unconventional career

“You never wear bra how you know right! I don’t know, so I just try, try, try. Then after that I realise the bra got size one, then got number, then got alphabet one. Then I realise ohh, this one is my size.”

It was at Mustafa Centre that Daniel Lee found the bras he often sports in his streams, as well as most of the ensembles you would see him in when he goes live on The Ladyboy Marketplace.

As the founder and the face of the Facebook page, Daniel is known for his live auctions. More accurately, people follow him to catch him in bras, stockings and even lacy lingerie, complete with ladies’ accessories, wigs, and makeup.

He auctions items on the livestream, but for the layperson who isn’t there for the sale, his antics make for live entertainment. It’s a striking visual: A ‘ladyboy’ dancing unabashedly to Thai disco music, and it is exactly for this reason that Daniel started cross-dressing—“I wanted to portray a visual that will catch people’s attention the moment they see the stream.”

He had been running his own live bidding business on another Facebook page, but after more than two years in the trade, he saw the need to be more creative. He did a trial run with the Ladyboy persona and it was surprisingly well-received. The next day, he launched The Ladyboy Marketplace.

The Birth Of A ‘Xia Suay’ Livestream Personality

Anybody can play dress-up, but viewers will still switch off if someone is inherently boring. Thankfully, Daniel’s natural sense of humour helped. He would spice up his streams with comical dances and often switched personas. Some of his old videos shows him in looks inspired by iconic Singaporean characters like Liang Po Po and Phua Chu Kang.

One of the many personas he has taken up on his Live videos
Screen capture taken from The Ladyboy Marketplace

His videos were entertaining, and the news of this Ladyboy Auctioneer spread fast. When his friends and family first saw his ludicrous on-screen personalities, they were shocked. But Daniel has always been known as a joker amongst people who knew him, and they quickly understood that this is just Daniel working.

Nonetheless, there were criticisms, and they came from strangers who would leave nasty comments on his streams. Some throw jabs at Daniel for prancing around in women’s underwear as a man, calling him xia suay (embarrassing and disgraceful).

I asked if he ever felt paiseh about the things he has had to do for his Ladyboy image. Up to that point, he had given me the impression of a tough, ballsy ah beng who is too focused and driven to be bothered about how people perceived him. Instead, he flat out admitted to feeling paiseh, especially when he had to buy bras at Mustafa alone while seeing the staff staring and laughing at him.

However, he explained that paiseh is just a barrier to be overcome.

“A lot of things will paiseh. But paiseh is just a feeling. Don't because of a feeling, then you don't go and achieve what you want to achieve.

“If it’s just because you’re paiseh then you [don’t fulfill your potential], isn’t that such a waste?”

With that said, there are many other problems he has to deal with as someone who makes a living off selling products on Facebook Live.

He was once banned from streaming for two weeks after someone reported his page for nudity, presumably by someone who found his videos (or him) offensive. For someone whose livelihood depended on livestreaming, that meant he had no income for two weeks. For fear that something like this happens again, Daniel has since toned down his Ladyboy antics in his streams.

Even without the problems that came with cross-dressing, the job of a live auctioneer is tough. Unlike most of us, there are no weekdays or weekends for Daniel.

“My routine is no routine, I get the job done and the rest are my rest hours.”

We only see what happens on the stream, but a lot of an online auctioneer’s or work goes behind the screen.

A promoter with a seafood wholesaler today, Daniel’s days start in the late afternoon, where he will be knee-deep in backend preparations with his logistics team and fine-tuning the order, processing, and payment systems before he goes live at night.

Then, after streaming for two to three hours, where he would be constantly talking, Daniel would spend another few hours sending out invoices and coordinating with the logistics team for the deliveries. It’s usually around 3am by the time he gets home.

Beneath the fancy get-ups is an *ah beng* who knows how to hook you in for a sale
Screen capture taken from The Ladyboy Marketplace

On the days that he isn’t selling for the seafood wholesaler, Daniel would check in on his valet business which his business partner is managing, and the occasional consignment jobs.

Despite the long hours, Daniel tells me that the only challenge to him is the high chance of losing his voice after every stream, “Long hours and everything else is okay, because when you got the motivation, working is nothing.”

Hustler By Circumstance

It became really clear that this ‘ah beng’ is a hustler. And his drive to make money, or to succeed, was a result of growing up underprivileged.

His family wasn’t well-to-do. His mum was a housewife and his dad didn’t earn a lot as a stall supervisor. Circumstances forced him to be independent from a young age and at 14, he was already selling vegetables at the neighbourhood market for pocket money. He didn’t earn a lot, but to him, it was still money.

“One day, maybe eight hours, I only earn $20 or $30. Very jialat. But nevermind, try lor, because anyway one day earn $20, five days earn $100. That time I only Sec. 2, $100 is a lot already.”

