Shaping Up

Typical of her easygoing, playful attitude, Lishan polls her friends over WhatsApp to get an opinion on what her personal style is best described as. “‘Alt-prep’ and ‘comfy-luxe’ came up,” she says. She says she tends to gravitate towards a good, classic silhouette with some surprises here and there — the colour of her pants, for example. Lishan says that her work entails working with and being “surrounded by a bunch of incredible individuals every day who are as talented as they are kind”, and helping her clients solve problems. “Think Olivia Pope, sans the scandal,” she says, only half-jokingly. This means having plenty of in-depth, genuine conversations with the people that she meets, and she draws experience from her background as a journalist and programme marketer. Her advice from her years at work: “You’re learning for the first three to five years in the workforce — not just about the work, but about yourself,” she says. “Also, the sai gang (menial work) is real. Suck it up, regardless of who your paymaster is. And always be kind to people, because the ‘everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about’ thing is true.” Outside of work, Lishan is trying her hand at flower arranging, visiting the nursery every three weeks. “I just do it because few things beat a good friend’s/aunty’s/my mum’s face when they open the door to a bouquet of fresh flowers,” she says. “It feels good to create and make things.” Lishan’s driving philosophy, both at work and in life? “Honour your limits.”