This has taken longer than expected...i guess it's 'cos there were 3 co-hosts and they kept cutting into each other...And it doesn't help that Sandra Ng was guffawing away half the time, making it hard to make out the words...they were bantering, teasing each other...what a hilarious bunch, really! And I didn't expect it to run to 12 1/2 pgs either...and it's only the first 40 minutes!Goodness! Anyway, here it is...Hv a good wkend, everyone
Transcript of Radio Interview on Sandra Ng¡¯s Talkshow, ¡°He She Hit¡±, on HK¡¯s Commercial Radio on 23 Aug 2006 - Part 1 (First 40 minutes)
Talkshow Hosts: Ng Kuan Yu (Sandra Ng), Chow Hoi Kwong (Male), Tin Yui Lei (Female)
Programme: ËýËûËý´òµ½oÀ裡¡°He She Hit¡±
Media: HK Commercial Radio
Date: 23 Aug 2006
Sandra: Good Evening. We¡¯ve come to this Wednesday¡¯s edition of ¡°He She Hit¡±
Hi, I¡¯m ¡°Sam Gu¡±. (Note: ¡°Sam Gu¡± is a common term for gossip-monger in Chinese.)
Tin: Hi, Everyone, I¡¯m Ah Tin.
Chow: Guess who¡¯s our important guest for tonight?
Sandra: Wow! Our guest tonight is no ordinary person.
Hey, you kept interviewing Andy Lau last night, asking him about Anita¡¯s stuff. You told him, ¡°I really wanna interview Anita.¡± Then, you asked Andy to call her. And we managed to get Anita onto our programme tonight. We really have a ¡°lot of face.¡±
Tin: Yeh, we¡¯re really efficient.
Chow: Did she ask you about Andy¡¯s stuff when she interviewed you?
Anita Hey, I think you¡¯ve mistaken, ¡°My boyfriend is Cheung Chilam.¡± (not Andy)
Tin: Hah! I wish mine was Andy¡
Sandra: Well, who doesn¡¯t? So, Anita, was filming hectic?
Anita: It¡¯s pretty hectic for them. It¡¯s quite relaxing for me, actually.
Chow: No, I heard you¡¯ve got a pretty tough scene too.
Sandra: Yeh, I heard that you were dashing out towards him in the corridor, charging at Andy like a bull¡.barging into him with full force.
Anita: Andy reminded me not to use my stomach to barge into him.
(Laughter all round.)
Anita: I said, ¡°Ah! Did I? I didn¡¯t know.¡±
Chow: You mean u really didn¡¯t know?
Anita: No, I didn¡¯t.
Chow: You mean you didn¡¯t even try to be a little more careful?
Anita: Erm, I hope my mum¡¯s not listening.
Tin: She¡¯s not, but Chilam will be.
(Laughter all round.)
Sandra: So, how did you feel when you first decided to take on the role in ¡°Prot¨¦g¨¦¡±?
Anita: Well, Peter Chan called me.
Sandra: Yah and you¡¯ve got Derek Yee as the director too. Both are important mentors in your movie career. You got Best Actress Awards for both ¡°He¡¯s a Woman, She¡¯s a Man¡± and for ¡°C¡¯est la vie, Mon Cherie¡±. But you are pregnant.
Chow: Yeh, 2 important fellows in the same movie.
Anita: Er, actually I agreed to star in it first.
Chow: You mean before you got pregnant?
Anita: No. It was after I got pregnant. Later, they commented that I was pregnant. So, I asked if I had a heavy workload. Then they said it¡¯ll only be a couple of days. So, I said it should be OK.
Sandra: So, you didn¡¯t look at the script at all?
Anita: Then, Peter briefly told me about my role. And I felt it should be OK ¨C that I should be able to handle it. So, I agreed.
Sandra: What about Derek?
Anita: Well, I was a bit concerned about Derek. Actually Peter had always tried to include me in his films but our schedules always clash. (these couple of years) But as for Derek, we¡¯ve not contacted each other since ¡°C¡¯est¡±. And there was some misunderstanding in between.
Sandra: Right, I remember that.
Anita: So, I was thinking, ¡°Does Derek really want to cast me?¡±
Sandra: Yeh, ¡®cos Peter called you.
Anita: ¡®Cos actually Peter likes me a lot.
Sandra: Yeh, I know. Sometimes he mentions you. He tells me he dotes on you too.
Anita: Yup, Peter is really nice to me.
Sandra: He always says that actually Anita is not like what others made her out to be. ¡°She¡¯s kind hearted and nice. And in this line, she can take it easy too.¡± He says it¡¯s just your upbringing.
Anita: Haha, I¡¯m ill-bred.
