Humans of Sunseap Part 7

By Shauna
November 9, 2021

2021 has been eventful for all of us. For some, it started off with languishing from the prolonged Working From Home and Zoom fatigue. For others, there was a renewed hope for the pandemic to over, and for life to go back to the way it was. In the final edition of Humans of Sunseap for the year, we check in with the Sunseap family to hear about their highs and lows for their notable experiences throughout this interesting year.

Thet Htar Swe, Energy

What was the biggest challenge for you this year?
The biggest challenge for me during this pandemic is not being able to travel to my hometown and spend time with my family. My family is also unable to visit Singapore due to the safety restrictions. This pandemic has unexpectedly affected us in every possible way, which has also led to occasional negative thoughts due to the uncertainty of the pandemic period. It has been a challenge to remain positive during this time as I continue to miss my family.🙁

Can you tell us what you learnt about yourself this year?
I've learnt to be grateful and appreciate everything I have this year. The pandemic has made me reflect deeply on the importance of family, friends, and community. Other aspects that I've come to appreciate also include the importance of taking good care of our health and enjoying the small little things such as gardening, jogging and the occasional dining out.

What are you looking forward to in the new year?
I'm looking forward to the easing of travel restrictions so that I can travel back home and spend time with my family. I'm also excited to travel to new places together. Aside from that, I'm also planning to build a personal routine of working out regularly.

Muhammad Farhan, Engineering

What's been the most challenging thing about 2021?
Being a father to my one and only baby girl. It has been a tough but most joyful experience.

Did you learn anything new yourself this year?
Since I became a father this year, I've had this new understanding that everything I do is for my family. Working hard, earning an honest living - that's all for my family. No matter how difficult some things might appear at the start, I've found that when it's all dedicated to the family, things feel much more achievable.

What are you most looking forward to in the near year?
Balancing work, family and studies as I will be enrolling in a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.

Yeong Hui Xian, Legal

What was the biggest challenge for you this year?
The biggest challenge this year for me is the continuing impact of Covid-19. I'm a family-oriented person, and I missed seeing my relatives since the beginning of 2020. I miss my hubby and two boys too, who have been away from me for a few months. Yet, I'm considered fortunate as some may have been away from their loved ones for close to two years! I cannot imagine how tough it must be for them. Like many others, So, I would say, the challenging part is not being able to be physically present with my kids in daily activities such as helping them with their studies or playing with them.

Can you tell us what you learnt about yourself this year?
I've learnt how to cope with the overwhelming guilt of being away from my family during this time. I realised that such feelings would not help the situation. I've learnt to take comfort knowing that things happen for a reason and not to take things for granted.

I learnt how to better cherish each interaction session we have regardless of how short it is as we will never know what happens next. Who would have thought one could be separated from another for more than a year due to the pandemic, right?

What are you looking forward to in the new year?
I'm looking forward to seeing the world moving into the endemic phase, where we can freely do what we have not been able to do in the past 1 to 2 years. I hope that people will learn to cherish one another and appreciate their surroundings, be it good or bad.

Of course, I too wish people around the world recognize the fact that we need to live sustainably to sustain a better environment for our future generations. The world is changing and we all have to be receptive and adaptive to these changes.

Ja'afar Abdul Karim, Engineering

What was the biggest challenge for you this year?
One of the main challenges that I faced this year was a loss of connection and a loss of engagement. These were triggered by the fact that people are not in the office, and not seeing my colleagues as often means we don't socialise as much like we used to. A lot of us are doing our best to keep that up virtually but it is not the same as compared to in-person interactions.

Can you tell us what you learnt about yourself this year?
I have a newfound love for reading. It's one of the best ways to positively stimulate your mind as you're taking in new information, helps improve your writing skills and also helps me think and analyse things on a deeper level.

Peggy Ng, MarComms & Sustainability

What was the biggest challenge for you this year?
My biggest challenge was stepping into a brand-new industry (solar energy) and department (MarComms & Sustainability) when I joined Sunseap and learning so many new things on the go. It was really like I was entering "A Whole New World".

Can you tell us what you learnt about yourself this year?
As much as the new environment was daunting, I realised that I have the capacity to adapt to the new environment and take on the many projects that I was assigned. It's something that gives me a sense of pride.😊

What are you looking forward to in the new year?
Where do I start? There are too many things that I'm looking forward to in the new year! Hahaha. I'm really looking forward to exploring activities that I've always wanted to try, like skateboarding. I also hope that I can start reading more. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to overseas travels once again.

Sim Boon Jie, Engineering

What was the biggest challenge for you this year?
Working remotely was my biggest challenge of the year. It was tough getting my message across for work – explaining things in person is so much easier as compared to virtual meetings and calls. It's also easier to maintain an authentic connection with someone when you interact with them in person because you can have conversations or discussions that have so much more depth.

Can you tell us what you learnt about yourself this year?
This prolonged Work From Home arrangement made me realise that I need to improve my communication skills so that my questions or responses will get my intended messages across more succinctly.

What are you looking forward to in the new year?
I'm hoping that everything gets better and we'll all be able to resume working from the office. I miss the time with my team because every interaction adds value and depends our bonds as colleagues and friends.

Thank you to everyone who shared their views on this final issue of Humans of Sunseap for 2021.

As the year draws to an end, we're grateful that everyone is safe and well throughout such a challenging period. We look forward to a new year full of hope, happiness and of course, good health. See you on the next Humans of Sunseap in 2022!