Most memorable performance for you?
Performing in 2012 at the opening ceremony of the UEFA European Football Championship. I played a unique interpretation of Chopin’s Winterwind in front of 60,000 football fans when Poland took on Greece at the brand new National Stadium in Warsaw. The Polish fans were delighted to hear Chopin at a national game and the live television broadcast went out live to 300 million people across the world.

Did you go through the school of hard knocks to get where you are today?
A great moment came when I was 18, I called my piano teacher to cancel a lesson because I hadn’t practised. He had such wonderful personality and he just kept talking and I couldn’t even say that I had called him to cancel. He was explaining that a Japanese pianist had cancelled a concert at The Liszt Academy Great Hall and nobody was able to jump in. The concert was sold out and my teacher asked, “What am I going to do?” He kept talking for 20 minutes until I just interrupted him and said, “I’m going to jump in!” I did jump in and I played at the Liszt Academy Great Hall to a full house and it was after this concert that I was invited to Southeast Asia. Then when I was in my early twenties I wanted to be known in the US and had a dream to play at Carnegie Hall, so i went to North America. I went from one venue to another until I was discovered. I had two suitcases with me, one with a broken handle. My father created this rubber band and I could connect the rubber band to the front suitcase so I could pull the second suitcase. I was walking like a train all around the place and people laughed at me. I literally didn’t earn anything, I went from one friend to another sleeping on sofas.

Do you think pianists are sexy?
I certainly think being a pianist is very sexy. Music making requires a lot of sensitivity, eroticism, and the communication of honest and sometimes very deep emotions. When I’m in the audience I also want to like what I see of the performerit’s sometimes unfair, but that’s the truth. On a personal level, in high school there were 32 female classmates and just five guys—the ratio was completely in the girls’ favour. Some of them liked me but I did not really embrace that or realise that potential in my life, though the tables turned when I started to be comfortable about myself and be more successful as a pianist.

Most bizarre performance setting?
It has to be playing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1 in Jakarta. There was no piano available at the only scheduled rehearsal and so we had to play a concert to the audience without having rehearsed.

Tell us more about your inspirational piano program.
The Adam Gyorgy Castle Castle Academy in Hungary and at the new academy launching in Bali this December has a manifesto that reads, “Inspiration, music, and technique”. This approach helps to develop our students’ musicianship and encourages them to develop so that they can be not only a better musician but also better person, and to practise this in their lives every day.

What’s your constant habit before a performance?
I like to meditate and get into my zone. If you prepare well, then there is not much to do before you perform. Most times, success depends on your longer preparation period and how much rest you get before a certain performance.

Is greatness achieved with 99 percent perspiration?
Greatness can be achieved by aiming at delivering 120 per cent on stage, though usually only 80 per cent comes out of it. What happens off stage is just as important.

Cheekiest gift you’ve received from a female fan?
Oh, I knew we were going to get here. [laughs] I have received books handwritten to me, pieces of clothing, my favourite chocolates and also interestingly detailed love letters…

What role would you like to play with your gift in music?
I think music is everything. Music is in everyone—it heals us; speaks for us; guides us; we move to the beat; we sing our sorrow and we cry to our favourite melodies. Creating raises the question if we can actually change the world and make it a better place. I don’t go for [anything] less. I believe I can. 

Three things world-class pianists have in common?
Dedication, passion and discipline.

Adam Gyorgy plays at the Esplanade Concert Hall on October 22. Tickets from $18-$118 from Sistic.

What do you think of all the talent you're up against in this tournament?
The talent that will be at the SCC 7s is tremendous, and a lot of the players are faster and fitter than us. I remember the humbling experience making my SCC 7s debut when I was just 18. This is just the tip of the iceberg and that there is so much more talent out there – so many great players to draw inspiration from and a myriad of ways to learn and grow.

How does this tournament bode for the rugby scene in Singapore?
A great source of inspiration for young players like myself. It really makes you want to become a better player, both physically and mentally. To be faster, fitter, and better—the best that you can possibly be.

Will there be anything different this year from previous years?
Each year’s competition is always slightly different – different teammates, match conditions and opponents. It’s always interesting to see how everyone has fared after a year of training. This year, our Singapore Cricket Club team will be striving to do our best, especially on our home soil. We really hope to give our supporters something to cheer about.

Is rugby development doing well in Singapore?
In recent years, with Sam Chan—director of rugby at Singapore Rugby Union—and Inoke Afeaki—Technical Director of Singapore Rugby Union—helming the rugby scene in Singapore, rugby development has progressed significantly. This year, the team has risen to new heights to a world ranking of 56; it’s the highest placing we’ve ever achieved. We’ve got to keep striving to take steps forward, grooming the younger generation, raising the profile of rugby in Singapore and continually strengthening the current team. Also, we need help from sponsors to help us grow the sport and take it to the next level.

