Interview with Jared Fogle, The Subway Guy

Jared Fogle

Spokesman for Subway Restaurants

http://jaredfoundation.org/

1) What was it like physically and emotionally to be “an obese child, an obese teenager and an obese adult”? How did obesity begin in your childhood? And what did your parents do?

For me, each stage of development being obese was harder and harder.  There is never a good time in one’s life to be heavy but as a child, it was especially tough.  I dealt with it by withdrawing more and more from my family and friends.  I could always seem to find solace in food.

It became harder for me to do everyday things like fit into my school desks, go to a movie theatre, sit in the back seat of a car, and took much more effort to walk even a block down the street.

My unhealthy lifestyle started when I was 8 years old when my dream of getting my own video game system became a reality.  I quickly stopped exercising and became very sedentary.

My parents were very concerned but the more they approached me about changing myself, I would push away from them and continue eating and not being active.

This continued getting worse each year until I was 20 years old and weighed over 425 pounds*.

*425 pounds = 193kg

2) What exactly prompted you to embark on your weight loss plan that allowed you to shed 245 pounds (111kg)? How did you suddenly find the motivation to shed so much weight? 

I finally had enough when I was 20 years old and over 425 pounds.  I had developed a severe case of sleep apnea and was always exhausted because of it.  I would wake up throughout the night gasping for air, which was a very scary situation.  At that point, I had had enough I think.

3) Many people have difficulty keeping to a weight-loss plan. What do you think is the reason they are unable to lose weight like you have? 

I tried many different ways to lose weight but struggled to find a way for me to do it.  I finally happened upon the idea to eat Subway sandwiches from their low-fat menu.  I ate Subway twice a day everyday and also started walking everyday.  It started to click and I continued with it under the supervision of a physician to make sure I was doing everything in a healthy way.

As long as I stuck to that plan, I continued to drop weight and it took me just under a year to lose 245 pounds!

I looked at losing the weight as phase one and keeping it off is a continual struggle that I will fight my entire life!

Now I practice eating in moderation and staying active.  I still eat Subway several times a week but learned to eat most things, just not as much as I used to.
4) How has life changed since you became Subway’s spokesman?

It changed in every way.  I’m recognized a lot these days and it’s great to be a positive role model for others who fight with obesity.  It makes me feel great to give hope to others who are in a similar situation I was in.

 5) What’s a day in your life like? 

I travel almost 200 days a year for Subway and also doing work for my foundation to fight childhood obesity, called The Jared Foundation.

When I’m on the road, I’m usually up early doing interviews for radio and TV then on to some school visits to encourage children not to go down the same road I went down and ever wind up weighing 425 pounds.  I try to empower kids with education to take the healthy road to life!

Grace says: You may have set a New Year’s Resolution to lose some weight so take heart, it IS possible to shed those extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. For the sake of your own health and happiness, and for your loved ones, make those lifestyle changes and choose to eat in moderation and stay active, like Jared advises.

You can read the story behind ‘The Subway Guy’ here.

Also, visit The Jared Foundation’s website and make a donation so the Foundation can reach out to more kids and help them lead healthier, happier lives.

Stay healthy, stay happy!

Come back again soon for the next exciting interview!~

Interview with Yao Shih Lien from Genius Mind Academy

Yao Shih Lien (pictured with Grace)

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Genius Mind Academy

Visit GMA’s Website HERE

I got to know about Genius Mind Academy (GMA) this year. It was one of the companies which received the SME1 awards and I had the privilege of interviewing the CEO and Managing Director, Mr Yao Shih Lien. Check out the interview video below:

I was very impressed when I met the children who had undergone the activation. They were blindfolded and could do things like color a picture:

The end-result looks better than what other kids can do with their eyes open:

Even the little red tongue got colored! How awesome is that?!

And this other girl could differentiate cards and categorise them into living and non-living things, just using her sense of smell! *The cards aren’t scented!*

Honestly, I was quite skeptical initially when I came to know about this company which uses their proprietary sound to activate childrens’ mid-brain, helping them take “The First Step Towards Genius”. Then I met the kids and got blown away. What really sealed the deal for me was meeting the PARENTS of these kids and hearing what they had to say.

You won’t see this in the video but the parents were moved to tears as they related to me their experiences of raising their kids before and after sending them to Genius Mind Academy:

If you want to activate your child’s mid-brain and potential, I would recommend Genius Mind Academy. These parents have sent their children to other enrichment courses but nothing worked. It seems the missing first step can be found at GMA.

Check out their website HERE and you can register for the upcoming free previews. You’ve got to see the kids in action to believe!

Genius Mind Academy can also be contacted at enquiry@geniusmindacademy.com.sg/ 6225 7100.

Interview with Lorenzo Ang www.universaltuitionlink.com.sg

Lorenzo Ang

Educator, Universal Tuition Link

1) When and why was Universal Tuition Link set up?

Universal Tuition Link was set up in 2005. 

Prior to 2005, I had been a private home tutor since 1998 and I’d worked for tuition agencies as both coordinator and manager.

After I realized how these agencies operated and their model of “hit-and-run” business, I felt that the market needs more good and responsible agencies.

Therefore, after analyzing the market, and equipped with parents’ & educators’ feedback, I decided to set up Universal Tuition Link.

My mission is to help parents source for reliable and qualified educators and to ensure the parents get the best service possible.

As for educators, we will safeguard their interest in all aspects and ensure they are fairly treated.

2) What are the challenges you faced in starting and now managing this business?

At the start, we encountered an overcrowded market full of competitors, including a lot of ‘black sheep’ in this industry.

To gain our customers’ trust and business, we only recruited reliable and experienced educators.

We started off with a small database but along the way, we have recruited a pool of reliable educators, and served very supportive customers.

In order to improve our efficiency and understand the needs of educators and students even better, we conduct market research and surveys regularly.

3) This is a very competitive industry. So how do you stay ahead of your competition?

We continuously improve our matching service by upgrading our operations through our customized matching software program. We also send our staff for computer courses regarding our new operation software.

Through our regular research and analyses, we ensure our tuition rates are the most affordable & competitive in the market.

We strive to give our best support to parents, students and educators. For example, for the past five years, we have been providing free downloads of past year exam papers for our students, educators and the public.

4)  What are the benefits of choosing your agency instead of other agencies? And what can parents do on their part to ensure a good experience with hiring a tutor?

First and foremost, I am a private educator with 10 years of experience and I know intimately the needs and wants of parents, students and educators.

For parents/students, they can be assured that we screen though the educator’s qualification thoroughly to ensure they are qualified for the tuition assignments. We always brief all the educators beforehand about the needs and requirements of our students.

With regard to the educators, communication is very important. We follow up with every educator regularly to understand their schedule, rate of progress with our students and also ask if they need our help in any aspect. Therefore, we have come to understand our educators very well.

Parents should ensure these 3 things are present:

1) Trustworthiness
Check whether the tuition agency is a registered one. Check the educator’s certification.

2) Monitoring
Monitor the progress of the student. Communicate with both the student and the educator and follow-up with them after each lesson.

3) Feedback
Give feedback to the agency on the performance of both the student and the educator.

5) I’ve noticed from your Facebook pictures that you are someone who believes in doing charity work. Does that extend to your company as well?

Yes, it is our firm belief that it is everyone’s duty to contribute to our society. Currently, Universal Tuition Link is contributing a dollar to charity associations with every successful tuition assignment.

We hope we can inspire more people to help those who are less fortunate!

Grace says: I spotted some of Lorenzo’s Facebook photos showing the donations to Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, Grace Lodge and Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital. He has been the organiser for a number of such activities and his friends and business associates contribute most of the donations. I hope they go on to inspire even more people to contribute to society!

*All pictures courtesy of Lorenzo Ang www.universaltuitionlink.com.sg

Check out Universal Tuition Link’s Facebook Page here to find out more about them and learn how you can contribute to a charitable cause too.

Learn-A-Thon 2011 – The Best From 14 Of Asia’s Top Wealth Creation Experts

If you’ve missed Monday’s Learn-A-Thon at Kallang Theatre and did not get to hear from the 14 Wealth Creation experts, you’re in luck.

Here’s what I took away from their presentations of 3-minutes each:

Adam Khoo: get yourself to take action; buy that stock or start that business!

Wendy Kwek: There’s no great success by focusing on making a living; only way to create sustainable success is by making a difference in other people’s lives.

Jerome Tan: Have faith. The more you give, the more you receive.

Jim Khoo: Learn to give. Give of your time, talent, thoughts. Live your life for others.

Boyd Au: Be diligent and skillful. Persevere to achieve your objectives, be passionate and believe in what you are doing. No shortcuts. The more you sow, the more you reap. Sow into your brand. Make yourself known – What you stand for; Your brand promise. Sow into society.

Dave Rogers: Stillness will guide you. Listen. The heart, the ear, the honor of being able to give.

Ken Sapp: 1)Passion; find what you love; what you are created for. 2)Knowledge, expertise. 3)Market- find out what people want; their desires.

Andrew Chow: Social Capital. HAM. Hand – hold other people’s hands and work with them. Attitude – be genuinely interested in people. Mindset- be creative.

Jaz Lai – take action. The more you do; the easier it becomes. Perseverance.

Arthur camazzi – Outsourcing with odesk, elance, etc

Tan Yang Po- ‘Cash Your Passion’ written in 7 days. You don’t have to know everything. You just need the willpower to want to do it. Put your mind and soul into doing. Focus and make it happen.

Ken Chee- Buy good assets undervalued.

KC See – Discover and follow your passion. Rich people don’t work hard for money; they make money work hard for them.

Mike Handcock – Have a “playground” instead of a network; where friends like to turn up and play games. Great questions lead to great answers, which provide great information and lead to great decisions. Know what questions to ask. Know why you are doing what you are doing.

*Disclaimer: These notes were taken by me and based on what I heard. I take no responsibility for their accuracy though, as I was seated right at the back of the room! XD

Learn-A-Thon managed to raise $132,850 for the victims of the recent floods in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines. It is the brainchild of Patrick Liew, CEO of HSR International Realtors Pte Ltd. The Guest-Of-Honour was Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and National Development and Mayor of the South-East District.

Please contact Mercy Relief (www.mercyrelief.org) if you’d like to do your part in helping the flood victims.

Here are some of the wishes that participants of Learn-A-Thon put up on a board, including mine

Interview with Carol Chiam

Carol Chiam

News Presenter, Principal

(*Note: Grace did the English translation of Carol’s replies in Chinese and takes sole responsibility for any meanings lost in translation.)

1) What prompted your change in career from newscaster to principal? And what do you love most about the work you do now?
什么原因促使您不当主播当校长？目前所从事的工作，最乐在其中的是什么？
答：很多人有七年之痒。
从1990年算起至第7年的某夜，犹记收场乐中棚内渐暗，孤身只影的我低头整理新闻稿，一边自问：果真喜欢报新闻吗？还要报多久？自那以后，除了继续对着镜头传达信息，也推动自己学习更多技能，去过很多部门参与各类节目的制作。第14年，装备得差不多了，却每天忙得晕头转向，回家对着两个念小学的儿子，再自问：长时间把孩子交给女佣，不妥吧？考虑许久，主动终止全职合约。
喜欢目前的自由自在，有多些时间参与国内外事奉、陪家人孩子，还能吃老本，经济上无后顾之忧，平时想做什么就做什么，订单接得多累了想休息就放假，偶尔回去跟老同事见面叙旧，甚是开心！
Many people get the ”seven-year itch”. After the 7th year, I asked myself then whether I loved presenting the news, and how long I wanted to continue doing it. With this in mind, I learnt new skills and was involved in the production work of other departments.  At the 14th-year mark, I was well-equipped but overworked. Coming home to 2 kids still studying in primary school, I wondered if it was indeed a good idea to leave them in the long-term care of the maid. I tendered my resignation. I love the freedom now, and have more time for church activities both locally and overseas, and the luxury of time with family.

