Who: Singaporean actress Oon Shu An, 37. On stage, she is now part of the cast in period dark comedy Tartuffe: The Imposter by theatre company Wild Rice. She portrays a daughter who yearns for her independence in the production which runs till April 28.

On television, she is playing headstrong cabaret singer Kit Wong in Mediacorp drama series The Last Bout, a boxing-themed drama set in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Now streaming on mewatch and the Mediacorp Drama YouTube channel, the English-language show will premiere on Channel 5 on April 29 at 10pm.

On May 5, she will be among the celebrities participating in The Red Pencil (Singapore)’s Minds Awaken: A Celebration Of Mental Wellness, an art therapy event at Sembawang Country Club, together with singer Nathan Hartono and television presenter Anita Kapoor.

During the ticketed event, they will be discussing mental health journeys and insights into looking after one’s mental health, together with a licensed art therapist.

“Weekends and weekdays are somewhat of a foreign concept to me, since my schedule is usually not fixed. There isn’t an order to my weekends, which is how I like it. That said, I try to get as much rest as I can, which means sleeping in.

When it comes to activities, I watch television shows, research whatever I am working on at that time and potter about the house. In other words, I ‘nua’ (Singlish for ‘laze around’). I love finding joy in the simple things in life and am often amazed at how much of the day disappears just doing that.

For example, I have been trying out easy recipes from TikTok. I have finally learnt how to boil buckwheat noodles without having them stick together and have recently become obsessed with versions of these noodles.

My favourite sauce for them at the moment is a mixture of sesame oil, soya sauce, chilli oil and some gochujang. I then top this off with spring onions and chopped chilli. Such an easy and satisfying dish.

I love learning and am always looking for new things to pick up. Years ago, I went for an introduction art therapy course, having found some sessions I did years before that were very helpful for exploring what was going on within me through a medium not driven by words.

This time around, my therapist noticed that it had opened up a way for me to process things that gave me fresh insights. Mental health is as important as physical health, and there needs to be more accessible care for everyone.

I have also been trying to go on more walks, so I can spend more time in the sun and with nature. Walking allows me to spend time by myself and calm my mind.

I love looking at the sky and the shapes of clouds and admiring these beautiful formations. Seeing a butterfly is always a happy occasion.

I find so much pleasure in trying little gadgets that have been made for specific things.

For example, I was at Nitori, a Japanese home decor and furniture retailer at The Heeren, the other weekend and found a ‘melting ice cream spoon’. It supposedly makes it easier to scoop ice cream by transferring your body heat through its high thermal conductivity material. I have yet to try it on ice cream, but I used it to cut some butter and it really was easier.

When I am at home, I might pamper myself – light a scented candle, don a face mask, put on something to listen to, such as ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), a podcast, music or a television programme.

When I’m not performing on weekends, I try to catch some theatre shows or spend time with family and friends. There are periods when I hardly get to see them, so these moments are very precious to me.

On a recent weekend, some old friends got together for an impromptu breakfast catch-up. Someone made us banana egg pancakes and overnight oats, and we did a video call with a friend who was in the United States.

And then I dashed off to perform the afternoon show for Tartuffe.

A show I was going to watch that evening got cancelled, so I had drinks with some Tartuffe cast members and called up my best friend, who happened to be free, so we went for some Korean barbecue. I hold moments like these close to my heart.”

Book it/The Red Pencil (Singapore)’s Minds Awaken: A Celebration Of Mental Wellness

Where: Sembawang Country Club, 249 Sembawang Road
MRT: Yishun
When: May 5, 10am to 12.30pm
Admission: $40 to $120. To register, go to bit.ly/MindsAwaken