By Justin Kor

In a kitchen filled with the tantalising sizzle and smoky aroma of grilled meat, Timothy Loh was on the move. He was a man on a mission, with plenty of food to cook and many hungry mouths to feed.

With one eye on the orders flying in, he deviated between grilling juicy patties and assembling burgers to serve. There was still the chicken liver karaage to deep fry and buns to toast too. In between, he shuffled from table to table, getting feedback from customers about their meals.

It was the Good Friday public holiday, but there was no rest for the 29-year-old. He would be on his feet for 10 hours, whipping up food at The Spiffy Dapper – a bar in Telok Ayer – as part of his pop-up food venture.

But this non-stop action is exactly what he lives for. Besides tossing people on a mat, this fighter loves tossing up good food too. Working in the dynamic F&B industry has always been his calling. “I love the pressure. It’s just like combat sports – very fast-paced and very stressful. There’s a high you get to it, and I’m a junkie to that adrenaline,” he said.

There is no shortage of adrenaline for this workhorse who practices muay thai, judo, sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. He is always on the move. Besides training, he splits his time working at a bar and a bistro, coaching at a gym, and attending school on certain evenings. Did we mention he also freelances for a marketing agency?

Even he doesn’t know how he does it all. “I just do it,” he said. “I enjoy it. For me, keeping my brain busy is very relaxing.”

Grappling with time

From the minute he wakes up at 5.30am every weekday, it is a non-stop party with time. Training begins at 6.45am, before heading for a bistro, Park Bench Deli, to work the afternoon shift. Evenings are usually reserved for either school, coaching, working at the bar, or another round of training. In between these commitments, he slots in appointments with his marketing clients.

Weekends are entirely dedicated to what he loves best: cooking and serving food in the day, and bartending at night.

“I love feeding people. For me, it’s something very personal – food transcends all boundaries. And I like to eat. As an athlete, you got to eat. I didn’t get to this size on carrot sticks and almonds,” said the heavyweight who weighs over 100kg.

He is used to clocking little sleep. “I think my sleep has become more efficient over time. I can sleep five hours, wake up, and be ready to go,” he said.

While his days may always be packed, it is no pain, no gain. “I’m tired, but I like the grind. At the end of the day, I’m happy knowing I got through a tough day,” he said.  “I get a big satisfaction out of it. Doing these things that people deem difficult is something really rewarding.”

“Nothing can hit you as hard as people”

Sport has helped him hone this tenacious spirit and the confidence. “When it gets busy, when it gets tough, it’s nothing – because I’ve already been through stressful situations as an athlete. Nothing can hit you as hard as people,” said the martial artist who clinched bronze in judo at the 2013 and 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

He does not shy away from trying new things too, as reflected in his martial arts repertoire and varied working roles. At the 2019 SEA Games, he represented Singapore in sambo, and battled his way to a bronze.

Most importantly, competing has taught him how to bounce back from adversity. “It teaches you how to lose,” he explained. “In a restaurant, if you mess up an order, you move forward. You can’t be fixated on your mistake. That’s one of the biggest things I’ve taken away from sport.”

Having to juggle so much in a day, it helps that he is an eternal optimist. “I’m a very firm believer of appreciating the little things. For example, when the train comes just as I reach the MRT station, or when there’s no queue at the food stall,” he said.

“All these small positives add up, and it’s just a small hitch when you get that one negative. It doesn’t affect you.”

For now, he wants to represent Singapore in yet another martial art – wrestling – at the 2021 SEA Games. He also aims to open his own restaurant.

“There are a lot of things you can worry about in life, but there are so many other things that you can be grateful for. That’s always helped me in life whenever the odds are stacked against me.”