Interview with Master Greg (Part II)
In this second (& final) part of the Interview with Master Greg, we collated a few fun facts and tidbits about his personal life. Let us know if you want to know more about him, or better yet, ask him yourself! If you haven’t read the first part, read it here!
What do you like to do in your spare time (or hobbies of sorts)?
There’s no such thing as spare time for me! I like to fill my time with things I believe in. So these are things like family time, roller skiing, and I was also involved in other projects that are important such as Boy Scouts in USA and Inter-Faith events in the society, etc., to fulfill who I am (back to the your first question!). Not only that, I love music and movies – I’m a HUGE fan of animation from PIXAR and DreamWorks! I used to love Looney Tunes in the past as well. Sometimes, I also watch student animation awards on YouTube.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Pop more than anything else, it’s kind of like my background music. At home, my #1 distraction is my wife because we’ll grab each other and dance when there’s music. When I was young, I loved Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Purple Haze (Live at the Atlanta Pop Festival). The first time I saw his recording at the music festival, it was all-consuming. Later in my university years, I really enjoyed The Police and Sting.
What's your favourite food from the Dining Hall?
Indian Vegetarian for breakfast or dinner. I love spicy food, and from my experience in CAPT (because we have the same caterer), Indian Vegetarian food has more flavour. I’m usually a vegetarian but I eat meat on special occasions, or when I haven’t had a dish for a very long time. Speaking of special occasions, I thought of an event I had when I was an RF at CAPT. I did a durian party with my house at CAPT, where I bought different durians to let the CAPTains try the durians to see if they can tell the difference. Following that, some of the CAPTains actually brought me to JB to try durian, so now I know what’s my favourite durian! I love the nuance in things, so in durians it’s kind of nuanced in different ways. Similarly, I like to try the different laksas around Singapore to see how it’s nuanced – some are creamier, some are spicier, etc.
If you weren't a professor, what would you be?
I would be a musician, playing the bass. I was a freelancer before, and I kind of just took any opportunity to play that came along the way. Because of that by the age of 27, I had been to 42 different countries playing bass. I loved being a musician, playing music, and I miss it. I like to engage in the music, play around with it, and invite anyone who’s around to join my music journey (in terms of enjoying and appreciating the music). My job as a bass player in a dance band was to create a vibe and bring the people listening to the music along with me in the adventure of listening and dancing.
How many instruments can you perform?
Acoustic & electric bass, piano (in a church setting), guitar, and also drums (which was what I originally started with)
So if you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The pixie dust from Peter Pan! I want to sprinkle it around students to make them smile and fly, to see their expressions when they realize they’re flying. That’ll be pretty cool!
Any last words for the RVRC population?
Throughout my life I’ve tried to work hard and party hard, and it has led to a very fulfilling life. When done well, it is the healthiest kind of work and partying. Have fun to let yourself go! And I mean have fun with safety boundaries (for other people and yourself). People often cut themselves short by dreaming big, striving hard to fulfill their dreams and enjoy their journey later. But life is what happens when you’re making other plans. Live the day! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but live today.
As you go through life, some doors are going to close, and some doors are going to open. Don’t have any regrets when doors close. Live your life in a way that there are no regrets when doors close, strive to find your open doors. Be willing to go through the doors when the doors open, with a positive and willing attitude.
I’ll also share a titbit – I never wanted to be a College Master. But the journey of life brought me here. Similarly, I never wanted to be a Professor either. I could have been a musician for all my life. But I had this innate drive to do something, and that drove me here.
For everyone in the college, always ask questions. You’re welcomed to ask me questions about anything, anytime. I may not always give you a perfect answer, but I’ll answer to the best that I can. (Master Greg has an open-door policy, so feel free to go to him anytime)
And that concludes the second part of Master Greg’s Interview! We hope this gave you a little insight about him, and also hope that you guys will take his advice well 😉
Till then, #ridgeviewblogs