A Letter To Myself

Better known as Sya, she is an exclusive content creator for the humour platform SGAG and has almost 350,000 followers on TikTok. Her comedic videos regularly go viral, with some getting millions of views, but behind the outrageous humour is a lot of heart and hard work, and a couple of hard knocks.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those who have found their forever partners by swiping right, there are many more for whom dating apps can be a source of great frustration and disappointment. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Violet, the co-founder of the matchmaking agency Lunch Actually, tells Joel Chua how she built her company despite these online competitors, what she learnt about love and the reasons why people don't get a second date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sylvia Toh Paik Choo is known as the Godmother of Singlish, as she was probably the first to codify Singapore's unique language with her groundbreaking book "Eh, Goondu!" in 1982.  She tells Joel Chua how she established a prolific career as author, broadcaster and being inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame, despite leaving mainstream education at 14. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delonix Tan was a textbook bad boy. Struggling in school and falling in with the wrong crowd, he walked the well-worn path towards violence and delinquency. He ended up in police lock-up twice and was expelled from school. But a book his cousin gave him would change his life’s trajectory towards a life of entrepreneurship.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cellist Hughes Chong remembers the day strangers from the bank entered his house, labelling anything of value because his family declared bankruptcy. During this difficult period, with angry relatives constantly showing up at their doorstep demanding money, Hughes turned to his “buddy” - the cello – for solace.

The composer and founder of the Cellography Orchestra started playing the cello when he was seven, fell in love with it and began pursuing it professionally. 

The instrument would later become a source of strength for a second time when his mother suffered a stroke. Despite a bleak prognosis, Hughes’ mother made a full recovery and learnt to move her fingers again with the help of the cello.  

In this episode, Hughes tells Joel Chua how the strings became instrumental in comforting his younger self and provided hope for his mother to heal.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a pin prick to draw blood for their newborn son didn’t stop bleeding for 36 hours, parents Geoffrey Toi and Amelia Teng knew something was very wrong with their child. At six months old, Christopher was diagnosed with Bile Acid Synthesis Disorder – and he is the only patient in Singapore with this rare disease.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian author of Being Happy tried studying law but didn't find it suitable. So at 25, he decided to write a book and his first attempt was rejected 77 times. Andrew Matthews, 66, tells Joel Chua why failing many times is better than not trying and what he thinks is the secret to being happy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, the veteran actor and entertainer has made Singaporeans laugh but when Suhaimi Yusof was struck by a rare form of stroke, he went back to the place that gave him the greatest comfort. He shares how letters he wrote to himself made all the difference in bouncing back.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2014, a car crash in New Zealand left the then 31-year-old Jean Ling with a serious spinal cord injury. When she woke up, she was forced to rebuild her life. Now married with two children and expecting a third, she shares how she found the mindset to triumph over despair.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After his mother died, Ganesh Kumar planted a hibiscus on a bare hillside in Woodlands. Today, it is a vibrant, 4,000 sq m oasis for stressed-out urbanites, the elderly in wheelchairs, and ex-offenders. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Ganesh reflects on the garden’s transformation, its deep connection to the community, and how his own grief made space for the healing of others. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.