4 Surprising Traits of Successful People in Hong Kong

By: Josie Tao (Hong Kong)

For such a small pocket of space, Hong Kong is full of brilliant and educated business people. Due to my line of work, socializing and meeting the big guns in the city is essential to keeping my shoe collection. From my personal observation, many of the most successful men and women in Hong Kong have a handful of unexpected shared attributes.

1 They ask all the stupid questions
One of my friend Candice* is a big shot Lawyer at one of the Big Four Law Firms. We were chatting over martinis  a Wednesday evening when my girlfriend Lance mentioned that the new Jane Austin movie sucked. Candice asked, “Who is Jane Austin?”   Candice was probably the most successful woman at the table (bank account and bag collection wise anyway). I saw from the corner of my eye the 2 ladies giving each other a sly grin, basically thinking, ” How (insert insult here) is she?”

a) Successful people set their pride aside and don’t let the fear of sounding dumb get in the way of finding answers, and b) they do not waste time finding these answers (i.e googling secretly in the bathroom 15 mins later).

2 Many are not Mr (or Ms) Know it all
There is something virtuous, especially in Chinese culture to be hands-on and do-it yourself. But contrary to common belief, successful people do very little themselves. In fact, they are experts at letting go and delegating responsibilities. Being a type A control freak may be synonymous with success (Tom Ford, Woody Allen are among the many people notorious for their obsessiveness), but in reality, many leaders’ key successful is surrounding themselves with people they trust, and letting them do what they do best (just look Obama’s team).

3 Often, they play match-maker
Too bad very few of them are Jewish in Hong Kong, or they would definitely go to Heaven. A friend of mine is currently occupying my dream job as the Fashion Queen in Hong Kong. She travels 2 weeks out of the month all over the world, always with a trip to New York, London and/or Paris. She is the person you keep on your speeddail for EVERYTHING. Want a recommendation for good French food? She passes on the cellphone number of the Head Chef at Chez Patrick. Looking for a job? She personally e-mails her bestie at Warner Brother Studios and gets you a 10am talk a week later. The fact is, good true friends are not easy to find in Hong Kong and successful people know how important it is to build bridges. They always put their friends before their ego and they are not worried about how they will look if Jane messes up at Warner Brothers.

4 There is a reason they are blackberry/iphone addicts
Hong Kong is one of the few cities that can pride itself on its efficiency. When e-mailing successful people in Hong Kong, you can rest assured that they will respond within an hour or two (if not 1.5 mins). Obviously, their lightning speed at responding and their to-do spirit is not only with e-mailing. Want to see Angkor Wat? Let’s go next weekend. Heard the new Spanish restaurant in LKF is good? Will book it for lunch Friday. Bottom line is, there is no room for procrastinating for these guys and gals. Questions and problems are addressed immediately, with the advice of a few trusted one and never left to the backburner.

To read more of my blogs, visit this website:  http://josietaonews.wordpress.com

Phonak awards Hong Kong-based Company Manifest Marketing

Phonak, the Swiss R&D company and manufacturer of advanced security oriented semi-covert and covert digital wireless communications and earpieces, presented Manifest Marketing an Award of Excellence for its sales success in 2009/10.

This award was presented to Manifest’s Graham Parkes in Kyoto at the Phonak Asia Distributors Meeting in April, 2010 for an extremely successful sales program involving  Phonak’s most advanced digital, wireless, “zero interference”, covert earpiece, the Profilo. The Profilo is a perfect solution for covert communications in high electro-magnetic interference and/or loud noise environments involving law enforcement and surveillance, intelligence operations and hotel/casino security.

Phonak Profilo is a covert communication security system designed to be used in places like the casinos where safety is vital to each and every visitor.  The security system ensures clear and an uninterrupted exchange between the surveillance officer and the people in the surveillance room.

In addition to its ease in application and lightness, it offers zero magnetic interference in communication making it the most number one choice in casino security system.  Oftentimes, noises like hissing and buzzing sounds as well as a great amount of electro magnetic interference hinder the smooth communication between the surveillance team.  As a result, safety is less assured and the aim of security personnel to be as discreet as possible is not attained.  Many will be ill-at ease while playing because they can hear that somebody is being observed closely.  This is something that casinos need to avoid so that clients or customers will be lured to go back and play everytime.

