Arrival at Toji Cultural Centre (토지문화관)

Tue, 2 Apr 2013
4 min read
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Farewell, folks.

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So I left on a jet plane to Korea on Sun night/Mon morning.

This trip has been in the works for the last three months, so I’ve spent that time prepping for it – buying clothes, handling administrative matters, having a Laremy Lee Farewell Tour, etc.

Which was all fun but super tiring, considering the other two big things I had to juggle consecutively/concurrently: relief teaching and an In-Camp Training.

Spending my 30th birthday the same way I spent my 19th: bearing arms while bedecked in green; serving the nation at the rifle range.
Spending my 30th birthday the same way I spent my 19th: bearing arms while bedecked in green; serving the nation at the rifle range.

I also spent the last three months informing people that I was making this trip, usually in response to having to politely decline meet-ups, wedding invitations, work, etc.

Most times, I managed to stun the people I was talking to into silence by telling them that I was going to Korea for plastic surgery.

Of course I did eventually reveal to them the real reason, which you can read about here.

I got the plastic surgery idea from my friend Yanhe, who – unbeknownst to me and his fiancee – told his fiancee I was going to Korea for an operation to improve my face.

When the three of us met for dinner, I spent a large part of the conversation trying to figure out why Yanhe’s fiancee was trying to avoid talking about Korea – until Yanhe revealed to us his deviousness.

Does not trust him... anymore.
Does not trust him… anymore.

Anyway, I’m finally in Korea.

So far I’ve been updating friends/family about how life is like, recovering from jet lag (and possible Laremy Lee Farewell Tour fatigue) and settling into the routine of breakfast before 10am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 6pm.

I also made a new friend.

Oh look – I made a new friend.

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After reporting this news to the Checkpoint Theatre Whatsapp group, I promptly got scolded by Koh Bee Bee, who said, “We asked you to make friends with Korean ladies, not Korean ladybirds.”

Bee Bee is one of the many who has either encouraged me to bring home a Korean girlfriend (why, Singaporean girls not good enough, is it?) or shag as many Korean girls as possible (why, Singaporean girls not – OK, let’s not go there).

You can see where Singaporeans have their priorities – between making love and making art, they choose making love. Very pragmatic.

Although a friend did point out to me that making love to some people is akin to making art.

For the record, in any case:

  1. Bee Bee falls into the former category i.e. she wants me to bring home a Korean girlfriend;
  2. I’m here to work on one act of a play and about 12 poems.

Some pictures of how Toji Cultural Centre looks like:

The courtyard outside the dining hall.
The courtyard outside the dining hall.
Inside the Cultural Centre.
Inside the Cultural Centre.
What I mistakenly thought was the other housing block of residences.
The other housing block of residences, where the Korean writers are housed.
The block which I'm housed in.
The block which I’m housed in, along with some of the other “foreign” writers.
View of the Centre from my block.
View of the Centre from my block.
A writing bench outside my room (look at the mountains in the background).
A writing bench outside my room (look at the mountains in the background).
The door to my room (No. 505)
The door to my room (No. 505)
My somewhat spartan cupboard.
My somewhat spartan cupboard.
The attached bathroom.
The attached bathroom.
I have a mini-bar fridge as well (nothing in it yet, though).
I have a mini-bar fridge as well (nothing in it yet, though).
My bed and my writing table.
My bed and my writing table.

More (and better-taken) photos over here.

So that’s it for now, folks. I’ll provide more updates on the weather, language, food, activities, etc. in time to come.

Assuming North Korea doesn’t decide to strike first, that is. But that’s a premise for another play.

Panel: Playwriting to Directing (Sat, 23 Feb 2013)

Fri, 15 Feb 2013
1 min read
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All In! Young Writers Media Festival 2013

As part of the activities for the All In! Young Writers Media Festival 2013, I’ll be moderating this panel next week:

Playwriting to Directing
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2013
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Venue: Imagination Room, Level 5, National Library, 100 Victoria Street, Singapore 188064

Join Chong Tze Chien and Zizi Azah, who have both served as playwright and director in their turn, as they discuss the nuts and bolts of the details involved in the production of a play. How much of a say do actors get? How strong is the influence of lighting and sound direction? Where does the playwright’s voice end and where does the director’s vision begin? These burning questions and more will be answered during this session.

Please join me!

Esquire Singapore: Confronting Non-Confrontation in Singapore

Mon, 4 Feb 2013
2 min read
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Confronting Non-Confrontation in Singapore

My first column in Esquire Singapore!

Confronting Non-Confrontation in Singapore

Singaporeans bitch too much. Or so the saying I’m loosely paraphrasing goes.

Case in point: how often do you see updates like this from your Singaporean friends on your social media networks?

“Get your daughter’s head out of my vagina, bitch.”
(Context: It was a crowded bus; the mother was seated and holding her baby girl in her arms. Unbeknownst to the mother, her baby’s head was pressing against someone else’s crotch.)

“Just boarded an empty train when a lady pushed me from behind and let out a loud ‘TSK’. So impatient for what? Bitch, right!”

Indeed. And that’s one of the reasons why I term such posts “bitch-rants”.

But before the feminists get on my case, let me further clarify that:

  1. The epithet “bitch” is usually – but not always – bandied about in a bitch-rant, because the rants are about bitchy people, regardless of gender; and
  2. The people ranting do so in order to bitch i.e. to get something off their chests.

Bitch-rants are so common nowadays that when I wake up and I don’t see any bitch-rants in my social networks, I actually start worrying and searching for one…

I can’t post the full text because of copyright reasons so please get a copy of the February issue of Esquire Singapore from newsstands today!