Quotes from the Lesser-Known: Part 20

'Give a brief description of yourself.' 

'Melanie. Mel for short. I don't like my name Melanie, so call me Mel. I'm like a nanna. I think like one & behave like one. I like to do things that nannas do. Baking, cooking, rocking on my swivel chair & looking totally clueless when a teenager asks me to name three albums about desert island which I kept pronouncing as dessert island which I had to Google to find out that it was an actual island, but that is besides the point because this is supposed to be a description about me.' 

'Three things whilst backpacking around the world. Go.' 

'IPhone - It's basically your 3-in-1, except that it's more 3-in-1. Camera, writing, cell phone, music, internet, etc. Shitloads of cash - So that I won't have to live the life of a backpacker. I can check myself into a decent hotel & dump my backpack in there & start exploring in the most comfortable way. A companion - What? You're going to exclaim how great this macaron is to yourself? Get out of here.' 

'If you could live in any other place in the world, where would it be?' 

'Paris. There's something about Paris that makes it nostalgic. And also, I live for butter. No one does it better than the French.' 

'Why is fashion an integral part of our lives?' 

'Fashion distinguishes you from the rest of the people! You can go out wearing your pyjamas & be known as the pyjamas girl, that might set you aside from the rest (but seriously, is that what you want?). Fashion displays the amount of confidence that you have for yourself. What you wear is how you want people to see you. Impressions. Not to impress someone, but to leave an impression that could possibly inspire someone else. The needle pulls the thread & this could go on & on, & you're changing things with a mere impression.' 

'Talk about the fashion scene in Singapore.' 

'Well, 'fashion' in Singapore is overrated. Everyone is basically a clone of each other & the ones who are trying to stand out are basically trying too hard to be different. It's just baffling how people can don winter coats or unrealistic clothing for such a climate. There's too many people trying to be something else. Just be yourself & wear what fits & suits you best. That's the best accessory that you can put on yourself.'

Melanie Tang, 23

Fashionista, baker, & all-round foodie