A Word’s Worth

What are some things you can’t live without?
Coffee, books, and the company of friends.

Are there any books that you wish you’d written?
That’s tough—I’d say it’s a toss-up between Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things To Me and Singapore: The Air-Conditioned Nation by Cherian George. I’m a fan of both for how they can condense long histories and complex ideas and make them accessible, and I admire Rebecca Solnit’s style of creative nonfiction.

What’s something you wish more people would know about?
The incredible richness of the arts in Singapore, whether it’s music, visual arts, and especially literature. I don’t believe that we should #supportlocal just for the sake of it, but there’s so much great work out there for us to discover and enjoy.

Share with us something you read, saw or heard recently that inspired you:
My boss recently said to me that in order to grow and learn, we need to constantly push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. I’m someone who experiences a lot of inertia when it comes to big changes in life, so I think that’s a good lesson to keep in mind.

What’s something silly or untrue that you used to believe when you were younger?
I used to think that the ‘lip’ in ‘liposuction’ meant that the patient’s body fat was removed through their mouth—a friend finally corrected me on this when I was 14. (laughs)