A Journey of Grit
Words and Photography by Darryl Cheong
As a teen fresh out of national service, Neo Jit Wee, then 20, thought he stood a chance at nightclubs and wanted a job that could satisfy his drinking tendencies.
The then-Nitec graduate decided to be a bouncer at the now-defunct Odeon Towers nightclub, Club Embassy. Failing to recognise the unpredictable violence of drunk patrons, Neo was frequently involved in fights while having to evict unruly customers out from the club’s premises.
Ten years on, Neo became an interior designer with the help of a close friend back from school. They attended interior design courses and decided to start a design firm together.
But just as he thought things were getting better, plans fell through and the design firm was forced into bankruptcy as a result of fund embezzlement, leaving him to clear all of the company’s debts on his own.
As a father of two – a stepfather of one who turns nine this August, and a biological parent of another turning three this July (as of 2019), Neo finds himself financially strapped. To make matters worse, he is caught in a marriage conflict with his wife, Ms Yvonne Chai, 31, and at present has not been on speaking terms for a month.
Nevertheless, Neo believes he will get through his current struggles, owing it to his three-year-old daughter Jovina Neo.
Now a project manager at 9’s Interior, Neo endeavours to be a dependable family man and is on a journey of grit to do all he can to repay his debts at the earliest opportunity.
Neo owes his current self to his tainted past and believes he would not be where he is today without his mistakes.
After leaving Club Embassy, he voluntarily decided to be ordained as a monk at a Buddhist monastery in Phetchabun, Thailand, where he experienced monastic life for a week.
“It’s quite common for Buddhist men (to be ordained). It helps if you do it before marriage because it’s a sign that you will grow to be a devoted husband,
“But beyond that, I also did it for (my) family. In fact, (I did it) largely for my parents. It’s just a way to show that I care, and I know they went through a lot back when I was always in trouble. It felt like a wake-up call,” said Neo.
To Neo, it was a chance to erase mistakes of the past, moving forward.
Thereafter, Neo was determined to become a better version of himself, in hopes to be readily available when any of his loved ones needed his support. His fondest memories with the family include his most recent trip to Bangkok four years ago.
The trip marked the family’s first overseas vacation in a long while.
“From then on, my aim was to be dependable, to be financially equipped so I can initiate another trip, this time (to a place that is) hopefully further,” said Neo.
Coming to terms with the importance of family, Neo says he aspires to become a well-respected interior designer that is capable of designing comfortable and pleasant homes for other families with time.
“I want my clients to feel happy and excited (about) returning home to their loved ones after a long day at work,” Neo said.
On a typical weekday, Neo begins work at 11 each morning after a round of routined site visits.
Most of his projects are convened through referrals from mutual friends and relatives. Unlike commercialised design firms, Neo says each project varies with price and is dependent on the needs and specifications by his clientele, be it residential or commercial.
“People like us live pay-check to pay-check, and I enjoy that freedom. You reap the fruits of your (own) labor and manage your own responsibilities day to day, so it’s nice,” said Neo.
Being an interior designer requires Neo to have an expense of knowledge at a pulse. In doing so, homeowners will not require expertise from multiple design sources and can depend on a single point-of-contact for the proceedings of a renovation.
There is also the responsibility of following a project from start to finish, with the preparation of construction documents down to the supervision of ongoing installations.
“As an ID you (need to) know everything. It’s not easy because you (become) the middleman for many reasons. My customers ask me about painting, tile textures, hacking of walls, toilet accessories, installing partitions, anything. You name it, I know (it),” said Neo.
He maintains a habit of note-taking and carries a notebook wherever he goes, always ready to answer any calls from his clients and staff.
At Jalan Rumah Tinggi, an empty three-room Housing Board flat awaits to be inspected, where Neo would pay visits twice weekly to ensure contractor work is completed per scheduled.
Before his routine inspections, Neo makes a point to begin each session with a smoke break. In most situations, he gathers his contractors in a circle and opens the floor for casual troubleshooting.