I continue doing what I’m trained in, and without financial woes, I do as I please. When I need a break, I take a holiday and I visit my ex-colleagues to reminisce. Such joy!
2) (According to what I’ve read online) You’ve done many interviews previously, with former President Ong Teng Cheong and celebrity Gong Li, among others. Which interview was the most memorable, and why?
（根据网上所阅）您访问过前总统王鼎昌及国际影星巩俐，哪位留下的印象最深刻，为什么？
访王鼎昌之际他还是部长不是总统，很匆促记不得了（前总统和第一夫人浪漫深情的电视画面倒是令我至今难忘）。至于巩俐，那天在酒店里，摄像队用半小时安置器材及调好拍摄角度，她才从对房走过来，只准访15分钟，领教了国际红牌的架势！过程顺畅，有个问题问得很直接，好像是关于成熟女星在电影界的地位是否容易动摇，她怔了怔、神色不以为然。当然，后来她在《满城尽带黄金甲》的出色表现，算是强有力的反驳吧！

Mr Ong Teng Cheong was a Minister when I interviewed him, and not a President yet. I’m hard pressed to recall how it went though. (But I cannot forget how the ex-President and the First Lady seemed so in love on screen)

As for Gong Li, our filming crew took 30 minutes to get our equipment set up for the interview. She emerged from her room and allowed us to interview her for only 15 minutes. I came to understand what it meant to work with an international celebrity. The process was smooth though there was one question which was perhaps too direct – something along the lines of whether the position of female movie stars would become shaky with age. She was taken aback but did not reveal any unusual facial expressions. Of course, her subsequent awesome performance in ‘Curse Of The Golden Flower’ was a credible retort.

3) You are fluent in both English and Mandarin, so why the particular fondness for the Chinese Language (over English)?
您的双语很流利，为什么独爱华文？
并非独爱华文，或许是运用的机会较多吧！不知为何自小对语言便兴趣极浓，跟很多新加坡人一样，仅仅通过聆听便能说几种方言。事实上父亲把我从华小转入英文中学之初，功课一落千丈恨死英文，但后来进步了就爱上英文。大学主修日文3年也学得兴致勃勃。去年到泰国宣教，用3个月学简单泰语，听懂40%。每一次有机会掌握新的语文就很来劲！
眼看新加坡年轻一代不看重华文，传承华文文化的使命感渐增。每当遇到刻意炫耀英语却把讲华语的教员或长者排挤于话题外的年轻人，便立刻用英语跟他们对答。他们通常会相当惊讶，个人用意在于传达：能驾驭语言无甚了不起，善用语言为建立和谐社会和造福人群才是学好语文的最终目的！

It’s just that I’ve had more opportunities to utilise Mandarin in communication. I’ve been interested in languages since young and like many Singaporeans, I learned to speak a few dialects just by hearing them being spoken. I studied in a primary school where the language of instruction was Mandarin but my father had me transferred to a secondary school which taught in English. Initially, my grades suffered but subsequently, I got better grades and began to love the English Language. I then had a most fulfilling 3 years learning Japanese in University. Last year, I was in Thailand for missions work and spent 3 months to learn basic Thai, and could understand about 40% of the spoken language. I find opportunities to master new languages most exciting!

Watching as the younger generation here places less emphasis on Mandarin, my mission of keeping this language and culture alive gets ever more important. Whenever I meet a young person who flaunts his/her command of the English language while ostracising the Mandarin-speaking educator or elder and keeping the latter out of the conversation, I immediately converse with this young person in English. The person is usually surprised. To use language well in order to increase social cohesiveness and be a blessing to the masses should be the ultimate aim of mastering a language.

4) What is your opinion about the standard of Mandarin spoken by candidates at the election rallies?
您觉得大选候选人的华语表达水平如何？
刘程强和沈颖的华文用语措辞得当，表达传神，偶有佳句。

MPs Low Thia Kiang and Sim Ann used highly appropriate Mandarin expressions, were engaging in their delivery of the speeches and occasionally used excellent phrases.

5) How would you go about helping a young student who is from an English-speaking family, and who has consistently flunked Chinese as a subject in school, gain a passion for the language?
您如何帮助来自说英语家庭、华文科目总是不及格的学生热爱华文?
公式化的教导、单调的复习会扼杀学习兴趣。教学大纲固然要紧跟，但甩掉课本、走出课室，有时反倒能激起学习兴趣，并有助学子们通过不同途径探索华族母语的卓拔精奥！

Rote-learning will kill the student’s love for learning. There should be structure and adherence to the syllabus but we should ditch the textbooks and take lessons out of the classrooms. This could inspire greater interest in learning, and spur the children to use alternative ways to discover Mandarin’s outstanding qualities.

Grace says: Wow! You cannot begin to imagine my relief at finally being done with translating this. What a daunting and challenging task! I am in awe that Carol is so outstandingly bilingual but more so that she is such a kind and generous soul.

I apologise for any misinterpretations of what she has written. I have done my best to help my non-Chinese readers! This just goes to show that I have a lot more to learn.

A big thank you to Carol for being an inspiration and spurring us young “English” folk to start looking for our Chinese roots and getting reinitiated back into the culture. Let’s not miss out on what is rightfully ours!

Stay Tuned for more exciting interviews and updates.

