GS05 x Shentonista: Tuned In

Herbert is a big fan of local music, and shares a list of his favourites. “The likes of Stoned Revivals, Side Show Judy, The Padres, the Oddfellows, Stomping Ground, I Am David Sparkle, Kopi Kat Klan, the BoredPhucks, Bushmen, Astreal, Great Spy Experiment, Riot in Magenta, those being celebrated in the recent So Happy: 50 Years of Singapore Rock, and many more,” he says. “They’ve been the soundtrack to my life from youth till today and have shaped my tastes in music, and many other parts of my life, I’m sure.” We find out what other things make him tick as we speak to him.

Nope, not at all. I feel that personalization, for men at least, is more of a subtle art. It’s in the cut of your suit/shirt/pants, the materials you choose when tailoring, how you match your shoes, watches, cufflinks, the tie you wear and the bag you use.

Ties. I hate ties. With a vengeance. They’re ridiculously uncomfortable for me. I still wear them when I have to, obviously, but we have a “need to wear” understanding, me and ties. On advice for work — my only advice is to wear what makes you confident. Obviously a level of professional decorum should always be adhered to – if work determines that you suit up, suit up. Don’t try to rock that T-shirt and leather jacket no matter how confident you are.

I’ve come to my current employ to fill a specific gap within the set of skills/experience I have, thus this is more of a something I feel I need to do to be more complete.

If I wasn’t at my current profession, I would be bumming, #justsaying. As for something I always wanted to do? I have always wanted to get paid to live – if that makes sense, to be in a position to explore my life/self and to have a commercially viable product spring from that exploration. So maybe it’s in craft: a jewellery designer, a clothing designer, a leather craftsman, maybe.

Always wear clean underwear.

I’m simple, so lots of wood, clean, soft lighting, good music, good people. Good people being the most important naturally – company, it is what the word stands for.

I wish I had more time to surf, skate, play more music, paint, create new things. And yes, similarly, I should be doing more of these things.

I’m working on various things currently — I’m working on some jewellery, some sculpting and some leather craft. It’s nothing to shout about yet, I think my skills are still quite rudimentary, but you never know, you just might see something towards the end of 2015.

There are plenty; I have a strong affinity to places that I grew up in, no matter how much they have changed. Katong holds a special place in my heart, and so does Bedok and Lucky Heights. In artists, who else but our very own Mr Sabotage himself, Mark Ong, who has been representing the scene for the past 12 years. Maybe it’s because we get drunk together a lot, but also because he has always been true to himself and constantly evolves beyond.