Sandra: Well, if you wanna state it plainly, yes. Peter said, ¡°Actually I¡¯ve always wanted to get Anita into some movies.¡±
Chow: Yeh, get her to make a come-back in the movie industry.
Sandra: And Peter also said, ¡°Anita¡¯s got chemistry with me.¡±
Chow: Yup, they know each other very well. In the past, Anita used to chat with Peter a lot at the movie company.
Sandra: Oh! I¡¯m not aware of that!
Chow: Aha, I know all about these stuff better than u do!
(Laughter all round.)
Tin: I don¡¯t think you (Sandra) know Peter then.
Chow: Yeh, Anita & Siu Chun always chat with Peter. (Note: Who¡¯s that? Is it Jordan Chan Siu Chun or some else¡¯s nickname?)
Anita: Yup, we used to have dinner together then.
Sandra: Hey, come to think of it, I¡¯ve never had dinner with Anita before.
Anita: Yeh, basically I¡¯ll chat with Peter about everything. So, I was really worried that it was only Peter that wanted to cast me in ¡°Prot¨¦g¨¦¡±.
Sandra: Right. And you were also worried about the unresolved misunderstanding you had with Derek years ago. Actually what was it about?
Tin: Ya, what¡¯s it about?
Anita: Actually, I¡¯m not too sure either.
Sandra: Could you roughly recall what was it about? Were you the one who were mad at him or vice versa?
Anita: I wouldn¡¯t dare to be angry with him.
Sandra: So, he was mad at you?
Anita: Well, I really don¡¯t know what happened.
Sandra: So, someone told you about it?
Anita: No, I was also present then.
Sandra: Oh, you shouted at him?
Anita: Ah! No. I wouldn¡¯t dare to, man!
Sandra: Hey, you know there¡¯re rumours going round that the Jade King had sent 2 of his assistants, Nezha & who¡¯s the other guy?.. You tell her. (Note: I¡¯ve no idea what this rumour is about and I¡¯ve not heard of it before.)
Tin: It¡¯s rumoured that the Jade King had sent these 2 assistants to the mortal world to control me & Sandra. But it¡¯s got nothing with you, Anita, really.
Anita: Ah?
(Laughter all round)
Tin: Your baby is supposed to represent one of the assistants.
Anita: Well, I guess it looks like it.
Sandra: Ya, you¡¯re involved in this rumour too, you know. Hahaha! Anyway, let¡¯s get back to the subject of Derek.
Chow: During filming?
Anita: Well, it wasn¡¯t during filming. It was after I returned from a promotional tour of ¡°C¡¯est¡± to Fook Kong. I remembered Derek announced that he¡¯ll be shooting a new movie, ¡°Full Throttle¡±, soon and it¡¯ll star Andy Lau & Anita Yuen. So, of course we were all elated.
Sandra: You mean at the press conference?
Anita: Yup. Then after I came back to HK, one day, my management company called to say Derek requested for more days to film. So, I agreed to extend my number of working days. I mean Derek is like a father figure to me ¨C I¡¯ll agree to anything.
Sandra: Right.
Anita: Then he said I was too expensive, so I lowered my fees. I also recall that I spoke to Chung Chun. (Note: No idea who¡¯s this guy.) Chung was at EYFung (?) then. He¡¯s one of the decision-makers. He was telling me that when I go and discuss with Derek, later on, I should ¡°Say, yes to everything.¡± I said, ¡°Alright.¡± Then I drove to meet Derek. I was stunned when Derek said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we can work together anymore.¡±
Sandra: So, you thought you were going to talk about your role and then he said you guys couldn¡¯t work together anymore.
Anita: Yup. He said for that movie we couldn¡¯t work together ¡®cos his timing was too tight. And I¡¯ve also agreed to star in another movie. He felt that he couldn¡¯t fit into my schedule. Of course I wanted to strive to be a part of that movie. And I felt that I could make it. But he felt that he didn¡¯t want to offend the other director and he said ¡®No¡±. Perhaps at that moment, I felt very aggrieved.
Sandra: Yeh, you were all expectant.
Anita: I still recall that at that point; I held back my tears and said, ¡°Fine!¡± and left in a huff. Now, I realized that was a bad move. Perhaps I should have left only after he had done so. But I didn¡¯t wanna cry in public, at a caf¨¦.
Sandra: So you cried in your car?
Anita: No, I called Chung Chun in the car, crying into the phone. Then Chung consoled me and said, ¡°Never mind. Let it blow over. It should be OK later.¡±
(Note: I¡¯ve read about this before. If HK¡¯s papers are to be believed, Anita had a shouting match with Derek in a caf¨¦, insisting that she should be in that movie. But Derek told her she wasn¡¯t suitable for that role. But I trust Anita¡¯s account as she would readily admit to her own mistakes if she did make them.)
