Blog Posts

This August, we’re taking a break from social media – and we think you should too.

COVID 19 has been wreaking havoc around the world. Not just with deaths, economies and resources but also with mental health.

A person who collects something is often known as "a coin collector," "a doll collector," and so forth. However, did you know there are names that relate to collectors? Here are some of them.

Do you know someone whose house looks like a museum? From postage stamps to ornate jewellery, from art pieces to antique furniture, from hello kitty dolls to watering cans – the list of collectors’ items is endless.

The days of staying in one career until retirement is no longer a reality as making a mid-career switch is an increasingly popular trend. Why does it happen? There is the push and pull effect. Some may be tired of working from 9 to 5 in a dead end job. Others may not have gained as much financial stability as they thought they would when entering the career field. Some may be motivated not by money but by a desire to find purpose and satisfaction in what they do, seeking a career they can be passionate about. For others there are external reasons over which they have no control, like the downsizing of their company.

Creativity has several definitions. The simplest is this: the production of ideas that are novel and valuable. Everyone, including children, possess some measure of creativity, even if they don’t realise it. Contrary to popular belief, creativity is not always synonymous with high intelligence. Children may be of average intelligence yet highly creative, and sometimes children are profoundly gifted without being exceptionally creative in nature.

As part of corporate social responsibility - we volunteer our services for various NGOs in Singapore.

Here’s an article we wrote after doing an interview with Davy Ong for the marine conservation group, Marine Stewards: https://www.marinestewards.org/post/what-makes-a-true-luring-angler

So now you know!

The many faces of money

Families are facing unprecedented times, as we all stay home to be safe. These necessary adjustments may cause a great deal of disappointment for kids who are faced with the cancellation of sports, playdates, birthdays and holiday plans. When actual events don’t line up with what we expected, we may be disappointed – disappointed in other people, in a situation, or in ourselves. Disappointment is complex because it’s made up of frustration, anger, sadness and sometimes disgust. And as much as we'd like to spare our kids from disappointment, we can't. But we can teach them how to manage their disappointments. How?

In a time when things seem to be all out of whack, let's stop, breathe and perhaps reflect on this poem by Max Ehrmann - Desiderata (desired things)

More lexophiles this week.

"Lexophile" describes those who have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "To write with a broken pencil is pointless."

In the previous five blogs we’ve focused on some aspects of voice and strategies to improve your voice so that it is well projected and resonant. If the voice comes through your nose, it sounds nasal (like Nanny Fine). If it comes through from deep inside your throat it will sound harsh and raspy (like Sylvester Stallone). The ideal is to have a free flowing sound that comes from the front of your mouth and supported by the breath from your diaphragm. It takes rigorous practice but it is doable.

Everyday speech has become very lax and casual, and that’s ok. But during a presentation or a speech delivery, articulation is crucial. Articulation is the ability to form speech distinctly. If your audience cannot understand you, your message is lost.

Projecting your voice is not about shouting louder which can strain and ultimately damage your vocal cords. Vocal strength depends on the power of your breath – which is the reason for all the breathing exercises mentioned earlier.

Vocal chords start the sound, but resonance is the true secret to vocal volume and richness. Resonance amplifies sound. It also adjusts the colour and tone of the voice by intensifying certain vocal qualities over others. Most vocal resonance occurs in the throat, mouth, and nasal cavities. The two extremes of resonance are “head voice,” which is where high sounds resonate, and “chest voice,” which is where low sounds resonate. A rich voice resonates largely in the mask, or the front of the face (nose and mouth).

Another tip to have a strong and rich voice is to have good posture which enables controlled smooth air flow - from your lungs, out through your nose and mouth. Poor posture, on the other hand, restricts this flow and your voice will sound forced.

Part one of our 6-part Let Your Voice Be Heard series

We tend to think of mentorship as a very modern term. But the fact is that it grew out of a Greek mythological story where the goddess Athena took the form of a person called Mentor in order to aid Prince Telemachus in his quest to find his father. Mentorships are now an indispensable part of work culture in many countries. So what’s the big deal about mentorship? Mentorship is an invaluable tool for turning one’s vision into reality and research has consistently found mentored individuals to be more satisfied and committed to their professions than non-mentored individuals.

We continue to discuss some of the confusing words and phrases from the English language.