I came from a big family, and we all had certain roles we had to perform. My dad sold insurance, my sisters sold soy milk outside our grocery stall and I had to go with mom to the market.

After school I used to push a cart selling curry around the streets. Then I had to make belts for my uncle until midnight. We had to work 365 days a year.

I used to hate cooking as a child. I never had a chance to think about what I really wanted to do.

Helping our parents was the main thing. Wanting to do anything else wasn’t a consideration.

I went to study in England at 16. My mom borrowed the money to pay for me.

I got a job as a pot washer at the Waldorf Hotel. But I used to talk to the chef to practice my English. One day he asked me to help out in the kitchen.

I never wanted to be a chef; it was a financial decision. My first thought when I was offered the apprenticeship was how I didn’t need to take money from my mom anymore.

I wanted to be a success. Even though I didn’t know what that meant for a chef. I went to the bookstore and started reading cookbooks. I couldn’t understand the recipes but I read the chef’s biographies to see how they became successful.

My mom said I was stupid when I moved to New York. She couldn’t understand why I was leaving a good job, a TV show, a good life in Thailand.

I wanted to cook. When I was executive chef [at the Four Seasons], I wasn’t cooking, I was managing people. I knew that before I took the job but I wanted to cook my own food. Give me a stove and I’m happy.

New York was very difficult. Everything else has been easy.

I wanted to hang myself after the first six months in New York. Just pack my bag and come home. I thought I had failed.

In Europe, people are professional. They want to work, they want to learn. In New York, they come for money. If they can earn more money somewhere else, then they leave.

Frank Sinatra’s right. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
There are two types of chefs. There are good chefs, and then there are

TV-personality chefs. They don’t want to have a restaurant; they want to be on TV.

I did TV shows because of money. I was not good; I never looked at the camera. People didn’t like some things I did, the ingredients I used, but I wanted to try and educate people, show them what they could do.

TV gives you free PR that you can’t buy. But if I had to give up my restaurants, then I wouldn’t do it. I love cooking. It’s my life, my job.

I like to challenge myself. That’s why I always try different things with my restaurants, that’s why I did Iron Chef. I like to be outside my comfort zone.

My wife protects me, in a good way. My wife really helps on the business side. I don’t want to deal with the money. I don’t care.

I push my children quite hard. I want them to understand, if you don’t work, you don’t get money. I would love them to cook, but I cannot force them.

I used to bottle things up in the kitchen. Then I would explode. But I’ve changed that. Now I’ve got a bad cop, my sous chef, who does the shouting for me. He’s madder than Gordon Ramsay.

I’m not a one-man show. I want to have ten restaurants, but you need a good team behind you.

It’s not easy, though. I’m dealing with people in Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, New York, Mumbai—the time differences make it complicated.

I always wanted to come back to Thailand, even though my family moved to Australia. I love it more than anywhere else. My wife says all Thai guys have to come back.

It’s hard to be successful, but you have to keep going, work hard.

No one wants to work hard anymore. Everyone wants to take shortcuts. People spend one million baht to go to cooking schools like Cordon Bleu. They finish and they open a restaurant.

There are a lot of cookie-cutter places in Bangkok. They all learned the same basic recipes.

I’m Thai; I always wanted to do a Thai restaurant here. I plan on having five restaurants in Bangkok.

Thai people are really picky. If you can cook Thai food in Thailand and people love it, then I think you’re the best chef in the world.

People say I’m new generation, but I think I’ve always kept my cooking traditional. I don’t want to change a green curry. I don’t want to make it an ice cream. I just want to make my own version.

You can’t think you will always be the best. So I visit new restaurants, in my time off. It’s like a working vacation.

Best Picture:
None: There were many impressive Thai films last year, though I wouldn’t want to name any as Best Picture, for we can surely always hope for more and better.

Best Actress:
Paowalee in Pumpuang: In a year of strong female performances, from Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher to Michelle Yeoh as Aung San Suu Kyi, Paowalee channels that mix of impersonation technique and novice spontaneity to great result.

