What is your current state of mind?
At peace and quite at ease. It has been really fast over the past few months, but so far so good.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I didn’t really know what I wanted. My mom pictured me as a traffic police patroller, in the white uniform and on a 750cc bike. But I guess my passion for music showed a lot when I was young.
What is your biggest achievement?
My biggest achievement to date would be performing at the indoor stadium for the second time during the Singapore Idol final. Such a nice feeling.
What inspires you?
I think life itself inspires me. The emotions I go through in a day. The ups and downs. Being with my family and friends. They inspire me a lot as well as giving me encouragement.
What personal trait do you appreciate the most in others?
I think I like people most when they are funny. Laughter is the best medicine they say. I have some really funny and joker friends. They always make my day!
Do you have a cause or do you support one?
My immediate one would definitely be the local music industry. I would like for budding new artistes like me to make it good, not only locally but in the region as well. Just like what Stefanie Sun and others have been doing all this while: Making Singapore proud.
Which living person do you admire most and would like to invite for dinner?
I really admire Nadya Hutagalung a lot. I don’t know why though. She’s just someone that I always liked. Take her to dinner? Hmmm, that would be sweet!
What are you reading?
Currently I’m reading the Robbie Williams biography Facing The Ghosts. It was given to me by a fan.
How do you spend your Sunday mornings?
I love Sunday mornings. Sunday is a lazy day. Of course nowadays I always have something to do. But mornings are usually spent with my family. Having a big nice breakfast and watching TV because there are a lot of good shows on Sundays.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Spending hours on end playing PC games. I love Call of Duty. Now they’ve got a third one out. I’m gonna get me some!
How do you recharge?
I just simply go back home and stay in my room with the TV on. An episode of Little Britain always does the trick!
What’s playing in your iPod/MP3/CD player?
Padi’s Menanti Sebuah Jawaban.
What do you collect?
I collect photos. Photos equals memories. I’m quite a forgetful person.
Where would you like to live?
Amsterdam.
What is your favorite item of clothing?
I like jeans. They can be casual or smart at the same time. Very convenient.
What accessory sets you apart?
I think it’s my Letter H bling-bling that I put on my jacket. It’s diamante encrusted… and mom gave it to me.
What about you scares others?
I think it’s how fast I can have a mood change. From sulky to happy in a snap.
If you had to play a character in a movie, which movie and which character?
Bruce Willis in Die Hard for sure. A one man bare-footed army against terrorists in a high-rise building. It can’t get cooler than that, man.
What did you believe at 18 that you wish you still believed now?
I believed that people were more straightforward, innocent and honest.
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Who are your favorite artists?
Tony Oursler, Chris Ware and David B. after reading his graphic novel Epileptic. It’s beautifully illustrated.
Have you always wanted to be an illustrator?
Well, my mom did enforce the idea of me becoming an insurance agent until the age of 10. On normal days, I had conversations with the characters I drew.
What about your teachers? Did they always catch you doodling away during class?
Yes. One threatened to douse my arms with turpentine for doodling on them.
Anything which you would absolutely not draw?
It would be more accurate to say that I would absolutely not draw for certain people. Those who go “Ohhhh... You’re an artist? Can you draw a mechanical monkey? Can you draw my portrait? Oh Oh... Can you draw on my arm?” NO.
Describe your relationship with your pens, pencils and markers.
I take them for granted. One day, they’ll take revenge...I’m sure of it.
You wake up one day and discover that you are a two-dimensional figure. What is the first thing that comes to mind?
I’m foldable. I’ll be able to slip between cracks easily.
What’s your ultimate dream?
To complete an epic graphic novel or artwork that takes years and years, eventually gets banned for a few more years, make another epic piece of work that is banned only in some countries and a few days after the ban is lifted, I mysteriously disappear. I’ll only make ghostly reappearances now and then.
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Imagine having someone walking around your home, sharing your bedroom (and bathroom), eating your food and expecting to be entertained. Welcome to the wonderful world of houseguests. Like it or not, sometimes putting your friends, relatives, friends of friends or friends of relatives up in a hotel is not an option. For times like these, here are some tips for making the most out of their visit.
The only person who knows each and every deep secret you’ve kept since childhood. Someone who can tell what’s on your mind before you say it.
Preparations: Stock up on Paracetamol, Betadine and a complete first aid kit. Take time off work. Plan a party. Be prepared for a hangover.
