Life Savin' Fashion Maven

When I moved to Hong Kong from New York at the end of 2009, it was to start my first job out of college. Having interned here during the summer of '08 (just weeks before the financial crisis commenced), I had acquired a rudimentary understanding of the town and a handful of friends, mostly intern classmates. While I was lucky enough to receive a return offer at Goldman, lots of things changed post-GFC including a lot of people moving out of the island and a shift in sentiment as a whole.  In short, I came to Hong Kong knowing basically no one, living by myself and working in a time of uncertainty and general bleakness. So what did I do? Armed with a hello kitty lighter on weekends, I trolled Wyndham Street for clubgoers who sought respite from the sweaty crowded confines of the dancefloor, and offered to light their smokes in exchange for a handshake and chat.  

Ling was not one of my riff-raff acquaintances, but rather the first real organic intro.


Nowadays, it's easy to meet friends through other friends, but when you start from a zero base, the curve to overcome is quite steep. Our mutual friend YJ advised that I shouldn't get too caught up in the "banker scene", as the tendency is for those in the industry to end up associating exclusively with one another. YJ pitched Ling to me as someone I could seek solace in, a girl my age who had spent 20 years in Hong Kong but also had an international upbringing, having just returned from college in New York to work for Gucci. 


Being generally open-minded (and having nothing else to do that night) I went along and prepared to play nice to an overprivileged/spoiled brat.  Lowering my expectations to minimize disappointment, I had my roll of vapid small talk ready to fuel superficial exchange: "omg, love your nails! where do you get them done?" or "your skin is flawless! you must teach me your secrets teehee!!" etc.


Upon meeting and spending the entire night out together, Ling proved otherwise. We continued to schedule regular catch-ups since our circles barely overlapped, something quite rare for Hong Kong.  While she did end up recommending a great eyelash perming salon,  Ling also became a reliable friend, one who was capable of holding the fort steady when things spun out of control.  It is no wonder that she was strong enough to endure a recent bone marrow transplant, among other feats.  


Read on to learn more about Ling as we delve deeper into the other half of ZAO:

Gucci seems like a fashion girl's ultimate dream job. What went through your mind when you decided to leave?

"Will I regret this?"

I worked really hard to make sure I would land my "dream job" after college. I was only 15 the first time I interned at Gucci's Public Relations Department. I interned in their Merchandising Department when I was 18 and in their Store Operations Department when I was 21. While studying in New York, I interned at Harper's Bazaar's Editorial Team, Oscar de la Renta's International Sales Team, Intermix's Visual Merchandising Team & Lanvin's Sales Team. Upon moving back to Hong Kong after graduating early, I did freelance work, helping to plan press events for Lancel & Chloe. Needless to say I dedicated a significant amount of time and energy perfecting my CV. I wanted to be 100% sure I wasn't going to regret leaving. It wasn't a quick decision for me to make, but it was definitely the right one.

You've lived in New York, Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, Florence and Singapore in the short span of your lifetime. Which was your favorite city and why?

New York was my favorite by far. It was such an eye-opening experience. I was forced to grow up and quickly became independent and mature. It may be hard for you to imagine but I was actually very very shy, insecure and dependent in high school. I was sheltered my whole life and accustomed to a lifestyle devoid of responsibilities, obligations and hardship. Going from living in that comfortable bubble to the real world was a rude awakening. I didn't know anyone when I moved to New York, it was difficult to make friends and people weren't friendly or helpful. It was lonely and miserable but once I adjusted, I fell in love with the city. It was exciting, energetic and so much fun! The best part was being in a dynamic environment where I felt I could achieve anything I put my mind to.


This song says it all: "In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, there's nothing you can't do... These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you"

How does a bone marrow transplant work? Were you scared? Did it hurt?

Bone marrow transplant is basically extracting stems cells from my body and inserting it into the recipient's body. It started with routine tests (blood tests, x-rays, heart scans), injections to make my bone marrow produce cells at an accelerated rate, blood harvesting then transplant.

You know, I've never broken a bone or gotten any stitches my entire life. My threshold for pain is non-existent and I bruise like a peach. When I found out I was a compatible donor I was secretly terrified and worried. But I wasn't in a position to complain, so I made sure those thoughts were never verbalized. I just smiled. Even when the handful of doctors I spoke to echoed the same sentiment, "you're doing it for your family," I smiled, knowing their words meant one thing- excruciating pain!

There was one day where they had to draw blood to fill 20 little tubes. I passed out 1/3 of the way in. It was frightening how quickly it happened. Within seconds, my face turned pale, my body became hot and I had cold sweats. I recall how weak my body felt, how time lagged and then everything turned black. Because of the way my body reacted, the doctor decided it was best that a catheter was inserted into my neck for the "blood harvesting" procedure. Usually donors have a tube inserted to their arm, which is removed at the end of each day. My 4-inch long catheter was left in for about 4-5 days!


One day during the "blood harvesting" procedure, my body started shaking so violently that my whole bed started shaking too. Way too much blood was being drawn out and my body's temperature dropped too quickly... Scary! If I remember correctly, about 10 litres of blood is processed during "blood harvesting".


I've never been so uncomfortable before. I couldn't move or turn my head as the slightest movement was excruciatingly painful. My neck and upper back had to be supported whenever I wanted to sit up or lie down, and it had to be done extremely slowly. The angle that the catheter was inserted made it really painful to do anything. I couldn't shower or sleep properly! It was so horrible. I'm glad it's over now and that the transplant was successful!

Pre-transplant: About 20 empty tubes that needed to be filled with my blood.

All smiles here but I actually cried everyday.

The tubes were not allowed to be removed during "blood harvesting" to prevent excessive bleeding and clotting.

Millions of tubes... pretty disgusting.

Doing a mask regardless of the pain and discomfort!

Nice mask there. Your skin really is flawless. Please share your secrets with us!

You made my day! I drink a lot of water and tea, and try to eat as healthily as possible. I always wear sunscreen and moisturize regularly.