I was born in Indonesia but came here when I was very young. I’ve spent most of my life in Singapore and this is where I grew up and was educated. Being a Singapore citizen, I also proudly served the country as part of the first National Service batch.

My fondest memory in Singapore is growing up during the 1960s, when life was a lot simpler. The 1960s marked a significant period in Singapore’s development and things were less expensive then. Life was also less complicated since we didn’t have mobile phones, the Internet and COE.

One of my proudest moments is the opening of the MINT Museum of Toys, where former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. George Yeo was a guest of honor.

It took my wife and I more than 10 years to secure a good site for the museum. We looked at many areas in Singapore, mostly places we’d considered to have some heritage value like Joo Chiat and Emerald Hill.

Putting the museum on the world map as a key tourist attraction like Madame Tussauds and Museum of Modern Art is one of the things on my bucket list.

There isn’t any toy that I’ll keep away from the museum. I want to share my entire collection with the public, but progressively—there are more than 50,000 toys and childhood memorabilia in it.

Every piece in my collection isimportant to me as each acquisition marks a unique experience. These toys have been gathered over a period of more than

30 years. I would be grateful if the government could give more support to unique private museums like mine. We have a part to play in the development of a child’s early years by making them aware of key historical events.

I wish I’d known 10 years ago that things would cost a lot more today. I wouldn’t have delayed certain decisions, since changes are taking place too rapidly now.

Whenever I need a burst of inspiration, I just go home. There, I can be with my family and do most of my thinking undisturbed.

If I could have lunch with anyone I wanted, it’d be my late father, who passed away when I was still studying in the UK. I didn’t get to see him before his passing and have always regretted not having been able to spend more time with him.

What I have achieved today is in part thanks to all the advice I’d received from my late brother.

The worst advice I’ve ever received came from an estate agent, who just took advantage of my ignorance. I took it as a constant reminder to be more wary when making all decisions.

What kind of aircraft are you building?
A giant toothbrush with wings we call The Bristle Buster F2.

Have you tested it?
Yes, we have. We’ve run it through some complicated-sounding processes too like FEA (Finite Element Analysis) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). Results have been impressive. We’re still working out some kinks so we can optimize our angle of attack for maximum lift, but we’re confident this thing won’t touch down too quickly.

What is the hardest part about working on something like this?
We’ve all got fairly large workloads, so finding time to meet and build is tough for us. Also, Singapore doesn’t have a great home improvement or DIY building market so sourcing for materials turned out to be a bigger challenge than we thought. We’ve been working with commercial contractors and suppliers to procure the materials we need.

What’s so important about flying high that humans just can’t stop obsessing about it?
For better or for worst, mankind has touched nearly every corner of this planet—the deepest seas, the tallest peaks, the thickest groves—but it’s the skies that we look to with most yearning. Flight is like that molar at the back of your mouth, waiting to be brushed.

Who should make an occasion out of the Red Bull Flugtag?
Everyone! Fun, flight and fluoride—what more can you ask for?

The Red Bull Flugtag is happening October 28 at Siloso Beach.

I never thought of being a musician when I was younger. I started off my career at a production house with [veteran art director] Eke Eiamchuen right after I graduated from Thai Vichitsilp Art Institute.

English is necessary, whatever your career path. I decided to go to England to study English, which also gave me the chance to study photography.

Those classes were the best I’ve ever taken. At first, I had no idea whether I would like it. As a test, they asked me to take photos of anything using two rolls of black and white film. I passed and eventually fell in love with the art. I also formed an indie band there, but it didn’t last as the other members quit school to pursue their musical dreams.

I returned to Bangkok to work as a fashion photographer. I got a freelance gig at Metro Magazine where I met [glam-pop star] Gene Kasidit, who was a writer there, and Roong [Roongroj Ooppa-tampotivat, bassist of the band Crub and founder of Smallroom Records]. He asked me to contribute to Smallroom’s first compilation album, Smallroom 001 [2002], even though I was more focused on photography.

I prefer shooting film, but that doesn’t mean I’m anti-digital. I’m just accustomed to it and I also trust the quality, mood and tone of film.

Stills are such an underrated part of the film production process. Nonzee Nimibutr asked me to take some promotional shots for his film Jan Dara [2001]. I realized that the first images you send out to the public can really influence people’s decision to watch the final film.

I am always understanding of other people’s jobs, but others aren’t so accommodating. I had a conflict with a film’s PR rep who asked me to take behind-the-scenes photos of the cast during their down-time. I saw no reason in doing that as it didn’t say anything about the film. Queens of Langkasuka [2008] was the last film I worked on before deciding to take my music more seriously.