First night: Go straight to Route66 (29/33-40 Block B, Royal City Avenue, Rama 9 Rd., 08-1916-2898. Open daily 8pm-2am, www.route66club.com) and dance ’til both of you drop.
First morning: Get a bowl of congee at Joke Sam Yan (920 between soi Chula 52 and 54, 08-1350-6671. Open Mon-Fri 3-8am, 3-8pm, Sat and Sun 3-8am.)
Must-do: Get him laid.
Can’t miss: Spending a whole day sitting in Cup B (2/F, Lido Theater, 02-658-4700/-1. Open daily 11am-9pm) over cups of tea and cakes while digging up stuff from the old days.
Risk factor: He misses his return flight.
Highlight: Behaving like teenagers again.
True highlight: Feeling like teenagers again.
Get-out clause: No need.
Parents, grandparents, assorted relations and friends of the family.
Preparations: Old(er) people can be a lot more work, but remember: You owe them. Plus they can be really sweet. So, clean up your house, change the sheets, fill the fridge—and don’t forget to hide your porn.
First night: Dinner at home. They fall asleep by dessert, you go out for a much-needed drink.
First morning: They get up at 6am, clean the kitchen and make breakfast for you.
Must-do: Take them to a good spa or holistic center. Try The Bodhi (Unit 403-404, 4/F, Erawan Bangkok, 494 Ploenchit Rd., Pathumwan, 02-250-7882/-3. Open daily 10am-8pm)
Can’t miss: Tuba (34 Room 11-12 A, Ekkamai 21, 02-711-5500. Open daily 11-1am), where you can sit and drink while grannies enjoy reminiscing over hip, retro furniture.
Risk factor: They lose your keys.
Highlight: The wedge of cash sneaked into your pocket on the way to the airport.
True highlight: Bonding with your folks, adult-to-adult.
Get-out clause: Urgent business trip to Chiang Mai.
No matter how much you liked this person when you were loved up, the thought of sharing your real life with him longer than a week fills you with horror.
Preparations: Hide spare bed. Empty fridge.
First night: Forget to pick him up from the airport.
First morning: Trip over his prone form on the floor (you have loaned your sofa to a friend).
Must-do: Khao San, where he will feel right at home, for bars and galleries. Pretend to unintentionally mention all the nice guesthouses in the area.
Can’t miss: Chatuchak Market (without a map).
Risk factor: He stays more than one night.
Highlight: He leaves.
True highlight: He doesn’t come back.
Get-out clause: Change the locks, take the phone off the hook and stay at someone else’s house.
This could be The One.
Preparations: Big up your life. Save up, go to gym, get waxed, buy condoms. Make up one bed.
First night: Have a drink and marvel at the view at Moon Bar at Vertigo (61/F, Banyan Tree, 21/100 South Sathorn Rd., 02-679-1200. Open daily 5pm-1am). Then home for Champagne, candles, bubble bath.
First morning: Breakfast in bed. Don’t forget that single rose.
Must-do: Take a one-day trip around Rattanakosin Island, then head to Divana Nurture Spa (8 Soi Sukhumvit 35, 02-261-4818/9. Open Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat and Sun 10am-11pm) for the 3-hour Intimate Elegance treatment, which includes foot soak, body massage, aromatic steam, body scrub and floral milky bath (B3,950). The next day enjoy fine Thai food and river breezes on a Manohra Cruise (B1,766. 02-477-0770, www.manohracruises.com)—or make it your own private pumpkin cruise for B30,000-40,000.
Can’t miss: First kiss.
Risk factor: Is a bit too friendly with your best friend.
Highlight: First night.
True highlight: Last night.
Get-out clause (we’re hoping you won’t need one, but just in case): Introduce him to your married friends who are always fighting.
For her, spending = satisfaction (and is just as good as other “s” words). Thankfully, courtesy of King Power, she can begin her mission from the moment she steps off the plane.
Preparations: Get yourself a pair of super comfortable shoes, write down a list of all shopping malls in Bangkok with ongoing sale info and arrange for limo or taxi service.
First night: Take a cab from the airport to Suan Lum Night Bazaar. After trolling the aisles for bargains, enjoy an authentic huun lakorn lek show at Joe Louis Theater (1875 Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Rama 4 Rd., 02-252-9683/4. Open daily 7:30-8:45pm. www.joelouis-theater.com). Tickets for your friend are B400 (B200 for you, if you’re Thai).
