Keep Lee Bee Wah in Parliament

Keep Lee Bee Wah in parliament. I was quite inspired by the rags to riches story of this parliamentary spitfire as recounted in Weekend Today. For a woman who came to Singapore with only 20RM in her pocket and worked her way up in the male-dominated field of engineering, she sure packs a punch in the political circle. But this is not the reason why I want her to stay on in parliament. What's more interesting is how she managed to pique my interest in Singapore politics with her domineering ways and shoot-from-the-hip (and mouth) antics. Exciting stuff. And for this reason alone, she should be kept in parliament. The same goes for Sylvia Lim and Lily Neo. Interesting how these women demonstrate you can be forceful in a myriad of ways.

Revamped: www.leonalo.com

I've revamped www.leonalo.com. Check it out! A new feature is the products page which will feature my fave beauty products and accessories. Watch this space for more details.

I Am - Motivational Talk

I will hold a motivational talk "I Am", hosted by the Pelangi Pride Centre, in October. Details are given below. I regret I will not be able to give private one-to-one advice via email or any other media for now, so the best thing to do is to mark your diary and come down for the talk.

Event: "I Am" by Leona Lo
Date: Saturday, 11th October 2008
Time: 4pm
Venue: Pelangi Pride Centre
For more information, please email -
pelangipridecentre@yahoo.com

Want advice? Please ask nicely

I've been receiving emails from the public regarding spouses, children, etc. who are gender confused. I welcome your emails, but please frame your questions nicely, and have the courtesy to begin your messages with a salutation, like "Dear Leona", and end them with "Yours Sincerely...". I can understand that this is a confusing period for you too, but there's no excuse for being rude. I am not responsible for the state that your spouses/cousin's children are in. Neither am I responsible for the appalling lack of care for transsexuals in Singapore.

That said, I welcome you to attend a talk I will give at the Pelangi Pride Centre in October 2008.

Watch this space for more details.

Leona Lo for Nominated Member of Parliament?

Why not? I've got the looks, brains and let's just say both sides of the experience that no one in parliament can currently boast of. I was from Catholic High school too - and you do know that's historically been an influential MP-fielding school, don't you? Serious.

Singapore's Next Top Model

Isis is ANTM's first transgendered contestant. Ok, not really the first person to audition for the facetious programme, but absolutely the first to be allowed to compete by virtue or her "entertainment" value. Come on, you don't seriously think Cover Girl's going to put her on the front cover, do you? And even if she does make it to the top 3, what's the chance of her catwalking in Milan post-ANTM? That aside, the only reason why no Singapore woman has managed to clinch the Ms Universe/World title is because transsexuals are not allowed to compete. Serious.

On the Verge of Change - for Transsexual Women Leaders too?

Knowledge@Wharton, the online business journal of Wharton College recently published an article On the Verge of Change: Giving Muslim Women the Confidence to Lead based on a leadership forum organised in the US. Like their Muslim counterparts, transsexuals from developing countries are grappling with social activism within their societies and the tricky question of effecting meaningful change in a climate of suspicion and even overt hostility. I believe we too need such a forum where we could discuss these issues constructively and also brainstorm effective initiatives to implement within our respective countries. Perhaps this could take place in Hong Kong chaired by Dr Sam Winter or even informally in Singapore. But at least we could come up with a framework of care, for example, or tactics to engage stakeholders. The first question I would ask is, "What are the issues at stake in each country?"

What are the issues at stake in your country?

Art Therapy

I promised my friend Glennery (Glen, in short) Besson that I would blog about her Art Therapy workshops based at 39 Stamford Road, #02-07 Stamford House, Singapore 178885.

Glen is enthusiastic about using art therapy to help individuals resolve their gender identity conflict or simply as a sounding board for repressed gender identity issues.

Being an amateur mosaic artist, I know from first-hand experience that art is a powerful means of resolving bottled-up emotional issues or helping one "get into the space", as Dr Wayne Dyer puts it. We need to get into the space as often as we can so as to creatively bring about what we most desire into our lives - or simply to recover our equilibrium, inner peace and joy.

Glen can be reached at 6338 7467 or glenn@glennstudio.com.sg