The Girl
by Jagung

"The shiny hornbill above the girl's head represents the place where I came from
- Sarawak. Coming from my hometown Sibu, Sarawak, art education is deeply deprived and artistic talents are often
discouraged and overlooked. But I believe that gold will glitter wherever it is. I am actually proud of myself for
standing out without any formal art foundation. Not to mention that spray cans are the most difficult tools to paint
with, people often say "You're a crazy man!" for having a muscular index finger with "six-packs".
The spray cans in the mural are to show that it is the only medium that I use to paint.
Thanks to my obsession with details, I am able to fine-tune my murals to perfection without any cover up props to
assist me, a process that is both tormenting and invigorating.
This is about a girl whom I met at a random encounter and I am deeply warmed by her cordiality. It is not everyday we
can meet someone who radiates amiability in the service industry especially in my hometown Sibu. She served me at
the car insurance renewal service counter and I could really feel her passion in her job.
What I want to convey in this mural is that although her kindness and her genuinity seem like a simple act to us, it is
actually something that many of us have failed to do.
Out of curiosity, I asked her how she can perform her job so enthusiastically. She said that we may not be able to
choose a job or a boss we like but we can definitely choose how we live our everyday life. No one can be happy and
cheerful everyday but we can choose not to bring the negativity in our lives to the customers. Letting them take in our
negativity will only leave bad reviews and impressions on the company and will in turn affect the company's revenue.
With less revenue in the long run, we may not have a job to do anymore. For her, it is important to make contributions
for the company in order to achieve positive outcomes.
She also added that as a woman, one does not necessarily have to find a man or live off of a man. Women do not need
to fulfil the stereotype expectations of society to be happy. In order to find a better half, one must also be good enough
to bring out the best in each other.
From our conversation, I learnt that she is young but she has a mature way of thinking.
Her qualities and values deserve to be appreciated. Although she has not found her purpose in life for the time being, I
believe that she will be very successful in the future. Everyone starts their job from the bottom when they first step

into the society and gradually become experienced and professional. In her, I saw my passion to forge ahead with what
I love - mural painting."

- Jagung 2024