Taking Heart

How are you spending your day off today?
I’m spending some time alone today as I enjoy pockets of time by myself every now and then.

For lunch, I ate at a cai fan (economic rice) stall at Waterloo Street which I used to frequent when I studied at Singapore Management University. That was really nostalgic.

Since I have some time to kill, I’m on my way to the National Library to read some books and cool down from the hot weather for a bit.

What kinds of books do you gravitate towards?
I usually go for fictional books that deal with some sort of social commentary. Some titles I really like are All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré.

I recently read my first book by Haruki Murakami too, but I was a bit confused by it (laughs).

We see that you’re enjoying a nice cup of coffee too! Share with us your go-to coffee spots.
My ultimate favourite coffee place is Maxi Coffee Bar at Ann Siang Hill. Other than that, I also really like Kurasu Singapore and Narrative Coffee Stand.

Is there anything you’re hoping for at the moment?
There’s been a lot of negative news in the media lately, I guess partly because news outlets these days are becoming more sensational.

I must say though that I’ve been a little bogged down by all of this negativity as it just feels like the world is falling apart. I think what we need right now are more outlets for people to share happy things and be encouraged by feel-good and uplifting stories.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I don’t know if this has anything to do with my background in Sociology, but I’d like to be able to meet people without any biases. It’s only natural to judge, unfortunately, but I try to view people as objectively and purely as possible, and spend more time getting to know them on a deeper level.

Let’s talk about your tattoos. How do you typically decide on a tattoo you want?
I got my first tattoo less than two years ago, and I’ve gone a little crazy since. James (@goose.tattoos) is my go-to tattoo guy as I love his traditional inking style.

All my tattoos fall under three categories. Firstly, ones that have personal meanings, such as my first tattoo—a flame on my back—that I got to commemorate a major change in my life. Secondly, because it’s easy to become addicted to getting tattoos, ones that I got just because they looked pretty. Thirdly, ones that look pretty that I’ve found meaning for later on.