Crunch by Nuffnang: Issue 2

ISSUE 2 01 / 18
CRUNCH
INTO 2018
CRUNCHY, TASTY CONTENT
AWAITS YOU INSIDE
NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL :
INTERVIEW WITH SUPERWOMAN
CAREEN TAN
SCIENCE OVER INTUITION :
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH:
NETCCENTRIC’S COO
JOANNE CHEN

CONTENT
1. Editor’s Note
Crunch into 2018 03
2. Talent Feature
Careen Tan 04
3. New Year’s Special
The Do’s and Don’ts to Getting Toned Abs 10
4. Trend Report
The Psychology of Social Media 12
5. A Piece of Community
2018 Resolutions 16
6. To Malaysia, With Love
Are We Really as Kind as We Say We Are? 20
7. Talent Scout
Influencers Under your Marketing Radar 24
8. Nuffies Corner
Behind The Scenes with Netccentric’s COO 26
2

EDITOR’S NOTE
CRUNCHIN’
INTO 2018
Has it really been 365 days since the iconic Hollywood sign had a slight tweak to its spelling for
that one day in history? Wow, 2017 has really sped by us.
As I sit here typing this, I cannot help but feel a sense of sentimentality for 2017, for it has been
a year of taking leaps of faith; for me personally, and of course, for Crunch, which we had the
opportunity to see through from the drawing board to reality. I know this will sound cliche, but I
have to say this, this year has been nothing short of amazing. With all its experiences and lessons,
it equips us better to enter the new year.
SO WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CRUNCH IN 2018?
It’s a new year, after all, so it is inevitable to be filled to the brim with hope and excitement for what
is to come.
Since the launch of Crunch, we have learned so much (a lot from your feedback to us, thank you!)
on how to improve. This year, our focus is Growth. We are working to fine-tune each and every part
of Crunch, from the user experience (there is so much to improve to make your reading experience
as awesome as it can be), the content (making it more visually oriented with bite-sized, engaging
content), creating more platforms for community contributions, etc.
In short, our goal for 2018 is simple. We are looking to grow and improve our Crunch recipe, making
it crunchier, tastier and essentially more substantial and enjoyable with each and every issue.
Ending this note with three simple words: Let’s Do This!
From your Editor-In-Chief,
Emily Goh Yi En
3

TALENT FEATURE
CAREEN TAN
4

As a mother of her incredibly adorable son, Tyler,
and a loving wife to her husband, Boon, Careen is
definitely a family-oriented person. However, she
never stopped her lifelong dream of being in the
wedding and fashion industry. Just last March,
she launched her very own bridal boutique, The
White Atelier which specialises in custom-made
wedding gowns and shoes.
Since then, she has been hustling through the
constant juggle of work, family, blogging and
everything in between. Despite her busy schedule,
she still manages to always look put together
and sophisticated; and the best part of it, down
to earth and kind to everyone who crosses paths
with her.
In the spirit of entering a brand new year, we were
more than fortunate to be able to sit down for a
chat with Nuffnang’s superwoman, Careen Tan,
to catch up on all her latest endeavours, while
getting some tips on how to ace 2018 like a
#GirlBoss!
To know more about Careen, you can follow her
on her blog here, her Instagram at
@careentxy or her Dayre (where she gets
personal!) here.
This feature is brought to you by
Emily Goh Yi En

