Every day, hundreds of thousands of passengers take the MRT, traversing across the island for work, school and leisure. The spate of disruptions and incidents, which the operators and authorities are looking to resolve, and the inconvenience caused to commuters, have brought into focus how the rail network has become a big part of our lives. So, too, are the countless faces we meet on the subway, some growing familiar over time and each with a story to tell.

In our Faces on the Subway weekly series, we speak to commuters who start their day while it is still dark, or call it a night when others are already fast asleep — people on the first or last train.

SINGAPORE — At his very first fitness modelling competition, Mr Kasbani Kasmon strutted on stage wearing just a pair of tight blue trunks. In the audience watching him was his mother, whose “jaw dropped” at the sight of her son parading his almost naked but muscular body in public.

Then 20 years old, Mr Kasbani took part in that contest thinking he could somehow impress his girlfriend who had broken up with him and reconcile with her. He did not win her back, but he soon realised that it was his own self-esteem that needed mending.

So he decided to stick to regular gym work and that became his newfound “love” interest. For the competition, he had spent two-and-a-half hours daily over a six-month period to bulk up his physique, as he was still looking scrawny at 19.

Now 28 and married, Mr Kasbani is co-owner of a gym in Chua Chu Kang. He still spends close to two hours every night training at the gym before heading home for the day, which was when TODAY met him on the last train home to Punggol along the North-East Line.

While he was looking every inch a fitness buff, Mr Kasbani said that it took a long time for him to be comfortable with who he was.

“I’ve been quite a reserved, soft-spoken person since young. I was in Malay dance in primary school and wasn’t exactly like the other boys who played football. They were brash and confident. I didn’t have that confidence.”

At his first competition, called the Singapore Calendar Guys, he remembered he was dwarfed by the other taller and more muscular contestants. Mr Kasbani, who is 1.68m tall, did not think he would make an impact, but he ended up being among 12 men who made the cut to be featured in a 2010 calendar. He was “Mr January”.

His mother’s response to his feat? “If you enjoy it, just pursue it.”

A few months later, Mr Kasbani took part in Manhunt Singapore and walked away with the Mr Best Abs title. Between 2011 and 2012, he modelled for magazines in Singapore and overseas, appearing on some of the covers.

Though it was initially “awkward” modelling and speaking before an audience, he soon learnt to be “more outspoken”, he said.

TAKING FLIGHT

In 2013, after graduating with a degree in communication design from Australia’s RMIT University at private school SIM Global Education, he was tempted to work in the fitness industry, but he also thought of pursuing design work since he was fond of drawing.

In the end, at his best friend’s urging, he applied to be an air steward with Singapore Airlines and was accepted. “I heard that the pay was quite good and I wanted to pay off my study loan,” he said, adding that he was earning about S$5,000 a month on the job.

Even while flying, he maintained his fitness regime at overseas gyms, including the famous Muscle Beach Gym in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, where Hollywood actor and former United States governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used to train.

Mr Kasbani then found that his bulging muscles got in the way of his work, because the stewards should preferably be lean to appear presentable in suits. “One supervisor said that if I grow too big, I might not fit into the aisles,” he added with a laugh. “Another said that my suit might tear because of the muscles. But she was right, because I did tear my suit twice, while reaching up to the overhead compartment and pushing the trolley.”

Itching to get back into the fitness scene, he secretly took part in the Asia Fitness Model Search in 2015 and emerged as the overall champion.

He finally quit flying in 2016 and accepted a job offer from his friend, a co-owner of health and fitness club Anytime Fitness in Chua Chu Kang.

Only a few months into work as the club’s manager, Mr Kasbani was asked to be a co-owner, a role he assumed early last year.

FLEXING OTHER MUSCLES

Anytime Fitness, a franchise that entered the Singapore market in 2013, allows individuals to be sole or co-owners of its fitness clubs here.

As co-owner, Mr Kasbani has to design health and fitness programmes to attract new members, manage the branch’s finances, and supervise his four employees.

“When I was a club manager, I only had to complete my tasks and leave for the day. But as co-owner, I have to think ahead about how to improve business,” he said, adding that he has to offer personal training services as well.

Working five-and-a-half days a week, his day begins at noon and ends at 9pm. Then he spends another 90 minutes doing his own personal training.

His wife, also 28, is an air stewardess and now trains at his gym when she is not flying. They had met on one of his first few flights with Singapore Airlines and were married in 2016. The couple live with her parents in a four-room Housing and Development Board flat.

When asked how she helps him stay fit, Mr Kasbani said that she takes care of his meals, which consists largely of chicken breast meat cooked with olive oil. “She says it’s easy to cook for me because I’m not like the typical Malay husband who must eat nasi lemak (coconut-milk-infused rice) or other gravy-based dishes.”

In the later half of this year, there are a few fitness modelling competitions lined up for him. Mr Kasbani would like to compete until he is in his 50s. “If I can still maintain my fitness that is,” he said with a chuckle.

He is also going to try his hand at volunteerism, to help youth-at-risk. There is a motivational talk coming up at the Singapore Boys’ Home next month, and he hopes to inspire the teens to channel their energy to keep fit instead of engaging in unhealthy activities.

“Fitness is not about losing weight or looking good. Training at the gym builds up your character. You become more disciplined and it trains you to focus on your goals,” he said.