Know Your S&P Agreement

PAN legal advisor is to speak on "Understanding your sale & purchase agreement" at our May sharing session that follows the monthly committee meeting.

Do come join us. The sharing session, open to all, starts at 12noon and includes Q&A time. More questions and/or extended discussion can be done over lunch that starts about 1pm. Let's have some women time together and enjoy!

Date: 26 May 2012
Venue: C-5-1, Bay Avenue
            Lorong Bayan Indah 3 (next to Queensbay Mall, Penang)


Curious about who is PAN legal adviser?

Catherine is 2nd from left.

Catherine Heah has accumulated extensive knowledge and practical experience in her seventeen (17) years in legal practice. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree (Honours) from University of East London, United Kingdom in 1992 and later also passed her Certificate of Legal Practice examination prior to being called to the BAR.

Currently, she is the head of the conveyancing department of Messrs Othman Hashim & Co.Advocates & Solicitors and the said Department comprises of three(3) other lawyers and together they are ably assisted by eight (8) clerical staffs. Her area of specialization covers General Conveyancing, Banking & Finance instruments including Corporate & Retail transactions, Probate & Admninistrative Law, Small Estates, Wills, Landlord & Tenant and Leases. To enhance her knowledge in companies and business sectors, Catherine recently took a Company Secretarial course so that she can be conscious of the legal impediments on one hand and on the other hand take charge of the legal assignments with dedication by ensuring the service level and quality of work rendered to the clients are not compromised.

Messrs Othman Hashim & Co. was established in October 1983 in Kuala Lumpur and has expanded beyond the city limits of Kuala Lumpur to Sepang, Wangsa Maju, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kota Bahru, Sibu & Kuching in Sarawak. In addition, the firm has close association in Shenzen, China and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The firm continues to grow at a steady pace to 53 lawyers to date.

As the firm undertakes litigation and non-litigation work, its vision has always been to provide its clients a wide range of legal services and strongly believe that there is strength in diversity .

Catherine is an active member and a Past President of the Lions Club, known to many as the largest service organization/NGO in the world with more than 1.7 million members. For more than ten ( 10 ) years, she gave freely her time to serve the less fortunate in the community by participating and organizing many meaningful projects/activities with the aim of raising funds towards humanitarian efforts.

 

Heart of a Mother

For all those who are and have a mom, entrepreneur or not, in conjunction with the coming Mother's Day, I'm sharing this... beautiful, beautiful words, sound and images that just touch the soul and draw warm tears to the eyes.

It begins like this...

"The moment a child is born,
   the mother is also born.

She never existed before.
The woman existed,
   but the mother, never.

A mother is something
   absolutely new."  - Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

"Making a decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide
   forever to have your heart go
      walking around outside your body."  - Elizabeth Stone


"A mother is she who
   can take the place of all others
      but whose place no one else can take."  - Cardinal Mermillod

"The heart of a mother
   is a deep abyss at the bottom of which
      you will always find forgiveness."  - Honore de Balzac

"It's not what you do for your children
   but what you have taught them to do for themselves
      that will make them successful human beings."  - Ann Landers

"A mother holds her children's hands for a while,
   but their hearts forever."  - Author unknown

"A hundred years from now it will not matter
   what my bank account was,
      the sort of house I lived in,
         or the kind of car I drove,
   but the world may be different because
         I was important in the life of a child."  - Forest E Witcraft

"The greatest gift you can give your children
   are roots of responsibility
      and wings of independence."  - Denis Waitley

And it ends with...

"Before you were conceived,
   I wanted you.
Before you were born,
   I loved you.
Before you were here an hour,
   I would die for you.
This is a miracle of life."  - Maureen Hawkins


Now for the full beautiful effect, go to Heart of a Mother. And don't forget to turn up the volume. Wish I could just have the video embedded in here. Sigh, the life of a non-techie...

Sharing on Health and Wellness

Children, adolescents, adults and the elderly have different nutritional requirements. Knowing what they are is especially important to women as the main care giver of the family.

Thus we are delighted to have someone shares on this topic at PAN sharing session this Saturday. Pauline Cheah will speak on 'Your Health Is Your Greatest Asset' starting at noon, following PAN committee meeting.

Pauline's favourite saying is "your body is like a car."

"If at the beginning we don't know how to maintain it well, until it breaks down one day as part of the aging process, then we panic to repair it. Even if the situation improves, it will also leave irreparable regrets."

So why do people get sick? What is the ideal life style? Explore some of the answers with Pauline, whose credentials include below list:

   

Pauline Cheah, a BSc (Maths) graduate from University Malaya, started her career as a consultant for Statistical Engineering and Process Control Systems in the semiconductor industry in Penang for 15 years, attached to two giant MNCs, AMD and Intel respectively.