Sandra: Oh, there must be some miscommunication prior to that. You know directors are very sensitive people. Especially if they feel that they have a role in making you famous. They feel that you should have talked to them first. Or stuff like, ¡°Ah! You¡¯re talking conditions with me? Or You want to demand this kind of pay from me?¡±
Chow: And they would say, ¡°I was the one who made you famous in the first place!¡±
Sandra: I¡¯m not saying Derek is like that but a lot of them are.
Anita: Yup, maybe I didn¡¯t handle it well.
Chow: Perhaps if you had stayed a little longer and talked to him or burst into tears there and then, things would have turn out differently. Then he would have asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Anita: Yup.
Chow: And as a grown man, it¡¯s difficult for him to go after you.
Sandra: So, you are going to be a mum soon. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re psychologically prepared by now, right? And you¡¯re no longer the Anita Yuen of the past, correct?
Anita: What kind of psychological preparation?
Sandra: Well, like ¡°I¡¯m more matured now. I¡¯m going to be a mother soon. I wouldn¡¯t be like in the past, saying whatever I like without giving a thought.¡±
Anita: Well, no. I was talking to my assistant. She said, ¡°Yesterday¡¡±
Sandra: Oh, she must have said, ¡°You beat me. Don¡¯t beat me again!¡± Hahaha!
Anita: No, of course not. She said, ¡°You didn¡¯t have enough sleep last night. Would you be able to react well later? I said, ¡°Chey! I wouldn¡¯t answer if I don¡¯t feel like it. I¡¯ll just walk out.¡±
Chow: Haha! Looks like you really haven¡¯t change much!
Anita: Why should I change now? I mean there¡¯s nothing really....
Sandra: I mean to those that don¡¯t know you well; you always give others the impression that you are domineering, bossy and bitchy. Only people like Peter, who knows you well, would always tell me, ¡°She¡¯s really not like that.¡± It¡¯s just that you shoot off your mouth first. You and your big-mouth.
Chow: And others would think, ¡°How much does she know, anyway? She always likes to talk big!¡±
Sandra: Yeh, you¡¯re just like Peter.
(Laughter all round)
Chow: No wonder she has dinner with him & not with you.
(Laughter all round)
Sandra: Peter always says, ¡°For those who really know you, they¡¯ll think you¡¯re a fool.
Chow: Ya, others think you¡¯re like a ¡°crocodile¡± - very fierce, very high and mighty. But in fact, you only have a loud voice.
Sandra: He always tells me, ¡°Anita¡¯s just like you. In the end, she still ends up crying.¡± You know, like when you can¡¯t win an argument¡Yeh, then when you come home, you feel you¡¯ve been wronged.
Tin: And go, ¡°Oh dear! Why would others think of me?¡±
(All burst out laughing)
Sandra: Yeh, so you know you¡¯re not like that. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t need to prepare on purpose. But I¡¯m sure we all have our weaknesses.
Anita: No, I mean I know my bad points.
Sandra: Yeh, like you shouldn¡¯t flare up in front of your kid¡stuff like that. Are you prepared to make such changes? How long did it take for you to decide to be a mother? I know you love kids.
Anita: Well, I¡¯ve wanted to be a mother many years back. But I kept postponing it.
Sandra: So why now?
Anita: I felt that if I still don¡¯t give birth, it¡¯ll be¡
Sandra: Like this is the limit¡the age that you absolutely must give birth¡no later than this. But you¡¯re still very young, right? Only in yr 30¡¯s!
(Note: Sandra Ng gave birth earlier this year and she¡¯s 40.)
Anita: Yeh, but still, I feel that I need to have a certain energy level. Maybe it¡¯s ¡®cos I¡¯ve always fantasized about playing ¡°Police & Thief¡± with my kids.
(Laughter all round)
Chow: Then you should have given birth even earlier.
Anita: But I love money too!
Chow: Oh, ya, we forgot about that!
Sandra: She¡¯s very clear about what she wants right from the beginning. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s so direct. She wouldn¡¯t say things like, ¡°Oh, I would like to further explore my acting career.¡± But instead tells you directly, ¡°I love money!¡±
Anita: Well, don¡¯t we all work for the sake of money?
Chow: But in this line, as an artiste, sometimes it could be for the sake of art too, right?
Anita: Well, I try to balance the two. Like in a year, some of the jobs that I take up maybe for bread and butter. But others maybe¡.
Chow: For interest? So, which were the ones?
