Esquire Singapore: Confronting Non-Confrontation in Singapore

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!

Her World: Dear, Can I Go Out With The Guys?

Dear, Can I Go Out With The Guys?

My first column in Her World!

Dear, Can I Go Out With The Guys?
Why should men ask for permission to have a boys’ night out? LAREMY LEE learns the answer – along with why guys need alibis.

Recently, two trends have emerged in my life:

  • More and more of my engaged or married guy friends need to ask their fiancées or spouses for permission to hang out.
  • More and more of said guy friends use me as their “alibi” when getting said permission.

No, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Let me explain…

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

GANGWON STYLE!

Last Fri (13 Jan 2013) was quite an eventful day.

As part of my training in the Weapon X project, I went for yet another operation on Fri (a minor one this time: it was the affixment of abutments).

Since it was day surgery, I tottered home from the National Dental Centre after my surgery in some degree of pain.

But before I entered my home, I checked my mailbox out of habit, and I found I had mail.

Ergh, I thought. Bills and the like.

But wait – it wasn’t just bills. There was a letter from the National Arts Council.

Was it the reply I had been waiting for?

Letter of Offer: Participation in the 2013 Toji Writing Residency, Wonju City, South Korea

It was! Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to Korea from 1 Apr to 31 May 2013 as a Writer-in-Residence at the Toji Cultural Centre!

I’m extremely happy because my career plans/plans in general for this year are slowly falling into place.

I’m also very excited because I’ve been reading what others have said/blogged about Toji and it sounds extremely awesome!

Check out:

I’m looking forward to Korea and I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that I get the next residency I’m applying for.

Wish me luck!

P.S. I forgot to mention this: another good thing about receiving the letter on the day of my surgery was that it helped quite a bit with the pain.

Well, I might’ve imagined it, but hey – a little bit of endorphins never hurt anyone (pun intended)!

P.P.S. An ex-colleague had a very interesting contribution to make following my announcement about me being awarded the Residency on Facebook:

OPPA GANGWON STYLE!

Lollerskates.