So do mark down the date & book your seat with me today. All early bird registrants (before 1 Aug 2010) pay $250 instead of the stated web price! That's a savings of $100. So hurry & see you on 14 Aug 2010...

I brought my grooming talk to Temasek Polytechnic today. But today's grooming talk was not just another grooming talk for another educational institution. Rather, it was organised as part of the Engineering Career Seminar for the students of Temasek Polytechnic. And that was what I discovered only after I stepped into the lecture theatre. So perhaps that was the main motivating factor for all the students who took time off to spend 1.5hrs with me on a Friday afternoon :)

From all the talks I've given at the higher educational institutions, I've observed that it's normally the trend where more girls than guys turn up for my grooming talk. I wonder where all the guys went?

Jokes aside, as a guy, I never really paid much attention to my dressing, etiquette, image and mannerisms back then during my younger days. I was always almost seen only in T-shirt, jeans and flip-flops. But I have come to learn only after I started working that it does play a difference, or I should say a HUGE difference. Just think about it, especially when it comes to an job interview or having to impress someone you have a crush on.

Sharing my own experience is something I do with my participants as it's good to add value to other people's lives. More importantly, this will help prevent them from making the same mistakes I made in the past. That's why some of us are always on the lookout for mentors who can guide us along, whatever field it may be in as it saves us precious time rather than learning on our own and suffering the hard knocks. Personally, I have mentored others in grooming and fitness who have come knocking on my doors as these two areas hold special meaning in my heart. Do read my life story here.

It's definitely not a Herculean task to leave a positive first impression on others. It all boils down to knowing oneself. In fact, this reminds me of an ancient Chinese proverb 知己知彼 百战百胜。Translated into English, it literally means "to know thyself is to win half the battle." In order to impress others, first I have to know what qualities (both inner and outer) I possess. Only then can I go about taking the necessary steps to enhance my image. 

In all my grooming workshops and talks, I enjoy getting the participants to engage in discussions and believe that hands-on practice is the best way forward to instill learning. That's why the stuff I teach is never only theory. Theory by itself is boring. That's also how I continue to keep the interest of the audience.

As I was once a student, I too understand the concerns of each and every one in the lecture theatre. They were here to extract maximum value from my years of experience and that was what I intended to do as well as I firmly believe that by sharing more, I gain more too :)

 

I think I must have struck a cord with the students from Temasek Polytechnic even though we were from different faculties (for the curious, I was never an engineering student back in my NUS days). Grooming is an international language that cuts across all barriers, languages and cultures. And that alone is the beauty of this amazing field.

It was only till the every end of my talk that I realised that there was a pleasant surprise in store for all the students from the polytechnic. Guess what? All participants would be eligible to scan their matriculation card to verify their attendance. And simply by attending my grooming talk today, the students would have clocked one precious Core Curriculum Activity (CCA) point. How much better can life get? Not only do they gain valuable grooming tips, they also gain academically! But then again, good things must be kept to the end, right?

If you enjoyed painting with watercolours or doddling with crayons on an empty sheet of paper back in school, you will love colour analysis. Through colour analysis, we are able to find our best colours that blend harmoniously with our skintone, hair and eye colour.

Profound as it sounds and challenging as it is initially, once one grasps the concepts, it is as easy as ABC. Just ask the students at The School of Makeup who are training to be makeup artists. I just completed two colour analysis workshops for them as a guest trainer yesterday and today. This will be the start of a long collaboration with the school as I come in to share my expertise in colour analysis and other grooming topics with the different cohorts.


Sharing with the class


Wearing the right colours will brighten up her face and make her look younger

I'll choose this piece!

As I believe in making things simple for everyone, there's really no need to memorise chunks of theory. After all, life is pretty complicated in itself so there's no need to complicate matters further. So it's just the basic concepts and then we go straight into hands-on. Hands-on is always fun as it allows one to see the visual effects once I drape the model. Seeing is believing.


Choosing silver or gold makes a huge difference...

As aspiring makeup artists, it is of great importance to all the students to be especially attuned to the concept of colour and its various attributes. Just imagine choosing the wrong eyeshadow colour for the client and the end result will be complete disaster.


Colour draping myself


She looks sullen and dull when drapped with brown

Remember, colour analysis is not rocket science. It is the very essence of wearing our best colours to look our best. This is especially important when you are going for an interview or need to impress during that important first date. 

Have fun ladies!


Does this pastel blue look good on her? 


When you see all smiles, you know this colour suits her!


