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I’ve been an iPhone user for three and a half years now, although I wasn’t fully on my iPhone X when I first got it in Spring 2018 right before a trip. For the longest time, I was one of those multiple-phone half-Android, half-Apple users who’d use my trusted ol’ Android for everything except take photos and videos, which was something that I’d quickly switch to my iPhone for because clearly, the camera has always been one of its bestselling points!
A year and a half later, while I was on another trip (ah... those good ol’ travelling days), I started using the iPhone 11 Pro and the camera completely blew me away, just by looking at the first few videos and photos that I took on it. However, it wasn’t until right before the first MCO happened that my Android phone died all of a sudden and I decided that it was (finally!) time to sync everything to one phone. At first, the thought of it gave me anxiety as I was so used to carrying multiple phones around. But after having used my iPhone for the past one and a half years, I must say that I can’t be more grateful for its existence in my life, especially during the pandemic.
This is why I truly understand how local personalities like Aishah Sinclair, Kit Mah and Theebaan G. feel about making the switch to the iPhone during this period. Besides making it easier for us to do content creation on the daily, helping us organise our lives better and giving us ample options to stay connected with our loved ones near and far, there’s so much more to explore within the phone and by downloading different apps along the way. Not to mention, there are always new and exciting updates to check out once in a while, and I personally can’t wait for iOS 15 to be out in the coming weeks! Here, Aishah, Kit and Theebaan bring us up to speed about their lives and then some:
Aishah Sinclair, Radio host & Actor
What motivated you to switch to the iPhone? What features stood out for you?
“I’ve always known iPhones to be user-friendly, so the switch to the iPhone 12 Pro Max wasn’t that hard. I’ve used an iPhone before; I think it was the iPhone 4s, mainly because of Instagram. But until today, I still appreciate all the apps and features that are made for the inner artist in us. I like the iPhone because I feel like it's a massive playground that allows us to exercise our creativity. With the help of a lot of apps, I’ve been creating videos and editing photos and creative visual designs with great ease, and the whole process of rediscovering my creativity has been fun! So far, my favourite apps are Instagram (of course!), iMovie (an awesome and quick way to edit my videos on the go), VSCO (my go-to photo editor), Duolingo (I’m learning Japanese so that I can watch the kids’ and my favourite anime series!) and Balance (a meditation app that helps me destress especially on busy days).
How has the iPhone become part of your daily life and helped to increase your productivity?
“Honestly, I’ve always been a bit of a disorganised person even before the whole WFH situation, so I’m still striving to use my iPhone to increase productivity, but it’s definitely helped me with my day-to-day activities. Obviously, I try and avoid going out to run errands as much as possible, so I rely a lot on delivery and grocery apps. A challenge I’ve got with working from home is having to do my own shoots and create content for my social media. Before the pandemic, I’d ask my brother or cousin to come over and help me shoot my videos. Pairing my Apple Watch with my iPhone is one way for me to overcome the challenge of having to set up a shoot and record it by myself. By using the Apple Watch, I can access and control my iPhone camera remotely, which helps me save so much time and effort!”
In what way has the iPhone helped you during the lockdown and in staying in touch with your loved ones?
“I LOVE FaceTime! Most of my cousins use iPhones so it's been fun catching up whenever we miss one another. We're all very close and used to hang out a lot together while growing up. We want our children to be able to create the same kind of memories that we shared, but it's a lot more challenging because of the pandemic so we make do with as many FaceTime calls as we can. I’ve just discovered Messenger Kids, but I think it’s a wonderful app that allows my kids a safe space to communicate and play with their friends while I monitor them from afar.”
Why do you think Malaysians need to come together as one now, more than ever?
“I think we’ve seen enough evidence over the past year that, for a change to happen, it must come from the grassroots level. For instance, the Bendera Putih (White Flag) campaign was started by the rakyat, Sir Shakib took it upon himself to create safe SOP-compliant queue lines outside a PPV in KL and thousands of hungry people were fed thanks to the generosity of thousands of others. We need to continue working together, and I hope that we will, even once we come out of this pandemic.”
