Life Lessons

Jeanne confesses to a weakness for white shirts “in all styles.” “Preferably in 100% cotton or silk. They’re cooler in our humid climate, although trying to avoid getting laksa and spaghetti sauce spots on them is a nightmare.” Jeanne’s currently working in communications, but if she could, she’d like to try her hand at writing. “Books and films have had profound effects on me in my early life, so I would love to be a fiction writer, or maybe a script writer for movies. I think I’d still have that chance in my old age.” One such influential book is “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov, Jeanne’s favourite. “It’s an exceptional piece of literature because Nabokov, not writing in his native language, takes a taboo subject and turns it into a thing of beauty.” Something else that has stuck with Jeanne through time is a piece of advice from her previous boss. “He said, “Do things right the first time.” Of course, things are never perfect the first time, but it does make a lot of difference when you apply yourself thoughtfully to a piece of work before submitting it.” For now, Jeanne is trying to make the best of her time, after coming to a revelation from an article she recently read. “It struck me that I have a finite number of days left on this earth, which means that every single decision I make is important. You have to prioritise the things that matter most to you or what makes you happy from now on, because essentially, life is short.”