My Perfect Weekend with model and influencer Sonia Tan
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Sonia Tan (left) goes on weekend morning walks with her mini poodle, Miso.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SONIA TAN
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Who: Sonia Tan, a 24-year-old Singaporean model and influencer who has worked with prominent brands such as Calvin Klein, Tissot and Alexander Wang.
She is also a final-year undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, where she is part of a four-member team working on its final-year project. Titled The Big Bluff, the youth-led campaign addresses casual gambling among young people. Since its launch in October 2024, the intervention campaign has reached over 1.3 million impressions on Instagram and TikTok (@the.bigbluff).
The team also introduced the Huat’s Better Than Gambling? social media challenge, in which participants share alternative recreational activities to engage in during festivities such as Chinese New Year. It has received 207 entries since it was launched at the end of January.
“I am not the type to romanticise slow weekends. Weekends, for me, are about catching up on all the things that actually light me up which do not fit neatly into the Monday-to-Friday grind.
Most mornings begin with my very demanding, very dramatic dog, Miso. She is a little mini poodle with main character energy and a nose for chaos.
Our go-to haunt is One Holland Village. I get my caffeine fix and she gets her serotonin from barking at golden retrievers twice her size. It is a routine that helps me feel grounded, no matter how hectic the week has been.
I also try to catch up with my family. Even if we are not having deep heart-to-hearts, just being around one another feels grounding.
Sometimes, we are all doing our own thing, but sharing the same space – eating, catching glimpses of the same TV show or just exchanging small comments throughout the day. It’s nothing big, but it reminds me that presence doesn’t always need to be loud to matter.
I also try to meet friends I don’t usually get to see during the weekday hustle. Sometimes, it’s cafe dates. Other times, we just crash at someone’s place.
We hang out, talk about everything and nothing, and occasionally film TikTok dances that will never, and should never, see the light of day. It is silly and wholesome in the best way.
Sonia Tan with her group mates from The Big Bluff campaign which addresses casual gambling among youth.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SONIA TAN
On Saturday afternoons, I could be in the kitchen, deep in yet another attempt to perfect my matcha recipe. I am still chasing that smooth, velvety microfoam.
Or I’ll be on the couch bingeing the latest season of The White Lotus, fully invested, wildly judging the characters with no shame.
Night-time is when the energy shifts. I love heading out with my best friend and boyfriend. Our version of fun involves a little tequila but with no messy scenes, just enough to get us going, with amazing vibes and good music.
Sundays are a mixed bag. Some are for sleeping in. Others, I’m out on content shoots because weekdays don’t always give me the time. My weekends aren’t about rest for the sake of it. They’re about making space for the things that make me feel more like myself.”
