I sing in the shower… because I have the voice of a nightingale.

If I were an animal, I’d be a… dog.

A good tune… blows my mind.

When I was young, I wanted to… be in a band called “Madness”. It was my dream.

I love… meeting new people in new places.

I am sincerely grateful for… music.

My biggest pet peeve is… people holding up the line at airport security.

Sexy is… the complete opposite of “less is more”.

My worst habit is… that I’m always right. It’s a curse.

I would kill for… time at home.

Seb Fontaine spins at The Podium Lounge on September 21-23. For more on what's happening at the 2012 F1 Singapore Grand Prix, download our Night Race Guide.

I caught the writing bug after I quit my job as a lawyer to be at home with my daughter.

The high tide of maternal hormones ebbed fairly quickly.

I’d like my books to make a difference—even if it is to just one person.

I’m proud that I’ve kept working at this writing business even if it can on occasion seem discouraging.

I imagined, when I was in the UK studying law that I would return to Malaysia, fight for things I cared about—human rights, accountability and democracy. One day I would be elevated to the bench and write judgments on important issues that would stand the test of time as precedents.

I’m not the first ambitious woman to discover that children change one’s priorities, at least in the short term!

My husband reads my drafts, tells me they’re great and holds my hand when the rejection letters come in. Also, he tells me whodunit in my crime novels when I can’t decide between all the potential murderers.

A small part of me would like to go back to full-time employment. But I hope very much to keep writing about the things I care about—politics, sport and the environment—for both adults and kids.

I miss being a lawyer. It’s such an interesting, surprising and occasionally amusing subject.

Law is the means by which humanity seeks to maintain a standard of individual and social behavior.

There’s usually a legal angle to my crime fiction books somewhere! I still have this idea that I might go back to practice sometime. But it seems more and more unlikely.

I don’t think anyone is going to hire me as it’s been a long time since I followed an instruction.

My most secret desire is to be a soccer star! I make up for the disappointment by training my children to play the sport and writing children’s novels about it.

I take a break by watching Fox News and shouting rude things at the telly. It’s shocking what right-wing propaganda they dish out as news.

My last thought will probably be that I wish I’d spent more time watching TV.

On a perfect day, Obama wins the re-election and I have Thai food and Champagne for dinner to celebrate.

In a word, I’m dissatisfied. It’s an exhausting way to be but I always think I can do more, work harder and try something else. I expect I’ll keep it up until I keel over one day.

I’m not the sort of person who ever thinks a job is done. I just move the goalposts a bit further out.

If I were an animal, I’d be a sun bear. I’m brown, cuddly and short-tempered as well.

We deprive our children of a future if the government and society fail to deal with climate change in a rational way.

Don’t limit your world to what you can see and touch. Read a book and expand the horizons of the mind. I promise I’m not just saying this because I’m a writer!

How did you come up with the idea for this company?
Tay Lay Suan: We noticed that travel agencies could not cater specifically to our needs, interests and safety requirements. On top of this, we found our female friends often unable to find travel companions.

What were the biggest challenges you faced?
TLS: Women-only tours have been around in the West for more than 10 years. However, getting Asian customers to buy into this new concept takes time and patience.

Do you have any advice for budding entrepreneurs?
TLS: Be prepared to do what it takes and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. After all, you only live once.

How do you see the business growing over time?
Anna Koh: Singaporeans love traveling. Women, whether single, married or retired do it. We expect our business to show healthy growth.

Why was the Singapore market suitable?
AK: Ladies in Singapore are adventurous, mature and sophisticated. They want to interact with foreign people and experience overseas culture. At the same time, they enjoy doing feminine things and like to travel without their family in tow.

What do you think of the startup scene in Singapore?
AK: Definitely vibrant! New businesses are sprouting everyday and the founders are younger too.

What are your expansion plans?
AK: Our target is to add 10 new locations in the next 12 months. We will also extend our reach to women outside of Singapore, to the entire region.

I used to be quite anti-entertainment industry. I had bad memories of it from when I had to sleep alone at night because my mom [famous comedian Noi Pho-ngam] would go perform comedy shows at pubs or be on the set of a lakorn [Thai soap opera] and wouldn’t be home until late. We didn’t have time to do things together.

Comic roles are the hardest in acting. It’s all about imagination. But I might have been a comedian if I’d been born earlier. Seriously, I’m funnier than my mom. But the era of a comedian making a living from gigs at night is over.