“Why are your lyrics always so dark?” That’s a question I’m constantly asked. I’ve got no reply except to say they reflect the truth. If my life was some happy ending love story, I would probably write differently. But it isn’t like that in reality.

Writing my song “Pap Shin Ta” was one of the toughest experiences of my life. One of my closest friends had just lost his wife in an accident. He was lost and drowning in sorrow, which also affected me emotionally. Although I was just an observer, I wanted to compose a song that truly captured his feelings.

I’m not a fan of reading, so I don’t have the biggest vocabulary when it comes to composing songs.

No matter how beautifully you can sing or how well-composed your lyrics are, nothing tops actually believing in the songs you sing. This helps build rapport with your audience who will come to understand you better.

Love is a beautiful thing that makes your heart race every time you find it. I’m sure everyone agrees. But you can’t expect a fairy tale ending every day, so why live in a dream? I’m certainly not turning my back on love, though.

My life has unfolded by chance, from being a photographer to making music and, most recently, starring in a film. I thought it was a joke when Kongdej [Jaturanrasamee]’s assistant asked me to audition for P-047. He’s a famous director, I was afraid I’d screw it up. I was so excited when we started filming, but a little paranoid about whether I would do well enough.

Don’t let emotions get the better of you. When I started work on my new album, I hit a block, I thought I would never be able to write a song again. I became so down that I questioned my abilities and whether my whole career had just been a fluke. After I got my head in check, I took a trip back to London, things got better and I started to write again.

Making a new album feels like updating an old friend on my life. It wasn’t my intention but most of my new songs talk about journeys, probably because the bulk of them were composed overseas.

I don’t have dreams of becoming anything. Right now I’m just happy to have what I have and do what I love. Who knows what’s going to happen in the next five years, or even next year.

Hosting an art exhibition is the only thing I’m really looking forward to. I hope to make it happen by the beginning of next year. I got the idea when I went to Tibet as part of the production team for Shambhala. I was recruited to compose the soundtrack, so I took a lot of photos, made field recordings and just captured the ambiance. It was so beautiful. I’ve put together a photo collection that is mixed with these sounds. I really want to share what I experienced.

I’m still far from a success. It’s hard to measure. But I’m happy right now, as with each gig I play my audience seems to be growing, which gives me a very warm feeling.

How did you become The Split?
So: I first met New in 8th grade. It was around the time of the school’s festival and the organizers were looking for a band. I knew that New could play guitar so I asked him to join me for the event and we have been playing together since. Then [record label] RS’s Kamikase found us on oTHESPLITo’s channel on YouTube and set up a meeting.
New: At the beginning, we had a couple of friends with us, but it got more and more complicated trying to get everyone together and controlling the sound quality, so we decided to just stick with the two of us. I’m now learning to play the drums and developing my vocal skills.

Why did you start covering songs on YouTube?
So: During our first year of high school we noticed this trend of people uploading their covers on YouTube. By the third year, we decided we wanted to join the bandwagon. That’s how it started.

What’s it feel like being a YouTube sensation?
New: We’ve had both good and bad comments but we understand that comes with the territory. We signed up for this. Some people enjoy stirring up drama on the internet, but if you don’t play along, there is only so much they can do.
So: Once you get exposure, it’s normal to receive criticism, but we take it constructively and constantly try to improve ourselves.

As Demo Project, what makes you guys different from other teen bands?
Fah: Unlike other teenage bands that just perform pop dance and K-Pop, we can actually sing and play our own music. We want to inspire those people to come back to the Thai music industry.

What do you do outside of music?
So: Initially, I wanted to study engineering, but that’s changed as I’ve started learning more about the music industry. Now I want to study communication arts. I also want to write songs that stay in people’s minds for a long, long time.
New: I love psychology. I always get friends consulting me about their problems and I love trying to see things from other people’s perspectives. I also want to write a book which resonates with people.
Fah: I want to be a film director. I enjoy the process of movie making. The entertainment business fascinates me. I’m particularly interested in stage management.
Carol: I want to be a biologist. I am very passionate about it. I love adventures and working with animals. I haven’t decided yet whether I want to study communications or biology.

What do you guys think about the Thai education system?
New: It’s like Thailand is in the midst of developing a system that works. We have just not found it yet.
Fah: It’s like we’re starting over every year. We need some stability. We are not guinea pigs.