Best Actor:
Nopachai Jayanama in Headshot: He's deep and intense and sad, embodying the eventual density of a film noir fall guy.

Best Script:
Laddaland: It's Death of a Salesman with a Siamese twist and plenty of ghosts. What more could you ask?

Best Director:
Siwaroj Kongsakul for Eternity: Siwaroj directed the year's most poignant movie in which time is folded up and stretched out, until the love story seems timeless after all.

Best Supporting Actor:
Piak Poster in Top Secret: Respected filmmaker Piak Poster, playing a sidekick to the billionaire-in-the-making, gives the movie its heart, though it looks as if the film doesn't recognize this fact itself.

Best Supporting Actress:
Ratklao Amaradit in The Outrage: Appearing in just one scene, Ratklao makes you shiver with her shamanic wailing.

What does the Singapore National Committee for UN Women do?
The Singapore chapter of UNIFEM was established in 1999 to develop nations all over South East Asia through economic empowerment programs, governance and leadership initiatives and conflict area support (to help women in war torn countries). There’s also the UNIFEM Trust Fund, working to eliminate violence against women.

What are you working on now?
We have Project Inspire, which gives young people (aged 18-35) a chance to win US$25,000 (S$31,470) to work on their ideas for aid through education, training and social entrepreneurship. Then, there’s the STOP Sex Trafficking Campaign which petitions the public to demand greater protection of children and young people. You can join the fight at Sound Out, which we launched last year. There’s also Buy to Save, where we work with fashion brands to sell garments at charity sales. More than $200,000 has been raised so far. With our Day Off Campaign, we aim to get employers to give domestic workers a regular day off. In addition, we have Help Anna, an online effort to stop gender based violence, be it domestic abuse, domestic worker abuse, sex trafficking or labour trafficking. To support the cause, we have “A Call for Help”, an interactive iPhone application which promotes awareness against domestic violence.

What are some challenges faced by UN Women?
Our biggest challenge right now is fundraising in a tough economic climate. With so many other worthy compelling causes, we have to be more strategic in communicating our cause and explaining why it is so important, if not necessary, to empower women and children.

How can people help out?
A great way to help is to find out more about the issue and to start talking about it. Channelling that motivation into action could come in the form of sharing your thoughts, opinions and expertise for the cause that interests you. Becoming a member or a volunteer at our events and campaigns is just one of the ways you can start. Donations are always welcome, but we also recognize that the best way to gain the most mileage out of every dollar is to tap into the hearts and minds of individuals.

What gave you the idea of the series?
I’ve been shooting several contemporary dance companies for the past few years and often wondered what it would be like to reintroduce dance into less typical environments and return dance to its urban tribal roots.

Was the dancer's internal dialogue dictated by you or the dancers?
Both. It was an open-ended collaboration with the dancers from the locations and costumes to the choreography and the internal dialogue. I thrive on the creative energy of the dancers and their unique perspectives. One of the dancers had always dreamed of doing acrobatics on public transport - while the logistics were a little tricky I just couldn't resist the challenge!

What was the most challenging shoot?
The most technically difficult was capturing the fire dancing brilliance of Karen Ng, but the most challenging was probably the shoot at Senoko Fish Market on account of dodging fork lift trucks while avoiding falling of the fish strewn floors!

What was the most interesting crowd reaction you got?
The most enthusiastic response was in Little India while shooting a traditional Tahitian dancer. You can imagine the reaction when a lady dressed in little more than a grass skirt and coconuts starts dancing in the middle of a street. By the time we finished shooting that we had an audience of around 80 people who appeared out of nowhere. We had to make a rapid exit!

Is this your day job?
During the day, I work for a large multinational bank and exercise my logical and organization brain. During the evenings and weekends, I indulge my passion for Fine Arts Photography. I need both outlets to feel truly fulfilled.