He was a defiant kid and picked up several bad habits like smoking, but it was also right around that period that he found the drive to work hard for money through (ironically) the legendary Sunshine Empire. He was amazed by how his friend could afford tuxedos and LV bags, and he soon found himself spiralling into the Ponzi scheme.

“I was so brainwashed because very young ma, [but] that’s how I wanted to do sales more and more. So [on hindsight], I need to thanks [sic] the Sunshine Empire, because that’s how I came to where I am now.”

At 16, he started working for Jose Eber, where he was promoting premium hair straighteners at a pushcart at Vivocity. He was even recognised for being a top salesperson there. It was then that he realised he had this natural ability to draw in crowds and to sell, he understood the ways to appeal to different customers.

He continued doing sales after he graduated from Temasek Polytechnic. Along the way, he also dabbled in all sorts of work, which helped him learn more about the world: “I’ve worked at McDonalds, I cut vegetables before, bike shops, mechanic, everything I also do before.”

He also started several businesses, which he continued after completing his National Service. At one point, he even had several employees to help with his live bidding business. However, he admitted that he had made many mistakes, and have had to deal with many tricky situations like faulty products, malicious customers, and people management.

For example, he was too lax and didn’t bother to have a proper management system when he hired employees, and ended up having to face the consequences himself when there were issues with orders.

“I'm not paiseh to admit that I did wrong for that part. I tried and I failed because I thought that it's very simple. This one is I really misjudge.”

Success Comes From The Drive To Succeed

There’s a lot to joke about when we see Daniel as Ladyboy. Most of us would make fun of him, wondering if there’s even any future for him to be doing this. However, behind that facade is someone who has so much drive, and dedication to his work.

Despite the many ‘stupid’ things he does on his live videos, or the ah beng image he seems to portray in person, this 27-year-old Singaporean is an innovative salesman who isn’t afraid to do what it takes to succeed ethically.

It is his fearless drive that has got him to where he is today: A highly sought-after salesperson in the industry, and who runs a stable valet business on the side.

At the end of the day, this ‘ladyboy ah beng’ is one person who is simply very real with what he wants and how he will get there. He is driven by money. But, it comes with a strong sense of ethics and the genuine wish to be a good salesperson and the bridge between suppliers and customers.

He’s not afraid to experiment, fail, and try again, not ashamed of being shamed or mocked, as long as he’s able to achieve his goals. And his resolve to succeed is something that a lot of us lack, and probably can learn from.

Also read: We Know Him As The ‘Hunky Hawker’, But Walter Tay Shares A Past He’s Not Proud Of.

(Images used in header taken from The Ladyboy Marketplace’s Facebook Page)

Millennial Voices

A Nation Of Unappreciated Achievers: Why Our Local Talents Need More Love

They say Singapore’s got no talent, that we are only booksmart, that we are a city of jaded office workers. I beg to differ. So many Singaporeans have risen up and done us proud in so many ways, be it our national icon for swimming, Joseph Schooling, or singers like Stephanie Sun and JJ Lin, who is now a very popular figure in Taiwan’s music and entertainment industry. However, no matter how many medals we’ve won or Singaporean representations at international stages, it’s still hard to see our nation as one with talents. For example, on the context of aptitude, you would think of music, film, and entertainment when you think of countries like America, Korea, or Taiwan, or sports when you think of countries like Brazil or France. But what would you think of when I say Singapore? Honestly, food. What else? Even if you could come up with one or two names that have done Singapore proud, these handful of recognised talents are often considered lucky for being able to make it that big. And their contributions aren’t significant enough to be tied to our ‘nation’s speciality’. Perhaps, we’re just known for our robust markets and workforce. Anything else are considered ‘unconventional’. And in Singapore, there is a deep-rooted belief that there is “no future” for such ‘unconventional careers’, like singers, dancers, or artists. Basically, anything arts-related is deemed as impractical. Though it sounds sad, there is truth to such remarks because of the limited ways Singapore recognises talents.

A Rigid Definition Of Success

According to the Oxford dictionary, a talent is someone who possesses “natural aptitude or skill”. Naturally, we measure someone’s aptitude or skill by how well they do what they do, or how successful they do it. We associate talent with success because the ability to cook a bowl of Maggie curry wouldn’t instantly make one a Michelin-starred chef. However, the stiff mindset of only recognising talents when they are successful enough creates a whole host of other problems. While it is a fair consideration that helps separate the casual hobbyist and the dedicated ones with a higher calibre, it is also an obstacle that prevents those with potential to fully unleash their capabilities. The Ben Davis case was a good example. There are many points to debate about, but that is not what I’m driving. Instead, his case shows the very rigidity of the way we recognise talents. Or rather, how our governing bodies deem as ‘worthy enough a talent’, because apparently, a sportsman has to “represent Singapore in international competitions like the Olympic Games and are potential medal winners for Singapore” to be granted deferment for NS.

