Eelyn Kok takes showbiz break for new full-time job, wants to continue learning due to 'fear of my brain slowing down'

Local actress Eelyn Kok has taken on another full-time career.

Speaking to AsiaOne in an interview yesterday (May 20), the 45-year-old revealed she's now a community development manager in communications in a government statutory board and that she's taking a break from showbiz.

"I've stopped acting for a bit. I had to turn down several acting gigs this past year since I have taken on a permanent role in the workforce," she said.

Known for her roles in dramas like The Little Nyonya (2008) and Together (2009), Eelyn began her acting career in 2001. She left Mediacorp in 2013 but continued to take on acting roles.

She last starred in the 2023 drama The Sky is Blue, and recently graduated from a specialist diploma in Business and Predictive Analytics, a year-long intensive course she took that same year.

"Seeing how big data is such an IT word, it piqued my interest on what kind of insights can be gleaned from data and how to use it to predict trends," she shared, adding that she's interested in getting acquainted with coding.

"It takes a logical mind to do analytics and is an interesting balance to the reflective and emotional side that acting has cultivated in me."

She added that this learning journey has helped her in her personal growth. "To me it's essential to adapt to the changing world and environment. That's what started me on this pursuit in the first place."

Currently holding six other professional qualifications including teaching Chinese as a second language and a scrum master certificate, on top of a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Japanese Studies, Eelyn told us she finds learning fun.

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"It helps my mind run faster. I do have a fear of my brain slowing down so I try to learn as much as I can and when time allows. The more I learn, the more I want to keep on learning. It can be highly addictive," she admitted.

Eelyn, who is married with a son, said it can get overwhelming juggling several roles.

"But it's really fulfilling. We only have one life, so I wanna make the most out of every minute and every second of it," she said.

She added she couldn't have done it alone: "My husband is also a keen learner and we're kinda competitive in that way.

"We are competing to see who gets more certificates. Currently he is winning but precisely because we have this same mindset in learning, we're able to understand each other and take over caring for our son when the other is busy."

We may not see her on screens for a while, but Eelyn said she'll be creating video content soon for her social media account.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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