Shentonista Of The Year 2017 — Winners

Time really does fly, and looking back on 2017, we recall all the special people we’ve had the good fortune of meeting, and the opportunity to tell their stories. Today, we’re excited to present our winners for #ShentonistaOfTheYear2017. The public has spoken: Hafiz garnered the most number of votes on Facebook, making him the People’s Choice for Shentonista of the Year, while the Shentonista team picked Ziqq for his charisma and fascinating story. Jessica won Best Comment for her heartfelt post on Ziqq’s photo.

Congratulations! They each win a a goodie bag put together by some of our amazing clients that we’ve worked with last year—We Need A Hero, Grain Traders, Kilo, Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, Freedom Yoga, Gallery & Co., and Chikuyotei.

Here’s a look back at Hafiz’s and Ziqq’s posts:

Hafiz, Car Mechanic. 

People tend to think of mechanics in two manners: the first, covered in axle grease, knee deep in car parts in a dingy, grimy workshop, and driving a hard bargain; the second, working with gleaming, souped-up sports cars and luxury models, and still driving a hard bargain. When we met Hafiz, those misconceptions were put to rest. The workshop he works at in Jurong East, while not entirely spotless, was mostly ordered and neat, flooded with natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and filled with the busy movement of four other similarly young mechanics. Here, Hafiz went about his tasks with comfortable, confident ease, and as we spoke to him about just what he’s working so hard for, revealed his simple, down-to-earth nature.

Read Hafiz’s full post here.

January 23, 2017 — Striking A Chord
Ziqq, Interaction Designer. Blazer from Topman, pants from Uniqlo, shoes from Benjamin Barker, watch from Casio, pocketsquare from Topman.

Something interesting about me:
I’m a designer by day but musician by night. I play the guitar, the ukulele and a bit of the keyboard; I make music within the four walls of my room and occasionally play outside. As a designer I like to talk about my heart and my place as a designer in the world, and I’m the founder of Designsayshello so I use that as a platform to connect my community.

How did you get into design?
I was on a service learning trip to Cambodia during my polytechnic days, and that was the first time I saw how design could actually impact lives—like how simple drawings on the playground could brighten up a kid’s day. I think from there I felt like design can do a lot more than make things pretty, but also create experiences and make things better for people through small interventions.

In my free time:
I like to travel. I think everyone likes to travel! The last few years I’ve actually been living in London, and I’m going back there to work for a couple of months. Outside of London, I think Scotland is beautiful, being in the mountains and all. I love that and we don’t get that in Singapore.

Most memorable trip:
Iceland. It’s so amazing, without a doubt. Of all the countries I’ve been to, it’s the one place that I felt like I was completely on another planet. It has this way of making you feel so small, and it’s a very humbling experience. It really puts you in your place in the world.

Best decision I’ve ever made:
Deciding to pursue what I wanted to pursue, which was to go all out with design. To actually find myself in the school that I wanted to go to, the country that I wanted to study and live in. I just went all out, and chased after my dreams.

—

Thank you to everyone who was a part of our journey in 2017. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing in 2018, and we hope to meet many more of you on the streets and tell your stories as well.