STOMPers Perform with Tic Tac Boxes!!!

Stan & I have been looking forward to STOMP since we heard about it months ago. Such a amazingly talented group of people who can use the clutter & junk of everyday life to create pulsating rhythms. We're talking about bins, tractor tyres, even a kitchen sink!

But WHAT IF we brought the STOMPers into the 938LIVE studio, and challenged them to create something from nothing? Using just what's in the studio, or on themselves?

That's what we did today, when we invited 4 of the 8 STOMPers in for a chat. Meet brother & sister team Nigel Clarke & Simone Clarke, Keith "Wild Child" Middleton and Fraser Morrison...

Half of STOMP: [L to R] Nigel, Fraser, Keith & Simone.

Seriously. Check out what these guys did with some Tic Tac boxes on them. It will totally blow your mind!!!

STOMP '09:

Fresher Faster Funnier

8 - 11 Oct

Esplanade Theatre

Tickets thru' SISTIC

Stanley does Pole Dancing?!

We found out about pole fitness for men from fellow DJ at Lush 99.5, Lavinia Tan. She challenged Stan to try it out, and being the 1st class journalist that he is, he couldn't turn down an opportunity for a story ~ no matter how embarrassing.

So we went down to Jitterbugs Swingapore one Friday evening. I must tell you Stan was nervous and distracted all day... *chuckle* I, on the other hand, was in high spirits. I didn't know what to expect, but I was going down to video my buddy & be in a class where a group of sweaty men were doing pole dancing. What's there not to be happy about? *grin*

The class begins. I must admit Stan surprised & impressed me. He did very well actually! *gasp* One of the important skills of pole dancing is wrapping one's legs around the pole - in an upside-down position - and to keep oneself up there... then to release both arms.

But to practise this move first - since it's dangerous upside-down - instructor Linna Tan told the guys to lie on the floor first, wrap their legs around the pole, and to hoist themselves up. Whoa, watch Stan go!!!

Sorry, my bad. I was filming Stan in "portrait" mode on my camera. Little did I know that when I upload the vid, it appears like this. But tilt your head lah! It's worth the crick in your neck...

Finally, he's upside down! *applauds* Now release your arms, buddy...

I'm so proud of Stan! He did a great job, don't you agree? *applauds* I would've totally chickened out if I had to say try the *ahem* lap dance, especially in front of Stan with a camera. So kudos to my buddy! He sucked it up & did it ~ all in the name of Journalism!

As the guys were cooling down, instructors-in-training Gordon Lai & Jon Fong demonstrated how it's supposed to be done...

Is that impressive or what? *winks* It really requires a load of skill, technique & core muscle strength. It's almost like gymnastics!

Well, Linna, Jon & Gordon were on our turf today as guests in The Living Room, and we had such fun recounting our experience at Jitterbugs!

Pole Fitness for Men @ Jitterbugs Swingapore: [from top] Jon Fong, Gordon Lai & Linna Tan.

If you're interested to try out pole fitness for men, or Jitterbugs' other classes, click here. I hear they're starting a sizzlin' hot class for women in lap dancing! *raises eyebrow*

But lest you get any ideas, I may not be as 1st class a journalist as Stan!

Social Innovators, Unite!

Businesses that not only have "profit" as their bottom line, but also "social contribution". If we had more businesses with these, we'd all live in a much better world!

Business people with a heart ~ that's what we need. And that's what Elim Chew is. Although she runs a hugely-successful business - fashion chain, 77th Street - she has always had a passion for the youth & the arts. And she's somehow managed to marry the two bottom lines.

And there are more & more like Elim rising up in Singapore...

MP Penny Low & Elim Chew sharing about social innovation.

In fact, what started as a small local gathering of like-minded social entrepreneurs four years ago has since enjoyed a quantum leap! In 2006, the Social Innovation Park (SIP) launched the Social Innovators Forum with just 5 speakers (3 local, 2 foreign). Last year, the forum saw 50 speakers & 300 delegates from 22 countries...

This "humble gathering" is now renamed the Global Social Innovators Forum, and this year will see over 60 distinguished speakers from around the world.

It's hard not to be infected by the passion & enthusiasm of Penny Low, President & Founder of SIP, and Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. You can tell she's driven to make this ideal a reality - and she's bent on getting as many on the bandwagon with her as she can. After our interview, we chatted outside the studio for another half an hour!