What's worth changing to improve the local rugby scene?
Making rugby a semi-professional or professional sport. Singapore Sports Council has been very supportive of the sport, but we need more sponsors to help us grow the sport.

Is the size factor a crucial reason to Singapore’s international success?
I feel that for Singapore in particular, what is more crucial is the number of hours that the players put into training. What this essentially means is that they are able to eat, sleep and breathe rugby. In contrast, 90% of the players in Singapore have other responsibilities and demands – work or studies – in their lives that have to take precedence over rugby training. This means that we are not able to train as much as we ought to.

What’s your most horrific injury to date?
It'd have to be suffering a deep cut on my nose. While trying to tackle a New-Zealander opponent, the blade of his boot sliced into my nose. It took a total of 18 stitches by a plastic surgeon to repair my nose.

Rugby players really love their beer. Does it really go well after some intense physical exercise?
Beer is really just another part of the “Train Hard, Play Harder, Drink Even Harder” culture that makes this sport such a joy to be part of.

The Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby 7s take place on 1-3 November at the Padang. Single-day passes from $15-$35 and three-day passes at $60 from Ticketbooth.

 “I like the fact that we can go anywhere and have good food in the most casual way. You can step into a three-star restaurant without having to dress up, or at any hawker center for a rocking meal.”
Timothy Kao, lecturer

“Our hidden gems all over the city, including neighbourhoods like Little India and even as far off as Sembawang.”
Eric Yeo, public servant

“We are the only city with an F1 night race, and we can party from dusk till dawn.”
Wendy Shen, consultant

“Singapore has the best airport in the region with lots of restaurants and entertainment options.”
Zarina Joy, IT consultant

“This is a city that has strong external influences but does not compromise on its self-identity.”
Alfean Samad, legal executive

I dreamed of being a teacher and never had any other option in mind. Teachers, back then, were seen as the smartest people. They impressed me. Many of my seniors at school were also scholarship students who came back to teach juniors like me. They were so cool. They were my inspiration.

I fell in love with stage plays during my university years. It’s the thing I’ve had the most passion for, apart from being a lecturer. I was always part of the plays my faculty would stage.

The script and the actors are the great combination that make each stage play fascinating. I’m not so familiar with all the stage production techniques. For me, the script and the actors must be a great match.

I followed it up with a debate show on Channel 9, which was a hit; and all these entertainment jobs started coming to me.

My first commercial stage play, Chan Phu Chai Na Ya, was so successful, 30 years ago. People fought to buy tickets! But other plays were waiting to show at the theater, so we finally had to step down after playing more than 200 shows over six months. 

It’s really annoying to see how producers cast actors these days. They only pick people who are hot at that moment instead of choosing them properly for the role. You’ve got plays where the actresses playing the mother and the daughter are only five years apart.

Entertainment these days must have ghosts, ladyboys and comedians. You can’t be serious about serious things if you want to entertain people. That’s why I put all these characters into my new show, Phu Chai Na Ya, Episode: Hua Jai Mai Pen AIDS. It’s the combination of the stage plays Phu Chai Na Ya, which I directed and Hua Jai Mai Pen AIDS which I acted in when AIDS was really new for Thais. 

People used to think AIDS was the disease that God had sent to kill homosexuals. They thought gays were eccentric and deserved to die. But, it was long time ago. Now, as we all know, AIDS can kill anyone. 

Control your lust. All sexually-related problems such as AIDS or abortion are from the fact that you can’t control your lust. 

I was barred from TV because I was gay. There had been this outcry from old-fashioned people who were against the idea of bringing homosexuals on to TV. They wrote to the TV stations that we were like germs that can spread disease to children, making them be like us. The TV executives finally decided to bar me. 

It was the most depressing moment in my life. Why couldn’t these people look at my work instead of crucifying me because of my personality?

You must prove that you’re valuable, especially third gender people. After years of doing hard work as an academic, a marketer, an instructor and an entertainment person, I finally got accepted and had the chance to be on TV again.

I’m glad that homosexuals are now accepted by society. They work in every industry, from doctors to teachers.

I feel nothing about the push to have same-sex marriage law. I don’t feel anything lacking in my life as I have a job, money and a partner. I don’t want to sound selfish, though. I do support this law for those homosexuals who aren’t as lucky as I am. They face difficulties that require the law to protect them.

I feel awkward to show my love in front of everyone. I even feel bashful bringing my partner to sit among friends who are straight and talk about their children, and grandchildren, which we don’t have. I don’t know how to introduce him to them and my partner will feel awkward, too. So we just separate when we go out to party.

The social status for gays is always single, even though we have partners. Just see the invitation cards for wedding parties: it will have only one name written on the card. 

I gave up on politics. I recently stopped my involvement with the People’s Alliance for Democracy. People who I used to admire changed in the wrong way and did things I never imagined they would do.

