When did you start to take an interest in golf?
When my mom was still pregnant with my sister. Deciding to give my mom some space, my dad introduced me to the sport and gave me some golf clubs. My inspiration in golf would probably be Thongchai Jaidee; watching him play made me want to do the same. When I was just starting out, he taught me the essentials from swing technique to putting and before I knew it I had grown to love the sport.

What did it feel like to start out on the tour?
It was different. I was nervous at first since I was new to the pace of professional golf. Moving from country to country was exhausting. I would be playing four to five tournaments straight. There would often be another tournament in another country the week after the last tournament I finished. Compared to amateur golf the schedule is tightly packed and back in college I was carefree. The TV crews would also be following you around the course which was really nerve-wracking.

How much do you train?
Between tournaments I train every day. Sometimes I go to the gym and then take about three to four hours practicing technique, or I take five to six hours just training on a specific skill I am struggling with. Like how most golfers train, really. I just try to make myself as consistent on the course as possible.

What are the best and worst experiences you have had in golf?
I’ve probably hit millions of shots that have turned out badly so there is no specific moment that was terrible, but it’s very frustrating when I get injuries, mostly to my back, and have to sit out a tournament. Great moments would be when I was playing college golf at the University of Florida—I hit my best shots on that course on the last day and won the tournament. This gave me confidence as it proved that I was able to compete at the college level and I went on to win more tournaments. But my best experience in professional golf was recently winning the King’s Cup. I managed to pull off a 64 on the last day—everything just went right for me. I just went out there and played golf and I was fortunate enough to sink the birdies. I wasn’t thinking about winning until those last three holes.

Any perks to being a golfer?
I guess it’s just having the opportunity to do what I love and getting paid for it. I’m not stuck in an office and it’s very rewarding.

What’s your dream and who would you most like to go up against?
Tiger Woods, but we never know when that might happen. In the future I hope to win the Asia tour, enter the Euro-Asian tournament and go back to the US for the PGA tour. Eventually I want to compete in the Masters, since it is heaven on earth for any golfer and I love the way that it is always held at the same golf course. 

How did you become Santa?
I was auditioning for a pilot film around August six years ago and the director asked me to grow a beard. The thing is filming didn’t start till November and I started to look like Santa Claus. I then saw that a Santa Claus was wanted in Dubai, so I went to an audition. The organizer chose me over 40 other candidates, saying that the only person who looked more like Santa would be Santa Claus himself. My first job as Santa was at the Kempinski hotel in Dubai. I’ve been Santa since 2006.

What do you have to do as Santa Claus?
My schedule is more or less the same: I take pictures with children and try to entertain people from 4pm on weekdays and 2pm on weekends. But there is so much more to it than that. I have to believe that I am the real Santa and try to bring joy to everyone. This involves interacting with people from all walks of life.

Do you have a day job?
I am a professional entertainer, actor, stand-up comedian, and magician. I’ve always been into acting, I started studying it when I was 17, and I auditioned for TV shows and received some background roles. I entertain in Nana and some Sukhumvhit bars. I’ve done stand-up at the Londoner and Bourbon Street, and I was a magician for Christmas at the British Embassy. I love performing on stage, as I get to see the joy in people’s faces—it’s like they’re opening a gift. 

Do children ask for presents? What’s been the weirdest request?
Surprisingly, it’s rare. I guess they have already written a letter to Santa Claus telling him what they would like. There was one case where a little boy wanted me as his Christmas gift! I told him that that although I’d like to be his present I couldn’t because it would mean that other children in the world would miss out on their gifts.

Do you ever pretend to be Santa to your children?
Yes, my daughters when they were young were easy to fool. My son caught on very quickly, though. As my daughters got older they would just play along even though they knew it was me.

What’s been your most memorable Christmas?
It’s my mother’s birthday on Christmas Eve, so the one I remember most fondly was before my five brothers all fell out with one another. We were all together and that’s what Christmas is all about: bringing people together. 

Why is Christmas catching on across different cultures?
It’s because the joy of giving doesn’t have a religion. Thai people have grown to celebrate Christmas as well, and it is only enhancing Thailand’s reputation as the “Land of Smiles.” Christmas is a time when people express their love, not only among family members and friends but also neighbors. It’s spreading since people are attracted to the idea that it is a marvelous excuse for giving.

What can we expect from your upcoming performance in Bangkok?
I'm going to do a few up-tempo songs with two girl dancers to get the crowd going and then I'm going to take it down and do a few acoustic songs with a guitar....this is my favorite way to perform and it will be more intimate. I'm really excited to come to Bangkok as I've always wanted to go here—I hear it’s amazing!

What inspires your song writing?
Different situations and experiences I have and also what type of mood I'm in.

Do you get nervous performing on stage?
It always makes me so excited. I don't really get nervous just really happy and smiley, especially when I get to sing in front of new crowds at cool places.