The year 2007 marked a turning point of her career from an employee to a freelance trainer-cum-consultant for Quality/Process Improvements courses and project consultation for MNC, SMI and local companies in Northern Region and KL.

Concurrently, Pauline has also established herself as an Independent Business Owner and Consultant to provide global business opportunities to individuals who seek financial independence and time freedom to pursue their dreams in life. Pauline’s Free Enterprise business is affiliated with Britt WorldWide (BWW), which is one of the biggest business education and training company in the USA, to provide a systematic business education and mentorship.

In addition, as Brand Ambassadors of Nutrilite and Artistry, part of her role is to provide consultation and service in wellness and beauty.

In 2011, Pauline had the opportunity to attend a training workshop in China to enhance her knowledge in Traditional Chinese Health Therapy for prevention of most of the chronic diseases. 

Women Entrepreneur at Work

An exhibition celebrating women and creativity. "Femme Flora" is a tribute to women, by women. A dazzling display of womanhood.

It is held till the end of this month at the Malaysian Tourism Ministry Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, in celebration of the International Women's Day 2012.

NAWEM president Sarojini (in purple) was among the VIPs at the exhibition opening.

Here is the guest of honour, Malaysian Tourism Minister (at right), giving a finishing touch to a painting.

The exhibition is presented by Penang-based Alyssa Galeri.

Alyssa (in red) is an E&E engineer by training but she grew up surrounded by art, exhibitions and galleries.

"My dad is an artist. When small, I was often the girl carrying the tray that holds the scissors for ribbon-cutting ceremony to open art exhibitions."

So after being retrenched from her engineering job, she founded Alyssa Galeri in 2010 and never look back. Nowadays her tasks include visiting potential client's home or office to propose suitable artworks.

She also started the ArtMalaysia Photography Club that within two years attracted 29 members including foreigners. As such her 3-storey gallery also houses a photo studio on the top floor.

Alyssa is soon-gonna-be PAN member. As we move along, this space shall showcase more PAN members and their businesses. Women are an enterprising lot! Do you know one with an interesting story to tell?


In the mean time, below are some events you can look out for and participate, to grow yourself and your business.


 Upcoming activities:

April 26
A one-day E-Learning Mini Seminar & Exhibition at Pacific Hotel, KL. NAWEM has a booth for display of members' training programmes, modules and brochures. Those who are registered trainers with Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB) can participate, and are to register with NAWEM secretariat by April 23 on first-come-first-serve basis.

Also, a visit with PSMB Deputy CEO at 11am. Participants are to register with the secretariat by April 23.

May 8
A visit with Malaysia Tourism Minister and participants are to register by May 2 with NAWEM secretariat.

May 12
NAWEM visit to Sarawak. Registration closed.

May 22-24
Inaugural SEA Women Entrepreneurs Conference in Kucing, Sarawak.
Participants to gain insights into the vibrant economic opportunities within Southeast Asia. Excellent opportunities to share, get inspired and seek business collaborations. Some 500 women entrepreneurs from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines are expected at the conference, hosted by the Women's Wing of Sarawak Chamber of Entrepreneurs (Dewanita DUBS). Details at www.seawec.com.

June 19
National associations dialogue with Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and registration is by May 31. This event was postponed from April 21.

July
The 6th Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award 2012 in Kuala Lumpur.
Nomination is now open. More info at http://enterpriseasia.org/apea/my/. NAWEM is the supporting partner for this event. 

Sharing Is Laughing Together

Sharing is Fun!
Let's just have some fun today...together.

It is simply so nice to catch up with friends, even if it is just once a month, to let off steam, relax and be womanly happy, especially when all are hard working and overworked women entrepreneurs. As women, they say, we wear many hats, sometimes too many, and therefore can be exhausting.

See, it's working already, the mood is changing.
PAN is a serious endeavor and there to assist women entrepreneurs but the members are not necessarily serious all the time. They know how to have fun!

When some are slow to pick up, the others are there to encourage them and give some pointers.

In managing business, the boss is told to share only good news to the employees / down-lines. The bad news and problems are to be shared among the management / up-lines so as to be resolved and the business gets to move on as smoothly as possible. PAN is here to grow as a 'collective mastermind' for women entrepreneurs to tap on to help nurture and grow their own individual business.

And wallaah! Problems solved. Everyone is energized to go back and focus on own business for another day, week, or month. PAN is always there for them to re-group and support one another.

Of course, the women in PAN too resort to good food to help lift up the overall mood of the group, and the tired spirit and mind of the individuals. This is our friend Kyree (right) before the food arrived :)

We were at an organic food restaurant in Bayan Baru near Queensbay Mall.


Organic food and organic friends make for an unbeatable combination for a good living! Take a close-up look to share in some of our culinary pleasure for that day.

Signing off for now...

