"No one should apologise for being poor. It’s not a curse. You can change it. Through education, you can uplift yourselves and change your lives,” emphasises Ruth Yu-Owen. She carved her own path and persevered to achieve the changes she sought. She does not apologise for her humble beginnings and for her mistakes. She used both as stepping stones to survive, to succeed – and now fuel her to live in significance by paying it forward. “I’d like to believe that I’ve reached a stage in life where I’m better equipped to help achieve a sustainable future for some of the less privileged communities and a sustainable future for our environment.”
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At the end of 2023, Ana Žigić and three other brave women set out to row across the Atlantic in a human power boat. For 39.5 days, through walls of black waves, endless seasickness and layers of salt on equipment, clothes and skin, they learned to trust and support one another as the best teammates they could be. Motivated by their desire to “turn the tide for girls in sport”, they trained for two intense years with “life outside the row” falling to the wayside. There She Rows achieved a British record for the fastest women’s crew to row the Atlantic, definitely a proud achievement for Ana. But it was during the fortune of doing this with three unstoppable forces of nature that Ana found herself with lasting and transformative lessons from the ocean.
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“Does this spark joy?” The quintessential catchphrase prompted us to clear our closets following KonMari method: tidying up by "quickly and completely" discarding whatever it is in the house that doesn't spark joy. This time the decluttering diva is taking her principle to the next level by focusing on what sparks joy in our life rather than on what to get rid of. What do you want to put in order? In her latest book 'Marie Kondo’s Kurashi At Home: How To Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life’ she talks about how the Japanese concept of kurashi can bring calmness and contentment to everyday life. That goal — that inner why — can help guide everything that we do, and it expands well beyond impeccably organised closets and a spotless house.
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Decades before mental health became mainstream British cartoonist, writer and illustrator Gemma Correll has given voice to issues such as anxiety and depression through her witty yet punchy comic strips. She keeps it real by combining light-hearted humour, self-deprecation and mettle in all her work. She doesn’t preach, judge or psychoanalyse. The content of the short comics she shares are snippets from her everyday personal life.
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Do boundaries keep people out or fence you in? For Jocelyn Goh, the answer lies in why they were put up in the first place. She hurdled barriers just being a young female Chinese from the working class. She understood and learned to set boundaries and not just subject herself to conventions if they were unfair and unjust. It’s not about erecting walls to fence her in. Rather, it's to fence out unwelcome situations and people, choosing to rise above parochial prejudices against gender, race, age and cultures. “After a while I realised that my background and heritage had its benefits,” she says.
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The power that color wields cannot be under-estimated. It triggers emotions. It creates mood that can elicit positive or negative reaction. Leatrice Eisemann is fluent in the language of colors. “I don’t ever remember a time when color wasn’t important to me. When I was a teen my mom gave me free rein in my bedroom. I’ve never been curtailed from the use of color. I’ve only been encouraged,” says the international color guru whose career spans over 30 years. Those who come to her often need color validation. "Color is not just 'let’s throw the darts at the Pantone charts and see where it lands’," she says.
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Bella Borgers has learned to beat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. She gets on the skateboard to forget her trauma and tell herself “I can!” “Skateboarding has become the most rewarding form of self-care. It teaches me not to (mentally) beat myself up, and helps me feel better about letting some things go. I’ve learned to celebrate every small piece of progress, especially the progress that is happening when it doesn’t feel like it."
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Anthony Bourdain was the maverick (some say rock star) of the culinary world. He lived a frantic life by his own rules and on his own terms with no apologies. “He was the epitome of cool, a sad-smiling Jersey boy who combined supremely high standards with the underappreciated art of not giving a shit in ways that seemed to excite both sexes,” wrote Charles Leerhsen in the prelude of his controversial book Down And Out In Paradise: The Life Story Of Anthony Bourdain. It’s been nearly five years since the tragic passing of Bourdain, and we’d like to remember the good bits he left behind. Here’s a degustation of resonating lessons we learned from him.
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Gender-based Violence (GBV) is a muted issue cloaked in fear. Stigma and shame are often the reasons victims keep mum and suffer in silence. Sabrina Laya Gacad unmutes the silent button to listen to the abused. She founded Lunas Collective, a non-judgmental chatline dedicated to GBV survivors in the Philippines, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown when there was a dramatic spike in GBV cases. “Gender inequality creates unique, personal experiences of vulnerability and marginality. It is not always easy to talk about personal experiences. There is a lot of stigma and shame around gender and sexuality,” she says. Keeping these traumatising experiences bottled up has consequences.
