Hello Kitty Bloggers Pop By 18 Chefs!

Unfortunately for me, I know no Photoshop so what you see is what you get! I do think I look quite cute with these Hello Kitty specs!

And that’s a cup of hot Coke with lemon – first time I tried that! It actually tastes quite good!

And here’s my partner in crime cuteness, Calvin:

*I will not be caught dead doing such a “cute” action. Calvin is TOO sporting!*

There’s a story behind why we’re suddenly sporting Hello Kitty spectacles in public. It began with an innocent post on Facebook:

Chef Benny was one of the people who commented. Spot his comment below:

No foodie turns down a free meal at 18Chefs, ok?! XD

So me and my pal, Calvin, went to 18 Chefs at Simei Eastpoint to amuse both the staff and the other customers in the restaurant!

Who is cuter?! *Pick me, pick me!*

Chef Benny treated us to the ever-awesome Root Beer Fish & Chips, his new creations (Yakitori and Poached Dory) plus yummy waffles & ice-cream! Feast your eyes on these…

It was too awesome a meal! If you’ve not gone by 18Chefs before (how could you?!), you have to check them out. Available at these locations: Simei Eastpoint Mall #01-36, Tiong Bahru Plaza #02-K1/K6, Fusionopolis #B1-12/13

Check out http://www.eighteenchefs.com/ for more information!

Here’s one more picture of my Hello-Kitty friend. I admire his courage. XD

What Female Bloggers Do On Their Day Out! :)

Hint: We eat a lot. Because Amanda’s vegan, we went to Lins Smoodees, Honzen Cafe and Brownice on Monday. *Entirely non-sponsored and us bloggers paid for our own food.

Breakfast at Lins Smoodees:

2 glasses of ‘Beets Me’ at $3.90 each (It contains beetroot, celery and carrot. Slow-juiced.)

I felt the drink would have tasted better if it was strained to get pure juice before it was served.

The real stunner was the Herbal Porridge ($5.50) which contained “wai sun” (Wild Yam), red dates, shitake and brown rice.

It may not look or sound very appealing (herbal porridge, right?) but it tastes amazingly good! My first words after slurping it all up was “Happy Food!!!”

Some smoothie-making tips I quickly snapped on our way out:

Since it was a late breakfast, we quickly found it was time for lunch too.

We were served a Welcome Drink (imagine that!) which you can see (what’s left of it, anyway) in the picture above. It’s a Plum Enzyme Vinegar drink which I found really sour but reportedly has multiple health benefits. So, drink up!

I liked that Honzen Cafe is air-conditioned and waives the service charge!

Amanda had one dish she just had to try after hearing friends rave about it. Here it is… the Dragonfruit Fried Rice ($7.90)

I must say it tastes really good. Go try it!

I ordered the Potato Salad ($4.90) as I have a love for potato dishes. I must say this disappointed me though.

The dressing was just too overpowering and too sour for my liking. I still prefer my potato salad with egg in it.

What I loved, though, was the Honzen Special Ramen ($7.90)

It comes with sliced vegetarian abalone and ham, shitake mushrooms, beech mushrooms, sliced broccoli and carrot. The soup base is fantastic! I would have finished every last drop of soup if the waitress did not take the bowl away from me. LOL

What surprised me was the petite glass my Kumquat Lemon Enzyme Vinegar was served in. It costs $5 and I HAD expected a bigger glass.

And here’s Amanda with her Red Date Siwu Vinegar, which she said is not sour at all:

(I caught her laughing so I quickly snapped a photo)

(And she says I must not do that. She must look serious for a blog photo. So the PhD candidate gives me her best Prof. Amanda look…)

[My humble opinion is that the photo of her laughing is wayyyy better than the serious one. What do you think? Comment below!]

Amanda also ordered the Mango Seaweed Roll ($6) and made me wonder how one petite-looking girl can eat so much. I was already struggling with trying to finish up the Potato Salad (I failed).

And since we were quite full after this meal, and because vanity is in every girl’s blood, we headed for a pedicure on my insistence. Hahaha!

