did not expect to emerge champion. With the prize money of $1,000, I gave my friends a treat and thought that would be the end of it. I did not expect to receive a telephone call from TVB's Feng Mei Ji. She asked if I was interested in signing a contract with TVB to be their 'Youth Ambassador'. As I had not completed my secondary school education, I knew I would not be able to take up full-time responsibilities with the station. Furthermore, I was not psychologically prepared to enter the entertainment industry. The timing was not right, hence I rejected the offer & continued with my studies. A few weeks later, the boss of a recording company, Mrs Liu, called me with an offer to sign me up as a singer ( this was through TVB's introduction). She promised to allow me to sing only after school hours. I felt that it was a good idea to do something I enjoy & earn my school fees at the same time. I thus agreed and hence began life as a part-time student & actress. Essay 3 Nnadia scalded ; A Blessing in Disguise The turning point in my life came during a prep lesson when I was in Form 6. It started with a pot of chicken feet/groundnuts soup . It was during family day one Sunday. I used a clay pot to cook some chicken feet/groundnuts soup. As the pot was leaking, I wanted to change it. However, I upset it, slipped and fell flat on the ground. My bottom, legs & hands were scalded. When my family members heard me scream, they thought I was playing as I used to be quite wacky. When they saw me run out of the kitchen covered in smoke & blood , they were shocked and immediately sent me to hospital. I was hospitalised for one month. When I was in hospital, my teacher Ou Yong Yu who stayed nearby visited me with food everyday. Till today, I'm still very thankful for her. I did not have many friends when I was in secondary school as I had changed schools. There is also Hu Wei. He always looked after me. Both Ou Yong Yu & Hu Wei made me feel the warmth of my schooldays. Till today, I'm very grateful to both of them. I remember the gentle warmth of one windy day in spring . With Mrs Liu's introduction, Xiao Sheng visited me in hospital. The minute he saw me, he said' You look really miserable now, & you're very suitable for the female lead in my show.' I never thought that he would decide to cast me as the lead actress in 'Songbird' . Thus began my life as a TV serial actress. Essay 4 The Low Neckline Saga Once in the entertainment industry, it is inevitable for gossip to abound. Reporters once asked me if I had once resigned from acting as a result of being pressured to wear clothes with low necklines. As far as reports are concerned, the first words I utter are usually distorted. In between my comments are always the opinion of third parties. Hence, what finally emerges is usually a very different story. I will not explain as it's too frustrating. It's like housewives haggling over prices in the wet market. As such, I've never bothered to clarify matters. When I act, I do not have too many demands. It could be that the director wants a change of cast, as such he simply says that Chan Chung Ling does not want to wear such clothes, hence I'm changing the cast. That's very unjust but I will not rebut this will only blow up the issue. I'm an actress, when acting I'm not Chan Chung Ling but the character I'm supposed to play. As for clothes with low necklines, I do not have any psychological repulsion but if the atmosphere's not right & the scene is not well shot, the director will not make you do anything ... aiyah, I'm not saying anymore, not such things . Essay 5 Internet Shock Not too long ago, a reporter told me that she saw pictures of my ex-boyfriend and me on the Net. I checked out the Net and had a real shock. That was a very old photo. I was very surprised then. I thought somebody was distributing my photos. But their intentions were kind. They only wanted to find out more about me and share the info with one another. I really do not mind. Besides, it's something that happened so long ago. While my initial reaction was one of shock, I was happy to see that most of them wished me well. I can be frank here. That's my ex-boyfriend from America. Everything's in the past tense now, it's really nothing. I often surf the Net. I remember the first time I did so, I visited museums round the world. I was really exhausted. The PC was really slow & I practically had to wait half a day for one piece of art to load. Essay 6 I'm Little Candy ( Xiao Tian Tian ) Let me share with you a secret. Should I be a cartoon character, I'd like to be Little Candy. I'm confident I can play the role of Little Candy. This is because I would re-read Little Candy every year & I understand her very well. A reporter once asked me for the similarities between Little Candy & myself. I think - everyone has a different background; I have a lot of similar experiences as Little Candy; life has not been very smooth. I went through a lot when young & even now the burden is not light. However, she's stronger and more lovable than I am. If I were to give examples, a lot of people will be hurt. It's better not to. Essay 7 United Nations I love kids, just seeing them makes me very happy. I would like to have many kids, all of different nationalities. Does that mean I need to be married many times - to Americans, Africans & the French ? Of course that's impossible, so I'll adopt them. There are many abandoned children in the world. Since every child who is born has to be brought up, they are available. If I have the means, I will adopt every single one of them. Of course, my other half must share this idea of mine. Otherwise, I'll have to tell him, " I want many kids of different colour & race. If you do not agree to my adopting them, I will have no choice but to marry different people, raise their kids & form the United Nations." Ha, you can be sure he'll faint from shock! Epilogue Here, I would like to thank many people, everyone who supports & helps me. In life, there are experiences that are pleasantly surprising as well as accidents, both of which can be totally unexpected. Some of these experience could be good, others could be very trying. Having gone through the many turmoil that life brings, I've let go of whatever's unhappy in the past and am moving towards the future. No matter what the future may be like, I will face it with happiness and optimism. What about you ?