If you'd like to find out how your business can gain from embracing social innovation, how you can be part of the "Green to Gold" movement (yes, social enterprises can make billions!), why not make time to head down to the forum? Here are the details:

Global Social Innovators Forum 2009

1 - 3 Oct

8am - 5pm

Fusionopolis

To find out more, click here.

Listen! The Children Are Speaking!

(above & seated: Shaniah Faith Kew, Gloria Ang & Prasanth Selvam)
(above & standing: Is that Stanley wearing his school tie???!!! Read on for illumination)

The winners of the 23rd YMCA Plain English Speaking Awards displayed their eloquence by showcasing their winning speeches 'live' in The Living Room.

Beauty queens can surely take away public speaking tips from these students who were champions at the recent YMCA PESA competition, talking their way to victory!

Eight-year-old Shaniah from Marymount Convent is probably the only one to have heard the untold and unadulterated version of Cinderella. This spunky articulate girl told the story with so much conviction that Pamela and I believe this to be the one true version!
So out with the pumpkins, carriage and mice!
Gloria's heart-felt analysis of friendship and the fragility of it tugged at the heart-strings; no surprise if her speech left you and fellow listeners guilt-ridden given the way we treat the bonds we've formed with others, sometimes so loosely. The CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' student knew how to craft a speech that speaks to the heart, rather than just the head.
As for Prasanth, his candid unprententious manner in delivery bowled us over. His speech on whether government campaigns are necessary was book-ended by the SAR-vivor rap and a musical except from 'Man in The Mirror' by the late Michael Jackson. Prasanth is a 2nd-year Singapore Polytechnic student studying Aeronautical Engineering.

Stan shares his brush(es) with the Plain English Speaking Awards...

With the Dunearn Secondary School crest on the oversized navy blue blazer I wore, I stood anxiously under the breath of eager judges seated in front of me. The auditorium of the Ministry of Environment (as it was known then, now Ministry of Environment & Water Resources) was the stage for where I'd be in verbal combat with compatriots from other pre-university institutions.

Who would have thought that 17 years later, I'd be seated on the judging panel and off the stage at the 23rd YMCA PESA! The pressure was gone, but the memories were just starting to return. PESA refers to the Plain English Speaking Awards - an oratorical contest.

My prepared speech was about Singapore being a 'fine' country. It was a brazen attempt at presenting Singapore as a city state whose governing authorities slapped monetary penalties at almost everything from spitting, to littering and not flushing. All appeared fine (no pun intended) as I delivered what I'd tried to commit to memory. I found assurance in the form of cue cards, which I periodically referred to. However in my deliberate effort to gesture (I was told it'd add value to my delivery) while speaking, I carelessly knocked the cards off my left hand. They flew out of my grasp like a pigeon a cat had taken by surprise. Aplomb gave in to aghast. The sequence of the anecdotes and points I was to deliver was thrown into disarray. I stooped to gather my cards, which though had fallen onto the carpet, laid in the order in which they had been while in my hand. Neat. But it was going to be one jolt that would mar the remainder of my speech. Not too neat!

Fast forward to today. I sit with a distinguished and colourful panel of co-judges comprising a toastmaster, an Englishman (now Singapore PR) with the Ministry of Education, a corporate trainer in presentation skills, a magazine editor and an online video producer-presenter. Each from a distinct background, each having undergone diverse experiences in training and life, yet on the same side with one objective - empowered to select a winner from the winners. We shared a passion for the English language - that in itself was cause for communal celebration no less.

Last Thursday evening, I attended the YMCA PESA awards ceremony - something I missed 17 years ago when a contestant. It truly has come full circle.

Life can be full of curious pleasantries. May it happen for you too!

Some Spicy Saturday

A spread of bowls filled with an array of spices teased the senses of a privileged group of 938LIVE listeners on the second floor at Spice Queen Restaurant. This is where celebrity chef Devagi Sanmugam reigns supreme complete with sticks of spices in hand that look like her sceptre. This is where she holds court and makes all who come into her presence cower with newfound respect. She afterall wears the title of 'Spice Queen'.

