Vanilla Potluck!

August marks our 2nd anniversary!!!

Although Vanilla is no more, I thought it might be cool to get together with the Vanilla cover girls & some other featured girls. Just to chill & makan.

Keep Sat 29 Aug free, 6.30pm onwards!

Karen Tan Shaves for Hair for Hope 2009!

** I posted this on The Living Room blog, but I thought it's worth sharing it here cos Karen is our very own Vanilla woman!

I received an SMS from actress Karen Tan last week. She told me she's shaving her head in support of Hair for Hope 2009, to raise funds & awareness for children with cancer.

To be honest, I've thought about this for years. I've even come close to taking a deep breath and declaring "Oh what the heck, let's just do it!" But each time, I chicken out because... well, I love my long hair. And losing my mane is tantamount to losing a part of my identity, my femininity.

So when Karen took the plunge, I invited her to come on-air to share her experience. For Karen, it's all about getting more people - especially women - to step forward, and to raise more funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF). So without hesitation, she said OK.

When I first caught sight of her outside our fish-tank studio, I thought she looked gorgeous. "Bald and beautiful", I tease her. But it's not all smooth-sailing for this mother of two. Firstly, even though she prepared her daughters mentally for her shave, her four-year-old wailed uncontrollably when she first saw Mummy botak. Perhaps she thought Mummy was sick, or perhaps Mummy just didn't look like Mummy anymore?

Also, as an actress, Karen had gigs lined up for months - like Crabflower in August. How will her hair grow back in 2 months? And her project requires her to be in Chinese period costume, almost like a muse or fairy that has wandered out of a Chinese painting.....

"They will be wondering what sort of painting I wandered out from!" Karen quips with a hearty chuckle.

We meet her just 2 days after her shave. She's still wondering if she should put on a Buff to cover her head and avoid stares from the public. In any case, we asked her to demonstrate for us how a Buff is worn. She was going to, but digging into her huge sack of a bag, she couldn't find it - only to realise she had left it in another bag! *haiz*

But as fate would have it, I bump into Karen after work at my block! And since I'm given a second chance, I filmed her on the spot. So here's Karen with the demo:

If you'd like to shave in support of Hair for Hope 2009, the main event will take place on Sun 5 July at Velocity @ Novena Square. There's a minimum $30 donation. For more details, click here.

The Bald & Beautiful

Karen Tan did what I always wanted to do, but am just too chicken to. On Monday, she shaved her head to raise funds & awareness for children with cancer.

I'll be chatting with her tomorrow in The Living Room about what compelled her to be part of Hair for Hope 2009. Interview's at 10.40am, with repeat at 10.40pm.

It's a big scary step to shave off all one's hair. I don't think I could ever do it! I promise to post some photos of a bald Karen right here, so watch out for it, OK? :o)

Somaly Mam: 100% Vanilla Woman

** I posted this on The Living Room blog, but I thought it's worth sharing on Vanilla's because we had plans to feature her in Vanilla. Pity it never materialised!

I had nervous diarrhoea the whole morning because I knew Somaly Mam was going to be on our show. Seriously, I had to pop a whole bottle of po chai pills!

I have interviewed many VIPs in my career: from political leaders, heads of MNCs to celebrities. But there is something about this simple remarkable woman that made me feel terribly, terribly humbled and awed.

After seeing her being swallowed up by crowds at the SCWO (Singapore Council of Women's Organisations) event the night before, I felt almost "unworthy" to hold her captive - so exclusively - for an hour. I've never felt this way before.

This is a woman of great courage. A woman so single-minded in her mission to rescue girls sold into sex slavery (some as young as 5 years old) that she is willing to risk even her own life.

And her life has been threatened many times, her home was burned down, her daughter kidnapped and raped. Yet, her NGO - AFESIP Cambodia - has to date rescued over 5,000 girls in Cambodia, rehabilitated them and reintegrated them to society.

