Local stars' New Year wish lists

Hello, 2016! We get the lowdown from local celebs on their 'who, what and where' wish list for this year.

KATE PANG, 32

It has been a year of ups and downs for Taiwan-born Mediacorp actress Kate Pang.

The 32-year-old suffered a miscarriage in April, between hosting the Star Awards 2015 Show 1 and Show 2, but she discovered she was pregnant again in October on her belated honeymoon in New Zealand with her husband, local actor Andie Chen, 30.

The couple have a one-and-a-half-year-old son, Aden, and are expecting a girl in late June.

Speaking to The New Paper over the phone, she said: "I was very happy when I found out, but I was also a bit worried as it happened so quickly after the miscarriage.

"I didn't expect it, so I had to cancel all my work assignments that were planned for this year."

Describing herself as a "carefree and sloppy person", Pang, who has just passed the first trimester mark, is careful to take better care of herself this time round.

"(Andie) has been reminding me that I shouldn't squat, or carry (Aden)," she said. "I've come to realise that my body condition can be a little weak, so I need to rest more and not get too busy."

Pang is excited about shopping for baby clothes, saying: "Baby girls must look cute and have that little princess look. If we go out, I will be sure to dress her up."

LOVE

She anticipates that 2016 will be filled with love.

She said: "When I lost the baby in April, my older sister flew in all the way from Taiwan to take care of me.

"My husband and his family doted on me too, and didn't give me any stress or pressure over what happened. I felt really touched."

This year, she wants to achieve a good work-life balance so she can spend more time with her children.

"There will be a bigger burden on Andie as he has to work harder to support the family," she said.

"As for me, all I want is for my babies to be healthy."

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

My 84-year-old grandmother, as she is the one who raised me. I actually want to go back to Taiwan for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner, but I feel bad as I need to have dinner with Andie's family as well. So I think I will fly home a few days later to visit her.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

Andie and I have a YouTube channel, Kandie Network, and we are going to turn it into a more helpful parenting video channel for young parents like us. In 2016, I hope that the channel can take off and I can stay at home to work on it and take care of my kids at the same time.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VISIT?

I want to revisit Taiwan. I told Andie to go there for our honeymoon instead of New Zealand, but he didn't want to, as he felt that going to Taiwan would not feel like we were on holiday. For me, I always want to go back as it is my home.

ELVIN NG, 35

The A-list Mediacorp actor starred in five TV dramas last year and has two more in the pipeline for this year.

Ng, who made his showbiz debut over a decade ago, turned 35 last week.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

My mum. I am extremely close to her and we are kind of like friends. Sometimes, I am not so patient with her and would throw tantrums.

We are both stubborn and prideful so we squabble from time to time. Now that I am 35, I want to be more patient and mellow.

I also want to spend more time with my 10-month-old niece. Coincidentally, she shares the same birthday as my mother. I used to be my mum's favourite baby, but my niece has since taken over that position.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

We always say we want to do better in the next year, but sometimes, I think we need to cut ourselves some slack. I have been quite hard on myself in the past years. In 2016, I want to slowly gain more respect in my trade, as I am no longer an idol.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A TO VISIT?

Every year, we go on a big family holiday, but we didn't go last year due to the arrival of my niece. This year, I hope to do a road trip with them. I want to go to so many places - New Zealand, South Africa, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe.

ROYSTON TAN, 39

Last year, local film-maker Royston Tan made his comeback after seven years with his musical movie 3688.

He also started and oversaw his passion project 7 Letters, directing one of the seven shorts. He is in the middle of writing a new script and may return with another feature film this year.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

My parents (they used to run a chicken rice stall in Bendemeer). They are getting old and they are very good at cooking. I hope to learn some culinary skills from them. I come from a Hokkien family and my dad cooks a lot of traditional Hokkien food.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

I want to be very disciplined and go jogging every day. I plan not to stay up too late and wake up at 7am to jog. Last year, there was a lot of work and I totally didn't exercise. I want to stay healthy.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VISIT?

Iceland. I missed the Northern Lights the last time I was there three years ago. I heard it's the end of the solar cycle and we are not going to see it for a while.

SHIGGA SHAY, 23

2015 was busy for rapper Shigga Shay. He released his first full-length self-titled album and made his acting debut in Royston Tan's 3688.

This year, he hints at a follow-up album with "lots of new material and projects in the works".