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*This weekend, I’ll be blogging about my Batam missions trip (helping out at orphanages, painting a church, among other things) & introduce you to a group of very special people. So come back and enjoy the weekend with me!

p/s: If you have not signed up for Wednesday’s ‘How I Made 114K At Age 24′ Sharing Session, email gracemg@gmail.com now! See you there!

Interview with Samy Rajoo

Samy Rajoo, and 3 of his students

Manager, English Department (Jiang Education Centre)

1) Why did you choose this profession and what do you love most about your job?

I am now 43 and as long as I can recall, I have been involved in teaching, training and coaching for more than half of it either directly or indirectly. But I have come to realise that Life is indeed strange for you need to shuffle the cards you are dealt with.
And even though I have always been keen to share, exchange, and learn from others, it took me the better part of 15 years to arrive at the place I find myself now in – in the interim, I worked in privilege card sales,  insurance sales, the supreme court, a training centre and now a tuition centre

I have also volunteered extensively in the grassroots, toastmasters where I met you and am an active guidance volunteer counsellor with SANA and the HINDU CENTRE.
So in a sense, I feel that the profession chose me for on hindsight in almost all of my full-time previous jobs, and volunteer stints, I inevitably ended up conducting training and mentoring than in the scope I had been originally recruited for.

2) What is your mission in Life?

Ha ha what a lovely breathtaking question.  But I’ve come over time to realise that it is simply to pass on what I’ve learnt and to have the opportunity to learn from all those I have shared with.  Especially so now that I have a four year old at home, I am chuffed at how many of my students have adopted her as their baby sister.  I think that reflects why once a friend of some 20 years standing once said that I was someone who wanted, “to build people who build people.” That observation from that dear friend made me realise that that in a nutshell was what I had been chasing all along – to be in a position where I could ‘pay it forward’ so to speak

3) How do you create a work-life balance for yourself?

Ha ha I would be the first to hold up my hands and fess-up that in my opinion there is truly no such thing. I say this because as I truly enjoy what I am doing – it, all sniggers and cliches be darned, what I do really does not feel like work – why do I say this?  Well, Grace, as you well know, I work long week days and full weekends but when I am in class, sharing, teaching, guiding, learning, inspiring, I feel that I am in my element - I am in that space between real and surreal – where I truly feel fulfilled and time truly flies.  How fast?  Well, I teach weekends 9am til 7pm and I can go on all night if needed. In fact, I had an amazing cohort of students last year and the weeks before their “O” Levels, we would pull marathon sessions up to 11pm even.

Whilst I do try to make time for my family, to be completely honest (just in case my wife does read this) I am somewhat too selfish and happy to reduce the hours I spend doing what I love.  Trust me, I love my wify and daughter and family but I realise that I need to be happy before I can spread that joy around.  So at best, it is a compromise.  Not ever truly a balance in my case.

4) What makes you happy?

The simple things.  Being able to wake up completely from sleep.  NTUC marketing with my angel.  Being able to get what my wify wants on that very day.  Sending my mum on holidays. But what truly makes me happy is being able to hang around people who are keen to learn, who have a yearning to improve themselves and who are fearless enough to take that leap of faith – for I warn them – the reward for hard work is more hard work and once you’ve accomplished good results, it is an addiction, a drug that will keep you dragging back for more and more.. hard work.  It is as much blind faith partly in me and partly in them that if they truly try, they’d envision and realise vistas never before imagined.
I must share one of my fondest memories – that of a student who is now himself a teacher in a junior college doing what he loves best.  Teaching.  I first got to know him when he was in Pri 6 but his attendance at the weekend tuition centre (it was a volunteer managed centre) was terrible at best.  His father approached me the following year to assist him in his secondary one work.  As I was then self-employed, I took the effort to accompany him to his school and spoke to his teachers together with his parents.

My student, who had been posted to one of the weaker neighbourhood schools, was shocked when he realised that even amongst such academically modest students, he had the third lowest aggregate in the entire cohort - I used this to shake him up and over the months that followed, we worked together tirelessly on setting, smashing and targeting new accomplishments.
Thanks to his strong work ethic, his family’s support and the mutual partnership we shared in helping him be the best him he could be, over the years he went on to top every exam from Sec 1 onwards.  I was pretty chuffed when during his valedictorian speech at NTU, he mentioned a friend who had inspired him to study.  It was truly a gratifying moment for me.

Apart from all this, my daughter Visalini and wify Lakshmi complete me

5) How difficult is it to teach English to foreign students, and how do you manage it?

As I have often shared with friends who teach in MOE schools, it is a joy to teach, coach and work with students who come pre-inspired, ever ready to hang on to your every word and who have discovered that one of the secrets of success in life hinges on academic success.

In that aspect, foreign students are no different from local students and I consciously try my best to NOT draw a distinction between students based on school, age nor nationality.  How do you interest teens to read and acquire grammar?  How do you cause them to get interested in language?  What can you do to keep them going?  Well, I leverage on what they like and would read even without my prompting. I allow them to sample flavours of different materials, writing and sources - I distill articles from 8 days, Time magazine, The Straits Times, Today, gossip rags, Yahoo News and the excellent info graphics from The New Paper. I painstakingly highlight, explain and clarify issues, content and vocabulary covered in the materials.

I do offer additional conversation time to all my students outside the class sessions.  And not just the foreign ones so that they have the opportunity to read, answer and clarify issues in a more informal environment.  I do keep in touch with many of my students via facebook, emails and smses - I try and more often than not, it does let them know that I am there – even if it is to verify a word that they came across somewhere and are too lazy to check a dictionary for - I tell them “Ask me – for when you learn, so do I.”

The best lesson I have learnt from my students is this -
“Students don’t really care how much you know,
Students want to know how much you care.”

