An uncle of mine used to love martial art movies and television series a lot. For I used to spend a lot of time in his family’s place, me and my cousins were also kind of exposed very much to such film’s genre which at that time was available on rented Beta video format, and that’s how I knew about Jackie Chan for the first time.

He’s a great Hongkong star, stuntman, actor, martial artist, comedian, singer, and so much more. That’s my impression of Jackie Chan, from all of the movies, news, and music I’ve consumed within the next couple of years. No, I am not a fan of him, but that’s how I start to admire him.

Years later, when I heard that Jackie Chan was coming to Indonesia for a charity visit on 2005, after Aceh was badly hit by tsunami, I just thought, “If I want to write a report on him, then it’s going to take a lot of work.” I was working as a journalist for a women’s tabloid back then, but getting an access, just to see a world class celebrity like Jackie Chan was still not a very easy thing to do. Thanks God, and friends I’ve made it.

The room prepared for Jackie’s press conference in Hotel Mulia, Jakarta, was unusually full. Everyone seems to have the same thing in mind, it’s not like everyday we can meet Jackie Chan. I wouldn’t blame the photographers if all of those around were uncontrollably rushed ahead to approach and take a shoot on Jackie as he entered the room, and minutes later, until Jackie told them to sit back, to give the chance for the writers to have the Q & A session.

“I also work a lot with cameras. I know, no matter how hard you’ve tried, you wouldn’t be able to take a good pose of me here.” Said Jackie back then, while promised to give 15 minutes of his time after the press conference to have a photo session with the photographers in the hotel’s lobby.

After the Q & A session was over, as what Jackie told them before, those photographers straightly moved to the lobby, waiting for Jackie. Someone from the promoter’s team remind Jackie that there was no schedule for the photo session, so that they couldn’t prepare adequate security protection for Jackie during the photo session, and that the photo session might be dangerous for him. Guess how Jackie replied.

“I’ve promised to give them the 15 minutes’ photo session. I am Jackie Chan, and I am not supposed to break my promise.”And then he went out side the press conference room to join those photographers in the lobby. For me, that was sounds like a very cool “Life Action” quote from Jackie Chan him self, so I rushed out side to follow him and see if there were some more interesting things to report.

The situation in the lobby was even worse. Hundreds of enthusiastic photographers, journalists, fans, and guesses around were so excited about taking Jackie’s picture there. They’re all huddled up in all of the three lobby’s stairways, that I couldn’t even come close enough to clearly hear anything, so I decided to watch the photo session from the lobby’s balcony.

The 15 minutes photo session with Jackie went on so fast. It was ended by the time he check on his watch then shout out laud to everyone around, “15 minutes’ over. I’ve got to go, for I’ve got another schedule to attend. Thank you and see you all.” And then he left even faster, so that I couldn’t trace his shadow. Man, getting out from the crowd of hundreds people is not an easy thing to do, but he did it within count of seconds.

Despite all of the gossips, critics, or controversies surrounded him, after what I’ve heard and saw my self at that day, I would consider him one of the man who deserve great admiration. And now, this thought of how great he is, still comes across my mind every time I saw, read, or hear anything about him at all.