sick or dying is not dead....

It's 7am on a Sunday morning. I'm in my bathroom feeling really sick and throwing up when I receive a message on my phone.

"Hi. We are on our way" - it reads. it's from the production team of the tv drama informing me they are on their way to the shoot location.

"Ok. But I am not well, throwing up too. I will be there asap." - I reply

"Ok. but be there before 8am" - came a very quick sms reply after that.

in this industry, only if you are dead are you allowed not to turn up for shooting. sick or dying is not dead... every actress, model and host in the world will tell you the same thing. i read in a short biography of Claudia Schiffer that she has done numerous photo shoots while she is sick, even with food poisoning.

somehow I drag my body out of the bathroom, get dressed and drive to the location. When I arrive I am quickly given a seat to sit in and they start applying make up on me and doing my hair. I keep a rubbish bin next to me the whole time just in case I need to throw up again.

Somehow I get through the scene and then I have a break. I flop down onto the sofa in the school principal's office and fall asleep. As I was falling asleep, memories of being sick in school and lying on the school office sofa came back to me.

A while later when I wake up and realise there are a few more scenes without me in it to shoot, I message my acupunturist and ask if by any chance she has an appointment free for me to see her immediately. Thankfully she does.

I really don't like take chemical medication. I much prefer to take the more natural apporach to healing. Hence my love of natural therapies like acupunture, reflexology...etc...

When I arrive in my costume which is a school uniform, she starts laughing...."I was wondering who is that school girl in uniform on a Sunday coming into my place?!"

"Help...please...I feel terrible...." I say

"Lie down...aiyoh...problem with your job is that you still have to work even when physically you shouldn't be" she says.....

Once i'm done I head back to the shoot location. I shoot a few more scenes then suddenly my stomach starts cramping again and my body is trying to throw up again but because I've hardly had anything to eat cause I don't feel like it, so nothing comes up....

I realise there is one more scene to shoot. Considering how I feel, I make a reqest I have never done before. I ask if my last scene of the day can be shot on another day. There is a discussion among the production team and one calls me and says very simply, "we need to shoot that scene by today"

see what I mean...sick and dying is not dead....

By this point, I am desperate and upset. I call a close friend who happens to live near the shoot location. "I know you are leaving to go overseas tomorrow and are probably very busy packing and getting organised but I really need your help now" I say on the phone..

When I arrive at my friend's house I collapse on the sofa.

"You need to eat. And you cannot shoot like this. Give me the number of your production team and I will tell them how sick you are., I don't think they really realise." says my dear friend..

"You can't do that. It will make me look unprofessional" I reply...

"But you're sick!!!!"

"But not dead.... please, just give me some food and can you drive me to my next location..it won't take long to shoot. It's only one scene.."I beg. My friend just shakes her head and doesn't argue with me anymore.

An hour later, I am feeling a little better and we go to the next location on Subang. It takes less than an hour to shoot the scene....

When I finally got home that night at almost 10pm, never have a been so happy to have shooting over for the day...