Sari recently graduated from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore as a journalism major.
She is interested in music; writing about it and writing for it. She hopes to be able to write as well as music journalists on Pitchfork Media or magazines such as NME one day.
Her writing chops started out choppy enough contributing reviews to the Lifestyle section of her campus newspaper, The Nanyang Chronicle. She was also its sub-editor for a semester in 2007.
Working at The Straits Times‘ Life! section last year gave her opportunities to work on music stories and the chance to meet people that form the different aspects of the industry; the record companies, local and international musicians and the fans.
Why Journalism?
When I was 8, my childhood dream was to become a doctor. Back then, everyone either wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor and I was afraid of judges, with their foppish wigs and stern countenance.
Obviously that dream didn’t pan out when I couldn’t differentiate arteries from veins from capillaries during science class and started having nightmares of cadavers instead (I blame The X-files).
But all my life, I have been reading. Man Booker Prize-winning literature, magazines, graphic novels and newspapers.
Writing then became second nature. English teachers loved me because I was the only one who didn’t doze off during their classes. It was also the only class I didn’t fall asleep in.
Writing for a living suddenly became an attractive option; but who would pay me to write? Journalism seemed to be an answer.
I am a Good Listener.
As a child, I was simultaneously a fan of Mariah Carey, Blur and Nirvana. The boyband explosion in the late 1990s hijacked my music tastes for awhile, relinquishing it soon enough upon my realisation that at least one of the boys in most of these bands were veered towards other boys. Interest waned, understandably.
Like Eminem but not as trashy, I lose myself in the music and the moment. Most of my money (or lack thereof) goes towards exorbitantly-priced concert tickets here. I believe that there needs to be more sponsorship in order for tickets to be more affordable and accessible to a greater number of people.
From wanting to write for a living, I then found an area which I was passionate in writing for. Music journalism seemed like a natural progression.
Choose Life.
I love watching movies. My favourites are Little Miss Sunshine, Donnie Darko and Trainspotting.
Nobody would describe me as outdoorsy but I appreciate nature in my own way. I enjoy picnics at the parks with good company and good music.
The Beatles’ music are the epitome of the cliche I try to live by: love, peace and rock’n'roll.
If you have any comments, you can drop me a line via the posts on this site or contact me at sariismyfavouriteword@gmail.com.