6
1. LET’S START WITH THE MOST
CLICHÉ QUESTION. TELL US ABOUT
YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU DO.
Hi everyone! I’m Careen, and I’m first and
foremost a wife to my dear husband, Boon,
and mother to my son, Tyler who just turned
two! I’m also the founder of The White Atelier,
a bridal boutique that provides custom-made
bridal gowns and shoes to brides in Malaysia
and beyond. I’m also a blogger at www.
careentan.com, a blog that I’ve been keeping
for the past 14 years or so!
2. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS.
Ambitious, optimistic, and practical.
3. WHAT IS THE ONE TRAIT OF YOURS
THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF?
Okay, this is quite tough as I haven’t actually
thought much about it before. I think one
thing that has been pretty consistent for
me all these years is that I’m not afraid of
working hard. This started way back in my
high school and uni days where I would work
multiple part-time/freelance jobs to earn
pocket money to support my expenses, and
also to be able to contribute to my family’s
finances. Coming from a large family (I have
6 other sisters!) has shaped me into always
thinking of ways I could help my family live
a more comfortable life. Whenever I got the
opportunity to earn an extra buck, I would
jump on it no matter how tired or busy I was.
This has continued on to my adult life
where I would always think of ways that I
can make my days productive. I don’t like
to waste time, so I’m always finding ways
that I can squeeze in time to work, finish up
tasks and run errands. Even in my free time
before bed, I would squeeze in a few articles
from entrepreneur.com or inc.com to draw
some insight and inspiration before I call it
a day. I would feel extremely restless and
unproductive if I hadn’t done enough or learnt
something new in my day. So yes, I think that
is one of the traits that I’m pretty proud ofthat
I’m not afraid of hard work.

4. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE?
Spitting! Cannot stand anyone who spits
in public.
5. IF YOU CAN ONLY USE ONE WORD
TO DESCRIBE YOUR GOALS FOR 2018,
WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Growth.
Not just business-wise, but personal
development-wise, and also family-wise. *shy*
6. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 PRIORITIES
FOR 2018? WHY?
1. My relationship with God
2. Building a healthy family
3. Growing The White Atelier
These 3 have been top priorities for year 2017,
and will continue to be in year 2018, and I
believe also in the years to come!
Personally, I believe that everything I am and
have comes from God. Starting The White
Atelier this year has truly strengthened my
faith and trust in Him, because truly without
the open doors from Him, none of this would
have been possible. I owe all that I am and
have to God, really.
On family, I want to work on improving myself;
to be a better version of a wife, mother and
also as a daughter. I want to spend more
quality, uninterrupted time with my family,
raise Tyler well, be a supportive wife to Boon,
and be a loving daughter to my parents. My
family is my everything.
On business, I’m excited to bring new things
to the table for The White Atelier, and see what
the year brings for us! Will do all that I can to
grow and build this business. It is my dream
come true to be able to dress brides for their
once-in-a-lifetime wedding, and I cannot be
more grateful.
7. CAN YOU SHARE A FEW OF YOUR
2018 RESOLUTIONS WITH US?
My 2017 resolution was “Do it, and do it well”,
to live a life with no excuses.
For 2018, my resolution will also be the same
as 2017- to do all that I do with excellence, and
to live life without making excuses for myself.
That’s for the big picture! For micro
resolutions, I aim to sleep and wake up earlier,
be more organised and tidy *shy*, and exercise
more!

8. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, DO SHARE
SOME TIPS ON HOW YOU PLAN TO
STICK TO YOUR 2018 RESOLUTIONS,
WHILE JUGGLING ALL YOUR TOP
PRIORITIES?
One thing I’ve learned from the many years
of making lists upon lists of New Year’s
resolutions is that they don’t work for me.
Detailed lists of resolutions may work for
some, but I’ve come to realise that I get
overwhelmed by the list a few months
down the road, and when I reach the midyear,
I totally lose my list and forget what I
set out to achieve in the first place- simply
because there were waaay too many of them!
#overlyambitious
So for 2017, I decided to forget the list, and
just work on what I want to achieve as a
whole. This was how I came up with my “Do it,
and do it well” motto, which pretty much sums
up what and who I want to be.
Talent Feature Photos
shot by Susan Yong