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Sophie Chen lives by her own mantra. She built a career – and let her voice be heard – in the male-dominated hospitality and casino business long before ‘empower women’ became a catchphrase. She bet on herself, rising above work biases against women, and reaped success on her own terms. Now she’s positively provoking women to take the leap and be fearless in creating their own story. "Women put undue pressure on themselves by striving for perfectionism. Rather, we should strive for excellence,” she says. "Be your own advocate. We need to be outspoken, increase visibility and showcase our potential.”
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Siblings Nichol and Nicholas Ng established Food Bank Singapore in 2012. They’ve since been on a mission to reduce, redistribute and recycle food waste, which are edible food that is intended for human consumption, but instead gets discarded or expires. In 2019 alone, Singapore generated around 744 million kg of food waste, a 23% increase from the previous year. That is equivalent to two bowls of rice per person per day, or around 51,000 double decker buses. “We’re relatively comfortable in Singapore, yet we have poverty or food insecurity within us. There are people struggling just to put food on the table,” says Nichol.
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Bailey Cherry dreams of a world where every child has access to books. The young change-maker made it happen, and is rewarded for her passion and perseverance. Bailey, 17, is among 100 global winners of Rise Award 2022 for her non-profit social enterprise Rebooked Hong Kong that promotes sustainability in literacy. The annual award recognises brilliant Next-Generation Leaders.
At the age of 13, Bailey founded and launched Rebooked. It has since become the biggest store for second-hand English language children's books in Hong Kong. Inspired by the RISE award, which comes with funding among other benefits, Bailey is taking Re-booked global.
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A typical millennial university graduate would have set out to land a job in the corporate world. No one would have dreamt of working in a sweatshop as a ‘karang guni’ (gunny sack). Millennial Bryan Peh certainly did not expect to be a karang guni. But after a series of rejection in job interviews, he reluctantly accepted his father’s offer to join the family karang guni business. He was in self-denial at first, but now he has no regrets. He has been collecting and sorting an average of 100 tonnes of waste a month since 2016. He has also launched Earth Recycling, a disposal service to help efforts toward a more sustainable environment.
Nothing could be worse to a parent than losing a child to suicide due to depression. Jean Goulbourn lost her daughter Natasha, who was in her 20s, to depression.
Chef and baker Janti Boso Brasali is proof you can have your cake and eat it too with keto diet. It doesn’t make you choose between enjoying food and enjoying life because one cannot exist without the other. “You don’t have to deprive yourself of tasty food. I am living a healthier and happier life,” says Janti.
Can excerise and fitness really be your friend? Health advocate Natalie Dau believes that positive change starts with small steps: go for that walk, one less sugary drink, a healthy breakfast, in bed an hour earlier, less screen time. Just pick one and take that step.
“People put too much much pressure on themselves when it comes to health and fitness. I want to bring it back to some simple steps. Finish lines aren’t crossed overnight. One small step at a time,” she says.
Dads are the silent guardians. They hide their true feelings and mostly stay in the background as they watch their children grow. Jason Wong is an exception. His story is one of the rare pieces we’ve come across that’s too good not to share.
"When a father is present for his children when they are young, they are likely to be there for him when he is old,” writes Jason.
Sujata Sheth is like a hurricane that never stops giving to her family. To her two young daughters she is their wonder woman who is strong, honest, and continues to push the boundaries. Inspired by fellow mothers who shared the same sentiment of keeping precious memories of their children, she launched Art4Keep, a startup keepsake of treasured artworks as an ode of love to her family and other moms out there.
Aaron Yeoh’s heart beats for humanity. For years he has been serving underserved communities focused on people with disabilities and the elderly.
”The game has just started for the visually impaired. Those with disabilities can follow their own aspirations by leveraging their talent,” he says.
Don’t call Lily Goh hearing-impaired. To the Deaf, hearing impaired is derogatory. A lack of hearing need not be disabling. It need not be considered a ‘lack’ at all. Breaking sound barriers through Inclusion efforts has always been her advocacy. Inclusivity may be the current buzz. But trends come and go. Being Deaf is for life.
Farm life was not in Charie Villa's plan. She never imagined suiting up a green armour after devoting nearly 30 years in newsrooms. But a series of personal tragic events steered the former broadcast journalist to flee the rat race and find peace in a higher place, in the bosom of nature to be exact.
