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SINGAPORE: The world will be a brighter place if there were more Tay Ping Hui-s around.
Due to the high-stress and fast-paced lifestyle of our modern city, it is not surprising that Singaporeans tend to keep to themselves and go about their daily lives with little sincere interaction with others.
The charismatic actor dispenses constructive advice for those who are increasingly becoming more workaholic. “Everyone needs to be a little more friendly. A smile is free but it is worth a thousand dollars,” said Tay.
Almost sounding philosophical, he added, “It is free for you but to the other person, it’s priceless.”
He also observes that not only should Singaporeans flash their pearly whites often, but how it seems difficult for most to rid the sceptical mindset of how smiling at strangers without any rhyme or reason is immediately deemed as behaving outside of our country’s social norms.
“It is not weird [to smile at strangers] and I think in general, we just need to be more accepting towards one another,” said Tay.
We don't blame you if you're a little surprised by all this, considering the MediaCorp actor was once labelled arrogant and even voted Turn-Off Of The Year. But in person, Tay is very friendly and easy to chat with.
His kind on-screen persona in Channel 8 drama “Baby Bonus” which airs next month, seems to be a reflection of his real character. Starring alongside Felicia Chin, Jesseca Liu and Terence Cao, Tay unleashes his inner nerd, playing Li Jiacheng, a bespectacled, friendly guy next door.
“I am an extremely good guy... I think one that doesn’t exist in the real world. He is really kind-hearted, a little nerdy... basically just a gentle giant,” he said of his character.
In the show, Li Jiacheng comes to his neighbour, Apple’s aid (played by Chin) by shouldering some of her baby-caring responsibilities after she irresponsibly leaves her one-year-old son in his care.
For Tay, he is grateful he doesn’t have deal with neighbours from hell.
“I am fortunate enough to stay in a place where the neighbours really care for one another, not like the Everitt Road disputes between neighbours which happened a few years back,” said the "Toa Payoh boy" who grew up in the heartland.
While he says he has had a “pretty good experience so far due to a mutual level of respect for one another”, he inevitably draws comparisons between present behaviours to that of those “10, 20 years ago where people are more friendly towards their neighbours”.
Again, he attributes this lack of openness to the increased pressures from work and in other areas of life.
“People are just busier with their lives; they don’t bother and that is sad.”
Also, it seems that the 39-year-old has lots of prior experience with young children judging by how well he handled the one-year-old toddler while filming “Baby Bonus”.
It is then no surprise when he proclaims that he “loves and is very fond of kids” and hence is “pretty used” to attending to the little one.
“I am at an age… where I am quite old, so my paternal instincts have developed. The only drawback is sometimes they can get temperamental, so that might affect the filming, but thankfully everyone is extra patient,” said the suave actor who claims to be “ready to be a father anytime”.
Does he recall any fond memories as a child then?
“There are too many. I cannot list a particular incident, but rather (it is the) entire process and journey of self-discovery that we go through during our childhood that makes us who we are in life today,” said Tay.
Without elaborating further, he briefly mentions how he experimented with things that his parents told him not to but does not regret them at all.
Just like a kind and wise guy, he offers another piece of valuable insight.
“All the cumulative experiences I underwent in life makes me the man that I am; it adds character to us as human beings.”
- CNA/il
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