TIP #1: FIND OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR
YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE
One of the things that would really help you
achieve your New Year’s resolutions is to find
out what works best for you. Perhaps it is not
because you’re not good at keeping your New
Year’s resolutions, but simply because the long
list just doesn’t work for you.
Explore and find out what works best for your
personality type, and stick to it!
TIP #2: COMMIT TO YOUR RESOLUTIONS!
One of the reasons why I failed to keep to
my New Year’s resolutions was because I
forgot where I put them after a while. Life got
busy after a few months, and when I finally
remembered the list, I had already forgotten
where I’d placed it!
Out of sight, out of mind. This applies
especially true to New Year’s resolutions. So
if you’re creating a list, print it out and have
it stuck somewhere in your bedroom, study
or office in plain sight. Then each time you
go home or head into the office, you’d be
reminded of them.
Or if you’re ditching the list and opting for a
motto instead (like mine!), make it as simple
and easy to remember as possible, and write it
somewhere. Make it your desktop background,
print it and frame it up, or put it as your
Instagram bio (like mine! Hahaha).
TIP #3: REFLECT & REVIEW
Take time to pause and look back at your year,
and see how you’re faring with your New Year’s
resolutions so far. If you haven’t done much
yet, remind yourself of your goals and keep
working on them! If you’ve made progress, it’ll
serve as great encouragement for you to keep
moving forward and do better!
Reflecting and reviewing your resolutions
every quarterly helps you stay on track.
Doing so only in the last few months of the
year might leave you without enough time to
pick things up, which may leave you feeling
defeated about your year in general- not a
good way to end the year!
Reviewing your year every now and then
helps you see how you’re faring, and whether
or not you’ve been living your life according
to what you set out to achieve. Constantly
taking a pause to reflect and review your life
is important, so that you can make sure that
you’re on the right track!
THANK YOU, CRUNCH,
FOR HAVING ME IN THIS ISSUE!
HERE’S TO A WONDERFUL AND FRUITFUL
2018 FOR EVERYONE!

Photo Credits to our Bloggerati
@bobostephanie
“Lose weight”, “eat healthily”,
“exercise more” … Ah, aren’t
we familiar with most of these
come New Year’s Day? With
resolutions rolling out like
crazy, it’s only natural to get
caught up in the hype.
But if you look closely, you’ll
notice more specific healthrelated
resolutions, one of
the most prominent being the
desire to develop abs. Not that
many manage to achieve this,
and it’s not because they didn’t
put any effort in their training
(although many fall out of it
not long after starting!).
So why does this happen?
You’d be surprised to hear
that it’s because of their diet.
Who knew that food could
play such a major role in abbuilding?
Let’s take a look at what it
takes to have the perfect diet.
NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL
THE DO’S & DONT’S
TO GETTING
TONED ABS