Which is why in these past five fantastic, fun, fulfilling years, I have taught more than three thousand students at the centre where I coach and during MOE enrichment programs. It is indeed a blessing to be where I am now and I stand guided by these lovely words:

“All human beings have a place inside which is filled with treasures; be still and you will find it. “

Grace says: Samy promised me a masterpiece of an interview. And boy, what an interview! I’m glad I asked him. He’s such an awesome friend that I just HAD to interview him for this blog. THANKS, Samy!

I think his students are all extremely blessed to have him as a teacher.

It’s been an awfully long time since I last met Samy (workaholic *ahem* that he is) but my most vivid memory of him is, and hope this doesn’t embarrass him, of him lugging his purchases of baby diapers and milk powder to Toastmasters meetings, so he can bring them straight home afterward. I think he’s an amazing father, and hope his daughter realises that while he may often be busy with teaching, his heart’s still very much at home with his wife and kid too!

Come back next week for: The interview with Celest Chong, whom Samy is a fan of.

Interview with Francyn Tan

Francyn Tan

SFE Coordinator, Voice Talent

1) What’s a typical day like in the life of Francyn Tan?

I’m an SFE Coordinator in a secondary school – SFE stands for School Family Education – and I organise Parenting Talks and Workshops for the school.  I work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am – 12noon, and on days when we have talks/workshops (usually Saturdays) I go into school 45 minutes earlier to put up directional signs, meet the speaker and  get their refreshments ready.

After I’m done in school,  I have to feed the hungry hoard, so I run back, pick up the husband (who works from home) and maybe the younger son, and go for lunch at a nearby hawker centre or coffeeshop.  Then it’s back home, do work on the laptop, go on Facebook  *grin*  and maybe take a much needed nap because I don’t get to sleep till 2am – my creative juices kick in only at night when it’s quieter and nobody demands my time.

Then I cook dinner because the maid sucks at cooking.  It’s usually chicken, chicken and more chicken because I’m only ever good at chicken – I make pretty good chicken rice, Boon Tong Kee Style, and my kids love the turbo-broiled roast chicken (I almost typed in roast children!   AARRGH!) or fake teriyaki chicken.  I’m not so great at pork though.  On days Wesley is not home for dinner, we have fish, because he’s allergic to fish.

Once dinner is done, then I can get at the work I’m supposed to complete.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are free days, but I’m not “free” – there’s grocery-shopping to be done (I have hungry boys, maid and mother-in-law), medical appointments for old folks (Mother-in-law, Mother, and occasionally husband) and cooking to be done almost everyday, since the family hates the maid’s cooking.  *grin*

Nights are the only times I get to do my own thing – there’s line dancing class on Monday nights, the occasional voice overs (I’m a voice talent too) which can only be done at night as there is less noise, and of course, Facebooking … I keep in contact with my friends from secondary school, my days as a flight stewardess with SQ, overseas friends I’ve made through Facebook ….

2) It seems your personal motto to “live your life with arms wide open”. What inspired that?

That line is from the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. I first heard it while my husband and I were in America for 2 months, and it hit me hard because I was thinking of my children who had been left in Singapore because of studies … I love the line because it’s reminding me that life is what the individual makes it out to be – my life is this way because I made choices that caused me to be in this position in life.  Right or wrong, they’re MY choices and to blame others or the circumstances I’m in is just giving excuses for not doing the right thing, or the things I want to do.

So if I wanted to do something, like say, ride the Segway – as Nike says, “Just DO it”.  It has come to Singapore and it doesn’t cost thousands of dollars to ride it … for $130 the whole family can get to enjoy riding the Segway for half an hour …  and I’ve had the joy of knowing that I’m a natural at it, and keeping the memories of family bonding to treasure.

So I live my life with arms wide open, taking whatever life has to throw at me, good or bad … and make the best of it.  There are SO many things I want to do and there’s so little time to do it!    The old cliche “if life throws your lemons … MAKE LEMONADE” holds true for me.   I might whimper for a while, but I’ll eventually get up, roll up my sleeves and say, “Now, just HOW am I going to solve this?”   *wide grin*   If I can’t do it, I’ll LOOK for someone who CAN.  Then I learn from them till I can do it myself.

Oh, and I positively LOATHE nay-sayers … and worse, “You can’t do this because you’re a girl”.   I hate gender profiling.  *grin*   I’ll NEVER tell a child “You can’t do this”  unless its dangerous (like jumping off the building in a single bound – they ain’t Superman and I’ll reason with them).  I’ll always say, “Let’s give it a shot.  Now, tell me first HOW you’re going to do it.”  (I was a childcare teacher for a while – an extension after teaching my own 2 boys – because I love children.  They’re a lot LESS complicated than adults!)

3) Why the passion for linedancing and painting?

I’ve always loved dancing and drawing … I just had to put it on the back burner when I had my family, but I managed to find creative outlets by first teaching my 2 boys – I was quite the mad mother who would dance with my babies in shopping centres when Christmas Songs were playing, or run through the sprinklers, screaming with my boys while the other mothers looked on disapprovingly.  I like to think that we had a fun childhood together.

I know my kindergarten kids all enjoyed lessons with Miss Francyn – we wouldn’t do sit down lessons – I’d take the lessons OUTDOORS and we’d have fun.  Running downhill like Jack and Jill (it’s all grass and if they fell – oops, let’s get up again and DO IT again!)  or hunting in the jungle for lions, tigers and bears, oh MY  (it was only a small grove of trees in the hill, but the kids had fun with their imagination and I was encouraging them to describe what they saw in their minds).

I’d bang away on the old piano in school and teach the kids to sing and dance to nursery rhymes … but they weren’t the ordinary ones – they were the ones I sang to my kids when they were babies – American Nursery rhymes like “Take me out to the Ball Game”  or sing in French “Frere Jacques”  *grin*

When my boys were in P3 and P4, I taught the classes simple line dances – instead of making them do worksheets during Contact Time (I wasn’t a teacher, just a parent volunteer who minded the kids while the teachers had weekly meetings)  – I got permission from the Principal, by the way.  The children LOVED it.