Here’s what I got:

I wanted a dark purple and asked for a recommendation. The lady serving me said she’ll pick one of the newest OPI colors for me so I said ok. It looks pretty good, no? I got a shock when I picked up the bottle and found the name of the OPI color:

Er… ok. It’ll be easy to remember that name.

After our pedicure, we did some quick shopping and I bought 2 tees (wearing tees make me feel young!)

Then Amanda brought me to Brownice (pronounced like “brownies”). The ice-creams are made from organic brown rice milk, fruits and nuts! So healthy, low-fat and irresistible!

Flavours include Mao Shan Wang, D24 Durian, Strawberry, Pumpkin Coconut, Banana Oats, Chendol, Madagascan Vanilla, Mulberry, French Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Peppermint Chocolate, etc. There are different flavors every time so you never know what you’re gonna get!

The best part is that you get to sample all flavors first before deciding which to order!

Our waffle with Madagascan Vanilla, Strawberry and French Chocolate ice-cream:

[Waffle $3.50, 3 scoops of ice-cream $7, Toppings $1 each)

A Mudpie ordered by a customer, which I couldn’t resist taking a picture of:

I think my photography skills are improving bit by tiny bit so bear with me, ok?

If you’d like to head to any of the places we went to, here’s something to help you out:

1) Lins Smoodees – 18 Cross Street, #B1-02, China Square Central

2) Honzen Cafe – 470 North Bridge Road, #01-01 North Bridge Commercial Complex

3) Brownice – 8 Sin Ming Road, #01-03 Sin Ming Centre

I’ll be uploading another post right after this about another great place to visit, so come back again soon!

How To Blog And Enjoy Blogging -> Blogging With Grace :)

You want to be a blogger but don’t know how to get started?

You started a blog but feel stuck, bored, or uninspired?

Join me for personalized one-to-one coaching about blogging! Among other things, I’ll share about how I got started, mistakes I committed as a blogging newbie and tips and tricks I picked up along the way. Also, each session is tailored to your level of blogging experience and subject of choice.

Just last week, I conducted 3 such Coaching Sessions and was privileged to meet 3 people who are blogging about Property, Diving and Finance, respectively.

Here’s Arthur, a property agent with PropNex. He sells luxurious property worth millions of dollars each.

* Pardon the poor lighting in this photo taken with my iPhone XD *

Arthur said: “I thought my blog should be very corporate-like; such that I found it boring myself. Grace showed me how to make my blog content come alive with structured steps, insights and tips on better postings. I now know how to get traffic, advertisers and even sponsors. I would recommend Grace’s Coaching Sessions – she helped me identify what to focus on and what I really want to achieve with blogging. And she opened up new perspectives about the possibilities for my blog.”

Now, meet Xiu Li. She’s an accountant and has various interesting hobbies like judo and diving. She’s starting a new blog on diving and I gave her tips on how to avoid situations such as slacking off for weeks without new posts.

Xiu Li said: “I was given concrete get-started tips and shown examples of good postings. Though I’ve been blogging sporadically since 2005, I wasn’t familiar with various widgets. Grace gave clear step-by-step tips on the usage of widgets and their purposes. Due to work, I’m unable to blog frequently so Grace showed me how to generate and manage consistent postings. “

Finally, there’s Sean who is an Author, Master Trainer, and Expert at trading options. I was shocked to find out that when he was in his 20s, he was training fund managers twice his age!

*Photo courtesy of Sean Seah*

Sean said: “Two really great things about the session with Grace is, firstly, she gave me a structured step-by-step approach on how to improve on my blog. Secondly, she provided me with valuable tips that can’t be found in books or on websites. It was a valuable and fun session working with Grace.”

Screenshot of the email Sean sent me a little later:

 

If YOU would like to:

1) Meet me for a one-to-one Coaching Session about Blogging, OR

2) Join me and 4 other participants for a Blogging Workshop,

Email me at gracewwg@gmail.com and insert subject title “Coaching Session” OR “Blogging Workshop”.

