In honour of International Women’s Day, Sevenpie has reached out to females that are out to support one another and to make a difference in the society.
From self-love, to maintaining friendships in a world of present-day media that is often fabricated. Both influential and beautiful, these Malaysian influencers are out to inspire women and give them tips on how to thrive and strive.
Today, we’ve got Adele Chow and Tziaaa! You may know them on social media or as the curators of talent and the forces behind Sevenvault! Both women have been in the social media game for years, and under the scrutiny of the public-eye, they’ve still managed to stay strong for 13 YEARS!!! Proving to everyone that meaningful friendships of quality in an age of materialism can still prevail.
1. You guys have been best friends for 13 years now, mind sharing with us how and when both of you came to meet and what were your first impressions of each other?
T: We met at the age of 16, I was working part-time, at a store when she approached me and mispronounced my name by calling me “Tee-ziaa” and I also mispronounced her name as “Adeley”. It was a bit of a funnily-awkward situation. As for first impressions, I don’t really recall, as it was such a long time ago.
A: We first knew of each other’s existence through Friendster, back in the days that was what a lot of us were using. I’d say we started off as “online friends”, as we would chat here and there. Then I coincidentally found her at Sunway, working at a Mickey Store and decided to approach her. I don’t quite remember what my first impression of her was, but I just remembered thinking “Wow.”
2. You guys deemed yourselves as “#AnnoyingBFFs” on social media, is there a reason or an inside joke as to why you call each other that?
T: There is inside joke, really. She is just plain annoying, and I mean it in the most endearing way possible! Adele is my friend for life and I believe that we “bother” each other in a healthy way, but it’s usually never anything serious. You can’t talk life so seriously all the time.
A: We dubbed ourselves as #AnnoyingBFF because if your best friend doesn’t annoy you, is she really your best friend? I’ve known Tzia for such a long time, I almost consider her as a second sibling. And having siblings, as we all know, annoying each other is a way we show our love for each other.
3. In the spirit of annoyance, what would you say is your most annoying trait about your best friend?
T: There is no denying that Adele is the quintessence of ambition, I believe that when she sets a goal, nothing can ever stop her. But the one thing I know she’ll never persistent on, is dieting. She loves her food too much! I’ve even offered to go to the gym with her. The way to Adele’s heart is through her stomach 🙂
A: The one thing that I find annoying about Tzia, is that she is always constantly forgetting things. She misplaces things and will come to me as if I could conjure a spell to summon her objects, sometimes she forgets to bring out cash too!
4. As people grow and change, so does the dynamic between 2 individuals. Being friends for 13 years is no easy feat. How did you guys manage to be each other’s ‘cheerleader’ throughout different phases of your life (high-school, marriage, etc.)? If so, what’s the secret to it?
T: Throughout our friendship, I would say that we really make an effort to be there for each other. I speak for a lot of people who have been in friendships that last, you practice tolerance and acceptance along the way, and in turn, you become more understanding and you’re able to be a better friend. I believe the secret to it, is to always encourage each other to strive and improve to be better, don’t stagnate yourselves for too long.
A: I do believe that as you grow older, different sets of challenges will arise and it is set out to test the core fundamentals of your life, and friendships are definitely no exceptions. Tzia and I are constantly challenging each other and pushing each other, and we’ve done that since our schooling days. We would camp-out at McDonald’s and study for hours, tutoring each other on our weak-spots, for hours on end. In my opinion, the challenging is what worked and blossomed our friendship, hence, I think that’s the secret to our friendship; challenging each other to be better.
5. Through all of your personal obstacles and witnessing each other at your highs and lows, what do you think has remained the same throughout your friendship?
T: I’d say the constant pestering and annoying each other, it makes us look and feel like an old couple, but I think over the years, it becomes almost like a blanket of reassurance that although we’ve grown and changed, we’ll always be the duo of polar-opposites that somehow got along.
A: Our dynamic in personalities has remained the same. We are complete opposites, I am a lot bubblier and outspoken. Whereas, Tzia is more of an introvert and has a cool, calm and collected vibe. I think both Tzia and I can agree on this, is that it all falls back to being there for each other, and putting in the effort to be there. We’ve really been there for each other so much that, the changes didn’t make a big change to us, as friends.
6. Having disagreements/arguments in a friendship is nothing out of the ordinary. How do you guys handle conflicts and grow from it?
T: I’d say face it and confront it, head-on. The longer you leave it to fester, it could turn to resentment and it causes unnecessary complications.
A: It’s normal for friends to get into arguments/disagreements, but I think the only choice is to face it, whatever approach works for two parties as long as you’re honest with each other. People tend to walk away or get scared to confront the person, so they brush it off, but a person can only take so much before they say/do something they regret.
7. There is a stigma that friends should not work together, do you believe that to be true, and why?
T: No, because I feel that a friendship can only truly grow together when you have experienced the person in every aspect, that includes working. In every aspect, there is always a challenge. And without challenges, there would be nothing to work on.
