When Mr Vince Yip's wife died at the age of 49 in January 2010 after a five-year battle with cancer, he berated God. "What sort of life plan do you have for me? You took away my father, and my mother when I was a child," said the 60-year-old, whose father left the family when he was born and whose mother died when he was 10. "And in my adult life, you took away my wife. What's my next big tragedy?" He struggled before surrendering to acceptance. "I now look at my life as though it's a stage.

I now look at my life as though it's a stage. I've been given a role and I have to play it out. It's time now for the next act. I choose to anticipate it with optimism," he says.

A former banking executive turned businessman, he now spends his time travelling and doing philanthropic work in different parts of Asia. A couple of years after his wife died, he sold off Gelatissimo to start anew. He did as she had suggested: travel and do charity, especially involving children. Although they did not have any of their own, he and his wife loved children.

Read the full article by Wong Kim Hoh about impact philanthropy on The Straits Times