Who are some people you look up to?
I am the kind of person who has great respect for my child's kindergarten teacher, the Bangladeshi construction worker and the photographer who last took a picture of me. I am an identical twin, which means I've become pretty good at looking and reflecting on what another person is doing.

What are the five tools essential to having a healthy bank of ideas?
Take a lot of time off to give your brain time to think, isolate yourself so your brain can think up its own ideas, play with your kids to remind your brain to be curious about everyday things, change your environment so you are always reminded that there are many ways to do something, and avoid getting stuck in email and admin work each day. I just came back from a six-week island vacation in Sweden with my family and my brain is just boiling over with ideas.

Describe the most inspiring moment you've had in the past year.
The day I finished the construction of my new house on my island in Sweden. It's now the most inspirational place I have to sit and write my books. It's a crazy house that looks like a bird's nest!

What do you do with your ideas when they enter your head?
I write them down in The Idea Book so that I don't forget them! I dreamt a great idea last night and didn't find a pen and forgot it when i woke up. Still annoyed about that!

Has anyone you've ever spoken to in an audience made an impact on you?
I've spoken to over 1,500 different audiences but if I had to pick just one person, it'd have to be a 16-year-old girl I met in Sweden. She was so depressed she skipped school for six weeks and laid in bed the whole time. One day, her friend came over and showed her one of my speeches on YouTube. After that, she got up, went to the school principal and scolded him for not caring enough about depressed students. She also pushed the government to start a project for depressed young women—she succeeded. After, she set up a record company, went on tour with a Swedish rock star and had famous American songwriters mentor her. Talk about a speech changing a person's life.

What makes a city a great launchpad for startups?
My latest book One World. One Company talks about looking at your company as a global company—startup companies should follow that lead. A great launchpad city is one that makes its entrepreneurs think more globally. And this is the reason why I live in Singapore, though the startup scene here is still in its infancy.  

How has the publication of The Idea Book changed your life?
It has taken me around the world. Thanks to the book, I have been invited to speak in more than 45 countries from Iran to Iceland, and that has made me think about the world as one, instead of in terms of countries.

Asia on the Edge—who should be there?
People who want to know what's going on.

Asia on the Edge - Creative Mapping of Asia is happening September 7-9, 9am at The Arts House. See video below for an idea of what Fredrik Härén's speeches are like.

What is craft beer?
I like to think that craft beer is art. It’s brewed by independent brewers, working on a small scale and making beer using natural ingredients, often sourced locally near the brewery. There are now nearly 2,000 breweries pumping out all manner of craft beers across America.

What makes craft beer so different?
No two craft beers are alike. Craft brewers sometimes use radical techniques to create their own novel and distinctive flavors. The difference between craft and commercial beers is like the difference between listening to your favorite band on your iPhone and standing in the front row at their concert. There’s just a much broader spectrum of flavor. Craft beer engages you in a way that’s more akin to single malts or wine—yet it’s much more down to earth.

How did you select the beers?
That’s the best part! We are curators. Our job is to travel the world and handpick the best, most exciting craft beers. It’s a dream job. We look for the best examples of each beer style, that are innovative and that evoke characteristics of the locality where they’re brewed. For example, Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Ale is brewed with Oregon hazelnuts. We want people to realize that beer can be special and can be enjoyed in the same way as wine. We’re doing a big push around beer and food pairings. The first pairing dinner will be a pop up with Tim Butler from Eat Me at Opposite on Oct 12/13. We are also starting a craft beer club whose members will get the newest and most innovative beers delivered monthly to their doorsteps.

Was it hard to ship in the beers?
It’s a logistical labyrinth because we make sure our beers are temperature controlled at every step, from the brewery dock to the table here in Bangkok. Our beers are typically non-pasteurized and non-filtered, so they are a lot fresher, but also a lot more sensitive. But it’s completely worth it because it makes that much of a difference. Once people taste it, they’ll see.

Beervana will be launching their range of craft beers at Brew Beers & Ciders (Seenspace, Thonglor Soi 13, 02-185-2336) on Oct 3. They will then distribute to around twenty bars and restaurants in Bangkok. For more information, visit www.seekbeervana.com

I felt I was always ignored by my parents. Our family was poor. I was the middle child without a strongly defined role.

I was driven by a dream to have money and a better life.

I quit school after grade 10. I didn’t like school so I decided to help my elder brother [Kriengkrai Chetchotisak], who had just opened a record company called Rose Sound (now RS). I preferred working.

Adaptation is a must in business. When Thai copyright laws appeared back in 1979, we couldn’t do business like we used to, selling songs without permission. Many companies died out but we embraced the system by buying the rights from artists and then searching for talented new bands to sign.

