November Issue of Teens (Singapore)

West Side Boys and East Side Girls

Rhythm and blues and all that jazz aside (no offence, David Tao!), Tension are essentially five young dudes with, well, the same yearnings and desires when it comes to BGR! When the Tension fivesome waltzed into town, we had to find out what exactly about these LA boys that reduces girls to mush. And guess what? They turned out to be a bunch of “sappy romantics” when it comes to the dating game. Aww…

Welcome to Singapore, guys! How do you find the city?
Raymond: The city has a good vibe. It’s very cultural. When we got here, there were people waving to us from the lobby.
Andy: For a person like me who likes city life, it’s wonderful. You can enjoy the view. Everything seems so serene.
Jimmy: I had some time to walk around this morning and I was thinking to myself I would live here if I had the opportunity. I like places that are multicultural. That’s what attracts me about Singapore.
John: I couldn’t sleep last night and took a walk around. I would really love to come back. If I had a date, I’d like to bring her here. It’s really romantic here.
Brian: It’s not like Los Angeles where the buildings and everything’s clumped together. Everything here looks well organised. I get more of a European vibe here, more elegant, more refined.

With all that strolling you did, you must have met some local girls! How do you find them?
Raymond: (Bashfully) I think a lot of them are very attractive. Very tall, long hair.
Andy: Everybody looks better here. It’s a kind of exoticness. In LA, every girl puts on make-up and it’s the same in Taiwan. People here are more natural, they don’t wear that much make-up.
Jimmy: They seem very independent. Not like some countries where the girls are very passive and they don’t say much.
John: They seem more conservative and mysterious. I want to go up to them and find out more about them. I like the quiet type ‘cos I’m shy and quiet myself. I don’t like girls who party too much.
Brian: I haven’t got the chance to walk around like Jimmy and John. But the girls I see seem friendly and open hearted. They don’t go out of their way to make guys take notice of them.

Say you have to put up a personal ad one day. How would it read?
Raymond: I have to think about it…”No bad habits, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t gamble, looking for a steady relationship”. Hahaha! “From age 18 to 25.” I’ve never thought about that.
Andy: Now that’s interesting. I would say “A friend for the rest of your life”. When I look for a girlfriend, I would want to be friends first. At least we’d still be friends if things don’t work out well.
Jimmy: I would probably say…I don’t know. If I had to post a personal ad to get a girl, it’s pretty sad, and if the girl has to look at personal ads to get a guy, it’s sad too! (Laughs) I’d probably say, “Call me if you have the time?”.
John: I really don’t know!
Brian: Probably say…this is like really hard! Maybe “Old-fashioned, romantic, patient. If you’re looking for a good time, and a laugh, give me a call”.

Who would you date?
Raymond: (Nonchalently) Oh, Andy, Jimmy…(in the background, Andy’s protesting: “We don’t date guys!”) Lately I saw this model, her name is Maggi Q.
Andy: I have the biggest crush on Jessica Alba ever since I saw her on TV long ago. I read an article on her and she’s very tomboy and friendly with guys. (Brian: “What’s wrong with girly girls?”) Nothing wrong! She’s fun to be with and the look on her face just attracts me.
Jimmy: Erm…I don’t really know. Someone help me out? (John: “Mandy Moore!”) Huh? I don’t even know how she looks like! I think the question is, who would I not date? Chynna, the wrestler? Hahaha! Oh, I know! I would date Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I really like the movie and I think I’m like the beast (growls and scrunches up his face)!
John: Do you know who Katie Holmes is? From Dawson’s Creek? I don’t really watch that show but a lot of girls do and aww…
Brian: I was going to say Katie Holmes. (Wryly) It’s pretty lame; I got hooked on the serial by some little girl. I really like [Katie Holmes] ‘cos she got the personality I’m looking for. She’s someone you can sit at home and talk about everything.

What is it about girls that you don’t get?
Raymond: Probably everything! It’s hard for me to get a date to begin with. When I see a girl I like, I get really shy and I end up saying nothing to her. After coming out with me once or twice, she wouldn’t want to come out with me any more (guffaws)!
Andy: There are a lot of things I don’t get about girls. Hmm…oh! Why can’t they make up their mind when we’re going to eat? Like (in a whiny voice) you wanna eat Thai? No. You wanna eat Chinese? No. So what do you want to eat? I don’t know.
Jimmy: I think it is how they can go on for days shopping without rest. I’ve gone shopping with girls and they’ve gone every where, tried on everything and ended up not buying a single thing. I also think girls have very high pain tolerance, how they can give birth and all that stuff!
John: How they can talk on the phone for so long! I’m really close to my sister. I wake up in the morning and she’s like (makes squeaky noises). I’m trying to practise expressing myself more. My sister knows the art of talking and I respect her for that!
Brian: They do all this weird thing with their hair! They can braid and tie hair all by themselves! I can’t tie things behind my back. I’ve tried braiding my friend’s hair before and she’s like, you’re doing it all wrong. You gotta do it like this (gesturing with hands at the back of his head). And she can do it with one hand when I was struggling to do it with two! That totally bewilders me.

How would you approach a girl?
Raymond: I don’t know. Be myself, I guess?
Andy: I don’t. (Brian: ”Girls approach him.” Jimmy: ”He hands out flyers on the streets and the subways stations!”) If I really like the girl, I wouldn’t approach her. I feel very awkward and I start stuttering and I get scared. I prefer hanging out with the person.
Jimmy: If it was someone I really like but I don’t have the chance to know her, I wouldn’t approach her. That is not something I do; walking up to girls and asking them for their phone numbers. I think that looks bad in general. It has to be a natural situation.
John: I’d be too shy to go up to her. I’d probably ask a friend who knows her for some information. I don’t want to jump in and find out she’s attached. I want to make sure I’m in the right situation. Then, I’d ask her out with some friends.
Brian: I tend to approach girls a lot at clubs because I don’t have this idea of making them my girlfriend. It’s just a fun thing to do. I don’t take it beyond the next step. I just ask them to dance and say really stupid things. The best thing is to make her laugh. But if I met one of John’s friends and I was interested in her, it’d probably be a totally different story. I’d probably hang out with John every day and bug him to tell her that she’s cute!