SHENTONISTA

“As a 23-year-old, I’ve been told many times not to worry about rushing into a career since I’m still young, so I decided to heed this advice and put a pause on work to do some solo travelling around Asia for a year. Indonesia, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, and Taipei are what’s on my list so far.”

“My parents are moving back to Thailand for good, while I’m still working in Singapore, so I’ll finally be living that independent girl life! I’m really excited, but also super anxious about having to deal with insects, especially geckos. The mere thought of them gives me goosebumps!”

"I wake up at 7AM everyday when I travel because I want to try everything and make the most out of each day. Most of my family and friends don’t feel the same though, so I usually enjoy sightseeing and exploring on my own in the early mornings.”

"My husband and I adopted two Singapore Specials and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done! Dogs don’t live for as long as we do, so I’m mindful of making every moment with them count. We’re now trying for a (human) kid to expand our little family. It hasn’t been easy but we’re staying hopeful!”

“I fell while attempting a rollerblading trick so my pinky has to be in a brace for 16 weeks. Sadly, my wife will kill me if I step foot into a skate park until then, but I’m only three weeks in and already getting so restless! I’m excused from all housework for now though, so that’s a blessing in disguise.”

“I’m working on living from day to day right now because we often forget to be present and in the moment. Many a times, we get so caught up with waiting for the next ‘big thing’ that we don’t realise that we are actually experiencing the ‘big thing’ that we were previously anticipating.”

“Children nowadays are becoming global citizens, and they should be prepared to adapt to wherever work and life takes them. My son is now studying in New Zealand, and although it’s not easy for us to be apart from him, my husband and I will support him wherever he plans to go in the future.”

“After completing two internships fresh out of Polytechnic, I’m now six months into my first full-time job. It’s exciting, but sometimes I feel like I’m rushing too quickly into a career since I’m only 21 and most of my friends are either in university or are just taking things slow.”

“I’ll be returning to work soon after a year-long break and I really want to prioritise a good work-life balance and my overall wellbeing. Don't get me wrong, work can be fun too, but I just need to remember to detach myself from it sometimes since age is catching up with me.”

“My English name, Cherrie, was given to me by my dad, and there's a funny story behind it. When he was younger, he saw a cherry pie while travelling in France and he just really liked the sound of it. But regardless, he doesn’t call me by either of my names, just ‘daughter’.”

“I’ve been a chef for over 20 years. The culinary world involves a lot of trial-and-error and I’ve experimented with so many things! Sometimes they're rubbish, but other times, they turn out really good, like prawns with chocolate—surprisingly, the sweetness of both pair so well together!”

"I previously lived in the Netherlands for a year, and one thing that struck me about their culture is that on the streets, people would say hi to each other even if they’re strangers. Here, if people approach us and ask “Hey, you wanna get a cup of coffee?”, most of us would be like “Stay away you freak!”.