So by doing all these, I kept my love for the arts alive, until my children were in Secondary School and I could do my own “THANG”.

Anyway, I need the exercise, both for the body and the brain – it isn’t easy remembering the steps to the songs but it’s SO GOOD when you actually CAN dance and not look too much of a fat unwieldy hippo in a cowboy hat and boots.  And NO, I DON’T wear those at all.  I refuse to stand out from the crowd with artificial means and would prefer to let my joy of dancing set me apart from the rest.

Painting was somewhat of an accident – one of my best friends asked if I wanted to do oil painting and I practically jumped at the chance … I didn’t THINK anyone else would be interested.  I’m not painting in the style of my Lao Shi (Instructor) because he does his painting the Impressionist’s Style – which to me, is for people who are BLIND and can only see vague outlines, but if you stand 15 feet away, the painting practically jumps out at you.  I found out much later at the BodyWorld’s exhibit that yeah, them Old Masters REALLY had poor eyesight and that’s why they paint they way they do – think Monet and the blurred images – cross your eyes and you’d get the same result!

Anyway, I paint what I see … and if I don’t see wrinkles, they’re not painted in.  I like people, so I guess it’s natural that I prefer to paint people.  I was told that painting people is one of the hardest things to do … but I loathe painting scenery and find THAT hard to do.  Oh, Lao Shi HATES the way I paint.   I just think his Style and Mine just don’t gel.

My husband always asks me why I still go for lessons when I’m constantly driven crazy by LaoShi’s comments … I tell him it’s because going to the CC is a DISCIPLINE and a HAVEN … I don’t have time to paint at home, and besides, there’ll be CONSTANT interruptions and I don’t want to snap at my family.   I don’t really like to talk when I’m painting.  I can only listen to my music and paint at the same time – talking is beyond me when I paint … it’s like I’m using a different part of my brain and I can’t find the words to describe anything or form coherent sentences.

Hmmm … I haven’t answered why the passion – just the satisfaction of knowing I CAN.  I CAN dance … I CAN paint and passably well.  I CAN ice-skate, I CAN sing, I CAN connect with little kids … I CAN, CAN, CAN.  That’s all.  Perhaps one day I might find something else that I want to do and make it into a CAN.

4) What are some of Life’s lessons you’d share with your children as they are growing up?

Oh boy.   PLENTY.  But the top of the list has to be:

1) YOU can DO ANYTHING if you tell yourself you CAN.

2) If you have a dream, don’t just SIT on it.  THINK how you CAN make it a reality.

3) Don’t you let ANYBODY tell you it’s IMPOSSIBLE.  Making it possible is only a dream away.   Don’t give up.

4) You can’t change the whole world, but you can change the corner you live in. If you can make someone’s life BETTER by just lifting a FINGER to help, DO IT.

5) Smiling isn’t going to kill you.   Making Friends is a LOT tougher than Making Enemies.

6) Life isn’t fair, so stop whining.   You are ALLOWED to whimper for a while (everyone’s entitled to feel sorry for himself for 5 minutes) but after crying, wipe your tears, get up and GET ON WITH LIFE.  Nobody ever said life is easy.

7) Behave yourself when your parents aren’t around.  You are representing the teachings your mother gave you when you were young – and if you behave inappropriately, you’re telling ME your mother forgot to teach you how to behave WELL.   So BEHAVE.  (Same tone as Austin Powers – absolutely mad character but he cracks me up).   This works for Primary School kids.  It doesn’t always work for teens.  IF their parents had a hand in raising their children, THEN the kids behave.  If not, well … you just get a lot of rolling eyes as they roll away from you.

Which is PRECISELY what I want – for those annoying ones to GO AWAY.

And if they don’t go away, I tell them to GO AWAY.

I’m known to tell teens and adults off for eating on the train – stand far, far away from me if you get embarrassed   *impish grin*

5) What do you think contributes to a successful marriage and successful parenting?

I’m not sure if I can be the authority on those.

My husband and I share the same values about what constitutes good behaviour … and he leaves the raising of the boys to me … so they’re HIS boys when they’re good, and mine to discipline when they’re bad.  *grin*  Having said that, he’s a good father and tries to reason things out with them.  With me, after a number of WHYS, I end up being exasperated and tell them, BECAUSE I SAID SO.

We also have similar views when it comes to marriage and finances – I deal with the “people” part of life, while he deals with the finances.  I don’t like dealing with money and like to tell people I’m Math Dyslexic (there IS this condition called Dyscalculia) so they won’t ask me difficult questions.  I think I’d die without a calculator, or just be smart and marry one.  *impish grin*

When it comes to romance, I’m definitely the more romantic one.  He’ll go, “AH?  Do this FOR WHAT?” but he’ll give in to me if I really want it bad enough.  So I have to be zhi dong (the closest English translation would be … what, understanding, don’t ask for the cow and moon, be reasonable?) and not demand when he’s really busy.

We didn’t have much of a Valentine’s this year.  Or every year, for that matter  *grin*  But I appreciate that our bills are paid on time, we have a decent roof over our heads, and I can buy whatever I want whenever I feel like it, within reason, of course.  But William is LUCKY that I actually prefer grocery shopping to jewellery shopping (that just about BORES the hell out of me.  Finding a cheap bargain thrills me more).

I think a good marriage needs a lot of give and take in equal proportions, not just one partner always giving and the other always taking.  And giving the other partner room to breathe and do their own “thang”.  Well, maybe not with the opposite sex  *grin*   That’s one of the reasons why I take up line dancing and not ballroom dancing … you’d need a partner for ballroom and William has 2 left feet, and if I were to dance with another man, that wouldn’t BE appropriate.  Similarly, I’d get worried if he spent too much time in the company of other women … ok, in that case, let’s put it as having a healthy jealousy keeps partners not ever taking each other for granted.