Matthew G. Johnson’s first solo exhibition, Urban Tribal Dance runs from March 9-18.
 

What have you been doing these days?
This year, I have more and more concerts than in the past few years. With local radio playing our tunes, people started wondering if our band still exists, so we were asked to perform more. Most of the shows have been at temple fairs and some provincial concerts in Isaan.

Are you producing new music for the younger generation?
Not really. However, some new artists have come to me to ask permission to cover my old songs, like Mike Piromporn, who did a cover version of one of my hits “Tam Nong Klab Sarakham.” Some young local groups asked me to compose a new molam line and they mixed it with my old song to create a new compilation.

Tell us about the upcoming party.
I’ll be the guest vocalist for the Molam Thephabutr band. I think the crowd will be big on that day because it is my first time back in Bangkok in a long time. The first time I played in Bangkok was in 1973. The tickets were B10, we played at Lumpini Park and they had to turn people away because it was so packed. I hope this concert would be fun like that.

As the original look toong Isaan, what do you think of the look toong and molam scene today?
Look toong today is very different from my day, as they stick to the melody too much. It’s not their fault, but it lacks charm and their own identity, which makes the new songs less classics. Today, anyone can be a look toong singer, even if they don’t have a good voice. You just have a pretty face and sexy appearance. Some singers are simply singing words but can’t express the meaning of them. I wish the next generation could realize this and improve their singing style in order to preserve the uniqueness of the traditional look toong.

Have you ever thought about quitting?
I’ve known since I was very young that I wanted to be a singer. I’ve never felt like I wanted to quit, even when I’ve faced struggles. My look toong career might end at the same time as my life. Vasachol Quadri

Are you a big fan of the Dunvant Male Voice Choir?
Peter Phillips, our deputy President, originally came up with the idea of bringing the Dunvant Choir to Singapore. Peter hails from Dunvant, which is a small village about five miles from Swansea and both himself and his father were choir members of old. He just "happened" to have a CD of the Choir in his back pocket and played it to the committee, whilst we were enjoying a glass or two of beer. The CD was played, our eyes misted over and the show was on!

What can the public expect from the Choir's performances?
They are an extremely versatile Choir, with a repertoire encompassing hymns, extracts from musicals, opera and contemporary tunes, as well as Welsh Choral favorites.You will hear them sing tunes like, "The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" by Verdi, "Bring him Home" from les Miserables and fun songs like "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". There will also be a few Welsh Choral numbers, including my personal favorite, 'Myfanwy' which means 'Beloved', a beautiful love song sung in Welsh with harmonies that will take your soul to heaven!

Why is the choral tradition so important in Wales?
Wales is still known as the "Land of Song' and the Choral tradition still has very strong roots in the cities, towns and villages. Choirs were generally spawned in the church or chapel but the Eisteddfod (a Welsh Cultural celebration of song and poems), has done much to keep singing very much to the fore. Most Welsh schools had an annual Eisteddfod, which all participated in, in a competitive manner. We were thus taught to sing at an early stage of our lives and rugby and song have become synonymous with Wales.

It used to be said that when the crowd started singing at an International Rugby match in Cardiff, the Welsh singing gave the home side a six-point advantage! There is also a belief that we sing because "television came late to Wales' or "the coal dust in the air effected our vocal chords!"

What sort of activities do the St David’s Society get up to here?
The St David’s Society tries to keep people in contact with their "Welshness". Tim Openshaw, our Sports convenor has put together a Welsh football team and the results have been pretty encouraging so far. We also have a Golf section and will have a challenge match shortly against the Singapore Scots.Other activities we have had are Casino Nights, Picnics, Barbeques, wake boarding and, believe it or not, we used to have a Welsh Choir here, which we would love to get going again.

What's your role in all these?
I am the resident of the Society this year, but thank god, I have a fantastic committee, who have worked morning, noon and night to knit the Choir's visit to Singapore together. Apart from the golf challenge against the Scots, our next gathering will hopefully be a "Night at the Races", which has proven to be very popular in the past. I envisage we will have an 'outlandish hat' theme for the ladies, a la Ascot style and perhaps a prize for the best 'tipster' of the evening!

