The Power 98FM DJ and drummer for local band Monochrome shares some secrets with Patrick Benjamin.

I was 18 when I wrote my first song. It was about hope and frankly it was terrible.

No fan, stale air, scorching lights and you are still whacking the drums; now that’s what I call a proper workout.

The thing I miss about being fat is that no one would bat an eyelid when I pigged out on a large pizza, six chicken wings, a pint of ice-cream and a 1.5 liter bottle of Coke. And that was just a single meal.

I still shudder when I recall my first time on air alone. It was a five-hour shift and sharing my supposedly funny experiences during the week totally backfired. It was a stinker but luckily I didn’t get any hate mail.

Rain or shine, I have to run daily, it keeps my heart pumping and is a great stress reliever.

Finishing the 10km Sundown Marathon in 40th place was remarkable, considering that I was obese two years ago and couldn’t even run 600 meters.

I have always been intrigued by politics. At 19, I was the youngest Singapore ambassador at an APEC conference in Chile.

It was fantastic experience learning from some of the world’s biggest leaders like Colin Powell, but speaking to Helen Clarke was intimidating. She would bore you down with an earth quaking stare before answering questions.

I tend to change my hair color a couple of times every month. There is no pattern to it but red and two toned orange looks best on me.

My fondest childhood memory is the smell of my dad’s cologne. He used to be a financial director at Dunhill and I used to hug him for a whiff of that musky scent.

I am a watered down Peranakan but I still uphold the traditions and I can’t resist the great cuisine too.

The biggest drawback about being a DJ is that I hardly see my parents during weekdays.

I am the odd one out in my family because my parents are totally not musical and can’t even hold a tune.

My grandfather taught me humility and life-long learning. At 91, he was still learning how to write Chinese and didn’t mind asking me a question or two to clarify his doubts.

Opening for Hoobastank and Paramore was fun, but the greatest satisfaction I received was from one of the first gigs we played at Ren Ci Nursing Home.

We had to wake up early on a Sunday and perform with a crappy karaoke system in a small room filled with 30 seniors. But it was truly a life-changing and touching experience.

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