Not long after, the Japan tsunami happened. Then, the GE. There was no mention when the interview would be published.
I thought perhaps they found the interview not news-worthy after all as I don't think I was very cooperative with no face-to-face interview granted and not giving any photos of me, carrying a TFL bag &/or in TFL shoes etc. I was hell bent on maintaining anonymity.
It was a lucky thing that Shin Min was really very accommodating & understanding to my needs.
On last Sunday afternoon, when I received an sms from the reporter about the interview coming out that day, it was a pleasant surprise all over again. Just like the first time when I saw the email inquiring about the possibility of an interview. Thrilled!
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| I really should get a camera which can take sharper pictures. |
Reading the article evokes a 'rojak' of emotions.
It feels like reading about the life of someone else yet at the same time, I was reminded of how difficult it was a few years back.
The lack of support might be tough but what was real painful was the severe drought of money.
The first area in my life that took a beating was my skincare regime. I have slightly sensitive skin that are prone to minor oil bumps & does not react well to most brands. Most brands that we can buy from Watsons are a big no no for me. I can only use products from DRX Clinic, some Taiwan/Japanese names and some departmental store brands.
Silly as it might sound, downgrading my skincare products was very upsetting for me.
After having spent a decade & tons of moolah on maintaining my initially-acne-prone-later-become-sensitive skin, seeing it deteriorating, becoming dull & 'rougher' and having more hard-to-extract blackheads was extremely demoralising. From a Biothem Hydra-Detox cleanser, I used Ginvera Marvel Gel on a friend's recommendation. Thank goodness it worked for my skin & actually quite well too! But there were times I could not afford the Marvel Gel and had to wait for Watsons to have its 20%-off sale or sell the Marvel Gel in a 2-pack promotional package.
In some emails, the gals were asking how I was able to push through the obstacles. Actually, having no choice doesn't allow me to sit on the fence & think too long. I barged ahead, pretty much like a Spanish fighting bull, not knowing and not caring what lies ahead, tackling problems as they surfaced. =D
The article was published in Shin Min Daily on 05 June. I didn't tell my mum that the interview was out. I knew she would recognise it when she read it. Shin Min runs out real quickly in her neighbourhood. Mum is such a fervent fan of Shin Min that she has a deal with the Econ Mini Mart's lady boss to reserve a copy of Shin Min for her everyday.
When Mum saw the article, she was so annoyed that I did not appear in the article's photos. It was my model who posed in front of the laptop. I blogged about this before here.
Mum texted me in the middle of the night, couldn't reach me, wrote an email scolding me and called me the next day, giving me an earful in Cantonese for half an hour. She was going like, "You're an ex-stewardess! You're so photogenic! You know how to pose & smile! Your face can impress your customers & the reporter!" Somehow Mum is very convinced that if I show my face, it will boost Tian Fen Lan's name & open up more doors. In other words, she's hoping that it will be less tough for me in doing Tian Fen Lan.
It was hilarious. Told my mum that I am no longer in my twenties, what she think might not be what readers think and if there is anything to impress others, I rather it be the products & customer service.
When the boys did the product shoot for Shin Min, I told Jo, my shoot coordinator, to buy a packet of rose petals or some nice cut flowers like daisies. In the end, he bought a packet of cut orchids. When he told me over the phone, I gasped and repeatedly said, "Orchids? The Singapore flower, orchid? You really bought orchids? Why?!"
Jo replied earnestly, "There's no rose petals. But the orchids are VERY fresh!"
Don't know whether to laugh or cry. -___-
I decided on using a pink backdrop, instead of the usual white/grey backdrop as I thought it would be more outstanding when the photo is published in the papers. Looks more cheery too, don't you think so?
While preparing for the photo above, Jam put the orchids in 2 separate clusters initially. One cluster on the left & one cluster on the right. It looked real funny! Jo remarked, "Eh, not shooting for Thai Airways, you know. Put one by one in between the shoes is nicer!"
He then went on to convince me that seeing the orchids, readers would have no doubt that Tian Fen Lan is a Singaporean brand. Haha!
Moving on to bags, I always have a penchant for big bags. 95% of my bags are of such sizes.
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| Part of my bag wardrobe |
The black & the light blue bags are from TFL, just not made by Tian Fen Lan. The smallest bag in the photo is TFL-made Alexa in Chocolate. It fits A4. Notice how small it is compared to the rest of my bags? Even if I only have my wallet, a book, a water bottle, lipgloss & my phone, I still find it a style bonus to lug a bag of this size. I <3 big bags!
One of my favourite in this photo is the caramel bucket from Charles & Keith, bought 3 years ago. Those were the days when Charles & Keith bags were around S$40+.
This design is supposed to come in 4 colours, but the factory ran out of the light peach material. Hence, there's only 3 colours. I wish the factory inform me, then at least I can choose another colour. =((
The left & right colours look kinda similar, but the left colour is actually Olive Green & the right colour is light oak brown. The cheery Yellow is such a summer-appropriate splash of colour! The colours in actual are slightly darker than what you see in the photos here.
I had wanted to do an outdoor location shoot for this hobo. But the tight schedules of the crew & me being busy with Series 45 were hindering that. I was real sad for a while that my dream of outdoor shoots was dashed by reality. After seeing Sophie's pretty photos, I thought to myself, "Okay, still very nice , customers should be liking the bag..." Crossing all my 20 fingers & toes for that.
The left & right colours look kinda similar, but the left colour is actually Olive Green & the right colour is light oak brown. The cheery Yellow is such a summer-appropriate splash of colour! The colours in actual are slightly darker than what you see in the photos here.
I had wanted to do an outdoor location shoot for this hobo. But the tight schedules of the crew & me being busy with Series 45 were hindering that. I was real sad for a while that my dream of outdoor shoots was dashed by reality. After seeing Sophie's pretty photos, I thought to myself, "Okay, still very nice , customers should be liking the bag..." Crossing all my 20 fingers & toes for that.
Of all the TFL-made bags so far, this big hobo fits my personal style best! Fits A4! It has this bit of similarity as my caramel bag from Charles & Keith, isn't it? =D Among the 3 colours, Olive Green is very my cup of tea! I like how the colour exudes a bit of an edgy attitude, while light Oak Brown has this muted fashion statement feel. The supplier kept Yellow. =)
This is the first time these 3 shades of colour appear on TFL's palette. Yay! Bags colours can be so challenging to experiment with! I hope to continuously break the colour boundaries and bring you ladies a rainbow of choices.
Do join TFL's mailing list, if you have not & 'see' you at the launch! =D
Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu
