If my career detour from special education to singing has done one thing, it has afforded me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.

I got rid of my glasses and they changed my hair. That's really all they did. They went shopping for me, so the clothes are different too. It wasn't like Extreme Makeover where I got a nose job or anything.

I'd hate to have a job where I had to be rude to people.

I had a Spanish teacher in high school. I rarely got in trouble in her room because I felt I was disappointing her if I got a bad grade. That had more power over me than teachers who told me I talked too much. That level of respect I had for her made me not want to fail for her.

I have a tendency to sabotage relationships; I have a tendency to sabotage everything. Fear of success, fear of failure, fear of being afraid. Useless, good-for-nothing thoughts.

One of my first jobs was as a recipe tester for a PR agency. One week, the editor of 'Housewife' magazine called my boss and asked me to write a column - the cookery editor had gone away on a press trip. I was terrified.

I truly believe our work is an extension of who we are, and I constantly strive to push myself and my teams.

As Asia's rising powers seek to sustain growth and ensure stability, energy security has moved to the forefront of Asian geopolitics.