An Afternoon Chat with Ms May
Written by Reza Nagib
Who in RVRC do not know her name? If you haven’t heard of her yet, well then this post is a good start for you! Really! If you are in RVRC, you have got to know her because one way or another your paths will cross. Trust me, I’m an engineer. *dabs*
A Bit About Ms May…
Ms May is the current Resident Fellow of RVRC’s Panthera house. She lives in the RV Tower Block with her husband Barry, and daughter Heily. She is currently taking up a part-time Master’s Degree in Counselling at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). When you see her around, she wouldn’t fail to smile and greet you and usually even ask about your day.
When I heard of an opening to interview one of RVRCs most beloved staff member, I quickly “choped” it and accepted the task.
Here are a few questions I asked her and some of these questions came from the RVRC student body and residents themselves. See if your questions have been answered below!!!
So Ms May…
Tell us more about you and your RVRC journey.
Well, I first joined RVRC back in 2014 along with the founding college master, Professor Adekunle Adeyeye. I have known him prior to being in RVRC as I was working in Ridge View Residences’ (RVR) OHS office since I joined NUS in 2010. When I was informed that there were plans to turn RVR into a residential college, I hopped on board and that is how my journey in RVRC began. Since I always worked till late, the previous director of studies of RVRC, A/P Lee Kooi Cheng, who is currently the hall master of KE VII Hall, suggested that I consider taking up the role as a Resident Fellow (RF). Ever since then, I have been an RF of the Red House in RVRC
As an RF of Panthera House, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love your house?
Aiya! 10 lah! I give them 10! Somehow or rather, I feel that the people in this house are really true and genuine. When I asked them for help I feel that they will sincerely come to my rescue and aid. They are willing to participate in most events and I am super thankful that whenever I need help, there is always someone from Panthera who wants to help me. I don’t know if the reason for that is because I’m their RF, but I don’t think so. Come to think of it, they have no obligation to me at all. That is why I really don’t mind baking them brownies or giving them goodies from time to time. I really appreciate my Panthera. *XOXO*
How much have RVRC impacted your life?
Well, RVRC hasn’t changed my life much until I became an RF back in 2016. In the initial phases when I was adapting to staying on campus, I felt that my movement was quite restricted. The process of applying for leave is more rigorous as compared to a non-RF staff. During the initial phases, I even worry about going too far away from RVRC. But as time passes, I quickly adapted to it and I enjoy staying in as an RF. I can have my family stay with me and I can gain a new family called the RVRC family. It really feels homey.
What do you do in RVRC and how does it feel living on campus among university students?
I am the Admin Lead in RVRC, apart from being the RF of Panthera House (Red House). As the Admin Lead, I head the admin team and oversee operations in RVRC to make sure everything runs smoothly. I am the staff in charge of RVRC’s dining committee and so much more! For full details of what I do in RVRC, you can visit RVRC’s website and click on my face! What many people may not know is that I am the main liaison between RVRC students and the Office of Housing Services (OHS). So if you have any queries about implementing systems and initiatives for the RVRC community in relation to the GEQ1917 module and you need the assistance of OHS, you know who to look for. Hahaha.
To be honest, I got used to living around university students and I adapted quite easily. It is actually quite fun, possibly because I can blend well with these young people given that I like to talk and my conversation with students usually have no barrier. Sometimes, since I’m somewhat a night owl, I exchange text messages with students till such ungodly hours.
*** COVID-19 Advice from Ms May ***
“Please, please, please take your temperature regularly. This is to help yourself. Be socially responsible and take care of your own well-being and also others. Go and exercise, go for a break from time to time and don’t be too stressed out about this issue. Do the things you enjoy. If you ever get too stressed out, look for me or an RA or someone you can really talk to. Oh ya! For now, please don’t go for social gatherings first. I feel that even though COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic, what is accelerating its spread and expanding its reach is humans being irresponsible. If we could all practice social distancing from one another for the time being, we might help contain the spread. The faster we do that, the faster we can put this COVID-19 issue behind us and resume our normal lives.”
Now, to change things up a bit, I asked random, trivial and purely whimsical questions about her and her personal life.
