Public Convos

011. Volunteering, with Bang

1 October, 2025. If you think of soup kitchens and beach cleanups when you think of volunteering, Bang is here to change your impression of what volunteering can be. Bang shares his varied volunteering experiences, encourages us to begin our own volunteering efforts, and shares why he thinks larger organisations can better manage and reward volunteers for their time.  Note: We’re experimenting with a different recording setup with this one so we apologise for there being more noise than usual! Shian Bang, also known as Bang, is a photojournalist with the local press. Outside of work, he dedicates his time to contributing to community-building efforts in Singapore. Follow him on IG @bangsphoto [https://www.instagram.com/bangsphoto].  Ben talks about movies on his film podcast at deepcutpod.com [http://deepcutpod.com], and writes about film at thekinetoscope.com [http://thekinetoscope.com]. This episode also inspired him to build and create filmbulletin.sg [http://filmbulletin.sg] He lived a past life working in film production. Find him online at benjaminyap.me [http://benjaminyap.me] The Space This episode was recorded in a Public Living Room, a crowd-funded community space in 195 Pearl Hills Terrace. If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to help us keep recording, please support the Stranger Conversations crowdfund. This supports their mission to build a third place at the intersection of self-exploration and collective good. You can follow them on Instagram @strangerconvos or go to linktr.ee/strangerconvos [http://linktr.ee/strangerconvos] where you can find links to the crowdfund and find out more about what they do.  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:09 Intro to Bang 02:38 Relationship to the space (and food) 07:30 Volunteering 17:04 Making the most of volunteers 20:07 What makes Bang volunteer 22:38 Bang's volunteering experiences 29:32 Bread and butter issues 33:36 Non-profits and economics 38:20 KPIs for charitable events 42:04 Visibility for smaller minorities 46:14 Different ways of volunteering 50:23 Continuity 57:50 Competition 01:01:55 Iron ricebowl question

010. A spirit of exploration, with Maisie

10 September, 2025. Maisie and Ben have a meandering conversation around embracing the unknown through the “spirit of exploration.” We cover our changing relationship with creative endeavours, Maisie’s focus on social impact, building extroversion, risk-taking, free will, and the power of connection among a laundry list of other tantalizing tangents. Maisie has a deep interest in connection, community, and the intersection between social impact and creativity. She has a deep appreciation for language, and believes that the journey of self-discovery is essential to healing, emboldening, and growing us in equal measure. When she's not enjoying caffeine in various formats, you'll find her diving into creative pursuits. Explore more of her work at https://substack.com/@inlivingfire [https://substack.com/@inlivingfire]  Ben talks about movies on his film podcast at deepcutpod.com [http://deepcutpod.com], and writes about film at thekinetoscope.com [http://thekinetoscope.com]. He lived a past life working in film production. Find him online at benjaminyap.me [http://benjaminyap.me]  The Space This episode was recorded in a Public Living Room, a crowd-funded community space in 195 Pearl Hills Terrace. If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to help us keep recording, please support the Stranger Conversations crowdfund. This supports their mission to build a third place at the intersection of self-exploration and collective good. You can follow them on Instagram @strangerconvos or go to linktr.ee/strangerconvos [http://linktr.ee/strangerconvos] where you can find links to the crowdfund and find out more about what they do.  Timestamps: 03:27 Relationship to the space 07:42 Spirit of exploration 09:14 What am I doing? 13:49 Building extroversion 15:22 Spontaneity 17:43 Social impact 21:51 Reframing creativity 37:42 Leaving conventionality behind 41:26 Contradictions 43:36 Does exploring stop? 51:18 Learning to let go 54:07 Risk 57:21 Difficult conversations / Inconvenience and friction 1:04:50 Ben’s current relationship to this podcast 01:12:40 Iron ricebowl question

