Acclaimed songwriter Tim Hughes was at CHC last Sunday.

CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan

Tim Hughes is renowned for penning one of the most famous and widely-sung modern worship tunes today, “Here I Am To Worship.” The song, which has been sung by thousands of believers all over the world, was the number one song on the Christian Copyright Licensing International for more than two years running; it garnered two Dove Awards along the way.

Hughes is the founder of Worship Central, a school of worship stemming from the world-renowned Alpha Course International. Alpha was set up to empower local church ministries and equip worshipers, and thousands of people have attended its training events worldwide. Many believers across the globe have visited Alpha’s website for musical, spiritual and practical resources.

Apart from music, Hughes is also involved in community work. He is currently one of the members of Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith from Delirious?. As the worship director of his local church, Holy Trinity Brompton in London, Hughes leads worship and is involved in training other worship leaders, investing time in teaching musicians, and working with the leadership team to bring about change in society.

At the heart of it all, Hughes’ desire is to bless and encourage the body of Christ to worship God through the works he creates. With this in mind, he pens his songs and lyrics in a way that would allow each listener to be able to see all the wonders Jesus has created and let those discoveries fuel their worship.

That was exactly the experience for the congregation at CHC last Sunday. Hughes led worship at the English services at Singapore Expo and Jurong West. Although CHC’s worship team had less than 24 hours to prepare for the new lineup of Hughes’ songs, it was well worth the effort as the band—and the rest of the church—was touched and refreshed by God’s presence which Hughes’ worship brought down.

Hughes demonstrated to the church what it means to be a true worshiper, with his depth and passion for God that was evidently displayed throughout the worship sessions.

Churchgoer John Ho, 20, a School Of Theology student, summarized how many in the congregation felt: “I was really blessed by the anointed praise and worship.”

Boys’ Town receives bursary donation from InQueenz.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GENECIA LUO

Success is hard to come by, but when it does, it’s heartening to see how some choose to “pay it forward” by giving back to society.

Take InQueenz, a personality development and training academy that has been producing pageant winners since its inception in 2007. Most recently, 10 of its students came out tops in the South East Asia Beauty & Tourism Expo 2010 and Mrs Singapore & Classic Mrs Singapore 2010 pageants.

At the first taste of victory, founder Genecia Luo is quick to plow her success not back into her company, but into the community.

On April 11, InQueenz held an event known as Dinner Under The Stars, a collaboration with TKS & Sons, an events organizer. Held at the House of Seafood, the dinner was thrown in honor of five children from Boys’ Town, a home for at-risk boys. Others who graced the event were pageant participants, their family and friends.

Aside from treating the boys to a sumptuous seafood dinner, InQueenz also presented each of them with a financial scholarship of S$500, to aid them academically. This is the dual-pronged approach of InQueenz’s community outreach to the Boys’ Town: To provide bursaries as such, as well as to empower them with necessary life skills through talks.

InQueenz is a company that is big on corporate social responsibility, having previously been involved in social projects with SPARKS, CARE Singapore, MINDS Singapore, Children’s Cancer Foundation, and Focus on the Family.

Luo, who has long been an active volunteer in various social causes, feels that giving back to society has kept her grounded and developed in her sound values and core beliefs that have guided her in training pageant hopefuls.

A former occupational therapist for children with learning difficulties, Luo has gone from “kampong girl, to athlete, to beauty queen, and now, entrepreneur.” It was her inner passion to help women and youth that has led her to establish InQueenz’s CSR mission, supporting charitable causes for the benefit of society.

Luo herself comes from an underprivileged family background and had to support herself through school at a young age. Thus, she feels drawn to working with youth at risk. She hopes that simple acts of helping the underprivileged youths will, in turn, mold them toward being responsible and community-minded citizens of Singapore.

Having made his mark in the demanding world of advertising, creative whiz Troy Lim finds himself at the forefront of the industry with his appointment as co-chairman of the Crowbar Awards.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TROY LIM

If you watch free-to-air-channels on television, you would most probably recall that cute, memorable advertisement of the health bar SoyJoy, which was among the top 10 TV commercials in Singapore last year as voted by viewers. The man behind it is Troy Lim, creative director at Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency, who will be co-chairing the 2010 Crowbar Awards with his colleague and head of art, Jon Loke.

