Desiree Ong

Thank you @seattleaquarium for this year’s cutest otter 2026 volunteer pin! Here’s a compilation of all the @yayocean fun i’ve been having. Fun fact! I used to be a rescue dummy for dive training for the @singaporezoologicalgardens many years ago. I took the opportunity to live in Seattle for a bit, be closer to the most diverse ocean eco-system in the area so I could relive all my childhood water related aspirations. My inner child sure lived. I got to dive twice a month in the ocean pavilion, a new tropical tank to swim with familiar fishes that I grew up around while I clean their tank, I got to food prep and feed all the tanks weekly later on. While I was volunteering for @reefcheckfoundation to learn about the delicate eco-system of the PNW. Each day the complexity of what I was learning felt daunting but it was also humbling to know the effort needed both in people and technology to help understand and hope for a better future. I had a blast hanging around amazing individuals, from my time gaining my Divemaster @yssdive several years ago, revisiting their boat as a divermaster for @seattledivetours , all the data collecting for @reefcheckfoundation to all the amazing aquarist @seattleaquarium that wear many hats while they check off the endless task around the aquarium all in the name of keeping things alive! Lastly,I played underwater hockey with @seahammers to stay physically fit in the midst of the demands of diving and we recently won 🏅 for the NW third annual tournament cup! It’s a difficult balance to feel positive and feel all these efforts are possible or even nessasary while the internet fills with meme and drama at the same time. But everytime I go to the aquarium,the ocean, or a swim, it’s grounding, and it helps put things back into perspective. Above all, i’m so glad to have an amazing partner who’s so supportive or all the things we dream. Do check out these organizations! Go for a swim with the Seahammer, pick up a certification with these dive centers! Or become a volunteer at the aquarium! Be it as an educational interpreter, food prep or their dive team! 🌊💙💧 Just keep swimming & Happy AAPI Month!

One of the most fun and rewarding things I've ever worked on. All the generated kelp were based on actual kelp species and invasive weeds from the cattle point kelp forest the San juan islands. The invertebrates shown are also from diver surveys of the site, and the text you're seeing are snippets of Desiree's subject matter expertise she compiled. The terrain was generated from open source geological data and ocean floor scans. That you so much to @desireeodesign and @midnightspatial it was such a blast working with them both.

@midnightspatial @desireeodesign

🔗 in Bio to Donate for Reef Check! 🌊 Or Search Reef Check Freeze off Challenge to enter the Raffle!!! 🎫🎉 On the 29th I’ll release the second half of this video of my 5 nominations! They’ll have till the 4th to dunk themselves in some kind of water! Let’s GO! Special thanks to @jordylikesbirds and @enaivivlab for trying to find a swim spot during a Godzilla rainfall event / flood galore 😵‍💫😬 #oceanconservation #reefcheck

My Brother and I - Contemplating with the Ocean since 2004 at “Pulau Hantu” also known as Ghost Island!

I just had to ~ goofing around above the oculus dome! @ the ocean pavilion. Seeing out into the land people from that angle is a real trip.. Just keep scrubbing! #strongwomanmakewaves #womandiver #betterimpact

I’ve officially started diving here!! Welcome to the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion, holding 1,800,000L of water. The largest “Fish bowl”/ aquarium in the Pacfic Northwest! 9th largest in the United States. The tank structure is probably the most unique thing about this building its concrete bowl is the foundational structure keeping the entire building up! If you think the tank on the outside is stunning, the inside of the tank was magical, with a large biodiversity pool of marine life. I get to walk down the stunning new overlook walk to zen out in the tank and clean for a wonderful hour! Find me here staring at something in the ground and every so often waving into the windows of the eyes gleaming in.

Hello World! Part 2.0! I’m available for hire! My past 3 years, I worked for Intel and Lam Research! More information on LinkedIn! Tatler - has published a written form of the podcast they featured last month in their magazine both digital and print! The buttons are so fast changing on every darn platform let’s see how this A | B testing goes! Who remembers the song Greenday - Good Riddance ( Time of your Life ) from 2004? There’s also American Idiot but hey let’s go with a “who?/ let’s not waste time attitude ” I was hearing these songs across waters, on a tiny island, many wasn’t sure what to make of called Singapore.

Hello World! I’m on another Interview/Podcast! I talk about my access to animation from where I’m originally from and my experience working in the industry as a first-generation immigrant. I rave about how much I love stop-motion and how AI will make it the next big thing 🤪 . I also discuss the benefits of taking care of your mental health, the roundabout way of how I came to do the work I do, the memories of the Sandbox, all the friends and acquaintances I made along the way, and several shout-outs to famous people I hope to cross paths with someday. I highlight the importance of good leadership and how trusting your team is key to a successful production. Lastly, I share more about “Root,” the project I’ve been quietly working on over the last few years. Let me know if you enjoyed it! Special thanks to the Singapore Tatler Team, especially Chong Seow Wei, who beared with me as I fumbled through my initial nerves. I sound less stuttery towards the end of the interview. 😅 I’m looking for work and would love to connect! Find link 🔗 in bio or on spotify at crazy smart Asia.

Could not be more proud of my client and friend @desireeodesign for being nominated in @tatlermagazine as a Leaders of Tomorrow. Not only is she a talented designer for films like Guillermo del Toro's Academy Award winning Pinocchio but she uses her creativity to fuel environmental causes. Growing up in Singapore, she is a lover of the ocean and passionate about its conservation. It was clear to both of us that we would shoot her Tatler images by the sea. 🌊 Special thanks to the Oregon coast for being sublime.

Tatler Gen.T week’s event is officially over! I did that thing where you video yourself and say whatever came to mind while I made my way to the event. I passed through Haji lane one of my favorite spots in the country… so much history and memories… A must do!!! I highly recommend photo bombing a bunch of other peoples photos when you visit, I did and it was plenty fun😅.

Find out more on Tatler Asia Magazine - Gen T list 2024 @kelli.rad Thank you for taking this photo of me!