Browsing “Birkenstock”

"In my blunder years, I listened to a lot of metal and progressive rock bands—Slipknot and Dream Theatre. But now, I mostly listen to instrumental bands like Khruangbin."

“My partner and I are quite the homebodies, so the bulk of our time at home is spent making coffee, cooking, or, for me, doom scrolling—it’s really bad!”

“I’m a power plant operator in Tuas. You know lah, parents in the past want their kids to study in fields like engineering, so I decided to give it a try and now, almost a decade later, I’d say I’ve become quite comfortable in this industry which is why I decided to stick with it.”

“I’m very close to my second sister. I was the saddest little girl when she got married and the house just doesn’t feel the same without her. Even now when we say goodbye after meeting, I get sad because she’s not going home with me.”

“Right now, my design philosophy is to be myself—Van. Jokes aside, I would say I’m just doing whatever I like, experimenting with more controversial stuff.”

“When I graduate, I want to open my own studio. Last semester, in fashion school, I created different patterns and printed them onto fabric and really enjoyed it, so I’ve decided that I want to start a studio to sell textiles that I design.”

“My wife Shanell and I are huge foodies, and we recently visited a Brazilian steakhouse. I love steak, but I’m quite particular about how I like them (almost moo-ing and as rare as possible) so I prefer to cook them myself.“

“When I was laid off from my full-time job, I decided to focus on the positives and pursue the arts as a freelance illustrator. Obviously it hasn’t been easy, but I’m trying my best to go with the flow, and I’ve learnt that it’s okay to ask for help. Having a great support system also really makes a difference too.”

“In 10 years, I see myself riding my motorbike somewhere up in the mountains or on a bike tour with my dad. My dream bike is a Harley Davidson, but it’s not very practical for long distances. If I do get one though, maybe I’ll upgrade my moustache to a full-blown beard to look the part.”

“I’m interested in languages, so I started to learn Chinese during the pandemic. It’s very difficult, especially the reading and writing of the language. I’m very amazed by Singaporeans who can speak another language on top of English.”

“If I had to eat one type of cuisine for the rest of my life, it’d be European.”

“I’d like to be a shipping tycoon and be in charge of moving things around the world, with a lot of political implications and influence.”