SPOTLIGHT #2: Ashton Ng 黄敬凯 PhD* "I [Was] A Difficult Person to Love" (Courageously Vocalising Regrets & Apologies ) | Coffee's on Me, David Quan 权丁文

* CN: Deep, introspective reflections for a healing journey after the devastating conclusion of a romantic relationship that triggered the lowest point in lifeEpisode 78 of #CoffeesOnMeDavidQuan: Ashton Ng 黄敬凯, born and raised in Singapore, is a PhD candidate in Chinese History at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. He is a Kuok Family–Lee Kuan Yew Scholar and a Cambridge Trust Scholar. Ashton graduated with Distinction from the University of Oxford with an MSt in Traditional China. Prior to this, he majored in Classical Chinese at Peking University on a full Chinese Government Scholarship, winning the Outstanding Graduate Award and all top undergraduate prizes. Ashton was awarded the Young NUS Fellowship by the National University of Singapore and the Tan Kah Kee Postgraduate Scholarship, recognitions bestowed upon top Singaporean postgraduates worldwide. Ashton has a keen interest in swimming, punting, tennis, and going to the theatre.---WHY? COFFEE'S ON ME, DAVID QUAN 权丁文TL;DR: To process my emotions after a grueling campaign for President of The Cambridge Union, I reflected upon the influences of my late Grandfather and wrote him a letter: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuan . Drawing inspiration from him, I hope to learn more from others through genuine discussions – giving listeners heartfelt conversations filled with authentic insights, and giving guests legacy-worthy interviews to treasure. To converse with someone without a strict time limit or structure – meticulously engaging in a curious process of clarifications or elaborations – is not only a rare privilege. This longer format also allows the sharing of otherwise unshared or unappreciated anecdotes. There are appeals to sound-bite media, of course, but the metrics that matter most to me are more about the uniqueness of contribution than measures of virality. Over time, I hope to be able to better deconstruct guests' fascinating experiences – to seamlessly tease out the insights for listeners to enjoy and learn from while cooking, commuting, relaxing, or walking their pet. But this personal project is fundamentally as much about what we can learn from the guests as it is to give them (current) legacy-worthy interviews. My top priority is for guests to enjoy a unique opportunity to challenge, learn about, and be themselves; hopefully, they will be able to keep recordings of in-depth, heartfelt conversations to reflect on in years’ time. And the best part for guests? Coffee’s on Me, David Quan 权丁文--- NOMINATE A GUEST  Please contact me to nominate someone. This would really help identify the anonymous extraordinaries！---CONTACT ME Having grown up in Xi'an, China, and Adelaide, Australia, I am a Double First-Class Clare College, University of Cambridge Graduate (Class of 2023) and current Goldman Sachs Analyst. Please do have the courage to say hello! Please do have the courage to say hello!LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dingwen-david-quan/