Freelance Writer
I really like interviews where the subject is absolutely no holds barred. Plenty of rich material to bring in after a very fun chat with Chef Bjorn Shen of Artichoke Cafe+Bar :) You can read the full article here. … [Read more...]
Sculpting Spaces in the Tropics: 13 Houses in Aamer’s Taher’s Design Journey is a beautifully-produced, 192-page book featuring a collection of tropical houses in Singapore that captures the artistic soul of award-winning architect Aamer Taher. For this book, I was the editor and project manager. Every time I looked at the proofs, I started fantasising about living in these gorgeous houses. I also discovered that architectural theories are fascinating - love the balance between technical … [Read more...]
It was a personal mission to publish a piece on this place before it is gone. I'm grateful for alternative platforms like POSKOD.SG that tell the (for lack of a better term) "little stories" that would usually not get a chance on mainstream newspapers or magazines. It also helps that POSKOD is under the good hands of Tym, who provided invaluable help in making a very personal story more digestible for public consumption. You can read the full article here. … [Read more...]
I really enjoyed doing this story, it was a full-on destination piece that allowed us to get a lovely overview of the island. Also, I fell in love with Langkawi and hope to be there for a much longer period the next time round. You can read the full story here. … [Read more...]
Tea and writing are soul mates. Both, to some extent, require solitude and contemplation, which are essential sanity restorers in this overstimulated world. I really enjoy writing about tea - combining two of my most favourite things in the world! You can read the full article here. … [Read more...]
Now this was an article close to my heart - covering favourite food around my neighbourhood! I had a lot of fun getting to know the people at my regular food haunts better, and because I also shot the images for this article, I interacted much more with the staff there who always had an interesting story or two. I'm very happy to get something published on this widely-read online platform and was absolutely fascinated with the flurry of responses this article generated. Click … [Read more...]
This was a challenging article. For one, my husband and I embarked on this trip to Taman Negara knowing that we weren't really of the National Geographic calibre. There wasn't going to be scaling of tumultuous mountains or cuddling of orang utans. The only possible story angle based on our limitations was to truthfully position us as urban wussies. The editor found this "entertaining" and played it up. Despite all my dramatic scenic descriptions (see next point) of Taman Negara, he chose to … [Read more...]
The first T+L collaboration with my husband, Darren. The good news is that we did not squabble while on assignment in Cameron Highlands, though a bit of nagging was involved thereafter. You can view the full article here. … [Read more...]
I really enjoyed holing up in the library while helping with the writing, research and editing of this historical coffee table book. It is also quite cool that I get a "sub-byline" (below Ilsa Sharp, no less!). If you must know it says "Additional text by Melanie Lee" :) … [Read more...]
I remember this article because I never had so many people mistake me as a teacher before. I also never met such an excitable, articulate bunch of primary school students. It was fun. Full article here. … [Read more...]
Doing this story possibly made me a little fitter, because for three weeks I was actually hiking (well, walking) or cycling regularly to view the nature spots. It was lovely to see the "unurban" side of Singapore. In a way, I was very much the tourist. You can view the full article here. … [Read more...]
I'm so glad Jaton asked me to contribute a piece on the Childhood issue for New Slang. This was so much fun to write and brought back good memories. Full article here. … [Read more...]
I had a trippy conversation with filmmaker and author Dai Sijie about his favourite travel destination. It was an enjoyable interview despite the language barrier. He's a funny, funny guy. Click here for a hi-res version of the article. … [Read more...]
This dear little bookshop feeds my (literary) soul. It pleased me very much to feature them on Travel + Leisure. Click here for a hi-res version of the article. … [Read more...]
I did not get to go to South Africa for this book. However, there was a fair amount of escapist armchair travelling. A few months later after publication, I did make it to South Africa for a friend's wedding and it really is as beautiful as it is described here. Click here for more information on the book. … [Read more...]
It was timely that Theresa, the editor of this wonderful but tragically short-lived publication (Vanilla magazine), gave me this assignment just before I got married. While it took a lot of effort to rally up all these couples, I love the variety of real-life love stories presented - some should definitely be made into movies/soap operas one day. Read the full article here. … [Read more...]
This was my first published travel story so I'm quite sentimental about it. The trip to Sri Lanka was also pretty adventurous for two rather naive Singaporean girls. Click here for a hi-res version of the article. … [Read more...]