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Winifred Lai: Quest for self-discovery

By Tramy Heung

When most people look for stable jobs, Winifred Lai turns away from the mainstream simply out of curi- osity about life.

Winifred, the former editor of Amoeba, has had many jobs.

But still, most of them have been media-related. She has been a media professional for over 10 years.

“I am a curious person. My sense of satisfaction fades after I have learnt enough. Then I switch to another job that I like.”

What she enjoys is always the process, rather than the outcome.

Curiosity and novelty drive her forward in her career.

Said she: “I believe everyone likes freshness, as I do. When you have not tried something before, you do not know the feeling of trying it. This gives you momentum.”

She helped found Amoeba, which is one of the most popular teenage magazines in Hong Kong.

Yet she left and sought another challenge.

Then she became the chief editor of izzue.com, a web site about fashion and culture. But she has already resigned now.

She also once joined the music industry and worked as a disc jockey.

Last year, she assumed the post of project director of better-than.com.

And last, but not least, she is a writer and a columnist. She published a book on teenage popular culture a few months ago.

As a media professional interested in teenage culture, Winifred said she only wants to share something with teenagers.

“I was the receiver of this legacy. Now, I hope it can be passed through generations.”

However, it is not a unilateral give and take, but a bilateral one.

“Communication is always mutual.

“I don’t want to sound so grand that I am the leader of a fashion magazine. Sometimes teenagers give good ideas to me, too.”

These facts suggest that Winifred aspires for continual challenges and novelty.

In fact, her challenging life started long time ago.

At 15, an age at which many teenagers have no vision, Winifred started sending articles to a few music magazines.

She wanted to become a columnist after she had read an article written by a boy.

“I thought that boy was just a little bit older than me and he wrote very well.”

The young Winifred was amazed by his eloquence.

After several issues, he became her role model.

After that, she kept on sending articles to editors even though they were largely rejected.

She said she believes in fate.

Yet, it was her efforts that paved the way for her career. Her effort is not confined to writing.

In many ways she prepares herself and strives to be well rounded.

She attended a lot of summer courses in design and advertising when she was a secondary student.

In school, she worked hard. She entered the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Hong Kong with a result of 3 A’s and 1 B in the Hong Kong Advanced Level of Examination.

Said she: “As one grows, his need changes. I am just trying to gratify my curiosity and changing needs.

“When I work in my present job, I love it very much. When I quit my present job, the following job must be my favourite.”

Hence, even though she has had a large variety of jobs, she still has not met one for which she has a special affection.

Her friends say Winifred is a demanding person.

Maybe she is just searching for her ideal lifestyle.

She is known for her stylish lifestyle, which is revealed in her fashion sense.

But it is not merely about style. She has her own philosophy behind it.

She said a brand name is unimportant. Even a name is unimportant.

“A lifestyle is not something superficial. Sometimes I would like to wear clothes of a certain brand name and eat something made by a certain restaurant or hotel.

“I like its spiritual meaning.”

She admits liking luxury.

Yet she has her own definition of luxury.

“Luxury to me means high quality. Working with people of good quality is a very nice experience. You appreciate their potential and feel excited.”

To her, when two people of good quality come together, there is synergy.

To keep searching for interesting jobs and seeking to work with high quality people — this is something more than curiosity.

In fact, she is initiated by an urge for self-discovery.

“A wonderful lifestyle is all about discovery.

“Sometimes the wonderful lifestyle we dream of is just something promoted by the media — big apartments, beautiful clothes and so on.

“Society is producing our ‘set-lifestyle’. You do not need to think about your lifestyle.

“But if we are never sceptical of ourselves; it is boring and meaningless.”

To make herself satisfied, as she has said, she must gratify her needs and interests.

Reading is probably one of her ways.

Reading is her major leisure activity.

On weekends, she likes spending the whole day reading newspapers and magazines.

Together with movies and Yoga, her weekends are fulfilling. She likes travelling too.

“My destinations may not be scenic spots, but their architecture, museums and even factories can all be insightful.”

With regard to her goals, she said she would like to contribute to the place she likes — Hong Kong, which she described as “a humane metropolis”.