Anita: Well, actually there¡¯re quite a number over the years. Like for some I¡¯ll agree to take a lower pay or to extend my working hours. Or to accommodate the director as much as possible.
Sandra: Ok. Well, let¡¯s get back to the issue on you having your reservations about Derek casting you in ¡°Prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±
Anita: Yup, that was why I told Peter in a serious manner, that I wanted to be sure first. He said ¡°Of course not, Derek mentioned you too. Let¡¯s all come out for a drink to discuss this.¡±
Tin: You mentioned that both of you had not contacted each other ever since that misunderstanding. So, was it awkward when you guys meet up after all these years?
Anita: Well, it¡¯s was OK for me.
Chow: Yeh, did you have to think of what to say, what to wear or what to ask about the role?
Tin: Or how to resolve the misunderstanding?
Anita: Well, I think such things need time. I feel that if we¡¯re going to collaborate, then there¡¯ll be time where we¡¯ll be able to sit down & resolve it. But I wouldn¡¯t try to do it at one go immediately. So, I thought I¡¯ll let Derek see if my look is suitable in the first place. If it doesn¡¯t work out, then, I¡¯ll just take it as a hanging-out-with-friends session.
Sandra: So how did it go that day?
Anita: First, I tackled my concerns regarding my role. Then, we discussed about the movie. At the same time, I was also talking non-stop to Peter about kids stuff.
(Sandra guffawing away.)
Anita: Then, Derek said, ¡°You guys carry on. I make a move first.¡±
(Laughter all round.)
Chow: So, that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t talk have time to resolve the misunderstanding.
Anita: After these few days of collaboration, I feel that Derek still treats me as the Anita Yuen of ¡°C¡¯est¡±. He wouldn¡¯t think that after being in showbiz for so many years, I may have my own thoughts on how to play a certain role.
Sandra: So, he still guides you as a father does?
Anita: Yup, just like a Dad.
Sandra: Hmn, I guess I could figure out what this misunderstanding is really about. Maybe Derek has been telling you a lot of stuff, like how Dads are. But you never listened. Plus you were at the peak of your career and popularity then¡
Tin: And little cocky too¡
Sandra: Yeh, and you went on to do all those stuff that he tells you not to. That¡¯s my guess.
Chow: It¡¯s like you don¡¯t respect a Father. You don¡¯t listen to your Father. He¡¯s mad at you the way a Father does ¨C like when you don¡¯t listen to them and their heart aches ¨C that kind of anger, know what I mean?
Sandra: Yeh, exactly. I think so too.
Chow: That¡¯s how I would analyze it.
Sandra: So, I suppose everything¡¯s alright with you guys after shooting ¡°Prot¨¦g¨¦¡±?
Anita: Well, I¡¯ve no idea.
Sandra Has he taken out the cane, yet?
(Laughter all round.)
Sandra: Let¡¯s stop for a break now. We¡¯ll be back with more of the Pregnant Len Len. I¡¯m going to bet on the sex of your baby. But you don¡¯t have to tell.
Chow: Does she know yet?
Sandra: I¡¯m sure she does. But she doesn¡¯t wanna say, just like me. I¡¯ll go like, ¡°Hey, stop asking! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±
(Laughter all round)
Sandra: Welcome back! I know you only had to film for a few days for Prot¨¦g¨¦, but you had very emotional scenes, with you running around and all that. So, did your stomach protest?
Anita: During the trial run, I felt that my baby was scared & kicked me¨C I mean when I was running.
Sandra: Your baby must be trying to tell you, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t run so fast!¡±
Anita: I sensed that my baby felt insecure. So, I explained to my baby that it¡¯s only acting; it¡¯s not ¡®real¡¯. Then, I rested for a while. I thought if I let the baby get used to this speed (of running); then when I resumed later, my baby wouldn¡¯t feel so scared. After I¡¯ve done a crying scene, I¡¯ll also let my baby know that it¡¯s only acting, that it¡¯s ¡®for fun only¡¯, it¡¯s not ¡®real¡¯. I became like a person with spilt personality, talking to her stomach.
Tin: Yeh, you had crying scenes too. Did that affect you emotionally?
Anita: Well, I was OK actually. But I felt that I didn¡¯t do that well.
Chow: Haha, if the director hears this, he would say, ¡°Hey, you should have said this earlier. We could have re-shoot.¡±
Anita: Actually I don¡¯t mind re-doing the scene.
Sandra: Why is that so? Is it ¡®cos you were keeping your emotions in check?
Anita: Er, perhaps. Now I realize it¡¯s true.
Sandra: Like your baby is more important?
