The last time I was drunk, I… took my pants off in a hotel lobby in San Diego.

Girls are… a diamond’s best friend.

Music is… the answer.

The craziest gig I’ve played was… at the foot of the pyramids in Egypt.

The musician I respect most is… Larry Levan. Google him.

God is a DJ because… he knows how to mix it up.

Sander Kleinenberg plays at Podium Lounge, which happens Sep 20-22, 10pm. $138-19,888 (VIP package for 25 inclusive of five bottles of Champagne and meet-and-greet sessions) from the site or call to book.
 

The role of a barman has been like a best friend. A best friend you end up marrying. We always had each other’s back. I guess it was only a matter of time before we came to understand that we were destined to be together.

I was dating a girl I met when both of us were focused on our professions. She moved to the Philippines to follow her career. I went to visit her for 24 intense hours during Sinulog because I realized she was my best friend. Three months later we were married on Mount Faber.

Singapore was the loving and stern aunty that said “prove it”. She challenged me to reach my full potential and gave me room as I spread my wings. She gave me a home with support and affection. She has rewarded my conviction at every turn. I am a better man because of her.

Due to my devotion it pains me to hear of others that take her kindness for granted.

Singapore is a young city with an old soul. It has beautiful pockets of old world nostalgia while still having the charm of a rookie sensation. I hope to see within my lifetime a city-state that grows to rival New York and London in its diversity, relevance and charm.

Why must all of the taxi drivers in this city change shifts during the busy hours of the afternoon?

I find inspiration in images. Sounds silly but it’s true. Many of us create cocktails to relive old memories or escape to places we always dreamed of. Seeing a picture of a guy lounging on a boat off the coast of Portugal, I would ask myself “What would be the best drink for that guy?” and “What ingredients would he have available?” It’s always an image.

My routine at the moment is very regimented. Wake, work, gym, lunch, work, work, work, work, feed, work, sleep. Repeat. Sunday is family day and we often do things with the staff like spend the day at Tanjong Beach Club. My dream is to end up more along the lines of wake, something, whatever, something else, maybe climb a coconut tree, watch sunset, sleep. Repeat.

I’ve had quite a few travelling experiences. Three days across the US via Greyhound Bus, stopping in little towns spending hours talking to old guys in diners and young farm kids with big dreams. Or a trip with some of the world’s best bartenders to Queenstown, New Zealand, for a competition that changed the competitors’ lives forever.

Making connections with people. Getting to share experiences of wonder and excitement. It’s the process of sharing life’s little moments that can trigger some intense emotional responses.

Aside from memories and experiences, I collect very little. My mantra is “travel light, live light.” I have less trappings now than ever before. I see little value in them and will most likely give away most of my possessions when it’s time to move on—except my hats.

If you have been to 28 Hong Kong Street more than a few times you would notice my deep love of music. It transcends all genres and I often incorporate multiple different styles and artists in any given setting. Currently I have been on a Latin-American kick.

I personify pretty much anything in life. Every vehicle I have ever owned has a name and a personality. I will nickname my pillows if they exhibit some unique quality. Shoes, the gecko that lives in the hall, my man-bag, nothing is safe from getting a nickname and a personality.

I am guilty of taking time on this planet for granted more so than I would like.

After many years of late night philosophical conversations at 24-hour diners I am pretty sure that no one has a clue what happens after we die so its best not to offend any religion. It’s better to respectfully hold on to whatever speaks to you.

You’re not getting rid of me that easily.

How did you come up with the idea for Oompr!?
Previously, I worked on BookINBookOUT, an online textbook marketplace for tertiary students. I realized that users enjoy knowing to whom they are buying and selling textbooks. Oompr! is a new marketplace that fully explores how social networks can benefit these buyers and sellers.

