Summing up before moving on

"Hello, I don't have anything to print at the moment... Sorry about that."
“Hello, I don’t have anything to print at the moment… Sorry about that.”

Wow! That was a long hiatus.

Besides publicising a couple of events/articles I wrote (what’s worse: some posts are backdated D:), I haven’t posted regularly since late October.

No prizes for guessing why – I was busy with many things and I thought I’d list them briefly here for posterity:

(To be honest, I don’t really like consolidated posts like these; I feel they’re a bit of a cop-out and besides, if the moment has passed, we should just let it go.

But I know I need to sum up what’s been going on before I can move on to two very important upcoming posts I need to make.)

  1. I was stuck in deadline purgatory for quite a fair bit.

    For one, I contributed an article to Article (LOL) for the Singapore Biennale 2013.

    Singapore Biennale 2013 media preview
    Singapore Biennale 2013 media preview

    The Biennale is pretty awesome, BTW, so do check it out if you haven’t already done so.

    Spirit level; level spirits
    Spirit level; level spirits

    I also contributed a couple of theatre reviews to The Straits Times Life! section – you can read snippets of the articles here.

  2. Scooter issues… ZOMG. Read the updates here.
  3. Took a short trip up to KL to escape for a while + do some writing + take a holiday since I can’t take one until March 2014 (explained in a subsequent bullet point).

    Fierce Curry House in Kuala Lumpur
    Fierce Curry House in Kuala Lumpur
  4. Moderated New Word Order featuring Dan Koh, the Singapore Creative Writing Resident 2013.

    Me and Dan at the reading (PHOTO CREDIT: Joanna Koh)
    Me and Dan at the reading (PHOTO CREDIT: Joanna Koh)
  5. I can’t go on leave yet because… I started a new job!

    What’s it about?

    I’m not going to discuss what I’m doing because I want to devote a post to this.

    So all I’m going to say is: news embargoed until further notice.

  6. Was a groomsman and a dinner emcee for Lucas Ho’s wedding.

    Pooters got in on the act too! Unfortunately I haven't managed to repaint it.
    Pooters got in on the act too! Unfortunately I haven’t managed to repaint it.
  7. Celebrated SG Tipsy Trivia’s first anniversary! And we received some media coverage too.
    Oh – and guess who was at that evening's SG Tipsy Trivia!
    Oh – and guess who was at that evening’s SG Tipsy Trivia!

    BONUS: Surprise Siew Kum Hong.

So it was a busy but fun two months, hence the radio silence.

The thing about love

Face off

So, many of my friends and loved ones have paired off or are pairing off.

I’m happy for all of them. Unfortunately, not all of them are happy, and some want out.

In a case like this, what’s the best way to decide?

The conventional decision-making process utilises happiness to decide whether to stay or to go.

That’s not wrong, but the focus is – because it usually tends to be on: are you/am I happy with X?

I’ve come to realise – from both conversations and experience (recent and otherwise) – that this question needs to be reframed so that we address the more pertinent issue at hand – that of added value.

Because the thing about love is that it isn’t merely about value i.e. happiness with X; the thing about love is that it’s about added value i.e. how happy X makes us feel about ourselves.

Assuming ceteris paribus – i.e. we’ve cleaned up our act and sown all the wild oats we need to sow, we’ve let go of any issues or people that need to be let go of, etc. – the real question we should be asking ourselves is:

Does X make me more awesome than I already am?

I’ve seen it in the friends and loved ones who are happy, and I’ve felt it for myself too: a good partner is someone who explicitly supports you in becoming better than you already are.

And rightfully so – if being with someone constrains you; curtails your development as a human being; turns you into a shadow of your awesome self, then is that person really good for you?

It’s applicable to not just love, but at work and in friendships and family relationships too.

For as hard as it may be, all of us will need to cut the strings to relationships that are toxic or stunting at various points of time in our lives.

In making those decisions, we shouldn’t let past happiness or promises of future bliss cloud our vision.

What we should be doing, really, is focusing on the fundamental issue of how much X will be able to help us grow.

And if that growth is going to be minimal, negligible – or even negative – then I’d say you know the answer for what you need to do to be happy.

<ADV> Invitation to Something Old.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue is a quadruple-bill presented by the NUS University Scholars Club (USC). This year’s production is directed by Leonard Augustine Choo, and features plays written by Christine Chong, Lucas Ho and Laremy Lee.

Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 – Sat, 23 May 2009.
Time: 8pm (Fri and Sat); 3pm matinee (Sat).
Venue: Esplanade Recital Studio.
Tickets: $20, $18 (Matinee).

$2 Discounts for students, NSFs and bulk purchases (min. 10 tickets)

Parental Advisory: Coarse language and explicit sexual references are made in this performance. Children below the age of seven (7) will not be allowed into the theatre.

For more details and special offers, visit the Facebook Event Listing, the production website or drop the club an email.

Join us and our talented cast for tears, laughter and everything in between. Welcome to the wedding of the year.


I’ve contributed a 20-minute play to the production, no-strings attached. Sort of like my way of saying thanks to the USP (University Scholars Programme) and the USC. You can read the latest revision here if you like, or read the blurb below:

Something Old
By Laremy Lee

The aisle has been swept, the guests are seated, and the ceremony is about to begin. But just when everything seems to be going according to plan, two uninvited guests arrive. Benjamin, the groom, must explain as best he can why he has not invited these two guests – a particularly difficult task, given that they are his own parents.

Hope to see you there! 🙂