Lee Su Min and Kaarneka Murugan
Lee Su Min:
The first thing I learnt from school was “when school has started, go to school”. And it was my grandmother who brought me to school. My friends all had their own mothers. I did not understand why I didn't have a mother.
When young I watched television with my grandmother all day and aspired to be an actress. My favourite female actress was 萧芳芳 (“Xiao Fang Fang”) and male actor was 谢贤 (“Xie Xian”). My hobby now is still watching television drama series, the latest drama series I like is meWATCH, “Life less ordinary”.
Let me tell you what I dread - piano lessons. My fingers are short and so I couldn't reach the octave. But nonetheless I managed Grade 5 but have promptly forgotten how to play the piano. I also forgot all the theories in music as I have stopped touching the piano when I had to sit for my GCE O Levels.
Of course, I have relatives, but I don't see them often. They are married with their own families and are too busy minding their own lives. There is no reason to meet since my mother passed away in 2018. She was the eldest in the family, and my father is not having his side of the family to join us.
My favourite foods are hawker food, from Hokkien Mee, Char Kway Teow, Popiah, and my favourite dessert is Chendol. And due to high cholesterol, I have stopped “Chwee Kueh”.
Kaarneka Murugan:
I was born to a pair of 1st generation Singaporeans, with my father having migrated here from India on a work visa, later getting married and bringing my mother with him. My sister and I were both born in Singapore. Growing up, my parents instilled a strong foundation in the languages, both English and my mother tongue, Tamil.
Both my parents work, so it was usually my grandma, a retired teacher, who took care of me as a child. My most vivid memories of my childhood are of my grandma feeding me dinner while we stargazed from the void deck of our HDB flat in Kim Tian, and of her teaching me Tamil. Sometimes, my neighbour would join me for her lessons.
I was never really sure what I wanted to do when I grew up. In a few months, I will be a Y5 student in NUS High, where I've expanded my horizons by debating, MUN-ing and taking on leadership roles. The future often feels murky and uncertain, but I hope I'll figure myself out before the time comes for me to decide.
Over the years, I picked up several hobbies. I run an Instagram account where I post my journal spreads, and I'm learning how to play the flute. I also play Genshin Impact with friends from school and others I've met online. Despite them being hobbies to destress, they still take considerable time and effort, so sometimes I feel guilty when I'm burned out from things I'm meant to enjoy.
I like giving my friends gifts to show them I appreciate them. One of my favourite parts of baking is sharing my bakes with friends - the smile on their faces is worth the 3 days it takes for me to bake a single batch of cookies.