With the first batch of students


With the second batch of students

It's not just another run-of-the-mill beauty pageant. Rather, it's billed as the pageant with a BIG difference. And boy did it live up to the lofty expectations. Welcome to Singapore's inaugural Miss and Ms Amazing Plus Size Beauty Pageant! As the name suggests, only contestants weighing at least 80kg and having a big personality are eligible. 

In a world where the notion of 'beauty' is often associated with their slimmer counterpart sisters, these girls proved that size is never an issue with them. Instead, from dance segment to the witty answers in the individual introduction segment to the catwalk, all have proved without a doubt that what their skinny sisters can do, these plus-sized beauties can do equally well, if not better. One can count on them for their big personality, open heart and graceful mannerisms.


The final lineup after the dance segment for the single ladies

I am honoured to be invited as one of the panel of judges for this pageant tonight. Having been a past pageant participant myself back in 2007, I can understand what the girls are going through. It really takes immense courage to stand on stage and be judged by others. Nerve wrecking is just an understatement. So is having butterflies in your stomach. From the bottom of my heart, I applaud everyone as they are already winners with their poise and confidence.


The girls dancing to the energetic number from the movie 'Dreamgirls'

As a certified master trainer and sports nutritionist, I've always been asked by people how best they can lose weight and get that ideal body shape. All ladies dream of being an hourglass. Only when we become an hourglass can we show off our sexy curves. That's why many resort to crash-course diets which seemingly work initially but later fail to sustain the weight loss once one gets off the diet.

But life is really more than just wanting to be an hourglass. Yes, we can all aspire to a new body in the long term through regular exercise and healthy eating. For the short term, and especially for the immediate now, we should instead be grateful for whatever body shape we possess, love it and know how best we can use our clothes to bring out the best in all of us. Most importantly, it is all about self-acceptance.

Life is a celebration. Tonight, we celebrate plus sized beauties. Well done girls :)  


The winners of the Miss Amazing & Ms Amazing Plus Size Beauty Pageant - Jaden Marican & Sharon Lim 


Even the emcees of the night are plus-sized!


With Jaden Marican, winner of the Miss Amazing Plus Size Beauty Pageant 2010


Postscript: If you like this blog entry, chances are that you will also love these other pageants which I was involved in. Check them out by clicking on the links below :)

- Judge for the Classic Mrs Malaysia International World 2011 Pageant

- Pageant Training for Mrs Singapore South East Asia 2011 Pageant

- Guest for the Mrs Singapore South East Asia 2011 Pageant

- Guest for the Mr Singapore Male Pageant Incorporating Mr Singapore Muscle 2011

Welcome to Style Coaching™!

If you ask me, I see style coaching™ as a partnership between coach and client. This partnership is special because it is designed to help the client work on the most important issues in his/her life. In this respect, we are talking about grooming issues which can range from body image, wardrobe decluttering, personal styling to weight management and internal challenges. More importantly, because my style coaching™ sessions are done one on one, it allows you to go citius, altius, fortius. Just like the three Latin words from the Olympic motto, style coaching™ aims to spur you "swifter, higher, stronger" than you can possibly do it alone.

With this sole aim in mind, I'm really excited to introduce individual style coaching™ as an extension of my grooming workshops. After all, not everyone wants to share their problems in front of others. And for those of you who are shy or inhibited, worry not. Here's another avenue for your to explore.

I've just completed three individual style coaching™ sessions with a female client. And we are now penciling down more sessions next month. I salute her for her courage to take that vital first step forward. After all, how many of us would dare to admit we need to improve ourselves from time to time? 

Understanding a client's life story allows me to enter his/her world to tackle the inherent challenges. As style coaching™ sessions are highly personalised and 100% confidential, I shall not share with readers what issues are revealed during each session. But you can be rest assured that you will walk away feeling stronger, more confident and committed to living life the way you want it to be after each session. This is hardly surprising because my style coaching™ sessions allows you to focus on who you are becoming while you're doing what you're doing. By integrating the best approaches from fashion, grooming, psychology, fitness and business, I am your personal mentor, strongest advocate, listening ear and biggest fan. The best thing is that we maintain the coach-client relationship and I follow you through. 

Style coaching™ is designed for keen individuals who wish to develop themselves and quicken their pace of success in life. Perhaps the best accolade I've heard from my clients who have been through these sessions is how much more value they have extracted from me as compared to other supposedly similar grooming workshops they have attended at other establishments. That, really, is the best uplifting accolade :) 

When it comes to getting fit, one of the most important meals you eat is the one after your workout. From the moment you finish your last set, you have about an hour to feed your starving muscles the nutrients they need to recover and rebuild. Feed your muscles right to see hard-earned results faster.

