Man stole for sick girlfriend and married her while in prison
Thursday, December 16, 2010
I totally agree with what Kai En had said. Loretta Chen is a very brave woman, not only did she take up all the responsibility of the failure which is not fully because of her mistake, but she overcome it and become successful with her own hard work and belief.
Not everyone in this world can stand up after such a great fall. Owing so much money and is willing to stand up again from all the terrible past and wipe it all off to start afresh.
After being successful, she did not become conceited and she learn from her lesson and improve herself and make sure to not let the same mistake happen again. She is thankful for the people whom she let down once before that they are willing to trust her again. This is a good trait that everyone should have, never think that success come from yourself, it is usually thanks to people around that supported you in many ways.
She is not only brave but kind too. She donated 10 percent of the money she earn into the charity which not everybody is willing to.
Therefore, I think that it is her kind soul and attitude that bring her to what she is today.
Wei Hong
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Overseas k-pop fan faints while queuing for concert ticket ( Article from Group 3, November 24 2010)
Friday, December 10, 2010
I do agree with what Wei Hong feels about this article. Indeed, many people would go to great length just to have a glimpse of their idols. Like in this case, the woman starves herself in order to lay her hands on the ticket. To her, catching her idol live in concert was much more important than her own health. Like Wei Hong, I feel that this sort of action was uncalled for. Indeed, although her intention was to get up close with her favourite Korean band, she should not have done this. She should at least grab a bite first before queuing up for the tickets. Her actions would lead her loved ones and friends to be worried about her.
To add to what Wei Hong feel about this article, I feel that they should not be too obsessed in chasing their idol. Like the girl in this article, she had spent so much money just to lay her hands on a concert ticket. I feel that this was unnecessary.
To me, idols are people who we chase, who we follow. But as time goes pass, more and more people would choose another idol to follow, and this cycle would continue to repeat as the trend changes. Hence it is like a bottomless pit where there would be no end. Indeed, I feel that having an idol would make life more interesting, but followers of their idols should have a limit to their obsession.
To conclude, I urge all people who have their own idol, to not spend too much money or time to chase or to follow them. This is because it is only a temporary thing. They should focus on things which are much more important, and having an idol is only secondary.
Tham Kai En
Monday, December 6, 2010
Losing $200 000 is, as we know, a very big sum. Nobody likes losing their hard-earned money and not everyone would have the courage to start a new business again after failed venture. But, Miss Loretta Chen did and I admire here for that. It is not easy to be dealing with a failed venture and disappointment from her business partners. With every business, comes a risk and it is unfortunate that her trust was put into the wrong hands of her finance officer.
This goes to show that trust should be earned and as much as there should be trust between one another, it is always good to have a limit to trust. Yes, the failed venture was indeed an expensive lesson but it is also THE lesson that has got her to where she is now. Despite being successful, she is not money-minded and her efforts on setting aside money for charity is commendable.
~Mariam
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Failure is the key to success. After reading this article, I think that Chen is a woman with strong power who overcomes her failure. I think that being able to build up the confidence and will power after a business failure is not easy.
Despite being about to overcome her failure of her business, Chen is grateful of what she have and she never forget about how hard money is earned. She donates her earnings to charity as she knows that this sum of money is more useful spent on the needy ones.
In conclusion I think that one should never gives up when they fail. Being able to overcome your mistakes and move on is then able to overcome failures.
Christabel Juay
Friday, December 3, 2010
From this article, I have learned that failure is not the end of everything. How to overcome failure in order to be successful is difficult. It also tells us not to repeat our from our mistakes. Thus I strongly agree and admire with how she dealt with her failure.
Now she succeeded and is doing well. She even donate her money to charity which not most of the well off people would do.In this society, everyone is very realistic when they are rich they will not help those who are in need however they choose to keep the money for themselves. Furthermore she also said that she would want to spend her time and money on her mother who has brain tumor. Everyone should learn from her how she devote her love towards family.
Everyone will have to face an obstacle in life no matter at what age, the most important thing is how to deal with that obstacles, move on towards life in order to succeed.
Valerie Quek
Based on the article, i have derived to a conclusion that Chen is a strong woman who picked up herself well after failure, never allowing failure to influence her future life. This positive action made me gain some knowledge in life, and i certainly hold her in high respect.
She had made me realised that failing is never the end. She showed great bravery and spirit to identify what went wrong so that i can avoid making the same mistakes, and also to bring me close to my goals even when i fail at a specific aspect. Also, i admired her family bonding and her relationship with friends. No matter how close your relationship with your family members and friends were, money is still a factor that makes the world go round. Many people fell out with one another because of money issues, as it is always the most sensitive topic in our society. Thus, i was awed by the trust and acceptance which her family and friends gave her. Also, i think her family and friends were the vital source which made her stand up strong after the demoralising failure experience.
