Michael Sng is the principal designer of Machination Studio.

He is the creator of the Codename Colossus – a Walking War Machine with 435 individually 3D-printed parts.

Michael is the first Singaporean who spoke on the main stage at the TED Conference (2016) in Vancouver.

He holds a Bachelor of Graphic Design (Advertising) from the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (2000).

In this conversation, we spoke about:

  • Tools and skills to design and build a 3D printed & moving toy
  • Hacking Kickstarter to conclude a 442% funded Campaign
  • Michael’s experience preparing for TED
  • and much more!

If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (The Designer Snobs From Central Saint Martins)

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Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favourite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Show Notes

How does Michael Sng introduce himself to a stranger? [0:01:49]
Michael Sng on his childhood [0:12:48]
What is Michael Sng’s superpower when he was younger? [0:1858]
What are the lessons Michael learnt from his time in design school? [0:24:13]
What is the value of an education at a design school when we can learn design from Youtube?  [0:30:51]
How did Michael get started with building the ultimate toy “Colosuss”? [0:36:47]
What are the software and skills required to design a toy? [0:4956]
Why did Michael decide to go to Comic Con? [01:02:44]
Did Michael achieve what he wanted at Comic Con? [01:05:09]
How did Michael get invited to TED? [01:09:07]
Michael Sng shares his experience preparing for his TED talk [01:11:41]
Michael Sng shares common mistakes people make with their Kickstarter campaigns [01:24:30]
Why did Michael set a low Kickstarter budget? [01:28:46]
What would Michael do differently for his Kickstarter campaign? [01:30:43]
How did Michael’s Kickstarter project get funded within 6 hours of its launch? [01:34:08]
Michael Sng shares the economics behind his Kickstarter campaign [01:39:49]

Links Mentioned

Connect with Michael Sng:
Website | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Photo Credit: Marla Aufmuth (TED)
Arduino
Fusion 360
SolidWorks
Ultimaker (3D printer)
Wanhao (3D printer)
Comic Con (New York)
Introducing Codename Colossus (Viral Video)
Singapore Toy and Games Comic Convention

Thanks for listening!

And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Share your story in the comments.

Also, please leave an honest review for Misfits Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

Special thanks to Michael Sng. Until next time!

“If you allow all these barriers and challenges around you to impact you, you’ll never walk out of the house and have terrible mental health. So, get over it.”
– Claire Chiang

Claire Chiang is the co-founder of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.

She was Singapore’s Woman of the Year (1999).

She was the first of two women who to break the long-standing tradition of an all-male member of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI).

Claire is the chairperson of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund, the Shirin Fozdar Program and the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS).

She occasionally contributes to and leads various committees in the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Arts Council and Raffles Girls’ Secondary School.

In this conversation, we spoke about

  • How to deal with the “glass ceiling”
  • How to be a mum while running a business
  • What Claire learnt from the study of Sociology
  • and much more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I do.

If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (The Truth About Shattering The “Glass Ceiling”)

 

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Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…

 

Show Notes
Claire Chiang on her childhood [0:07:30]
Why did Claire choose to study Sociology? [0:14:11]
Claire Chiang on her parents’ reaction to her studying oversea [0:18:43]
How does Claire define the study of Sociology? [0:21:37]
What lesson has Claire learnt from Sociology that she still carries today? [0:23:29]
Claire Chiang shares about the people she surrounds herself with [0:29:57]
Claire Chiang shares advice on imparting self-agency [0:38:30]
What are the characteristics of Claire’s best mentee [0:54:56]
Claire Chiang shares advice on eliminating negative relationship [1:03:53]
Claire Chiang shares stories about her early travels [1:09:01]
Claire Chiang shares advice on raising a children while running a business [1:14:39]
How does Claire balance instilling discipline and creativity while raising a child [1:22:19]
What are the rules or habits that Claire has learned to build a successful marriage? [1:31:55]
Claire Chiang shares advice on juggling work and family duties [1:41:54]
Claire Chiang on “being water” [1:47:25]
What book would Claire give a class of year 3 Sociology students to read [1:56:05]
The first 90 minutes of Claire’s day [1:56:35]
What areas of Claire Chiang’s current life is she seeking to improve [2:04:34]

 

Links Mentioned
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Wu Tang Association
Shrines and Streetlights by Ho Ren Chun
Water by Christopher Chang & Susan Ho Quek
The Qing Empire (TV Show)

 

Thanks for listening!