While the bigger Creative Circle Awards is a platform for the advertising industry at large, the Crowbar Awards competition is only open to students, giving young talents a chance to showcase their craft and creativity. In its 10th year now, it has grown from being just a local show to one which attracts entries from around the world, even as far as London.

“Another key difference is that while the CCA is an ad-centric show, the Crowbars’ categories go beyond advertising—there’ll be short films being submitted and photographs that need not be seen in the context of a print ad,” says Lim.

Having proven his creative chops to the industry with a string of recognition including the “Best New English Copywriter (Gold)” at the Creative Circle Awards years earlier, Lim, together with Loke, will in turn be setting the direction for this year’s Crowbar Awards, selecting the jury heads of the various creative categories, including design, interactive, film and photography, putting together a panel of mentors and judges for the Crowbar Challenge (where student creative teams will be given a brief to work on and be ready to present their creative solutions 24 hours later), and preside over the judging process.

Winners in the respective categories will win the Crowbar trophies. Of the award moniker, Lim says, “The general impression is that advertising is one of the hardest jobs to break into, so that’s where a crowbar would come in handy in breaking down the door.”

Previous years’ winners won internships in creative hot shops in London and New York, but this year’s “killer-prize” has yet been decided. Beyond the prizes, however, the prestige of a Crowbar award stems from the traction accorded to a winner, who will have a strong advantage when it comes to the hiring squad. Additionally, many previous Crowbar winners have gone on to make a name for themselves in their respective fields, which adds credibility to the high standards of the Crowbar Awards.

Lim himself first stumbled into the world of advertising when he took on an internship at a small Japanese advertising agency while studying for his Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences degree at the National University of Singapore. “The awards annuals in the department library really opened my eyes to the plethora of great work that was out there. There and then, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I also had a great mentor who really encouraged me and I spent the next few months devising and compiling my portfolio.”

As for how he got his lucky break, Lim has this to say: “Advertising is really tough to get into, because there is no institution which specifically teaches copywriting or art direction. The trick is to show your potential and passion by showing creative directors a sample of your best ideas, and if they’re willing to let you hang around the creative department, that’s your foot in the door.”

Far from having the road to success paved out for him, he was retrenched in 1998 when the Asian financial crisis hit, less than a year after he started working. While it hit him hard at that time, it turned out to be a blessing, as he had to learn the ropes fast while doing freelance work in various agencies. “It’s true what they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he says. It was only when he started winning awards two years into his career that the job offers started coming.

In addition to the aforementioned SoyJoy ad, some of his most prolific and compelling work include the Health Promotion Board Youth Campaigns to raise awareness for binge drinking, Aids and smoking. Asked about the current state of advertising in the country, he says, “We need more mavericks like (legendary creative director of the Ball Partnership) Neil French, whose work always stood out despite it being controversial most of the time. But more than that, we need clients who are able to recognize the value of great ideas for their brand.”

On the future of the industry, he adds, “Don’t just think of advertising as a printed image, words on a page, or a 30-second commercial anymore. It could be a music video or a stunt that finds its way around the world virally, or perhaps it could even be a movement. We live in exciting times, and advertising has always been about being on the cutting edge of ideas—with all the technology available to us, anything is possible.”

Outside of work, the married man enjoys making music (he plays the trombone in The Millennial Orchestra and helps with its branding efforts and concert promotions), watching movies, cycling and fast cars. Asked what God would say about advertising if he ever asked Him, he replies, “I think He would say that we are His best ads.”

Singaporean Isaac Lim is one of 30 in the world to get a perfect score in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is taken by students worldwide as an alternative way to gain entry into university. Recognized in over 2,000 schools in 75 nations, the challenging two-year course requires students to complete assessments in six subjects, submit two long essays, and perform community service. Each year, only 30 students attain a perfect score of 45 points.

This year, a Singaporean, 19-year-old Isaac Lim is part of that group of students, ranked in the top 30 globally to score their perfect 45 this year.

Currently serving in the National Service, the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) graduate describes the experience as one of the most trying years of his life so far.

