My Perfect Weekend with actor-host Cavin Soh
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Singaporean actor-host Cavin Soh, seen here in the city of Hat Yai in Thailand in August, likes taking overseas weekend trips to relax.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAVIN SOH
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Who: Singaporean actor-host Cavin Soh, 54. In 2005, he clinched the Best Supporting Actor accolade at the Star Awards for his portrayal of the scheming Zhou Daqiu, the main antagonist of Channel 8 drama Portrait Of Home (2005). In 2014, he was named Best Info-Ed Programme Host for his work on Let’s Cook (2013), a series that introduced the food cultures of different races in Singapore. The Mediacorp artiste is playing a chief executive with the ability to control time loops in the Channel 8 sci-fi drama If Tomorrow Comes, which is available on mewatch and co-stars Zong Zijie, Xu Bin and Gini Chang. Soh is married to Ms Serena Yeo, 48, who works part-time in a church. They have a son, 13-year-old Kayden, and a daughter, 11-year-old Bethany.
“I love going on weekend trips by myself to places such as Batam. I will stay in a basic hotel – say, for $40 a night – and just watch life go by from the room balcony.
I can spend hours observing people riding motorbikes and the actions and body language of pedestrians. Unlike people in Singapore who are often in a hurry and looking at their phones, people in developing countries can be very happy-go-lucky and laid-back.
Once, I saw a man standing by the side of the road looking at an abandoned car. When other drivers felt he was obstructing traffic and sounded their horns, the man held up both his hands, (as if to ask) what the big deal was. I think watching such snippets of life can be helpful to me as an actor. These real-life experiences can inspire my future performances.
On some weekends, I take my children on trips to Johor Bahru to give my wife some time by herself to recharge at home.
They love to visit escape room attractions, so during the March school holiday weekend, we went to The Escaper at Taman Mount Austin. My son and I solved puzzles inside a fantasy-themed room. My daughter felt claustrophobic and decided to wait for us outside.
The experience made me realise he was more creative than me, and better able to think outside the box. It was also a good chance for me to encourage him at times when I felt he could be more confident.
Afterwards, the three of us went for dinner at 5pm Lalapot, a well-known restaurant in Johor Bahru.
Singaporean actor Cavin Soh, with his son Kayden and daughter Bethany at The Escaper, an escape room attraction in Johor Bahru, in March.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAVIN SOH
I treasure spending time with my kids because I am usually the discipline master at home. When we are overseas, I get to show them my fun side.
On the trip, Kayden confessed he was initially worried that travelling with me would not be fun. But he admitted that the trip turned out to be quite enjoyable, and this comment made my day.”
