27 February 2013 Wednesday | 18:54 | Pass Me the Mic, White-Collar WOOHOO!
This is an announcement. I will leave the morning show on 1 March.
People ask why I chose Radio. I didn’t. Radio chose me.
The magic of Radio manifested in the form of a little portable orange receiver when I was five. I was intrigued and hooked right from the beginning.
I wanted to be in the hot seat because it was something I thought I would enjoy doing. I aced the audition right after my ‘O’ Levels. As a teenager who wanted a future career in Radio, I tried not to do stupid stuff which would make people tune out. By the time I left the army, the job was waiting for me. Everything was incredibly smooth sailing. No one bullied me, or denied me of any opportunities. I know the tale would sound more compelling if there was some evidence of hardship, but there simply wasn’t any.
I worked hard. I didn’t want to screw up. I didn’t want to be a disgrace. I didn’t compare myself to any of my peers or predecessors. I just did what I enjoy and what I thought would work. I listened carefully to constructive criticism and I smiled stiffly at patronising compliments. I didn’t buy the idea that fame and calibre always went hand in hand. I didn’t have to be a popular radio personality, but I was determined to be a good presenter.
There were accolades in the form of glamourous trophies and sweet emails, but what mattered most was the fact that I had inexplicably entered the lives of listeners around the island and made some of you look forward to waking up in the mornings. Everything else would have been redundant if my mum was the only person listening. The sheer joy and satisfaction — from playing you your favourite songs, trading jokes and stories on air and yes, counting down to Fridays — is priceless. Nothing — and I really mean NOTHING — can come close to the exhilaratingly awesome experience I had on air in the last seventeen years.
I have been given a new name card. And one of the first decisions I made was to take myself off the flagship morning show. Jiafa will take over next Monday. I wear size ten, so I am sure he will have no trouble filling those shoes. We will just have to make sure he gets his java fix at six in the morning.
I will be back on air on 18 March with a new show in a different time slot. Do wish me luck in the meantime — I have much to learn. And please continue to give my team and I your utmost support.
Y.E.S.!