What lessons have you learnt from your startup ventures?
There’s no point in protecting your startup idea too fiercely. Ideas can be easily copied and someone else may come up with the same idea independently. Execution and building a community who are loyal to your product should be the main focus. Also, sales and marketing is important. Users hate speaking to robots. Show them that they can reach out to the living person behind the product.

How many different ideas do you have milling around your head at any given time?
Two to three: at various different stages of development. But the number isn’t important. What makes or breaks a business idea is how thoroughly you explore it, how deeply you believe in it, and how well you can execute it.

What do you think of the startup scene in Singapore?
It is very encouraging to see all the startups sprouting up here every week. But the odds are not always in our favor. In Singapore, we have access to a much smaller market compared to our regional counterparts, there’s a lack of early stage angel investors, and an expensive operating environment.

Where do you see the business in 10 years?
Oompr! will revolutionize the ecommerce scene in the region. It’s Ebay 3.0.

When you look back at your time at Mountview and relate it to today, how much do you think you’ve grown in terms of acting?
I loved my time at Mountview—I learnt so much about the musical theater craft and the industry and although I learnt huge amounts there are things you can't teach that's impossible to do while you're training. I also think that the types of jobs I've done help round you as a performer. I did the show Avenue Q for a while and it completely developed my voice, made it stronger and worked different areas of it. I also like the element of meeting new people. Although at drama school you become very close to the people you train with and those people I will treasure for a long time once you get out you meet so many more people at auditions and jobs. 

How much can you relate to Tracy Turnblad?
I can relate a lot to Tracy. She is very positive and always sees the best in people. I may not be as excited and positive all the time but I try and keep the same energy in my everyday life.

What’s your secret at staying active in acting and music?
I made a promise with myself when I left drama school to try and do something creative every day whether that's reading a play or seeing some theatre or playing an instrument or painting—anything really. When I'm not working on a show I'm a theatre junkie and spend most of my money seeing theatre. I also write music with a couple of boys I went to drama school with. At the moment we're called Music Sunday and we cover songs and write songs and company ourselves and each other. It's just difficult because we're all actors and sometimes work keeps us apart.

Favorite moment in the musical?
My favourite moment is a hard one to pin down [because] it changes so often. The finale is obviously spectacular. My favourite song to sing is probably without love. I also love watching Jon and Damien perform "You're Timeless to Me". It never fails to make me smile!

We checked out your social media page and saw that you tweet quite abit these days. Do you get weird requests or direct messages? What’s the weirdest?
I do tweet a lot. Mostly I get nice messages from people who have seen shows I've done and enjoyed it and when people take the time to tell me that they had a good time it's always nice. I have had a request to sing an Avenue Q song at a concert and the person said that if I did, they would donate £500 to the charity we were collecting for. I thought it was maybe a stunt but we sang the song and he donated the money. I was surprised but so grateful!

What’s one character you’d want to play before you end off your career?
That's a hard one! I'd love to do more Shakespeare. I've done a bit in the past but would love to do more. Perhaps Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing when I'm older. I'd also like to do some more plays. So far I've done a lot of musicals and actor musician shows but I know as soon as I get a non-singing role I'll want to do a musical again!

What’s your impression of Singapore? You can be perfectly honest!
I've never been but this is all I've heard about it: It's very clean; everyone is very friendly; they have an amazing zoo!

Do you miss home while on tour?
Of course you miss home and family and friends but its also exciting to be away and do great show and see incredible new places. Touring is a great opportunity and if you're able to go why not?

A piece of advice for aspiring actors/actresses out there?
Work hard and don't give up. Training is important but so is passion.

Hairspray The Musical runs from September 26 to October 1. Tickets from $60-$230 from SISTIC.

You’ve got a unique name. What does it mean?
Clovis is the name of a French king and a city in the states.

Any nicknames growing up?
I don’t have a Chinese name the teacher used to call me xiao di di (little brother). Does that count?

What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
Until today at least, things have been quite smooth sailing. The one thing I can remember is passing my driving test that moment was quite happy.