And oh, having a sense of HUMOUR is so important too … you need to be able to laugh together, tease each other gently etc etc.  I think what attracted me to William was that he thought I was funny … and I thought he was funny too.  You know that song, Teenage Dream by Katie Perry (yes, yes, I know, I’m listening to songs of my kids’ generation, but they find it cool that Mum knows and can sing and dance to the songs – they let me listen to new songs and download them into my iPod for me)  Well, I think some parts of the song reflect what I feel about William.

At the end of the day, you’ve got to be COMFORTABLE with your partner, because all those sparks, fireworks, those can get TIRING after a while … and if you can enjoy just being in the company of your partner without having to talk, that’s a partner for life.  Sometimes, you just want peace and quiet and someone to hold on to.

Successful parenting is when your kids don’t end up in jail, don’t sponge off you till you’re dead and don’t make you a grandparent in your 40s.  

Grace says: This is one of the most FUN interviews, since the one with Catherine Lim. This interview marks the start of a series with my friends (people you may not know, may not have seen on TV, but may end up liking anyway!) I’m glad I asked Francyn for this interview as now I know she once worked as an SQ girl (wow!) and her views on successful parenting! (I concur with her views, by the way) :D Her parting shot for this interview was “Extract what you will, dear, and if it’s not politically correct, tough.  *grin*” What I admire about Francyn is exactly this self-assuredness. I remember being very impressed watching her put on her earphones and start dancing to the tunes in her iPod during breaktime at a course we attended. She is one confident lady who doesn’t display any self-consciousness around people, and yes, her love for dancing DOES set her apart from the rest.

When I become a mother, if I ever do, I’d like to be a mother like her!

Look out for: More interviews with my friends, each awesome in his or her own way.. and of course, the people you may know AND may have seen on TV or in cinemas!

Check back again soon in a day or two for more exciting updates!

Interview with Pamela Chong

(photo: Alwin Tien Der-wei)

Pamela Chong

Trainer, Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group

1)      Why did you choose this profession and what do you love most about your job?

Actually I didn’t choose it as I never knew that such a profession existed. Heehee  But that’s where the story begins…

I always believe in God’s timing, everything will be made beautiful! I graduated from Lasalle in Performing Arts, did some freelance performances, then I went on to work at an After-School care with young kids. All seemed random & unrelated then someone ask me if I was interested to go for an audition at Adam Khoo?? I did not see that coming at all! Thus I believe God already chose it that’s why this door of opportunity just opened for me. So amazingly I got through the audition and the moment I entered this door… Wow it begin to unleash the potential and talents within me that I never really knew of!!

What’s even better is that through this job I get to meet with different people from all walks of life and get to help, inspire & share a new ray of HOPE with them…Such a meaningful journey and these are the golden moments which I love the most about this job!!!!

2)      What is your mission in Life?

 To be a blessing to people and bring out the best in them!!

3)    How do you create a work-life balance for yourself?

Oh!! I will make sure when I work, I will work hard.. but when I play, I will also play hard! Well for people who are more systematic, what I mean is: in my monthly planner- besides working, I’ll deliberately set aside time for my family/friends, church(time with God & myself), cook for my hubby, play a sport(fortnightly), etc.. (and I normally plan my schedule 3 months ahead in advance so that it will intentionally balance out my life) Lastly, it is to follow through my planned out schedules and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Recently I heard this quote which I thought is a good sum up to a balanced life:

“It is not how well you can prioritize your schedule rather it is how well you schedule your priorities!”

4)    How do you manage your emotions when you work with young kids who can be more than a handful?

Hmmmmmmm.. I’ll remind myself that I’m here to help them and will not let my emotions stand in their way from moving ahead! And personally I love Kids so I never see them as a handful. Instead, I recognize that behind every behavior there’s a crying need within them so I’ll take time to understand them and see how to meet this need or help them to experience a personal breakthrough.. So I’ll channel my emotions & energy in the correct direction and put it into good use! Yea….

5)       What makes you happy?

“The happiest people in life are not those who have everything, rather are those who make the best use out of whatever they have!”

•       When I can help someone through the storm and see a rainbow
•       When I can be a shoulder for someone to cry on
•       When my words of encouragement bring comfort to someone’s ears
•       When someone tells me “I have made a difference to them!”
•       When I see familes building sandcastles together
•       When I get Hugggsss from my loved ones
•       When I get to spend time with my loved ones especially during busy season
•       Seeing my Hubby’s smile whenever he comes home (especially after I clean the whole house)
•       COOKING for my Hubby and knowing he is WELL FED!
•       CHOCOLATES!!!! CHOCOLATES!!! CHOCOLATES!!!
•       Actually……… everything & everyone in my life makes me happy!! Thank God for each of them.. and you too Grace!!

Grace says: Pam is easily one of the most SMILEY people I know. I’ve always wanted to find out what makes her so happy always. Now… we know.

Look out for more exciting interviews coming up in March!~

Interview with Cayden Chang

Cayden Chang

Director and Founder, Mind Kinesis Management International

1) Why did you choose this profession and what do you love most about what you do?

I have always loved teaching as a teenager because I simply could not stop talking once I started (just kidding about the part where I could not stop talking). It all started when I need to make some pocket money during my high school days and I started with the only skill I had – to give tuition. I continued with this part-time through Junior College, army days and my undergraduate days in National University of Singapore (NUS).