With Phonak Profilo security system, the security personnel can be almost invisible without jeopardizing the enjoyment and the safety of the casino customers.  The Phonak Profilo Security system is available in two configurations: the Profilo WL  which includes the earpiece–loopmic and wireless press-to-talk (PTT) for an extremely discreet surveillance communication, and the Profilo LM which is consist of the earpiece-loopmic and wired press-tot-talk (PTT) for an almost invisible effect in surveillance.  Take a look at these sets available in Phonak Profilo security system and decide what set suits best for your casino’s safety needs.

Vehicle Surveillance for Asia-Pacific events

In 2009 alone, the Hong Kong exhibition centre (HKCEC) has held 111 exhibitions, 36 conventions and over 1500 events and banquets. Each year, millions of guests visit HKCEC for various conferences and events. Like the HKCEC, many high traffic venues  around Asia are becoming international platforms and security for such sites are becoming increasing difficult to maintain.

One of the latest security equipment available today to scan vehicles travelling in and out of venues is the BDL Systems CUVSS (Colour under Vehicle Surveillance). Distributed in Asia by Manifest Marketing Hong Kong this system provides a colour, high-resolution image of the underside of any vehicle — and can capture the image even if the vehicle is moving up to 30mph. It’s available in two types: the static which should be engineered into a roadway and the mobile which can be relocated when the need arises.

BDL Systems CUVSS has been designed to give hassle-free, fast and efficient method of checking the undersides of the car for both the security personnel and the customer. All the functions are operated on a touch screen monitor that allows the operator to zoom.  Vehicles can continue to move over the area with up to 30 km/hr speed and still can be captured by BDL Systems CUVSS. BDL Systems CUVSS also consists of a scene camera for taking images of the vehicle plate number and the driver.

It’s, no doubt, a vital equipment for recognizing suspicious packages like explosives and firearms or illegal substances embedded in the undersides of the vehicles.  The mobile CUVSS is ideal for aiding security at large scale events or high-profile exhibitions, conferences, or meetings.

BDL CUVSS is available from Hong Kong-based company Manifest Marketing. Visit their website for more information: http://manifest-hk.com.

靚女夏日護膚大法(一)

凍左咁來,呢個禮拜終於都feel到夏天o既氣息喇! 又係時候同陽光玩遊戲!
不過玩還玩，鐘意戶外活動o既你又準備好點樣好好保護你o既肌膚未?

香港夏天氣候潮 濕、紫外線/空氣污染指數偏高再加上空氣入面o既塵埃再混合埋汗水，容易令面部水份流失、油脂分泌增加仲會有色班/雀 班，大大影響皮膚質素。我塊面本身比較油，如 果我唔用o的好o既護膚品，一到夏天油脂分泌失控就好易出暗瘡。正所謂一錢一分貨，大部份效果好o既護膚品一般價錢都幾貴..不過我最近就發現o左幾隻product非常有效之餘價錢亦好大眾化，o岩晒年輕o既OL們!

想知點先可以令你o既肌膚o係猛烈陽光下仍 能保持最fit狀態? 等我介紹三種由內到外又有效的控油方法俾 大家啦!

控油篇:
相信好多人都有用 面油紙o既習慣，但 其實過度使用面油紙係會損害皮膚、令皮膚失去水 份同埋應有o既油脂保護。
不如試下以下o既方法啦!