And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Share your story in the comments.

Also, please leave an honest review for Misfits Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

Special thanks to Claire Chiang. Until next time!

Pek Jin Shen, 25, better known by his stage name ShiGGa Shay is a Singaporean hip-hop artist, songwriter, director, and music producer.

In 2012, ShiGGa was named the “Unsigned Talent of The Week” by WorldStarHipHop.

He was the first Singaporean hip-hop Artist that made it to iTunes top chart with his song, LimPeh.

In 2016, ShiGGa Shay was invited by the US Ambassador to perform at the White House State Dinner after-party.

ShiGGa is also a founder member of hip hop group Grizzle Grind Crew, as well as production company Grizzle Films.

He films and art-directs most of his music videos.

In this conversation, we spoke about

  • ShiGGa Shay’s vision for his career
  • How ShiGGa Shay dealt with the passing of his father
  • ShiGGa’s advice for young budding artists
  • and much more!

If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (Dealing With the Death of His Father)

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Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Show Notes
ShiGG Shay on his childhood [0:02:01]
What is ShiGGa’s on first paid performance [0:09:51]
ShiGGa Shay shares about his music’s heroes [0:11:11]
When was ShiGGa Shay’s first big break? [0:13:08]
What is the passion that drives ShiGGa? [0:13:55]
What was Jin Shen’s parents’ reactions to his career? [0:15:35]
ShiGGa Shay shares backstory of the song he did with Stefanie Sun [0:19:33]
Why did ShiGGa choose to study for a Diploma in Media and Communication? [0:25:52]
What was ShiGGa Shay’s vision for his career? [0:28:02]
ShiGGa Shay on the passing of his father [0:32:48]
What is ShiGGa Shay’s take on “making money” and “selling out” [0:37:36]
Mentors that helped ShiGGa Shay along his journey [0:40:10]
ShiGGa Shay shares what it means to be an all-rounded performer? [0:46:34]
ShiGGa Shay on “talent” vs “hard work” [0:50:01]
ShiGGa Shay shares advice for young artists? [0:57:52]
ShiGGa Shay shares what does it means to be a director? [1:06:37]
Why did ShiGGa Shay decide to take up the role in 3688? [1:07:59]
What did ShiGGa Shay learn from film director Royston Tan? [1:10:03]

Links Mentioned

Connect with ShiGGa Shay:
Website | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Photo Credit: Daryl Adamz (Instagram)

Liang Wern Fook (Song-writer)
Simply, Love by Stefanie Sun and ShiGGa Shay
3688 by Royston Tan
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Hip-Hop Evolution (2016)
Departures (2008)
Charlie Lim

Thanks for listening!

And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Share your story in the comments.

Also, please leave an honest review for Misfits Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

Special thanks to ShiGGa and Yasmeen. Until next time!

Tay Kheng Soon is the founder and principal partner of the architect firm, Akitek Tenggara.

In the span of his career, he was responsible for many iconic buildings around Singapore. Some of these include (but not limited to) People’s park Complex, Golden Mile Complex and KK Woman’s and Children hospital.

He was president of the Singapore Institute of Architects (1991-1993); the founding member and chairman of the Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group (1970-1971); chairman of The Substation and founding member of DP Architects (1967-1974).

On the side, he is an adjunct architecture professor at the National University of Singapore.