Anita: Yup. Later, I told Peter, that maybe the problem lies with me instructing the2 girls to hold on to me no matter what happens, right at the beginning. So, it¡¯s like from the beginning, I was already¡
Sandra: You couldn¡¯t ¡®lose yourself¡¯ entirely¡
Anita: That¡¯s why in the end, I couldn¡¯t go all out.
Sandra: Yeh, I know it was a very emotionally charged scene. I gather from Peter that your other scenes were pretty mild, like just being out in the streets or having dinner. Then, you have one climactic scene which is emotionally, super charged. I¡¯ve read in the papers that Derek was concerned if you could handle it given your condition. Yeh, pregnant women always say ¡°It¡¯s not a problem!¡± but when it comes to the crunch, the baby still comes first. It¡¯s like, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s only acting. Do I need to take it that seriously?¡±¡know what I mean?
Chow: Yeh, I guess your attitude would be different. Like Sandra acted in that McDull movie. It¡¯s purely for keepsake. (Note: McDull is a HK comic character of a pig.) But as for you¡
Sandra: It¡¯s the same for Anita too but she had to deal with this super charged scene.
Chow: That¡¯s why one¡¯s attitude changes when one becomes a mother.
Sandra: Yup, after one becomes a mother, one would consider the consequences of one¡¯s actions; in whatever you do. When one is single, we¡¯ll go like, ¡°Who cares?¡±
Tin: And it¡¯s really tough doing such scenes. One has to really ¡®lose oneself¡¯. Sometimes we can¡¯t stop crying even after the director has shouted, ¡°Cut!¡±
Sandra: When you kept telling your baby that it¡¯s only ¡®acting, it¡¯s not real¡¯. You are also brainwashing yourself sub-consciously. That¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t go all out emotionally.
Chow: Ya, that¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t get into character.
Sandra: Ya, it¡¯s like when I quarrel with ¡®Lo Pete¡¯ during my pregnancy¡you know it happens, right? I¡¯ll stop myself from getting angry when I felt myself flaring up. I told myself, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I¡¯ll be the one suffering if I get mad. I¡¯ll only make myself unhappy.¡± (and affect the baby indirectly) I mean you always wanna keep yourself emotionally stable & happy. (Note: ¡®Lo Pete¡¯ means ¡°Old Pete¡±. ¡°Lo¡± is old in Cantonese. Haha! What an endearing affectionate term!)
Chow: Yup, that¡¯s it. But then, maybe it was only you. I mean, we are our worse critic, right?
Sandra: Yup. Well, what did Peter say?
Anita: Peter said Derek would not accept sub-standard work. Not sure how true it is, tho¡¯. But I still feel that I could have done better.
Sandra: Well. There¡¯s always room for improvement for everyone ¨C you can¡¯t view it that way.
Chow: Artistes always think they could have done better.
Anita: Yeh, very ¡®greedy¡¯, right?
Sandra: So, you¡¯re 6 months pregnant now, what other stuff do you want to get involved in before you give birth, for another keepsake? Like when I attended the HK Film Awards with my huge tummy just for the memories.
Anita: Nope.
Chow: Let¡¯s see if there are any other major functions coming up.
Sandra: How about starring in another movie? Catherine Zeta-Jones, also starred in a drug-busting movie, ¡°Traffic¡± - think her stomach was even bigger than yours at that time.
Anita: No, I don¡¯t think so. Maybe just taking some pictures on my own.
Sandra: Hey, any nude shots? I made Peter take nude shots of me every month so I could have a collection of the different stages of my pregnancy.
Anita: No, I didn¡¯t bother with such stuff. I¡¯ve only just started taking pictures ¡®cos earlier on, no one could even tell that I was pregnant.
Sandra: Hey, you could ask Chilam to take them for you ¨C take it at home, I mean.
Anita: Yeh, I know, but there¡¯s no point in taking when you couldn¡¯t even tell the difference, right?
Sandra: Hey, there is a difference! You¡¯ll see your stomach growing progressively bigger.
Anita: Not for me. You couldn¡¯t even see my stomach until these last 1 ½ months.
Sandra: Yeh, that¡¯s why I guess that you are carrying a baby boy.
Anita: Why?
Sandra: ¡®Cos your nose is getting bigger and your stomach is still so small. For those carrying girls, their stomach would be much bigger; like when I was pregnant. And you are so thin. Also, their appearance (face) wouldn¡¯t change till the very last stage or not all. But your face is changing now. Anyway, it¡¯s just my guess, I may not be right.
Chow: Besides Daniel Wu & Andy Lau, does your baby have any reaction when he/she sees me? No? Then, it must be a boy!
Sandra: What a way of asking!
Anita: What kind of question is that! You know I¡¯m a straight forward person¡
Chow: I deliberately phrased the question in such a manner of course. See, it¡¯s a boy!
