A reader sends me a questionnaire in which he presents the profile of three world leaders who lived in the same period of history, and asks if it is possible to choose the best one using the following data:

Candidate A was associated with witchdoctors and often consulted astrologists. He had two mistresses. His wife was a Lesbian. He smoked a lot. He drank eight to ten martinis a day.

Candidate B never managed to hold down a job because of his arrogance. He slept the whole morning. He used opium at school, and was always considered a bad student. He drank a glass of brandy every morning.

Candidate C was decorated a hero. A vegetarian, he did not smoke. His discipline was exemplary. He occasionally drank a beer. He stayed with the same woman during his moments of glory and defeat.

And what was the answer?

A] Franklin Delano Roosevelt. B] Winston Churchill. C] Adolf Hitler.

So what then is leadership? The encyclopedia defines it as an individual’s capacity to motivate others to seek the same objective. The bookstores are full of texts on this theme, and the leaders are normally portrayed in brilliant colors, with enviable qualities and supreme ideals. The leader is to society as the “master” is to spirituality. This, however, is not absolutely true (in either case).

Our big problem, especially in a world that is growing more and more fundamentalist, is not allowing people in prominent positions to commit human mistakes. We are always in search of the perfect ruler. We are always looking for a pastor to guide and help us find our way. The truth is that the great revolutions and the progress made by humanity were brought about by people just like us – the only difference being that they had the courage to make a key decision at a crucial moment.

A long time ago, in my unconscious, I changed the word “leader” for the expression “warrior of light”. What is a warrior of light?

Warriors of light keep the spark in their eyes.

They are in the world, are part of other people’s lives, and began their journey without a rucksack and sandals. They are often cowards. They don’t always act right.

Warriors of light suffer over useless things, have some petty attitudes, and at times feel they are incapable of growing. They frequently believe they are unworthy of any blessing or miracle.

Warriors of light are not always sure what they are doing here. Often they stay up all night thinking that their lives have no meaning.

Every warrior of light has felt the fear of joining in battle. Every warrior of light has once lost faith in the future.

Every warrior of light has once trodden a path that was not his. Every warrior of light has once felt that he was not a warrior of light. Every warrior of light has once failed in his spiritual obligations.

That is what makes him a warrior of light; because he has been through all this and has not lost the hope of becoming better than he was.

That is why they are warriors of light. Because they make mistakes. Because they wonder. Because they look for a reason – and they will certainly find one.

Tell me how much do you think this top costs? Come on, come on, decide on a number! =)This top is originally a square scarf, you can judge from the light chiffon fabric and the pink floral prints iconic of scarves. My mother and I have transformed this piece of scarf into a flirtatious hanky hem top.

I wish I can say this came from a sudden hit of beautiful inspiration but actually I came up with the idea of this top after looking at runway shows and fashion magazines. What my mum did was she cut a hole in the middle of the cloth as apparent. Remember to measure the circumference of your head before you cut the cloth to ensure that your head can slip through comfortably. If your scarf material is thicker than mine, you can sew in a button at the back of the neckline so that you don't have to cut a wide U-shaped neck like mine. Don't try an off-shoulder style with this because it'll look too flirtatious as the scarf itself is see-through. Remember that being adequately modest is part of being stylish.

Mark out where you want the sleeves to be. Remember to take into consideration the width of your body. Sew vertically downwards from the armpit marking to the end of the cloth. Sew in the lining of the neckline and voila you're done! =D Haha. Wear this with a spaghetti strap underneath or a tank top, whatever that suits. It's best to wear this with plain, dark colours or white colour to bring out the floral prints. But again, it depends on what design your scarf is. Colour doesn't really matter if you cover it under silk scarves, but please wear something inside because the sleeves are wide and if you raise your arms high enough people can actually look in! =(

My mum and I finished this in like half a day, partly due to her expertise. Without her help I'll probably take ages. Retail shops sell such designs for up to $100 when in fact you can make it for yourself with a square scarf and a few stitches through the sewing machine. So why splurge? Haha.

My mum is teaching me how to sew and make clothing and this is my first mini-project with her. She did most of the work like cutting, fitting and stitching. I basically came up with the idea, observed and I ran the cloth through the sewing machine. No large accidents like broken needles or torn cloth, luckily! Haha. My first time sewing with the machine and my stitches are terribly unstable. I laughed over my baby stitches with my mum. It looks like a toddler trying to run on the cloth. Haha. She said it's not bad for my first try, at least I didn't ruin her machine and mentioned it was a challenge to sew a cloth that thin. So yay I'm happy! And I love love love this top. My mom has such a good eye for fabrics! This top is suitable for day and night. I can go to parties or just hang out in this. I swear the fabric floats and it's so graceful, but I don't want to post a photo of myself wearing it. Ok so here's the answer to the above question, it only costs 4 bucks!!!! But it looks like a million dollars! Haha. My mum bought the scarf in Indonesia for Rp 24,000 equivalent of about S$4, and with a few simple stitches, this is what $4 worth looks like! It's a good save-money idea during this financial crisis =D

Not ideal to wear while shopping because I don't want to tug at it or it might tear. Be gentle with fragile clothes. Ah, I believe I did the fabric justice! So I didn't destroy the scarf for nothing =D Scarves are really versatile and this is one way you can transform a scarf. If you have a triangular, fringed shawl/scarf, try wearing it as a wrap skirt over a pair of jeans or on its own if it's really long. With the right colour and design, you might actually look as if you're wearing a cowboy skirt ala Hermes!