But she's compelled to do this work because she herself was raped as 12, forced to marry at 15, and thereafter sold into a brothel where she served 20-30 men a day, against her will. Despite having no education, she was named one of TIME magazine's most influential people in 2009.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so check out her work here:

At the SCWO talk last night, which was part of the Primetime Outreach: Women Leaders series, the host asked Somaly, "You've been to the United Nations, to international conferences and met many world leaders. Who is the one leader you'd most want to meet but have not?"

Somaly laughed. "When I go to these meetings, I don't know these famous people. I am not educated, I don't read magazines or newspapers," she admits with a bashful chuckle. "They pull me to meet the First Lady, I say what is the First Lady?"

But the people who touch her, she knows by name. Like a Singaporean volunteer by the name of June, which she calls "June girl" because she has given of her time and love to the girls at the shelter. For Somaly, no rank or title matters more than Love.

If you'd like to find out more about her life, I'd highly recommend you grab a copy of her autobiography The Road of Lost Innocence. It's available in all major bookstores and all proceeds go to the girls in her Foundation. If it's out of stock, I say place an order for it! It's a powerful book, a must-read for all.

You can also find out more about her courageous work by visiting the Somaly Mam Foundation website. But don't just be inspired, take action! Somaly extends a personal invitation for you to visit the girls.

My Hero Somaly Mam in The Living Room: This autographed copy of her book will remain one of my most prized possessions!

During the news break, I ask Somaly, "What sort of support do you most need right now?"

Somaly's beautiful face breaks into an almost cheeky half-smile. "Just come and see. And you will know for yourself."

The Molly Lee Appeal is announced on Prime Time Morning!

This morning, Josef Lee, Dr Chia Yin Nin of KKH and I were on Prime Time Morning (with the luminous Suzanne Jung and the affable Steven Chia) to talk about the Molly Lee Appeal.

It was nice. I was in that studio once before, maybe three years ago, with Saleemah Ismail of UNIFEM and Glenda Chong was talking to us about our lobbying for the bill to be passed so that men couldn't have sex with kids overseas without facing justice back home.

Anyway, this morning we were there as part of Channel Newsasia's Singapore Woman Award week of publicity. Molly Lee was last year's winner of the SWA, which was helmed by Vanilla (you would all remember I'm sure). 

29 May marks one year since Molly passed away. I've always been so ... dumbfounded is the best word... watching how Josef has really just taken this loss in his stride. When 

my mom passed away from cancer, I was bursting into tears every time I heard the word cancer. But not Josef.

The show went well - Josef shared about Molly and his vision for WeAreWonderWomen, and why he feels the need to keep her work going. I shared about how the fund came about — and at this juncture, I want to thank ONG SOH CHIN, my ex-boss, who really championed this all the way, and linked me with Mrs Laura Hwang and Prof Ivy Ng who really made this fund happen. Here's Soch and me having cupcakes — next round, drinks!

Anyway, Dr Chia (a very sexy, husky-voiced dynamo! I really like her!) shared about how positive mindedness went a long way in the recovery of a cancer patient - and Molly was such a great example of that. Even though the disease eventually overwhelmed her, her legacy now lives on, and hopefully, encourages other cancer sufferers to stay mentally strong and positive, because it impacts their recovery.

So! The Fund is up and running! Please spread the word! We will be holding our first fundraising event at the end of May - details to be revealed as soon as I get my lazy butt off my chair and get wheels in motion.

I just want to thank everyone who has been a part of this - in prayer, good wishes, linking people up - and I thank everyone who is going to join Josef and me in our bid to help women with cancer.

Stay tuned!

Finally A Face!

I loved reading Ee Waun's food column in Vanilla. Some of her stories were heartwarming, others made me laugh out loud (like the one about setting fire to the school's Home Econs room!). 

I'd text or email her to tell her, and she'd reply with a virtual chuckle. And that was how it was for months. In some strange way, I felt like I knew Ee Waun - through her writing - but we've never met.

Until two nights ago. 

Capella Singapore, the new 6-star property on Sentosa, had an exclusive media dinner this past Wednesday and I went with a colleague. It was free seating, so we settled ourselves at this table of strangers. Conversation was free-flowing, engaging, and I enjoyed myself tremendously. 