Whether you already own a blog or not, always remember to have FUN while blogging! Cheers! – Grace

The GOLD Standard in Blogging

I’ve been given a number of ‘titles’: Blogger, Full-time Blogger, Star Blogger, Stomp Blogger, Celebrity Blogger, etc. I’ve FINALLY become thick-skinned enough to call myself a ‘Professional Blogger’.

It all started when I saw someone‘s Facebook photo – he printed some metal business cards for himself and stated that he’s a ‘Professional Blogger’ (I got a shock when I found out his blog’s barely one month old).

I joked with Welson (CEO of Expressprint and blogger at welsonang.com) that I can consider getting the title of ‘Very Professional Blogger’ in future!

Chio or not?! Welson actually printed some namecards for me! They are printed on aluminium and have such a ‘wow’ factor. I was given some gold, silver and bronze-like ones.

I’ll be giving out these cards according to how much I like a person. You get the gold one if you mean the world to me and I truly cherish our friendship/relationship. Want to know how much you mean to me? Ask me for a card. LOL.

I think what really blew me away was this card case…

“It has my photo on it!!!”

It’s just too amazing.

Welson redefined for me what it means to be a “Professional Blogger” by his example. It doesn’t mean you have to be top in ranking, have a million people visit your blog daily, etc. Often, bloggers at that level have become complacent, blog infrequently and start sounding a teeny weeny bit arrogant (I’m sure you know what I mean).

Now I think being “Professional” is about exceeding people’s expectations and being totally in love with what you do (in this case, it’s blogging).

Think about what namecard printing means to you.

Printing namecards for people as a gift isn’t about stuffing poor-quality cards in lousy plastic boxes (as people have come to expect). It is about blowing them away with the thought and care you put into designing everything – from the case to the cards.

I really do look forward to the surprises Welson has in store at his blog WelsonAng.com. It’s certainly a blog I’ll be watching as Welson blogs about his very ‘colorful’ life; recalling events that happened from the time he was a teenager. So check it out and give my fellow ‘Professional Blogger’ your comments.

Honestly, I do sometimes feel tired of blogging because I like novelty and experimenting with new ideas, etc. But people like Welson remind me of how important it is to be professional and deserving of the title “Professional Blogger”.

And if YOU have been inspired to start your own blog or improve on your existing one, do get in touch with me at gracewwg@gmail.com. I have a couple of Blogging Workshops and Coaching sessions which just may be of interest to you.

Remember to keep striving towards the Gold Standard in whatever you’re doing! Whether you are a Professional Chef, a Professional Doctor, a Professional Homemaker, whatever! Cheers!

Feature: Lim Junying & Thistlebelle Nail Boutique

Sponsorships are every blogger’s dream but blogging truthfully about the product or service is not what every blogger does. Hence, I took 9 days to figure out what I must share about my 3D Nail Art manicure. And now, I think it’s time to tell you if such manicures are worth the time and money spent.

My manicurist, Junying, has a home-based nail salon called Thistlebelle Nail Boutique. She’s 23, studied Real Estate Management but realised working for others meant she was often too tired to pursue her passions, such as dancing. Hence, she has become an entrepreneur, has control over her time, and also indulges in her love of nail art too!

I knew she’s a talented young lady from viewing some of her past nail art creations so I threw her a challenge by telling her what I wanted only when we met and frankly, she nailed the job (pun fully intended).

First, allow me to introduce you to the 2 goldfish on my thumbs:

When I attended the Meet The Entrepreneurs Charity Concert on Monday, one Facebook friend came up to me and said she could not recognize me from my Facebook profile photo but she recognized the 2 goldfish! LOL!

And the rest of the nail art on my fingers:

On the middle finger is a silver sticker with “年年有余” and on my pinky is “福”. Very auspicious, no?

Honestly, I would have preferred to have goldfish on all 10 fingernails but that would have taken up too much time. The acrylic extensions plus the 2 goldfish and some bling took a total of 3 hours already, and Junying’s next client was already on her way over.

And speaking of acrylic nails, it was my first time getting them!

