Tides Of A Decade

Tell us more about yourself.
Well, I just turned 31, and was having lunch with my colleagues to celebrate my birthday.

At work, I’m an Operations Manager. I’ve been in this position for two years now, and I like what I do—my company has very nice people.

As for hobbies, I like being outdoors. During COVID, I started wakesurfing at Punggol.

What was entering your 30s like for you?
It was quite significant for me, being the end of my 20s.

I underestimated myself quite a lot in my 20s. Looking back, I was as capable then as I am now, so I should have taken more risks lah. Now, I’m telling myself, if I feel nervous about something, don’t care, just do it.

If you hear nice music and you just feel like dancing, but nobody else is doing it, screw it, just do it! At the end of the day, it’s gonna be fun, and you’re gonna make good memories with the people around you.

Is there anything that your past self would find surprising about your present self?
I’ve always been a people-pleaser; that’s just how I am as a person. It’s very difficult for me to say no. I just feel very uncomfortable turning people down if I know I have the ability to do something for them. So seeing the way I stand up for myself now where I wasn’t able to before, I think my younger self would be very proud.

Was wakesurfing something you’ve always wanted to do?
Surfing is something I’ve always enjoyed doing, but never knew existed in Singapore. Apparently, wakesurfing has been in Singapore for a really long time.

Before COVID, I often traveled to Bali for weekend trips. When COVID struck, my friend introduced me to wakesurfing in Punggol. Because I had previously learned to surf on actual waves, it was quite easy to pick up it up.

With wakesurfing, the boat creates the waves, so it’s very even. That was when I knew that I could enjoy my hobby here, whenever I’m free. Plus, it’s quite nice that I get to support the small business owners that run wakesurfing classes here.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?
Oh, I just love being in the sun, in the water, and at the beach—that’s where I belong! I guess I’m very lucky to be born in Singapore.

If you could be a character in a movie or a TV series, who would you be?
Oh! This is a good question.

(laughs) This is so weird, but I really like Lord of the Rings, so I’d really like to be a character in Lord of the Rings, but I’d like to be one of the fellowship members like Sam or the other people who help Frodo. That would be fun because of all the adventures they go on and stuff.