“That’s how we keep the ball rolling at work. It’s nice to talk every time we meet, and because they’re also my friends, I want them to feel comfortable around me too. It makes problem-solving a lot easier,” said Neo.
Mr Han Sheng, 35, better known as Sheng, has since been a painting contractor with Neo for three years. He negotiated for extensions as a result of delayed coating supplies that are to be imported from Malaysia. This was due to administrative lags held up by Sheng’s painting supplies company.
Logistical delays, however, remain a norm for most of Neo’s operations.
Having managed eight projects at once back as a junior designer, Neo had proven his capabilities of coping with multiple situations under tight timeframes.
He says it is important to manage and anticipate workflow interruptions, especially when individual projects are required to be synched with a consistent style throughout the house.
“Things like that can happen since we deal with (off-shore) partners, so it’s expected and understandable,” said Neo.
Some projects could even go off-budget in situations where clients demand on-site changes. “Customers like to overwrite their decisions, so it gets quite difficult when we have to come to a compromise,” he said.
For interior designers like Neo, having a trusted network of readily available contractors is paramount for operations to proceed.
This network, however, only strengthens through time and experience.
“I’ve worked with multiple contractors to know who I can and can’t trust. Clients only demand quality without knowing how big a part my contractors play in keeping operations in order,” said Neo.
Mr Tan Kheng Yok, 48, who identifies himself as Ah Tan, has been a plastering contractor with 9’s Interior for the past two years. He has been involved in multiple residential projects and is Neo’s “trustworthy plaster-man”.
The Penang contractor maintains a habit of clarifying his list of doubts at the start of each day before proceeding to his tasks.
“What’s good is that he’s the only one who does this, and knowing how good his attitude, I included him in most of my projects,” said Neo.
Despite the company, Neo had felt dispirited at work, attributing this to the slow-moving nature of the job.
A typical residential project would see Neo engaged in a same space for approximately five months, from start to end.
Sounds easy, but Neo says an interior’s success is only achievable with resilience and an extraordinary attention to detail.
“Nowadays, I lack motivation since there’s so much to do. When you’re (confined) in one space for too long, there’s no joy and time feels slower,” said Neo.
He added that because of his looming debts with his previous firm, he has a strong urge to clear them at the earliest opportunity and wishes time would pass faster so he could avoid feeling uneasy round the clock.
To curb the humdrum, he would make additional rounds within the space to identify as many issues he can to be improved on. Like most of his interiors, Neo is very measured in person and is meticulous in delivering his best, even when the mood gets dull.
“Homes are huge and chances for error are high. There’s bound to be something,” said Neo.
On busier occasions, Neo normally arranges short meet-ups with his clients beneath the block of an ongoing project at lunchtime.
The owner of a three-room apartment at Equatorial condominium, Ms Joey Ho, 33, is seen consulting Neo on a list of interior refurbishments before her trip to Brisbane that evening.
She expects renovations to be completed after four months and is a typical timeframe for Neo’s home projects.
Quoting her as an exception, Neo explains how clients of late tend to prefer discussing their plans through phone calls, an approach of which he utterly dislikes.
“It’s damn hard because their thoughts could be different from mine and as with all designs, you need to see in order to know what you’re deciding on and it’s not so simple,” said Neo.
With a multitude of possibilities in interior design, Neo adds that one has to be certain of every detail before sections of a project can proceed.
This applies even more so for items with textures, like tiles and floor coatings, where clients are required to feel them in person to be certain of their decisions.
“I’ve had clients tell me they want a particular style and they leave me to decide the entire flooring for them. If anything goes wrong, it’s very hard to pinpoint who is responsible for such decisions,” he said.
The solution, Neo added, is to be adamant about this rule and have all plans presented in person through a written contract. Further negotiations can be accommodated after reviews are done.
“Every arrangement has to be listed clearly in black-and-white, so there is something I can lean back on,” he said.
Despite the company, Neo had felt dispirited at work, attributing this to the slow-moving nature of the job.
A typical residential project would see Neo engaged in a same space for approximately five months, from start to end.
Sounds easy, but Neo says an interior’s success is only achievable with resilience and an extraordinary attention to detail.
