The first time I met her, she was dressed in a modest cream coloured baju kurung, a bright smile on her face and an absolute glow of happiness surrounding her. It didn't matter that the critics in the main stream film fraternity were tearing her film apart or that the censorship board had wanted to snip her film to pieces – none of that stopped that glowing smile which was so Yasmin. She had agreed to give us (Cinema Online writers) a private screening of her movie "Sepet" that day, along with an interview which was to be featured in the February 2005 issue of Cinema Online magazine. I came away from that meeting with the sure knowledge that this woman is my new hero. If there was one thing about Yasmin which I have always been impressed about it was her enthusiasm and her passion for life. You don't need to be part of her inner circle or even a close friend to be able to see and recognise this quality in her. She grins, she hugs people, kisses them on the cheeks, greets everyone with the same kind of joyful tune and most importantly she smiled, that glorious, glorious heart warming smile which lights up her entire face and simply demands a response from you. I felt that it was almost as though she wanted to paint the entire world with rainbows and sunshine. That didn't mean she lived her life in the clouds. Rather she was one of the most firmly grounded person I have ever met in the entertainment industry. She recognised the difficulties that life presents but never used it as an excuse to defeat her in her work. She defines what it means to be a fiercely proud and loyal Malaysian. She saw the country for what it is – a wonderful melting pot of people, where different races and different beliefs could co-exist in mutual respect. Where love for the humanity in all of us as the people of one nation could transcend the differences in our skin colour and our traditions. On the other hand she also saw the problems that existed as well yet what made her work so memorable, so beautiful, was the fact that she always chose to show us that love can and DOES break barriers and overcome problems.