When was the last time you were truly happy?
Truly, as opposed to falsely? I don’t expect to be happy. I might as well expect to be a world-famous sea captain.

We can't listen to modern music anymore. Can you?
Nobody LISTENS to modern music–I don’t think that’s its aim. It’s just there, in the foreground, saying nothing, with no meaning. Music is only allowed through if it is contemptuously stupid. No modern music career is praiseworthy, and most modern pop stars are over-rewarded. We are hit over the head with them, and we are not allowed to discover for ourselves.

Are poets cursed?
I think all humans are cursed. WH Auden said “childbirth is an act of hatred”, and he wasn’t entirely wrong. Once a baby is born it is condemned. We spend our entire lives snatching pleasure because pleasure is so difficult to find. As for art, people who are content create nothing. Furthermore, we’re all cursed by the aging process, which means we are all fated to suffer. At the same time, most people do not have the basic capability to explain their true feelings … should they find anyone who cares enough to listen.

Is it ever possible to forget the past?
Who said “the past is myself”? It wasn’t me; but I would have said it if someone else hadn’t…. or even if they had.

What must one do these days to get inspired?
Avoid newspaper and award ceremonies, and stop watching the news.

The worst lyricists are often...
Given Brit Awards and Grammys.

If Oscar Wilde were alive today, he'd probably say...
Wilde was always occupied with the pleasures of living, but he’d struggle to maintain that in 2012. I don’t think he’d say anything. Mediocrity has such a firm grip on the print media, on television, on music, and this would kill Oscar Wilde all over again because mediocrity hates genius – which is why the oh-so-learned and oh-so-gentle men of the British judiciary murdered Wilde in the first place.

LA is beautiful because....
Of the sunshine playing in the trees, and because of unrestrained self-indulgence … and all without the assistance of thought. Remarkable!

In your past life, you were probably a...
Bronzed troubadour.

Rimbaud once said "Life is elsewhere." Is that true?
Yes. We spend our entire lives just trying to get settled. Thankfully we only die once.

Morrissey Greatest Hits Tour Live in Singapore is on May 8 at Fort Canning Park.

Who are your heroes?
I appreciate artists such as Matta, Kandinsky, Dubuffet and Britto; but also those from the street like Os Gemeos, Tkid, Bio, Seen or Ceet.

Is graffiti underrated or overrated?
Graffiti is a very ancient way a human being is allowed to express himself. To my mind, rating graffiti makes absolutely no sense.

Do you wear high fashion?
My mother wears high fashion.

What would you like to tag on which you haven’t yet?
When I was younger I used to tag on trucks. How I would like to tag on planes or yachts now.

If you were a millionaire for a day, what would you do?
Plant trees in the desert.

From Paris with Love is on through April 27 at Dominic Khoo’s 28th Février.

I like it hard when it comes to… BASSLINES! I love the feeling of my body shaking from a loud and bassy sound system.

The last time I danced… I’m dancing right now! A good DJ should always be dancing.

To work up the crowd, I… like to create a bit of tension, play with people’s expectations, share the moment with the audience and enjoy the night together.

My last best gig was… too many to chose from, I’m very lucky to travel to so many cool places. I just finished a mini-tour of the US where I played places like Detroit for the first time.

My poison of choice is… an icey mojito. Or anything with a lot of sugar in as I have a big sweet tooth.

Girls to me are… beautiful, elegant and mysterious.

When the going gets tough… you up your game and get tougher.

Fash Bash feat. Kissy Sell Out is on April 13, 10pm at The Butter Factory.

Buying online is already second-nature for most of us. But even in the digital world we still tend to have our go-to stores, our oft-repeated gripes and a reluctance to look around the corner. If only someone could give us a good reason to dig around, some sense of which sites are really worth it and tell us what’s new in e-town! So, in the absence of anyone else doing it for us, we’ve dug around to bring you 10 great reasons and some 50 sites (many of them local) to shake up your online shopping experience.

Support Local Designers

There’s at least two great reasons to go local. Firstly you’re helping support the scene in the face of fierce international competition. And if that’s not reason enough, you’ll save a packet on shipping!

