Shaking it up

AT 25, he drew a cushy $5,000 monthly salary as an army regular, owned a car and an HDB maisonette, but Aloysius Chon was itching for a little more. So he signed off from the army after a seven-year stint, and three months ago, signed up as The Library's newest bartender-in-training.

Though his new job comes with a more than 50 per cent paycut and work hours that often stretch till early morning, Mr Chon says it is a decision made without regret: "When I came for the job interview and saw these huge shelves of alcohol, I realised that there is plenty to learn in this craft."

Across the island, stories of new-found fascination echoing his play out in the lives of former Goldman Sachs bankers, air stewardesses and commercial photographers. Regardless of background, the n…