The China Press Interview - 1995

This interview was conducted at a time when Magicmakers was growing to a point that it should join the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As). To help win friends and garner support from fellow craftsman in the advertising industry, this interview was arranged with the help of friends in China Press, a leading Mandarin language daily newspaper based in Kuala Lumpur.

Just Kidding - in the inaugural issue of ADoi magazine

As an agency boss I probably interview about 20-30 prospects each month and I look for just one thing - ATTITUDE

Of Free Gifts & Take-aways - mentors of my character

Generally, people who have a pretty good memory of where they came from, have the tendency to go far. Rats which can't remember which hell-hole they crawled out from have no idea what they are running from, or where they will end up. People who started poor, but could harness all the good values picked up over their lifetime, choose to build their character and develop their fine intellect, are a special breed with a world class attitude. Everyday, I pray I can get to meet another new person with this attitude.

John Machado Revisited - tribute to a Legend

Being a copywriter and creative group head in John Machado's creative team at Ted Bates between 1986 - 1989 virtually changed my life. I thought being hedonistic, indisciplined and a hot-headed artist was cool. But John's style of charismatic professionalism instantly drove an awareness through my skull like a bullet in the head: Peter Lo was just another brand which needed to be built. When John Machado passed away in May 1998, ADoi magazine invited me to contribute a few words in remembrance. Machado was the first Malaysian creative director to win a CLIO statuette, and the only to possess three CLIO statuettes until recent times. His books "Creating Desire" and "Distilling Desire" are available at most major book stores.

Ying Yang - a creative approach

When a child takes its first step, that milestone achievement had already played out many times inside its head. Everything that happened to us, first happened in our minds before it actually happened. The crucial moment of realising that we can do something is an awakening, a Nirvana, a consciousness. A million snowflakes fall into the sea, the silence is deafening. A person finds no happiness within, he will find none without. We are where we are because the past gives birth to the future. Likewise, Creativity is a state of consciousness. To be creative, you must first become AWARE.

Chronicles Of A Slave - how to get hired

There are experts who profess to have all the skills required to get a job, and they charge a fortune to teach people how to succeed in job interviews. I have no idea what they teach at these seminars as I have never been to one. However, I have never ever failed to land a job that I wanted and all I have is plenty of passion for what I do. When you want something bad enough it really shows as a vital sign. But if you've got enough passion to swamp the interviewers like a dam break, you're not only likely to get the job. You're going to change the world.

Scent of A Million Dollar Brand

A great campaign goes beyond a bunch of good looking advertisements. It includes the unique positioning of the product, the whole marketing mix, distribution and sales, and other factors that emcompass people, products and service. When all these variables are aligned like a stellar constellation, you can smell the success long before the campaign is put together. Savour the moment of triumph, as it does not come around every day.