“So to all the aspiring dreamers out there, just believe in yourself. There will be external forces saying you’re no good or that you’re lousy, but if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will. And if you want to achieve anything in life, you have to fight for it.”
With a camera in hand, an introspective Hisham Zainal visits the iconic shopping mall in Geylang to find it mostly empty on the cusp of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert).
“Knowledge is important because money is part of our lives. I don’t think it should rule our lives, but if you want to live your life to the fullest and not have the burden of worrying about money when you’re older and about to retire, then you need to know.”
Humans of Sentosa | “But now when I go home and sleep at night, I can sleep properly because I feel like I did something good that day. So no matter which industry you’re in, as long as you’re happy doing your work, I think that’s all that matters…”
People of Legends | “The very next day, I went to visit my dad and placed the medal on his grave. I talked to him, knowing that he could somehow listen to me…I kept my promise to him in the end. I hope he’s proud of me. I know he’s proud of me.”
“I’ve been a workaholic my whole life. For someone who’s been working the way I have for the past 16 years, it’s a bit hard to adjust, right? I just love working. But I also realise there is more to life. I should enjoy myself more and take care of the people around me.”
“I started in sports therapy earning less than $50 a month. I was exploited and went through depression and faced so many challenges…but I have a successful career now and I go to work happy to see my clients and loving what I do.”
In need of a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life? If you’re living in northern Singapore, Arman Shah prescribes a reconnection with nature at Admiralty Park in Woodlands.
Humans of Sentosa | “Here, you get to see hawksbill turtles that come to lay their eggs and dolphins that swim around our coast. It’s very cool.”
“Find a business with a mission for the future that you can get behind. In a small business there are going to be lots of challenges and having a guiding star is key to keeping motivated and hungry.”
People of Legends | “I was one of those kids who always got bullied, pushed to the wall, slapped on the face. Looking at Iman, I did not want him to experience the same thing. So I thought I needed him to learn self-defence.”
“If I have any advice for other caretakers, it’s to learn to have empathy and compassion for yourself. I think many times we think that we can do better and must do better. But we are human and there is only so much you can do for yourself and your loved ones.”
“I was 18 when I experienced love. It’s funny because I never thought that my first love would be someone who’s insta famous. We first met at my birthday party. She was a friend of a friend.”
“For the past 28 years, I’ve felt like a foreigner in a country that I call home. This feeling is very strong when I fill up documents that ask for my identity. Where were you born? What is your citizenship? When faced with such questions, I always question where I belong.”
In our very first episode of A Singapore Story, we find out from non-profit ‘Hey, You Got Mail!’ why it was important for them to send personalised, handwritten letters to the elderly in Singapore’s nursing homes.
People of Legends | “I think that if you can face a stranger head on, take punches and be able to hug it out after that, everything else you do on a daily basis is going to be so much easier.”
Inspiring Creatives of Workbuddy | “In these past two years, I’ve had days where I genuinely thought ‘this is the end’. But what I’ve learnt is that being an entrepreneur requires persistence, resilience and never giving up. You learn to cope. You have to.”
“Art tells people who we are, and represents what’s important to us. It is a visual language that cuts across cultures and languages.”
“A Greek god? Lol! I wasn’t born like this. I was a very skinny guy. When I graduated from secondary school, I was about 50kg.”
Inspiring Creatives of Workbuddy | “I’m 40 this year and I’m pleased to tell people I’m 40 because at 33, I was diagnosed with cancer…”