“Either by choice or circumstances, I found myself having to juggle numerous responsibilities and commitments in school, at home and in church. The pressure began to take its toll on me as it sapped my energy, leaving me with little time to concentrate on my studies. Although I had never truly struggled with my grades prior to the course, I found myself floundering under the tremendous pressure of the expectations mounted by all the people around me—teachers, friends, parents and above all, myself.”

He even described how the stress cumulated into bouts of insomnia during the exam period. “I found that for the first time in my life, I suffered from insomnia. I would lie awake in bed, worrying unnecessarily about the coming exams. The solution? I literally prayed myself to sleep, telling God that if I did manage to achieve the ‘perfect score’ I would give Him all the glory and the honor, because I knew that I could never achieve it of my own accord.”

The enthusiastic Christian attributes much of his academic success to his faith in God and encouraging sermon messages from the pulpit. “Constantly challenged by the weekend messages by Pastor Kong, cell group meeting messages and the encouragement from my parents, I decided to make the necessary sacrifices. It meant forsaking internet forms of communication, such as MSN and Skype, as well as the ever addictive Youtube. Instead, I invested time in studying, doing test papers and praying. I’ve been a Christian for pretty much my whole life,” he says.

He also describes the encouraging environment he had throughout the busy exam period to support him. “All the people in my life played a really important role in helping me through the tough examination period. My family really helped me through by being really quiet when they knew I was at home studying. During the exams, my mother met up daily with a group of other mothers to literally pray through the papers. My friends were willing to share and exchange notes, which made studying a lot more efficient for everyone and resulted in our school managing to achieve better results on average.”

Raring to climb his next mountain, Lim says: “I hope to be able to pursue a degree in the Wharton Business School in the University of Pennsylvania. I would also love to start investing in the stock market, which I have been following sporadically over the years, but have yet to get into action.”

Reflecting on the achievement, Lim said: “Success comes with sacrifice. You have to devote time and effort into practicing the same type of problems again and again, so much so that the process of answering a question becomes intrinsic and almost mechanical—especially for math. In order to do well, you have to really want it.”

Girl band S.H.E. brought the house down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Contributed by Sim Yee Tat

CN PHOTO: Poh Yang Zheng

Before one even stepped into the S.H.E. concert on April 17,  their 10,000 fans gathered at the Singapore Indoor Stadium were already screaming in anticipation of watching the Taiwanese trio in action. And indeed, S.H.E. did not disappoint the capacity crowd.

Known for their high energy performances delivered in a cloud of sugary sweetness, S.H.E. put up a show, well-pitched at the young or the young at heart. Most of the concertgoers recognized every single song on S.H.E.’s song list that night. Dressed up in futuristic costumes with avant-garde stage props, the pop trio put on such a musical extravaganza and visual fiesta with their neatly-crafted dance moves, that their captivated fans showed their pleasure by pumping their fists to the beat and sounding out deafening whistles. S.H.E.’s global appeal was apparent, evidenced by the thousands of red and yellow placards scripted in Thai, Bahasa and Japanese. Their music cuts through any language or cultural boundaries.

Their smooth delivery of 40 songs ranging from rock, R&B and karaoke-friendly medleys such as “Superstar” and the acoustic version of “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” was complemented well by the band’s seamless guitar riffs and drumming rhythms. In perfect accompaniment were the pyrotechnics that served as a visual representation of the band’s unique strength in transiting different vocal pitches.

In addition, S.H.E.’s ability to connect and engage their fans also led the ecstatic crowd to spiral into dizzying heights of frenzy. This infectious energy and the flamboyant demeanor of the three girls ignited a tsunami of screaming voices when they came within touching distance of the fans.

CN PHOTO: Geoffery Chow

If there was a highlight in this concert of high moments, it would have to be the solo performances put up by the three girls, Selina, Hebe and Ella. Their collective rendition of “Remember” showed off their unique blend of individual talents. What was also commendable was their adventurous experimenting with various musical instruments as they belted out new songs that challenged their vocal comforts.

S.H.E.’s strength also lies in its appeal as role models for young women. Through their video montages, the three shared the story of how they came to know one another, and how they pursued their dream and became S.H.E. It was powerful fuel for their young audience, who clearly aspire to such friendships and success.