How many Welsh people are there in Singapore?
We have about 50 paid up members plus family members thus far. During the last Rugby World Cup, Tim Openshaw developed an email hit called 'Tag a Taff'(Taffy being a nickname for a Welshman). It worked wonders and so many new names came to the fore to help 'swell the ranks'. You don’t have to be Welsh to join the Society by the way. We have several Singaporean members, including yours truly! Our annual Ball will take place at Tanglin Club on March 3 and we are very close to selling out at 180 plus guests, which is very encouraging.

Are there any similarities between Singaporeans and the Welsh?
The Welsh and the Singaporeans I think share a passion and pride of their country. The Welsh people also enjoy their food, just like Singaporeans do. Welsh fare however is nothing comparable to the range of food available in our Lion City and comprises dishes relating to lamb, cheese, leeks or even seaweed! Both the British Club and the Exchange Bar in Asia Square are running some Welsh cuisine, week commencing March 5, so give it a try!

How important is the Welsh language to maintaining the sense of community back home?
Welsh was a compulsory language in schools throughout Wales until the late 50's/early 60's. It is a very 'sing song' ancient Celtic language but not easy to learn unless spoken at home. The language began to decline as a result and with more and more industry coming into Wales from outside, action had to be taken to keep the language alive. As a result of activities by a movement called the Free Wales Army, Westminster has agreed to have all major road signs in Wales bilingual and started encouraging the development of dedicated Welsh TV and radio channels and thus the decline in the language was staved off.

I was back in Wales in December 2011 to see my new granddaughters and watch Wales lose narrowly to Australia in rugby. My sons and I took a bus into the city and it was full of rugby supporters, both young and old, speaking in Welsh, delightful to hear.

Any thoughts on Welsh independence?
I feel the Welsh are happy as they are. The Queen gave Wales her son to be the Prince of Wales; a gesture which I believe made the Welsh very proud indeed. Any battles between the Welsh and the English are now satisfactorily settled on the rugby field.

What's something people don't commonly know about Wales?
The Welsh language (Cymraeg) is the oldest of the European languages. This form of Celtic language is also found in parts of Cornwall and in Brittany (Breton language) in northern France. Also, the famous Captain Scott of the Antarctic set sail from Cardiff in 1910 on his last ill fated voyage to Antarctica.

Catch the Dunvant Male Voice Choir at St George's Church and The Exchange on March 5 and 9.
 

Best Motion Picture

I have two films in mind, which are Ladda Land and Tee Rak (Eternity). Regarding Ladda Land, more than 50% of films released last year fall into either the rom-com or ghost story category, but Ladda Land nailed managed a perfect mix between ghost story and drama. Despite the horror part, the film tells the story of a middle-income man who bears the responsibilities and pressure of being the head of a family. Thai films rarely touch on this issue. That’s because if they did, and talked solely about this, then the film would bomb [in this country]. The additional part of the ghost turns out to be the perfect support for the whole story.

For Tee Rak, I’d say this is the kind of the love story that is real and has more variety than other cliché Thai chick-flicks. The film is split into three timelines: it starts with a guy searching for his loved one; then another couple’s love story; and ends with the story of a girl who has to move on with her children after her husband dies. The way these timelines are arranged creates a huge impact at the end, when the truth is revealed.

Best Actor

I’d give it to Thep Pohngam in Friday Killer. This film by Yuthalert is slightly different from his other action flicks, as it packs in some real drama. We’ve never see a comedian like Thep Pohngam star in a pure drama role before, and he holds his own here as an old, desperate retired-killer. Yuthalert breaks up some of the intensity with a joke here and there, but it isn’t overdone.

