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I grace the Features section of Her World this month, in not one, but 5 crisp, glossy pages. Former occupants of the Features section include acclaimed artistic director Loretta Chen, Dana Lam, the President of Singapore’s leading women’s rights advocacy group, AWARE, the reluctant beach warmer of the same group and title, Josie Lau, and seasoned Public Relations maverick and CEO of Communications DNA, Monica Alsagoff.

A tradition for Her World since the time when women stopped being cum buckets to men, women of caliber with significant achievements are selected and featured in each month’s issue. You can understand why I feel immensely honoured by this recognition from Her World. Judging by the quality of my predecessors, I have a hell lot to live up to. It doesn’t help that my lovely talent director stumbled upon the article whilst getting her hair done and has since placed it on our agency wide bulletin board next to media coverage of our 2 great men; Creative Director of OgilvyOne, Melvyn Lim, and Worldwide Creative Director and Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, Tham Khai Meng.

When Clara Chow of Her World first contacted me for the interview sometime in late July, I had presumed that the interview was for one of those one-column-thick slots a magazine would typically have towards the last few pages right before the Rolex advertisement. You know, the My First Job kind of quickie interview one might read of some CEO with his deceiving mugshot in the toilet whilst having a dump.

3 hours into the interview, with a mention of a need to schedule a photoshoot, I realized I wasn’t going to be a quickie. That was when I got nervous. I can still vividly recall the time when a daily newspaper quoted me that one time (without my permission by the way). My gender was changed in a single paragraph. I started off as a Mr. Pat Law only to end off as a Ms. Pat Law by the last sentence.

Beyond the 3-hour-long face-to-face interview, Jaclyn Lim, the second writer, sent a series of questions to me via email. By the 59^th question, I admit my patience was wearing thin. You wouldn’t imagine a lifestyle magazine to be this stringent with the accuracy of details, if a daily newspaper cannot even be arsed to get my gender right, right? It occurred to me then that there is a reason why Her World is the nation’s leading women’s magazine. It’s not just some marketing line they use to drive sales; it’s a responsibility for them to live up to that status.

To say that the editorial team from Her World was meticulous in the interview process would’ve been a gross understatement. They treated their craft with the utmost professionalism, to a degree that an Architect and his responsibility for precision would applaud. It is a welcoming experience, in this world where some are screaming, “Traditional Media is dead! Citizen journalism rules!” No offence to my fellow digital dwellers, but as much as the Internet provides speed to push news out faster, credibility matters too. And the development of credibility will take time. The Fort Hood saga is a classic example of why we have a long way before traditional media dies of a natural death.

The photoshoot was held at my friend Kelley’s gorgeous café 15 Minutes, where I frequent. It was my first time being in front of the camera, and oh gosh, my first time in over 10 years having mascara on (sorry Elizabeth, for all nonstop touch-ups you need to do because of my teary virginal eyes). For all the photoshoots I have been involved in where I was mercilessly bossing my models about, this was Karma working at its best. I was a pain in the ass to shoot, and I’m thankful to the team – Wong Wei Liang (Photographer), Elizabeth Chiu (Hair & Makeup artist), and Alice Chua (Art Direction and Styling) for their incredible Mother-Theresa worthy patience.

On a separate note to the models I’ve dealt with previously, I’d just like to say that I have newfound respect for you and your work. I promise I won’t be such a tyrant the next time.

The article is available for download here. Better yet, grab yourself a hard copy instead. It’s more romantic touching the real pages anyway.