When someone holds a torch for you, does it means that you're gonna be burnt to a crisp?Quite funnily that thought randomly impressed itself into my tired mind some time ago, in between doing my mock IOP presentation and resting from today's Zaobao Cup tourney, which for the uninitiated is the national school's individual tabletennis tournament, a huge ass 128 man competition and for all those who care and for all those who don't I got top 16 in the U-19 category, losing to some seeded China dude ( aren't they all ) 2- 1. AH well.
Anyway I wish they'd allow us to critique the poems in No Other City rather than conjuring up themes to pigeon hole them in so we can present on how effective the poet was in conveying the theme which we have thought of to pigeon hole them in. Circular reasoning? abbuden.
To be fair some works in the anthology are pretty decent, but the majority really try to intellectualize their perceptions of Singapore way too much in the name of pursuing National Identity. National Identity ain't about using jargon and bombast vocabulary, it's about the reader being able to CONNECT with your work, and I certainly don't connect with a poet who's personal description of himself goes :
"What interests me is the totalising effect of urban space, its transformations, its insistent self-reflexive framework between culture and capitalism. The thematics of spectatorship has reduced lives in the city to a phantasmagoria; spirits intoxicated with each other, copulating in a techno-superstructure of commodity fetishism.We exist as ghosts of the machine-future. I want to tell these stories."
Well then, sigh I guess the only apt response would be :
haha no offence. It's not that I don't understand the plethora(woah!) of words you'res saying , just that how this transcribes to National Identity I catch no ball. In other news, and in lieu of the trials and tribulations of the past week that us brothers have to face, I would like to dedicate a song, by the Village People to the good people at furlmusic.blogspot.com, as well as the few, hot-blooded famary men in ACS (I) that know their priorites in life, which are mainly :
1.Health
2.Famary
3.Buddies
yep. and no homo, although I find certain lines in the song mildy disturbing. So here goes :
Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.
Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
You can get yourself clean,
you can have a good meal,
You can do what about you feel ...
Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, what do you want to be?
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams.
But you got to know this one thing!
No man does it all by himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf,
And just go there, to the y.m.c.a.
I'm sure they can help you today.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
You can get yourself clean,
you can have a good meal,
You can do what about you feel ...
Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was down and out with the blues.
I felt no man cared if I were alive.
I felt the whole world was so tight ...
That's when someone came up to me,
And said, young man, take a walk up the street.
There's a place there called the y.m.c.a.
They can start you back on your way.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...
Y.M.C.A