What advice would you give to others to get through these difficult times?
“Times are hard for everyone right now. A lot of us are feeling stressed, anxious and uncertain of the future, but we don’t need to suffer alone. Do reach out to someone you trust and talk to him/her, and this will help to remind you that you’re not alone.”
What emoji do you wish to see that’s unapologetically Malaysian?
Kit Mah, Fitness Coach
What motivated you to switch to the iPhone? What features stood out for you?
“Nothing can beat the iPhone when it comes to the vivid and crisp pictures and videos it takes. I’ve always wanted to post videos and when I first switched to the iPhone 11 Pro, I loved how vivid my videos looked, especially when filming my workout routines. My favourite apps are all health-related; like Dexcom which is a continuous glucose monitor that I got from overseas and works seamlessly. Besides that, Oura Ring is a ring that I wear to sleep for very detailed sleep insights, Audible where I get to listen to my audio books while I’m travelling (so that I can kill two birds with one stone – learning something new while travelling), and Rocketbook which integrates with my notebook where I can write out all my notes and convert them to PDF conveniently (this helped a lot especially when I was studying for my Master’s that I’d successfully completed within a year since I started using my iPhone).”
How has the iPhone become part of your daily life and helped to increase your productivity?
“My iPhone is like my PA for work productivity, wellness and health. When it’s almost bedtime, it’ll tell me to get ready for bed, and thanks to that, I’ve been consistently going to sleep on time. The widgets displayed on my home screen sync with my Apple Watch; showing me the number of calories that I burn while I move, exercise and even stand up. I think small reminders and indicators like those help to ensure that I remain active and build good habits during WFH days and lockdowns.
The iPhone has functioned really well with all my health and biohacking wearables such as my Apple Watch Series 6 and other wearables like the Oura Ring, Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, Muse, earpiece and more. When it comes to work-related matters, it allows me to multi-task seamlessly. When I first switched to the iPhone, I noticed that the time for my phone to load all of my files became so much faster. And mind you, my files tend to be huge due to the graphics and words in them, but thanks to the iPhone, retrieving, opening and sharing these files for work became so convenient and quick!”
In what way has the iPhone helped you during the lockdown and in staying in touch with your loved ones?
“WhatsApp is my go-to app most of the time because everyone’s on it. However, I enjoy FaceTime calls whenever I need to connect deeper with my loved ones or have work-related discussions. Having video calls through FaceTime is so convenient and fun, especially with our own emojis. I think working while having fun makes a huge difference when it comes to reducing stress, increasing productivity and being happy overall!”
What's the best thing about being a Malaysian in this day and age?
“Being a Malaysian today makes me feel very fortunate as I get to be exposed to many opportunities. I started off transforming my body when I was young by being exposed to mentors and friends while obtaining reading materials like books and magazines on fitness. Back then, the best way to gain recognition through my work was to be featured in cover stories and write-ups in print media. From there, I met friends along the way who introduced me to opportunities as a commercial model. I believe that I’ve managed to achieve all of that through the wonderful Malaysian friends who I’ve encountered while growing up and were so kind to give me one opportunity after another.”
Why do you think Malaysians need to come together as one now, more than ever?
“We’re very diverse, but at the same time, we’re all helpful and caring. We believe in living in harmony and all of us are united when it comes to food and standing up for justice, sportsmanship and harmony. We’re known to support one another, and it’s this kind and helpful spirit which makes each and every one of us have opportunities to achieve our dreams, just like how I was given various opportunities from my fellow kind-hearted Malaysians. We need to keep this spirit up and develop it further so that everyone will eventually benefit from it.”
What's the one thing you’d do for Malaysia (to make it better)?
