Reflections After A Poetry Reading

I went for a poetry reading two days ago (thurs) at Little Bali, a little hideaway in the Gilman area (former British barracks along Alexandra Road). There were of course the usual suspects -- local poets half decorated with literary prizes; valued not so much for their talent, but for actually even writing in the first place. Perhaps I'm too harsh, but it's really hard to see the artistic merits in some of their works.

There's a more admirable group -- the ones who, in the glint of their eyes, one can spy hopes, dreams of literary stardom -- i.e. the ones that still believe, still hope, still hanker for their place in the sun. Not brilliant in quality, but certainly worth a modicum of respect.

I was musing with HM on the way back -- that there's a palpable lack of criticism in the local literary scene. Not the sort of criticism where one writer slams another and socks the ego till it's bleeding. But the constructive sort; the kind that we'd work at in our practical criticism for our A level Lit. We practise our craft for two years on famous poets, but let ourselves down at the most important part of that "education" -- critiquing each other's writings.

So I am sufficiently piqued to start thinking about doing some of that. Not just poetry, or the "literary" arts, but in all areas of my life -- to have that critical mindset, to want to help others improve with constructive criticism. Self-reflection is tough -- but the tough words of a trusted friend is a sure way to fire us up the improvement trail.

Now on to something prettier =) ... after the eventful visits to the past and my doctor, it was time to hunt out strange and interesting places in Singapore that only the truly red-whitties would take time to hunt out. Last night, Ruth and I ventured into the strange land of eateries along River Valley Road where two chicken rice stalls duked it out in style -- Five Stars and Boon Tong Kee... and the latter has upped the stakes by going all high-class and soft wrists with its latest artistic rendition of our national dish. With unmistakable Freemasonic influences, it has decided to stake its juicy oily chicken rice in a pyramid. I was looking out for the eye of Ra, but they didn't want to reveal too much -- though it wouldn't have surprised me to find a fish eye staring back at me from the top of the carbo pyramid. And then the chicken -- not content to be dead, cooked and white, it came with the parasitic orchids placed limply on one side .... There's still the strange concoction of lemon barley in a sangria jar that I couldn't fit into the picture ... but I think you get the mental image all right. Next time you go down River Valley Road, don't forget to stop by Boon Tong Kee's Little Gourmet to try out your $12 chicken rice (priced competitively against Chatterbox, I may add). Yum Yum. *grandma rolling in grave*

And now for Scary Pix Number 2 -- my nose and voice box. I have been seeing Dr Ravi for some time about my snoring -- which has become a real problem now that I am married. I told Dr Ravi (supposedly a top notch ENT specialist, who charges like one) that I could not afford the fees much longer. He had given me steroids and other medication (incl my favorite nasal spray -- Nasonex). So he said, ok, you go visit my friend, Dr Tan from SGH. Which I did. Somehow the problem seems to have gotten worse, and when Dr Tan took this latest scope, I was horrified by my enlarged adinoids(?). Possibly new allergies to the cat (meow) we just brought back from Linda's place. And then those horrible "cobblestones" (as Dr Ravi calls them), erupting on the walls of my nasal passage all the way down to the voice box (which is the wide bone-like structure in pix bottom right). He gasped (just like Dr Ravi) "Oh my! Big Tonsils! Must cut!" It's not everyday one gets to see one's inside. So this is the real me, full of strange tissues and weird enlargements. Doing my sleep study next Monday. Hope it doesn't show up that I have apnoea. *fingers crossed* ... Ruth just cringed when she saw the pix.

To continue my earlier series of scary pix, now this one is numero uno. Found between dusty cardboard covers -- a picture taken by then Singapore-Broadcasting Corporation one-hit wonder, "Smart Squares". We went live on TV, me Kok Peng, and Joe-Ern (far left), answering tough questions like "Where's the Brandenburg Gate?" and "Who's the President of Uzbekistan?" We did so well that when we made it to the finals to meet Chinese High and St Andrew's School, they changed the rules because we were pressing the buzzer even before the questions were finished. We came in 3rd, much to the disappointment of our teachers, who were forcing endless volumes NewsWeek and the Economist down our throat while we were preparing for our 'O' levels. Fond memories. Kok Peng is now a lawyer as Drew and Napier, while Jo Ern is a lawyer somewhere in the US (after completing Princeton and Yale Law School). Strange how things worked out. And yes, and then there's me, with my big owl glasses. Scary.