First morning: Hand over the list of malls along with BK—then wave goodbye.
Must-do: Go to Pratunam, and teach her how to really bargain—up to 80% off the original price.
Can’t miss: Countdown to 2007 at Siam Paragon (991/1 Rama 1 Rd., 02-610-9000. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.siamparagon.co.th) or Central World Plaza (999/9 Rama 1 Rd., 02-264-5555. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.centralworld.co.th).
Risk factor: Bankruptcy.
Highlight: A suitcase full of fake handbags.
True highlight: They fall apart after a month of use.
Get-out clause: Lose your Visa card.
He’s been living in a gym for so long he’s immune to that funky locker room smell.
Preparations: Push-ups and sit-ups, take the stairs instead of the elevator, watch ESPN.
First night: Dine and drive at Top Golf (Piyarom Sports Club, Sukhumvit Soi 101/1, 02-201-3019/20. Open 9am-midnight. www.thaitopgolf.com).
First morning: Morning walk in a cozy park—try Benjasiri Park (Sukhumvit Rd., between Soi 22 and 24, 02-262-0810. Open daily 5am-8pm).
Must-do: Sign him up for Muay Thai at Sor. Vorapin Muay Thai Boxing Gym 1 (13 Trok Kasap, Jakkapong Rd., 02-282-3551. Open daily 7:30-9:30am and 3-5pm. www.thaiboxings.com). Instruction is B400/hour (B200 if you’re Thai).
Can’t miss: Thai-style energy drinks; dee nguu, ya dong.
Risk Factor: Juvenile horseplay results in bruises and broken bones.
Highlight: You lose weight.
True Highlight: You gain it all back in two months.
Get-out clause: Fake letter from a doctor—in Thai—that says you’re not allowed to exercise until your test results are in.
Gamer, bookworm, collector of Star Wars paraphernalia. Find the right spot and leave him in peace with his weird favorite things.
Preparations: Buy rare comics (early editions of Spiderman, Superman, etc. if you can afford them), video games, chessboard, monopoly. Sign up for broadband if you don’t have it already.
First night: Scrabble ’til you drop.
First morning: Let him enjoy your comics while you sneak out for a quiet cup of coffee alone. Return with a bag of donuts and Diet Coke.
Must-do: Take him to TCDC (6/F, The Emporium, 662 Sukhumvit 24, 02-664-8448. Open Tue-Sun 10:30am-9pm. www.tcdc.or.th)—don’t forget his passport and your ID for one-day free admission.
Can’t miss: Neilson Hays Library (195 Suriwongse Rd., 02-233-1731. Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm).
Risk factor: Suffocating to death among piles of books.
Highlight: You learn to speak Greek (beta, gamma, alpha, omega).
True highlight: Close encounter of the Third Kind.
Get-out clause: Fake a kidnap scene, leave him a code to break and stay at your friend’s house until he leaves.
Day 1: After their long sleepless flight, warmly welcome them with a party. Invite tons of your friends; keep it noisy.
Day 2: Wake them up before sunrise. Ask for help with the dishes and throwing out the empty bottles.
Day 3: Announce you’re going on a vegetarian lent. No steak, ice cream or alcohol—tofu and soybeans only.
Day 4: Fake illness. Put a pack of ice on your forehead and pretend that you’ve got a cold.
Day 5: Start your all-time worst soap operas marathon. Baansaithong or Sombat Methani’s series would be perfect.
Day 6: Ask them to baby-sit your neighbor’s kid.
Day 7: Keep busy; act like your responsibilities at work have suddenly become a matter of life and death.
Day 8: Wear the same pajamas for 7 days. You’re working too hard to change.
Day 9: Leave them alone, taking care of your home, while you go get some steak and booze.
Day 10: Recommend a nice hotel nearby or, even better, a place to get cheap camping gear.
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I enjoy my work. Every day is a holiday.
I grew up in Thailand and then I went to Australia when I was 12. While in Australia, I learned that you have to be honest—that you don’t have to be caught as a cheat to be a cheater.
I worked as an economist soon after I returned to Thailand from university for about seven years. That’s when I traveled around the countryside and saw a lot of things that need to be addressed, such as the population issue and poverty.