You never know what you like until you try it. I never dreamed of being a singer until I was cast as one by GMM. Then I discovered my love for dancing and singing. Touring all over the country opened up a whole new world for me.

I love sad songs even though I am seen as more of a dance performer. I proposed to GMM that I start singing in different styles but they said the time wasn’t right, so I decided to put my whole music career on hold.

I can’t wait until I’m 40 and still doing what I love. Singing is my first love. I look to someone like Jennifer Kim as my inspiration. She’s still singing at that age. If you’re still good, people will listen to you.

I used to reject all acting jobs because I considered myself just a singer. Singing and acting are totally different crafts. It’s not a matter of simply putting down the microphone and you can act.

I love challenges. I used to be looked down upon. People would say that as the daughter of a comedian I couldn’t be a pop singer. But those comments spurred me on. And I have proven that I can be both a singer and an actress.

Compliments don’t make anyone better. Constructive criticism does. It helps you advance yourself.

There is no such thing as eternal fame. You must respect the work you’re doing.

Everyone gets their moment in life. People always say that I’m lucky to get so many acting jobs. I dream that one day I will be able to show all these movies to my children so that they can know what I have achieved

I was so shy when I first met Ryan Gosling on the set of Only God Forgives. He’s playful in person but really serious when he’s preparing for a scene. For one scene he had to act as if he had hurt his leg and he limped around all day, even when he wasn’t in front of the camera.

I am really happy that luuk thung [Thai country music] will finally be recognized in a Hollywood movie. Nicolas [Winding Refn, director of Only God Forgives and Drive] adapted my role to be a singer like I am in real life. It’s so fucking cool to see luuk thung feature in a scene.

Many people label Jan Dara as an erotic movie but I’ve read the book; the storyline is intricate and the characters have great depth. Their humanity is captured in their feelings of love, greed, anger and infatuation.

Sex is natural. Men and women need it just the same. It’s about demolishing the wall between you and the one you love. In the end, it’s about losing yourself and revealing who you really are.

Women who dress provocatively aren’t all asking to be exploited. But I believe that deep down all women love to be touched by the one they love.

You can’t change a person completely no matter how much you try. I’m always the one to end a relationship once I realize there is something we can’t share. It’s not going to work out if we wait any longer. I once waited for someone to change, but I look back now and feel it was such a waste of time.

You can go from having it all to having nothing, just like that. My mom, a single mom, used to make lots of money from her shows. But when they began to flop she had to sell all our things and I was left with only B1,000. But she wouldn’t let me know what really happened.

I’m fortunate to have experienced both great happiness and sadness. It’s better that I’ve tasted all this before it’s too late and I’m old, so that I can properly plan out my life.

I’m so glad to have a mom who is down-to-earth. She has taught me that even when you’re at your saddest, you should try to smile.

You can’t run away from your problems, nor does bad luck last forever. Everyone will have their day.

How did you get started as Bie the Ska?
It was actually in the middle of a busy exam week. I’m currently studying my master’s in IT at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. Many students were stressed out, so I just wanted to relieve the tension. I made my first parody [of Poyfai Malaiporn’s “Man Tong Thon”] the day before an exam. It turned out people really loved it and they passed it on to their friends. I like surprising my friends.

Was it tough following up your first clip?
Wherever I went it seemed “Man Tong Thon” was a hit and people would constantly ask me, “When are you going to release another one?” These were mostly university student and the vid only got around 10,000 views. Then there was this ad on TV that featured children and disabled people singing “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” and I was like “Yeah! This could make audiences weep.” So I created my own vid of it, lip-syncing as usual. The feedback was good and it attracted even more viewers.

Tell us about shooting the video for “Gangnam Style.”
Most scenes were easy to shoot, like the ones on the MRT, but for the scene at the fountain in front of CentralWorld we had to trick a group of security guards by saying one of us had lost our bag. When they went searching for it, we took off our clothes and shot the scene really quickly. Then we ran away as soon as the guards returned.

How do you choose what videos to make?
I mostly choose from what people request. I check which songs have been posted to my fan page and decide whether they are possible to parody. They should feature dancing that I can interpret. Finally, what matters most is that I like the song. For “Gangnam Style” I recruited some of my fans to join the shoot. We didn’t know each other but everyone had a lot of fun putting together a funny clip.

Do you receive many negative comments?
Yes, things like, “This is bullshit” and “You are ignorant.” Others have called me ugly and silly. But these people don’t know me or what goes into my work. It doesn’t worry me too much because the percentage of people pressing the dislike button [on Youtube] is small.