My nails were trimmed and acrylic powder was used to make the extensions:

Then, with some colored powders and the photo of a goldfish keychain, Junying made the goldfish right before my eyes:

If you’re wondering whether the goldfish were created separately and then glued onto my nails, the answer’s no. They were created right before my eyes from scratch – moulded on my nail, shaped and colored. As far as I know, I’m the ONLY one in Singapore (or the whole world, for that matter) with these pink and red goldfish nails. This gives me lots of bragging rights. Ha! *update: Junying later gave another client gold-colored goldfish nails. I still maintain that my pink and red ones are cuter. XD*

Junying told me the nail art would last 3 weeks to a month. I could have bet that the crystals would have fallen out by the 3rd day at least, but surprise surprise, they are all still firmly stuck to my nails!

One drawback, I suppose, is that I have difficulty removing my retainers every morning (if you have worn braces before, you’ll know what those are).

Tips for acrylic nail extensions and 3D nail art:

1) I learnt this from a celebrity manicurist, Lisa Logan (she does Beyonce’s nails) -> Apply sunblock onto your hands to protect them before sticking them into the UV light machine used to solidify the extensions and 3D artwork.

2) If you’re someone who usually keeps your nails short, grow them out for 2 weeks or more before you get your extensions. This is to ensure you are used to the nail length and don’t get into accidents (like stabbing yourself in the eye when removing contact lenses) if your nails suddenly become extra long.

3) Ask Junying for tips on how to remove contact lenses with these super long nails. She has a method of squeezing the eyelids to get the lenses out, but I didn’t bother to learn ‘cos I have perfect eyesight after Lasik!

Lastly, be prepared to get lots of compliments and answer questions like “Is it difficult to work with these nails on?”, “Can I touch the goldfish?” and the ultimate “You don’t do any housework, do you?” *chuckles*

Do your homework before meeting Junying. You can check out her artwork at http://thistlebellenail.blogspot.com. I sure did my own homework on the way to her home-based nail salon, and here are some of my favs from her blog:

1) Hello Kitty nails!

2) Ribbon nails:

3) Special request Holland-theme nails:

See? I am not kidding you when I say this girl is REALLY talented. Go on and throw her a challenge. I believe you’ll be amazed, just as I was. And getting compliments from strangers every day has led me to the conclusion that getting beautiful nails is definitely worth the time and money!

Junying’s appointment slots are fully booked for CNY but there’s Valentines’ Day coming up, so book early to avoid disappointment. (Psst, she’s really good at bridal nails too!) SMS Junying at 90261583 and check out Thistlebelle Nail’s Facebook page here.

*For all pricing mattes: leave Junying a comment on Facebook or SMS her.

Thanks to Junying, I’m celebrating CNY in style! Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!~

Celebrating 3 months of STOMPing around! :D

I still remember the first Stomp blogpost I had to submit – to critique a Minister’s Facebook posting.  One wrong word and my first day at Stomp would have been my last.

*Phew*

Check out my first week of Stomp posts here.

And now… It’s been 13 weeks of blogging for Stomp! *Yay* It’s been a lot of fun. I can’t tell you that I’ve made many new friends ‘cos honestly, I have not met my two fellow Stomp bloggers, much less spoken with them. Ha!

A blogger’s life can get lonely sometimes so I’m glad YOU, my dear blog reader, are joining me on this journey!

This post is to remember some of the highlights along the way and share with you some of the tips I learnt about blogging with Stomp.

Here are my favorite posts so far *click on the pics to read the blogposts*:

1) This one showed me that people really are concerned about $$

2) This one told me my readers are either (a) concerned about me *thank you thank you* or (b) very ‘kaypoh’/inquisitive

3) This third one revealed the importance of having a catchy blogpost title. Hehe!

4) And this one… I really can’t quite figure out why people like reading it *shrugs*:

My honest opinion about blogging for Stomp is that it inculcates discipline. I get the topics on Fridays and MUST submit them by latest Monday morning. There was one particular Monday morning when I had to wake up at 7am to complete my blogposts, send them to the editor and go back to bed. (>_<)

People probably mistake this as all glamorous only but as the editor said on the 2nd day we met, there is a responsibility to the readers of Stomp.