When you have too many children and not enough to eat, what kind of happiness can you have? We need to provide a balance. That’s an important element.
Corruption seems to be a disease among most Thai politicians and those who support politics.
I’d like to help less fortunate people have a better chance at life through better education and to produce young people who are aware of honesty and integrity.
We have a school in Buri Ram sponsored by business and the people that go there are poor. It’s free education but it’s very high quality.
Most of the world’s education systems, including Thailand’s, are too heavily skewed towards how to add and subtract, and how to write and spell properly, with little emphasis on creativity. This school has a lot of emphasis on creativity. We want these students to be a generation that concentrates on tomorrow, not yesterday.
Everything that the poor need is a big challenge. But mountains are there to be climbed, not complained about.
One thing I want to get started is a program that goes to secondary schools to get kids interested in doing public good. That way, by the time they are in university level, it becomes second nature to them.
I would love to turn Don Muang airport into low income housing and education center—it’s close to Bangkok and is owned by the government.
The best thing that Bangkok has ever seen is the SkyTrain and underground rail. It’s a great democratization of Bangkok because no matter how many jewels you wear, you‘re just the same on there. It’s great to see people of all nationalities and all economic levels sharing it.
We need to have more things where we can experience equality and see how good it is. Each time you are on one of these trains, enjoy it because it’s very democratic.
You can judge people by their toilets. If you want to check how good or bad a person is, go to the bathroom. Don’t look at their bank account; just go to the toilet. Then you’ll see.
I propose that all department stores be taxed—for every 10 square meters there must be a toilet. Have a toilet tax. Use that money to run toilets.
No one is a hero to me. There are people I admire and respect, but that’s just not the way I look at the world. There are many, many good people around, and not all of them are famous and not all of them are rich.
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What is behind the concept of Venus Flytrap?
Naughty: Sony BMG had this concept of five gorgeous transgender ladies who can do it all, from singing to dancing. This creates wholesomeness and a girl-next-door vibe, which people can easily relate to. We have whatever it takes to become the next big thing.
Who is your inspiration?
Naughty: Fashion models such as Sarah Malakul, Cindy Sirinya Burbridge and Lukked Methinee.
Posh: Jennifer Lopez, definitely. She is well-rounded and excellent at everything she does, from her singing career to dancing and even acting.
Cool: The superstar quality and exotic looks of Beyonce inspire me to be like her.
Sweet: Tata Young, whose combination of singing talent and confidence has made her a household name.
Hot: Bird Thongchai.
I see lots of resemblance to the Spice Girls.
Sweet: This is purely coincidence. Venus Flytrap has its own individuality based on our personalities, with an added Asian uniqueness.
What have you been up to since you all got together?
Sweet: Singing, dancing and training lessons to prepare for the launch of our album.
Posh: We are striving for perfection and make no excuses for our mistakes.
You don’t even have an album out and already people are saying bad things about you. What do you want to say to the critics out there?
Naughty: We are all unique individuals. Fans and foes are all expected. However, it is our intention to do our best.
Sweet: Some people might consider us bad role models, but they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. What we put on the table is what we do best as professional entertainers.
Describe Venus Flytrap in a few words.
Naughty: Stunning, loveable, deadly and untouchable, just like a Venus flytrap.
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Imagine track after track of heartrending acoustic guitars with a lone wistful, contemplative voice singing away. That is homegrown talent Leslie Low’s (from the band The Observatory) second solo offering Worm for you. Unlike his first solo release Volcanoes which has elements of sound art, this album is marked by the simple, absorbing folk sound Low is known for. We sat down with Low to learn more.
Five of the tracks in Worm are demos recorded in your home, giving the album a personal feel. How does this DIY process fit into the album’s concept?
When I started out to write the album, I recorded whenever I was done writing a song. When I have an album’s worth of songs, I compiled them into a CD and passed them to Justin Seah who agreed to come onboard the project. We decided to keep some of the original demo tracks and re-record the rest that needed improvement. The concept was borne out of the fact that a lot of the performances on the demos were pretty much what the mood of the album should be like. So we went ahead in that direction.
The personal feel came from the fact that all the songs were performed quite naturally in a comfortable environment. The end result was quite satisfying as most of the recordings were about performance rather than audio quality or other technical details.
We find the lyrics of one of the songs in Worm, “The Years of a Silent Sea,” intriguing. What are you trying to express?
