What was the first thing you bought when you realised you made it?
EP I don’t think I am there yet. I’m still working towards achieving that state. And when that does happen, instead of buying anything for myself, I think I’d want to take a sabbatical in France and start learning the language all over again (on and off, I learnt French for 10 years, but I’ve pretty much lost it all).
What’s the best concert you’ve been to and why was it so good?
EP Coldplay’s Viva la Vida World Tour in 2009. It was so good that I watched it twice—once in Washington DC and once in Hong Kong. Around that time, Coldplay was at the peak of songwriting success. They were playing all the big hits that got the crowd on their feet, and at the climax of the show, a dozen gigantic inflatable balls dropped from the ceiling to supercharge the energy in the audience. While this trick is now widely used at many concerts today, it was at Coldplay’s show that I saw it for the first time.
What luxury is totally worth the price?
EP Health. As I grow older it has become more apparent to me that nothing matters more than your health— both mentally and physically. Health problems, even minor ones, can interfere with or even overshadow other aspects of our life. I truly believe that without proper health, no individual can have success, let alone enjoy it.
What are you hilariously bad at?
EP Oh, for sure, dancing. I always turn into a drunk Bruce Lee performing kung fu and I have no idea how or why it happens.
What company do you love so much that you would happily be their spokesperson?
EP DS & Durga: an independent niche perfume house from New York. It’s a husband and wife team comprising musician David Seth Moltz and architect Kavi Moltz. Combining their creativity, David writes ‘songs’ in scent, while Kavi designs ‘houses’ for the fragrances. I met David when I was studying perfumery in New York one summer. He is one of the most creative people I have met in my life.
BMW cars: I’ve driven a number of vehicles from other brands and while they are all fun to drive, it is the design and the personality of a BMW car that really resonates with me.
What is your favourite childhood memory?
EP Travelling to Singapore with my whole family because that was the only trip I’ve gone on where every single member of my family was present. I have a relatively large family: there is my mother, father and five children. The hardest thing in a big family like ours is aligning everyone’s schedule. There was once a 13-year stretch where there was at least one member of the family that was studying abroad. Now, we have all grown up and some of my siblings have their own families, so it is even harder to put everyone on a plane and travel together.
If a movie was made of your life, which actor would you want to play you and why?
EP Adrian Brody. Did you see his performance in The Pianist? Mind-blowing! Either him or Fandy Fan, who is a new generation actor from Taiwan. I’ve seen a few of his movies and he nails all the roles he plays.