~ Presenting 15 Questions with Ms May ~
Q1. If you aren’t a staff of NUS, what would you be doing now? “Kindergarten Teacher or Bakery Business Owner. Actually I have plans to set up my own AirBNB type of hotel establishment in rural Thailand where we provide lodging. My husband cooks and I bake!”
Q2. What is your hobby? “Online shopping ($$$), running marathons (pre-Heily), Baking (Duh!) and Travelling.”
Q3.What is your daily routine like?
“Well, it is VERY “Heily-centric”… HAHA.”
“It goes somewhat like this: Send Heily to school > Go to work > Fetch Heily from school > Feed Heily > Play with Heily > Wipe Heily down and put her to sleep Dinner with my husband > Bathe > Reply e-mails, do homework (yes, I have homework too!) > Sleep (around 1am usually)”
Q4. Favourite colour? “Pink”
Q5. Favourite food? “Don’t have any, but I tend to enjoy Thai, Japanese and Korean cuisine.”
Q6. What is the one thing you CANNOT live without? “My small plush toy “Rabbitangel”. In the morning I wake her up from her tiny bed (yes, a physical bed). I put her in my bag and I bring her everywhere I go. Then at night I tuck her in her tiny bed again. She is like my lucky charm!”
Q7. Why is your daughter’s name spelt that way?
“My husband chose it! He once had an ex-colleague who is very kind and gentle and hopes that his daughter will also turn out like that. This person’s name is Heily.”
Q8. How would you say you have changed (life-wise)?
“Well my priorities change. I feel that this is natural for every human being. As you grow up and go through different phases, your priorities will shift. For example, before I got married, I have not much commitment to anyone but myself. I am free to go anywhere I want anytime I want. I never fail to have my iPad with me to replay e-mails on the go. When I got married, I got a commitment to my husband. Even then, I am still able to do the above-said things and I even have someone to bring along now! Once I have Heily, everything turns Heily-centric. When I want to go places, I must think if it is child-friendly, I must think of what necessities to pack way before I leave the house. With a baby, it is very different. They are very unpredictable and my time now revolves around Heily. Now, my priority is my family.”
Q9.What is your favourite fashion style? “I don’t have any actually. My go-to comfort wear is denim shorts and T-shirts.”
Q10. What did you do before you joined NUS in 2010? “I was with Sentosa Cove doing facility management where I liaise with contractors and architect to build houses for the rich and possibly famous too.”
Q11. Who would you trust to babysit Heily?
“NOBODY! Hahahaha. Because although I trust the person, I don’t want the responsibility to fall on that person to take care of Heily.”
Q12. What is the secret to your house-famous brownies?
“No secret. Just recipe and a lot of love and sincerity when making them.”
Q13. Are you familiar with the term “CMK”? “Hahahaha. How do you know about this? Yes I am. College of May Koh (CMK) is the nickname given to me by our founding college master, Professor Kunle. CMK can also stand for College of Melody and Kitty!”
Q14. What are your other secret talents besides baking? “Hmmmm. I can do handicrafts. I usually do my own Chinese New Year decorations and I don’t buy them. I make my own lanterns, etc.”
Q15. If you are to choose between the absence of the colour pink and the complete annihilation of Hello Kitty and My Melody from the face of the earth, which one would you choose? “The latter. I like Hello Kitty and My Melody because they are cute. But most importantly, they come in pink!”
Throughout the interview, Ms May was really casual and open about her answers. She didn’t think much before answering the questions I asked. We ended up digressing quite a lot, talking about things not related to the interview questions, so much so that what I scheduled to be a 45-minutes interview, dragged for about another hour. Ms May Koh is really a joy to talk to. You won’t even realise how much time have passed when conversing with her. You can always count on her when you need a friend to chat. But please don’t start perpetually texting her from now onwards because she’s human too and she needs sleep, unlike most university students. Hahaha. Just kidding.
So… that’s all for now folks. Stay safe and healthy! Press on for finals. GTG back to the grind now. KTHXBYE!
Photo Credits: May Koh, IG: @panthypals