Well, I am not always very good at explaining my songs. My lyrics seem to paint an emotion, and they’re mostly about how I feel about certain things. So, I tend to pull in words that have a vague or direct relation to the emotion I am trying to convey. Most of the time, the lyrics do not follow a conventional train of thought. And I have resisted trying to make a whole song lyric flow in a typical way. I think I have done enough of that sort of songwriting in my earlier days. For a song like “Years,” the best way to describe it is that it’s about the way I see the world…and how helpless and lost I feel in it. It means the years of keeping quiet and not speaking up.
In an interview with X’Ho, you mentioned that you’re fulfilling a void by putting out your own works. Can you elaborate on that?
I have always had bouts of fruitful songwriting periods where a bunch of songs would manifest themselves upon me. And for Worm that is what happened. I feel with The Observatory, I get to fulfill my desires with collaboration. I recall the trigger being a Vashti Bunyan’s record called Lookaftering. I was pretty obsessed about that album. And the seeds of Worm were planted then. It was a very beautiful acoustic record with nice subtle arrangements and good songs. Suddenly I was missing the acoustic thing again and that was when the song-writing bug hit me. Sometime Dec last year, I wrote the first song “Along the Way Down.” And the rest came along quite easily.
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Rocking the Bellini Room of St James Power Station is musician Dylan Foster, with his wide repertoire that spans across jazz, soul and pop. Also a vocal trainer, this looker has fronted various leading show bands and is a member of the famous a cappella group Flying Pickets. We engaged in a quick banter with this hunk.
Who is your muse?
My Mum!
What’s your all time favourite song?
It got to be “Knocks Me Off My Feet” by Stevie Wonder.
How about the song you utterly hate?
It’s a toss up between “Losing My Religion” and “Mambo No. 5”!
Who is the one dead musician you wish was still alive?
Only one? I can’t decide between Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley or Miles Davis.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
For fulfilling every straight man’s fantasy.
Can you give us some tips on vocal-training?
If you want to sing, get some training from me! I’m easy but not cheap.
How would you rate yourself on the hunk scale from 1-10?
12.
What was your last lie?
My answer to your last question. Haha
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Dance outfit Faithless, comprising Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo, has brought us dance anthems such as “Insomnia,” “God Is A DJ” and “We Come 1” over the years. Now, the band is back with the superior dance release To All New Arrivals. We grab Jazz for a quick chat about his religion, Faithless’s music and the split up that never happened.
Maxi, one thing that strikes us about Faithless is your lyrics. How many of the lyrics are influenced by your religion?
All of them. The two bits that I really like about Buddhism are that you can influence your own life to be better, and you can influence others’ lives to be better too.
Can we say you make music to make others’ lives better then?
I make music to make my life better! I love to do it. It gives me satisfaction. I want others to enjoy it too. To this day, music has a huge influence on my life. I learn stuff through music, I learn something when someone writes a song, or I hear someone singing. Writing a song that other people like is really the icing on the cake.
OK, one of Faithless’s hits that people truly dig is “God is a DJ.” What was the song inspired by?
The song was inspired by a conversation and the fact that you can take the word “God,” and replace it with “beauty” instead. Indeed, beauty is everywhere. Beauty, love and joy are everywhere, at all times. One of the main lines in the song is “This is my church/ This is where I heal my hurts.” The church can be anywhere where people get together and respect each other. Rather than a “proper” church, you can be in a concert, and you see a whole bunch of people, thousands of people, treating one another with love and respect. When people go to a festival, it’s because they have the same shared values in music and have fun. If we can get everybody in the world to share the same values, you’ll have exactly the same vibe you get in concerts. And I feel that’s when you have a peaceful world.
Why is the latest album called To All New Arrivals?
It’s because Sister Bliss was expecting a baby when we were making the record. To All New Arrivals could mean migrants coming to a new shore. It could refer to a new way of thinking, or consciousness if you like. We have a lot of new fans because of our greatest hits album Forever Faithless. It’s like welcoming them too. It’s a broad theme covering a lot of concepts.
And how do you personally relate to the concept?
To me, it’s referring to the new arrivals on the planet, or to humanity. I think we are not born with humanity, but we aspire to be human. Ghandi was an incredible human. People like him work on their humanity.
How is this album different from Faithless’s previous releases musically?
