Singapore is infectious. It’s a very hard place to leave. Probably explains why I’m still here 30 years on.
Expats usually come and go, but a number of buddies who I went to school with here have all now come back after realizing that it wasn’t greener on the other side.
I’m wonderfully apolitical. I’ve never understood why people care so much. Show me an election that was won by one vote and I might think my vote counts.
I surround myself with very successful people; it’s nice to have such a great network of friends here.
My childhood was nearperfect. I grew up in an insanely cool black and white house on Holland Road, complete with a tennis court and a swimming pool.
My mum once invited Bernhard Langer round for a game of tennis when he was here playing in a pro-am tournament. He gave me a golf lesson in our back garden and signed his bag, then gave it to me.
I wanted to be a lawyer growing up. Sadly a law degree at Bristol University and a miserable internship at Clifford Chance put me off for life. Besides, throwing parties is more fun and doesn’t require waking up in the morning.
My most memorable party experience was chilling out with Fernando Alonso at The Podium Lounge last year. He came on a Saturday night and wasn’t drinking, as the F1 Drivers try to stay on European time while in Singapore for the Grand Prix. He was the last man standing at the party.
Kevin Spacey came to my place once when a buddy of mine invited him over to polish off some very rare vintage single malts. His stories were incredible, and he kept slipping into character when recounting stories of people he’d met. The funniest part was my wife was asleep upstairs when he arrived. When I tried to wake
her, she told me to screw off.
I’m usually under the influence; good thing I don’t drive. My daily routine depends on whether I’m nursing a hangover. But Monday is my duvet day and I never get out of bed before midday on Mondays.
I have nearly five thousand friends on Facebook. The list consists of family, close friends, casual friends, old school and university mates, business contacts, people I aspire to be like, people I’m not friendly with and people I want to keep an eye on. It’s a massive address book which serves its purpose well.
I just bought a vintage gun together with Michael Van Cleef Ault, the owner of Pangaea. He’s one of the biggest private collectors in the world, so I figured he could teach me a thing or two about the world of antique weaponry.
The Nikkei kiasu-types and people who slurp their noodles make me sick to my stomach.
I get stressed daily with the stock market. I get stressed weekly when I watch Tottenham Hotspur play and I get stressed about twice a month when I play golf, the
world’s most frustrating game.
To own and live on-board a superyacht, chasing the sun, is still my lifelong dream.
