Even/Odd

You started working in a new position not long ago—what inspired the job switch?
I’m currently working as a community investment manager in a financial consultancy company—it’s been about a month now. Before this, I was freelancing for the past six months, and I enjoyed the diversity and flexibility in my schedule that it allowed me. This role combined everything I’m passionate about, including being socially oriented, so I decided to make a switch. 

Do you believe in the concept of true love?
I do not. True love is a fluffy and romanticised concept that was propagated by the media and found in fairy tales, which are fantasies. That being said, I do believe love exists, but in a form that people don’t usually expect it to be. I believe love takes hard work, sacrifice, and compromise. You need to give up and give in at times, and it’s not just the fairytale fantasy people often hear about. 

On that note, what was your favourite fairytale while growing up?
If we’re talking about Disney, I really looked up to Mulan and Pocahontas while growing up. Both their stories might not be considered as fairytales per se, but I liked the values they portrayed, and they were also important forms of representation for young kids. I always loved princesses who were strong and independent and that hasn’t changed as I grew older—even more so now, I understand the importance of being an independent female in society. 

What was your opinion on the live-action version of Mulan?
Portraying it in reality was always going to be difficult, because it’s a war movie and in animation, you get more leeway with making jokes and adding songs. I enjoyed it, maybe because I am easily satisfied (laughs). 

Is there something you’d change about society if you could?
The inequality gap, especially in developed societies like Singapore, is quite jarring. The bulk of my social circle comes from upper middle class backgrounds, because we tend to be segregated in different stages of our lives and don’t have the chance to hear other perspectives. So I find that there’s very little understanding of what vulnerable communities may be going through. Singaporeans step up when there’s a crucial need, but beyond that people can be insensitive without meaning to be. We tend to say people can succeed in life if they work hard, but that’s a very privileged statement because everyone has different starting points, and a lack of resources affects where you can reach in life with the same hard work. It’s a complex issue, but if people are more open and understanding, we can care more for other people.