DO EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN
It’s going to be a bit tough to build muscle if you
exclude protein from your diet. This is because
protein helps you to not only build muscle, but
to burn fat as well. How does it do this, exactly?
It does this by making your body work harder; a
ton of calories is burned just to break down this
incredible macronutrient!
If that doesn’t sound like a winner in your book, I
don’t know what does.
DO COOK YOUR OWN MEALS
The reason behind this is simple: you can’t
control what goes into your meals if someone
else prepares it for you. This is especially true if
you’re the type of person to eat out.
While this does not necessarily mean you have
to avoid eating out forever, it can’t be all of your
meals. If you’re not a cook, you can start small.
Pack lunch for a couple of days a week- you’d be
surprised by the difference this can make.
EAT CARBS AFTER YOUR WORKOUT
Forget the bad rep carbs have gotten from the
press. Yes, you’d definitely gain weight if you
eat too much of anything, but carbs have been
treated unfairly in this particular aspect. Fact of
the matter is, natural grain or starchy carbs such
as brown rice and oatmeal are actually important
in building abs- and this is even more so true
when they’re eaten post-workout.
Not convinced? Carbs have the smallest chance
of turning into body fat when you eat them after
working out.
DON’T AVOID HEALTHY FATS
This might sound crazy, but you should
include fats in your diet. And when I say this,
I mean healthy fats. These are mainly from
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in
food items such as
raw nuts, fish oils and olive oils.
By eating the right amount of lean protein, good
carbs and healthy fats, you’ll soon develop
a metabolism that is able to burn fat more
effectively.
DON’T IGNORE YOUR DIET
As tempting as it might be to take the “easy”
way out by skipping out on meals to lose weight,
this is actually counterproductive. Not only will
you have less energy to perform the necessary
workouts, your body will also be unable to
effectively build the muscles you so desperately
crave.
How can it, when it is deprived of the nutrients it
needs? So pile on that lean protein- you need it.
DON’T PUSH YOURSELF
If you find that your current diet plan isn’t working
out for you, don’t push yourself. It isn’t that easy
to determine exactly how much of anything a
person should consume, which is precisely why
there should be some flexibility in your diet. This
doesn’t mean that you should take this as an
excuse to replace your brown rice with fast food,
it is just that everyone’s body is different.
So if something isn’t working out for you, it might
be wiser to lessen, increase or replace the item
entirely with another healthy alternative.
There you have it! Six easy tips to bear in mind,
and you don’t even have to starve yourself to get
results. Just eat healthy and workout, my friends,
and your efforts will bear fruit.
This special feature is written by
Melissa Kartini Ariffin Ong
11

TREND REPORT
THE PSYCHOLOGY
OF SOCIAL MEDIA
The following
Trend Report is written
by Samantha Keo
12

The oxytocin in our brains on the other hand, is
the “cuddle chemical” that is responsible for the
feeling of trust in social media users. Did you
know that 43% of Facebook users are more likely
than other internet users to feel that people can
be trusted?
Photo Credits to our Churp
Churp Alpha @prestonles
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Is this situation familiar to you? You go to work
and spend 8 hours on a laptop, go home, kick off
your shoes, take a shower and then face another
device yet again. In our fast-paced and quickchanging
times, it is almost impossible to detox
from social media. We always need to keep up
with the why, the what and the how of the day or
the week. Why do we do that?
When we think about the likes, the shares and
the comments on pictures, they might come
off as inconsequential but they actually matter.
WHY? Because they are every element that
make us human- they spell our addictions, our
desires, our anxiety and our joy. All put together,
they are essentially made up of two very basic
neurochemicals in our brains, namely dopamine
and oxytocin.
Dopamine creates the “WANT” reflex; desires
which seek unpredictability and reward cues in
us. Research actually found that people found
it harder to resist tweeting than smoking! WOW.
UPDATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
So why do people update their social media about
themselves so very often?
One of the more prominent ways we portray
ourselves is through things and they have to
signify who we are. That would then create the
intensity of how some people would feel for their
favourite brands. Some research done in the past
found that social media users have the same
amount of psychological arousal to logos shown
to them as to when they were shown a picture of
a loved one or best friend.
IF YOU LIKE TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF,
WHY SHARE A BRAND?
Many of us are unaware that we are hardwired
to pass information around. Did you also know
that 68% of people share the brands and things
they love with people around them because it
helps others perceive them and what they care
for better? People share with others because
they want to self-define, have self-fulfillment and
to share the “causes”that they believe in. Hence,
when creating content on social media about a
product, it doesn’t have to cater to the masses
but only to specific people.
While it is quite normal that your brand(s) would
want product awareness to reach the masses, try
consider targeting a certain age group, gender or
even race that you would want to reach. Doing so
will allow for the correct audience to react to your
brand presence instead of an audience that your
product does not cater to.
13

