Lifelong Learner…

In 2008, I was one of 16 recipients of the Lifelong Learner Awards jointly presented by MediaCorp, WDA, NTUC, and Spring Singapore.

Storyteller

In June 2011, I had the honour to be the first Asian invited to give the keynote address at the International Digital Storytelling Festival (DS6) in Aberystwyth, Wales on 17 June. The event was organised by the Arts Centre, Aberystwyth University. The yearly event is Wales’ premier festival to celebrate international digital storytelling and is supported by the Arts Council of Wales, National Assembly of Wales and the BBC.

Digital Storytelling (DS) is something I stumbled upon, got infected by and never recovered.

In 2007, the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) organised the first DS workshop. It was facilitated by Denise Atchley, wife of the late Dana Atchley, a.k.a. father of digital storytelling. I caught a glimpse of the man, his passion, and his genius through the eyes of his wife.

I love how DS helps me take what is inside my head and my heart and put it out there for me to see and appreciate. I love how it validate people.
I love how it turns a group of total strangers into friends.
I love the process, the people, and the product.

In 2008, my colleague Aurelia and I volunteered to help at the second workshop run by NBDCS. We also had our first Asian DS Congress. I asked Executive Director Mr Ramachandran, “Can I volunteer? I’ll serve coffee if I have to. I want to be part of DS.” He said, ”Oh no! You can’t do that!” He let me be lab assistant.

By 2009, Aurelia and I put together our own materials and made guinea pigs of our friends and anyone else. Mr Rama was the guest of honour at our second workshop. He was so impressed that he invited us to teach under the umbrella of the Book Council.

By August 2010, I resigned from my job of 22 years to start a social enterprise. With money from my savings, gifts from my mother, and friends, we made a trip to the Center for Digital Storytelling in the USA to get ourselves trained.  By December 2010, with great fear and trembling, I hired Aurelia so that she could remain in the country to develop  DS with me.  I had only enough money to keep us going for three months.

All I wanted to do was tell my stories, and help others tell their stories. But the dream just kept getting bigger. In my mind  I can see people from all walks of life being touched and transformed. I can see a nation-wide movement that would start from the ground up.  People talking to one another, people listening.

Writer

My (written) stories have been published in the Today papers, New Paper, and Chicken Soup for the Singapore Soul.

How the Moken Sea Gypsies got their Book, a biography of Burmese anthropologist  Naw Say Bay was published in 2006.