Browsing “Taobao”

“I enjoy both listening to and making music. I’ve been playing the cello since I was in university, although it’s quite hard to pick up. To be honest, I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it just yet, but I go for practice every weekend.”

“Not many people know this, but I’ve been practicing Shintoism for seven years now! I grew up a free-thinker, but light-heartedly sought comfort in the religion while on a trip to Japan during one of the more troubling periods in my life. I was shown a sign after that, and have since fallen in love with the religion after reading up more about it.”

“I decided to become a kindergarten teacher because I just love being around children; my students even call me “Mum” sometimes! Even though they’re so young, we’re like good friends, and I’m so happy when I’m with them.”

“I moved to Singapore from China to study because I wanted to get some breathing space and physically distance myself from my parents for a bit so that I have the freedom to pursue my own interests without causing any form of unhappiness at home. Ultimately, I hope that being in Singapore will transform me into a better person—someone that my parents can be proud of.”

“My love for musical theatre started from movie adaptations of musicals. I was also exposed to lesser known classics in my school band and found a deep appreciation for orchestral music. To me, musicals are the full package of performative arts. There’s singing, dancing, acting, live instrumentals—what more can I ask for?”

“Working in the media industry has taught me to be kind. In my role, I meet and liaise with many different people, and I’ve found that people can be quite unkind. I always remind myself that I don’t want to be them; I want to be nice despite being stressed and having deadlines to meet.”

Having fallen in love with Chinese culture and fashion through the Chinese dramas that she loves watching, Darin tells us that she’s grown to love traditional Chinese dresses. She shares that she’s bought quite a number of Hanfus from Taobao, and regularly dresses up in them, even in Bangkok, where she’s from.

"When you go out there and see the world, and then look back on life in Singapore, you’ll feel like, “Oh my gosh, we really are dedicating a huge amount of time to our work,” which is why it’s so important to love our job and to love what we do.”

“I love smaller suburbs because they’re so different from the big cities. Everything’s slower and quieter and more peaceful, and though there’s not much to do, there’s a whole lot to see.”

“I’ve always been a more passive person, which is kind of a good thing because I can roll with the punches when things are bad, but sometimes, I just have to do something to change what I don’t like instead of ignoring it."

“I love exercising, and I do a lot of things like kickboxing, tabata, Zumba—I actually just got a licence, so I’m a licensed Zumba instructor now. I just like fast, intense activities."

“I think what should be taught in school is free play, which involves things like doing role-play with the children, and encouraging kids to express themselves, and not just fit themselves into a certain mould or go down a certain career path.”