27 Questions with Tiffany Soi, Asia’s rising yoga, rock-climbing and TV personality

“Don’t be limited by others’ constrained boundaries.” People and institutions have tried to pigeonhole me my whole life into a specific category that I simply exist outside of – I’ve broken a lot of those barriers by being unapologetic about my diverse nature. Establish for yourself whether “you can’t” be or do “x” because you are female/too girly/creative/analytical/too athletic/insert whatever excuse.

When are we not having the best meal ever in Bangkok? A seasonal Khao Neow Mammuang? To be honest the best meals are the ones at stalls that I don’t even know the name of with my family and wonderful conversation – in those times every Gaeng Kiaw Wan, Panang, Som Tum, Phak Boong is a life-changing flavour-bomb of joy. In terms of finer dining, I had a wonderful meal at Bo.Lan and love their ethics and philosophy around sourcing ingredients.

My parents. My (Polish) Mama for her pizzazz, boundless energy and take-no-BS attitude. My (Thai) Father for his considered and wise approach to everything in life. Both for their intelligence, entrepreneurship and unrelenting persistence in life in spite of life’s challenges.  That’s where my grit and grace is derived from.

A newspaper round when I was 12! I hated it but it got me valuable pennies.

A solid gin and tonic (with black pepper ground on top) or a beautiful Malbec. Otherwise, a matcha or turmeric latte, or proper earl grey tea.

Last September in London – I was in town for my brother’s wedding. I LOVE driving and I miss having my own sporty car.

Morning. If I don’t start my day well, it dictates the rest of the day.

Chocolate. And Croissants. And Panang curry. I’m not very good at this game, am I?

Taking acne medication for my horrific acne troubles in my teens. First – all my acne came back anyway after I stopped but moreover, those meds caused lifelong damage in my body.

Truthfully though, I have very strong convictions about not regretting anything in life. I think regret is a deeply damaging state – I believe in acknowledging every outcome and understanding our part in those outcomes in order to progress. When you’ve done something “wrong”, accept responsibility, take the hard lessons, make amends to the best of your ability and figure out how to move forward. Regret will keep you painfully trapped. Of course, there are guys I’ve dated that I cringe over (I mean seriously) and decisions that didn’t go to plan, but I have gained something from every twist and turn – I hope to make the best decisions I can in the given circumstances. Every experience, even the most painful and challenging, has shaped me and helped me to relate more deeply with other humans.

The traffic…we need more public transport, and whilst we have more overline monorail options opening, the city desperately needs more underground line solutions!

Daily! I make my own breakfasts and brunch delights and I love cooking with my husband – he is a domestic God in the kitchen and we love cooking Thai and Asian flavours together. In Bangkok I admit I eat out most of the time, but that’s because there is so much incredible food around every corner – it’s too easy to eat out all the time.

Mediocrity. Leaving this world without doing everything on my to-do list and supporting my family in all the ways that I aspire to. And, not being able to leave this life in a dignified and pain free manner.

Eating a chocolate-fudgy ice cream with serious amounts of salted caramel involved.

This is too hard! Can I break the rules again? Blade Runner – it’s one of the most impactful and striking films of our time and a masterful portrayal of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It’s a character and film noir of contemporary tones with a musical score that was revolutionary. There is emotional power that’s not obviously tangible to everyone beyond the sci-fi audio-visual saga – every time I watch, I am haunted by what it means to be human, what it is to love and to want to live. Other than that, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s Last Life in the Universe (Ruang Rak Noi Nid Mahasan, locally). I adore this Thai art-house film. Its power lies in its subtly strange and dreamlike crafting of two contrasting humans in bizarre circumstances. It’s a worthy tale on life, love, death.

I’ll wake up early to get out and walk outside – it’s the only time of the week where the rest of the world sleeps and is reserved for the few of us who are out absorbing the secret magic. I’ll do some meditating, journaling, reading. Then I’ll head home and have a homemade espresso coffee with the husband. Even though I only have coffee a few times a week, this is one time I’ll have it in the morning with him. It’s our special time. We love the artistry of coffee making! We went on a mini barista training course so love figuring out how to improve our process. The latte art has some way to go mind you. After that, it’ll be a dash down to the rock-climbing wall to get a couple of hours of pulling in – that is our sport and passion. Post training, I’ll make a mean egg brunch! The rest of the day might be dedicated to home improvement activities, more outdoor time, a home movie or…laundry!

Right now, the sensual experience of eating that flourless chocolate cake I just finished. Are we picking up on the recurring chocolate theme? Wellness to me is nothing without chocolate still being involved.

Maybe it’s straddling a motorcycle taxi in a mini skirt. Or using your mobile phone as a sun shield when you go for lunch.

Baby One More Time, Britney Spears. And Gabriel Faure’s Clair de Lune classical piece.

Anyone in a nipple-bearing wife-beater vest or singlet or whatever those things are called.

To somewhere in nature, preferably near some source of water. If it’s the city then museums and galleries make great escape spaces.

That maybe for a brief teeny tiny period of time I thought I was adopted. I was having a bit of an identity crisis as a multi-racial teen. P.S. I am definitely not adopted.

I am guilty and proud for breaking all the rules here! I’m very scent driven, it is hard to isolate one. The aroma of chocolate, freshly ground coffee, red wine. Certain perfumes that dictate the different eras of my life (currently it is Prada’s Infusion D’Iris). A juicy fragrant Rose flower. London Summer rain. The sea in Krabi. My duvet covers. Frying garlic.

I’ve been taught by many standout teachers in both sports and school. Other than my parents, I have to hand it to an old maths teacher (who actually wasn’t even my assigned maths teacher for class!) who helped me when I was struggling during school. He reminded me when my own internal resources were wavering “Persevere. Persevere. Persevere. You will see.” I went from being labelled a maths dunce to graduating university with a first-class Astrophysics degree (essentially an applied mathematical degree!). Perseverance has seen me through the greatest obstacles in life.

I’ll go with the former. Contrary to what people may think, I am a secret introvert and relish being alone. That being said, although it can be overwhelming and maddening being around people all the time, I would be heartbroken not to have time with my loved ones, even if we can drive each other bonkers sometimes.

Where time and distance weren’t an issue and I was able to see my family and friends in London and Thailand, the US and more by quite literally walking through a door. I felt so happy and free. I am so grateful for being able to live in more than one place in the world, and we have amazing tools for connection, but nothing really replaces the physically present time we have with our loved ones. Perhaps that’s the physicist in me coming to the fore? Maybe I need to return to Astrophysics and solve these wormhole problems finally. Who knows maybe I will when I’m done with everything else I’m to right now!

15 in my present wardrobe… more if you count climbing shoes and the ones in storage in London that aren’t appropriate for South East Asian weather. At the moment I’m mostly wearing out some pretty sandal slides that are practical enough to wear even if I’m running around town but stylish enough to wear with dresses.

This is almost impossible to answer – there are too many profound moments in my life to honour! Let’s say in these recent times, it would be getting married to my most fantastic man. It was a fast and fabulous, family-only affair that I treasure. There, that’s my soppiness done!

To keep up with Tiffany Soi, follow her on her Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. And look out for her upcoming (very) soon-to-be-launched #YogaEverywhere with Tiffany Soi, only on E! Online Asia.