Lavinia Tan

“My ringtone? It used to be my cat…! My cat is very interesting – he can sound like a chicken. He is in a class of his own.”

Born and raised in Singapore, Lavinia Tan is well-versed in the language of Singlish (Singapore’s own brand of English), experienced to know that under-arm deodorant is a must in this humid tropical island, and that the world is her oyster if she’d stop trying to eat it with a squeeze of lemon.

She was raised single-handedly by her mother and doting grandmother, with an older sister who to date is her best audience of one. Her sense of humor has played an integral part in her life. Since young, she has learnt that it not only helps to see the lighter side to things, but humor gets you through the tough spots in life. Her education took her through ten years in the all-girls Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, followed by two years in Anglo Chinese Junior College (which marked the end of her “semi-nunhood” where she finally came into contact with the opposite sex!).

Photography is her most loved hobby, because it is contemplative and reveals refreshing new perspectives of the world. Reading comes in at a close second. Her favorite writers are Mitch Albom, Haruki Murakami, and Malcolm Galdwell. Her other interests include cooking and a variety of sea sports such as diving, sailing, and kayaking.