The second thing I learnt is that I must be objective and really answer the question.

For this topic, I had initially written a blogpost that stated that I think sexy is overrated and shared about my cryolipolysis treatment that was supposed to give me sexy abs but went all wrong.

The editor told me on Monday morning that it would not do, and I had to name my top 10 sexy people. *Panic*

In about an hour, I rushed out a blogpost for him that did not fare too badly where views are concerned AND got me a compliment from a reader:

And I suppose you have guessed. The third thing I learnt is that people on Stomp don’t mince their words and don’t pull any punches. Like the editor had warned me earlier, some readers are really gonna whack the blogger when they see something they don’t agree with. Haters, flamers, you name it. Hence, it is necessary to have ‘thick skin‘.

So far, it’s been mostly good. Except one time when one of my near-5000 friends on Facebook shared my blogpost link on his own Facebook wall and said he didn’t think the advice in one of my Stomp blogposts was good advice. I deleted him from my Friends list and admitted one more admiring fan instead.

Also, I received a compliment today that absolutely made my day – from the founder of Eighteen Chefs, the one-and-only Chef Benny:

*Yay* Happiness.

If you like what I’ve shared so far, you’ll LOVE the tips and tricks I’ll be sharing at my upcoming Blogging Workshop (4th Batch!) on 11th Feb (Sat) 10am-12noon. We’ll have a Stomping good time! Simply email me at gracewwg@gmail.com with subject “Blogging Workshop” and I’ll send you more details. See ya!~

Interview with W. Bruce Cameron, author of the bestselling books ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ and ‘Emory’s Gift’ www.BruceCameron.com

W. Bruce Cameron and his dog Tucker

Author, Speaker, Columnist, Animal Lover

(Photo credit: Ute Ville)

1) You’re an award-winning humor columnist and you wrote the book ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ which made many grownups cry. How is it that you can evoke emotions from almost opposite ends of the spectrum so well? 

It’s a lot harder to make people laugh, which I do deliberately, than to make them cry, which I do accidentally.  What I mean by that is the point of my humor is to elicit a laugh, but when I write something that touches on the human experience in a profound way, I’m not trying to elicit tears.  People just often react that way.  I’ve been writing humor and serious fiction my whole life, and practice hasn’t made it any easier–they are both still difficult to do, at least for me.

2) Why the preoccupation with reincarnation? 

You asked me the exact same question in our former lives!  Well, in ‘A Dog’s Purpose’, the central story concerns a dog who lives several lives, learning new lessons in each one, on his way to fulfilling his ultimate purpose.  Reincarnation also figures in ‘Emory’s Gift’, though in a much different way.  I have always been intrigued by the notion that there is more to life that just what our senses report, and reincarnation is just one aspect of that notion.

3) What memorable experiences have you had with your dogs (both past and present) which inspired you to write ‘A Dog’s Purpose’?

I got the idea because I was riding my mountain bike in Colorado one day and met a dog along the way who reminded me so very much of my first dog Cammie, whom I met when I was just eight years old. I was struck with the odd sense that I had just interacted with my long dead friend. Ever since that day, I have wondered if it really was Cammie, and if so, what did that look like from the dog’s perspective? These questions ultimately led me to writing the novel A Dog’s Purpose.

4) What prompted you to write ‘Emory’s Gift’? What sort of effect are you expecting it’ll have on your readers, especially those who’ve read ‘A Dog’s Purpose’? 

I wanted to write a novel that dared to touch on some of the issues that are personally profound for me.  As with ‘A Dog’s Purpose’, there is a spiritual element, and I pose questions and use allegorical elements to get my readers thinking about these issues.  I even deliberately use the word “God!”  And thus far reaction from my readers has been exactly what I’d hoped:  they’ve embraced the central message of ‘Emory’s Gift’, just as they’ve so enthusiastically supported ‘A Dog’s Purpose’.

5) What’s next for your readers to look forward to? Any more books in the pipeline? 

I am currently writing the sequel to ‘A Dog’s Purpose’, tentatively slated for release summer/fall  2012.  After that, I’ve got another dog-themed novel planned (what can I say, I like ‘em) and then we’ll see what happens after that.

