The Head And The Heart

Tell us what you do for work. Was this something you studied in school?
I’m a brand strategist at a local fashion and tech brand called Skinarma. I started out in this company a year ago as a copywriter and eventually took on the lead marketing role.

I actually majored in psychology in university. My dad is a trained psychologist so I grew up reading many of his books at home. I thought that if I was going to read up so much about psychology, I might as well take some exams and get a degree out of it (laughs). It was an interesting course, but I decided that it wasn’t something I wanted to do full-time.

I was doing some copywriting while in school, and since my wife, Shanell, was also in the creative field, we just pushed each other toward that direction.

We hear that Shanell will be joining your company soon. Are you looking forward to working together?
Yes, I roped her in as a senior graphic designer. We’ve actually worked together in the past so this won’t be anything new for us. We’re very good at keeping business business and pleasure pleasure—probably not the best word to use (laughs). This allows us to tap onto each other’s professional skills very well without any conflict.

What do you like to do outside of work?
I don’t do much in my free time other than Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).

I was never a very sporty person; I got really fat in my 20s from all the drinking and smoking. A new BJJ gym opened near my home at the time, so I decided to give it a shot to lose some weight before I got married, and it’s stuck with me since.

How do you like to spend time together as a couple?
We’re big foodies, so we like to try out new food places every weekend. We most recently visited a Brazilian steakhouse. I love steak, but I’m quite particular about how I like them (almost moo-ing and as rare as my health would allow) so I prefer to cook them myself.

Do you and Shanell typically wear matching outfits when going out together?
No, not at all! That said, Shanell picks out my outfits most of the time, so I guess there may be some coordination there on her part.

What’s your preferred tattoo style?
I like the colourful, traditional stuff. Most of my tattoos are by local artists, one of them being my brother, Julian. In exchange for getting my tattoos done by him for free, he gets to choose whatever design he wants to put on me—thankfully he’s pretty good at it!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I don’t know, but not in Singapore I hope. I want to be somewhere further away, different, and bigger so that we can go exploring. Shanell and I just visited Sydney and we feel that we could probably stay there for a few months at a time. We’ll see, through, because we get bored very easily (laughs).