I have no hope for this country. Representatives vote as they are ordered, not for the people’s benefit. It’s such a waste of our money to pay for electricity and water in the parliament for three days as they know which way they will vote since day one. No one can fight the power of money.

Being loved by my students is the most precious thing for me. And I’ve always loved being a teacher. Now, I’m an instructor at Chulalongkorn, Sripathum and the dean at Naresuan University. 

I never thought that one day I would be a dean, as I figured the university would be condemned for appointing a katoey to be their dean.  

Know yourself and be ambitious, but base it on reality. 

How did Thai Community Lacrosse begin?

In 2011, I was sitting at a coffee shop with my friends. We’d just got back from the States after living there for more than 10 years. We’d played lacrosse there and we talked about bringing it to Thailand. So we set up TCL, an independent non-profit organization to teach lacrosse to slum kids and help them through sport.

What kind of kids are in the program?

Many of them used to sniff glue and some of them used to be in drug gangs. The kids are controlled by the drug dealers who transport the drugs around the slum through the kids.

You must have come across some bad cases?

Yes there is a situation with one fourth grader who used to play with us. His parents are drug addicts and have spent time in jail. One day, he didn’t show up to practice and we found that the reason was his mom had gotten him out of school and forced him to work so she can buy more drugs. We try to help him but it’s a family matter. At the end of the day, this kind of problem is beyond our reach. The school talks to the parents of the kids and suggests our lacrosse program as an after-school activity, but when they get home, it’s a family affair.

What is the toughest challenge teaching these kids?

To make them trust us. The kids have so many random people giving them free stuff at school [as charity] and they never come back. I think they feel unwanted a lot of times. People come and try to be their friends but then they go and they never get to see them again. We tried to gain their trust by practicing three times a week in the first year. We wanted to make them feel like we are always there.

How do you keep in touch with the kids after they leave the lacrosse club?

There are two ways to track the kids. The first is through the school, however we are also trying to develop an alumni of all the previous lacrosse players. Every year, I set up an event for the kids to come and play lacrosse together. Some of them continue their studies while some kids have to work for a living. It’s really up to the kids whether they use the experiences they get from us to change their lives. Many have decided not to get involved with the gangs and have turned into good citizens.

Thai Community Lacrosse, www.tclacrosse.com, 02-348-8379

How did you narrow down the collection?
The idea is to curate a collector’s cabinet of sorts. Unlike most museums today where curators work with fixed classifications (and hence the exhibitions become too academic), we wanted to evoke a more intimate and spiritual feeling with the space, as if you are visiting the home of a private collector.

What about the placements of the artworks within the gallery space?
It is important that we create some sort of communication between the paintings. For example, I’ve placed a work by Andy Warhol depicting Marilyn Monroe from 1967 with a piece by Hendrick ter Brugghen depicting a singing lute player from 1624. Both works are about entertainers from different eras and I’d like them to speak to one another. And to convey the vast sense of time and space and how it traverses, I’ve placed a work by Max Ernst depicting a city circa 1936-1939 between two portraits—one by Antony Van Dyck from the 1600’s and the other Jacopo Robusti dit Le Tintoret from the 1500’s.

Tell us more about the theme of the exhibition “Transversality”.
“Transversality” is a term that goes some way towards explaining how small, timeless, community of artists, from all periods, from all cultures and origins, are united by a similar way of thinking, of reflecting, and of behaving.

The second part of the exhibition is more spiritual in nature…
Yes, there are works by 20th century masters like Mark Rothko and Chu the-Chun shown alongside the Botticelli’s work of the depiction of Christ. There is a feeling of deep spirituality in these works and they are very much in touch with God. For Rothko’s works, for example, you could even sense the inspiration of light seeping through the painting.

The exhibition is on through Nov 17. Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris, Fort Canning Centre, Cox Terrace, www.pinacotheque.com.sg. $12-15 from Sistic.

How did the idea for the play come about?
It was inspired by Malaysia’s mega-projects: Petronas Twin Towers, Multimedia Super Corridor, Bakun Dam and bizarre things like the World’s Biggest Ketupat. It was an interesting kind of national hubris that was developing. So I thought to myself, what would be the most mega of national mega-projects? Nuclear weapons, of course!

Do you enjoy taking pot shots at real world issues?
All playwrights work from real life to some extent. My early work dealt quite a bit with society and politics, but my recent work has explored a more interior landscape. Atomic Jaya captures the joyful madcap energy of a certain period of the country and my life.

Are Malaysian authorities OK with the idea?
Absolutely. It was written with a lot of love, and it fundamentally celebrates Malaysian-ness in all its hilarious and crazy forms.

What do you think Singapore would do if Malaysia decided to build the A-bomb?
It’s really not likely to happen, seeing as Malaysia did sign the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty more than 40 years ago. But if it did, I’m sure the behind-the-scenes diplomacy would kick into full swing. Again, a series of good meals might sort things out.