“Nowadays, I lack motivation since there’s so much to do. When you’re (confined) in one space for too long, there’s no joy and time feels slower,” said Neo.
He added that because of his looming debts with his previous firm, he has a strong urge to clear them at the earliest opportunity and wishes time would pass faster so he could avoid feeling uneasy round the clock.
To curb the humdrum, he would make additional rounds within the space to identify as many issues he can to be improved on. Like most of his interiors, Neo is very measured in person and is meticulous in delivering his best, even when the mood gets dull.
“Homes are huge and chances for error are high. There’s bound to be something (wrong),” said Neo.
After a day’s work, Neo returns home to the sight of Jovina and her toys in his bedroom. It is a sight he cherishes as she is always ready to welcome him home with a warm embrace.
Neo spends the rest of his day keeping Jovina company till bedtime at 11. He would ask questions about her day and what she learnt in Kindergarten class, to which she responds by writing and reading out a list of vocabulary she was taught.
What heartens Neo is Jovina’s clingy habits and how she never fails to remind him of her love at the end of each day.
“She’s always excited to greet me at the door every evening when I’m home. I feel relieved from all the work and people I deal with (in the day), and it’s (a) nice consolation knowing how family will always have your back,” said Neo.
Albeit a three-year-old, Neo believes Jovina is aware of his moods, as she will find ways to cheer him up whenever he appears to be down.
Her nightly routine is not without a game of cooking with Neo. Donning a pink apron, she shows to be prepared in dishing out the best ‘meals’ for her father.
“She can’t sleep without playing cooking at least once every night. She loves to cook rice,” he said with a laugh.
Once Jovina and everyone else in the family is fast asleep, Neo sits himself in the kitchen and watches interior design videos to help upkeep his knowledge about the field.
He spares at least an hour every fortnight to catch up on content that would educate him on the latest design trends in the interior design market.
“I’m tired, but it’s something I must do,” said Neo.
This, he says, helps equip him with the necessary knowledge and approaches to deal with the ever-changing demands and interests of his clientele.
Through these videos, Neo was able to muster the courage and expertise to handle commercial assignments, including his recent project with all three outlets of bubble tea franchise The Alley Singapore, of which he helped to design as of late.
Weekends are best spent with Jovina at their newly renovated home in Macpherson, where the entire family of four gathers and resides every weekend.
For most weekends, Neo just hopes to spend as much quality time he can with Jovina. This is to make up for the occasional overtime weekdays that would see him returning home a lot later than usual.
They would go for walks around the void deck and play games at the newly constructed playgrounds beside their block, spending an entire afternoon having fun together.
Jovina favours a game of hide-and-seek and is always on a lookout for new hiding spots every time they are back at the playground.
At times, she would get too caught up in the game and end up crying as they return home. For Neo however, it is a bittersweet moment, as that would signify the end of each week’s time together at the void deck.
“I always look forward to the new week because time with Jovina is something I am excited about. Getting to play and fool around with Jovina is always a good end to a rough week,” said Neo.
Four months from now (as of 2019), Jovina will turn three.
Growing a year older has taught her a lot about familial importance, and this can be observed through her everyday gestures at home. At present, her favorite phrase is “I love dada”, which means “I love daddy”.
When Jovina was just a year old, Neo recalled how much he yearned to be the best father for her, to be someone she could always depend on at any point in life.
“Back then, all I wanted was to be better, all in hopes to raise Jovina up well. I don’t have high expectations. I just want her to grow up well and be good-natured. The rest will come with time,” he said.
Looking back, Neo added that the past two years flew by very quickly.
Having to witness the growth of his daughter every year makes him proud to call her his own, and Neo is willing to take any criticism in stride knowing that it is all in the name of love for his daughter.
“She is my responsibility, regardless whether my marriage fails or not, and will always be.”
A big thank you to Mr Neo for having me onboard and sharing so much of his personal story despite the inconvenience. It is a huge request for someone who is camera-shy, but he showed no qualms of being featured (and followed) for my assignment. This story would not have been possible without his unwavering trust and support, and I will always be grateful.