Sharing by Art Entrepreneur

So you want to be an entrepreneur. But what kind of business would you do? Most gurus would say to do something that you love, so to carry you through those times when it gets tough, as it surely would during any journey to success.

Alyssa Khoo operates Alyssa Galeri. Is she a lover of art? Well, come find out when she does her sharing at PAN monthly meeting this Saturday starting at noon. The venue is PAN office at ADA Shared Services in Bay Avenue, next to Queensbay Mall. The story of art entrepreneur is not commonly told. It should be interesting!

Alyssa Galeri is the force behind the “Femme Flora”, an International Women's Day Art Exhibition 2012 now going on till April at Galeri Kementerian Tourism Malaysia in Putrajaya. It is a showcase dedicated to celebrate women throughout the world.

Pretty poster of the Femme Flora exhibition.

The exhibition particularly celebrates that unique bond between flowers, the feminine, and woman as a positive force in the world. It features the works of some 30 women artists from Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Iran, Thailand, Finland, Singapore, China and Korea. Details at www.alyssagaleri.com.

Other sharing opportunities coming up

• The Entrepreneur 101 Nationwide Franchise Roadshow 2012 is coming to town near you and admission is free. NAWEM members are invited. A stop at Concorde Hotel Shah Alam is scheduled for this April 4.
  There will be notable industry professionals who will share with the participants the practical tips of business operations and the ways to penetrate franchise industry. En Saharudin Sahad of Smart Franchise Partner will speak on The road map to franchise your business.
  A representative from Perbadanan Nasional Berhad is to speak on “Roles in developing franchise industry in Malaysia.” Several franchisers will also be at hand to share their experiences.
  
  
• SMEs & Overseas Trade (Import & Export) seminar is on April 10, 2012 at the Shah Alam Convention Centre. This one also offers free admission. The speakers are experts from Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). The organiser is Malaysia SME^TM. 
  
  
  NAWEM 4S Workshop is on April 13 at Villa FELDA in Kuala Lumpur. This is a full day workshop on sustainability. It introduces the Pyramid concept used worldwide by businesses to generate sustainable idea and actions.
  
  
   

Empowering Women

“Women: the engine of economic growth” is the theme for the Global Summit of Women this year, scheduled from May 31 to June 2, and is expected to draw some 1,000 women leaders.

NAWEM-PAN members have the opportunity to attend this event in Athens, Greece – currently known more for its financial troubles than anything else. Perhaps this would be better for sharpening the business sensitivity of participants.

The summit promises to, among others, provide a window into the European economies, affording information on doing business with Greece and the Balkan economies in particular. You'd get an insight into the women driving business growth in this region as consumers and business leaders.

The three days will have numerous sessions to help grow leadership skills, your business and network. You would learn from featured best practices in partnerships between business and government to advance women and to promote green initiatives.

A briefing on the global summit was already held on March 1 in Kuala Lumpur, organised by SME Corp. Malaysia.

PAN chairman Ong Swe Ee views the summit as a great networking opportunity among successful women and urged members to take up this rare opportunity via NAWEM secretariat. She added: “To apply for 50% trip subsidy, those owners of Sdn Bhd company should enrol with MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation) – the registration is free and can be done online.”

By the way, NAWEM members can also keep up-to-date through email with MATRADE Online News, which provides market alerts from its trade commissioners overseas, product market studies for exporters as well as its various programme announcements.

NAWEM 19^th Annual General Meeting

If you are not making it to Athens, then go for our AGM, scheduled for Saturday, 24th March 2012. The first 50 to register will receive a token of appreciation from the Exco. Last year's AGM recorded attendance of 49 members.

The venue this year is again at the secretariat at Rumah Puspanita in KL. It will start with catered lunch and followed by the meeting starting 3pm.

NAWEM does provide women entrepreneurs ample opportunities to network at local, national and international levels. A recent gathering was the MAFa Country Conference 2012 on March 14-15 in Shah Alam. The organiser Malaysian Association of Facilitators (www.myfacilitators.org) allowed NAWEM members special rate to attend the event.

Earlier on March 4, four PAN members made it to the “KARISMA NGO with the Prime Minister” programme at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development organised that gathering of non-governmental organisations. 

Amidst the KARISMA NGO crowd, NAWEM members are easily recognisable in their pretty blue batik baju kurung.

President Sarojini and other NAWEM exco up on stage.

 

 

One for the album... with other participants.

On April 21, the National Council of Women's Organisations will hold a seminar in KL on crime prevention for parents - “SEKATA (Keselamatam Keluarga Tanggungjawab Kita), Edisi Ibu Bapa”. Two seats are reserved for NAWEM.

If you need to re-charge, consider the Women Leadership & Coaching Retreat in Langkawi on April 20 to 23. Directly contact Puan Masitah Babjan at mbmasit@hotmail.com for details and to register.