Sandra: I know you¡¯ve thrown some red herrings to the reporters, saying that you had asked Chingmy Yau (who has 2 girls) to pass you her kids¡¯ clothes. Then, you said, your baby kicked you when he/she sees Daniel Wu and Andy Lau ¨C implying that it¡¯s a girl. But of course even if it¡¯s a boy, he could still react ¡®cos they¡¯re so good looking.
Anita: Actually, I think my baby couldn¡¯t even listen well yet. It¡¯s just that he/she kicked me when I¡¯m with Andy or Daniel. But then one day, when I bumped into retired veteran actress Lin Ching Sia, I actually perspired.
(Laughter all round)
Anita: Hey, it¡¯s true. When she came over to congratulate me, my face turned red and I perspired. My friend asked me, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±
Sandra: Ahahaha! Really?
Anita: As for Chingmy, actually I¡¯ve asked the whole Shum family to pass on their kids¡¯ clothes to me. There¡¯re many kids in the Shum household. (Note: Shum Kar Wai is Chingmy Yau¡¯s husband.)
Sandra: Yeh, that¡¯s right.
Anita: They have 6 kids in total. So, I would not run out of clothes to wear. (for kids)
Sandra: His younger brother has 3 kids, Chingmy has 2, his younger sister has 1. Yup, total of 6. Hey, but you don¡¯t look like the sort who would wear ¡®hand-me-downs.¡¯! I know you love to shop for clothes. You are always filming in China these days but whenever I bump into you, it¡¯s always at Joyce¡¯s. Yeh, Anita is quite a spendthrift!
Anita: Hey, but I¡¯ve changed since I became a mother.
Sandra: But I still don¡¯t believe you would accept ¡®hand-me-downs¡¯.
Anita: I feel that kids outgrow their clothes so fast. So, it¡¯s really a waste to get new ones.
Sandra: But you still need to get undergarments, right?
Tin: Hey, how come you sound pretty experienced?
Anita: ¡®Cos my younger sister gave birth not long ago. Her baby¡¯s 6-mths old. I see my nephew wearing clothes meant for 9months old when he¡¯s at 3months.
Chow: Is it a baby girl or boy?
Anita: Boy
Chow: And you didn¡¯t ask your sister to hand you her kid¡¯s baby clothes?
Anita: Well, she has to, right?
Chow: Wah! You are really leading the reporters on¡Hahah!
Anita: Yeh, she doesn¡¯t have a choice, right? Haha! Seriously, I mean she and my mum really wanted to pass me her baby¡¯s clothes. My mum would go like, ¡°Hey, be careful of the clothes. You still gotta pass it on to Anita¡¯s baby!¡¯
Sandra: So, whether you want them or not, they would still wanna pass them on to you, right? But aren¡¯t there some differences in tastes?
Anita: Yup. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve told them, ¡°Er, not too many, please. Not all of them.¡±
Sandra: Yeh, it¡¯s like my younger brother¡¯s baby daughter is only 9 months apart from mine. So, they were very happy to pass on their baby clothes to me. They love to buy all those purple and pink coloured clothes. You know, those from Pinkle, Pinkle.
Chow: Hey, is it better for the kids to wear those?
Sandra: Actually baby¡¯s clothes is meant for the mother ¡®cos the baby themselves can¡¯t really see at this point in time.
Tin: Baby is meant for mothers to see.
Anita: I understand that lighter colours are better for babies ¨C they¡¯ll be happier. Don¡¯t buy them dark coloured clothes like black.
Tin: When they grow older, like about a year old, then they can tell what colours they are wearing.
Sandra: Perhaps later on when they¡¯re older and can differentiate colours. Then they¡¯ll like colourful stuff. Like my girl now. If my maid wears a purple T-shirt with a ¡®sharp¡¯ (attractive) pattern, she¡¯ll be attracted to it, ¡°Looking at it all the way.¡± She wouldn¡¯t even bother about me.
Chow: So do you wear very colourful clothes at home now?
Sandra: Ya, ya¡like shimmery stuff, lace¡Hahah!
Chow: And the baby still doesn¡¯t look at you¡Haha!
Sandra: So, Anita I guess you are well prepared now. Why did others urge you to have a baby before u got pregnant?
Anita: Beats me.
Sandra: Hey, isn¡¯t it such a coincidence that you got pregnant not long after the media made such speculations? You must have left some clues behind, right? Like maybe you had told your assistant or your management company that in 2006¡
Anita: Actually I didn¡¯t feel well after I had wrapped up filming a TV series, last October. So, I consulted the doctor upon my return to HK. I realized that I had health problems.