It was only when the lucky draw segment came along at the end of the evening, and her name was read out that my jaw dropped. Omg, Ee Waun and I were sitting at the same table! *gasp* I'm not sure why we didn't introduce ourselves earlier... 

Pam & Ee Waun @ Capella Hotel: We sat at same table & didn't know it!

So that's how Ee Waun and I finally met. And now that we are friends, Ee Waun, SHARE  YOUR PRIZE!!! *grin* 

Molly Lives On... In The Molly Lee Appeal

I'm writing this a little bit prematurely but... I'm too excited to care!

Those of you who have followed and loved Vanilla when it was alive, will remember the winner of our Singapore Woman Award (hey Pam you are right - it may not be us anymore this year but hey, it's still a great idea worth supporting).

Molly Lee was a beautiful, gentle young woman who was a cancer sufferer. When her husband Josef Lee first emailed me to feature her, I was blown away a) by the portfolio he sent of his wife and her blog and what she had done via WeAreWonderWomen.Com. b) by Josef's deep love for Molly, which even as I write this, touches me deeply.

Molly beat over 40 other nominees to be unanimously selected by the panel of judges (Laura Hwang, Prof Ivy Ng of KKH, Saw Phaik Hwa of SMRT, and Alan Nementchik from Guardian) as the winner. 

Molly passed away on 29 May 2008, two months after she won the Award.

Josef and I had been in touch since - he wanted to do something to keep alive Molly's passion for other young women cancer sufferers. We discussed a few project ideas but it all came back to the fact that we needed to create a Fund, and ideally, name it after Molly.

A week after I left MediaCorp (no Vanilla, no Theresa, haha) I emailed Laura and Ivy - and I tell you, these two women are super, ultra, mega amazing and they will be my heroes forever. Immediately they expressed their support for a fund, and Yvette Thomasz from KKH's corporate comms, met up with me and Ong Soh Chin (my former boss and a big supporter of Molly too).

Almost instantly Yvette said, "We can name it after Molly!"

So I am very proud and happy to announce that there is now The Molly Lee Appeal, in aid of the KK Hospital Endowment Fund. This Appeal is specifically for women aged 18-50 who suffer from women's cancers. We are currently discussing if this Appeal should also cover HIV/Aids sufferers who are women.

I am now planning our first fundraising event for the Appeal, together with my good friend Edwin Ho, a super talented photographer based in New York. Edwin has recently lost two female friends to cancer too, and this is a cause that is so close to both our hearts.

Stay tuned for news of our photo exhibition/auction fundraiser!

Singapore Woman Award lives on...

The Singapore Woman Award is back again, and nominations are now open! 

I was surprised to hear about it on the radio - the familiar ring of those words. And I was pleased to learn too that it continues to celebrate the ordinary woman who has done extraordinary things. 

Of course, I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness that it's now helmed by Channel NewsAsia and not Vanilla. But I guess if MediaCorp has decided to keep it going, and if another BU were to take over the Award, I'm glad it's Channal NewsAsia. So it's all good! *grin* 

I still remember going through the piles of nominations last year, reading what each nominator said about the special woman in his/her life, writing summaries for each nominee, meeting with the judges for the shortlisting process, and finally the Big Night itself where Molly Lee won. The memories are still fresh for me. 

I hope I get to attend this year's Singapore Woman Award ceremony. Or better yet, to interview the new winner on The Living Room. Let's try to lend our support still, girls! 

Captain, Our Captain!

Today is Theresa's last day with MediaCorp, and the Vanilla team reunited to take her out for a farewell lunch. So brilliant is my dear Shaan to remember that when Threez first joined us, the first place SHE brought US was Swensen's @ Thomson Plaza. So for our lunch date, it was there that WE bought HER.  

