Snoozing: The new wellness frontier For the sleep deprived, it takes more than a lullaby to get a good night’s rest. Medical spas are awakening to this growing need with new treatments to give you truly sweet dreams. These days, sleep-challenged executives can be found floating in an enclosed pool for 40 minutes and getting the equivalent of four hours of glorious slumber. Spas are no longer just for pampering; a growing number are looking to help you get a good night’s rest. After all, skimping on snooze does have adverse effects – obesity, increased stress levels and poor health. And medical spas, a hybrid between spas and hospitals, have been quick to cater to such needs, which has grown during this financial crisis. The biggest sufferers? Business executives in their mid-40s who travel frequently, say experts. While such treatments beat relying on a bottle of Valium, they only work effectively when coupled with a healthy lifestyle, says Dr Pang who owns the Pacific Sleep Centre at Paragon. Turning off the Blackberry might be a good start.

The daring diplomat After winning over the Russians with his unique brand of soft diplomacy, ambassador Michael Tay has been rewarded organising a global meet of the world’s most powerful leaders in Singapore. Even in the best of times, the annual pow-wow of heads of state from the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) would be a daunting challenge. Set against a backdrop of the current economic crisis, all eyes will be on the outcome of the summit in Singapore this year. The 46-year-old’s appointment as the executive director of the Singapore-based Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) secretariat is a role that requires him to manage the flurry of proceedings, projects and meetings that will happen throughout 2009. A year long schedule of activities includes about 140 trade talks at working levels, leading up to the leaders summit in November where the 21 world leaders will congregate. Tay says APEC will be focussed on one very tangible goal this year, one that affects anyone who earns a wage or is paid a salary: To save jobs. “If companies start closing, unemployment will set in and people become unhappy, then societies become unstable. The work we do is not just theoretical; it actually has a direct effect on individual lives”.

Woman on top These Singaporeans have overcome all obstacles to become true leaders in their field. We’ve chosen a cross-section of women from various sectors to celebrate their achievements. What this group demonstrates is that there are many paths to the top, not all of them obvious, and none of them easy. Whether its lawyer Cheryl Baumann starting a successful medical business, Jessica Tan juggling the dual roles of Microsoft heavyweight and parliamentarian, Mary Yeo making the arduous climb from a clerk to head UPS Singapore, Melissa Kwee helping the less fortunate, or Joanne Soo leading an all-female team to scale the world’s highest peak, these elite women are true trailblazers in their respective fields. Tan dismisses the notion of the glass ceiling altogether, Yeo believes it is an impediment created by women themselves, while Baumann goes out of her way to hire females to help them prepare for the inequality they are sure to face in their careers. What binds these women is the faith that their abilities, combined with hard work, will overcome any obstacles that stand in their way; be it an imagined glass ceiling, or the world’s highest mountain.