Sandra: What sort of problems?
Anita: My heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidney; were all not functioning well.
Sandra: So what did you feel? Tired?
Anita: Yeh, I felt tired and depressed. Like you know it¡¯s due to your poor health. I had no appetite too. Doctor said I needed some time to tune up my health. When I told him I wanted to try for a baby, he advised me to improve my health first. So, I asked to be excused from work for 3 months.
Sandra: Ok. Then you got pregnant after that¡
Anita: I felt that one¡¯s health is of paramount importance, regardless of whether one wants to have a baby or not. Especially when you really don¡¯t feel good.
Chow: Then, you also thought it was time to have a baby¡
Sandra: I felt that you¡¯ve become more cheerful since your pregnancy. I¡¯ve interviewed you before in the past, but you were more protective and more guarded. Now, you¡¯re willing to talk about everything...more open. Even the way you dealt with the paparazzi is worth learning from. Like when you wore that dress out to the toilet at Joyce, I would have whacked them with an umbrella, man!
(Laughter all round)
Anita: I really bought that dress in the end.
Chow: Hey, you would have bought it anyway, right? You shopaholic!
Anita: No, I mean it¡¯s not really nice to have worn that dress for so long & into the toilet too.
Sandra: But I really felt that you¡¯re much happier now. Am I right? Were you jumping with joy when you knew that you were pregnant?
Anita: Well, I thought I would be too ¡®cos when I knew that my sister was pregnant, I jumped high into the air. So, I thought I would probably be crying with joy, you know. But when I finally discovered that I was pregnant¡
Sandra: Worried?
Anita: No, but we were very calm. Like when the pregnancy test kit indicated a positive sign, I showed Chilam and said, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± We both went, ¡°Oh, OK. Let¡¯s consult the doctor later.¡± To re-confirm first.
Sandra: Any celebration?
Anita: I think I was overly protective of myself during the initial stage.
Chow: I supposed you were afraid then¡
Anita: Yeh.
Sandra: So were you already pregnant when I met you at the HK Film Expo?
Anita: Yes.
Sandra: But not during the time when we went to release captive animals (¡°Fang Sheng¡±) right? (Note: ¡°Fang Sheng¡± or ¡®free captive animals¡± is a Buddhist practice of buying captive animals, usually fish or birds, and setting them free into the wild.)
Anita: No.
Tin: Release of captive animals?
Sandra: Yeh, we have this mutual friend who likes to release captive animals at practically any time of the year. You had sea-sickness then.
Anita: Yup, I realize I get sea-sick easily.
Tin: That has nothing to do with your pregnancy, just a body reaction.
Sandra: Yeh, I was about 7-8mths pregnant then. My stomach was so huge, like a barrel. That¡¯s why your stomach is bigger if you are carrying a girl. ¡®Cos girls tend to be outwardly inclined, so they tend to open up their legs when they¡¯re in your stomach, like a frog. But boy foetus would wrap around you in the stomach, like a koala bear. So your stomach¡¯s smaller. That¡¯s why girls tend to be closer to fathers and boys closer to mothers. (Note: What a weird theory, this¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of such a thing.)
Chow: Do mothers look prettier when they¡¯re carrying girls and uglier when they¡¯re carrying a boy?
Sandra: Yes. That¡¯s why Anita¡¯s uglier now.
Anita: Really? Someone said I was pretty yesterday.
Sandra: Well maybe compared to that person¡Ahaha!
Chow: I¡¯ve seen you when you were at your prettiest and it¡¯s definitely not now.
Sandra: Yup, me too. I agree.
Chow: You know when Sandra was 7-8 months pregnant, she really looked pretty, in fact prettier than at anytime of her life¡really!
Sandra: Yeh...I had extra female hormones (from my baby girl)!
Tin: So did you start growing moustache now?
Sandra: Ahaha! Do u have hair growing out of your stomach?..Ahaha!..more male hormones, right? OK, where were we just now? Oh, yeh, about when you discovered you were pregnant¡So, you were already pregnant when you went to the Expo. Hey, Chow you were there too.
Chow: Yup. You (referring to Sandra) were so heavily pregnant then.
Tin: Actually I could tell then¡
Sandra: Oh, common on! I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more of on hindsight, right?
Tin: No, it¡¯s really true...I was interviewing Anita for Cable TV that day and I felt that the make-up looks a little weird on her face¡like it doesn¡¯t sit well¡I mean she¡¯s normally not like that.
Sandra: Yup, make-up sits well on her.
Tin: Her face was a little puffy too. So, I was telling my husband, ¡°Is she pregnant?¡± I think you weren¡¯t feeling well on that day, right?