1, H2O+ 海洋控油淨化潔面泡沫

海洋控油系列係特別為亞洲人而研製，以天然成份橄欖葉樹汁精華配合多方面o既控油方法，又可以維持肌膚所需o既水分，有 效從肌膚底層調節皮脂分泌，減少面油出現。H2O+向來都係我最鐘意o既護膚品牌，用料天然，唔怕皮膚敏感。

2, Bioderma sebium mat

Bioderma 呢隻面霜可以吸走多餘油脂，減低油光形成機會亦能有效去除死皮，改善皮膚粗糙，同時預防暗瘡出現 。敷完之後感覺都幾爽，不過吸收度就好似慢o左少少。

3, 華洋經絡美肌療法

近年都好興中藥美容, 而天然中藥成份安全得o賴又好適合亞洲人肌膚。華洋o既經絡美肌療法先以激光, 電滲手法去打通面部穴道再用獨創的經絡膏為客人按摩面部穴位，進一步暢通經絡，促進氣血運行，同時讓皮膚吸收經絡膏多種中藥成份，幫你由內部著手改善皮膚 素質從而減少油脂分泌。

H2O+: 銅鑼灣世貿中心1樓P125舖 2504 3688
Bioderma: 銅鑼灣皇室堡1樓120號舖 2577 3808
Angus’ Beauty Concept: 銅鑼灣謝斐道482號信諾環球保險中心23 樓 2186 6111

How to protect your computer data

(Hong Kong) May 19,2010

In this era of technology, where businesses become paperless, and important  data is mainly stored digitally, corporations are becoming extremely vulnerable to piracy and theft electronically.  Valuable data could me stolen or deleted overnight without a warning.  What actions can businesses today  do when its communication and data is compromised or stolen?  This is a crucial question that must be answered.

Manifest Marketing addresses issues of intellectual property (IP), theft, improper email usage or inappropriate images and, control and protection over confidential information regardless of device used and its location.  With its new products, INTELLA and BEYOND ENCRYPTION, digital data can now have full protection from being lost or damaged.

Protect sensitive information with Intella and Beyond Encryption. INTELLA is a software product for digital forensic investigation and electronic discovery. INTELLA is ideally suited for investigating email by enabling the investigator (user) with quick and easy search of electronically-stored information in finding critical evidences. NTELLAI also presents an easy-to-understand visual format that facilitates investigators.

BEYOND ENCRYPTION provides an application solution wherein there is a server, a client agent on each device, a secure communication channel between the server and the client agent, and a series of core security commands that are set up.  So when a device; a PC, laptop, PDA or a smart phone got lost, compromised or stolen, the administrator can then perform data transfer, data freeze, data deletion and device lockdown remotely whatever is necessary.

These software applications are made available for different sectors such as; small-medium entrepreneurs, financial institutions, healthcare services, accounting firms, and government agencies.

For more details on these products, please visit http://manifest-hk.com.

4 Surprising Traits of Successful People in Hong Kong

By: Josie Tao (Hong Kong)

For such a small pocket of space, Hong Kong is full of brilliant and educated business people. Due to my line of work, socializing and meeting the big guns in the city is essential to keeping my shoe collection. From my personal observation, many of the most successful men and women in Hong Kong have a handful of unexpected shared attributes.

1 They ask all the stupid questions
One of my friend Candice* is a big shot Lawyer at one of the Big Four Law Firms. We were chatting over martinis  a Wednesday evening when my girlfriend Lance mentioned that the new Jane Austin movie sucked. Candice asked, “Who is Jane Austin?”   Candice was probably the most successful woman at the table (bank account and bag collection wise anyway). I saw from the corner of my eye the 2 ladies giving each other a sly grin, basically thinking, ” How (insert insult here) is she?”

a) Successful people set their pride aside and don’t let the fear of sounding dumb get in the way of finding answers, and b) they do not waste time finding these answers (i.e googling secretly in the bathroom 15 mins later).

2 Many are not Mr (or Ms) Know it all
There is something virtuous, especially in Chinese culture to be hands-on and do-it yourself. But contrary to common belief, successful people do very little themselves. In fact, they are experts at letting go and delegating responsibilities. Being a type A control freak may be synonymous with success (Tom Ford, Woody Allen are among the many people notorious for their obsessiveness), but in reality, many leaders’ key successful is surrounding themselves with people they trust, and letting them do what they do best (just look Obama’s team).

