All of us has that one creative, free-spirited friend. For me, that friend is Xue Qiang (whom I fondly call Pang).
Our friendship goes a long way back since high school. We were table-mates who condoned each other, secretly sipping ice-lemon tea (him) and using phones at the back of class (me). We participated in model UNs together, and also created music together in concert band. I’d seen him through his crazy fan-boy days for Lady Gaga, while he’d had his fair share of exasperation at my absent-mindedness, searching high and low with me whenever I lose my stuffs in school!
But one common passion that ties us together till this day is our love for books and writing. Between us both, Pang is definitely the more accomplished one, having published his first annual Meantime Magazine last year! I know that to give up his full-time job, and pursue an unconventional path as independent editor was not an easy decision. Still, he chose to live life on his own terms and walk to the beat of his own drum. Not to be tamed by fear, nor conform to society’s norms. Now that he’s telling the tales of Singapore and getting into the hearts and minds of thousands around the world, I honestly can’t be any prouder of him :’)
Our friendship reaches a new level, as I interview him on his latest work: Meantime Issue #2: Ghost Stories.
