Remembering my pitching session, I realised that I was the only woman among the 4 companies that came for the morning session. Those who came were all men, while the panel has only 2 women in the team. I reflected on my journey - from my days at my previous company till now. This industry is a man's world. It is actually tough for me. But I guess, it shaped me to be what I am today.
I remember one meeting I attended at my previous company (while we were still small and a fun place to work!) - it was a meeting for all Team Heads to discuss a tender and as usual I was always the only female. While waiting for all to come, the guys openly "mengumpat" a couple of female top managers. As always when it comes to women, it's always something like "marah-marah aku, period la tu kot, boss perempuan memang macam tu, emosional...". After a few minutes of looking at them open-mouthed, I said, "Ehem, ehem, I am a woman". They looked at me and said, "No you're not. You are one of us, we don't consider you a woman". And then they continued bitching. I looked at them bewildered. I opened my mouth to say something, then decided not to, and then opened my mouth again. (I think that's how Ivan got to call me "goldfish" - due to that incident.) Finally, I thought... now, that's actually a compliment!
Until now, whenever I am faced with a problem or a situation, I will remember that moment. That I must react professionally, think rationally and avoid being emotional. In other words, I must think and act like a man. This is after all a man's world.
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