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO
YOUR ADVANTAGE
There is just so much happening online. What
should you keep track of?
1. Comments
Comments are an important and powerful
assessment of the credibility of a product..
Comments are also known as a “shared reality”
as consumers shared how reading another’s
response would help them understand their
thought processes.
Your brand might have a few positive and
negative comments from users and these can’t
be controlled. So try considering that while
negative comments do exist, they have already
created interactions and talk about the product(s)
you are offering!
One key takeaway for you and your brand is that
you have now created a platform for discussion
among your users that you can use for your
benefit - product improvement!
2. Selfies
Selfies are the “in thing” right now and rightly so.
“Why?” you may wonder. It is because humans
in general pay attention to a person’s facial
features more than anything else in a picture.
When a picture has someone’s face in it, it is 38%
more likely to receive likes and 32% more likely to
receive comments.
If you want to focus on brand advocacy, then a
selfie or a photo with both a person
(the influencer) and the product would work
best. However, it is recommended to avoid “in
your face” hard sell product placement that is
off tangent to the influencer’s organic content,
otherwise it might have a negative response
instead.
3. Nostalgia
Nostalgia is a universal feeling that we all
can relate to. When people think about a past
experience or a good time they had, they are more
willing to spend on products that represent that
time frame of their life.
How can you use this to your advantage? Try
selling your product with a throwback post about
how it was used during a significant time of
an influencer’s life and how that would make it
best for future use. Another way nostalgia plays
an important role can be through touching on
experiences that your target market might share
with someone they look up to, e.g., influencers. An
experience from childhood times, a community
event or even a personal life experience.
4. Colour Usage
Are you one of those marketers who fancy
adding just about any colour to your ads? Maybe
you’ll reconsider this as many consumers make
decisions based on the colours portrayed alone.
A brand should pick colours that support the
personality they want to portray through their
products.
Some colour pairings for your consideration:
blue, to represent calmness and innocence; mint
green, to give the feeling of freshness; and red, to
reinforce boldness.
14

Photo Credits to our Nuffie
@nicolevalerietan
5. Emotional Triggers
There are just so many tricks used as
conversation starters when a conversation takes
place face-to-face, so why not through an ad
as well? Brands can consider using humour in
comment replies, photos and video captions.
Humour shows enthusiasm that brands put into
their products and has been shown to drive social
media engagement as it appears to be more
engaging as well.
Take for example Wendy’s Twitter account that
replies to countless customers’ tweets with so
much humour that it often goes viral! A small
gesture goes a long way, so next time you see a
fan’s tag, take notice and put aside time to reply.
Whether you are a client, an influencer doing
branded content, or even just participants of the
social media community, you are always an active
participant instead of a silent listener, so make it
count.
If you need any help in creating ideas for your
campaigns for the new year, you can reach out
to us at adminmy@nuffnang.com and we will be
more than happy to advise you!
15

16
Photo Credits to our community
member @charliecmh

A PIECE OF COMMUNITY
NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS
As we embark into a brand new year, it is a given, almost an annual tradition, to
strike up some positive commitments for a better self. We at Nuffnang are big
believers of creating New Year’s resolutions too. Though some might have a hard
time to see them through, but still, in the spirit of the New Year, we do it anyway.
So let us hear some 2018 resolutions from our amazing Nuffnang community.
TRINA POON
Be a better person. I
believe that becoming a
better person shouldn’t
be just about making
changes; it involves
growth with past
experiences as lessons
too! The most I want is to
spend more time with my
family in 2018!
Instagram Blog
FIEZA SANI
I want to be more creative,
innovative and to further
expand my network.
Instagram Blog
COMEL AZHAR
In 2018, I hope I can be
more energetic and be
a hardworking mom. Be
positive and earn more
money for my son Azriel.
To maintain my beauty
lifestyle routine and do
whatever I want to do with
no regrets.
Instagram Blog
RANE CHIN
I wish to start my own
business that will benefit
and inspire women
everywhere.
Instagram Blog
This piece is compiled
by Afreeda Nawawi
17

