I will not settle to become No. 2. Ever since I was a child, even before coming here to the Philippines, I've always believed in doing my best.

Outwardly, I may look quiet, but deep inside, I'm full of this sense of challenge. I'm always striving to work harder, to improve by learning, to do better and keep dreaming.

Pride or ego is not important to me. What is more important is common sense, the welfare of the company, and the objective reality that we need to be cautious during difficult times. One should not make decisions based on emotions or ego.

Regional developers have a clear head start in their home communities. They have been there longer and understand their market. As a result, these markets are, in fact, more competitive than those in Manila.

Money is not God, and human dignity is very important.

Album sales have collapsed, with few artists making money from albums; touring is more lucrative. But I'm 53 now and won't be able to tour forever, so a logical step is to get into writing film scores. Trouble is, you need to be somewhere which has a big film industry - another reason why I'm thinking about living in California.

There is a very real danger that financial regulation will become a wolf in sheep's clothing.

I'm sort of murdered for selling books. The idea is, if you make money your work can't be literary.