Think like you’re a customer. I love all kinds of music but I’ve never tried to upgrade to listen to jazz or classical music. That’s not what regular people listen to. I listen to all the songs that come out of RS and think of them as their potential audience would.

Making music is like buying the lottery. You never know which song is going to be a hit. We were B30 million in debt when we started, which was a lot in those days, but we just believed in what we did. I finally paid all our debts off after five years. Now we are a billion baht revenue company.

Don’t be afraid of change. RS has come this far because we are always ready to change how we think. Even some of my colleagues can’t stand such rapid decision-making, though.

Change before you’re forced to change. I knew the music industry was heading for a dead-end nine years ago when I traveled to Japan and couldn’t find a single CD playing there. I came back and changed all our business plans.

I sold our CD factory that we’d been running for 20 years. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. 2005-2008 were the worst years of my life, I couldn’t sleep well at night.

You just have to be tough. People said we were going bankrupt but I knew that I was just making the company grow in a V shape. The numbers, the profits, would bounce back up once we hit our lowest point.

I have no ego. Successful people can become trapped in their ego. That can lead them to disaster. That’s what happened to Kodak. I don’t try to defy or ignore the current situation.

I admire Steve Jobs. I followed his life since he was first fired from Apple through to when he came back with his huge successes. I love his daring, his craziness and his quick decisions.

There is no successful person who never failed. If you look at a gold medal winner, they always have lots of scars. It’s the cost of being successful.

Make the decision quickly and move on. Many find it hard, and it might be the wrong decision, but you can change it quickly, too. Experience will teach you to make fewer mistakes.

There are opportunities in crisis. While the value of music is down, I see a new opportunity in TV. I only took 30 minutes to negotiate and close the billion-baht deal to buy the World Cup rights back in 2008. It proved to be the right decision. We’ve now expanded to the Euro [Championships] and La Liga, which I aim to make as big a hit as the English Premier League is in Thailand.

Sports is entertainment. Seven years ago people wouldn’t think like this. Now footballers are superstars

I don’t like malls, I’m a home body. I don’t go shopping, I don’t care for all that stuff. My watch is worth a couple of thousand baht and was given to me by my wife.

I love reading and read everything except cartoons and novels. I love reading the memoirs of successful people the most because it gives you an insight into their life experience.

Knowledge doesn’t come from school. Those who get an A are not necessarily smarter than those who get a C grade. The A-grade students are just good at memorizing.

I’m afraid my kids wouldn’t be happy if they were still in the Thai education system. I took them out of school and sent them to Australia after I saw them carrying loads of heavy books to study. I don’t want to blame the system but it’s just not right.

Doing good things will get you good things back. I was really badly behaved when I was young. I smoked, drank, gambled but I stopped everything at 24 because I planned to start a family. Thank goodness I now have that family.

My kids are the best things that have happened to me. They are my dream kids. I treat them like friends. I even taught them to drink and smoke, which is better than to let them do it with others. Now they hate it.

I love Khaoyai. I love its peaceful atmosphere and the weather.

Businessmen can’t say when they are successful. I have exceeded my own expectations but there’s still more waiting.

It was four years between albums; what took you guys so long?
Well, we did come out with an EP called Night Train (2010), which we ended up spending a bit more time touring than we had anticipated. We thought we would just put out an EP and that would be it. Then we spent a year doing this record. But, you know, we wanted to have time to sort out our lives, as well. We have friends and families and it’s important to make time to see those people.

What in particular inspired Strangeland?
It’s definitely about the things we’ve been through. We’ve been growing up. We’ve been friends our whole lives and music has been something that’s been there throughout our lives. Obviously we all have experienced difficult things. Songs like “Silenced by the Night” and “On the Road” talk about being positive. And “Day Will Come,” as well, talks about those difficult points in your life that eventually pass. I think in a way, this is more personal than ever. “Sea Fog” is a song about those darker times in life when you just want to get swept away. And I don’t think many are brave enough to write songs about them. As for how it sounds, we took a long time playing the songs as a band in the studio and we really refined them, just making them as catchy as possible. It’s much more about the four of us in a room playing songs rather than the production trickery or extravagance of Perfect Symmetry (2008).