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

I want to get close to and spend more time with my mum. I have taken her out for dinner and stuff, but I want to do more of that in 2016. I want to spend entire days with her, like take her to Jurong Bird Park.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

I want to let Singapore music be known to the world and introduce Singapore culture to the world.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VISIT?

Los Angeles. It's my second home and there are so many things to do there. I want to shoot a new music video, work with new artists and producers. It's a beautiful city. I've never been to Tokyo as an adult, so I want to revisit it and try the sushi and sashimi there.

NADIAH M. DIN, 25

2015 has been quite the year for local actress Nadiah M. Din.

The 25-year-old starred in the Italian comedy film Le Badanti, which premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in May.

She also sang in Eric Khoo's short film for critically-acclaimed 7 Letters and showed off her dance skills in movie musical Sinaran.

Nadiah is also set to marry her sales director fiance Bilal Jeanpierre, 29, later this year. The French national has lived in Singapore for almost seven years.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Nadiah describes their first encounter at a housewarming party as "love at first sight".

She told The New Paper: "We've been together for a year and a half and it's been a beautiful journey. I am really in love with this man. You can definitely expect a wedding in late 2016. The planning has started."

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

My family members, as my work schedule has been pretty hectic. I would also like to have more me-time because all I do is run around here and there. I cannot wait to meet my in-laws and all of (Bilal's) extended family from France. I'm looking forward to making new relationships with them.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

Maybe Hollywood, maybe Bollywood. Maybe I'll get the chance to work on a show I never thought I would be on or learn a whole new language.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VISIT?

I would love to travel to Morocco, South Africa, India and Switzerland.

I've envisioned myself conducting an acting workshop in an African village surrounded by all the children. I think if I ever have the chance to do something like that, be it in Africa, Cambodia or Vietnam, any Third world country, it would be great to give them a platform to express themselves in an artistic way.

GENTLE BONES, 21

The singer, whose real name is Joel Tan, became the first Singaporean to sign a record deal with Universal Music Singapore last year.

He released his single Sixty Five for the SG50 movie 1965, which hit No 1 on the iTunes Singapore chart within 24 hours of its release.

In September, he opened for US singer-songwriter Kina Grannis during her Elements concert tour in Asia.

At the first stop in Jakarta, the crew faced issues with their performance permit, which led to a three-and-a-half-month detention in Indonesia for him and 13 others.

He was finally allowed to return home on Dec 23.

His first solo concert, which was supposed to have taken place on Dec 10 here, was axed due to the turn of events.

In an Instagram post addressing the matter, Tan wrote: "It pained me greatly to have to cancel my own show (at) the Esplanade in view of circumstances utterly out of our control, but the focus now is to have my team and I back on track."

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

My family and friends. It's been a crazy 2015 for me and 2016 might very well be too, but I want to make more time to be around the people that have watched me grow.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

To deliver the best second release I possibly can and have the new music reach an even wider audience while appealing to people who have been listening from day one.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VISIT?

I'll be heading to Canada to record new music with a producer and his team there. That will probably be my highlight of 2016, having not recorded outside of Singapore before.

GLENN ONG, 45

The veteran radio DJ was revealed as ONE FM 91.3's newest breakfast show addition last year along with The Flying Dutchman (FD), which marked a reunion of the former on-air partners.

And it was a move that boosted the audience of the station.

In a Nielsen Radio survey done two months after the duo's unveiling, ONE FM saw an increase in cumulative listenership, from 243,000 to 260,000.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH?

I definitely want to meet more ONE FM fans. I now know the huge difference between fans and passive listeners.

For 20 years, I've had mainly listeners and I'm grateful. But now the fans come up to me in bigger number. They talk to me, ask for selfies while I'm at a restaurant or cafe - which I'm perfectly fine with.

I met hundreds of fans at the Def Leppard concert (in November) who dumped their Gold 90.5 and Class 95 T-shirts into the bin in exchange for their ONE FM tees! They are passionate and hard-core.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

For SPH Radio to keep getting bigger and better and for ONE FM's breakfast show to continue its climb towards the top spot in Singapore.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A VISIT?

I've travelled almost everywhere more than once so I'm going to say that my destination of choice for me and my love (radio DJ fiancee Jean Danker) this year will be Switzerland because I've heard so much about this beautiful country.

natmeah@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 1, 2015.
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