I’m naturally un-athletic. I’m that girl who was always got caught first in catching in primary school. But for some reason, thanks to my over-zealous sporty father, I ran, swam, played tennis and rollerbladed all through my youth. I never excelled particularly in any sport but burning all the those calories in my free time unknowingly meant that I could indulge in my one true love – junk food.

You name it, I’ve tried it. MacDs, Carl’s Jr, MOS Burger, there’s no special seasonal item on the fast food menus that I’ve never tried. In fact, I have grandiose plans to make a roadtrip to eat my way through the continent of the US of A.

Anyway, that’s besides the point. When I first started work, fresh and slim out of university, I only realised then just now active I had been previously. With no energy and less time to drag myself to work out, I started piling on the ‘working’ pounds. You know how some girls keep their ‘skinny’ jeans as a reminder of how slim they used to be or try them on occasionally to see how much they have grown? I just throw them away because I know that there’s no way in hell I would be able to fit into that dress size again.

But buying a new wardrobe is expensive and in a bid, one, to save some money and two, to slim down, I forced myself to start working out again. For some weird reason, even though I felt like my lungs would collapse running 2.4 km back in school, I did enjoy holding certain uncomfortable positions while my limbs cried out in pain for long periods of time. So I joined a yoga gym and rather enjoyed it.

Last year, I decided for some reason, (probably because I’m a sadist) that I would attempt a marathon. To the girl who had never run more than 5km in her entire twenty something years, 10 km WAS a marathon. It was something I should do before I die, or I could also die running 10km, either way, I would attempt it. My willpower and determination was an all time high last year. When I was between jobs, I managed to go to yoga in the morning and either run or go to muay thai (another short lived sport obsession of mine that I failed terribly at) in the evening. I ran three 10 km runs last year and never felt so fit before in my entire life. In addition, I could eat whatever I wanted using the excuse of that I needed to ‘carbo-load’

But that was last year. I’ve fallen off the wagon. I haven’t been to yoga class in weeks, have no idea where are my running shoes right now and give myself a pat on the back if I even attempt some sort of half arsed exercise at home (a twenty minute online yoga video anyone?).

In fact, I’m just about resigned to the fact that my ‘working out’ days are about over and I’ve run out of motivation and determination. But there got to be some other way to bust my ass into getting some action right? Plus it's all about healthy living too! There has to be some oil left in my engine. I decided to have a change of environment and try a new gym and a new form of exercise from er, this week! Any suggestions?

Fast cars rock my boat. I like speed and nothing beats coasting down the highway in the middle of the night when the streets are clear with the car windows down and the wind in your hair. So when I was at the Grand Pix last year, I was definitely very excited. I mean the Formula 1 racing cars got to be one of the quickest around.

Of course there’s something else that tops fast cars on my list and that’s hot men. And you don’t get them anymore hotter than the F1 drivers. Hello, Jensen Button and Lewis Hamiliton. Their skill to maneuvertheir car around such difficult courses and the ability to withstand the tiny space and extreme heat in the driver’s seat does get me hot and bothered. But besides that lap in which the drivers go past in the classic cars, all you see of them and their F1 cars is a 1 second flash of blur. Which really upsets me.

Singapore may be the only leg of the Grand Prix that’s a night race but nothing beats the glitz and glamour of Monaco. This year, Amber Lounge brings some of that posh glitzy glamour to Singapore with the first ever Amber Lounge Fashion Show. Herve Leger’s 2010/2011 Autumn Winter collection will be showcased along with the F1 stars. Yes, the very same hunkaburning loves will be seen in sharp suits and moving at a slower velocity than you normally see them.

Besides the fashion show on Saturday, it’ll be the highlight of the race, the Grand Prix After Party also held at the very next night. Everyone, and I mean everyone from the F1 drivers to local and international celebrities will be on the Amber Lounge dance floor.

So you know where I’ll be at night on 25 and 26 September. I’ll be rocking it out and hobnobbing with my favourite F1 drivers at the Amber Lounge.

Nothing beats chilling out with your best pals, having a cold beer and rocking out to live band music. With Singfest rocking its last night with Smashing Pumpkins and Thirty Seconds to Mars at Fort Canning, I decided to make a list of the top three music festivals to make pilgrimages to before I kick the bucket.

Glastonbury Festival

Each year, thousands troop to South West England, six miles east of the town of Glastonbury to be part of the Glastonbury Festival. This four day event had music legend Stevie Wonder as its headline act this June and boasts an amazing 45 stages for performances. This is the place to be seen too as many street photographers have snapped celebrities hanging out. Supermodel Kate Moss managed to start a trend by being caught in a pair of Hunter Wellingtons at one year’s Glastonbury Festival. Get ready to rough it out in tents and caravans. Camping’s the way to live on the festival site.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Usually referred to Coachella, Indio, California comes to life for three days with a wide spread of music from the likes of trans-atlantic IT girl Charlotte Gainsbourg and Indie band She and Him with Zooey Deschanel on vocals. This desert location’s extremes in temperature doesn’t stop festival goers. The lengths people will go for good music.

Fuji Rock  Festival

Held at Naeba Ski Resort annually, this is the largest outdoor music event in Japan. How I wish I was in Japan last week because MGMT and Belle and Sebastian totally rocked out on the White Stage last Saturday and Sunday. And Roxy Music too! The surrounding forested mountains are a scenic, picturesque backdrop to the festival.

So tell me, which music festivals do you hope to tick off your to-do list?

Have you ever had a pen pal? I belong to the generation who still remembers the time when most correspondence was done via the written word, through ink and paper and posted through mail. This was before the conveniences of e-mail, smses and Facebook.