Dresstronomy has a great selection of evening dresses and bags designed by young and talented upstarts Tylda Tan and Patricia Teo for less than $100, and there’s even a sale section for those looking for more value-for-money pieces.

For cool, collectible T-shirts that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, 9Fountains (left) features limited edition prints from both established and young graphic designers, starting from just $30. They also boast a capsule collection where you can pre-order special collaboration pieces from noted artists like Singapore-based Steve Lawler, which are produced in very small quantities using premium Japanese cotton. Shana Logic also has a great range of locally designed tees, as well artworks and accessories by new designers. It’s also an impressively convenient site to shop at, with categories organized according to price range.

If you’re already a fan of local brands like alldressedup, Burgundy and Vice & Vanity, you can easily purchase their latest creations via Shop The Mag. Not only are the pieces here the most up-to-date and cohesive, you can also check out other hard-to-find Asian labels like Malaysia’s Khoon Hooi and Thailand’s The Only Son while you’re here.

And if you’d rather shop at these labels’ own sites (with what you pay for going directly to the designers), click on alldressedup for its current Spring/Summer and discounted past season collections of women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, Hansel for designer Jo Soh’s latest vintage-inspired Spring/Summer dresses, and cool men’s tees, shirts and pants from Sifr (right), which are chic, smart and eminently wearable.

Find Cult Labels

Singapore’s a sucker for stuff no-one else is wearing, and shopping online gives you access to a fantastic array of cult, hard-to-find labels that are not stocked at physical stores here.

For menswear, new multi-label site Haven is one of the best, carrying lesser known brands like emerging shoe specialist Diemme, funky streetwear-influenced Human Made and casual wear brand Nonnative; while Hong Kong-based Concept Shop is great for past season collections and one-off collections of brands like Head Porter, Visvim and Number Nine. Mr. Porter (left), the menswear offshoot of the legendary Net-a-Porter site for designer womenswear, and only launched a couple of months back, also comes highly recommended for its collection of close to 100 designer brands, including Lanvin, Jimmy Choo, Bottega Veneta and Maison Martin Margiela, with pieces exclusive to the site. Ditto Oki-ni, which carries the complete ready-to-wear collections of brands White Mountaineering and Raf Simons, previously unavailable here.

For womenswear, we love Shop It To Me, which even has a personal shopper component and close to 900 labels to choose from—take your pick from everything from Alexander Wang to Zac Posen. Ladies will also love the range of the clothes at La Garconne and Opening Ceremony, the former chockfull of brands like Proenza Schouler and in-house brand La Gaconne Moderne, and the latter great for brands like Rodarte which cannot be found in stores locally.

Be Your Own Tailor

Once you’ve worn a custom-fitted suit, there’s only one thing that’ll make you go back to the rack: price. Yet, strange as it may seem, a number of online retailers have developed innovative platforms offering made-to-measure services at high street (or less) prices.

Both Indochino and Light in the Box (above) provide step-by-step video guides to assist you in quickly setting up your measurement profile—the former specializing in men’s shirts and jackets, the latter in haute couture and wedding gowns. For the men, Indochino offers sexy chambray shirts (from US$79 [$100]) that allows you to customize your collar type, cuffs, and even monogramming your initials at no extra charge. Choose a myriad of dresses from Light in the Box from US$198 ($250) and get them customized for a small fee of US$30 ($38).

For shoes and bags, we love Timbuk 2 and Timberland which allow you to completely customize your item. Timbuk2 takes customization to a whole new level, allowing you to choose from your preferred bag type and size, colors and fabrics (50 options available), binding, lining and logo colors from US$39 ($50).

Keep It Discreet

No matter how old you get, there are some things you’d rather not have people see you buy. One such example is the Universal Sex Swing Stand ($450) from Mr & Mrs Smith The Couple Store, a free-standing steel support that can hold up to 400 pounds of weight. The same store also stocks great gift ideas like their Sweet Celebrations Box ($219), which can easily pass off as a case of potpourri but actually contains vanilla-scented massage oils and body soufflé, delicious-sounding lubricants and even a large puff containing sparkle dust—charming.