A: I don’t believe it’s true, because yes a stigma exists as working with someone you know can potentially get emotions in the mix of executing a task. But I feel that it’s all on perspective, if you take it as a challenge and an opportunity to grow in the friendship, then I believe you can rise to the occasion. If it’s the latter, then it will be more difficult to overcome. A challenge can either consume you or better you as a person, in this case, a friendship.
8. Would you say that because both of you are involved in the e-commerce/content marketing industry that it makes it easier to spend time with each other, despite work schedules?
T: Honestly, despite working together and being in the same office, we don’t get to spend a lot of time together. We may sit right across each other and do our respective jobs like handling clients and scouting talents, but in my opinion, spending time together is more on the quality of time rather than the quantity of times we get to be in each other’s presence.
A: Being in the same industry does not mean we get to spend a lot of time together, as our jobs may vary. And I don’t think it has anything to do with the industry but more so that we understand the importance of consistency and execution that we strive for a balance of work and play, and we go out of our way to spend quality time when we can.
9. With media being a competitive industry, have you guys ever come across feelings of jealousy or self-inflicted pressure towards each other’s successes/opportunities?
T: From my point of view, we are different people. People tend to be jealous over her businesses and her successes and the friends that she has. People would normally ask me if I get jealous that Adele makes so many best friends, her bridesmaids pretty much took up two tables at her wedding, but I believe nobody can live off one person. I’ve personally never felt that way, because we know each other better than anyone else and that’s all that matters.
A: I would say that we are self-aware of our own strengths and weaknesses. Realistically, people will get jealous cause they compare. For example, I can understand people’s appeal to be jealous of Tzia due to her appearance and her status in the social media scene. Personally, I don’t think it’s conducive to place myself on that level because what we do, and how we choose to carry ourselves online is totally different.
10. As jealousy is one of the majority-rooted causes of many broken-friendships, what would you say is the healthiest way for friends to handle a situation like that?
T: I find jealousy to be an ugly emotion. Look at it this way, if you take your best friend as a sibling, would you want to compete with your own brother/sister to a point where there is animosity? In my opinion, if you grow together you’d want nothing more than to see each other succeed and be happy.
A: Don’t compare. I feel that it’s common for people, especially girls, to be jealous nowadays because they continuously compare themselves to an unrealistic scale. Unrealistic scale being, we compare ourselves to people at their best. What comes effortless to someone may take years to get to their best. And in the media where everything is fabricated, it’s so easy to forget.
11. Having been both a friend and colleague to each other, what is one thing that you admire most about your friend’s work ethics and personal values?
T: Adele’s work-ethic trait that I admire, is the ability to have a vision. She’s a natural-born leader, it’s one thing to lead because you can, but it’s another thing to use it to make a difference. And I think that Adele constantly works hard to make an impact in whatever she does. Personal value wise, Adele is a generous person. She puts other people’s wants and needs before hers. And I that is what’s so great about her, because despite her success she never lost the ability to give.
A: In terms of work ethic, Tzia has this ability to be on-point when she sets her mind to any task. And as for personal values I would say that Tzia is a person of love, it’s the one thing that she whole-heartedly pursues in life, and I have never met someone as motivated by love as she is.
12. What’s your opinion on friendships portrayed online by generation today, nowadays?
T: Friendships shouldn’t be betrayed by photos. If something is real, you won’t need to overcompensate by posting it out to the world. It shouldn’t be about how much friendship you can cram into one photo. I would get people coming up to me asking if Adele and I are still friends, just because we rarely post about each other. I just simply don’t feel the need to publicize our friendship.
A: I’m all for what Tzia has just said. I feel that the generation today forget the amount of effort that goes into building a friendship. And people get acquaintances and friends mixed up these days, people think that just because you meet up with someone frequently that you’re close friends, when it’s really not the case.
13. Do you think that the media has changed the standards and values in friendships? Has it ever pressured your bond together as friends?
T: I definitely believe that the standards have changed, as many influential celebrities set standards and younger kids who see it will feel the need to replicate that photo or experience after their idols. And no, I do not feel pressured whatsoever, I don’t feel the need to share something so personal and special to me, like my friendship, to the world.
A: The standards and value of friendships have definitely changed. People think that friendships should be represented a certain way to the public, to be real, like traveling to expensive getaways or even buying expensive gifts. There’s a constant need to live up to that image and I don’t think it’s a good one. Friendships aren’t about how much expensive experiences you can afford. As for the pressure, I’ve personally never felt it, as back in the days when social media was just starting out we only had Friendster or MySpace.
14. What are the some advises and words of wisdom that you can give to young females on making a friendship stand through the twists and turns of life?
T: Stick together and grow together. If one person is growing and the other person stays stagnant, the dynamic changes. Instead of getting jealous of each other, try to encourage and offer constructive criticism that can better your friend and your friendship.
A: Friends grow distant from each other because if one person is not growing, a sort of shift occurs within the friendship, and there will be different mind-sets and different methods to handling things. So I would have to agree with Tzia and say that you can choose to grow together or grow apart.
