5 Things For A Festive Gathering
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Whether you're having a holiday get-together, a cosy family dinner or exciting gift exchange, find out what are some of the essential items not to forget for your year end festivities.
Read on to get some festive inspiration, as well as some insights to the journey of these inspirational woman as we conclude the year. Let's spread joy, love and hope this gifting season!
CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW TO MEET THE WOMEN
,format(webp))
Introduce yourself and tell us how a typical week goes for you!
A big HELLO to all at Love, Bonito! My name is Lee Su Ann and I am commonly known in my industry as the humble radiologist — which makes me a doctor that specializes in interpreting images of body structures taken with machines such as X-rays, ultrasound, MRI and CT. While my world is a sea of black and white with more than 50 Shades of Grey at work (no pun intended), I enjoy the outdoors, hiking and taking walks in lush greenery of the botanic gardens to inject some colour and vibrance into my week. I like to end my week with a good book with a cup of tea on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Overall, I would describe myself as someone who is shy, introverted, simple and contented. My friends and peers would probably see me as a perseverant go-getter, while my family would see the warmer, more laid back side of me that can get pretty goofy at times.
,format(webp))
What do you enjoy the most about the holiday season?
Decembers are usually peak seasons for the clinic and most time would be spend interpreting the images and writing reports for them so I do not keep patients and fellow doctors waiting. I enjoy small pockets of time gathering with my family and friends over good food and wine, reminiscing the good old days, planning for the coming year and just living in the moment, soaking up the fun and laughter that comes with this season.
What inspires you?
A great team that is productive and positive inspires me in my work. Challenging cases that are hard to solve and diagnose gives me a added sense of accomplishment when I find answers to assist in the management and treatment of the patient. This leads me to share an interesting story of a lady who came to our centre complaining of pain in the lower left side of the abdominal pelvic area. This problem has plagued her for many years with no improvement. An ultrasound scan revealed a mass in her womb cavity and after discussion with her primary doctor, we did an MRI which revealed endometrial cancer . Fortunately it was still in the early stages and the patient was able to be treated in time with full recovery.
Knowing that I am contributing positively to the society and bettering the lives of patients, one life at a time, gives me a deeper sense of meaning to what I do and keeps me going during tough times.
,format(webp))
What is the toughest challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
Being one of the few females in a predominantly male wind instrument industry has been a tough challenge, yet it has also become my driving force to push myself to excel and give my very best. There were many times where I've felt I'm not good enough or overlooked. Music is a creative industry where one expresses ideas and shares emotions. However, on several occasions I have had my ideas dismissed only to have a male counterpart with the same paraphrased idea getting the recognition. Things like that can really break one’s confidence in their own abilities. As a result, I have found myself often working much harder than my colleagues in order to gain respect and leave an impression.
Having these isolating experiences over the years has taught me to be assertive, to speak up for myself and to be conscious of the way I present myself. I am still learning everyday through bettering myself with my practice, reading and learning new skills. This gives me the confidence to make sure my voice is heard and to earn the respect I deserve in my field. Because of the nature of this industry, it has been ingrained in us to see colleagues as competition. However I strive to challenge this by continuing to equally empower young musicians of all genders in the education work I do.
What is one message you want to send out to other women?
Be brave and do not be afraid to take calculated risks and make mistakes. It is not so much about the mistake but the ability to reflect and rectify the mistake, and subsequently improve over time to get better at what we do, whichever field we are in.