Stronghold

Sick tattoos! Can you tell us about them?
I have three tattoos from Bob at Wild Paw Tattoo Co.

On my left arm is a Bauhaus- and art-deco-inspired piece of the sun, snake, apple, and Tree of Life from the Book of Genesis in the Bible.

On my right arm, I have a Chinese Zodiac piece of a goat and monkey hugging a tiger to represent my family—I’m the goat, the monkey is my wife, and my daughter is the tiger. I also have one on my outer arm that symbolises the saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword”, which is an important reminder for me as a journalist.

Tell us about your job in journalism. Why did you choose this career path?
I always dreamt of becoming a Journalist because the idea of being the first to know and write about things really excites me! However it’s been a tough journey breaking into the mainstream media as an Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and private diploma graduate.

After facing rejection after rejection, I decided to join a Marketing and Advertising agency to get more exposure and experience in the media industry. After a few years, I had the opportunity to become a Sports Journalist at a local sports platform, and it was the first time in my life I truly enjoyed working. I then got my big break when I joined MediaCorp under Channel News Asia, before moving to The Drum to cover the Marketing and Advertising industry.

Now, I’m a Tech & Media editor at Campaign Asia-Pacific, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be working my dream job!

How do you enjoy spending your free time?
My 15-month-old daughter is just starting to show an interest in the outdoors, so I like to bring her to open spaces to run around in and explore. I’m trying to make more effort to spend quality time with her because time passes so fast and we can never relive these moments again, so most of my weekends are spent with family.

Outside of work and family commitments, I’m also an LGBTQIA+ and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) advocate; I volunteer as a business leader for Red Dot, the fundraising arm of Pink Dot, canvassing support and funds from local businesses.

Additionally, I started volunteering for the largest opposition party in Singapore during the 2020 General Elections, where I walked the ground in Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and we eventually won the constituency on our first attempt.

What have you learnt so far since becoming a first-time parent?
Having my first child has taught me to be more patient with myself. I used to get very frustrated when I failed to get things done but of course, with a young child, that happens more often than not, so I’ve learnt to let things go sometimes.

I’ve also learnt to place more trust in my wife’s gut feeling. As a journalist, I always look for facts to rationalise things, but somehow when my wife thinks that there’s something wrong with our kid, something is almost always wrong. Now I don’t try to argue with her anymore (laughs).

What’s something you’d like your daughter to keep to heart as she grows up?
I really believe in female empowerment in this patriarchal world, so I want my daughter to know that she can do anything regardless of her sex and gender identity. I want to provide her with a safe space to go out there and explore the world, and know that she can turn to me when she faces struggles in life.

You mentioned that you like supporting local brands too; share with us some of your favourites.
For clothes, I really like GRAYE for their gender neutral selection and Arcade for their edgy pieces. For work, I use Prism+ monitors, a SecretLab gaming chair, and an Omnidesk.