JOI LYNN
In 2018, I hope I can travel
and explore the world. I
also want to gain more
confidence. May 2018 be a
good year for me, you and
everyone!
Instagram Blog
PARIZAN BT MOHD ZAIN
In the year 2018, I wanna
go on more adventures, be
surrounded by good vibes,
connect with more people,
and learn new things to
grow. I want to be happier
with my family too.
Instagram Blog
ASTHER YINN
For 2018, I want to be
more adventurous, take a
solo trip and learn a new
language.
Instagram Blog
LAU SIN YEE
I want to successfully
launch my business,
create firm content on
social media, start my blog
network again, explore
and travel more, go to bed
early and lose weight.
WENDY PUA
My New Year’s resolution
is to stay healthy by
exercising at least twice a
week, and spending more
precious time with friends
and family.
Instagram Blog
Instagram
SITI ASRAH RAHMAN
In 2018, I hope to be kinder
to myself, save more,
eat fewer calories, be
more grateful, set aside
an hour a day to achieve
my dreams, travel more,
enjoy the little things,
lose weight and become
more confident; because
confident people are
happier, more relaxed,
more likely to take
chances, and more likely
to succeed.
Instagram Blog
CHRIS CHAN
My 2018 resolution is that
I wish my career will be
successful and I can earn
more money. To travel
around the world, to meet
more people and explore
more about their culture
and lifestyle.
Instagram
18

WANT YOUR WORK
FEATURED ON
?
We are currently looking for quality images to be
inserted in our future issues. If you are interested, do
send us your portfolio at adminmy@nuffnang.com.
If we see it to be fit, we will be in contact with you.
You will have your work credited on our magazine
which will reach a potential readership of more than
200,000 readers.
What are you waiting for? Write to us now!

Photo Credits to our community
member @charliecmh

TO MALAYSIA, WITH LOVE
ARE WE REALLY
AS KIND AS WE
SAY WE ARE?
Meet any proud Malaysian or visiting pinkcheeked
tourist, and you’d be assailed by a
dozen and one proclamations of how kind and
hospitable Malaysians are.
The question is, though, is this really the case?
Certainly, we Malaysians have our own worries,
most of which have to do with putting food on
the table for our families- but is the situation so
dire that we cannot spare a single RM5 for the
underprivileged?
This is something that I noticed over the years,
and I was made all the more acutely aware of it
during my time studying in Australia.
There, if there is a charitable cause that needs
the aid of the public, everyone would know of it.
Large banners, posters, advertisements and the
like- it is near impossible to be oblivious to it all.
It is almost as though they are boldly screaming
for everyone’s attention. Here, however, it is just
about the direct opposite phenomenon.
Charity events tend to fly under the radar, and this
in turn does not bode well for the organisers and
the people they are fighting for. Our exposure to
such attempts are spotty at best.
This lack of presence has always been niggling
at the back of my mind, a sense of discomfort
for being ignorant to the silent cries of help that
could be out there.
It was only when I started attending charity
events that this feeling returned full force,
exacerbated.
One of the most recent I attended was the
Empire Back to School Project 2017; a cause that
aspired to provide school supplies to orphans and
children from poor families.
I had looked around at the time, experiencing a
mix of small, selfish happiness for having helped
someone else, and more overwhelmingly, sadness
that these children needed our help at all. Yet
the plight of the underprivileged is not the only
reason such events have a melancholic note to
them.
Photo Credits to our Nuffie
@whatisaiahsaw