It wasn’t pure passion at first. I just needed money to survive especially during my undergraduate days because I had absolutely no money to pay for my food, not to mention my tuition fees. What I did was that I took a loan from DBS and POSB to take care of my 4 years of studies, then studied full-time and worked part-time to take care of my food, books, bus fare, etc. Life went downhill when my father passed away during my 3^rd year. Subsequently, my mother was diagnosed with terminal stage lung cancer when I was in my honours year (ie. 4^th year). The series of episodes taught me the importance of life and money. It prompted me to ask myself this question – is it possible to live our dreams doing what we absolutely love and don’t have to worry about money at the same time? The answer came when I came across NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) accidentally during my undergraduate days.

Yeap, the dots connected later on – to train (since I love teaching), flexibility of time (to spend time with family and do charity work) & unlimited income (I have been working previously as an employee for 10 years). I took the leap of faith, quit my last job as an Assistant Vice President of a listed company, and started my company Mind Kinesis Management International LLP (http://www.mindkinesis.com & http://www.nlpinsingapore.com) and recently started Mind Kinesis Value Investing Academy at (http://www.investment-in-stocks.com). The 2 main focus of my company now is to train NLP Tools and Value Investing Methodologies so that people can live the life that they have always wanted.

What do I love most about my profession? I HAVE 100% CONTROL OVER MY LIFE. We spend more than 1/3 of our life working for someone, with the remaining 1/3 sleeping and the last 1/3 doing what is supposedly important. Since we need to work anyway, why don’t we use this 1/3 of our life to fulfill our dreams instead of other people’s dreams?

2) What is your mission in Life?

I like this question – it’s  “To Motivate and Empower People to Reach their Destiny”. I have this personal mission printed on my name cards and my company’s website.

3) You’ve built up your business and co-authored a book. What’s next?

Paiseh! I felt that I have not built up my business yet. Long way to go. In terms of long-term focus, the business will expand from NLP and Value Investing to US Property Investing (in which I already own properties), Entrepreneurship and Publishing. In terms of publishing, more books will be coming for sure including personal development kits. My company has already published what I called a ‘Success Journal’, the only journal with a system incorporating NLP tools to systematize how one should manage their time to reach their goals. That’s good enough for me. Don’t have to be super-rich like Bill Gates to make me happy. Most IMPORTANT thing is to spend more time with family. That’s more important to me than making too much money.

4) What are some of Life’s lessons that you would want to share with your daughter as she is growing up?

Just ONE KEY LESSON, an extract of Steve Job’s 2005 Commencement Speech in Stanford University – “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Well, I have just survived Renal Cancer this year.  (Read my story in Straits Times at http://www.nlpinsingapore.com/inspiration-story/a-story-about-death-to-share-a-story-about-life). Never assume that we are going to live until 70, 80, etc. We only have ONE lifetime on this planet, do what is truly IMPORTANT to us and live the life that we have always wanted, not what other people expect of us.

5) What is one memorable experience you’ve had with helping a client find his/her purpose and mission in Life?

There were many. One of them is that one lady participant quit her job as an engineer and brought forward her 10-year-later dream of working with children in a learning centre. Now, she works in a Learning Centre teaching children as well as working as a Real Estate Agent. The key thing is that she is absolutely happy with what she is doing now. For every batch of my NLP Class, there will be at least one participant who will quit to do something else that will make them happier. If you have a dream to fulfil, why wait until tomorrow? “Screw It, Let’s Do It” ~ Sir Richard Branson.

Grace says: This interview is one of the most inspiring so far. I like that line about not wasting your life living someone else’s life. So very often, I look at someone doing very well and wish I was in that person’s shoes. The fact is, those shoes probably wouldn’t fit me very well, nor would I relish standing in them for long. So why not wear my own, and walk a great distance in them, leaving enough worthy prints for someone to want to follow?

Look out for: The interview with Mark Hunter, on 28th January, 2011.

Interview with Adeline Wong

Adeline Wong

Trainer, Adam Khoo Learning Centre

 

1) Why did you choose your current profession as a trainer and what do you love most about the work you do?

You know Grace, many people out there always complain about not being able to find a job that they like. I always tell my family and friends that I’m one of the luckiest people around, being able to do what I like and be paid to have fun everyday! It is such a blessing to be in a world of children and teenagers where there is just so much to learn from these innocent and sweet lives which indirectly created great impact on mine as well! I simply love the job satisfaction that this career offers me. Lessons and values that I’ve learnt from this job is totally priceless. =)

2) What is your mission in Life?

As a trainer: I believe that every child is a gem and I will do my best in empowering the little lives!
As an individual: I believe very strongly in “You reap what you sow” This has always been a constant reminder to me in putting forth my best in everything I do or even with regard to social relationships, be it family, colleagues or friends. When you give others your best, you will get the best from others too! =)
3) How do you keep your energy levels high for class?

The passion that I have for every child and the strong belief in the curriculum that I am delivering. These are the major intrinsic motivational factors that never fails to perk me up in every class! =D

4) How do you chill out after a long day of training?

I enjoy simple moments spent with my loved ones. Nothing beats returning home after a full day of training to a comfortable and assured environment.
Weekly friend gatherings over a dinner are a must for me as well! “No man is an island” – They are the people who bring life into my life and this is one of the biggest factors that keep me going strong! =D

5) What advice do you give to parents who’d like to ensure the cooperation of their children (in particular, the ‘rebellious’ youths)?

Believe in them. Treat them the way you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes. Feel their insecurities, understand their needs and most importantly, be there FOR them! =)

Grace says: I had the honor of sitting-in for one of Adeline’s classes early this year and I was impressed by this pint-sized powerhouse of a trainer! I thought she was the female version of Adam Khoo!

A story Adeline told in class was so impactful that I later used it for a Toastmasters contest and was awarded the 1st runner-up trophy!

To ask Adeline a question: Email GraceWWG@gmail.com with your name and contact details, and include “Ask Adeline” in the subject title.

Look out for: The interview with Catherine Lim, on 17th December, 2010.