Humans of Hmlet: Ritika and Suzie
It's a special Hmletine! This February, we’re celebrating love of all kinds - platonic to romantic - by spotlighting stories of connection fostered at Hmlet.
Hmlet Members Ritika and Suzie are what their friends call sisters from another mister. Seeing how much they enjoy each other’s company and the way they gush about each other, and you can tell that they consider themselves very lucky to have met each other.
The best friends moved into Hmlet Portofino, Singapore, on the same morning at 9am, just before Ritika went off to work. Ritika hails from India and Suzie from England. Ritika, a brand engagement manager at a digital marketing company, is no stranger to Singapore, having studied at Lasalle College of the Arts for four years in 2012. Suzie, on the other hand, was new to Singapore when she first moved from London to work at a ship-broking company here.
Meet the Flatmate
“Hmlet was brand-new and we were the first few to move into Hmlet Portofino when it first opened,” says Suzie. “So I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet new people and live with people, not just get my own flat and live by myself, because I was moving to a new country where I barely knew anyone. I went for a flat viewing and everyone was really nice and everything was completely set up so I could move in the following week.”
“When I first met Ritika, she was super formal when she introduced herself, which is hilarious now that I know her better!” says Suzie.
The flatmates were matched with each other based on a personality test they took when signing the contract with Hmlet. Clearly, it was a match made in heaven.
Breaking the Ice
“What I like about Suzie is that she’s very easy-going,” says Ritika. “She’s so adaptable, I don’t think she’s ever uncomfortable in any situation she’s in. She has no hangups, no rules, she just goes with the flow.”
“I like how level-headed and calm you are in any situation,” Suzie replies. “You don’t often let things get to you. You’re always a presence of calm, you never seem to get het up like I do, so I definitely admire that quality about you.”
While they got along just fine at the beginning, Ritika and Suzie only really began to connect after they discovered a common interest: music.
“At first, we got along fine - no issues with each other,” Ritika explains. “But one night, I was in my room and I heard Suzie playing some Drake, and it wasn’t one of his most commercial songs. So I knocked on her door ...”
“I thought she was going to complain about me having the music too loud!” Suzie quips. “We later found that we share many other common interests, but Drake was definitely the ice-breaker.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. The best friends now spend almost every weekend together, be it hitting the gym or enjoying happy hour. They have also travelled together to India, where Suzie met Ritika’s family, and also plan to attend a Drake concert together in the future to celebrate their friendship.
“Suzie’s my rock,” says Ritika. “It’s always nice to come home to her. She’s always there for me.”
“I think I should tell you more that I love you!” Suzie says. “You can’t really say that enough, if you really love someone important to you.”
Q. What was your initial impression of each other?
S: I did think Ritika was very formal, but after living with someone, you get to know how they really are.
R: My first impression of Suze was….
S: “Well, yeah, she’s all right!” “She’s not awful!” (laughs)
R: What really got us to connect was music. At first, we got along fine - no issues with each other. But one night, I was in my room and I heard Suze playing some Drake, and it wasn’t one of his most commercial ones.
S: She came over to ask me about it! I was like, “Why’s she asking me about what song I’m playing?”
R: I was like, “Are you listening to Drake?”
S: I thought you were going to complain that I’ve got the music on too loud or something!
R: So we started talking.
S: It’s a good connector, shows that we have the same interest.
R: We have a lot of other stuff in common as well, but this is definitely the ice-breaker.
S: We’re waiting for Drake to come to Singapore. But if he does another tour, we’re definitely flying to wherever he is.
Q. How has your impression of each other changed?
R: I think there wasn’t a change as much as us getting to know each other better. We found that we have a lot of common interests - we like the same drinks, we spend our days the same way. We’re very accepting of each other’s quirks and lifestyles - like Suzie often works late so I’m home a lot more than Suzie is. It takes time, but I think there’s been a lot of growth.
S: We’re super close now.
R: Yeah, we’re so close now. I can’t imagine my life in Singapore without Suzie.
Q. What is one thing you admire most about each other?
R: What I like about Suzie is that she’s very easy-going. She’s so adaptable, I don’t think she’s ever uncomfortable in any situation she’s in. She has no hangups, no rules, she just goes with the flow.
S: I like how level-headed and calm you are in any situation. You don’t often let things get to you. You’re always a presence of calm, you never seem to get het up like I do, so I definitely admire that quality about you.
Q. What is one pet peeve you have of each other?
S: But I love everything about her! (Pensive pause) She goes on holidays and weddings without me! She’s always gone for long weekends. When she goes to India for, like, five days, I’m like, “What am I going to do with my weekend now?” Then she did Dry January, and I was like, “Well, who am I going to drink with now?”
R: Yeah, I had a lot of weddings to attend last year so I was gone often. I don’t think I have a pet peeve, but one thing that makes me feel bad is when Suzie is really good at doing dishes. If I leave anything around for 30 minutes, it’ll be gone and washed up. I should have done it and I was going to get to it, but
S: She always tells me off for washing up on Thursdays, because the cleaners come in on Fridays -
R: I feel bad whenever she helps me wash my stuff too!
What are some activities you do when hanging out?
(Both laugh)
R: We’re laughing because we’re going to say Drake!
S: Drinking party — Occasionally, Ritika will drag me to the gym too. We try to go together, especially on the weekends, because weekdays are a bit crazy and I get home so late after work.
R: We’ve travelled together to a couple of places on holiday too. We went to India -
S: I’ve yet to meet more of your family. I’ve only met your cousins and stuff, but not your parents or sister yet.
Q. What are some quirks each of you have when travelling?
S: Ritika likes to drink before we go to the airport. She made me take a shot before we went home!
R: It’s a farewell shot! You have to do it.
S: I think you just like to have a little celebration before we leave. And you’re quite organised. You like to get there a bit early as well. You have that thing about alarms when we travel.
R: Oh yeah, that’s definitely a thing. I’m scared about missing flights, so on the night before, I’ll go to bed on time, set the alarm, and be the one who wakes everyone up so we’ll be at the airport on time. I’m the mom, but I don’t do the dishes!
Inspired by Ritika and Suzie? There’s always room in our coliving community of creators, dreamers, movers and shakers for more folks like you! Get in touch to ask how you can join our community of Hmlet members!