Spices bring out the taste, add flavour and infuse into life some zing and a sting. Our palates are introduced to (to borrow the words of Peabo Bryson & Regina Bell) 'a whole new world'. The workshop began with morning tea of spiced samosas, murukku-like Indian crackers, some cakes and masala tea. Twas delightful, delicious, delovely!

Having had their fill of a spice-ridden spread, our listeners sauntered into the adjoining room question-ridden and restless to hear about spices - their properties, how to introduce them to your cooking, how to store them and how to tell apart fresh, unadulterated and genuine spices like curry power and saffron from lower grades and counterfeits. With their copy of notes Devagi had prepared, they furiously copied down more points as the Spice Queen took them on a whirlwind tour of her kingdom of spices.

Just over two and half hour later, everyone left and lived happily ever after, sure to return to sign up for other courses offered by Epicurean World or simply tuck into the sumptuous spicy spread at Spice Queen Restaurant.

All hail the Spice Queen.

Spice Queen Restaurant is located at 24/26 Race Course Road.

High-Speed Hunk, Hafiz Koh!

VROOM! It's F1 weekend here, and what better way to launch it in The Living Room than to have a Singaporean race car driver in the hot seat?

Meet Hafiz Koh, Singapore's very own. I must admit that my first impression of him was that he looked like a gym rat, a body builder.

Don't fault me ~ I didn't know race car drivers had to be this fit. But Hafiz tells us that they do - most of them can outdo any triathlete in competition because of the level of fitness demanded of them in F1 racing.

Singapore's high-speed hunk, Hafiz Koh grew up racing - it's in his blood.

Did you know they lose 3kg to 5kg after every race? Lots of water is lost from their bodies in those intense 45 mins due to the high G-Force, he explains. "At high speeds, water actually flies out of your tear ducts!"

We learnt a lot about F1 racing from this guy ~ a first-hand insight into what it feels like squeezing into one of these mean machines. The training involved. The diet. The sacrifices one has to make...

But Hafiz has racing in his blood. Both his mum & dad were racers back in the 80s. As a kid, he would wake up at 5am to train on the race-track before heading off to school!

I was curious about his parents, especially his ethnic heritage. With a name like "Hafiz Koh", wouldn't you be? Well, Hafiz reveals that his dad is Chinese. His mum, Indian-Pakistani with a bit of Arab blood!

Catch Hafiz on Ch5 as he commentates the F1 races!

Well, other than dabbling in hosting & acting, Hafiz also plays the saxophone. He picked it up because his mum always wanted one of her kids to play music for her after dinner.

"My sisters played the piano, but they both dropped out," he shares. "So when I was in NS, I asked my friend to teach me three of her favourite songs, and surprised her on her birthday!" Aww...

Who knows? We might just see Hafiz Koh playing the sax at the next President's Star Challenge? *wink*

Oh, and he's making a guest appearance on Polo Boys, a new drama series on Ch5 debuting in October. Off-air, he shared with us that he was shocked when he arrived on the set and was told to change into a small pair of swimming trunks. Was that a bemused or nervous chuckle we detected? *LOL*

Have a Vroom Vroom weekend!!!

Social Mobiles Are In Town!

It looks just like my phone ~ the size, the colour, the weight. But this red hot baby allows easy & affordable access to Facebook, Twitter, IM, email etc.

Being the tech dino that I am, I'm averse to owning a high-end, "complicated" touch-screen. I just want a simple phone with a simple keypad. But I'm very active on Facebook, just signed up on Twitter, and I MSN a lot too. But so far I don't do that on my phone because my phone doesn't quite allow it.

But with Social Mobiles, these two are brought together. And the best part? It's affordable!

Sorry for all this free advertising, and all this gushing, but such technology (and affordability) is a big deal.

And I got to find out more about Social Mobile technology today by chatting with the Founder & CEO of INQ Mobile, Frank Meehan.

He's been voted one of "15 Most Influential People in the Mobile Industry", together with Steve Jobs (Apple), the CEO of Motorola and the founder of Facebook!

In fact, the very first product from his company - the INQ1 - won 'Handset of the Year' at the 2009 World Mobile Congress in February! It was up against industry giants, and this rookie walked away with the prize.

That's how big this technology is! Affordable Internet access for the masses... that's what it's all about. And the phones come in a kaleidoscope of colours as well! *grin*

If you'd like to find out more about Social Mobiles, click here. Or here.