009. Poetry, with Julian

20 August, 2025. Julian shares his process of finding inspiration for and writing poetry with the podcast. We chat about how he discovered his own poetic instincts by accident (with the help of a guitar), discuss the (false?) dichotomy between the technical and the artistic, and listen to a few of Julian’s poems. Julian is a poet & ecological storyteller. He seeks to tell compelling stories that would help people live more harmoniously with the rest of the natural world. He is a regular volunteer at Ground-Up Initiative & his work has been featured by Urban Birds Initiative Singapore, Living Soil Asia and Coastal Natives. He really likes trees. Follow Julian’s poetry IG @juli.po.etry [https://www.instagram.com/juli.po.etry/] Ben talks about movies on his film podcast at deepcutpod.com [http://deepcutpod.com], and writes about film at thekinetoscope.com [http://thekinetoscope.com]. He lived a past life working in film production. Find him online at benjaminyap.me [http://benjaminyap.me]  The Space This episode was recorded in a Public Living Room, a crowd-funded community space in 195 Pearl Hills Terrace. If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to help us keep recording, please support the Stranger Conversations crowdfund. This supports their mission to build a third place at the intersection of self-exploration and collective good. You can follow them on Instagram @strangerconvos or go to linktr.ee/strangerconvos [http://linktr.ee/strangerconvos] where you can find links to the crowdfund and find out more about what they do.  Timestamps: 00:00 POEM: Today I Am Doing Nothing 03:04 Relationship to the space 06:53 Julian’s start in poetry 13:57 Nature 18:15 Favourite poets 19:59 Formal humanities education 26:54 The Projector closure sidebar 28:03 Artistic/Technical 45:36 Writing process 51:21 POEM: A Dancer and a Debonair 52:48 Ease 55:16 Iron ricebowl question 57:24 POEM: A Poem is a Silk Song

008. Self-compassion, with Su Ting

July 14, 2025. Su Ting joins the podcast with the topic of self-compassion. We run through different definitions of other self-perception traits, like self-worth, self-esteem, etc, and talk about how we’ve found ways to find compassion for ourselves, others, and through creative pursuits. Su Ting also shares a nice collection of important P and C words… listen to find out what they are. Su Ting hopes to make it part of her life's work to guide others in restoring their sense of authenticity, autonomy and self-acceptance. She's thankful to be on the path toward becoming a registered psychotherapist, and seeks to express her imaginative, curious and fun-loving spirit in the process. Find her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wongsuting].  Ben talks about movies on his film podcast at deepcutpod.com [http://deepcutpod.com], and writes about film at thekinetoscope.com [http://thekinetoscope.com]. He lived a past life working in film production. Find him online at benjaminyap.me [http://benjaminyap.me]  Links: If you’re looking for mental health resources in Singapore: a good place to start: http://mindline.sg [http://mindline.sg]  The Space This episode was recorded in a Public Living Room, a crowd-funded community space in 195 Pearl Hills Terrace. If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to help us keep recording, please support the Stranger Conversations crowdfund. This supports their mission to build a third place at the intersection of self-exploration and collective good. You can follow them on Instagram @strangerconvos or go to linktr.ee/strangerconvos [http://linktr.ee/strangerconvos] where you can find links to the crowdfund and find out more about what they do. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:30 Relationship to the space  04:48 Exploring one's creative side  08:24 Definitions of self compassion  16:28 Why this topic  20:10 Building self compassion  27:12 Extending self compassion to others  32:37 Realizing something needs to change  36:00 Process over outcome  43:56 Experimentation  46:28 Community and other good C-words  56:24 Creative pursuits  59:49 Talk to your friends  01:02:48 Iron ricebowl question

007. Shirakawa Tea, with Aya

July 4, 2025. Aya recently moved to Singapore from Japan and is bringing the sencha of Shirakawa-cho along for the journey. We learn about her transition to life in Singapore, why she’s trying to share her love for the green tea of Shirakawa-cho (different from the more famous Shirakawa-go!), and learn her connection to this city amidst Japan’s rural revitalization efforts. Aya is a recent expat from Japan in Singapore. She loves exercising and cultural exploration. In her past 3 years in rural Gifu, she has met beautiful people, discovered the green tea called Shirakawa-cha, and is currently on a mission to bring awareness of this tea to people of Singapore. Follow Aya on IG @usualexplorer. Ben talks about movies on his film podcast at deepcutpod.com [http://deepcutpod.com], and writes about film at thekinetoscope.com [http://thekinetoscope.com]. He lived a past life working in film production. Find him online at benjaminyap.me [http://benjaminyap.me]  The Space This episode was recorded in a Public Living Room, a crowd-funded community space in 195 Pearl Hills Terrace. If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to help us keep recording, please support the Stranger Conversations crowdfund. This supports their mission to build a third place at the intersection of self-exploration and collective good. You can follow them on Instagram @strangerconvos or go to linktr.ee/strangerconvos [http://linktr.ee/strangerconvos] where you can find links to the crowdfund and find out more about what they do.  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:53 Relationship to the space 07:17 Aya’s transition to Singapore 10:43 Aya’s Sencha project 18:47 Shirakawa tea 28:14 Why share Shirakawa tea 36:15 Being welcomed to new places 44:01 Sencha is not matcha 48:05 How tea regions differ 50:53 Where her project is right now 58:40 Iron ricebowl question