One concert-goer Anna Tan, 22, who was also at Plaza Singapura for the autograph signing session the next day, quipped, “The dynamic performance by S.H.E. leaves me wanting more and more!” Marketing executive Michael Goh, 24, commented, “The overall set-up of the whole concert was fantastic; I really got more than what I bargained for.”

Not only did the concert live up to expectations, some elements from their performance have certainly improved and evolved from past concerts. Avid fan Vanessa Sim, 25, who has attended all of S.H.E.’s previous concerts summed it all up: “I’ve seen S.H.E. grow with their music and this recent performance was the best among all I’ve ever seen.”

Undergraduate Andy Teoh starts up a thriving—and highly unorthodox tuition center.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EDUCLINIC

If you were a concerned parent paying tuition fees to see tangible improvement in your child’s grades, there’s a good chance you’d be hopping mad to know that the tuition teacher spends much of the time chatting and cracking jokes.

And if you were parent to a moody, rebellious punk-loving teen, it is quite unlikely you will win him over by suggesting he take a physics lesson.

But hold the protests and complaint letters. These tactics may actually work.

Student-entrepreneur Andy Teoh, 25, owner of tuition center Educlinic, is confident that they do.

“In school, students already have a formal teacher who is strict with them. As for me, I treat my student as friends and forge a relationship with them. This is not wasting time; if they come to your class with all these problems, it is likely they can’t focus.”

“Funny, I Remember This”
While most teachers believe in establishing a clear sense of teacher-student authority, Teoh believes in breaking down the barriers. Educlinic is painted bright yellow, orange and green with wall stickers. Pop music plays at the reception area, creating a hip and fun study environment that puts students at ease.

While discussing math equations, he intentionally throws “lame” jokes at his junior college students to keep their attention and to appear more approachable. When he explains complex physics theories, he even constructs his own experiments and videos to demonstrate. In lessons, he comes off as eccentric with his huge gestures, flailing his arms and scribbling pictures on his white board to make his point.

According to his students, this unorthodox approach works. Anglo-Chinese Junior College graduate Lim Jiaxuan says her grades jumped from E to A in H2 Math and U to B in Physics for her preliminary exams. She says the analogies and videos he used helped her to understand complex theories in these subjects.

Cassandra Leong, 17, has had a similar experience. She says: “Andy has helped me to improve my grades for A maths from F9 to a B3. I like how he is dedicated in his teaching and can explain and simplify problems in many different ways.”

An engineering science undergraduate in his final year at the National University of Singapore, Teoh first started giving lessons as a means to earn a little extra cash. Surprisingly, his home classes began to overflow so he decided to open a tuition center to accommodate more students.

Broken Hearts Don’t Learn
From his years of tutoring students, Teoh began to see the importance of taking a relational approach with his students.

“I had a Secondary 4 student who was quite resistant when she first came. I found out that she had not initially wanted tuition, but had been forced to come by her mom.” She remained quiet in class, but he made constant efforts to talk to her. After having conversations with her, he realized she was facing many relational and social problems in school, and it was hindering her from focusing in class. He gave her advice from his own experience, helping her solve her problems, and further on, to score good results.

“I do my best to ensure that if a student needs help, I’ll be there,” says Teoh with passion.

Teaching and learning comes naturally for this student who is on the NUS dean’s list. As improbable as it sounds, he says, “I love to study. I guess I’ve been through the process of realizing the importance of education, that’s why teaching is my passion.”

One, Two, Three; Diagnose Your Student
Teoh says the Educlinic caters to students’ individual learning styles, based on his concepts of teaching. He shares with City News the key goals and beliefs he wants his center to hold.

Firstly, there is a seed for success in every student that can be discovered and grown. Secondly, every individual should be inspired and motivated to pursue and achieve their personal goals and mold them in a holistic manner. This is why he runs leadership camps to provide students with personal development.

Thirdly, if there are “wounds” of previous failures in every individual, Teoh and his team of teachers try to help them get over these. Saint Andrew’s Junior College graduate Melissa Doutzhen Cher relates her experience. “I started tuition with Andy only towards the end of my JC2 year, with very little time left before my A level exams and with a defeated mentality. However, throughout the three months that I was tutored by him, not only did he patiently impart his knowledge about physics and chemistry to me, he went to the extent of teaching me life lessons. He was more of a friend and mentor who gave me newfound confidence in myself, than a run-of-a-mill tutor who was concerned about monetary gains and academic excellence.”