Some of my clients have asked me if they should drink a sports drink. After all, sports drinks are aplenty in the market and almost all claim to have you recover faster. My personal view is for you to ditch the sports drink. If you read the label on the sports drink, you will realize that sports drinks add unnecessary calories that will not help build lean muscles at all. Plus, the sugar level in sports drink is high. Rather, go for a whey protein shake. Mixing whey protein with water gives you a good low-calorie drink that quickly replenishes your body with the amino acids you break down during exercise. 

Whey protein offers the greatest benefits post-workout for two main reasons – faster muscle recovery and easier absorption. Your muscles are like sponges that are primed to take in nutrients at a very rapid pace. Putting those nutrients in liquid form makes the recovery happen that much faster.

There are many brands of whey protein in the market. Besides comparing prices across brands and choosing a flavour of your choice, the most important deciding factor as to which brand to buy eventually should be the contents listed in the label. 

A basic whey protein brand should contain between 23 – 25g of protein in each serving. This is crucial as the average active person requires approximately 1 – 1.5g of protein per pound of lean body weight per day. Protein is after all, the building block for muscle growth as well as helping in the battle against body fat.

After satisfying this first condition, next scrutinize the label to see if the whey protein contains branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). The minimum is 5g of BCAAs. The essential branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) include leucine, isoleucine, and valine are of special importance for athletes because they are metabolized in the muscle. 

Remember, recovery is still key. For best results, drink your whey protein shake within 30 minutes after exercise. Then have a robust balanced meal within two hours.

Happy training!

Here's some good news to share with everyone! I'm very happy to have made it to the finals of the Watsons YOU Awards 2010 for the Sporty Physique category. 

The annual Watsons YOU Awards seeks to celebrate the uniqueness and individuality of the contestants in 8 different categories. The category that I'm competing in is the Sporty Physique category. The Sporty Physique category Award is given to the person who enjoys exercise and has a good body to make heads turn.

I recall the first qualifying round where all interested parties had to submit two photos - one full body shot and one close up zooming in on the body part we wanted to highlight. Then it was waiting to see if one made the next cut in the audition round.

Fast forward to the audition round...Out of the 12 of us who made it, 5 were chosen to advance to the finals. Now in the finals, as in any other competition, there are rules by which we have to abide.

Unlike the qualifying round where our best bodies were already scrutinised by the panel of judges and the audition round where we were assessed on our personality, the finals is a different kettle of fish. Yes, you have the goods. Yes, you have the personality. Now, do you have the popularity?

The winner of the Sporty Physique Award goes to the person with the highest number of public votes. It is solely determined by public voting which starts from 8 Jul to 21 Jul 2010.

The best thing in this competition is that I'm returning to my roots where it all started for me when I first decided to launch my career in the fitness industry.

If you have been a faithful reader of my blog and like my postings; or admire my courage to transform myself from a scrawny, sickly hermit to a lean, toned, confident individual; or love the work I now do in helping others lead a quality lifestyle in fitness and grooming, then please vote for me.

Here's how to vote for me in 3 simple steps. You can vote once a day for the entire duration of the competition (yes, competition ends on 21 Jul 2010). So do not hesitate, take action now & support me.

Vote for Lionel in 3 Simple Steps!

1. Click on the banner below which would automatically bring you to the voting page. Alternatively, you may wish to click on this link here.

http://www.watsonsyouawards.com.sg/web/youawardsg/vote?p_p_id=AWARDS_VOTE&p_p_action=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=2&_AWARDS_VOTE_struts_action=/ext/awardsvote/view

2. Look for my picture and contestant number 001253. I'm the first guy featured. Click on the Vote button below my picture.

3. Fill up your details - in particular your name, email and contact number. Then copy the text verification into the box. Thereafter, click on the vote button.

Today's the D-day. 'D' stands for decision day. Today's the day the students put everything together and demonstrate their competence in all the various modules that they have learnt over the last four days, ranging from body shapes, colour analysis, skincare, makeup and social etiquette skills. 

From all my past workshops, I know the students will do well because grooming is more of an art and not a science. Combing the various elements and coming up with a fresh, new look is perhaps what excites me most. As their trainer, it is my pride and joy to see all transformed (the girls especially with their use of makeup). My efforts of accompanying some of them for after class shopping trips and personal consultations have paid off handsomely.

Many a times it's not how hard one attempts to revamp one's image. But rather, it's more about accepting yourself and how best you can enhance your assets and camouflage your flaws.

Giving all students only 45 minutes to complete their transformation before they come for their mock job interview, I certainly wasn't surprised to see potential models, movie stars and emcees in the making. 

Thanks 3T1 of East Spring Secondary School for the memories...I'll remember each and every one of you :)