Bugged Out

Tell us about yourself!
My name is Michelle. and I’m a student at Nanyang Polytechnic.

Fun fact: I like collecting bugs! Usually, if I find them dead, I’ll keep them for taxidermy. My friends know this about me, so they’ll give me bugs that they come across too.

In fact, my glasses have insects on the side as well and they’re my favourite thing ever! They’re from a collaboration Lenskart had with some Malaysian artists, and when my friends saw them, they were like “Michelle, this is so you!”

Wow, when and how did this start?
There was this one time I was at home, and my dad found a beetle in the toilet. I thought the beetle looked really pretty, so I tried to keep it but it ended up dying. I couldn’t bear to throw it away because it still looked really pretty, so I just put it in some hand sanitiser and thought it looked cool, and that’s how this all started.

You must have quite the collection then! Do you have a particular favourite bug?
Hmm, I mostly collect beetles and other insects with harder bodies actually, but I want to try and start collecting butterflies. They’re a bit harder to taxidermy because they’re very fragile—I can’t just put them into hand sanitiser because they’ll disintegrate, so I’ll have to try a different method.

Well, here’s hoping you’ll figure it out soon! Can you tell us more about what you’re currently studying in school?
I’m studying IT—Information Technology. I didn’t really have a strong passion for anything else, and though I wanted to do something artsy when I was a kid, I realised that it might be a bit risky financially, so I just went into IT under the influence of my parents.

Do you think you’ll ever go back to pursuing the arts in the future?
I mean, for sure, because even with technology, there are a lot of ways to incorporate art or fashion, so I’d say yes, maybe one day. Then again, I’m happy just pursuing it as a hobby, which is what I’m doing now—I’m studying IT, but I also love dressing up.

As a tech student, what’s the most exciting thing you’re working with or learning about right now?
Well, of course the most prominent things is AI, right? Even in school, it’s all about AI, so it’s scary to see how this will all turn out. AI’s just going to get smarter and smarter, and people might lose their jobs.

Do you think your industry would be sustainable with AI alone?
I wouldn’t say so. AI might be a prominent thing, but nothing can beat human expertise, so we’ll still need professionals.

Agreed—AI might be smart, but there’s just something about that human touch that can’t quite be replicated. Moving on to fashion now: we hear you go thrifting often?
Yeah, there’s a thrift store near my house called SSVP, which is where I usually like to go. Other than that, I love thrifting overseas, like in Thailand or Indonesia, where I’m from. The options there are just way better.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever thrifted?
One time at Lucky Plaza, I found a Diesel sweater for just $3. I was so shocked! There was absolutely no way I found that at Lucky Plaza. It’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve thrifted by far.

What a score! Tell us more about Indonesia.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s my home country, but I feel a bit safer there compared to anywhere else I’ve been in the world. There are also lots of places there tat are untouched by tourists, which I find pretty cool. I would love to travel the whole country one day.