In this conversation, we spoke about

  • Kheng Soon’s backpacking experience in the 1960s
  • Kheng Soon’s encounter with our late PM Lee Kuan Yew
  • The relationship between architecture and politics

If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (The “Funny” Generation of Architects)

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Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…

 

Show Notes
Tay Kheng Soon on his childhood [0:01:27]
Why did Kheng Soon decide to study architecture? [0:12:27]
What did Kheng Soon learn from Singapore Poly in the 1960s? [0:22:57]
Tay Kheng Soon share thoughts on how architecture is taught in school today? [0:28:07]
What does architecture mean to Kheng Soon’s students? [0:47:08]
What does architecture mean to Kheng Soon? [0:50:37]
Tay Kheng Soon shares advice for young architects [0:54:22]
Why did Kheng Soon start Singapore Planning and Urban Research (SPUR)? [1:06:43]
Tay Kheng Soon shares his solo-travelling experience in the 1960s [1:23:18]
Tay Kheng Soon on “Rubanisation” [0:35:01]
Kheng Soon shares the relationship between architecture and politics [1:48:49]
Tay Kheng Soon shares story about his encounter with Lee Kuan Yew [1:54:43]

 

Links Mentioned
Meccano
Friedrich Fröbel (German educator)
The Interlace
Lim Chong Keat
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges
Europe on 5 Dollars a Day by Arthur Frommer
Kibbutz Israel
The Children of the Dream by Bruno Battleheim
Ekistics movement

Thanks for listening!

And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Share your story in the comments.

Also, please leave an honest review for Misfits Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

Special thanks to Tay Kheng Soon. Until next time!

“Ownself check ownself”
– Wayne Cheong

Wayne Cheong is the head writer for Esquire Singapore. He is a two-time recipient of the MPAS (Media Publishers Association of Singapore) “Journalist of The Year”, for both 2014 and 2015.

He has interviewed numerous iconic personalities, including Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Dev Patel, Colin Schooling, “The SMRT Vigilanteh” and Eric Bana, amongst others.

On the side, Wayne performs standup comedy regularly. He has performed at Singapore Comedy Fringe Festival, Talk Cock Comedy 2015 as well as regular improv nights together with other comedians.

In this episode, we talked about

  • Wayne’s interview process: from crafting questions to writing the article
  • Esquire’s hiring process
  • Recommendations for Japan
  • and much much more…

If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (How to ‘Not” to get a job at Esquire)

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Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favourite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Show Notes
How did Wayne first get introduced to me [0:02:18]
Wayne’s research process before his interview [0:07:29]
Wayne shares common mistakes when crafting interview questions [0:13:09]
Wayne shares advice on asking following up questions [0:17:21]
Wayne shares advice on creating rapport with the interviewees [0:22:33]
Wayne on planning an ideal interview scenario [0:26:07]
Wayne on his personal interviewing style [0:29:19]
What are the common themes that Wayne likes to cover with his interviewees? [0:44:45]
How does Wayne produce an article from his raw interview materials? [0:51:56]
Wayne shares advice on how to stay inspired to write? [0:58:50]
Wayne shares common misconception of working at Esquire [1:04:50]
What is Wayne’s definition of lazy writing [1:12:02]
Wayne on the difference between a good writer and a great writer [1:13:47]
Wayne recommendation for Japan [1:16:43]
Wayne shares his experience on interacting with people as an introvert [1:23:34]
Why does Wayne perform stand-up comedy? [1:25:22]

Links Mentioned
Studio Ghibli
Blue Blue 
Ragtag (second-hand store)
Kindal (second-hand store)
Shimokitazawa
Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean
Exit Through the Gift Shop by Banksy
The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer
Stephanie Dogfoot
Jacky Ng

Thanks for listening!

And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Share your story in the comments.

Also, please leave an honest review for Misfits Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

Special thanks to Wayne & Zul for making this happen. Until next time!

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