Anita: Yup, actually I didn¡¯t even want to turn up ¡®cos I just discovered I was pregnant then.
Sandra: Ya, so you were super protective and cautious then.
Anita: Yup.
Sandra: But actually it¡¯s OK to go out.
Anita: Yeh, but later on when I started throwing up so badly, I felt the urge to go out instead. It¡¯s like, ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t care. I just wanna go out!¡±
Sandra: You know, one day Peter came back and told me this funny stuff. I think you guys met up to discuss about ¡°Prot¨¦g¨¦¡±. He said that Anita had cut her hair short, like when she was in ¡°He¡¯s a Woman, She¡¯s a Man¡±. He said you wanted to have a younger and fresher look. Then I asked him why. He said, ¡®It¡¯s ¡®cos she was vomiting all over her long hair.¡± So, I said, ¡°Then she could have pin up her hair when she¡¯s throwing up.¡±
(Laughter all round.)
Anita: It¡¯s true ¡®cos when I had the urge to vomit, it¡¯s uncontrollable. And it just happens without prior warning¡
Sandra: Like a fountain?
Anita: Yup, even when I was just walking around, I would just go, ¡°Urgh!¡±¡like a tap has suddenly been turned on. So, it was quite a hassle to have long hair.
Chow: Sandra, you didn¡¯t experience vomiting during your pregnancy, right?
Sandra: No. I read this report a few days ago. It says that pregnant women vomit to protect their foetus as it helps to get rid of whatever toxic in the body, so it doesn¡¯t get to their stomach. (Note: Never heard of this either.)
Chow: So does it mean that it¡¯s unhealthy not to throw up then?
Sandra: No, it means there¡¯s no toxic to be expelled.
Anita: Really? My mum said it¡¯s hereditary. She threw up when she was pregnant. So did my sister. So, she told me I¡¯ll definitely throw up too. But she tried to bluff me when I first started puking. She said, ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll stop vomiting when you reach 2months.¡± Then, when I reached 2 months, I told my mum, ¡°Mum, it¡¯s 2 months already!¡± And she¡¯ll go like, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll stop by the 3rd month.¡± But it continued well into the 4th month.
Tin: Oh My God! 4 months!
Chow: Wah! I¡¯m sure you must have felt terrible! It must have affected your mood.
Anita: Yeh, I was so down. You know my family always has great dishes but I couldn¡¯t eat. I mean if I were looking at all the 8 dishes, I¡¯ll be salivating. But I knew that I¡¯ll start throwing up after the 3rd mouthful.
Sandra: You still have no appetite now?
Anita: I¡¯m OK now but my doctor advised me to eat less at night & I listen to him.
Sandra: Chilam was telling me he doesn¡¯t really understand how you feel. So I described to him that it¡¯s like when one is suffering from enterogastritis¡you¡¯ll vomit and have diarrhea, right? And the sight of oily food would make you puke. It¡¯s like that for pregnant women. For some strange reason, pregnant women have this urge to throw up at the sight, smell or even thought of certain food.
Chow: So it¡¯s like a higher version of enterogastritis.
Sandra: Yup. It¡¯s scary! They¡¯ll throw up until their eyes pop up.
Anita: Yeh, my tears were streaming down too.
Chow: Did you vomit till you cried? Like it affected our mood.
Anita: Well, No. But I felt terrible when I was throwing up.
Sandra: Did you have any food cravings? Like suddenly you must have this sesame paste dessert right now. Then Chilam would have to scramble to find it.
Anita: Yeh, it was hard on Chilam then. I used to have cravings for macaroni at night. And it has to be those from HK style caf¨¦ (¡®cha chan ting¡¯). Not home-cooked ones by my mum. Has to have pepper¡
Sandra: And MSG?
Anita: Right. Every night at around 2pm, I¡¯ll start having such cravings. Then, he has to go get it.
Sandra: Why don¡¯t you buy it before-hand?
Tin: That¡¯s not possible! It¡¯ll turn soggy!
Anita: Yup. It¡¯ll be soggy.
Sandra: God, it¡¯s terrible.
Anita: Yeh, and I had cravings for pizza too. Like out of the blue after a meal during the day, I¡¯ll feel like eating pizza.
Chow: Oh my! Just like all those scenes you acted in ¡°I¡¯ve Got You, Babe!¡±
Anita: Yup! But I could only eat one piece. Anything more than that, and I¡¯ll start to throw up.
Sandra: So, he¡¯ll go all the way to buy some food and you could only eat a little. Ok, let¡¯s stop for a break now. We¡¯ll be back with more tips on pregnancy.
Posted on Sep 2, 2006, 8:59 AM from IP address 202.156.12.12