How has being a successful artist changed you?
It has allowed me to live my dream, travel the world, meet lots of interesting people and keep writing and performing songs I love.

What was your reaction to being voted one of FHM’s 100 sexiest women of 2012?
This seems funny to me, but I am very grateful to all who voted!

Out of all your songs, which one is your favorite?
I love to perform a mixture of up-tempo and slow songs to get a balance, but if I had to pick my favorites it would be the ballads: "Cry Me Out," "You Win" and "We Just Go On".

With so many new artists breaking through, how do you stay original?
I think it’s important to stay true to yourself and be a genuine artist—not contrived.

What have you got planned for the coming year?
A new album that I'm so excited about!  I'm writing it at the moment and it has more of a soul/Motown feel.  I'm working really hard to make it my best yet.

Are you planning to collaborate with any artists on your new album? If not, then who would you like to partner up with?
I did so many collaborations last year and absolutely loved it but because this album is taking a different direction sonically I think it's more of a statement to not have any!  However, in the future, I would love to collaborate with a band that has a different sound to me to make it fresh, like Kings Of Leon, Coldplay or The Lumineers.

BK: What’s your job like?
Pond: The first thing we do is change into our uniforms, and then we say hello to the owner downstairs. We work from 5pm to 11pm and have one day off per week. Our main job is to simply serve beer, but we also take drink and sometimes food orders. We also take the used glasses to the kitchen.
Mai: The job is like a waitress basically.

BK:  Why did you become beer girls?
Pond: My friend recommended this job to me. I also have a full-time job as a cashier, from 7am to 4pm. My salary was not enough to be able to send money back to my parents in my home province, so I’ve also worked this job for three years. It won’t be for much longer, though, because we’re getting older.
Mai: I also got a recommendation from a friend. I started this job five to six years ago. I used to work another job full-time, but I quit, so being a beer girl is my only income now.

BK: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being beer girls?
Pond: Advantages include learning languages and getting to chat with new people. But this job is risky; sometimes men take liberties and touch us.

BK: Do you often have weird customers?
Pond: Yes, they are usually drunk. One foreigner was pestering me for my phone number, so I walked away. Another said, “If you let me touch your breast, I’ll buy a Tiger beer,” which I just had to ignore.

BK: So, many guys try to pick you up?
Pond: Yes, a lot, but we never go home with them. However, sometimes if I get to know nice customers, I go out drinking with them after the pub closes. We are not allowed to drink with them while we’re working because we would get fired.
Mai: Also, we’re not meant to talk too much to customers.

BK: Do they tip more if you are flirty?
Pond: Sometimes, but most customers never leave tips.

BK: What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
Mai: After I retire from being a beer girl, I want to open a grocery shop or a cafe.
Pond: I already have a full-time job.

How did you become a wedding photographer?
I started working as a freelance photographer in Thailand, then I met Nuj Navakate, a New York-based Thai designer, who hired me to shoot for her look book. She liked my work and advised me to go abroad to advance my skills. But I didn’t have the money. I started doing all sorts of odd jobs, from graphic design projects to handing out leaflets in public. I managed to save about B1.2 million in a year and a half and packed my bags to study a photography course at the London College of Communication for a year before I landed a job with Julie Kim, a leading wedding photographer in London.

What struggles have you faced?
My first struggle came from my mom, who initially disagreed with my decision. When I arrived in the UK I faced discrimination due to being Asian. One guy even told me that, “Photographer is a job for people from civilized countries.” While hearing this hurt, I must thank him. It spurred me on to be a success. I did almost give up after having no jobs for eight months. I had only £9 left in my account. I cried but my girlfriend told me to fight for at least one more month, and then Julie contacted me. It was the best moment of my life.

How’s your situation now?
Much better. I charge about £1,500 (B70,000) per wedding either in the UK or Thailand. I also have various fashion and commercial projects, such as work for Harrods’ salon brand Touché’s 2012-2013 collection and HUF Magazine which is published in the US, UK and Canada.

What’s your one guiding principle for taking wedding photos?
Imperfect is perfect. The pictures don’t have to be neat to be beautiful. I want my shots to tell a story of their big day. I have grown to love listening to heartfelt speeches about how these people found love. It always makes me cry.

Have you ever encountered any wedding disasters?
Yes, there was one wedding where the bishop kicked me out of the church! It was a tight schedule so I didn’t have the chance to introduce myself to the bishop. At one point, he asked me over the loud speaker to leave. I was shocked and hid behind a bench at the back where I continued to take photos. The bishop later found out that I was the official photographer for the wedding. He thought I was just some tourist.

What are your dreams for the future?
I’ve grown to realize that being regarded as a world-class photographer is not the most important thing any more. I’m happier to keep challenging myself rather than compete with others. I want to branch out further into fashion photography and create more and more fascinating works.