SHENTONISTA

“I like to journal, and I sit down every week to pen down reflections. I reflect on many things, like my dreams, my goals, my achievements both big and small, and especially the mistakes that I make in my daily life. I write them down so that I’ll remember them for the rest of my life, and not make the same mistakes twice.”

“I want to live as many different lives as possible, and because that's not physically possible as humans, I love to meet different types of people to understand their lived experiences, and imagine myself experiencing what they’ve experienced, whether it's good or bad.”

“I’m from New Caledonia, which is a little island next to Australia in the South Pacific. There are a lot of beaches there, and it's very hot all the time, like Singapore, but much smaller. It's very beautiful, but also very different from Singapore. For example, I went to the Night Safari and saw so many animals like tigers, which is very cool because in New Caledonia, there aren’t a lot of animals.”

“I’m currently working in the ramen business, as an Executive Director of a Japanese ramen company. I’m on a business trip here in Singapore to promote our ramen, because we hope to open a store selling our products. Of course, I love ramen—my favourite is Hokkaido miso.”

“My self-care habit is spending time with my five children and hubby! I’m a working mom from Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm, so as it is, I feel like I do not have enough time with my family. As a treat, my husband and I will bring the kids for a short vacation in Malaysia every once in a while.”

“As a street style photographer, I’ve shot lots of memorable people, but the top of my list would have to be JJ, Lin Jun Jie. It was in Paris at the Louis Vuitton show, and I shouted out to him from the crowd “Hey JJ, I'm shooting for a Singapore magazine, can I shoot you?”. He nodded, glanced at my camera, and I got the shot.”

“Back in 2010, I spent a year in Bangkok on exchange at Thammasat University. In that time, I made a lot of local friends, saw some political protests on the streets, and travelled extensively alone to neighbouring countries like Laos and Myanmar.”

“I met my online friend of 15 years for the first time in person when she visited Singapore from the Philippines, and I was surprised because there was no awkwardness at all. We just slipped into old routines and had a great time hanging out and getting to know each other offline.”

“To me, writing is so fun because it’s as if you become other people, and it is an opportunity to live different lives. It helps me live and experience more. You can tell stories, you can get people concerned with social issues, and they can get involved in political themes, all in the same novel.”

"I teach writing in university and write novels on the side. What I like most about writing is that it’s my world that I’m creating. I'm engulfed in this world, and everything is up to me.”

We spotted Mdm Ho on a cold, dreary morning in Chinatown, when the streets were slick with rain and unusually quiet. Initially hesitant to be photographed, Mdm Ho gradually warmed up to us as we chatted with her, and began striking various poses for us, from the classic hands-on-hips to throwing up the youthful peace sign.

“I worked in retail for 15 years, but when COVID struck, I made a career switch and have been working as a personal assistant for the past two years. I was quite worried, because it’s been a long time since I’ve worked in an office. But my employer and colleagues are very friendly and supportive, so I don’t feel left out when I'm in the office.”