Hi all,

Not sure this is the appropriate section, but after having lengthy discussions with friends and family over the weekend, I am curious to hear others' opinions and would like to pick everyone's brain on the following:

Do you have any role model? Who is/are he/she/they?

I have two, which I strive to emulate every day, and if I can get even a tiny bit close to who they are and what they have accomplished, I'd be really a happy person. (Dsclaimer: the views below are strictly my personal opinions, in no way I mean to "convince" others or say that everyone should behave like that).

One is my mom, the best businesswoman I have ever known. She is now retired, but used to be the CEO of the foreign operations side of her former employer, a big electronic components company. Extremely hard worker, rarely intimidated, capable of dealing with all kinds of tough cookies in multiple languages and countries, intelligent, able to conjugate the toughness of a cold-minded deal maker with her sensitivity. She told me several times that, although some people have often been intimidated by her being a career woman, her personal view is that the fact that she is a woman and her way of doing business has helped her enormously to bring a certain sensitivity and perspective into the workplace. She has given me some of the best career advice I have ever received, such as "We are strong women, we never give up".

The other is my grandmother. A passionate homemaker, who went through the war and was widowed at an early age, who raised her family and our family, the head of our household for many years. Someone who taught me how to properly keep a house by just watching her and learning along, an accomplished cook and resourceful mediator, the person everone went to and looked up to as an example. She has given me some of the best personal life advice I have ever received, such as "I don't care what you do or how much you earn, you clean yourself up and put a nice dinner on the table for your family at night."

Perhaps it's impossible to do it all at the same time (maybe one at a time is more feasible), but as I said, if I can get even a bit close to the example of these important women in my life, I'll be in heaven.

Who are your role models? Have a wonderful week.

Spike Milligan and the Dalai Lama. That way I could be happy all day long where the cows go bong.

(If I was a babe, it would be 7 of 9 from Star Trek, I would also not get any work done and would simply admire my awesome breasts all day long. )

If I were my Son or Daughter, it would be my Dad, as he has had loads of fun and no regrets.

Seriously.

My grandfather