Road Less Taken

Introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Felina. I’m Vietnamese, but I’ve been in Singapore for seven years now, and I’m currently working at The Fashion Pulpit. I’ve only been in this role for over a year, but I’ve been swapping clothes with them since 2019.

So cool that you’ve turned this interest into a career! What was it that brought you to Singapore seven years ago?
In my school in Vietnam, we have a culture of studying abroad. I chose Singapore because it’s close to Vietnam, and it’s the best in Southeast Asia. After that, I just stayed on because I like the experience here a lot.

Happy to have you! What’s your favourite part of Singapore?
My friends and my boyfriend (laughs).

Aww, precious! Having been here for seven years, I’m sure you’re more or less a local now. So when your friends and family visit from Vietnam, where would you take them?
It really depends on what they like, but I will take them to the less touristy places, to where the locals would go, like hawker centres and things like that. Same for Vietnam — if my friends from overseas visit, I would bring them to local places to experience the local life.

Speaking of Vietnam, it’s been quite a hot spot for Singaporeans recently, especially fashion lovers.
Yes, the fashion in Vietnam has always been very affordable and accessible, and there are thousands of small locals brands. The culture there is very free, and Vietnamese people like to experiment. There are not as many rules there, and even so, we can break the rules (laughs). So it’s good for exploring fashion.

So true! On that note, what do you miss most about Vietnam?
I miss my family and the food.

What are some of your favourite eats in Singapore?
I eat mostly vegetarian food, so I like Fortune Centre a lot (laughs). The thing about vegetarian food is that it’s not so affordable, except for the ones at Fortune Centre, so I like to go there a lot.

Oh, yes. Even as non-vegetarians, we love the food there too! As we’re nearing the end of the year, what are some lessons you’ve learned or reflections you have from the past year?
I’ve been loving my life because I’m choosing the life that I want even though it’s a bit unconventional. It’s put me in a lot of challenging situations, like how I choose to eat vegetarian food and how I choose to work. I mean, I’m working in a field that’s not what I studied in school (I studied economics), and I choose to work less even though it makes my life a bit tougher in some aspects, but it’s also given me freedom in certain aspects, and I really like that.

Rather than following a formula, I like to experience alternative lifestyles, so I’m happy with my life now.