The other is that more often than not, such events
lack volunteers or donations or worse, both.
And behind the bright, encouraging smiles that
members of NGOs don during for the benefit of
everyone else, there rests a constant struggle
with trying to make ends meet. Obtaining
sufficient funds is a formidable task, and they’ve
faced rejections left, right and center in their
quest for the greater good.
Some might even say that out of all those fighting
for causes that they believe in, they are the most
jaded.
They have watched their wards get thoroughly
rejected for apparently being lesser beings than
everyone else. They have had to regrettably leave
out some of the underprivileged from receiving
donations- simply because there wasn’t enough
money to go around. They have even seen what
supposed “parents” have done to their own
children, and vice versa.
The list goes on, and yet charitable attitude has
yet to completely permeate our society.
That is not to say that we Malaysians are coldhearted.
Far from it! But we do need to work on
our empathy, and remember that people other
than our family and friends do exist.
Just how often have we heard during the month
of December that Christmas is the time to give?
It’s a nice message, and I’m certain that many
of us sincerely do wish others well- but just how
much of that is lip service?
There cannot just be kind thoughts and well
wishes. There needs to be action as well. After all,
action speaks louder than words.
So I ask again, as the New Year approaches with
the promise of a new beginning and onslaught of
well-meaning resolutions, are we really as kind as
we say we are?
BEHIND THE COLUMN
To Malaysia, with Love is brought to you by
our very own Digital Content Writer, Melissa Kartini.
When not occupied with her multitude of interests,
she tries to partake in as many charity work and events
as possible. She is also currently involved in a positive
thought-sharing project that hopes to make people
more aware of social issues that exist in the world.
Photo Credits to our Bloggerati
@kimberzilla

Are you ready to
take on the adventures
that 2018 will bring?
Photo Credits to our community
member @charliecmh

TALENT SCOUT
INFLUENCERS
UNDER YOUR
MARKETING RADAR
24
DID YOU KNOW?
The influencer industry has
grown tremendously over the
past several years because of
how accessible it is. After all,
basically anybody can be a
social media influencer today.
All you need is a phone, snap
some Instagram-worthy photos,
VSCO/Snapseed it, post it on
your social media platforms and
BAM, there you go!
But how do we know who are
the ones who can actually make
an impact on their followers?
Which is why we bring to you
a selection of OG influencers,
together with a few up-andcoming
ones, that you should
keep an eye on!
For more information about
influencer marketing, give us a
call at 603-26948828 or mail
us at adminmy@nuffnang.com
This article is compiled
by Jason Lee
BoboStephanie
Is your New Year’s resolution to get a flat tummy or a six-pack? No
worries, we got you! Bobo is one of our most highly sought-after
influencers when it comes to #bodygoals. She occasionally makes
Youtube videos about her travelling adventures as well, so go ahead
and have a gander if you’re curious.
POTENTIAL FOR:
Fitness items, travel items, swimwear, skin care & makeup products
See more of Bobo
Photo by Bobo

KY Speaks
KY is one of the OGs in the food blogging
industry. He has been exploring almost all the
food places in Malaysia for over a decade. So if
you’re looking for some of the best hawker food
or high-end restaurant cuisine in town, then you
know who you should look for. To add on to the
appeal, he also shares his travelling experience
on his blog!
POTENTIAL FOR:
Food products & travel items
See more of KYSpeaks
Photo by KYSpeaks
Anni Tai
If you’re a huge fan of calligraphy, floral painting,
lettering, embroidery and just about anything
creative, you should definitely check her out!
Your eyes will be glued to her feed as it is full of
colourful and creative pieces of art. And if you’re
interested in learning from the sifu herself? Then
you are in a treat because she offers workshops
at Annitaistudio.
POTENTIAL FOR:
Coffee, food products and creative artwork
See more of Anni
Photo by Anni

NUFFIES CORNER
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH:
JOANNE CHEN
She may look like your typical working parent but there is a lot more to her than meets the eye.
Joanne Chen is a woman who knows what she wants. Graduated with an Accounting and
Finance major, she knew after a year of working as a Tax Consultant that she didn’t want to
stay in the industry. She then stumbled onto an opportunity that led her into the advertising
industry and that was the start of many things for Joanne.
From spending two decades in the advertising and media industry to now the Chief Operating
Officer of Netccentric, this amazing woman is definitely living her life to the fullest.
For this issue, we managed to grab a quick cup of tea with Joanne and have her chat with us
for an exclusive Crunch interview about career, family, K-pop and everything
in between.
It may sound a bit cliché, but I believe that
you need to self-motivate. Don’t rely on
someone else for your happiness and
self-worth. You are as happy as you make
your mind up to be.
26
This interview is brought
to you by Susan Yong

