[Ta Kung Pao]

In order to attend TVB's Grand Opening and Anniversary Pre-show, Steven Ma rushed back to Hong Kong from Malaysia, but he got something extra along the way.

Steven was invited by TVBS to Malaysia to take part in a show in Penang that attracted a lively crowd of about ten thousand. As he had to rush back to Hong Kong the next day, Steven had to make a journey over land to Singapore Airport to make the early plane back. When Steven heard he had to make the 'midnight rush', he was a little afraid as he says: "As the trip was eight hours by road, I was worried that my Malaysian friend who was driving would be too tired. Luckily he was on the ball and had another friend to help him so they shared the driving and I was very relieved."

As he had help from these two friends, there was plenty of time to spare with the traffic freely moving along the way, so they acted as tour guides for Steven, driving him around Kuala Lumpur and taking a photo outside the Petronas Towers and the Palace. There was something else on this trip that was particularly memorable. This was when he was travelling to Penang, he had to take a connecting plane at KL and wait there for a few hours. When they wanted to eat something, they realised that no-one had any Malaysian currency with them. Just as they were wondering what to do, a lady ran over and asked Steven whether he was the actor from the TV. It turned out that this lady was a local Chinese and when she heard about their predicament, she offered to buy them all some food! Steven says that this trip to Malaysia has given him a great insight into the friendliness and helpfulness of the Malaysian people and left him with a very good impression of the country.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2003-10-15/UL-186482.htm