3 Often, they play match-maker
Too bad very few of them are Jewish in Hong Kong, or they would definitely go to Heaven. A friend of mine is currently occupying my dream job as the Fashion Queen in Hong Kong. She travels 2 weeks out of the month all over the world, always with a trip to New York, London and/or Paris. She is the person you keep on your speeddail for EVERYTHING. Want a recommendation for good French food? She passes on the cellphone number of the Head Chef at Chez Patrick. Looking for a job? She personally e-mails her bestie at Warner Brother Studios and gets you a 10am talk a week later. The fact is, good true friends are not easy to find in Hong Kong and successful people know how important it is to build bridges. They always put their friends before their ego and they are not worried about how they will look if Jane messes up at Warner Brothers.

4 There is a reason they are blackberry/iphone addicts
Hong Kong is one of the few cities that can pride itself on its efficiency. When e-mailing successful people in Hong Kong, you can rest assured that they will respond within an hour or two (if not 1.5 mins). Obviously, their lightning speed at responding and their to-do spirit is not only with e-mailing. Want to see Angkor Wat? Let’s go next weekend. Heard the new Spanish restaurant in LKF is good? Will book it for lunch Friday. Bottom line is, there is no room for procrastinating for these guys and gals. Questions and problems are addressed immediately, with the advice of a few trusted one and never left to the backburner.

Bollywood comes to Planet Yoga Hong Kong?

//

Yoga is known to promote a balanced between the body and the mind while Bollywood Dance is a fusion of classical Indian style dances with Arabic, Latin and street dance styles. Both are now offered at Planet Yoga in Hong Kong.
Just how glamorous is the Bollywood Dance? Have you ever watch a Bollywood movie? Most of these Bollywood movies are musicals with songs and dances inserted within scenes. The dances within the movies signify the characters’ feelings, thoughts and foretell events.

On Jessica Simpson’s show The Price of Beauty, you can see in one of its episodes the glamorous world of Bollywood . The dancers had this intricate detailed dresses and beautiful faces that are proportional to the way they move. It was breathtaking. The episode was quite fun to watch because Jessica and her team also learned some basic steps on Bollywood dancing. To watch on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkg6ypRfyq4 The feature was short though, so if you want to learn the gracious dance you better drop by Planet Yoga. Visit http://www.facebook.com/planetyoga.hk for more information on Bollywood Dance with Master Ram and Master Rajesh.

Get Bikini Ready with Sense of Touch

Summer is finally here and it’s all about short skirts and
bikinis for fun-in-the-sun beach and boat activities! Ladies
are you ready for summer? More importantly, is your body
summer-ready?

Get baby smooth and glowing skin now at Sense of Touch
with our fantastic ‘nearly painless’ wax and sexy spray
tanning.

Want some tips on getting the perfect wax and Tan in Hong Kong?  Watch
this video courtesy of Sense of Touch:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtUhV_c-ruE

Located in the hip and glam Lan Kwai Fong, call
us now on: 2526 6918 or visit our website
http://www.senseoftouch.com.hk for other Hong Kong locations.

Katherine Yip-Geicke talks to China Daily about her success

Imagine finally meeting your soulmate only to find out you do not have the support and approval of your family.  Katherine Yip-Geicke’s father threatened to cut off her financial support when she told her family she has met The One. Not letting the saddening reaction stop her from acheiving what she is capiable of,  Katherine shares her story for the very first time.

Born in China, Yip-Geicke emigrated to the U.S when she was only three months old. She believes that her family values, the Chinese philosophy of humility, diligence and self-reflection, influenced her over the years, and that these have been key ingredients to her success.

After graduating from Harvard University with a major in business administration and marketing, Yip-Geicke worked for a steel company, “a very tough one” and male-oriented industry.

“I didn’t have anything to offer at that time, except my good attitude, so I had to work hard,” she said.

In college, she worked part-time as a dishwasher in a restaurant. Some of the other helpers never put in any overtime or work after 5 PM, while she would stay behind and clean up. One day her boss said he needed someone diligent and reliable to do the cashier’s job, and he asked Yip-Geicke if  she would be interested.