Director and scriptwriter Martika Ramirez Escobar is the first Filipino feature film director to win at Sundance Film Festival (2022).
Her debut genre-bending film ‘Leonor Will Never Die’ emerged as one of the top winners, besting 143 entries from all over the world. The critically acclaimed film took 8 years to complete from script to screen.
Portraying Gina Romero as tech-smart, business-savvy, down-to-earth, and a connector of people and ideas is too simplistic. The only child of a former domestic helper, Gina grew up in the UK and was a troublesome teenager and a college dropout. Success finally came after she co-founded Connected Women (CW), a Philippine-based social enterprise that uses technology to provide stay-at-home moms with remote work opportunities.
Fashion globetrotter Sera Murphy launched The Reoutfitter in 2020 with a view of driving the circular fashion ecosystem. Sustainability is a personal philosophy that Sera has been deeply committed to for several years. Having worked in the most fashion-savvy cities including New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore, Sera is well positioned to guide clients and consumers and help them elevate not just their look but their awareness for more socially impactful purchasing decisions.
Angela Gaspar is an avid runner, clocking 5 kms a day on average. One day she woke up and couldn’t walk, due to an inflamed hip injury. She tried all sorts of treatments, until she visited an alternative nutritionist, who suggested eliminating dairy from her diet.
Since her daily breakfast was composed of yogurt and granola, the nutritionist advised shifting to coconut yogurt. Taking dairy out of her daily diet was challenging. It was nearly impossible to find it even in organic stores. She decided to make it herself. Coco by Angela was born.
Philip Lawson Johnston holds the distinction of Specialist Hand Engraver of Glass By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen, and is considered one of the most influential glass hand engravers in the world.
Janice Wong is a visionary pastry chef known for creating edible art on the plate and on the wall. Her multisensory palate-pleasing desserts and delightful art installations reflect a sweet body of work where art meets design and design meets art.
Milkier Pigs & Violet Gold was written with such clarity and accuracy that it described the Philippines I was born and raised in -- the cuisine, culture, and people were spot on. You'd think a Filipino wrote it. Think again. Singaporean Bryan Koh, who is quite the culinary jack-of-all-trades, penned it. This baker-turned-food storyteller extraordinaire is the recipe innovator and co-owner of cake companies Chalk Farm and Milk Moons and an award-winning food author.
“Where are you from?” A geographic location may not be the best answer. To many expat sons and daughters of career parents who spend a considerable portion of their formative years overseas, the answer does not come easily.
Daniel, Heather, Gabby and Gia are Third Culture Kids (TCK) that reside outside of their passport country. The world is their village. They have learned to be at home in their own skin. They move in and move on. In a sense, they are the ideal citizens of a globalised world.
People and photography are Mita Kelder’s food for the soul. The former Thai model is consumed with fuelling her photography practice and helping feed Thai migrant workers in Singapore.“When you’re in a situation, you realise what is truly important in life. The world needs someone to rise to the occasion and do the right thing. That someone can be us in our own little way.”
To adopt or not to adopt. There are no right or wrong answers. Rather, it’s a complicated, emotional conjugal choice driven purely by personal reasons. After all, adoption is life changing. It is a journey of faith with only one requirement: nurturing, unconditional love.
David and Joey are blood brothers. Their combined three children, ages 14 and below, are bound not by blood, but by love.
Roselyn Sugay Helbling’s life as a global nomad is filled with ambrosial adventures. Cordon Bleu graduate, former restaurateur, polyglot, serial expat, hotelier wife, slummy mummy, part-time blogger and full-time gourmet traveller Roselyn is currently living in Dubai. Travels With A Gourmet is a chronicle of a food lover’s travels, memorable meals, culinary trials and gastronomic experiences.
Tina Tan-Leo clearly has an eye for fashion. She is credited for introducing more than 70 style brands – including global iconic labels Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Chloe, Givenchy, Roberto Cavalli, Manolo Blanik, Vera Wang and Versace – to Singapore and across South East Asia.
The resident cum museum owner and curator lives on the second floor of The Intan. This designated Heritage Home is draped in floor-to-ceiling vintage Peranakan artefacts that are all part of Alvin’s personal collection since he was a teenager.
