Earthly Possessions

What’s the story behind your name, Dawn?
Dawn stands for the first light on Earth.

It wasn’t my birth name but one given to me by my dad after he consulted with a fortune teller. He was told that my name should have a light element in it, but the fortune teller gave him a super disgusting Chinese name which my dad didn’t like (laughs), so he chose the name Dawn instead as he wanted me to bring light, warmth, and hope to the people around me.

I immediately registered the name onto my IC once I turned 30 last year as it’s become my life motto to bring positivity to the world.

Now that you’re 30, what’s the next milestone you’re working towards? 
My career is still the priority as I’ve always been very career-driven.

Apart from that, I definitely want to settle down and buy a HDB flat. I want my own space where I can meditate, jam to music, and just relax.

We hear that you’re very sensitive to the spiritual realm. Can you tell us more about what you’ve experienced?
I can feel and see spirits. I was in primary school when I had my first encounter with them but my parents used to brush it off. It was only when I visited a medium three to four years ago that my experiences were confirmed. It brought me some peace because it’s hard to talk about this topic to people who don’t understand it.

I’d say that these experiences are not always scary. I remember dreaming about my late aunt and being able to tell my cousins that their mum was doing fine in the afterlife, so it can bring peace to others too.

How did you get into the social media industry and what does your job entail?
I was actually a regular in the Singapore Armed Forces for seven years before working in events, and now, as a Senior Accounts Executive at a digital creator agency. I made such a big industry jump as my core passion is ultimately in the creative industry.

My role changes from day to day, but it mainly consists of managing clients and content creators. It’s been almost two years since I joined this company and I’ve learned a lot about the social media industry. It’s made me appreciate our differences as everyone is unique and talented in their own way.

Share with us a memorable experience you’ve had at work.
The most memorable campaign that I’ve worked on would probably be the DBS i Light event as we activated about 20 content creators for one night—the most I’ve managed in a single campaign! It was tough but a lot of fun.

How do you like to relax?
I love sound bathing and playing the singing bowl. They bring so much energy to the body as you can feel the vibrations right down to the core! For me, playing the singing bowl is peaceful and empowering at the same time. There’s no need for lyrics—sound frequencies alone can heal both the body and mind.

A friend once got me a singing bowl handmade by a monk in Nepal. There were some imperfections on the bowl which created a lot more vibrations, so the sound it produced is very different from the usual ones. The imperfect sounds hit a different spot in me; it was so healing.

Sadly, I had to throw that singing bowl away because it was stained by mischievous spirits in my house. Although I was heartbroken, I believe that it’s fate—maybe it had served its purpose in my life.