If you belong to the same era as me, I’m sure you will recall your school days when your pencil box weighed half a kilogram and were filled with every single coloured pen that was ever made. These pens weren’t used for school work (of course not). We wrote letters to our school mates and friends on anything from foolscap paper, pages torn from our exercise books and cutesy Hello Kitty-ish letter pads. We would fill each letter with inane information from what we ate today to how we hated our parents or that particular teacher, or how this girl didn’t want to ‘friend’ us anymore. The more diligent ones would write each line in alternating coloured pens or even fold the paper origami style, like in a shape of a heart and add random accents like stickers or even candy. We would always flourish our notes with ‘Private and Confidential’ as though this little line made our letters more important. The older we got, the more intense our letters were, pouring out our emotions to our friends and even our crushes on paper. Often, I was caught by my teacher for scribbling letters under the table or for passing notes in class. My best friend in junior college and I had the ingenious idea (not so clever now when I think back) to take turns to write in a notebook. Between us, we quickly filled our secret diary. When she overseas to study, she packed the book in her suitcase. Back then, we both had just acquired our very first e-mail addresses. So with the dawn of e-mail, our book was forgotten and left behind.

I must have written a hundred of letters (and killed plenty of trees). Whenever I have to spring clean, I always come across shoeboxes and tins full of letters from my friends. If time permitted, I would sit down with one of them, open each letter one by one and be transported back in time. How my friends’ handwriting morphed though time and what silly things we held close to our hearts back then.

When was the last time you received a handwritten card or letter? Remember how you felt when the boy that you had the hots for passed you an envelop bearing his best handwriting? Love letters may be old fashioned. But they are also very romantic.  

The Substation has a project called ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?’ where 12 respected poets and writers’ have written poems from the perspective of a long lost lover. Every month from July to June next year, these poems will be printed on postcards and available free at the Substation. Letters may be traditional. But the handwritten word invokes more sincerity than the typed word any day.

Dust off that old pencil case (I know you still have it) and drop a note to your dearest and closest to give them a sweet handwritten surprise.

For those in the know, working at a magazine isn't always a bed of roses. The pay ain't glamourous, it's a humble sum that will keep you afloat but keep your designer bag on your wishlist for now. But of course, every cloud has it's silver lining or rather several silver linings in this case.

One of the perks is the sudden increase in my beauty and make up stash. With access to all the latest beauty products on the market or even before they hit racks and every beauty brand that ever existed, I've had the privilege of testing more tubs, tubes and bottles that I've ever seen in my life. I've always been rather clueless with makeup. Though that's all about to change and I'm sure I'll be a walking makeup directory in no time and once Cheryl has imparted all her extensive BB cream knowledge to me. (I'll do you proud, babe!)

The greedy soul in me rejoices when the whole team benefits from the goodies that Kamei receives. What better way to keep the adrenaline running high then a dose of sugary yummy-ness in the middle of the day? Plus, there's no better way of being informed of the recent additions to restaurant and cafes' menu.

Of course, there's the celebrity perk. It's pretty exciting to be able to meet and interview popular singers, actors and famous people. Just a while ago, I was reading about them in pages of the magazine, watching them on TV or listening to them on the radio and the next, I'm plonked within 2 feet of them and breathing the same air as them! Yes, I'm still pretty star struck.

And finally, there's the people perk. Like I mentioned before, having the chance to meet so many new people and from all walks of life pretty much takes the cake for me. I've gone through much of my life running around the same circles and having friends from same backgrounds. But I was aware that there is a much larger world and lots of interesting people out there. Now I've a license to be nosy and speak with complete random strangers to gain insights in their worlds and their viewpoints. Now that's the perks of this job!   

I have to admit, I chanced onto being an accountant because I didn't know what I was looking for. When you are fresh out of university, the whole job hunting procedure is very daunting. Rejections pile up and after awhile you get desperate. So when the first job offer comes along, you just pounce onto it, relieved to join the ranks of the employed. Well, at least that's what happened to me.
 

People look for different things in a job. Some seek job security. Some climb the ladders for monetary benefits. Some just crave routine and look forward to tapping out at 5:30pm to their other life. For me, job fulfillment is most important. I enjoyed my three years of crunching numbers. But when the fourth year rolled around, the thought of crunching numbers for the rest of my working life (that's 56 years minus 27 years mind you) spooked me. I'm not the sort that can just do the very same thing every single day. I felt soul-less. That's when I knew I had to bite the bullet and throw in the letter.
 

Resigning without a job is a very un-Singaporean thing to do. But I knew that I had to leave my job to start anew. When you start all over again, to find the job that will complete you, you must be willing to start from the bottom and persevere, even when the going gets tough.
 

Being the new kid on the block can be a tough act. Here are some things I've realised and may seem familiar to those who changed job industries.
 

A leopard has to try to change its spots. As an accountant, I had to follow standard templates, standard letters and standard e-mails. Being part of the CLEO editorial team, we have to be very creative and to think out of the box. Do you know how far away that is from following the standard everything else? Having been accustomed to being rigid and using professional terms and phrases, this seems like foreign territory. If you see me pulling out my hair at my desk, well, that's when I'm trying to think 'out of the box'. It takes time, to shake past influences off no matter how old you are and to dive into new working styles.
 

No matter how old you are, poise always can be cultivated with experience. I'm not afraid to say, I'm often a bumbling fool especially in the CLEO office. Sometimes when I pick up the phone or speak to people face to face, I'm suddenly a loss for words and I do my trademark Tomato glow (where my entire face including my neck goes red, not a pretty sight) and stutter. But I'm pretty sure that when I have found my footing, I'll sail through with poise and elegance like Miss Universe.
 

So how about you? Which phrase of your career are you in right now? Whether you are happy with your current place or looking to make a change, why not check out CLEO Career Lab 2010 on July 24?