I remember the first time I sat next to our Chairman, Yamazaki-san. It was a group lunch at a restaurant in KLCC. I remembered he was telling me the story when he first arrived in Singapore many, many years ago while having his cup of sundae.
He said it was very, very hard because he did not have much help. Everything he needed to do, he had to do on his own. I believed him. Because behind that charming smile, I saw the wrinkles that tell stories of how hard he had strived to be where he is today.
When you meet Yamazaki-san, almost everybody will say the same thing. That he is friendly & very stylish. But over the years, I’ve learnt not to be fooled by that charming wrinkly smile. He is quite a tough negotiator actually, especially when it comes to business goals. As modern as he is, he also respects traditions and customs.
Anyways, Yamazaki-san is also an avid wine drinker. When he visited us in Malaysia recently, I asked him how expensive he had spent on a bottle of wine. He told me he has this bottle of wine that is worth $15K. Whoa. Then, I asked how did the wine tasted? He said it’s still unopened.
Aaaahhh…
Happy Birthday, Yamazaki-san. Hope that you will find that right moment to savour that bottle of wine and I wish that moment of celebration will come to you sooner.
Bimbo
P.S. My deep gratitude to Kazumasa Sone for helping out with the post’s translation. Much love, Kazu! ❤️️
