My Perfect Weekend with actress Carmen Soo
Actress Carmen Soo spends quality time with her daughter, before going out to meet her friends. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CARMEN SOO
Who: Carmen Soo is a Malaysian actress and model in her 40s. She has appeared in movies, such as Crazy Rich Asians (2018 ), as well as English, Malay and Chinese television series like Fried Rice Paradise (2019) and One Cent Thief (2022) in Singapore and Malaysia.
Most recently, she starred in local Malay-language war drama Operandi Gerhana (Phantom Squad, 2023), which clinched Best Drama Series at Mediacorp awards show Pesta Perdana 2025 on May 24. She also won Best Actress – Drama Series for her role as gang leader Lily. The series is available on Netflix and mewatch.
Soo, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, is married to Mr Benson Tan, a food and beverage industry operations director in his 40s. The couple have a seven-year-old daughter.
'Just a few weekends ago, I was in Singapore for awards show Pesta Perdana for three days. It is very rare that I am travelling and have free time, so I was able to meet my sister, who lives in Singapore, and my friends.
I won an award at Pesta Perdana, so that weekend was one of my most memorable .
But on typical Saturday mornings back home, I take my daughter for her swimming class and I eithe r watch her or go for a swi m. After her class, we shower and go home, before heading out to get some roti canai for breakfast at Bala's Banana Leaf in Bangsar Lucky Garden. It is a little treat that she really looks forward to.
I get a teh tarik and my favourite beetroot egg thosai.
Sometimes, on Saturday evenings, after my daughter falls asleep at 8pm, I go out for dinner with my girlfriends.
We get together to celebrate birthdays or just to try a new restaurant . I enjoy dressing up – putting on my make-up, accessorising and wearing heels – because on weekdays, I'm just in a T-shirt and shorts and very deep into the 'mummy life'. So, when I get dressed up for a change, that really fills my cup.
Carmen Soo (second from left) having a birthday dinner with her friends.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CARMEN SOO
I believe that it is only when our cup is full that we can give. We can give joy to others only when we ourselves feel okay, so I always make sure that I do.
I try to squeeze in one special activity every day, whether it is a facial or something that gives me time for myself. Those moments are very precious to me.
I like the saying, 'Your weekend is your kid's childhood'. They go to school from Monday to Friday and have so little time at home during the week. So, weekends are what children will remember their childhood by. Because of that, I strive to give my daughter a positive childhood with good memories.
My husband and I always make sure that we d o activities with our daughter. We do not fill our time with fancy activities, like going to theme parks, because we feel that quality time with u s i s the most important thing. '
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