If sunshine came in human form, she would look, sound and act like Rhodora Palomar-Fresnedi. An advocate for special needs and those with different abilities, she brings colour and hope to the marginalised sectors of society. Her Sunshine Farm Philippines in the Province of Quezon, is a garden where sunflowers and vulnerable lives bloom.
Singapore’s only female race car maven’s life on the fast lane zips from zero to 100 km per hour on any given day, and she doesn’t have any sign of stopping.
Claire Jedrek shifts gears depending on the demands of her roles: mother, entrepreneur, TV presenter, event host, brand ambassador, sports maverick, social media influencer and charity fund-raiser.
A wise person once said: “We can’t choose the music that life gives us but we can choose how to dance it.” Master choreographers, dancers and instructors Erich Edralin and Miko Valenzuela have danced through life with an eclectic playlist, engaging others with their passion and adrenaline along the way.
Two years ago, Nespresso launched Reviving Origins, a new program to restore coffee farming in regions where it is under threat. Through its AAA Sustainable Quality Program, it is working with farmers that have been blighted by conflicts, economic hardships or environmental disasters.
The mere mention of Nespresso brings up images of brand ambassador George Clooney nursing a cuppa.
Dr Anousheh Ansari was the first self-funded woman in history to fly into space. She is also the first astronaut of Iranian descent and the first Muslim woman space explorer as well as the first to post blogs while orbiting the universe.
Let’s Play is hitting all the right chords to encourage youth in the Philippines to strum some strings instead of thumbing their videogame’s console. Its motivation: Filipinos have an inherent flair for music, generally speaking.
Breaking down walls comes naturally to Dr. Hsien Hsien Lei. Brick by brick, she builds bridges to connect individuals and businesses or narrow the knowledge gap between layman and scientist, or challenge stereotypes – all by applying her years of experience, expertise and inclusive nature. The current CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore is also an epidemiologist, which makes her insights compelling in this time of Covid-19.
“Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work again in your life.”
Marjorie Chu, owner and founder of Art Forum Singapore, is the epitome of this famous quote. Often called the Doyenne of Southeast Asian Art, she is a lady in love with what she does, compelled to share her knowledge, passion and enthusiasm, infecting everyone she meets. And she has been doing so for the past 50 years.
Multi-awarded street and documentary photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani has been putting a spotlight on under-reported migrant workers stories, primarily on labour migration and human rights issues since 2014.
The second-generation domestic helper worked in Hong Kong for 10 years before she found her calling. Hers is a different genre of success story. It is so potent that it proves nothing is impossible.
BTS is an original creative force - a fresh, powerful and purposeful antidote needed by a troubled world. Everyone is enamoured with their boundless talent and authentic and stylish entertainment overflowing with positivity and joy. Why do we love BTS? There are seven reasons.
Amanda Griffin Jacob is a familiar face in the Philippines and Singapore. She is a model, a TV personality, an entrepreneur, a social media influencer and a proud mother of four.
What many may not be aware of is that Amanda is a staunch advocate against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC).
Take a page off podcaster Charles Lankester’s newly launched series: Three Things. The seasoned communications advisor, who is based in Hong Kong, invites business, entertainment and sporting leaders to share the Three Things they wish they had known in their younger years.
Curtis Chin wears his Asian-American heritage as a badge of honour. His passion for people, the planet and partnerships reverberates in everything he does. “Stop Asian Hate Has Relevance Everywhere, Even In Asia”, his recent piece published on Nikkei Asia, has been shared thousands of times across social media.
“Where in the world is Peace?” may sound like an existential question that calls for a deep, philosophical answer. Valerie Ang-Cheng penned her answers in her first children’s storybook aptly titled, “Where in the World is Peace?”
After over two decades of chasing business results, Sandra Yu finds a new canvas to give voice to her new pursuit: watercolour painting.
Most normal 20-year-old girls would be busy thinking about what they want to be when they “grow up” whilst filling their social calendar with fun activities. But not Emily Teng. At 20, she founded non-profit Blessings in a Bag to provide a safe space where children from Singapore’s most vulnerable areas can be themselves.
Stories have the cathartic power to connect, ignite and transform us. Master storyteller Alice Bianchi-Clark’s wonderland is a charmed space designed to spark joy for children of all ages.
The adage “Children Learn What They Live” couldn’t be more true as evidenced by these nine kids who speak from the heart as they pay tribute to their dads. WS shares their unedited response to the question: What is the most important lesson you learned from your father?