SINGAPORE — Walking around in hot pants? I’ll pass, said Gold90.5FM DJ and actress Denise Tan.

“These tiny bum-hugging, cellulite-enhancing short shorts weren’t meant for short curvy girls like me.”

Singing in Hotpants, well, that’s another thing altogether. In fact, she’s pretty excited to play Connie Foo, one of the main characters in the revival of the Dick Lee musical, which will open in a couple of months.

Tan has already appeared in three of Lee’s other musical revivals (the 1998 and 2008 versions of Beauty World and Zolo’s Fried Rice Paradise) and can’t wait for rehearsals to start. “I’ve always loved the songs and I really love the ’70s,” she said, describing her character as an “energetic, restless mother (who’s) a bit of a desperate housewife”.

Besides hearing Tan’s voice on radio regularly, we’ve also been seeing her a lot onstage lately. And she’ll be back again before a live audience in December for her first “full” Dim Sum Dollies show, The History Of Singapore Part 2: The Growing Up Years.

Coincidentally, there are other people she wishes would grow up, too.

> RANTS

Road rage: I can’t stand drivers who don’t signal before making a turn, or drive in the overtaking lane when they’re going too slow or straddle two lanes because they can’t decide which to stick to. Oh, and uncles who assume that because I’m female, I cannot parallel-park and take it upon themselves to direct me from the roadside by shouting and banging on my car.

Trolls: Maybe, it’s just me, but social media is meant to be a place to be sociable, right? It’s supposed to be an online community, open to the exchange of ideas in a civil, loving manner, right? I think trolls who spew hatred and sow discord through their posts and comments, (while hiding) anonymously behind their devices and handles and avatars, are mean-spirited, spineless cowards. If you have an opinion, say it, but be prudent enough to think before you type, brave and proud enough to stand by your point of view and identify yourself! Otherwise, just sit on your fingers and keep quiet.

Carbs: Why do potatoes, bread, rice and noodles have to taste so good when they’re so bad for my waistline? Why haven’t French fries that don’t make me bloated been invented yet?

> RAVES

Good reads: The Ship Of Theseus is a wonderful book I’m savouring right now and it appeals to the geeky English Lit student in me. Lord of the Nerds and King of the Star Trek and Star Wards franchises JJ Abrams is the brain behind this complex story within a story. First, it’s a mysterious story full of historical and political allusions to murder and corruption, written by an even more mysterious author. Then, there is a love story that unfolds in the margins of this book, told via handwritten notes traded between a pair of university students who are both researching this author and trying to find out his true identity.

Good eats: Crispy spiced pig ears from Moosehead restaurant-bar on Telok Ayer Street. Be warned, these snacky little morsels are highly addictive! Salty, spicy, cartilaginous and crunchy, these deep-fried bar snacks go all too well with beer.

Good films: The movie Chef has a lot of heart, soul and stomach — Jon Favreau makes it work in delicious ways as writer, director, producer and actor in his role as a chef-turned-food-truck-operator. You’ll love it if you’re fan, like I am, of cooking channels. Don’t go hungry, though, or you may find yourself gnawing on the armrests.

Catch Hotpants from Aug 14 to 30, 8pm, at Drama Centre Theatre. With 3pm and 2pm matinees. Tickets from S$40 to S$83 at SISTIC. Visit http://www.hotpants.sg for more information.