Vanilla Reunited 

(Front, L to R) Jenn Chew, Theresa Tan, Adlena Wong, Shaan Moledina

(Back, L to R) Lindy Tay, Pamela Ho. Absent: Alvin Leow, Fongfan

Adlena has since left MediaCorp and joined SHAPE magazine, so that spunky, sporty girl made her way from yonder to join us. I too have moved to radio, so I flew over from Caldecott after going off-air at noon. 

As always, it's wonderful to see the Vanilla girls! Our gatherings are always full of laughter and good ole' conversation. I know it sounds surreal, but our editorial meetings have always been sort of like that too! 

We trickle into the room with our coffee mugs, magazines... share ideas, listen to each other, joke and chuckle like mad women, often going off tangent & talking cock, but somehow we manage to create a good product every month that's real and relevant, that speaks to women, and elicits a barrage of reflective letters & email from readers.  

And I would say that what Vanilla always had going for it are two things: (1) passionate team members who believe 100% in its value and purpose, and (2) incredible leadership. Threez is definitely that for us: The visionary, full of passion & compassion, who is gung-ho enough to take risks, fight for her "chicks", and make the near-impossible happen.

Threez, I will never ever forget working with you on my IWD story, "Women of the World" (March 2008). To this day, I still can't believe we managed to pull it off: 20pp featuring women from around the world, without compromising on Vanilla's visual standards (Alvin, you were brilliant!). Gosh. "Don't scared! We find photographers in Cape Town, Phnom Penh, Cebu to shoot the women..." YOU ARE MAD. 

 

But that's why I've always felt your support. You often think me MAD, but you give me freedom & license to pursue my ideas because you trust me. And that's so important for all of us who work with you, Threez. We have room to be creative, to explore, to grow. And you always make it a point to hold our hand, groom us, and encourage us. Regular bosses demand and take, but the really good ones give generously, without reservation or condition. YOU are such.

It wasn't at all a sad farewell gathering, was it? *grin* I guess we all know we'll always stay in touch and be firm friends. I know these nuts will always be in my life. And I promise not to disappear from theirs. And who knows, if God wills, we'll get a chance to work together again?

And Threez, because you are forever "VV" in our eyes, we've put YOU on the final cover of Vanilla. 

If there ever was a true-blue Vanilla Woman, it's Theresa Tan. 

From your Vanilla team... WE LOVE YOU.

MUST. STOP. EATING. CHOCOLATE.

Adios, Muchachos!

Today I handed my boss my resignation letter.

I rejoined MediaCorp exactly 18 months ago on 2 August 2007. Hard to imagine how 18 months could have passed so fast — yet, it feels like an era has come and gone with Vanilla.

Thing about me is that I never really saw coming back to MediaCorp as something that was going to last forever. I knew at that point that I was called to come in and steward this precious product for whatever shelf life it was going to have. 

At the point I joined Vanilla, I was in the midst of some heavy-duty business discussion with my good friend Nanz Chong-Komo. We had worked on her first book together - the best-selling title ONE BUSINESS, 99 LESSONS — and discovered we had an anointed synergy and complementary strengths. We even had our third babies within 2 weeks of each other!

So our talks were put on hold, but after Vanilla closed, they resumed with fervour — mostly through email and short, sharp weekend meetings (six kids between the two of us = more than a handful).

So now, thank God, looks like our plans have finally grown legs. We will be launching in the next few months, an exciting online-cum-live women's club. I'd describe it as Vanilla Online / Vanilla Live. It's called Nanz Inc.Com, and it will be a centre of activity, learning and community for Asian women.

We're still finalising the look, but early feelers sent out among women leaders like MP Lim Hwee Hua and Nanz's million-dollar Rolodex have yielded very positive responses and a flurry of offers to help.

So today I put in my resignation letter, knowing in my heart this is what I've been called to do all along. Vanilla was such a wonderful, soul-feeding detour for a little over a year. Now, this is where the rubber meets the road. We're going to help women, live, every day.

Vanilla Essence on 938LIVE

Last Thursday, we had Vanilla girls Karen Tan & Beatrice Chia in The Living Room to tell us about Toy Factory's Sleepless Town. 