“I think the most important thing for an employee is not to look at what you can get first, but think about how you can do the best. Little stuff sometimes will reward you a lot,” said Yip-Geicke.

“There is no quick step or magic toward success, and it is never easy for a starter,” said Yip-Geicke. “I advise people to identify their passion and innate ability, for starters. But if they cannot get their most preferred job, just take any one – whatever it is and make the most of it.”

On a flight home to Hong Kong in 1984, Yip-Geicke met Chris Hornung, the founder of Pacific Cycle, an outdoor recreation products company. She introduced herself and volunteered to help him with business contacts in Hong Kong, and Hornung agreed. Two years later, in 1986, on the journey from Bangkok airport into the city, a giant Disney billboard piqued the girl’s curiousity. After “talking to all strata of people” but still failing to get a meeting with Adam Lisowski, the biggest licensee of Disney clothing at the time, she decided to walk in by herself and corner Lisowski at the office gate to express her interest. She made it again.

In her 20s, Katherine Yip-Geicke went on to become a licensee for Disney apparel with her own company AMW Hong Kong Limited; and Hornung, who became and remains a close friend of hers, helped Yip-Geicke with her first leveraged buy-out of a mainland company years later.

“Opportunities are infinite,” she believes. “When you are young, you have everything to gain, but very little to lose.”

Yip-Geicke has also founded or partnered with 8 companies across several sectors all over the world and they are toys, entertainment, investment and technology. Her passion for digital media has seen her invest or partner with a number of new media companies since early 2000, including Outblaze, a Hong Kong-based business in the field of multilingual communication services for online communities, and Typhoon Games, a publishing company that develops and distributes PC and online games via mobile services.

Noting the high-tech trends, Yip-Geicke observed that the “Business model has migrated to advanced technologies, and business engraved with technology is more efficient, approachable and dynamic. There is no doubt that the Internet is the future, and I am working on it.”

Besides Touchmedia, a mainland-based digital advertising company focused on the in-taxi market, Yip-Geicke has been thinking about launching an international brand in China, as there is a wonderful pool of talent and because no one wants to miss the Chinese market.

Despite her evident and triumphant internationalization, she remains at heart very Chinese. “My business will always be global, but with roots that have Chinese elements, because I am Chinese,” said Yip-Geicke.

Planet Yoga presents: Mother’s Day Charity Workshop

All the way from India, monk Swami Maheshananda Saraswati will be travelling to Planet Yoga Hong Kong this Mother’s day for a charity workshop.  Deep psychic experiences in his youth led him to his Guru Paramhamsa Satyananda and the Bihar School of Yoga, Munger – one of the most respected schools and traditions of yoga in the world. He was initiated into the Dashnami order and lived with his Guru for the customary twelve years, serving his Guru’s mission in various capacities. Now, as a wandering yogi, he travels around the world to conduct seminars and workshops on yoga. All workshops are by donation.

Session 1: Introduction to Five Levels of Energy

Date: May 8, 2010 (Sat)

Time: 11:30 – 13:30

Venue: Central Club

We will learn about the yogic concepts of the five dimensions (Kosha) of being, and how we can bring this awareness into asana and pranayama (breathing) practice.  The session will include Kirtan (devotional chanting).

Session 2: Chakra points – Achieving our highest potential

Date: May 8, 2010 (Sat)

Time: 14:00 – 16:00

Venue: Central Club

Asana and pranayama practice will be combined with an introduction to the chakra points – psychic points within our bodies which trigger the release of powerful energies.  This session provides the foundation for the practices on Sunday.

Session 3: Meditation

Date: May 9, 2010 (Sun)

Time: 11:00 – 15:00

Venue: Central Club

In this meditation technique, which takes us into the second stage of meditation (Dharana), we will focus on powerful symbols connecting us to subtle energies which help to unlock our fullest potential. Kirtan chants will enhance the experience.

*We welcome donation of HK$150 upward to support our efforts to bring advance speaker to Planet Yoga. This will include admission to all sessions.

Call 2525 8288 to reserve your seat now or visit our page at http://www.facebook.com/planetyoga.hk