Although Chen has made a comeback, earning 5 figured sum for her salary monthly, she never failed to oversee the importance of playing a part in contributing to society's welfare. She donates 10% of her salary to the charity, which is more than her average savings per month. This tells me that she place the society welfare above her own interest.
So, never be afraid of failure. The experience of failure might be bitter, but it sure serves as a fruitful experience to allow better decision making in the future.
Tracy Lim
This article made me learn an important lesson. That is to pick yourself when you fall. Failure only means learning from your past mistakes and then telling yourself not to do it again. Although Loretta Chen had failed her venture, and lost her confidence, she managed to pick herself up, learned from her past mistakes and became successful. Previously, she did not look at finances of the business, now she keeps track of financial records carefully.
To me this article is not only about how she overcame her failure, it is about being grateful for everything that she have.
Although she is a successful woman now, she did not forget that money does not necessary mean everything. She gives 10 per cent of her income to charity every month. This was a very rare sight to see in present days. Many people would rather spend their salary on themselves by indulging with fine dining and on luxury goods. In addition, when she became successful, she did not forget about her close ones. She lives with her parents to take care of them, and even pays for their daily living expenses. She was also grateful for the people who had believed in her, to work with her again even after the failed venture.
In conclusion, she showed me what being a successful person was all about. Previously I thought that being successful means having a good amount of money in the bank, having many cars, having big houses. But Loretta Chen showed me otherwise. She showed me that being successful means having to pick yourself up after a fall and to be grateful for whatever you have now.
After reading this article, I aspire to be just like her. That is to be successful.
Tham Kai En
Failed business was wake-up call
Thursday, December 2, 2010
LAST December, on her birthday, local creative director Loretta Chen found out she had lost close to $200,000 in a business venture.
In an interview with The New Paper last week, the 34-year-old said she had started the business with her elder brother Eric and a close friend in 2008.
She was responsible for the creative aspect of the business and another person was hired to handle the finances.
However, the business folded 18 months after it was set up.
The theatre director - who directed plays such as 251 (2007), Postcards from Rosa (2007) and The Vagina Monologues (2008) - didn't want to name the company or the person involved in causing the losses.
According to previous media reports, Chen was also one of the partners in theatre group Zebra Crossing Productions.
It staged the musical Victor/Victoria last November, which left it $1 million in debt. Chen and her brother Eric subsequently quit the group.
Bounced back
Even though Chen has since bounced back from the failed venture, she cried during this interview. It was the first time she had discussed the incident since it happened, she said.
"I lost cash and confidence. I was such an artist that I never even looked at the finances," said Chen. "The hardest was feeling I had let my brother and good friend down. They trusted me and therefore invested the money."
The three of them lost $400,000 in all.
The former Nominated Member of Parliament called it a very expensive lesson in business and human relations.
She added that she was about to start legal proceedings against the person who caused the losses when she found out that her mother had a brain tumour the size of a tennis ball.
Chen decided to drop the lawsuit and spend her time and money taking care of her mother instead.
"I just sucked it all up and bore the failure quietly...After I decided to take care of what's most important to me, I strangely found the confidence to get better," she said.
"It was the best decision I've ever made."
She has got past the failed venture and started her own creative consultancy company 360.
Now she makes sure she keeps track of every cent that goes in to and out of the business.
It also helps that her current business partner makes her check the accounts.
One of her latest projects is directing a Christmas musical, Love: In Stores Now, which stars Cynthia Lee Macquarrie, Amy Cheng and Claude Girardi.
The show comprises three acts, each lasting 30 minutes.
Each act will be performed for a week at the Orchard Central shopping mall, and the full story will be played out over three weeks from Dec1 to 23.
Chen - who has a financial adviser - is especially heartened that the people she worked with in her failed venture trust her enough to work with her again.
She sets a target for herself to earn a five-figure sum every month, out of which she saves at least five per cent.
Another 20 per cent of her monthly income goes into investments and 10 per cent to charity.
The remaining 65 per cent is used for paying insurance premiums and for personal expenses, including a budget of $2,500 a month for shopping (often on Chanel and Prada bags, shoes and accessories).
Six months' buffer She lives with her parents and pays for their daily expenses.
Nevertheless, Chen added, if there are big expenses like their parents' hospital bills, all three siblings will share the cost.
Actor Edmund Chen is her elder brother.
She makes sure she keeps aside enough money to serve as a buffer six months.
Added Chen: "My parents brought us up well. We were never rich and we worked very hard for what we have.
"They taught us a can-do spirit, to work hard and save. But besides having a healthy bank account, it's very important to have a bank of gratitude and appreciation which you can draw on on dark days."