Fourth, lessons should be customized to meet the needs of every individual. And lastly, Teoh believes a “strong three-fold cord” should be established with the tutor, parents and student to achieve good academic results. This means clear communication between the three throughout the learning process.

And the results have been positive. Teoh says student numbers grew from 30 in June 2009 when he started, to 70 in February 2010. The center has at least 10 other teachers. He has also started up science camps as well as leadership camps for his students for their personal development. He says the business is now aiming to reach the students in the nearby schools in Sengkang.

But this young entrepreneur admits it is no walk in the park to manage Educlinic full-time while handling his school work and university exams. “It’s hard to juggle, especially since I don’t have any full-time workers.”
The center is run largely by himself, with the help of his girlfriend Napalie, who does administrative work for the business. But Teoh says his faith fuels the dream.

“When I get tired, I pray to God about it. I find it helps me to have the positive thinking I need to keep going. In fact, my hope is to keep running the place for a few months until the business runs by itself, so I can move on to serving God full-time.”

In this flaky rom-com, Gerard Butler’s sexy Scottish brogue is replaced with an American accent and a gambling addiction.

Not so appealing anymore.

Or that was how it appeared to be in the first half of the movie. But minutes later, somehow, Butler’s baby-blue eyes still set your heart skipping a beat. And his co-star was not shabby either.

Jennifer Aniston, though over 40, is amazingly gorgeous. She leaves women wondering how she keeps her body in such good shape.

If you’re wondering why this writer is waxing lyrical about the looks of the lead actor and actress of the show and not focusing on the plot, it’s because there wasn’t much of one.

The Bounty Hunter is one big mess. A hot mess, but still, a film not even worth a week in the box office.

The chemistry between the two is barely believable; the soundtrack over-played and totally out of sync with the scenes; and the plot, predictable. You start the movie hoping for some action scenes and by the end of the film, you’re still left waiting in vain.

The film is chock-full of stereotypes. The dead-beat bounty hunter, the hotshot reporter, the scar-covered, angry mafia type. The only stereotype missing from the film was the Asian. While funny, these stereotypes have been over-done and so many of the jokes make you cringe in your seat.

What really saves the film is Christine Baranski, the brilliant, lovely, hilarious actress from Mama Mia and Chicago. She plays Kitty, Aniston’s lounge singer mother. Deliciously forthright and very much a cougar, she instructs her daughter to take a picture of Butler’s tush.

Beyond that, the whole film seems confused. I couldn’t decide if it was trying to be an action film or a romantic-comedy. It just couldn’t seem to make up its mind, which is such a pity, considering that this film actually had the potential to be the next Mr. And Mrs. Smith—Instead, it fell flat on its face.

The truth is, even if Gerard Butler was running around in his costume from 300, it wouldn’t have saved this sorry film.

Rating:

Following its debut success, the S3 Fiesta returns on a larger scale.

Contributed by Lim Jie Min

CN PHOTO: Raymond Lee

As part of continuing Easter celebrations, the S3 Fiesta was organized for a second time after its success during its debut at Christmas 2009.

Many members in CHC signed up to reserve a stall space, either selling merchandise or offering games. There were 50 stalls in total, compared to 35 during the first time, and included new owners as well as the “returnees” from the December fiesta.

Kelvin Soh, 39, was one such “returnee.” He had previously sold “pre-loved” apparels (pre-loved is a term used by blogshop owners to describe secondhand products). This time, having secured good deals from duty-free shops, he is back selling perfumes. “Such events are very helpful for starters. You gain more than just experience; it’s also about the network you are exposed to,” he commented.

There was a wide range of things up for grabs, ranging from apparels, games, books, accessories, to electrical appliances like microwave ovens and hi-fi sets. One stall really stood out with performances of magic tricks. It was buzzing with excitement and fun.

“I wanted to set up a stall that was different from every one else,” said stall owner, Lipywee Tee, 26. “Through this, I can also prove to everyone that magic is actually very simple as long as you are willing to learn and practice.” Magicians who had competed in world competitions were at the stall, performing and teaching magic tricks. Anyone who could manage a magic trick well was rewarded.

