ASE WANG: I FOUND LOVE
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Ase Wang is excited. For the model-slash-actress-slash-entrepreneur, the end of the year is her fresh start. “It’s cleansing, like a restart button. So I get quite excited,” she says. It’s also a time that she likes to spend with her parents. “I’m the only child, we’re a tight-knit family, so it’s just the three of us — which is always a good way to spend the holiday season.”
The 35-year-old, who is based in Thailand running a chain of gyms (BoxHiit) and barber shops (Never Say Cutz), was back in Singapore briefly last month to wrap up a TV series. We took the opportunity to catch up with the multi-hyphenate who talks about the year she’s had, finding love, what’s on her Christmas wish list, her obsession with pillow cases and money, and her 2018 resolutions.
Do you celebrate Christmas?
Ase Wang: Yes. My mum is Swedish, so we do celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. It’s super traditional — we have the tree, the food, the drinking, everything. Yes, yes, a lot of drinking involved. Haha!
Have you started gift shopping?
AW: No, I’m so super last-minute with stuff like this and, to be honest, with my family, we’re not so big on gifts. I think maybe it’s because I’m not married yet and I don’t have kids, you know, and when we celebrate Christmas, we usually celebrate with another family, and we’re all grown-ups. I mean, we’ll buy each other small gifts but we don’t go crazy. But we do get together, have the tree up, drink and talk about how our year went. Also, we’re at that age now when we’re not like, “Yay! Let’s wake up and open presents!” I mean, if you want to give me one, then sure, I’ll take it. Haha!
But, I do tend to buy gifts for my staff at the gym or my barbers at the barbershop. We have a year-end party for the barbers on the 26th, and there’ll be a lucky draw. To me, that’s a lot more fulfilling because this is the team that helps you build your business at the end of the day, and they don’t earn a lot of money, especially in Bangkok. So I would rather buy gifts for them. With friends, it’s the memories we create really.
What about you? What would you like for Christmas?
AW: Oh, there’s a lot of things I would like, I don’t even want to go down that road… Haha! What would I like? Well, right now I’m really into doing up my condo in Bangkok, I’m really into home stuff. I’m obsessed! I don’t know, a new TV. If you’re talking about non-material stuff, I would say, this year has been quite a challenging year. I think, speaking of cleansing, it’s time to cleanse unnecessary people in my life. Yeah, I think that would be a good one.
What about jewellery? It’d be nice to open up a box with something sparkly inside, no?
AW: Haha! Well, you know what, I’ve actually never been a jewellery person until recently. I feel like the older I get, the more I’m into diamonds — a girl’s best friend — I stand by that. Bracelets, earrings, rings… I’m not so much of a necklace person, but if you give me, I take lah! Haha!
What’s the most meaningful piece of jewellery you own?
AW: I think it would be this Cartier Love bracelet. My dad bought one for me and one for my mum…
What was the occasion?
AW: There was none — which is why it’s so special.
What would you say are the highlights of 2017 for you?
AW: I found love, so that’s good! I never thought that was going to happen, haha! All my friends have given up hope at that point. But yes, I found love. And there’s my new business, my swimwear line, Seven Night Stand.
Do you tend to look back and think about how you could have changed certain things or how you would have done things differently?
AW: Yes! I’m a thinker. In fact, I think I think too much. But I have learned in the last three years that some things just cannot be changed. I also learned that people don’t change — I mean they might change a little bit, but they are still going to be that person inside, you know, so you don’t have to find excuses for them, and don’t try to understand why they do what they do.
What makes you happy?
AW: Moneyyy! Haha! You know what’s crazy? Just yesterday I had on a pyjamas set with dollar signs all over, and my parents were like, do you sleep in that?! I’m happy that my parent are alive. That’s like my Number One thing. Yeah, It’s really just that simple.
Any resolutions or goals for 2018?
AW: Erm… I guess I do want to start a family, have kids. But before that, I would like to take more time to do things that I generally like to do, travel more, travel to places that I haven’t been before.
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Images: The Canary Diamond
