It is no secret that Dr Kuan wears many hats – as the Assistant Dean of Students, a senior lecturer at Tembusu College and the incoming Master of UTown Residence. Did you know he also used to be the NUSSU President? What does a day in his life really look like? What does he do first thing in the morning, what are his favourite stalls in UTown and what does he do to unwind? Read on to find out all the details.
6:45am: Some morning meditation always helps me start the day on the right note. Looking out from my window, I’m hoping to spot a beautiful sunrise today. Today seems like a good weather to have breakfast at the balcony.
7:30am: Getting my child ready for infant care. He is 13 months old now, and I’m enjoying seeing the person he’s becoming. Enjoying some family play time before heading out of the house.
8:30am: Heading off to my office at YIH from UTown bus stop. Both NUSSU and OSA are located at YIH. I was elected NUSSU president in 2008, when I was an undergraduate. The office hasn’t changed much – it’s nostalgic for me every time I pass this place. I used to spend many hours with late night meetings here.
9:00am: This morning, I will be having a few meetings and I also need to finish up a presentation deck.
12:00pm: Heading back to Tembusu College to prepare for class in the afternoon. I was a graduate fellow here when I was doing my PhD in Biomedical Engineering. I later became a lecturer on negotiation and ageing here. I’m currently still staying here as I’m a Residential Fellow, but I’ll be moving to UTown Residence (UTR) soon as the UTR Master.
12:30pm: It’s lunchtime! Decided to head down to Flavours@Utown for lunch. My three favourite stalls are all open today. Usually will try to get a nice seat by the side.
2:00pm: Head off to my class in Tembusu for the last class of the semester. We did Lego Serious Play for our final lesson to consolidate our learnings for the past semester.
5:00pm: Going to my office at YIH where I continue with my work which I left off this morning. I’m currently the Assistant Dean of Students at OSA, so I have offices here and also at Tembusu College.
6:00pm: It’s the end of the work day! Going to pick up my kid from infant care and grab some dinner from Fine Food on the way home. Decide to go for a stroll in UTown where it’s a nice relatively cool evening. I’m looking forward to move to UTR where I can see this view every day upon waking.
7:00pm: Tucking into dinner
9:30pm: Email time for me. This is my last quiet hour of the day. So I typically get some last bits of work in, so that I can get a good start on tomorrow. Some days, I will also unwind by watching my favourite shows on Disney+.
UTown Residence (UTR) is undergoing an exciting transformation come Aug 2022 – with appointment of a Master, and the expansion of the Resident Fellow and Resident Assistant team. Residents can look forward to a new support setup within UTR, a whole suite of exciting programmes to choose from, and of course, opportunities to get to know the Master and team up close and personal. Don’t miss out – follow @utownresidence on Instagram and TikTok, and find out more at utr.nus.edu.sg.
