SHENTONISTA

“I work full-time in events management and also freelance as a theatre lighting designer, which are two very time-consuming jobs. That said, I’m thankful that my colleagues and the people in my personal life have been so supportive and accommodating, especially since I’m all about that work-life integration.”

“As a Global Advisory Chef in a dairy company, I’m not just selling products but expertise in foodservice. Providing solutions for my customers, many of whom have become good friends, is very fulfilling.”

“This year, I want to learn to cook nutritious, delicious, and reasonably-priced dishes! I constantly crave fresh, plant-centric meals, but with rising food prices and the issue of food security, it seems the most sustainable for me to prepare them myself with local or regional produce.”

“My long-term goal as an artist is to publish a comic of my own. It’s so easy to do so these days, even without a traditional art school background! So once I have a well-thought out narrative and everything, I'd like to publish my own comic. It's still in the works, so no further comment!”

What first drew us to Kelly was her cute brown hat, which stood out amidst the rows of vibrant resortwear and colourful trinkets at Boutique Fairs Singapore. Dressed head to toe in a well-coordinated getup that she told us was from Hong Kong, she got us thinking—who knew neutrals could look so good?

“Having a kid really changes things in a parent’s life. I left my job as a creative director recently to start my own agency, because I want to create something tangible of my own that I can pass on to my son in the future. I think it’d be nice, even if he were to take over and screw it all up!”

“Family is very important to me. I was very close to my mum before she passed away three years ago—she raised my sister and I as a single parent. Now, my sister has three young sons, and even though I don’t normally like kids, I love being an aunt to my nephews!”

“I’ll be starting university soon, and I’m most excited to make new friends. I do have a close group of friends right now, and I definitely love them, but it's always nice to meet new people and see how they're living different lives, and going through different experiences.”

“I’m currently learning Japanese but I also want to pick up Korean, Italian, Spanish, French, Bahasa Indonesia, and American Sign Language, and also brush up on Mandarin. My dream is to be a polyglot, to be able to speak languages at a conversational level to connect with people.”

“It might be a bold move for someone like me, but I would love to leave everything behind and move out of Singapore for a fresh start. Some places I’m considering are Norway and Finland—somewhere further away, quieter, off the grid, and with a farm and cottage-core house.”

“I love doing crafty stuff with my kids at home. I’ve taught them how to paint, make sculptures, and play music. I also like to create comedy skits with my husband on TikTok! The world is quite a depressing place these days, so we do this purely for a good laugh.”

“I'm from Jiangsu Province in the East of China, and I travel a lot domestically within the country. My favourite place to visit is Shaanxi province where there are tons of Asian architecture from the Song Dynasty—I once spent three months there just exploring them.”