Do you feel any pressure from your fans when you release an album?
There’s always pressure, but I don’t think there’s been any more for this album than before. Maybe we’re more used to it now. We’re used to the idea that you just have to forget about everyone else and do what you think is best. And if people like it, that’s good. If they don’t, you know, it’s something we have to deal with. I don’t think you should make music to fit a certain market. Unless you’re one of the best pop music writers out there, people are going to realize that you are faking it. The music that we make is very much from the heart and I don’t think you can fake that. There is some cynical TV-based music out there that’s part of a factory trying to make money. But we feel like there’s one record in us and that’s the one we’re going to make.

What are your memories of Bangkok when you visited in 2006?
That was a pretty strange time. We were going through quite a lot of stuff, but I do remember the trip pretty clearly. I remember being taken to a temple complex and having an interesting time walking around there. We were driven around with a police escort. So that was pretty strange. I don’t know why. And then later in the day we just wandered off and got to see some of the city. It was a really good time. But the next few months were quite difficult. I guess we didn’t know what was coming at that point.

What are you looking forward to most this time?
I’m looking to reconnect with our fans out there. I always take my camera. I find that if I go out with my camera, I’m always going to find something interesting. And that’s really the thing I want to do: capture new memories in Bangkok.

What are your future plans?
We’re going to keep touring into next year and after that we’ll work on new songs. At some point we’ll get into the studio. I think it’s important that if you want to do this for a long time, you have to make room for, your life outside of the tour bus. We’ll take some time off at the end of next summer and see where we are. Right now we’re just enjoying the tour.

What were you guys doing before forming Vacancy?
We had quite different backgrounds and experiences before coming to Thailand. DJ Moola, in particular, has had a huge DJ career. He used to play with [Japanese pop group] Pizzicato Five and organize a big party called Readymade Blacklist with [Pizzicato Five member] Yasuharu Konishi. After we all moved to Bangkok, we were introduced to one another by DJ Hiroo then we started hanging out almost every week. Actually Hiroo and Moola launched the original Vacancy earlier this year at Tease Gallery (J-avenue) but after Hiroo went back to Japan, we decided to form a new crew and restart Vacancy. It was all very natural.

What type of parties are you looking to put on?
There’s a big nightlife scene in Bangkok. It’s our opinion, though, that it can be separated into two types of parties: the big ones comprised of all the current commercial tunes in a big location with DJs and tons of people; or more original parties that give you real good music in a small location with nice DJs and a crowd made of music lovers. We prefer the second option but we’re not doing the same thing we would do in Japan. We want to do something original to Thailand; something more than playing Japanese artists for a Japanese crowd.

What’s the plan for Vacancy?
First of all, we’re trying to make our home base Shades of Retro. Then after that, we want to join with Thai artists, other foreign artists, and Japanese ones, too. But for now, Shades of Retro is the best place for us to get started.

What was the inspiration behind the film?
Back in 2010, I started thinking about making my first full-length film about where I was born [Khon Kaen]. That same year, there was chaos in Bangkok, so I decided to combine my story with the political situation in the background. Then I started writing the plot and seeking international funding.

Is it easier to get funding from abroad than domestically?
I think it’s just a privilege of working with Electric Eel Films because many of the company’s films have received international success. I consulted my producer, Khun Anocha [founder of Electric Eel Films], who has a lot of experience in this and she helped me a lot.

What sort of reception do you expect for this film?
I actually don’t have high expectations. The film premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in the Netherlands earlier this year, and the feedback was OK even if it didn’t receive any awards. It was more important to me just to have the chance to screen my film for an international audience. It’s good for the Thai film industry to have films on the world stage. For me, it’s great to know that people outside of Thailand like my work. It gives me a lot of encouragement as a filmmaker. Domestically, I just want to play my part in introducing more Thai people to independent films, so that in the future the independent film scene receives more support.

As a filmmaker, what are your inspirations?
One of my favorite films and one that has had a big influence on my film career is Fight Club (1999) directed by David Fincher. I really like Fincher’s style of storytelling. In my first short film [Phee Hong Nam], I tried to write a film with a similar twist. More recently, working with Electric Eel has helped me to think outside of the box, widen my knowledge of film and come up with new ways to tell stories.

What’s the indie film scene like in Khon Kaen?
In Khon Kaen, as well as Mahasarakham, more and more people are becoming interested in making their own films. Because of improvements in technology it’s easier than ever before to make a film. But what’s still lacking here is distribution. There are only a few places where you can find independent films in Khon Kaen, as the big theatres only screen blockbusters.

What’s next for you?
I’m in the process of writing a new script right now. I’m interested in the lives of Sao Cheer Beer [beer pretties] not in a sexy way, but to show their everyday reality, the side that people don’t know.