GS05 x Shentonista: One of the People

Don’t mistake Tammy for one of the ang mohs; although she is of English, Scottish, Peranakan, and Vietnamese descent, she is inherently Singaporean at heart. She misses playing see sek pai (four colour cards) over the weekends with her Ee Pohs (grandaunts), and easily rattles off a host of her favourite hawker stalls: “Adam Road Nasi Lemak, Kay Lee Char Siew, Lucky Plaza Yong Tau Foo, Henderson Road Teochew Mui, Little India MBS Prata, Sergent Chicken Rice. There used to be a hawker centre at the Handicraft Centre, now Tanglin Mall; I ate it at least once a week growing up,” she adds. “And lastly, homemade Peranakan feasts!”

I’m lucky to be able to say ‘no’ to that. The reason being, I own my company and therefore decide the dress code — I’m particularly fond of Sarong Mondays and Pantless Thursdays. How do I personalise my outfit? Well, other than wearing a name tag…

I suppose it’s that first impressions are often formed based on the outside and what we’re wearing instead of seeing inside. Advice for dressing up for work: keep a boyfriend jacket and pair of heels at hand to instantly glam up an outfit.

I worked in the event management field for many years in London and Singapore, and in film financing. Although I loved the industries, I always had a underlying desire to entertain, make people laugh, and sing. So I jacked in the job to follow this passion. Yes, it’s always something I’ve wanted to do but I guess I didn’t have the courage before. Not wanting regrets in the future, I’ve taken the plunge.

I’d be working in childhood education. I volunteer at the Rainbow Centre, an organisation that serves infants, children and youths with a diverse range of special developments and learning needs, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and multiple disabilities, which may involve a combination of intellectual, physical, visual and/or hearing impairments.

Like I said, first impressions are formed based on the outside. Make the effort. You don’t need to spend oodles of money, but do invest in some classic pieces — a good pair of slacks, boyfriend jacket, crisp, well-fitted white shirt. Then change your style by accessorising.

It’d be like Google…but with my company’s dress code.

Spending more time with my family in the UK.

I’m subbing for Loretta Chen on The Art of Lush, a segment on Lush 99.5FM that covers the Art and Theatre scene in Singapore. I’d love to do more radio and event hosting work.

We’re a multi-racial country and enjoy a multi-racial culture. We don’t have a common culture, and that’s what makes our sunny island in the sea so beautifully unique. It’s also what I love about being Singaporean. Let’s embrace it.

The Tembusu Tree at the Singapore Botanic Gardens where my kor (elder brother), my sister and I played as children and took pictures on.