Once In A Lifetime

Introduce yourself!
Hello, my name is Haikal. I’m 25, and will be graduating from my part-time studies at Republic Polytechnic this year. In terms of hobbies, I love watching movies. Also, my partner recently got a bunch of guitars and other instruments that she’s storing in my room for the time being, so I’ve also been learning how to play the guitar.

How has picking up the guitar been for you?
It’s quite a fun experience! I think learning how to play instruments is very good lah, rather than playing video games, which I used to do. I used to play Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but now I can’t be bothered. I’m reaching that age where my skills are going downhill—it’s so bad eh! (laughs) So now I just watch films ah, listen to music, and stay updated with pop culture stuff so I can stay based.

We feel you—the older we get, the more everything just goes to shit! Let’s talk about films then. What’s a film you watched recently that you really like?
I watched Scary Movie recently with my partner. We did a marathon of the series. The first one was pretty good, but it’s too sexual! I didn’t know it was like that. But the best movie I’ve watched that I can recall is Parasite, even though it’s a very generic answer.

Hey, it’s critically acclaimed for a reason, right? How about music then? Any new discoveries recently or favourite songs and bands that you’ve been listening to on repeat?
Well, Slowdive is my favourite artist! I went to their last concert in Singapore even though it was during the fasting month and I hadn’t eaten anything all day, which kind of sucked ah, but for Slowdive, it’s a once in a lifetime experience because I don’t know when they’re going to come back ah.

The things we do for our fave bands! Finally, what’s one goal you have for 2026?
To get a proper job ah, especially after I graduate. Hobbies-wise, maybe learn a couple of songs on the guitar while I still have it in my room. I’m really trying lah, but it’s hard (laughs).