Fiesta starts today
Join us in celebrating women this weekend
PETALING JAYA: Today is the day!
The WOW! Fiesta starts today at The Starling Mall in Damansara Uptown. Organised in celebration of International Women’s Day and The Star’s WOW-Women do Wonders campaign, the Fiesta has a varied line-up of activities to keep everyone happy.
Among the highlights of the twoday event is a bazaar with over 100 booths set up by women entrepreneurs, including homegrown business owners, local artisans and craft makers. Whether you are looking to treat yourself, your family, or the women in your life, the bazaar promises to have something for everyone. Come and shop at the exhibition hall from 11am to 8pm.
The bazaar will go on concurrently with talks and panel discussions featuring a line-up of inspiring women who will share their stories of trials, hope and success in their professional and personal everyday lives.
Don’t miss the talk by celebrity entrepreneur Chui Ling who will be sharing tips on how women can build their wealth in her session entitled “Unlocking Your Financial Power.” In her talk, which starts at noon, Chui Ling hopes to encourage women to believe in their own capacity to manage and build their wealth.
“There are many misconceptions about women and money. One common belief is that women are not as good as men in managing their wealth which is something I don’t believe at all. People also think that women preserve wealth, while men accumulate wealth.
“I think that the biggest mistake women make in managing their money is believing these misconceptions,” said Chui Ling.
She added that with the various roles women play, knowledge about managing and growing their money is crucial.
“It’s not about getting rich but if you have money, you will have flexibility. We tend to be happier if we have options and that’s why it is important for women to create more options for themselves
“Women these days have a lot more responsibilities. They need to diversify their sources of income and investments. We can’t accumulate wealth purely by saving or through low risk investments. We must be more productive by learning and getting hands-on knowledge in investing. I read a lot to learn and I tried my hand at investing.
“Along the way, I have lost some money but that’s called experience. I learnt from my mistakes and others’ mistakes. In my talk I will share why and how women can be more active in managing their own wealth,” she said.
The launch of the WOW! Fiesta is at 1pm at the Exhibition Hall stage at Level 5 of The Starling. Catch local singer Nabila Razali who will be performing at the launch. Her hit song Vroom Vroom has an empowering message for all women to look to their future and not look back.
Another talk to attend is the one by ParkCity Medical Centre’s consultant breast and oncoplastic surgeon Dr Tam Gie Hooi called “Keeping Abreast Of Breast Health”.
The talks will take place at the MBO cinema on the fifth floor of the mall and visitors attending the talks will be eligible for lucky draws.
Look out too for a self defense workshop by Malaysian mixed-martial arts (MMA) queen Ann “Athena” Osman at 3.15pm. Ann will show women some simple moves they can learn to protect themselves.
Radio host and wellness coach Linora Low will also be speaking about body image issues women face in her session, “Body Dysmorphia And How It Affects Women” at the main stage at 2pm.
On Sunday (March 17), the talk sessions will start with a panel discussion titled “What No One In Business Will Ever Tell You”, featuring women entrepreneurs who will share frank insights on the challenges of starting and running their own businesses. They are founders of social enterprise The Picha Project – Lee Swee Lin, Lim Yuet Kim, Suzanne Ling; co-founder of The Accidental Bakers Ee-Lyn Tan, co-founder of fashion brand Mimpikita, Nurul Afidah and founder of fitness apparel brand Ash Be Nimble Hui Matthews.
There will be another health talk, “Screening Preconceptions and Beyond”, by Dr Jaspal Singh Sachdev, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist from ParkCity Medical Centre followed by a question and answer session – here’s your chance to clear any doubts you may have about health screening.
Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care and Bursa Malaysia Bhd are the campaign sponsors of The Star’s WOW – Women do Wonders campaign. For details, go to http://Bit.ly/thestarwowfiesta.