There’s no huge anthemic house track here. There’s no “God is a DJ” or “Insomnia.” It’s a lot more introspective. Some say it’s quite dark, but our albums have always been rather dark. It’s just that the other albums have a couple of uplifting tracks. People focus on that and forget about the rest.
We heard this album might be followed up with a tour. Is it true?
Yap, it’s true. There will be gigs. But it won’t be as maniac like our last tour. Because we think we’re getting old. We’ll play in Europe, and a few shows outside.
There was a huge rumor that Faithless is splitting up last year. Was it entirely unfound?
Yeah. We just said we didn’t want to tour so much. And our greatest hits album was out during that time. There’s this concept that people release a greatest hits CD when they are splitting up. Maybe that’s how it started. As long as we enjoy making music and we’re still got something to say, we’ll keep releasing albums. But both Rollo and I believe strongly that in life there’s a beginning, middle and an end. Once you’re overripe, you’re not much use to anybody. When the time has come, we’ll…well, let’s just say we’ll end before we get boring.
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What is your current state of mind?
In great spirits, as this is the first time I’m in Singapore and I truly love the culture here.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Luckily, I’ve always known that I wanted to be a designer. I’m also inspired a lot by music as well, but no, I’ve never wanted to be a full-time musician.
What is your biggest achievement?
Being able to do what I want to do day to day. I’m the master of my own fate!
What inspires you?
God. Music. I feel like I’m a part of His creative subconscious…and have the psychic ability to know what’s going to happen to me next. You always want to outdo your last efforts. I want to be a conduit for a bigger message and achieve something from a higher place.
What personal trait do you appreciate the most in others?
Honesty. Loyalty.
Do you have a cause or do you support one?
If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything. Which is why I believe in the freedom of speech, especially in relation to issues like war.
Which living person do you admire most and would like to invite for dinner?
A lot actually. But I really admire Oprah Winfrey. She’s really an affectionate person who’s created an enterprise for herself and does good things with her money.
What are you reading?
A lot of things, but I sleep with fashion magazines.
How do you spend your Sunday mornings?
Going over my to-do list. I like to reflect by the end of each week what I’ve done and achieve. I read The New York Times. I go over my long-term goals.
What is your idea of hell?
Not being able to transcend a situation, whether it’s physical or inflicted on you by other people.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I like expensive toiletries and nice candles, things that I don’t necessarily need.
How do you recharge?
Reflecting on my to-do list.
What’s playing in your iPod/MP3/CD player?
Regina Spektor, ELO, Spank Rock.
What do you collect?
Records. Collectible books.
Where would you like to live?
LA, where I am.
What is your favorite item of clothing?
Probably the pants that I made for myself.
What accessory sets you apart?
I’m a man of many hats.
What about you that scares others?
My size before they know me.
If you had to play a character in a movie, which movie and which character?
Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s a Wonderful Life.
What did you believe at 18 that you wish you still believed now?
That people will treat me in the same way that I treat myself. It’s unfortunate that that doesn’t happen very often.
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What do you usually do with your winnings?
I love to travel. I splurge on long trips, hotels, and good restaurants. I spend a lot on books as I read like crazy. I’ve stopped splashing on expensive jewelry and mobile phones for girls as I’m looking for someone who will love me, not my money.
Ever been thrown out of a casino?
I’ve never been thrown out of a casino, but I was barred from playing Blackjack a few times. I used to play with a fake ID in Las Vegas when I was underage but never encountered any problems. When I was 18, I played Blackjack as a part of a professional team in Las Vegas. I had a funny barring incident in the Palace Station casino. After winning all night long, a manager requested that I stop playing all the card games and play other games instead. They wouldn’t even let me play Poker, which was funny as Poker is not played against the house.
Do your friends and relatives refuse to play Blackjack with you, especially during Chinese New Year?
I don’t usually play Blackjack with close friends or relatives but when I do, no money is involved and it’s all for fun. I used to play a lot of cheap Poker with friends and family, especially with my mother, but it has become boring for me. I take all her pennies in nearly every hand as her facial expressions are so telling!
Give us some tips on how one can play Poker like a pro.
Play at a level that you are comfortable with, be selective with cards and bet aggressively when you have good cards. If your opponent appears to be timid, bluff more. If you suspect that your opponent only bets good cards, fold more. Stay cool, calm and collected at all times. Wear nice sunglasses. Practice makes perfect.
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