Best Actress

Paowalee in Poom Puang definitely wins. Apart from her appearance, which is so similar to Poom Puang’s, her acting and singing are superb—so great that audiences could actually believe that she is the real Poom Puang. The lack of realism and details they got wrong in the plot make the story bland and dry, but this lead performance saves the movie.

Best Supporting Actor

Peach Patchara in Suckseed. I think Peach did better in Suckseed than in Top Secret. The film is quite over-the-top and cartoonish, but his overacting does not go over the edge, rather, it seems natural.

Best Supporting Actress

We saw Dame Judi Dench awarded Best Supporting Actress for her 15-minute appearance in Shakespeare In Love. Just as goodis Poramaporn’s cameo as CP Manager in Top Secret. There’s even this buzz that she was a real CP Manager.

Best Script

I’d give to Ladda Land. On top of what I’ve said about Ladda Land before, both the drama and horror aspects were extremely well-written.

Best Directing

I think the direction in Tee Rak (Eternity) is smooth throughout the film. There’s a lot of silence and landscape scenes that work well. Headshot is well directed as well. This kind of time-twisting film is hard to understand if the director can’t arrange it well, but this was done right.

Most Annoying Character

Ken Poopoom in 30 Kam Lang Jeaw.

How should we drink whisky?
Some people like it neat, because they like the warmth of the alcohol and the feel of the flavors. But when we do our assessments, we bring everything down to 20% alcohol. That’s 50/50 with water, because we feel that at that level you’re maximizing the release of the aromas and the characteristics of the whisky and you’re removing the nose-prickle pepperiness of the alcohol. So that’s how I drink my whisky, with water, at room temperature. If it’s warm, like in Bangkok, you might chill it a bit. Because when you add water, there’s a reaction, it heats it up.

Should we only use younger whiskies with cocktails?
Chivas 12 works beautifully with cocktails, but with something like Chivas 18, I’d use it for classic cocktails. But that’s my view. There are no rules.

Why do whisky blends get such a bad rap?
They’re all great. But they’re all different. People find these differences and some they like and some they don’t. But the ones they dislike are not bad whiskies. When we blend Chivas, we also do Glenlivet [a single malt]. We’re using the same quality of spirit for both. In reality, what you’re getting in a blend is something miles greater and miles more complex than in a single malt because you have all those single malts mixed together.

So why drink single malts?
Because there’s a more romantic story behind them. You can go and see them and touch them and see them being produced.

Can you explain your job?
There are two arts to blending. First, there’s selecting the malts, the different grains and harmonizing them, bringing them together. When I created Chivas 18, I used Chivas 12 as a reference. I didn’t do what I wanted. It’s blended in a tradition, a style that came from the Chivas brothers in the 1800s. It’s similar in style but different in taste. And the second part is maintaining the taste. The whiskies were put into casks 20 years ago. Since then, some distilleries may have stopped producing. That means those [single malts] come out of the blend, and that changes the harmony, the experience. So we look at what other whiskies we could bring in, change the percentages and keep the same taste.

I didn’t like business school at Chulalongkorn University after I got in. I spent most of my time at home reading books, on history or philosophy, then went to take the exams when they called.

Reading lots of books made me hate capitalism. I hate the way that it seeks wealth incessantly and never takes responsibility for anything. I promised myself that I wouldn’t work that way.

I never regret wasting my time at university studying something that I don’t like. I accumulated a different kind of knowledge that I saved to use in the future.

I chose to be a reporter in various media like Manager newspaper, GM Magazine and Asia Times. I worked for five years before launching my own magazine, Open

Magazine, and then my own publishing house, Openbooks, five years after that.
I began Openbooks publishing because I felt exhausted doing the magazine, which happened every month. I wanted to take things slower, like writing books.

Books can better express what you think, and they live for longer than a magazine. Your thoughts are always out there.

We don’t run our publishing business like marketing people. They have a profit goal to achieve, but we’ve already achieved our goals because we just do what we believe in.

