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Are you an AFOL? Hendra certainly is!

Reading the title, you must be wondering, “what is AFOL?”


Well, just like you, I too didn’t know what AFOL meant until a fellow Covey explained to me the meaning of AFOL.


According to Hendra, AFOL stands for Adult Fan of LEGO, a term used to describe grown-ups who love to collect these colourful miniature blocks!


Hendra received his first LEGO when he was 6, gifted by his aunt as a birthday present. He still remembers how he would tear apart the classic space set which came with one astronaut and a space robot over and over again until he could build it without any instructions! 🚀


Wow, that’s dedication and hard work coming from a 6 year old!


Two years later, Hendra won another huge LEGO set from a lucky draw, and those were the only sets he owned when he was a kid. It was a rather expensive toy at the time, so his parents bought him other toys instead of LEGO.


Now that he can afford his own LEGO sets, Hendra can’t seem to stop buying new LEGO sets!


When asked how many sets he owns, he said that he has never done an inventory check before. But if we were to guess, Hendra probably owns hundreds of LEGO sets! 🤯


“I am a huge fan of LEGO Minifigures. I have hundreds of them from various sets. As for my favourite theme, I would say Star Wars and Harry Potter.”


Most of his LEGO sets are bought locally, but once in a while, Hendra would buy a few sets from overseas.

Like this Tokyo skyline in the picture above.


Being an AFOL is indeed an expensive hobby. Hendra shared with us that he spends $500 to $1000 on LEGO yearly, depending on the sets of LEGO released within that particular year.


Hendra also mentioned that building LEGO sets is when he has his own “me-time”.


“I like to do it alone. This is one of my me-time activities.”


That surely sounds like a very therapeutic me-time. Just him and his LEGO, no one else to disturb his peace!


Depending on the size of the LEGO set, the time taken to build each set can vary between 15 minutes or a few nights! 


When building the LEGO sets, Hendra mainly admires the design and follows the instruction guide. To him, that’s a very relaxing process.


And once he’s done with it, he feels very pleased and at ease. I’m sure a lot of AFOLs feel that way too!


For aspiring AFOLs out there, Hendra recommends that you start with small LEGO sets as the smaller sets cover quite a lot of themes as well! When you already have enough sets to showcase to your friends or flatmates, show it off on this display set!


Click here to read more about our fellow Coveys and their hidden talents or interesting hobbies! If you know any Coveys to be featured on Coveys Got Talent, hit us up on Instagram.


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To Hendra, I hope that you’ll collect more and more LEGO sets! Don’t forget to share with us when you get new sets! 😉

Meet Michal, the ultramarathoner Covey

Running a marathon is not an easy feat. It takes a lot of training, endurance and determination.


To kick-start our latest blog series where we feature extraordinary Coveys, we have Michal, who is an avid ultra-marathon runner!


Michal started his first half marathon about 4 years ago and since then, he slowly worked his way up! He shared that he fell in love with the kick and adrenaline pump that he got after each run on the race day, and that kept him going.


When being asked how many marathons he’d been to, Michal recalled that he participated in a few marathons and 3 ultramarathons (surpassing beyond 42 kilometres), the longest being 106km!


“The 100 kilometres and above was definitely the most memorable one. Running almost 24 hours through the hills and jungle of Malaysian Borneo, under the midday sun and midnight stars!”


We’re pretty sure it was a beautiful sight to enjoy during that ultramarathon!


He also said that one has to complete a marathon to feel the satisfaction runners get after finishing a race. Sounds like we should start running to know that feeling! 🤣


Michal believes everyone can run long distances. Tips from an experienced ultramarathoner? Enjoy and keep pressing on. 


“Start small and work your way up. Consistency is the key,” he added. 


During this unprecedented time, Michal really misses marathons and also lamented that virtual runs are just not the same as marathons. Nowadays, he runs on his own along his regular route around Marina Bay Sands and along the coast.


We hope that Michal’s experience has encouraged you long-distance newbies out there to stay motivated and not give up! Once this pandemic is past us, we shall register for a marathon right away. 🏃


If you know any fellow Coveys with hidden talents, hit us up on our Instagram at @cove_sg!


We are also running a Chinese New Year giveaway on our Instagram page, so why not join and try your luck?

showing blogposts with #CoveysGotTalent

Are you an AFOL? Hendra certainly is!

Meet Michal, the ultramarathoner Covey

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