Brick By Brick

Introduce yourself!
I’m Adilah, a third year student in Singapore Polytechnic (SP) studying architecture.

I actually got inspired by my brother to take up architecture. He’s a civil engineer, so I got a glimpse into what that’s like and realised it wasn’t for me. He then suggested that I try architecture. After I took my O-levels, I applied for the Higher Nitec in Architectural Technology course in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and ended up in SP after that.

How are you liking it so far?
The work is tough with many long nights, but I guess the end product is worth it. I find it quite fruitful that I get to finish what I started. Hopefully I’ll get into university after I graduate, but if I’m not successful, I’d probably have to go serve my bond with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which takes about three years. After I’m done with that, I do want to continue studying, so I’ll try to apply for university again.

Honestly, I’m excited but also scared for these next steps because this is my first foray into adulthood, and it feels quite scary thinking about it!

Tell us about your family. Are you close with your brother?
Yeah, I’m close to him—he’s the fourth one out of the five of us and I’m the youngest. When he got married a year ago, I felt that a part of me was missing. But now, all of my siblings are married so I have 11 nieces and nephews. We’re quite a big family.

But it’s funny because I mostly remember being with their kids a lot during my childhood. I guess I grew up with them because our age gap was close. It’s been fun being an aunt though because I get to “bully” them (laughs).

Now that you’re almost in adulthood, do you still spend a lot of time with your nieces and nephews?
Usually, on the weekends, my sisters and their family would come over for a family dinner together. On special occasions, we’ll have a picnic somewhere in Changi, where you can see the aeroplanes fly past. It’s been great getting to spend quality time with them.

Any hobbies that you’ve cultivated during your free time?
I crochet, which I started about a year ago. My first project was sort of like a bolero top and the second one was a full crop top. That’s mostly what I try to make—tops, and bags too.

I also like to read—I’m reading A Little Life right now. And I’m also learning how to hand sew—I upcycled a pair of jeans that I don’t really use into a skirt. That’s something I’ve recently been getting into and I’m liking it so far!