If you we’re working on PasarBella, what would you do?
After I graduated I would have spent a year trying to get working experience in a place like Indonesia or China because in terms of opportunities I think the potential there is much more than what we can get in Singapore.

What was most surprising about starting PasarBella?
We had to adapt as we went along. We wanted to bring in wholesalers of the fresh produce but as we went along, it became more food focused and more about cooked food.

What does a regular day look like for you?
I help out at my dad’s office in the morning and come here in the afternoon. I don’t have an office and I’m always running around.

You must travel a lot. What do you miss when you’re away from Singapore?
When I’m away I miss local food and the convenience. At home, you don’t have to worry about washing your clothes and cleaning the house and, of course, friends and family from primary school.

Name a something you hate.
I hate shopping. I do most of my shopping once a year during Chinese New Year and I’ll buy all I need for the rest of the year.

What do you love?
Finance stuff, I majored in finance in school so from the time I was 21, I started playing the market. But I’m also interested in different business models so in the last six months I’ve been investing in different start-ups mostly in F&B.

Clovis Lim is the founder of PasarBella.

What are you busy with at the moment?
I am currently working on music for a commercial and my new album which I plan to release in 2014. Apart from that, I want to make more mixes and also DJ more.

How would you describe your sound?
It's the "likely but unique" music that makes up our daily life.

What can we expect from your show here?
I’ve never been to Bangkok before but I’m very excited. Please expect my DJ set to incorporate a lot of live aspects all the way through to the last tune!

Your music videos for “Rodeo Machine” and “Screw the Plan” became pretty big internet memes in Japan; how do you feel about that?
That was entirely unexpected, but I found it very interesting. The videos seemed to link together Japanese animation, video games and Niconico [Japanese video-sharing network]. Since I have experience as a designer, visuals are important to me—I provide the direction for all the design aspects of Halfby.

You’ve also scored some films–can tell us some more about that?
I've worked on the score for Summer Time Machine Blues, a movie made by famous Japanese movie director Katsuyuki Motohiro. The film was based on the stage play by a theater company called Gekidan Europe Kikaku.

You’re about to play at a party called “Don’t Touch My Mustache”; have you ever tried growing a mustache?
I've never grown a beard or mustache on purpose. Mine is just stubble, anyway.

What’s the best thing about touring?
It’s fantastic simply getting inspired by the different international music scenes. These tour experiences really shape my future music projects. There’s nothing bad at all about touring.

You’ve performed at many of Japan’s big music festivals–what are your experiences?
Mmmm, nothing too crazy things in the past, but I am looking forward to having crazy experiences from now on.

What are some examples of tapas you will serve?
We'll serve tapas of fresh seafood, meat, appetizers cold and hot, marinated items, crostini, cheeses and desserts.

Why did you decide to serve Chinese food?
No Menu Bar was a local eating house previously, and we would like to respect the tradition not only with the decorations and interiors, but also keeping a Chinese food corner for lunch. Many of our chefs are Chinese and we would like to have Chinese customers too.

Do you eat a lot of Chinese food?
Yes, often. I like the razor clams with sweet garlic, and steamed and seared dumplings.

How did you manage to get a location so close to No Menu?
I heard that the lease of its location was expiring and my dad taught me to never miss an opportunity like that, and open a new outlet next door to us to avoid that other people would do it.

Do you expect to get a bigger crowd at lunch or dinner?
Big queue for lunch—smoother and more relaxed operations in the evening.

What drinks will you serve?
The same wine list as in No Menu restaurant, but also wines from Italy in jugs—priced from $12-22—and homemade cocktails going for $16-20. The prices will be lower for the happy hour too.

Sounds like No Menu Bar will be more casual than your other ventures? Do you think casual dining is a trend in Singapore?
Yes, it will be an all-day casual eatery. Fast, cheap but very good quality products. It’s very important to us.

Osvaldo Forlino runs No Menu Bar.