Grace says: I have never owned a pet dog. I’ve kept hamsters, fish, a crayfish(!), prawns… yet, Bruce’s book ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ reduced me to tears. Definitely a book that I’ll want to read again!

You can purchase it here. It’s a great Christmas gift for animal lovers!

Here’s what Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple had to say about the book:

“An amazing book. I laughed and smiled and cried. Wise… and sure to open the hearts of all who read it.”

Bruce’s newest book, ‘Emory’s Gift‘, is as intriguing as it is insightful. Bruce shows once again that he is a master at evoking emotions.

Get a copy now. Click here.

You can also check out Bruce’s blog. :)

Interview with Dato’ Palan, author of Creating Your Own Rainbow

Dato’ Palan

Director, Human Resources Development Corporation, Ministry of Human Resources, Government of Malaysia

Chairman and CEO, SMR Technologies Bhd

Founder, Asia HRDCongress

Trainer, Speaker, Consultant, Author of Creating Your Own Rainbow 

www.palan.org

I got to meet Dato’ Palan in August and had the privilege of attending a workshop he conducted that can be described as enriching, entertaining and enlightening.  I was very impressed by how humble and approachable he is despite his social status, and it was indeed a memorable evening of learning from this professional speaker on how to be a Rainbow Creator.

From amazon.com: “There are two types of people: Rainbow Creators and Rainbow Chasers. Rainbow Creators know that the treasure lies within them. They focus their desire and sharpen their skills without putting any constraint on their own imagination. Since the Rainbow as a totality is a vision, Rainbow Creators focus on the seven steps essential for life management to achieve their vision. On the other hand, Rainbow Chasers make their mistakes in assuming that pots of gold are out there somewhere waiting to be found.”

Here are Dato Palan’s answers to my questions:

1. Who are the rainbow creators in your life?

There are several Rainbow Creators. Just to name a few:

• Martin Luther King for promoting non violent approaches to end segregation between whites and blacks in a violent world.
• President John F Kennedy for articulating what is it to be a visionary – ‘putting a man on the moon within this decade’ statement.
• Tenzing Norgay who scaled Mount Everest
• President Nelson Mandela for his persistence in freeing South Africa of apartheid
• Prime Minister LKY for his vision for Singapore
• Aung Syu Ki, the Myanmar leader for not giving up despite all tribulations
• Mahatma Gandhi for pursuing Indian Independence through non violence
• Mohd Yunus, Bangladeshi Economist for sparking a micro credit revolution and trusting people will pay back loans
• My father who never allowed us to give up on ourselves
• My mentor Sam Abishegam who gave me numerous opportunities and one who shaped the world of human resources in Malaysia
• My teachers George Maliekal S.J.  and Father Leonard Paul S.J. for helping me grow my self esteem
• My mother for educating me and my siblings even though she has only attended until Primary Six.

It is important to remember that none of the famous people I mention were great when they embarked on their journey. They were ordinary people who did extraordinary things to become great and recognised by the world.

2. How did you become such an accomplished speaker? What are some tips that you can share with us?

Ken Blanchard said – ‘your game is only as good as your practice.’  I am not sure what you mean by accomplished but I have spoken thousands of times. I have observed hundreds of great speakers and learned so much from them. I strongly believe that if you are passionate about a message and you learn the tools of speaking, you can be a great speaker. Eloquence + Expertise + Passion always results in great speakers. Participating at the National Speakers Association (NSA) Conference, USA has also helped me a great deal. I have learned so much from the friendly community there. Obviously I was elated when I received the highest award that can be earned from NSA – the Certified Speaking Professional award.

My suggestions – join a local community of speakers, there is APSS in Singapore, MAPS in Malaysia. Be passionate about what you speak. Always think of the audience. Remember there are no short cuts to success. It is plain old hard work – learn and practice.

3. What are some of Life’s most important lessons that you’d want to share with your children?

They are all simple common sense principles.

