Through the Lens with Carolyn O’Neill March 27, 2010
Posted by admin in : Bangkok, Business, Networking, photography , add a commentWhat brought you to Bangko
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When I lived in Hong Kong as a trailing spouse, I traveled here many times, had many friends here and always fancied the idea of living in Bangkok. Three years later I found myself back in the States and at the end of my marriage, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try something completely different. I knew it was a place where I could live comfortably without spending a fortune and I sensed there were many opportunities here for building my family portrait business and continuing my documentary projects. Plus, I’d be back in SE Asia, which I had missed very much!
As a newly single woman moving to a foreign country by myself, well I can tell you that it felt like I was about to climb Mt. Everest with flip flops on! I really was scared, but at the same time very excited about the potential that lay ahead. It was impossible to deny the excitement of building a new life for myself around this new-found passion of mine and the opportunity to do it in SE Asia – a place I loved. I’m still amazed and extremely grateful to be living here and doing work that I love everyday.
How did you get started as a photographer?
As a youngster growing up in California, there was always a camera of sorts in hand. Those little instamatics with the flash cube on top! In school we would make pinhole cameras out of shoe boxes and make contact prints. I even recall early on explaining to my mother the benefits of candid photos vs. posed ones – which I think she may have taken too literally now that I look back on those photographs!!
Somehow though, life took me down other roads and I found myself working behind a desk, married and about to start a family. When I stopped working so I could focus more on building my new family, I picked up my camera again and started playing around taking portraits of children and pets and doing my own darkroom printing. My own children never came, but during that time my love for photography, and portraiture in particular, was reignited and evolved quite naturally from there.
As a freelance photographer, what is key to developing your business?
Well-targeted advertising and good, consistent branding are obvious keys and worthy investments of time and money. A successful photography business also relies heavily on referrals. I’ve found clients won’t hesitate to refer me to their family and friends if they received excellent service and a high quality, creative product. There is nothing cookie cutter about my work or the way I approach my client relationships. Each one is special and I go out of my way to make sure my clients know I appreciate their business.
Equally important is to network and continually expand and build new relationships within the community as a whole. This spurs a natural synergy within the community that in turn leads to more opportunities and even some wonderful and unexpected surprises like the teaching and excursions side of my business. I never set out to do that, but by listening to what clients and friends were asking for, I realized there was a need for such a service – it’s been a very successful and rewarding part of my business!
For those of us who like to do photography, which camera would you recommend and why?
I always tell people to consider first and foremost how they will use it and how they will carry it. If you are looking for ease of portability, then you should stick to the pocket-size models which now produce amazing results considering their size and portability. If you are at all thinking you might like to pursue photography as a serious hobby then you should consider a digital SLR model that allows for interchangeable lenses, RAW file capabilities and more manual control.
I’m personally very much into Canon products, however, in the pocket camera category there is also the Lumix, Panasonic brand that looks very good for that genre. If I were to buy a pocket camera today, I would go for the Canon Powershot S90. If I were to buy a “pro-sumer” level digital SLR, I would look seriously at the Canon 7D with incredible HD video capabilities as well.
The other best advice I can offer is to read all the online reviews you can find! www.dpreview.com is a great place to compare brands on every type of camera.
Any tips for settling in and getting connected in the city?
The network of friends I made when I first arrived in Bangkok became an integral and important resource while I was trying to settle in and get my business going. I think everyone remembers when they were new in town and so it’s delightful to find people so helpful and full of good advice! I also found the opportunities to meet new friends here far exceed any other place I’ve ever lived. It constantly amazes me and it feels so effortless to meet people from all walks of life here. There’s an incredible amount of quality networking, socializing and volunteer opportunities out there. You can locate these associations online or in the ever-helpful “Bangkok Guide” book (the bible for people who have just moved here) quite easily.
Bonnie Zellerbach on Acting Up! March 1, 2010
Posted by admin in : Bangkok, Interview, Networking, Theatre , 1 comment so far
Tell us your background what brought you to Thailand?
I’m an American and I moved to Bangkok from New York in 1991. I was working in Client Sevices for Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising and was brought over to Bangkok to head up that department and to build the Strategic Planning arm of the agency. I met my husband here the year I arrived, and we were married in 1993. Jamie grew up in Bangkok (he’s a Canadian who moved here at the age of 3) and his marriage proposal was a two-for-one: marry me and live in Thailand. So this is our permanent home. I stopped working full time when our twin daughters were born in ‘97 but continue to take on marketing consultancy projects as time allows.
How did the Bangkok Community Theatre (BCT) get started?
I wasn’t here then, but I know that BCT was founded in 1972 when the two existing drama groups (each originating in Bangkok in the late 1950s) decided to pool their resources and form one organization. BCT is a voluntary, non-profit organization of many nationalities who work together to produce English language plays for the local community. We are an organization of people and we don’t have a clubhouse like so many social groups in Bangkok do; however, The British Club has served as our de facto home for most of the last 20 years. They very kindly host many of our club nights, and we often use their facilities for dinner theatre and children’s productions.
In fact, The British Club will be hosting BCT’s March production, the children’s participation play “Pinocchio” and I am the director and playwright. I adapted the classic fairytale in the same format as past participation plays we’ve done: cast of six adult performers (including a rather impish mime) interact with the children in a theatre-in-the round setting. It is really good fun!
What else can I tell you about BCT? On average we stage 4 productions a year with each show requiring volunteers from the community to perform on-stage and to help behind the scenes. People who aren’t comfortable being in the ’spotlight’ often find fun and challenging ways to contribute in terms of Props making, set designing and building, costume designing, prompting, make up, lighting & sound, ticket sales, fund raising… the list goes on. It takes a lot of people to put on a show.