By following the books and emphasising that they are just following what have been set in stone, our leaders are essentially reinforcing the belief among Singaporeans that one is only considered a talent if one fits a certain mould. It also shows that in Singapore, one needs to make it really big before one is a talent worth recognising. Even as a kid back then, I remember the sayings about how you shouldn’t be proud of yourself until you get straight As or if you get first in class. Think about it: We only celebrate the achievements of Singaporeans if they far enough as to getting the podium spots. Can you imagine dedicating months of training for a world’s biggest competition only to be booed for getting any medals or not winning anything? How are we going to spot talents with such a prejudiced mindset? Is this the kind of environment we want to have to nurture talents?

Are We Too Pragmatic For Our Own Good?

This insular sense of success and talent also stems from a very practical part of us: The need to earn a living. The first thing that comes to our minds when we think of success is someone who is rich or holds a high-paying career, who owns a car, lives in a nice house, and basically has most of the 5Cs. Our competitive society and the value of pragmatism have been so ingrained in us that it makes us fear failure. Instead of exploring possible ‘what ifs’ in a path less taken, most Singaporeans would opt for the safer route. Furthermore, there are no free meals and one still need a proper income to survive in Singapore.

I’ve known of many talented Singaporean dancers who have flown overseas on their own accord to compete in street dance competitions when I was in poly. While a handful had the opportunity to turn dance into their career, majority of those prominent and well-respected dancers back then, who inspired many generations of dancers after, are now salesmen, teachers, fathers, and housewives - for survival. They just could not earn a living from dance in Singapore. I can only imagine how much more potential they have and how much they could have achieved if they were granted more opportunities in dance here. We have been conditioned to focus on academics since young and thus we reserved the concept of success for those who make it big in the workforce or economy, to conventional paths like doctors, lawyers, and businessmen. We will be awestruck at Singaporeans getting into the list of the richest people in the world, but apathetic towards those who accomplish things on alternative paths. Take for example the recent achievements by two local choirs: NUSChoir was awarded the prestigious “Choir Of The World” title at an international music festival in UK; and ONE Chamber Choir took home three golds at the biannual World Choir Games, which saw 300 choirs from over 60 countries and regions competing. I bet more Singaporeans know about the trivialities in the spat between Hong Hui Fang and Pan Ling Ling than the aforementioned achievements. The love for drama is one, but the fact that Singaporeans just don’t care is the main issue here.

No Love For Our Talents

It takes two hands to clap. While government support plays a big part in supporting local talents, Singaporeans’ appreciation for our own talents is equally important. Many of us don’t give a damn in anything that doesn't affect us. And having grown up in a society that didn’t expose us to different forms of arts and didn’t prize the arts as of value, many of us grew up not knowing how to appreciate the arts. I personally never knew how to appreciate niche art forms like pottery, acapella, or even horticulture, but with social media and the support from opinion leaders and government bodies in various campaigns, exhibitions, and events, I’ve begun to understand those better. While I am not a convert, I now see the artistes’ labour and am able to appreciate the aptitude that is required to achieve what they presented. The worst that anyone can do is to be sceptical, and I can’t help but admit that many Singaporeans are exactly that - sceptics. Throughout the years, I have heard so many vituperative comments passed on local talents: On how local artistes try too hard to imitate famous American personalities; on how our actors and TV shows will never be as good as those from Hong Kong; on how Singaporean athletes only make it big because they have the money to ‘buy themselves a spot’. Even the most prodigious wouldn’t go far if they are belittled or denigrated for their efforts. I’ve had the chance to speak with Singaporean millennials chasing unconventional paths, like theatre arts company, The Second Breakfast Company (2BCo), and eSports team, Team Sovereign. Listening to them share their struggles, the one sentiment that was consistent is the lack of local support, not just from the government in terms of fundings or creating more opportunities, but from everyday Singaporeans. Let’s just say that no matter how much grants the government gives, for example, 2BCo, they will still not survive or go far if no one turns up for their plays. Just like how moral support helps a friend in need get by a trying time, the best way to help our local talents grow is by being accepting, encouraging, and appreciative of their efforts. Only when we change our mindsets will we be able to change the landscape for our talents. Also read: With Anti-Trump Protests Around The World, These Causes Closer To Home Are Also Worth Paying Attention To. (Header Image Credit: <a href=" Consulting)

Tag: unconventional career

“Paiseh Is Just A Feeling” – This Ah Beng ‘Ladyboy’ Will Wear Anything To Make A Sale