Before we arrive at the finale on 12 September, we present you our next batch of A-Listers. Whether it is cycling around Singapore on a swollen ankle or giving abandoned furniture a new lease of life, these guys have earned our respect. They have not only finished what they set out to do, but also collectively worked to raise funds for CARE Singapore, an organisation dedicated to supporting challenged youths, shape their lives, and help carve out promising futures. Catch up with them to discover the lessons they have learnt from interacting with the kids. Read about their individual journeys, and vote for your favourite A-Lister. Voting closes 31 August.
Jack Ser, 30
Management Consultant
When you’re colour blind and forced to work late nights, the last thing on your mind would be to paint. But knowning a challenge like this would eat into an already hectic work schedule, Ser went for the plunge anyway. It took him three months, and without help from his sister, he may not have got all the colours right. Called “Tenacity”, it’s a pretty neat painting of a seedling inspired by the work of CARE Singapore, where growth, nurturing, and patience are essential.
Read more about Ser’s A-Lister journey here
Jeff Lin, 27
Chiropractor
It is hard work sticking to a healthy lifestyle. Even doctors who should know better smoke, drink and have the occasional binge because, well, “life is short”. But that is why Jeff Lin of Chiropractic First insists otherwise. Down-to-earth and somewhat bashful, he is a strong advocate for the paleolithic (paleo for short) diet. Also the caveman diet, it’s one that embraces gluten and grain-free organic produce, something the rest of us might look at in dismay. Here, he talks about his one month of strict paleo, and his time spent educating the kids on good posture and better eating habits.
Read more about Lin’s A-Lister journey here
Paul Wakefield, 33
Headhunter
For the carpenter-turned-headhunter, the whole course of this A-Listers challenge has opened up many doors for him, and it was all kicked off by “some English idiot in a salmon jacket thinking he could ride a bamboo bike around Singapore”. Wakefield happens to be that “English idiot”, who built a bike entirely from bamboo and diligently clocked an impressive distance of 194km around the country, peddling it despite a swollen ankle.
Read more about Wakefield’s A-Lister journey here
Benjamin Chiang, 34
Unionist
It is true that urban dwellers tend towards a consumerist way of life, discarding old-but-working well for brand new. But maybe we’ll appreciate something better if we’d built it from scratch. This was what Chiang intended, and he was all set to do so before he realized how irresponsible it would be to make a halfhearted piece of work without any carpentry expertise. So he consulted some library books and switched to giving old furniture that he had found a new lease of life, with the assistance of some CARE Singapore kids. What he’s made is no Eames, but we think he deserves a pat on the back.
Read more about Chiang’s A-Lister journey here
Anita Kapoor, 43
Host, Personality
There really is nothing much that separates us as people, no matter our social circumstances. Pity doesn’t help the less fortunate in any manner. Treat them as an equal, and help them lift themselves into better ways of life. That’s what I saw at a workshop Kapoor held for the kids. Unlike what our teachers used to preach – to shut up and listen – she did just the opposite, listening to them and guiding them along the way to personal expression on screen. The children from CARE learnt plenty, delivering their hopes and dreams in a monologue to the camera.
Read more about Kapoor’s A-Lister journey here
