Side By Side

What have you been up to since the last time we spoke?
So much has changed since my last feature, most notably the Covid-19 pandemic. Since travels stopped and we transitioned from the office to working from home during lockdown, I took up a yoga instructor training course primarily in Vinyasa Flow and Yin Yang yoga.

After I graduated, I immediately started teaching in the open, public spaces around the Marina Bay Sands area on weekday nights and weekend mornings for a flat fee of $10. I donated all the proceeds from my yoga lessons to dog charities and shelters because all I really wanted was to gain more experience as an instructor—I needed at least a year of experience before I could teach in a studio—and to give back to the animals in our society.

That was three years ago; I’m now teaching at On Good Ground, a boutique studio in Joo Chiat.

How was your job in Events Marketing impacted by the recent pandemic?
We definitely took a hit since we couldn’t conduct any physical events. As a result, we had to quickly pivot to digital formats and figure out good platforms for interactive online sessions such as webinars.

Now that travel restrictions have lifted, I’ve been traveling a lot to cover events in the Asia-Pacific market as well.

What has been the most interesting place you’ve travelled to for work.
Melbourne was really nice, especially since I managed to sneak in a holiday after my work trip.

I visited the zoo where I rode on a tram through an open range where all the animals were. It was a different experience viewing animals up close in open spaces instead of behind enclosures like in the Singapore Zoo. The animals seemed freer there, with bigger spaces to move about in, and the air somehow felt fresher too!

Also, the coffee culture is really strong there! I’d go as far as to say that I didn’t have a bad cup of coffee in Australia, particularly in Melbourne.

Tell us a bit about your pets; we hear that you’ve adopted another dog since we last spoke.
I adopted our Singapore Special, Lexi, awhile back and brought her home without my husband, Leroy’s, knowledge (laughs). We were fostering our second Special, Dora, and decided to keep her too. Many people have asked me, “Two dogs with your schedules and everything, are you insane?” But I have no regrets, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done!

I know that dogs don’t live for as long as we do, so I’m mindful of making every moment with them count. We try to bring them out with us every weekend and when we don’t, I’d feel guilty and constantly check on them through the home camera. I’ll also never scold them when they jump on me whenever I come home because I honestly don’t think there’s anyone else that happy to welcome me home, and I treasure that a lot.

That said, I’m definitely the boring mum who cleans up the poop, walks the dogs, and feeds them (they eat better than me, by the way) while Leroy is the fun dad who cuddles and plays with them, so they unfortunately love him more than me (laughs).

Any plans to expand your little family?
Leroy and I are actually trying for a (human) kid. It hasn’t been easy because of my packed travel schedule and all the stress from work, but we’re staying hopeful!

Gabby was previously seen here, here, and here.