Ong’s latest release, My Medicine, is a collection of works from the last five years reflecting on life during the pandemic. It regards poetry as medicine for the soul, as the prolific poet asks, “Instead of turning to drink and drugs, why not turn to poetry?”

This year, Ong readies to release the Malay translation of her first anthology. “If it does well, then I can look to distribute it to Indonesia,” she shares, her excitement matched by her ambition to penetrate overseas markets. “I am trying to get my books in more international markets, especially the West.” Thus far, the indie publishing house has also published the works of other authors like Germaine Thai, Zack Shah, Tasha Lim and Timothy Joshua Chia, with more promising talents in the pipeline. Ong also has a sci-fi novel based on genetic engineering in the works, with expectations for release in 2025.

Beyond helping new writers break into the market, Ong remains eager to share her wisdom with budding writers, publishing Poetry & Short Stories, A Practice Book in 2021. “It teaches people how to create stories and poetry, outlining what makes a poem good or bad, based on industrial experience. As a publisher, I get manuscripts all the time, and some are honestly not up to par. This is my attempt to raise the quality of manuscripts I receive,” she explains.

Ong admits that she hated reading until she discovered Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight when she was 16. “Of all books,” she comments cheekily, aware of the record-selling fantasy romance series’ controversial reputation. Nevertheless, Ong knows her target audience, tapping her formidable design skills to lure readers into a comfortable reading experience. “I create for the bookstagrammers who love to take pictures of books and those who hate books. I approach the latter with short writing and slowly hook them to prose and short stories.”

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Beyond publishing, this apparent polymath is also breaking the glass ceiling as a woman following the road less travelled in the tech industry. Following her tenure in advertising, Ong ventured into VLT Labs, where she acquired the essentials for crafting user-friendly applications and websites, falling in love with user experience and user interface design (UX/UI). 

At Boost, one of Malaysia’s biggest e-wallets, Ong entered the fast-paced fintech industry even before the app’s launch on Google’s Play Store. “At the time, QR payments weren’t a thing. We had to engage directly with pasar malam aunties and vendors, asking them if they would adopt this technology. Today, everyone’s using it,” Ong says, pleased with the rate of progress and technology adoption.

Ong went on to explore generative AI as the head of product design at Inmagine, powering stock image databases such as 123RF, PIXLR, Designs.ai and numerous other crypto and AI projects. “Technology changes every single hour. When you’re designing something in the morning, the requirements would have changed by noon,” Ong says, describing the situation as a race against time to develop competitive solutions. She managed a team of seven designers, cooperating closely with tech leads, CEOs and chief product officers to deliver briefs.

“My team and I dealt with the user experience and design aspect, testing usability to repackage the technology given for it to be intuitive to navigate and valuable to users. Our job is to ensure the experience is smooth and beautiful.” 

After almost three years at Inmagine, Ong has started her latest venture as head of digital product design at PlayStation Studios Malaysia. “I’m managing a team on the creative side to determine how we launch new games on the local market. I also have a hand in UX/UI, so there’s potential for me to work on the games,” Ong mentions with hope.

While balancing Penwings Publishing and her new tech role, Ong manages her time to focus on her health through activities like rock climbing and pole fitness. She reasons, “With all that I do, I need to have a fit body and eat healthy to avoid tiring out. I also maintain a respectable sleep schedule.” 

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Describing herself as a “work-life segmenter,” Ong recognises that as creative writing became work, she needed a new artistic outlet. “I’ve been playing the erhu for eight years now, and I’m around grade three with the harp.”

Asked about her role models, Ong has just one woman in mind. “My mother sacrificed a lot for the family and became the sole breadwinner for a family of five after my father could no longer work due to his health.” 

Regarding her mother as the original “non-stop go-getter,” Ong affectionately recounts her mother’s fortitude in building a successful business after getting retrenched. Today, Ong’s mother is also one of her indispensable aides. “She helps with Penwings Publishing on the logistical and accounting side of things, and she’s been incredibly supportive. She has been the best influencer in my life.”

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