Every 18th of June: sg blog

Of work and travels

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Inspired by Stella

05:45 Hanna Tantoco 0 Comments Category : blogger Singapore , hanna tantoco , hannaadverts , Melilea , Melilea International , organic singapore , sg blog

I’ve always looked up to entrepreneurs, they are able to do something I’m not ready to take the plunge to at this point – take financial risks to invest in their very own passion. I was lucky to be invited to witness the celebration! Before I delve into the details, please allow me to indulge myself in some story telling. I had a small business when I was in university, if it wasn’t required for my course (I did Business by the way) I would not have done it. I went about selling baked products which I made on my own. My friends and family felt that my baking wasn’t bad, and that gave me confidence to bake more and submit it as my business proposal. I was also thinking of selling clothes imported from Bangkok, because obviously fashion is my passion, alongside 50 other girls in my cohort so I gave that idea a rest. I could not bear the fact of losing although that’s not the whole point of the course, it was just a plus factor if you made money. I spent countless days and nights baking, I’ve been burned twice and thrice until I could tolerate the heat already. I was so shy to sell, I sold to my friends and family, obviously that network got saturated and I needed to expand. I was blessed to have folks who believed in my product and they helped in doing a lot of word of mouth marketing. I did well, I aced that particular course and went on continuing my small business even during the summer. It paid for my leisure activities and became the source of my pocket money for overseas travel.

Was I tempted to push through? Yes. Do I think I would’ve been successful? Maybe. I wouldn’t really know. I was offered a job in the corporate world and umpteen years after, I’m still part of the rat race. Have I thought of building my own business, countless of times. Some, I’ve shared to friends who had a more entrepreneurial spirit. They’ve taken my advice, tweaked it a bit to suit their personality and went on building their empires.

Therefore it was both humbling and uplifting to attend the Celebration Party of Melilea’s President – Datuk Stella Chin, for having won not one but four Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Before attending the event, I did some research on what Stevie Awards are. Stevie awards is a premier business award with the award giving body based out of the US. It’s a struggle enough to run your own business and we know the reality that hits women. Even though the barriers for discrimination got lifted and women are now given more responsibilities that is more or less equal to men, it’s still a feat having been able to rise above all the barriers and be successful.

Datuk Stella Chin or Stella is the Executive President of MELILEA International Group of Companies. Melilea International is a pioneering global green corporation founded in 2001 in Malacca, Malaysia. Apart from heading a company she’s also the founder of StarLadies International & Women’s Wealth Creation (WWC). Backed by 20 years of international marketing, human resources and corporate management experience you can already tell that she’s an all-rounder. Her unique leadership capabilities have helped many women to achieve financial freedom and more. Despite being busy running her company and being active in various in women’s organisation she’s able to manage and balance her family and career. An excellent example and role model not only amongst her peers but to a lot of women. I mean, you can really tell from the crowd that cheered and welcomed her that she was both well-respected and loved.

After a short welcome introduction by the host, they showed a short clip of the celebrations that took place in New York. I am really happy for her and her family, they must have been very proud. After the clip, it was now the most anticipated part of the programme which is her speech, she politely asked if she could give the speech in Mandarin and thankfully Kaiting was there to translate it for me. It all started with Melilea’s vision which is to provide the best transformation platform worldwide. They only offer quality products with unique business management system, education and training, with innovative reward program to achieve sustainable income for everyone.

What I really love about her speech is the focus given on the company’s core values which is ultimately the shared core values of the employees and Stella herself – Health, Beauty, Success and Happiness. I believe that you wouldn’t really be able to achieve the last three until you start with your health and well-being first – by eating clean and right, living a healthy lifestyle and surrounding yourself with positive energy. Beauty will follow when you take care of your body. When I have less than 8 hours of sleep for three days, guaranteed I’ll have a zit popping out of my face on the fourth day, that’s my outer self telling my inner self to take it easy. Success will come when you do your best in things that you are passionate about and not just for money, fame or power. Finally, when you have all these things in place happiness will surely follow.

Yahoo! Got to try their products as well that were beautifully displayed during the event.

Some facts about the product:

MELILEA Organic Nutritious Botanical Powder

5-star Organic Food Formulation designed according to human body needs
Functional organic whole food for body
Formulated with over 20 organically grown, non-genetically modified organism (GMO) plants including golden grains, vegetables and fruits
Rich in phytonutrients
Formulated by world renowned organic expert Dr Henry Chang
100% imported from USA.

I’m a sucker for reading ingredient labels in packaged food, with the melamine scare of 2008, I want to be careful. This is the reason why I take half an hour to pick up new noodle packs from the grocery and also the reason why my fiancé insists on buying grocery. I always see to it that I don’t eat food with GMO content (or at least I try to). I’ve read that you wouldn’t really know the effects now but in the later years you might have some traces on it in your body! I’ve tried this as a meal replacement for breakfast for the last three days, and I take it before yoga class which is in the morning, surprising I don’t get hungry and I could lunch until normal lunch hours. When taken regularly they say this can improve metabolism (hello, ladies!) and improve your physique (and gentlemen).

MELILEA Apple Orchard

Made from 100% natural fruits – Green Apple, Lime, Cranberries, Rosehip
Rich in Vitamin C
No artificial colouring, flavouring and preservatives

Instead of buying lime juice, drinking soda or bubble tea you can try this as an alternative! I served this to my colleagues during potluck lunch last Wednesday and they’ve asked which powdered juice drink it was. I happily told them it’s not a chemically-infused sugary drink but rather a healthy au naturale fruit drink mix.

MELILEA Organic Soymilk Powder

Non GMO organic soybean
Grown exclusively in Hei Long Jiang, China
De-hulled
Great source of plant based proteins

Soy milk has always been the ideal milk alternative for vegans, this is by far my favourite product of all! I personally put 4 scoops of the Soymilk powder add cold water and I shake it well. Instead of eating chips whilst I’m on the couch, I drink this. Instead of protein shake or power drink during yoga class, I drink this. Also instead of putting milk on my coffee- I use this instead. I also add a scoop of the soymilk in my non-fat yogurt cup for added flavour.

Botanical Skin Care product

Beauty secrets from Mother Nature
3 basic elements to skin : Oxygen, Water and Nutrients
Simple Do it Yourself (DIY) and natural regime
Delivers 6 simple functions: Cleansing, Exfoliating, Balancing, Moisturizing, Nourishing, Protecting
Suitable for all types of skin