If you’re on the quest for something more portable, both Shop Intimates and Sensual Lifestyle stock a fantastic range of sex enhancers—if you need them, they’re bound to have them.

Amazing Savings On Books, Beauty and More

Sure, we all know that shopping online is cheaper, but you might be surprised by just how much. And it ain’t just clothes.

For 30-70 percent savings on designer bags and accessories, go straight to Reebonz (right), which holds periodical sales (just sign up and you’ll be notified through emails and newsletters) for labels like Burberry, Chloe, Miu Miu and Valentino. A signature Chloe Paraty shoulder bag costs close to $4,500 at regular stores, but over at the site, they’re available for just $3,295. Pieces are mostly one-offs so you’ve got to act fast—but hey, that’s a small price to pay for huge discounts like that.

Two of our favorite Singapore-based online bookstores Open Trolley and NoQ are also great for hugely discounted books, averaging 20-40 percent cheaper than from physical stores.

For beauty products and supplements (why not buy them online? An eye blusher is an eye blusher, after all), head to Best Buy World, Luxola. The Supplement Warehouse which offer a great range of cosmetics and health and fitness products for both men and women, averaging 20 percent cheaper than at the stores. Spend more than $35 at Luxola for example, and you’ll get an additional 35 percent off. Now that’s healthy shopping.

Spare Your Shoulders

Beds, bikes and bookcases might not be the first buy you think of buying online, but let’s face it, when was the last time you enjoyed a trip to IKEA? Save on traveling time and shop for bulky items from the comfort of home and have them delivered right to your doorstep. Beds and furniture can be purchased and delivered via Beds and Furniture Mart. Think designer bed frames, coffee tables, television consoles, kitchen cabinets and even bar furniture—all without breaking a sweat.

For cycling and sports enthusiasts, you can shop for vintage-inspired items like the Flying Pigeon bike available through the good folks at Deki Bike. Choose from a gent’s bike (from $151) or lady’s bike (from $196) complete with hi-ten steel painted frames, U-shape steel handle, front and back mudguard, back carrier and chain cover.

Even limited edition art pieces and original works are available for purchase online. Local art gallery Vue Privée offers you prints and original artworks from just $80, featuring works from artists like Burton Machen, Olivier Henry and Inga Beckmann that will look great in the living room.

A tiger is… majestic, beautiful and fierce.
Art is… a kind of experiment to discover new sensations that don’t yet have a name.
Love is… the opening of the self into otherness.
Metal means... intensity.
Don’t get brokenhearted, get… ready for a new mind.

The Song of the Brokenhearted Tiger is on through April 6-7 at Esplanade Theatre Studio.

From the age of 15 I knew I wanted to be a professional Muay Thai fighter. I remember going down to Golden Mile, looking at all the Thai boxing magazines and thinking, “I want to be like that.”

I’d just kick and punch late at night with no idea what I was doing.

My dad raised me after my parents divorced. There was no electricity at one point because we couldn’t pay the bills and I had to study using candlelight.

The neighborhood I grew up in was filled with ah bengs as well as expats. Teaching the expat kids how to speak Singlish and swear in Malay and Hokkien was always funny.

I was inspired by how kids in Thailand who come from poverty or have had been abandoned have to compete in Muay Thai for a living.

Seeing how they give their everything when they fight—their blood, sweat and tears—to make money to send home to their families makes you thankful for what you’ve got.

Selling pizza by the slice just wasn’t done in Singapore six years ago, so I thought it would be a great idea. I found a good location with lots of character. Honestly, I don’t think anywhere in Singapore can beat Orchard Towers for that!

I like adrenaline, but being on roller coasters and bungee jumping make me sick in the stomach. I can do them but I just don’t see the point!

I’m not going to lie and say an intellectual girl with a good sense of humor turns me on. If it’s included, it’s a bonus! I mean are we going to get it on, or are we going talk about books all night?

I was the first Singaporean to ever win at the famous Lumpini Boxing Stadium in Bangkok.

The odds were 5:3 (against me) going into the fight. All the Thai gamblers were hoping my Thai opponent would whoop my ass.

You can only trust yourself and sadly sometimes, you’ve got to be heartless. Because the world can be a f***ed up place.