There’s this commercial that made me cry. No, really. An advertorial reel. But you won’t see it anywhere but channel 556 on Astro. That is Animal Planet to you guys. (: But then, you should really take a look at it if you can. I’ve been since trying to get a hold of the video online, but no luck so far.
There’s nothing complicated to this video. It just shows a group of Good Samaritans making their rounds through the flooded residential areas of New Orleans (I think it was Hurricane Katrina) searching for animal survivors. Not human victims. They rescued the pets that were still trapped in the homes or even chained to the gates or pipes as their owners have beat a hasty retreat to save themselves. The sight of a dog finally been released from its chains, quenching its thirst, or seeing some owners reunite with their pets, it’s a touching moment. I can’t hold back any emotions all the time I see this commercial.
The song played during the whole ad is titled “Hymn to Her” by The Pretenders. It was performed in memory of Princess Diana, and I think the lyrics really suit this ad as well.
What I’m trying to blog about is how my passion for animal rights, animal cruelty have intensified over this year. I have never felt so strongly for this issue as before. I’ve always have a spot for animals in my heart, but lately I’ve been taking that compassion to a whole new level. I actually did it, well kind of-by using my t-shirt design to spread the word. A part of me want to participate in educating the public, and also play a role in saving the animals from extinction and also abuse. I want to join people like Jeff Corwin and go around the world in saving the animals!
Hey which brings to mind that I’m actually studying Art and Design.
My first choice on my career was to be a herpetologist. I remember back in Form 2 -during a breaking the ice session among my classmates- when I told my teacher my idol was Steve Irwin and I wanted to be a herpetologist she grouped me with people who shared a completely different ambition. Haha. Then only in Form 4 I realized my level in Biology. And Chemistry. Both subjects were always tethering on the brink of pass and fail. Urgh. I suck. I was pretty let down by that, even worse is I take tuition for Chemistry and still get such results back then! The nerve of myself. Physics was fine… surprisingly. And people ask me why didn’t I study forensic science. Liking the TV show is one thing, doing the job is a whole new story. It’s not glamorous, it’s challenging, especially in the psychological aspect. And well, you have to work in the lab before you actually qualify for field work. And you have to learn how to handle a gun. (Me with a gun! Imagine the deaths pandemonium that will ensue) Nix that.
And my second choice was to be a writer. Alas, there’s no Creative Writing course here, and my parents aren’t going to send me to the UK. Or Australia. Or New Zealand. Anywhere overseas.
So actually studying Graphic Design was really my last, final choice. Not that I’m not interested in it; I am, just that high schools here don’t really focus on that much. Art back then was a nightmare to study. The teachers aren’t exactly qualified. No offense taken. I mean, most schools don’t emphasize on art. There are a few incredibly creative people I knew from high school, whose real talent wasn’t discovered then. I’m not as good, seriously.
Anyway, I digress! I must’ve strayed far away from my original topic.
I hope that I could use my career choice to continue spreading the word. Or better yet, take a break from it all and go on a volunteer program to help out! (: Maybe you guys would see me on Animal Planet or National Geographic someday. If only! Even better I could tour the world and at the same time, making the message clear. Animals are living beings too. I wish to speak on their behalf.
It would be cool to help out at an animal clinic. Or maybe that panda center in Wulong, China.
EDIT: For Ilina’s benefit, I’ve discovered a Gaspard (cue church bells ringing, angels singing) fan site… in Chinese. It’s through this link. If you haven’t visited this site yet!
The movie is in Japanese, and was shown years ago in GSC in their international screens. I didn’t watch it, after the disastrous movie outing in which we went to watch this movie titled All About My Dog, also in Japanese. The movie was… weird, in a way because the movie opens with people singing about their dogs in a park like a kooky musical. I was definitely alarmed, but clearly I had no intention of leaving my seat. Because I dished out RM6 for my ticket and no way was I going to leave. My friends apparently couldn’t see through the movie and decided to leave. I was literally gobsmacked that they would rather waste their money, but oh well. Jason made me watch it again in his house without any interruptions. And once you recovered from the odd-ness off the film, it slowly pulls you down towards the true message of the story-which is simply about man’s best friend. Tears are shed (not by me, I admit) by all and I definitely felt warmer towards dogs even more. They can’t talk to us but their amazing ability to understand us and their steadfast loyalty makes up for it. Quill is almost the same, but still effective in its message.