Owners of various online retail stores and blogshops also made use of this opportunity to gain publicity for their shops and products. Many printed name cards and flyers to give out during the event.

The S3 Fiesta acted as both an opportunity to invite friends, as well as an alternative to the usual meal after the weekend service. Catering to the young and old, it was a heartwarming family affair and encouraged interaction. For others, it solved the proverbial dilemma of thinking of a place to hang out with friends after church.

Apart from the shopping experience, visitors of the Fiesta were also treated to guest performances by two local talents; singer-songwriter, Kelvin Soh and singer, Maia Lee.

In addition, CHC performers Bernard Loh and Lucas Chia hosted games like The Guinness World Record and Charades which had participants performing strange feats, much to the amusement of curious onlookers.

For Dorothy Tan, 17, student, “This was a great opportunity to invite friends back after Easter weekend.”

Achieving a winning impression with all the right communication skills.

PHOTO: Justin Theng

The society we live in today is becoming increasingly aesthetically-conscious as well as driven by interpersonal relationships. Not only must one be effective in terms of skill and competence, one also has to “look good” in order to leave a lasting impression. All these, coupled with the need to interact with people of different personalities, can leave one feeling inadequate.

With this in mind, a series of workshops was put together for a group of church goers at City Harvest Church, under the care of Lim Meng Ching, a zone supervisor overseeing the MJ Zone. The workshops were specifically aimed at helping the zone members to find ways of improving the quality of life, and better meet the pressing demands of work. The three-part series was aptly entitled “The Winning Look,” introducing skills in personal grooming, interpersonal communication, and other fun activities.

Held at The Riverwalk, at Upper Circular Road, over three alternate Saturday afternoons, the first workshop on March 13 dealt with the topic on “Grooming and Making a First Impression.” A total of 100 people comprising a mix of students, working professionals and married couples registered for this workshop.

To bring across the principle —first impressions count—the workshop kicked off with six models taking to the stage, clad in attire portraying six common stereotypes among young adults: one with a “Mod look,” a punk-rocker, a girl-next-door, a smart looking business professional, one sloppily dressed, and “tech geek.” Participants were asked to choose, based on first impression, whom would they pick to entrust specific tasks such as watering the plants, banking in a paycheck, and meeting a Member of Parliament etc. This exercise made it clear that first impressions matter when it comes to evaluating a person’s dependability to handle responsibility.

Participants were then divided into different rooms for specific sessions on grooming, fitness, and creating a good first impression. Facilitators for the workshops were Franklin (industrial designer, certified pilot, rescue and dive master, and an avid sportsman) and Sally Wuu (general manager in the advertising and marketing industry, and a magazine and catwalk model for brands including Vera Wang, Max Mara, Ralph Lauren, Jean-Paul Gaultier).

Lim also gave a talk on how to build a healthy self-esteem and on handling people-relationships.

One of the participants, Zhang Ming Yao, who is a father-to-be, had this to say: “Through this workshop, I’ve gained interesting and insightful knowledge about making positive first impressions through appearance and through communication. I especially enjoyed Franklin’s introduction of the 3Gs of communication—to be Generous, Genuine and Gracious.”

After the success of the first workshop, participants came back a fortnight later on March 27, in eager anticipation. Facilitators continued an in-depth communication workshop entitled “Communication and Relationship Building,” where participants learned the importance of being comfortable with oneself, and being comfortable in engaging in conversations. These included tips on how to ask the right questions, body language, eye contact, and facial expressions.

Following the session, participants engaged in practical exercises. They practiced looking at one another for whole three minutes in silence. The purpose was to learn how to hold eye contact and express the right body language. It helped the participants to gauge their comfort level when engaging others. Participants then took turns to “introduce themselves” to another person in the room whom they were unfamiliar with; this gave them a chance to put into practice their newly acquired conversational skills.

Said Valerie Lim, student, “‘The Winning Look’ workshops were incredible. Not only did the speakers address the physical aspects of how to look and dress your best, they also touched on the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication. The practice sessions allowed us to evaluate where we stand as an individual and what are the areas we could improve on. They were good methods of hands-on approach to learning.”

