Newspaper Review 3

Date: 15th December
Newspaper: Straits Times, Life! Section
Article: Inside The Outsider

Summary
In today's Life! section, singer-actress, Rui En gets interviewed by the straits times. She revealed alot about her pasteven though she is usually tight-lipped about her personal life, especially about her broken family. Rui En started off by saying that if she could live her life again, she would change the first 24 years of her life. Rui En is the only child of a property agent and a housewife. Her parents fought all the time. Her parents divorced when she was 17. Her father remarried three years later and her mother did the same a year ago. She now lives with her dad, stepmother and grandmother. Her career started when she was about 20 but she atarted acting when she was a child. She has always been looked at as an outsider since her secondary school life till even now, at MediaCorp. She took up ballet when she was in Primary 5 and stopped at secondary 1 because the feeling of rejection deepened and the whole not fitting in idea got to her. This was when she was drawn to a schoolmate who was from a worse background than hers and yet seemed so strong, streetwise and cool. That started her period of delinquency during which she began to experiment with cigarettes and alcohol. She admitted that she dd all these just to get attention from her parents. Yet, she would always study at the last minute for her major exams and do well. While waiting to enter university, she did modelling in 2001. In 2002, she made her first album. She added that she got into show business for the wrong reasons. In 2004, she started an overhaul of her life. She realised on her own. how her teenage delinquency, modelling, singing and acting career were all symptoms of her insecurity and she thought that fame was the only answer to her problems. So from 2002 to 2004, it was just about her ego. She said that she regretted that part of her career as the only thing that she could see in her eyes while she as acting, was the hunger for fame and popularity. After that, she decided to take stock of her whole life. She realised that she was just allowing herself to be a victim. She adds that she didn't want to be a victim anymore. She didn't want to use her broken family as an excuse for her behaviour and that she had to grow up! So, she quit smoking and drinking and also the idea of wanting to be famous and popular. As for her career, she quit doing kissing and intimate scenes. The result of her desicion is that her opportunities now are very limited as such kissing scenes are required. Ironically, she stuck a knife in her own career when it was just beginning to blossom. Even so, she doesn't seem to worry about it. Lastly, she added that, "I am hoping that kids who read this might realise that no matter how bad your family situation is, you have a choice not to be a victim."

Reflection
Wow! Who could have thought that there could have been so much behind this actress! I'm utterly amazed for words. However, I do feel a certain level of inspiration from her. First thing, is that no matter what problems she was going through, despite the fact that she was smoking and all, she still did well for her major exams and all. Also, I liked the part whereby she changed on her own, knowing what she really wanted. Also, last part of her interview, she concluded that we have a choice not to be a victim no matter how bad family situations are. This is something which i feel that everyone needs, especially teenagers like me. I've seen people from many broken families letting themselves being the victims by smoking and drinking and ruining their lifes. If these people were to know that there is more to life, beyond those difficult family situations, I guess there may be lesser people commiting suicide. Then again, it is easier said then done. As I said before, people don't die from suicide, they die from sadness. Why can't people try to change the sadnesss to happiness or in any other way that makes them happy? We all only have a short one life after all don't we? Perhaps it's just something too difficult to ask for if we really don't know the situation of someone's. However, I'm happy for Rui En. The way she managed to change her life and not letting herself to be a victim. All the best to her!

-NaZiRa