Who are your role models?
As you can probably tell from my name, Bie the Star is my idol, especially the way he manages his time. Today he has a lot of work, but takes his responsibilities as a Thai superstar all in his stride. That impresses me. Mark Zuckerberg is another who inspires me, making me believe that anything is possible.

What’s the future for Bie the Ska?
From next month, I’m probably going to start a weekly or fortnightly programme on Youtube. It will be like a talk show with parody videos.

How would you describe your band’s music?
I normally like to listen to jazz, electronic, rock and ambient; music that makes me feel surreal. Radiohead is my favorite band and they have inspired me a lot. As I have so many influences, it’s difficult to really define my style—and I don’t want to try. People always feel the need to apply labels to everything. It’s unnecessary. My songs are alternative in that they’re just something different for audiences to enjoy.

What’s the hardest part about making Jrytanakai happen?
I used to be a one-man band. I wrote all the lyrics, composed all the sounds and even recorded the songs all by myself. I’m not used to being part of a team. When it comes to the band, I just have to accept the differences and uniqueness of each member. Of course, we’ve all had arguments but we always make things right. I generally bring my voice recorder along to rehearsals, then listen back to what we’ve said and done and try to bring those feelings into the songs I write.

What makes for the perfect gig?
There are two sides of it for me. First is the audience; a full crowd makes you feel so good. Regarding this, I really enjoyed our concert at 7th Fat T-shirt Festival. The second is the band performance. We once performed at Harmonica Bar and it was great. Everything went perfectly, from the sound, to the stage and audience—we try to put our best effort into every performance.

When can we expect a new album?
Well, we’re going to release a split single soon, with So On Dry Flower from the So On music label. As for the album, I think it will show our growth as a band. Each member will bring their own style and characteristics to the music, which is formed from improvising at rehearsals. I think it will be quite different from our previous material. I’m working on a solo project, but it’s not completed yet. I study film, and I like visuals and everything about the senses, so I’m also planning on making a movie.

What’s your biggest career dream?
I want to be a part of the world’s biggest music festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella, or play at a cool place like Madison Square Garden or Wembley Stadium. I also dream that one day I will be the opening act for Radiohead. However, for now, I’m just focused on gaining experience and improving my music.

Is everything we ever wanted truly right here?
I think that is the core statement and counter-question which this body of work poses. These collages began as a four-month project involving both photojournalism and candid interviews with locals. I wanted to document the sentiments beneath our rapidly changing city, with all its inherent contradictions and idiosyncrasies.

Explain the process behind the title.
“Everything You Ever Wanted is Right Here” are actually the words hand-cut into a massive photograph of a local mamashop, which is the first piece of this series of collage work. Each artwork exists as both a statement and question to the viewer, bringing light to various social, economic and political tensions of our country in a funny and bold way.

What artworks will the readers be looking at?
Huge hand-cut photographs that tell the story of our own country-in-the-making, through a juxtaposition of image and text. In the mix is an 18-panel installation using photographs of Singaporean homes that I shot—ranging from government-subsidized one-room flats in Telok Blangah to mansions along Swiss Club Road. Half of them belonged to complete strangers. That work is an arresting, intimate look into a mix of objects and photographs which document what it means to be Singaporean.

What does making art about Singapore mean to you?
It’s endlessly fascinating. Singapore is one of those countries that appear flat or monolithic to the rest of the world. But there are depths within depths to who we are and what we struggle with.

Everything You Ever Wanted Is Right Here is on September 7-24 at the Chan Hampe Gallery, Raffles Hotel Arcade.  

 

When I’m drunk, I… try not to puke

The last time I danced… I stepped on someone's toes.

Girls to me are… romance.

Guys to me are… bromance.

You get excited when… when a new idea or inspiration comes to fruition.

Music to me is… life!

When night comes, I…. will rock Night Festival 2012!

Catch DJ KoFlow at the Night Festival 2012, happening August 31 to September 1.

How does performing in a stage play differ from playing in a band?
There are a lot of differences. First of all, you can be yourself when you’re on stage as a musician. You can let your music do the talking. However, in a stage performance, speaking is so important to build a rapport with the audience. The message has to be loud, precise and clear. I think acting is harder than many people think. Personally, I like both but in different ways.