How would you describe the differences between a typical Malaysian and a Singaporean?
Singaporeans are a little more punctual, and a little more private. If Singapore was building an atomic bomb, they’d have finished it already, and we wouldn’t know about it.

Do you think the two countries might merge one day?
I don’t think an outright political merger is likely, but greater cooperation and openness would be great. Gastronomically, we would rule the world together.

Atomic Jaya is on Oct 24-Nov 1, 8pm. SOTA Drama Theatre, School of the Arts Singapore, 1 Zubir Said Dr., 6594-8411. $40-$65 from Sistic.

Night & Day started as a fun project. I was really very sad and quite stressed about its closure.

I didn’t have a lot of money for renovation, the graffiti “living” wall idea became integral to build character for the bar at minimal cost. It was amazing to see it grow—there was happiness, sadness, madness, boredom—every kind of emotion etched on it.

I got into architecture by chance. During my time, there were no publishing, media, design or degrees offered at local universities, so it’s either you do a diploma course or go abroad. The closest “artistic” course I could find here was architecture, and that was it.

Architecture gave me a really good foundation in design and I picked up the know-how for Adobe applications on my own in the school’s well equipped computer lab.

I exaggerated a bit for a laugh in the introduction text of myself when I started The Press Room. But I really did quit smoking to the disbelief of many after years of being a horrible chain smoker.

In 2001, I fell very sick and had a major operation, I was in a lot of pain and I took quite long to fully recover from post-operation. I have a 40-stitch scar on my body to remind me of the extreme pain that I have lived through and that had made me quite fearless of anything after that.

I am a self-confessed compulsive hoarder. I keep everything.  

I can never resist buying books, CDs and DVDs. I know—nobody collects CDs and DVDs anymore when everything is digitized, but I’m old-fashioned that way.

One of my biggest indulgences is collecting affordable art, especially the works of young artists, probably because I’m a failed artist and I hope to be able to support them.

Besides Andy Warhol, whose work is responsible for making me a pop culture junkie, there are so many people I admire and are influenced by, like John Hedjuk’s Mask of Medusa, Daniel Libeskind, book designers Chip Kidd and Irma Boom, and filmmakers Wong Kar Wai, Quentin Tarantrino and Pedro Almodovar. I am inspired by so many different things and the list is endless.

As a kid, I was quite lonely because I often got bullied by my siblings. Growing up, close friends eventually became the siblings I never had.

My dad pampers me and spoils me. He gives me everything I want and I never had to worry about anything growing up. He supported my life decisions in quiet ways, even though going down the creative line was considered a vocation, not a profession back in the day.

The best part about being a boss is I can come to work late. I always have problems waking up in the morning. It’s also nice to go see a movie on one random weekday afternoon and I can have the whole cinema to myself!

My ultimate dream is to be able to help the less fortunate through what I’m good at: design. I haven’t figured out a way to contribute to a society in a bigger way yet, but until then, I offer pro-bono services to non-profit and charity organizations.

Lately, I see a lot of men wearing tight red pants or jeans. I find that quite hard to stomach.

Hello? Kitty?! Why??!!

How did you conceptualize your work?
I don't know. Even if I did I would think very carefully before sharing it. I prefer the audience not to have ideas in their head before seeing the work. For me, watching contemporary dance is not always about understanding, it is about having an experience, and I wouldn't want to take away from that.

Some of the most nastiest injuries you’ve encountered in dance?
I was dropped during a lift once; it took me a long time to rehabilitate. Strangely, partnering is still probably my favorite component of dance. 

What’s the most surprising gift you’ve received as a performer?
Besides the usual chocolate and flowers, I have been blessed to experience the rare surprise hug from audience members I don't know who are moved by the performance. 

Can local choreographers flourish in this Singaporean landscape?
If an artist is given the tools he or she requires to craft the work and enjoys the process, it is enough for any artist anywhere anytime.

What are some of the principles you live by in dance?
Not to take things too seriously and also not to be quick to judge. What I may not like today, may be beautiful to me tomorrow.

That one ultimate stage venue you’re willing to do anything to perform at?
This place does not exist for me. A small room is of equal artistic value to a large theatre, they each offer different qualities.

If not for dance, what would you be doing for a living?
When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor like my parents and as I was quite a nerd, it was all going rather well until I discovered dance, and then of course everything else went out of the window.

Your warm-up ritual before a performance?
I don't have a particular aesthetic that I always work with, so I warm up to put my body and mind in the right state for the particular work. I warm up so that my body is ready to go anywhere and my mind is ready to change with it.

Passages Contemporary Season performs from Nov 1-3, 3pm and 7:30pm. Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Rd., 6332-3659. $25 from Sistic.