SHENTONISTA

“The leaves and vines tattooed around my forearm are a symbol of growth to me. I’m still learning to accept myself and be content, so my plan is to add on to the design once I finally feel like I’m enough.”

“I’ve been in the travel sector for 13 years and I love it as I get to travel around the world for both work and leisure. As a new mum though, I prefer all-inclusive resort vacations now since everything has to be kid-friendly.”

“I was a designer back in Japan. After I moved to Singapore a couple of years ago, I stopped working, but I recently started designing and selling my own textiles online. In my free time, I like to sew clothes for my children too!”

"When I was retrenched during Covid-19, I started curating vintage clothing, and now run a small store on the online platform, Grailed. It’s going well so far but of course there are ups and downs depending on the season.”

“I work a lot back home in London, but after my holiday in and Bali and Singapore, I've come to realise that I should live in the moment and slow down a little instead of rushing through my 20s. You can say that I’ve caught the Bali vibes!”

“When I was at a Louis Vuitton show, I managed to photograph Jasper Liu and he’s honestly the nicest guy! He’s really shy in person and super shuai (handsome). I only had three seconds to shoot him with a heavy camera so I was trying my best not to shake.”

“Durian actually smells amazing to me, but I was so disappointed because it just tastes like a mix of creamy garlic and onion! I guess it’s an acquired because we have some food in Barbados that may seem weird to others like a savoury porridge made from okra and cornmeal, and a really bitter drink made from tree bark.”

“In my previous job, I worked remotely and was really living the life of a digital nomad. I would spend up to six months at a time in places like Europe or South America. Now, I’m in the process of becoming a Permanent Resident of Singapore and hope to be able to settle down here in the long run, while still travelling the world, of course!”

“Everything has become a delicate balancing act as a working mother of three. When I’m not at work, most of my time is spent with my kids, but I hope that seeing my hard work will instil in them the same drive to pursue their passions in the future.”

“I started @strandgal, a small jewellery business, three years ago to go back to my roots of creating tactile art. I really love what I make and seeing my pieces on others, but I don’t wear them myself because it's so paiseh to be a walking advertisement for my brand!”

“I’m 25 this year and the youngest of seven siblings, with two brothers and four sisters. We’re all pretty close, and have similar interests and tastes in fashion and music. In our free time back in Malaysia, we like to hang out, hunt for new cafés around KL, and go shopping.”

When asked what local dishes she liked best, Miyako whipped out her phone excitedly and, in true mum fashion, showed us pictures of all of the good food she’s eaten, from dim sum to masala dosa, which she described as being “spicy, but very delicious”.