Prime Sarmiento

Hong Kong-based journalist covering ASEAN. With special focus on Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore.

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The Brunei Times •

No plan B

THERE is no plan B for Veenea Kamalam Pascual Nair. Even at a young age of 18, a time when most of her peers can’t even decide what degree to pursue in university, the senior grand finalist o the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) is bent on having an international recording career. “Even if you have a plan B, it might suck anyway. So you might as well stick with your plan A,”she says, paraphrasing one of the music producers she met at the WCOPA event.
The Brunei Times •

Her true calling

Lily Ng didn’t expect she would one day own a health store. Neither did she plan to become an advocate of urban gardening nor a one-woman support group for people with cancer. Like most chartered accountants, she pursued a career in finance, climbing the corporate ladder in an international bank. She thought this would be the life she would lead until she retires. But in 2007, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. This would push her to move to another direction, and in the process she found her true calling.
SciDev.Net Asia & Pacific •

More Asian women find success in science

A growing number of Asian women are making inroads in science and technology, thanks to greater opportunities for career development and changing cultural mores.Interviews with female scientists across the region reveal that policies and laws that promote gender parity and equal opportunities, alongside changing cultural perceptions on women’s roles, more supportive families and the presence of female role models, are helping women cope with the challenges they usually face when choosing a demanding career in science and the academe.