The inspiration for the documentary also stemmed from a school assignment. “We were assigned to go to the Sungei Road Thieves Market and negotiate for something. It was the first time in well over a decade that I returned to the place. I knew I was stepping into history. The smell and atmosphere were exactly the same. Even though it was smaller, the elements made it essentially Thieves Market still. Immediately, I thought, ‘This place still exists, I have very little time left and I just want to give this place justice.'” OKJ felt there was a story there that needed telling – including his own. “Sungei Road Thieves Market is actually a big part of my childhood because it was near my primary school. A lot of my first toys came from there. But it’s all about what value I can add to the film in terms of its heritage”. He added, “When I did my research, everyone was using the situation to convey their own message, but no one was encapsulating the experience of this iconic space. That was the gap that I needed to fill.”

The film won the awards for Best Documentary and Best Sound Design at NYFA 2019, the latter of which he credits to a friend and former collegemate, Cheng Lijie, who also worked with him on his first documentary. “As I try to develop my style, hopefully, it’ll be a hallmark of the way I approach documentary-making. I want people to feel a sense of being there. I love documentaries because I have unprecedented access to places I could either not afford to, never be allowed to or can never visit. Space, factories, political scenarios, you name it. I get to be an explorer from the comfort of my couch or from the convenience of my smartphone. That’s the true value of documentaries for me: for the audience to be an explorer. Sound design is a key element to that, which is why I’m grateful to Lijie for working on this with me.” Collaborations mean a great deal to him too. Initially, he sought to create the documentary as a one-man show but that changed when he knew he had something special. “I wouldn’t let myself be the barrier to the film’s potential success. Getting professional help from editor and colorist, Eugene Seah, along with Lijie for sound design definitely made it better”.