QLRS: On the Subject of Race

Tue, 31 Jul 2012
1 min read
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Malay Sketches by Alfian Sa'at

My review of Alfian Sa’at’s Malay Sketches is now up on the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore (QLRS).

On the Subject of Race
Alfian Sa’at sketches what it is like to be Malay in Singapore

 

Henry   Do you know what you can say? To a black man. On the subject of race.
Charles   “Nothing.”
Henry   That is correct.

– David Mamet, Race, Samuel French: New York, 2010.

 

Two years ago, a couple of friends and I watched the premiere of Charged by Chong Tze Chien, a play with a National Service setting that explores tensions between the Malay and Chinese communities in Singapore.

Those I watched the play with were ethnic Chinese Singaporean, English-educated professionals with an upper-middle/lower-upper class background. I am an ethnically mixed (Chinese-Indian), English-educated professional with a middle-class background.

When the play ended, I exited the theatre with this unspoken sentiment: This was a great play that more ethnic Chinese Singaporean people need to watch so that they know how minorities in Singapore feel. And true enough, my friends had this to say collectively when we discussed the production over drinks: This was a great play – and we didn’t know Singaporean Malays felt that way.

 
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Green spots in urban Singapore! | PIONEER Magazine

Fri, 1 Jun 2012
2 min read
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So I’ve been featured in this month’s issue of PIONEER Magazine!

It’s in the Little Black Book column – if you didn’t get the significance of the name, it’s meant to convey the idea of it containing important information that’s sometimes not known in the public sphere, because:

  1. Soldiers (usually commanders) usually carry a small, black notebook around with them to jot down notes of seeming consequence. I use(d) mine for writing poetry and Map Grid References.
  2. In civilian parlance, a ‘little black book’ refers to a filofax or notebook that men keep with the names and contacts of girls they intend to get jiggy with.

In any case, my actual submission/the actual Q&A as follows:

  1. What tops your list of green spots in Singapore?
    A wooded area at the back of the Turf City fields. It’s not marked on the map but it’s bounded by Turf Club Road and Fairways Drive.

  2. How did you first find it?
    It was a chance find – I was looking for the Turf City fields when I stumbled upon this gem.

  3. What do you like about it and what are some of the things which people can do there?
    I like it for its picturesqueness; it reminds me of the English countryside. Its tranquility is also good for having a moment to one’s self for creative or meditative reflection.

    You can go there to run, cycle or take a slow, romantic stroll with a date. I’m sure writers and artists can also draw inspiration from the beauty of the area.

  4. What’s the best way to get there/ explore this space?
    It’s best if you have your own vehicle. Alternatively, take a bus to Dunearn Road, alight at the Turf Club Road bus-stop and walk to the area.

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More PIONEER magazine madness here.