When we think of Michelle Yeoh, the thing that springs to mind instantly is probably that classic Ang Lee directed movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in which, of course, she played a prominent part.
But how many actually know that the movie title comes from an old Chinese idiom "Wuo hu zhan long" where the word "tiger" and "dragon" refer to people with special hidden talents? It was to remind people never to underestimate anyone. (Kottke)
Now, isn't that a wise advice that's applicable even to this day?
Anyway, it must have been pure ecstasy mixed with relief for her and her legions of fans worldwide when finally the supremely talented action queen bagged the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in the Musical/Comedy category recently.
Talking about special "hidden talents" ironically she actually started out as a ballet dancer and a beauty queen (crowned Miss Malaysia in 1983). She was also never formally trained in martial arts. Read here for more amazing facts about this legendary Asian star.
The slim and sprightly sixty-year old Ipoh-born actress who speaks English, Malay and Cantonese started out in Hong Kong firms almost four decades ago and has starred alongside celebrated Asian movie icons such as Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat.
In fact, her impressive movie portfolio also includes a leading role in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. So, it may not be an exaggeration to say that she was due a major acting award.
Not surprisingly, the point she hammered home in her acceptance speech was that, it's not easy at all for someone from a minority Asian group to make it big in Hollywood. But she did it... and at the same time succeeding in pulling off yet another stunt by being named Time Magazine's 2022 Icon Of The Year Award!
A true Malaysian tiger!
Away from the "dog-eat-dog" world of Hollywood and very much closer to home, there was another significant awards ceremony taking place minus all the razzmatazz.
For all their heroic efforts during the Batang Kali landslide in December 2022 which tragically claimed 31 lives, the gallant team of dogs from the local K9 unit were honoured with the "Golden Performance" medals by Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming as was reported by FMT.
The six well-trained, "unsung heroes" Blake, Grouse, Denti, Lady, Pop and Frankie practically worked to the point of exhaustion, and perhaps also aided by their sixth sense, they tirelessly helped the other selfless members of the search and rescue team.
If anything, they proved beyond any doubt that they were no "scooby-doos" in the face of such a daunting task.
Interestingly, they also appeared to manifest all the traits of the proverbial dragon - courage, tenacity, intelligence plus never afraid of challenges and ever willing to take risks.
So let's not underestimate these silent "hidden dragons" from the K9 unit who always seem to stay away from the glare of publicity. True Malaysian heroes!
On a related note, it was good to see that even homeless animals are not totally forgotten and are still cared for despite the adverse conditions exposed in some local municipal council dog shelters reported by The Star on 13 January 2023.
According to the report, it even prompted Selangor's Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin to direct authorities to improve and upgrade the management procedures at all dog and cat shelters in the state.
But perhaps, the most heartening words came from Melaka's Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali who was quoted as saying that it was "not the way to treat God's creations." He also ordered an immediate review on all animal shelters in the state.
Indeed it would be great to hear such moving, sensible words coming out from other politicians' mouths too, ya?
Or maybe, is it only those four-legged creatures can bring out the best in us (humans)?
Whatever it is, let's lift our "Teh-O" glasses high up above our roti telur and toast to Malaysia's very own "crouching tiger and hidden dragons".
May there be more of them.
JK Joseph is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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