Science To Screen

If there was going to be a movie of your life, which actor would you want to play you, and why?
I guess it’d be a mix between Oon Shu Ann and Maggie Cheung—I’ve always been a huge fan of their work. I love how Oon is always able to make everyone around her comfortable, and how Cheung can deliver this nuance and ambiguity that makes her characters sad, but also content and at peace. I’m basically a walking contradiction, so I think they’d be able to portray my extroverted yet introverted nature accurately.

What’s something you’d like to be really good at?
Cooking! I love eating with a passion, but I’ve never really had the chance to hone my cooking skills. I’ve always viewed food as the glue that bonds people together, and it’s such a privilege to see loved ones’ faces light up from eating the food you’ve made.

Do you have any habits that other people find silly?
There’re so many! I tend to sing and/or dance a little when I taste something really good, and everyone thinks I’m weird when I do that! (laughs)

If you could travel back in time, are there any places or time periods you’d want to visit?
Definitely the 60’s/70’s! When I think of Singapore’s early years, I think of a charm that I’ve always wanted to experience—the five-foot ways, ice kachang balls, makeshift food stalls, and just the overall feeling of a young but thriving society.

How do you think the world will be different in 20 or 30 years?
I believe artificial intelligence will become a permanent, if not indispensable element of our daily lives, but I don’t think it has to decrease or compromise human interaction. As much as I’m a fan of Black Mirror, I refuse to believe man’s future is that bleak. We tend to be pretty hard on ourselves when it comes to the debate of humans versus technology, but I feel that we’re smart and morally aware enough to know when, where, and how technology can aid us without crossing the line.

Is there any fictional place, thing, or person that you wish existed for real? Why?
Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory! I loved the book, and I was super excited when I saw the movie adaptation. It was literally the closest thing to heaven for 10-year-old me, and it still seems like heaven to me now. I’m not actually a big fan of chocolate, but I love the way the factory was portrayed in the book and film as being so bizarre and out of this world.

Eliza was previously seen here.