What do you make of the production’s portrayal of a love hexagon?
I was like, “How can I perform this?” when I first saw the script. I can’t begin to imagine what being in a love triangle, or hexagon, is like because I’ve never fallen in love with two or more people at the same time. And none of my friends have had this kind of experience. Personally, it doesn’t seem like a particularly sustainable form of relationship.

Tell us a bit about your role.
My character is Boo Gates, who’s a talkative and annoying nerd. I even did some research about Bill Gates to learn how to portray his personality. But in the end I realized my character is not Bill Gates but Boo Gates.

What’s the hardest thing about acting?
Body language. I haven’t really mastered it yet because I’m used to having an instrument in my hands when I’m playing at a concert. Speaking is also a bit of a problem for me as I tend to shorten words when I talk. I don’t mind if people criticize my performance as that’s just part of the learning process. And the target audience is my fans, after all. It’s meant to be entertaining.

What else have you been up to?
One thing my fans might not know is that I’m really into business. I’m always talking to my friends about investment opportunities, especially House (Sorasak Chanmantana, Slur’s new guitarist and owner of Onion Shop) as he’s already a successful businessman. I recently launched my own business, bigfootsocks, which is all about imported socks. I did this because I think it’s time to do something else apart from being a musician.

When can we expect some new Slur material?
We’ll be back soon enough, I promise. We’ve finished recording 5-6 songs, which we’re probably going to release as singles rather than as part of a full-length album. They are a little more alternative compared to our old songs as we have done a lot of growing up lately. Prepare to be a bit surprised.
Monthakan Chantra

I dreamed of being a diplomat because I loved the idea of traveling abroad and learning the history of a country. I also love languages so I chose to study political science.

I’m so proud, when I’m abroad and I get to talk to foreigners. I always try to convince them to visit Thailand.

Studying gets my adrenaline flowing. It’s fun. I love learning new things. That’s why I’m currently taking a master’s degree, also in political science.

I love giving things a try. At first I didn’t want to work in the entertainment industry but Channel V was auditioning for new VJs, so I thought, why not? Out of some 500 entrants, I was one of six selected to become a VJ after a five-minute trial in front of the camera.

I don’t want to be the center of attention. I never think of myself as an actress. I’m a person who is lucky enough to do many things in life, and acting is just one part of that.

The media is so powerful today. They can decide who is a star and who is a flop with the stroke of a pen.

People tire of their everyday life. That’s why celebrity news is so popular now.

You must work hard to be truly famous. You can’t survive on a pretty face alone. You have to really invest yourself in your work to ensure it’s of the highest quality.

Don’t judge people until you’ve met them. And don’t put on an act to get close to someone. These are some of the biggest things I’ve learned from being in the business for over a decade.

Thai society today is driven by people only thinking of themselves. I mean, we don’t all need to drop everything and help each other, but a little more sharing would be a good start.

Education is the only way to improve society. It might not happen in our lifetime, but serious changes need to be made. Now kids only learn what the system tells them to, so by the time they grow up they don’t know what they really want. Students should be given more freedom of choice.

I don’t mind that people aren’t reading much. It doesn’t mean that they are lazy. The most important things are being able to distinguish between right and wrong, and being able to analyze a situation.

I used to see love as a fairy tale. Everyone would live happily ever after. Now I understand you can’t change someone to be who you want. However, I still dream of finding a soul mate.

There’s not necessarily any right or wrong in a love triangle. I was caught up in one and it was very distressing. I couldn’t choose between the two as I had feelings for both. I was afraid to hurt the other’s feelings.

I don’t have a clear picture of my life at this point. Many women measure themselves by whether they have a good job or a good marriage. Those who are lucky might have both, but I feel like I have neither. I’ve tried so many things, but I don’t know where my true passion lies.

Money isn’t everything. I don’t want to force myself to do things I don’t like for the sake of money.

I pick and choose my work according to my instincts. I don’t make extravagant demands nor do I necessarily need big budgets or top directors.

I like being a DJ best of all. It’s me. I don’t need to wear make-up. I can dress how I want and be myself.

I’d like to work as a coordinator between the government and the entertainment sector to promote our movies in the international market. Thais shouldn’t just accept foreign culture to the detriment of our own.

I love running. You don’t need any gadgets. It’s all about improving yourself. I had a go at car racing but it wasn’t really me. I have no interest in controlling things. I just want to control myself.

Every day is a success. I think like this in order to keeping moving forward. I don’t know how far I’ll go tomorrow but I know it will be a progression from yesterday.