The third and final workshop, revolved around the theme of a wedding reception, where participants came dressed for the part. The “guests” were asked to mingle, round-robin style, and carry out five-minute conversations with one another. Each person had to rate his/her partner with a specially prepared grading slip containing a checklist of points, such as, good eye contact, level of friendliness, interest level of the conversation and more.

At the end of the practical session, the floor was open to a question and answer segment with the Wuus, followed by a presentation of the “Best Dressed” award.

Participants are looking forward to an upcoming workshop on Sizzlin’ Salsa conducted by Sammy Palomo, a professional dance instructor and ballroom dance champion from the Philippines.

Management consultant Brian Liu appears on the cover of Prestige magazine this month. What lies beneath the man-about-town?

Brian Liu is not the kind of guy you would expect to join, much less win a male pageant. He’s not a pretty boy, but cuts a trim and toned silhouette, with a face that is more actorly than model-esque. Yet, he beat a handful of contestants to snag the Nuyou Men We Love title last November. Having grown up in Hong Kong and studied in New York, the single 28-year-old management consultant with Ernst & Young has an intellectual confidence, and is, as we discover, a true gentleman.

How did you get on the cover of Prestige?
Someone in the fashion industry knew about me in Nuyou, and thought I was suitable for a fashion shoot. I reckon they picked me because of my background, occupation and my Asian eyes for the Asian motif of the shoot.

Nuyou’s Men We Love was your first pageant. What made you enter? Actually I wasn’t even intending to join the pageant. I thought I was going down to be part of a quick photo shoot. They asked me a few questions which I thought were just some quotes to go with the photos—turned out, that was my pageant “application”.

Did you have to buff up and all that?
I really should have, but my work schedule didn’t afford me that luxury of time. I just did my best to watch my diet and to run whenever I could.

What was the main thing you took away from the experience?
That not all pageants are simply about chiseled abs and good looks. Sincerity and personality do count, which is the only possible explanation for me winning the event.

What followed after you won the contest?
The pageant led to a great opportunity to be a contestant on a Channel U Chinese reality-variety show called U’re The Man. Being on that show was an amazing experience in terms of understanding all the magic that goes behind producing a TV program, as well as all the unbelievable people I met along the way.

How has all this changed your life? Any plans to quit your day job?
I’m still the same guy at the same day job, but I feel really grateful for the new opportunities. People have this misconception that being on TV changes you. It’s not the show that changed me, it was the people I met that did. I do hope that one day, they pick me for an article on being hugely successful, with a maverick idea that impacts the world!

How do your friends describe you?
Easy -going, laid-back and completely spontaneous. They know that I’m up for anything.

What is your life mantra?
Work hard, play hard, love hard. Life is too short to be bogged down by regrets and petty hiccups.

What is your idea of a true romantic?
A man who is still openly affectionate with his wife even after the kids have grown up. Seeing such couples, holding hands and being loving to each other in public always gets to me—that is the kind of married life I aspire to have.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Never settle for second best.” It reminds me to be patient for the good things in life, to work hard and set my sights high.

What makes you happiest?
The simple joys in life … an afternoon by the beach with a loved one, perhaps, topped off with a hearty dinner with close friends—I couldn’t be happier.

What were some of the significant milestones in your life that shaped you into who you are today?
My mother passed away when I was 12. My world crumbled, but I learned what was important in life—your loved ones. Love them fiercely and make sure they know it.

Who/what are your biggest influences?
My father—his is an amazing story of rags to great success in the investment banking field. My work ethics, tenacity and determination in life spring from the example that he has set. Then there’s my Christian faith, which picked me up from the shambles that I was in after my mother’s passing. I would not have known how to live the rest of my life without my faith.

What do you think are some of the long lost values that make a gentleman?
Integrity—faithfulness to one’s word, and that includes wedding vows. I am disappointed by the decline of chivalry and romance in the relationships I see around me, but my biggest gripe is what I like to call “emotional responsibility.” I truly believe that gentlemen should be responsible in managing the expectations and feelings of the ladies in their lives. To put it simply, if you are into the lady, be upfront and clear with your feelings and intentions. Likewise if you have no interest or you see no future with her. The truth might hurt, but they will appreciate the honesty. No one’s time should be wasted. Ambiguity and indecision make up the devil’s playground.