We are Singaporeans (Volume 1)

Melanie Lee

Description

Choosing to do unconventional work is hard work, especially in a society that values sticking to the norms. In We Are Singaporeans Volume 1, we meet ten people who have gone against the grain with their career paths to achieve success in their respective fields. They are: Anthony Chen, filmmaker- Cai Yinzhou, tour guide & activist- Bjorn Low, urban farmer- Eugenia Ong, medical researcher- Eunice Olsen, TV presenter, actress, communications trainer- Joanna Dong, singer, actress and host- Kim Whye Kee, potter- Siti Khalijah Zainal, theatre actress- Shabir Tabare Alam, music composer, singer, songwriter, actor- Verleen Goh and Alan Phua, foodtech entrepreneurs In this collection of interviews featuring stunning and evocative illustrations by popular artist Lee Xinli, find out how these remarkable individuals hustle for their work goals, overcome challenges and discouragement, and stay true to their passions and visions.

Sujets

• Employabilité, métiers et formations

Informations

• Publié par: Marshall Cavendish International
• Date de parution: 14 juillet 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814974752
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

We Are
Singaporeans
Text by
Melanie Lee
Illustrated by
Lee Xin Li
Volume 1
Text Melanie Lee, Illustrations Lee Xin Li
2021 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
Published in 2021 by Marshall Cavendish Editions
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
All rights reserved
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National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Names: Lee, Melanie, 1979- | Lee, Xin Li, 1988- illustrator.
Title: We are Singaporeans. Volume 1 / text by Melanie Lee ; illustrated by Lee Xin Li.
Description: Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2021.
Identifiers: OCN 1257336351 | e-ISBN: 978 981 4974 75 2
Subjects: LCSH: Singaporeans-Interviews. | Values-Singapore. | Singapore-
Social conditions-21st century.
Classification: DDC 306.095957--dc23
Printed in Singapore
Contents
5
Preface
8
Anthony Chen
Filmmaker
16
Eugenia Ong
Medical researcher
24
Bjorn Low
Urban farmer
32
Joanna Dong
Singer, actress host
40
Cai Yinzhou
Tour guide activist
48
Eunice Olsen
TV presenter, actress,
communications media trainer
56
Kim Whye Kee
Potter
64
Siti Khalijah Zainal
Theatre actress
72
Alan Phua Verleen Goh
Food tech
entrepreneurs
80
Shabir Tabare Alam
Music composer, singer, songwriter actor
88
About the Author
the
Illustrator
5
I interviewed these ten remarkable individuals for this
book from late 2020 to early 2021, a period where many
Singaporeans were still adapting to a post-pandemic world.
What I discovered was that such drastic adjustments
and challenges were not entirely new to them. In their
journeys to carve out meaningful work for themselves,
they already had experienced unexpected realities and
Plan Bs.
Their resilience and diligence were apparent, and I
ended each interview feeling energised and hopeful.
These boosts meant a lot personally as well, as at that
time, I was also struggling with the direction I should
take with my work.
While this group of Singaporeans come from different
fields, there are some overarching commonalities in
how they achieved their work dreams. Firstly, they are
not fatalistic about disadvantaged circumstances and
either work around them or see them as opportunities
to build strengths. Secondly, while they are aware that
society may sometimes misunderstand them because
Preface
6
of their unconventional work, they do not take this to
heart because they have a clear vision of
why
they do
what they do. Thirdly, they are accepting of failures
and when things are not within their control but still
resolutely remain on a lookout for other opportunities.
At the same time, I appreciate how varied their paths
are, and it reminds me that everyone has their own
unique way of discovering their directions in life. I
think it s fitting that Xin Li, the illustrator of this book,
has chosen to portray each profile as an organic and
beautiful montage, as we are, after all, a sum of our
one-of-a-kind of experiences and choices.
You may already have a childhood dream job in mind
or this may be something you ve never really thought
much about. Whatever the case, this book is meant
for you, dear reader, with its valuable wisdom about
making authentic personal choices despite hardships
and societal pressures.
I hope that their stories will lift your spirits just as
they have lifted mine.
Warmly,
Melanie
We Are
Singaporeans

Anthony Chen is an award-winning
filmmaker who is best known for his
debut feature film,
Ilo Ilo
, which won the
Camera d Or at the Cannes Film Festival
and the Golden Horse Award for Best
Feature Film, Best New Director, Best
Original Screenplay and Best Supporting
Actress in 2013. His second film,
Wet
Season
, was Singapore s entry for Best
International Film for the 93rd Academy
Awards (Oscars).
Anthony
Chen
10
A
t first, I thought of becoming a theatre
director as I d been acting on stage from 10
to 19 years old. However, in Secondary 2, I
struggled with getting Shakespeare and I thought
that if I couldn t connect with the world s greatest
playwright, how could I even do theatre? It was during
this period when I was 14 years old that I discovered
Italian, French and Taiwanese films which changed the
definition of what cinema could be for me. It made me
think, maybe I could be a filmmaker.
I d go to the library or Borders at Wheelock Place to
read books on filmmaking. I researched the careers
of Ang Lee and Steven Soderbergh and learned that
to become a filmmaker, one should ideally go to film
school, and then make a graduation film to send out to
festivals where it would win awards. From there, that
becomes one s calling card for people to give you the
opportunity to make a feature film.
As I did more online research on top film schools such
as the University of Southern California or New York
University, I realised that film school education was
expensive, costing around $200,000, which at that
time, could allow one to buy a small HDB flat! Because
I came from a middle-class family where we did not
11
12
have that kind of money to spare, I went back to do
more research and discovered that there was a film
school in Singapore at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, which
offered a three-year diploma in film, sound and video.
I did secondary school at The Chinese High School
(now Hwa Chong Institution) where most students
then go on to attend top junior colleges. I think I might
have been the only one in my cohort that decided to go
to a polytechnic instead. That really got to my family -
I was the eldest grandchild in my generation and there
were relatives who felt I was throwing my future away.
They were worried that I was going to be poor for the
rest of my life if I pursued filmmaking.
Filmmaking can be a
painfully challenging
process. The reason why
I stick with it is that I m
in love with cinema and
it almost feels like an
addiction.