Kevin from Canada - Guitarist/Singer/NTU PhD Student

kevin627

New member
Hi there, I’m Kevin – born and raised in Canada but I’ve spent the past five years in Korea and China. I’ll be joining NTU as a PhD student starting this summer. I'm looking for a band for sure, but maybe more importantly now I'm looking for some roommates in the NTU area!

My vision is to find a small group people with similar values, then seek out a place near NTU. It would be great to find a diverse group (male/female, nationalities, backgrounds, study majors, etc) of 3-4 people that are similar enough in ways that make it comfortable to live together and learn from each other. I’ve had a lot of roommates in the past and I think it is worth making an effort to find people that you’re excited to have in your life. When values differ, I suppose you can learn a lot about empathy, compromise and diversity. However, in this circumstance it’s hard to move forward and develop as a person, because you are always compromising to find a balance that works for all roommates. If I’m speaking a language that you understand, read on =)

A little bit about me:
I studied marketing in Canada, worked in consulting for a few years then realized that what I was doing was of little personal meaning. I left Canada to teach English in a Korean elementary school, and then at a Chinese university. I’m now finishing up a master’s degree in Beijing and I intend to eventually become a professor of psychology or organizational behaviour. The next four years will be spent in Singapore at NTU and I’m looking forward to it.

Personal values:
• Most people would describe me as a minimalist – I can fit all of my possessions into one suitcase and I avoid buying things I don’t need. My living space is clean and simple, everything has a purpose and if I don’t need something, it’s gone. If you’re a minimalist too and don’t believe in buying things for their status value or the rush of consumption, we will probably get along.
• I think mindful, purposeful and intentional living is important, and I prefer to be around people with a similar outlook on life. I meditate every day, limit my computer and cell phone use, and try to live in the present, avoiding the distractions that the modern world throws at us. As a side note, I’m not religious. I think religion and spirituality are different.
• I value a good conversation over watching television or movies – I’m not opposed to the occasional movie or documentary, but I would be comfortable living in the type of home where the television is on at all times. I would rather a fourth chair instead of a television.
• I don’t eat meat – this is a personal choice for health, not for religious or animal rights reasons (though I don’t think those are bad reasons). I don’t have any problem with people that eat meat, but I guess if you also happened to be a vegetarian that would make it convenient to share meals here and there.
• I am a musician – I play guitar and sing in a band in Beijing, and I intend to do the same in Singapore. Don’t worry, I won’t blast music and disturb others, I would use headphones when listening to music. If you also happen to be a musician, it would be cool to play together sometimes.
• I appreciate simple, neat, clean and organized. My friends often ask me if I cleaned before they came over, but actually I believe that if you just live in a systematically organized way, you don’t need to “tidy up.” If you share a similar philosophy and preference I think we would live comfortably together.
• I value alone time – although it is nice to have roommates, sometimes I just like to be alone. I respect that people are different and I hope that you would too. The ideal situation for me is having a common area and 3-4 bedrooms with roommates that I enjoy talking to and spending time with.
• I usually sleep early and wake up early – in general I wake up to go to the gym each morning around 8am and sleep around 10-11pm. I don’t mind if you have a different sleep schedule, but if we are similar in this regard it might be more comfortable.

I’ll arrive in Singapore mid-July and the best area would be around Pioneer Station – other NTU students would be ideal. With the above, you can probably get a sense of what I’m like. Underneath it all, my friends would say that I’m not a very serious person at all. I just believe that a little bit of upfront work now can land me some roommates for the next few years that I’ll be glad to call friends for life. If you are interested, shoot me a message!

Ps. In the photo, I'm in the middle - its at a bar in Beijing.

Kevin
 

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Hey Kevin

Welcome to SOFT/Singapore! Hope you like it here and continue enjoy playing music!
 
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