• Find out what you want
• Believe in yourself.
• Respect people
• Do not forget your culture but change with changing times yet with unchanging principles as President Carter once said.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Practice lifelong learning to stay relevant.
• Find your lane and stay in the lane – do not switch all the time as the pasture is always greener on the other side,
• Say NO, one important quality I could never do and that has caused me lots of money and heart ache
• The simple Rainbow Acronym
• Recognise you can make a difference
• Authentic Change
• Invoke your determination
• Never give up on yourself
• Believe in desire and Enthusiasm
• Optimal Leadership and Adventure
• Willing Love

4. What success habits do you practise daily?

• Daily personal hygiene
• Daily exercise
• Daily prayer
• Daily time planning
• Daily reading and learning
• Healthy diet
• Live in the moment: NOW

5. What does “Happiness” mean to you?

Being able to do what I want to do and making a contribution to humanity in my own way.

Being healthy and spending time with the people I love and cherish.

Recognising I am making a contribution to the world.

Grace says: Get a copy of Dato’ Palan’s book Creating Your Own Rainbow. It’s the next best thing to learning from him in person. The rainbow principles have helped me achieve many of my dreams and I think you will benefit from learning about them too! Create your own rainbow now.

Interview with Marty Wilson – MartyWilson.com.au & whatiwishiknew.com *Skype-d*

Marty Wilson

Author of the ‘What I Wish I Knew’ book series, professional speaker, stand-up comic

1) What do you wish you knew at 18?

I get asked that a lot. I wish I had learnt to meditate. I didn’t learn till I was 29. Back then, I felt like the whole world was entitled to my opinion, if you know what I mean. Meditation helps calm my mind and lose the urge to tell people how to lead their lives. Things are a lot more peaceful now.

2) You were once a chemist, then a copywriter, and a stand-up comic, an author, and finally a professional speaker. Were you perhaps searching for your life’s purpose, maybe?

I was searching for what the Buddhist call the right livelihood. One which totally engages me and also brings something positive to the world.

I find we realise things only with hindsight. The advertising stuff I did taught me how to write. Being a stand-up comic gave me the confidence to talk in front of a room full of people.

Whenever I got a change of career, I went to look for mentors to give me the wisdom of their hindsight. When I wanted to be a stand-up comic, I went to look for the guys who’ve been doing that for over 20 years and bought them a coffee or beer. I asked them to download that knowledge into me. And that has helped me progress.

It’s an attitude to life. In one of my books, Christina says “When people tell me they don’t like their jobs, I ask them – You think you’re gonna live forever?”

A friend told me that the only thing in Life to fear is regrets on your deathbed.

3) How can we make our speeches funny?

You have to keep trying and not care about failing in public. The people whom we think are “naturally funny” have likely started as a kid, and didn’t care then what people thought of them. Like, if people don’t laugh, you tell it again. If people don’t laugh, you tell it again. Then they laugh so you’ll go away.

Keep trying, don’t care about failing in public. Prepare to not be funny. You won’t get it straightaway. To me, the best comedian is the one who made the audience tonight laugh the most. So keep trying out in front of people.

4) As an inspirational speaker, what sort of topics/material do you use for your speeches?

I have interviewed over 600 people for my series of books. And when I asked them what they’d do differently if they could live their lives all over again, certain themes keep popping up. For example, one would be that your thoughts create your life. What you think about determines your experience. And, take more risks. Listen to that little voice and do what it tells you to do. For example, openly state your opinion in the workplace. And wear clothes you like rather than clothes your friends like.

5) Tell us more about the ‘What I Wish I Knew About Love’ book. Any tips on how to identify whether a guy is the right one to marry?

Most people think they are in love, but you can KNOW you’re in love when you want to compromise and want to make it work. Things will never go smoothly. But you must love the person enough to work through the difficulties.

Before you think about getting married, sit down with that person, and ask what he/she wants from that relationship.

We assume that the other person wants what we want. But that is NEVER the case. We must have the patience to sit there and get them to tell us exactly what they want. And then make a rock-solid commitment to give them what they want.

I like the confrontational look when I get something wrong so I know I should rectify it. But not my wife – she wants cuddles and to talk things through. So I have to give her what she wants.