Karen was so cute. She leaned over, grinned, and said something to this effect, "Hey, let's put some Vanilla in today's interview..." 

Anyway, I blogged about our chat on The Living Room blog, so check out if you have time! 

Ning aka Magic Babe is also coming on our show, 27 Feb. She's currently in the UK headlining an international magic convention. So we'll let her tell us about that soon! *wink* 

Newly Discovered Emails to Vanilla!!

Just 5 minutes ago I made a really exciting discovery!

I found an old mailbox under the Vanilla mailbox - we had set it up for a challenge we ran in our September issue. It was a "switch to health" challenge, working with Xndo, a company that promotes not just weight loss but keeping weight off and health on.

At first we had received nothing. I was very distraught - I believed with all my heart that Vanilla women did not believe in quick-fixes, but were the sort of women committed to making a lifelong difference in their bodies, minds and souls.

But this morning - Ahhhhh! I found the mailbox titled "xndochallenge" and in it were 21 FRESH UNREAD EMAILS!

Just reading these women's frank and honest sharings about their struggles with weight and height brought my spirit back alive again. My faith has been restored! I could KISS the webmaster but he's quite hairy.

It feels great to know Vanilla women still exist. It was not a figment of my imagination or a product of my making. They live, they breathe, they hurt, they overcome.

So this blog STILL has a reason to exist. I'm overjoyed!

Okay, now I better send them each an email to explain why they haven't heard from us since September 2008...

Overwhelm the Postman!!

hey Everyone!!

reading Adlena's post and how she received her card from Texas has made me post very quickly.

my first article with Vanilla mentioned letter-writing, that old social thing that was big in the 20th century. i continued writing letters and cards during all of last year, not very often, but certainly as much as i could, and i always got happy responses. 

may i suggest that we all find the time to write one card/letter to someone this week? knowing how the year has begun with so much worry and fear and apprehension, i think we all know at least 5 people who could do with a cheering up, especially in the form they least expect it in. we all want to do something big with our lives, but really, it all begins with very little.

i never appreciated receiving chain letters, but man, the effort behind it all...that's something we all could have!!

much love to everyone

Karen

This is about Ron and Me

The first time I've had any contact or any clue as to who Ron Fletcher is(thanks to Levan Cher at The Body Clinic), was because of a "Sportlight" article I did for Vanilla (Feb 2008).

A year on, I actually got a chance to meet with the disciple of Joseph Pilates himself. I booked him for a 30-min interview initially but our conversation went on for two whole hours. I was just so intrigued and riveted by what he had to share. I never imagined having much in common or being able to click with an Irish/American-Indian 87-year-old gay Gemini like I did. It felt like I was talking to a celebrity, maybe Paul Newman, throw in a couple of demos of back-bending moves. And until what comes next, I thought the feeling was a one-sided affair.

Then a few days later, I got a call from Joyce of iPilates who arranged for my interview and who has the most incredible dog, a deep chocolate royal poodle-lab mix named Coco Chanel (pronounce as "channel"). She said Ron wanted my home address; he had something to send to me.

Turns out it's a Christmas card... all the way from Texas, y'all. But what he wrote inside (in impossibly huge, green letters) moved me further:

" I enjoyed sharing some time with you-- our 'natures' mesh well together and you do your work with style and ease-- I hope you get your foot, with body into Joyce's studio-- It's good work. Stay well, go well. Big Texas good wishes.
p.s. If you come out this way, we'll open the gate. Ron"

I digress: This is going into my "time capsule" of sorts, which include correspondences between my primary classmate, who moved to Melbourne when she was in P1, and I(i.e. from 1987 to 2001; saw how our handwriting morphs and we went from using pencils to ballpoint to computer typo), letters from love's lost and random scraps of paper autographed by the likes of Savage Garden and... Timothy W Go (yes, I got a secret crush on that newscaster!)

Sorry I know this post is completely self-centered but I thought to share and spread around some positive energy (since it's the start of the new year and all), which seems to be seriously lacking these days.