What are some of the most memorable characters you played and what made it interesting?
Wow – so many memories to sift through. I’ve been a member of BCT for almost 20 years and over 40 productions…..Let’s see – I loved playing the chronically comic & ailing Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls.” At that time the twins were just two years old and when they told me I was going to have to wear a sequined bikini with Las Vegas style feathers for my first big dance number, I thought I would die with shame. I’ve never been slim and was still carrying baby fat as well. But fear is a great motivator! I lost tons of weight and still look back on that show with pride!
I also really loved playing the miserly, miserable Miss Hannigan in “Annie.” It was so much fun to be mean and cranky! And I made so many good friends out of the cast and crew of that production.
To be fair, I don’t have any show that I regret doing in any way; I loved each and every one of them. Some of my favourite memories are of shows where I was just in the ensemble – like when I was a dancing tree in “The Wizard of Oz” — because we had such a great team working on it. All in all, my fondest memories are of the shows I’ve done with my long-term friend and collaborator, Angela Daniel. Regardless of the roles I played onstage, we worked together on the production side of things as well and had a ball creating theatre magic.
Having lived in Thailand for a very long time what are some of your tips about settling in to Bangkok?
Get involved. Join groups. Don’t be afraid to show up alone. Bangkok is a wonderful city and has so much to offer! The Thai people will welcome you and the other Expats will, too. You just have to put yourself out there. There are country groups (like the American Women’s Club, ANZWG, etc), there are interest groups (like BCT, The National Museum Volunteers, The Neilson Hays Library, etc) and more. Join several and see which ones suit you best. They all need volunteers to keep their social and charitable projects going, and I think one of the best ways to get to know people and the city is to have a project on which you can work together. For me, Bangkok Community Theatre (http://www.bct-th.org/) has been a lifeline.
Helping and Empowering People with EFT, Shalini J. Yamdagni February 18, 2010
Posted by admin in : Bangkok, Business, EFT, Interview, Networking , add a comment
Where are you from originally?
I am originally from India. My father came as an expat to Thailand when I was 6 years old and he stayed for 20 plus years. My education has been partly in India and Thailand. After my high school graduation from Ruamrudee International School, I went to India for a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Social Work from Delhi University. After completing my graduate degree, I returned to Thailand. I’m married now and have 2 kids, both were born in Thailand. My husband’s parents moved to Thailand when he was a few months old, so Thailand is home to us.
What do you do professionally in Bangkok?
I am an Advanced EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Practitioner. EFT is a self help tool that you can learn and apply by themselves for all kinds of physical and emotional issues.
I discovered EFT as I was looking for alternative ways to help myself from an ailment called Costochondritis – an inflammation of a ligament that connects the ribs and breast bones. I had suffered from this pain for 8 months and after endless visits to the hospitals, physiotherapy sessions, nothing seemed to work. I decided to explore energy therapies. Before EFT, I was introduced to energy therapies like Chakra Diagnoses, Chakra Balancing, and Radical Healing. But as I learned EFT and started to apply it by myself, I noticed instant relief from pain. After using it for a month not only was I free from all my pain, but EFT started for me a path of self-discovery. I discovered a deep passion to empower others to help themselves and it is the reason I became an EFT Advanced Practitioner. For me, EFT stands out from the rest of the therapies because it works often where nothing else will. You often get instant results; it is easy to apply by yourself and its “one tool for all problems”.
I have now used EFT with over 200 clients now for all sorts of physical, emotional, relationship, behavior issues, weight issues and also to boost performance at work, sports etc. I regularly conduct topic based workshops, i.e. stress relief, pain management, overcoming relationship blocks, easing pregnancy issues with EFT and lots more.
Can EFT help in everyday life?
EFT is a wonderful tool that my kids (7 and 8 years old), husband and I use every single day for all clearing away “emotional debris” from the day — things that upset us, any aches and pains, any concerns and worries of past or future, stuff at work, at school, at home.
All of us clean up our environment each day in order to operate effectively. Whether it is brushing our teeth, washing the dishes or washing our car, we spend considerable time each day making sure that debris does not accumulate in our possessions or our bodies.
When it comes to cleaning out emotional debris that is hampering or blocking us from functioning at an optimal level, many neglect or avoid dealing with it. While we won’t allow a heavy build-up of plaque on our teeth, we think nothing of having buildup of resentments, worries, sadness and other undesirable emotions that accumulate in our minds.
Daily emotional cleansing can help free you from limiting thoughts and feelings. It also helps you to releases and let go past events which caused emotional scar. Repressed emotions create imbalance in the body system. Left unresolved can often lead to dis-ease and disharmony. Used daily, EFT helps create happiness, peace, personal power and boosts your immunity.
All you have to do is simply tap with your fingertips on 8-9 key acupuncture points as you think or go through in your mind about all the things that upset you/bothered you/worried you today. You can watch the free videos showing the tapping sequence on my website http://www.eftthailand.com/videos.html
You can do a ‘daily emotional cleansing’ by using it with one or more of the physical cleansing rituals that you regularly do, such as shower time, after brushing your teeth. Linking it to these already established rituals will make you much less apt to forget using EFT on a regular basis.
What are your hobbies?
I love reading, music, dancing, gardening, cycling, and spending ‘quiet time’ with myself
Any networking tips?
I am a member of the Business Network International (BNI) the largest referral networking organization in the world. I am also a member of BNOW. I have to say that for me ‘networking’ has opened many doors to reach out to people. The most important thing I’ve learned about networking is that it’s not about just an exchanging business cards activity over a few drinks; it’s more about building trust and long term mutually beneficial business relationships by providing valuable service with integrity.