Grace says: I chanced upon a copy of Marty’s ‘What I Wish I Knew at 18′ book and was hooked on it – the wisdom of so many individuals was overwhelming. What struck me most was what one lady shared about self-love, that your nose is not too big, your thighs not too fat, etc. The basic message was to love myself for who I am and what I look like at whichever stage of my life I’m at. Powerful stuff, yes?

Now, what do I wish I knew at 18? That heartbreak ceases at some point – the end of a relationship signals the beginning of something even better. Any course in University will do – most people don’t end up in fields related to what they studied anyway.  Take more pictures! You’re only so naturally wrinkle-free once in your life! XD

To purchase Marty’s books, head over to the What I Wish I Knew store here.

Interview with Dr Leslie Tay from www.ieatishootipost.sg

 

Dr Leslie Tay

Family Doctor & Food Blogger (http://ieatishootipost.sg/)

1) Why did you start the food blog ieatishootipost.sg and how do you take such good photographs?

I wanted to share about the best hawker food in Singapore, with well-taken photographs and honest reviews. My aim is also to help good hawkers get more business. It is not to put anyone down or to drive anyone out of business with reviews of food that isn’t good. If the food is good, I’ll write about it. If it’s not, I’ll not write about it or I’ll write about the good stuff and include “but…”. Readers can then choose to eat what I have recommended is good, but they can also choose to try what I’ve said is not so good. If I find a particular stall good, chances are 80% of my readers will agree with me, as a certain standard has been established already.

You know what professional photographers are like. They’ll take hundreds or thousands of photographs and show you only the best 1 or 2, so you’ll think they’re really good. I usually take between 30 and 50 pictures and a few make it onto my blog. Yes, I have to take pictures fast so the food doesn’t turn cold. I still want to eat the food after phototaking!

2) Did you ever expect your blog would become such a mega success?

No. I just wanted to provide good photos and reviews so people know where to find good food in Singapore. You can never tell with such things. I’m glad that it’s doing well, and we even have a forum where the community is very civilised – no foul language and such.

3) Why do you not do paid reviews? Then how do you persuade hawkers to be interviewed by you?

Like I said, my aim is to provide an objective viewpoint. And readers know this is what to expect. I want to help hawkers who are really good to get more business. For example, there’s this old couple who make soya sauce the good old, traditional way and pretty much refuse to have it done the commercial way. After my blog post about them, they got more business and gave me a phone call to thank me.

Just be polite and smile. For example, if you’re interviewing the char kway teow hawker at Hill Street, and you can speak some Teochew, you’ll make the old uncle very happy. You’ll have to queue up like everyone else, eat the food and then compliment them and ask them nicely for the reasons why their food tastes so good. Most of the time they are willing to share.

4) From Charlene (missuschewy.com) – What is it about food blogging that motivates you to keep on doing what you do?

I love discovering new things about food.  Each hawker stall, each dish is a chance to discover something new. Like when I spoke to the Chwee Kueh uncle and found out the reason Chwee Kueh is called Chwee Kueh.  It was a moment of revelation for me which I knew would have the same effect with my readers.  That makes me feel good!

5) From Jacob (cooksnapeatlove.com) – How do you balance blogging/tasting sessions with work and family life?

I bring them along when I can.  My kids are slowly becoming food critics themselves and it’s quite fun to watch.  But at the end of the day, we need to always keep in mind that life is not about food.  It is about love and relationships, family and friends, so blogging and tasting must never take precedence over them.

Grace says: Dr Tay was one of the most intriguing interviewees so far. I was dying to find out how a busy doctor found time to eat, shoot and post. (Blogging is not an easy task, I can assure you!) Turns out he takes afternoons off to go scour the island for the best food places! Mystery solved.

He also gave me an impromptu photography lesson. The picture you see above was taken by me. (And cropped with *ahem* Paint *ahem*)

For more amazing food pictures & hawker recommendations, check out http://ieatishootipost.sg/ :)

Come back this Friday – for the interview with the boss of Pine Garden’s Cake