There were friends of mine who asked me to be a host for their talk shows about two years ago. They all asked about the same time, so I thought it might be my destiny. I finally agreed to be a host for Tob Jode [Answer the Question] and Plien Prathet Thai [Changing Thailand].

I became a host during a time when our society was very divided and had high tensions. It’s like we were wandering through a sandstorm and couldn’t see. I tried to walk straight as much as I could, but I accept that sometimes there was dust in my eyes, too. Luckily I have thought-filters – like glasses protecting me from the dust.
I knew that I would be hated by people from both sides. It can’t be avoided. I couldn’t be angry and tried to understand that this phenomenon is the symptom of a sick society.

You can’t be the winner in an argument with unreasonable people.

I didn’t mind when people criticized me for interviewing controversial figures, like ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. I know that I do my job with a pure spirit. Every public figure has the right to talk to the media.

During times of conflict, we can’t let one side dominate the conversation.

Time is the most precious resource for TV. That’s why I always get straight to the point and ask direct questions, because I only have 20 minutes.

I am going to have another talk show that is going to be like 60 Minutes. It’s called Siam Wara [Siam Agenda]. It will air on Mar 21.

The media are so dramatic these days because we live in a country where lakorns [Thai soup operas] have the highest ratings every night.

Thai people should turn off the TV and do something else.

TV is like a hot plate. When you hold on to it too long, you will feel the heat; and it burns your hand sometimes.

I want to get back to writing books. TV has to be fast. It destroys our time and concentration on other jobs.

I am trying to find my balance and happiness. If you keep doing things that make you unhappy, you’re insane.

My ultimate life desire would be to just read books at home and be with my family. I try to spend time with my only daughter; we like to do things together.

Children are the smartest people. They are quick learners and open-minded. They embrace everyone. You can see that’s how they survive in a world of conflict. That’s why I choose to talk with my daughter, rather than teach her.

People who are my inspiration are all spiritual leaders, like Thich Nhat Hanh or the Dalai Lama. I understand that normal people will try hard to be rich or gain reputations, but these spiritual leaders all do the opposite.

Just loving the people who sit next to you is already enough to make society better.

Tell us about your background.
I fell in love with music in junior high school when my friend asked me to join an orchestra. I started playing the trumpet before I switched to guitar when I started to listen to rock and nu-metal music like Limp Bizkit. I finally went to study Music Industry Technology at Mahidol University.

How did you become the new member of Slur?
Bu Slur [Thanun Boonyathanapiwat] and I have known each other for a while, so he knew I could play guitar. During the flood, I met him in Chiang Mai, and he was looking for a new guitarist for Slur. He asked me to come in for an audition, and I got it.

Have you ever worked in the music scene before?
I have. I used to help producers for music labels like Lux Music or artists like Neuter Lover. But it never got a big break. I just helped them make their music, not my own.

Do you feel pressure replacing Pae?
Not really. I don’t think of it as replacing someone famous. I just joined the band as a guitarist, and they let me play the way I want to. We are a band, not a single person. All I have to do is practice alone as much as I can so I can play smoothly when we practice together. I also have to learn how to entertain audiences as one of the members of the team.

How is the feedback from fans?
It’s good. They have all been welcoming to me as a new member of the band. I just went to play at Fat Fest. I’ve never played in front of such a huge audience like that before. It was really fun and exciting.

Do you do something else apart from music?
I have an e-commerce business. It’s called Onion, and I sell fashion accessories. I opened it after I graduated from university because I wanted to do something to earn money so that I could chase my dream of becoming an artist. I decided to sell fashion accessories because I love fashion. Fashion and music always come together. I’ve learned a lot about fashion thanks to music.

Do you run it alone?
Yes. I run it alone because I have computer skills. I am now opening a real shop at Siam Square next month. And as I am now a guitarist of Slur and have many gigs, I have to find someone to look after it, both the shop and online.

Do you worry that being a part of a famous band will make you lose your own style of music?
I don’t. For now, I just play their music like they used to play. But in the future, I will try to put more of my style into Slur.