Photo taken by
Susan Yong
27

Coffee or tea?
Depends, but I’d go for tea if I have to choose one.
Pancake or waffle?
Waffle.
Hiking or surfing?
Surfing… the internet! *giggles*
Ryan Gosling or Ryan Reynolds?
Ryan Reynolds. Actually, I cannot recall how Ryan
Gosling looks like.
Favourite place to hide-out?
My bathroom. That’s where I get my me time
away from my kids.
You’re a new addition to a crayon box. What
colour would you be and why?
Orange! It’s bright like the Sun and I like to believe
that it represents my personality.
What makes you smile?
A lot of things. My kids, of course. That goes
without saying. You know, after a hard day’s work
when you get back home and look at them and all
the problems in the world seem to disappear… at
least momentarily. Then there are the other boys,
the ones in my Korean dramas and K-pop.
28
Photo Credit to our Nuffie
@joannechen

How did you get into the whole K-pop scene?
In 2012, a friend asked me to vote for her
daughter who took part in an online singing
competition. She was covering a song named
“Blue” by Big Bang. That time, Big Bang had
already been around for 5+ years. I knew of them,
but had never listened to any of their songs until
I heard “Blue”. I thought it had a catchy tune
and started listening to their other songs. Then
I found out that Big Bang was coming to KL for
their Alive World Tour and decided to go with
some friends from work who were huge fans. I
had to do a crash course watching their MVs to
know who the band members are and how they
look like. It was my first major K-pop concert and
since then, there is no turning back.
I am more of a Big Bang fan than a K-pop fan and
I think I have seen Big Bang perform live about 25
times in the last 5 years.
What inspires you?
Personal stories inspire me the most. Like
how Jack Ma overcame his failures to become
the successful man he is now and how Sheryl
Sandberg got back on her feet after her husband’s
passing.
Being a mother and one of the most influential
people in the company, how do you make it work?
I am very fortunate to have a strong support
system, within my family and at work. My
husband is a very hands-on father and has a
more flexible work schedule. And I have both
sides of the family – my parents and my in-laws
– who are ever willing to help with my children so
I get to focus on my work, knowing that my boys
are well taken care of. I also have a supportive
superior who allows me the flexibility to attend to
family matters when needed.
Who’s your partner in crime at work? Why?
If I have to pick only one, it would have to be
Desmond (Netccentric’s CEO). We both worked
for many years together before Netccentric
and we know each other’s strengths and way of
working. We also achieved many milestones and
positive results together in our previous roles. So
coming here (Netccentric), it is very key that we
bring that same positive impact to the company.
What do you look forward to most in the year of
2018?
Nothing to look forward to, because Big Bang is
going for military service. *jokes* On a serious
note, I am excited that we will be launching a new
product that we have been working on for a while
now; it will be the first of its kind technology
solution for social media. So stay tuned and
watch this space! On a personal front, I look
forward to spending more quality time with my
boys because they are growing up really fast.
Also, hopefully getting to travel to at least one
new country that I have not been to before and
perhaps one last Big Bang concert before they
enlist.
Photo Credit to our Nuffie
@jjialoonow
29

THE CRUNCH TEAM
Photo Credit to Nuffie
@whatisaiahsaw
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Emily Goh Yi En
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Leanne Saw
COPY EDITOR &
PROOFREADER
Melissa Kartini Ariffin Ong
TECH COORDINATOR
Rebecca Kiew
FEATURE WRITERS
Careen Tan
Samantha Keo
Afreeda Nawawi
Jason Lee
Susan Yong
FEATURE
PHOTOGRAPHER
Susan Yong
Photo Credits to our Nuffie
@susanyg94

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