PEOPLE: LOCKDOWN FILES FT KELLY

LOCKDOWN FILES: KELLY at TIDE CASTING

CREATIVE COLLABORATION SERIES WITH PRODUCTION & DIRECTION BY TIDE CASTING

IMAGES PRODUCED AND PROVIDED BY KELLY

NAME, AGE, LOCATION: Kelly, 23, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

LOCKDOWN FEELS LIKE... Though I am half-Malaysian, this is my first time living and working here. Currently crashing at my cousin’s flat in the city. I’m learning new things about my heritage and family during isolation which has been such a fun experience. It’s been a novel bonding experience for the both of us and while the days are pretty uneventful, I’ve come to appreciate this moment of stillness by staying creative, keeping my mind active and being in the present.

LOCKDOWN ACTIVITIES... I’m also a freelance writer so this time at home has been a good opportunity for me to focus on my writing. I’ve been working for a local magazine, alongside contributing to other publications so that keeps me quite busy during the week. During downtime, I’m revisiting hobbies that I haven’t had the time pre-lockdown to enjoy, like painting, reading, and cooking.

LOCKDOWN NOSTALGIA... Physical contact.

THE PERFECT LOCKDOWN PARTNER... My partners-in-crime, Pia and Manu.

ONE UPSIDE OF LOCKDOWN... I reduced my iPhone screentime to two and a half hours a day.

THE CONSTANT LOCKDOWN FEELING... Saudade (the Portuguese word that I learned from a friend — it encompasses the feeling of melancholic yearning and nostalgic desire for what is... the presence or absence and awareness of the things most important to us that makes us what we are).

THREE PEOPLE TO ZOOM WITH... Joan Didion, Bong Joon-Ho, Franca Sozzani.