“Currently, I’m providing a service via Tele-Health that makes full use of all communication mediums digitally to help my clients achieve their optimal health and wellness without seeing them at all, thus being able to help them remotely. Also, I believe in monitoring one’s health and wellness through wearables which give good insights of one’s sleep and health status such as the one by Apple Watch where the SpO2, heart beat pulse and heart rate can be monitored.
By adding proper communication tools and video conferencing to those, users can raise questions or feedback, should they have any. I hope that the digitalisation of my services would allow us to communicate more effectively and reach a wider audience. As to what my service does exactly, it involves providing effective and safe nutraceuticals, dietary plans and lifestyle plans for my clients to restore health and prevent chronic diseases. Being able to help someone achieve health and wellness is a blessing, and I believe that this service that I’m doing will help more people and make Malaysia a happier place.”
What advice would you give to others to get through these difficult times?
“Always remember that tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Sometimes, it’s during the darkest hour that we discover our true strength and potential. The pandemic requires all of us to adapt, be it physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. I’d like to think of this period as the ‘cocooning period’ before the caterpillar turns into a butterfly. We reap what we sow, and what we’re sowing right now in darkness will hopefully bear success in the future. It’s never too late to innovate, strategise and shift directions as well as learn new skills during this period. Since the pandemic started, I’ve successfully completed my Master’s degree in Nutritional Medicine which has allowed me to start my practice to help clients and level up my career. I’m a firm believer that continuously learning and improving oneself is the key to growth and more success.
During these difficult times, a tip to improve yourself physically is to schedule at least 30 minutes of workout or activity daily that'll benefit your health. My Apple Watch set that goal for me by default; however, I’ll usually aim for an hour of exercise. As for improving emotional, mental and spiritual wellness, you can use the Calm app to practise mindfulness. Also try to keep a gratitude logbook or diary that you can write in daily on things to be grateful for. I tend to store my notes in my iPhone so that I can retrieve them easily and remind myself of the good things that've taken place when things aren’t looking so good. In a nutshell: positive feelings beget positive energy!”
What emoji do you wish to see that’s unapologetically Malaysian?
Theebaan G., Actor
What motivated you to switch to the iPhone? What features stood out for you?
“I try to incorporate as much technology into my daily life as I can. From my phone to my laptop and smart home system, I try to automate as many things in my life as possible so that I’ll be able to focus on the more important parts of my life. That said, the device that brings all these features together is the phone in my hand, and I pay a lot of attention to my daily driver. The one issue I’ve always had was app compatibility, and apps made for the iPhone are almost always better than their counterparts, which led me to switch to the iPhone 12 this year. The advances that Apple has made in the camera department these past few years have been amazing, and while there’s serious competition out there, IMO there’s no beating the iPhone in video quality. It’s like witchcraft!”
In what way has the iPhone helped you during the lockdown and in staying in touch with your loved ones?
“Thankfully, in 2021, that’s not really a problem. I’m constantly in contact with my siblings and loved ones using multiple apps and my daily go-to ones are Messages, FaceTime, Instagram and WhatsApp. Using Messages and FaceTime is so easy and everything works as it should. I don’t have to go in and mess with anything, and I kind of like that.”
What's the best thing about being a Malaysian in this day and age?
“It’s the community of people around me that I’m proud of. I’m proud of my neighbour who helps me out when I’m in need. I’m proud of the random uncle who gives me the widest smile every time we bump into each other near my home. I’m proud of the flag I wear on my left chest when I represent my country. I’m proud of what we’ve built together as the people of a nation.”
What's the one thing you’d do for Malaysia (to make it better)?
“Today, the only thing I can do to save Malaysia is to STAY HOME – and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
What advice would you give to others to get through these difficult times?
“Look out for one another and hang in there. It’s the only way we’ll ever get through this pandemic.”
What emoji do you wish to see that’s unapologetically Malaysian?
Featured image: Aishah Sinclair, Kit Mah & Theebaan G.
Emojis: Lester Liang
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