Catherine Lim rocks. So does my cousin!
Just read the INSIGHT feature on Catherine Lim in today's ST (on a separate note: the INSIGHT today is pretty good: three pretty good articles from the poldesk, but more on that later)
"Among the mourners [at her funeral] will be someone from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), because she is, after all, an author.
The representative, however, will be a low-ranking official, ' whose duty is to represent the minister at the funerals of Singapore's politically controversial writers, playwrights, artists and film producers - the minister preferring to represent himself for the rest '. "
Heh. she rocks. And I love that she has the balls to say this kind of thing still (especially after the whole 1994 debacle). And I want her new book: Unhurried Thoughts at my Funeral
And amazingly enough the ST devoted a whole page to her. and included all the comments one might expect to be cut: eg "I examine political openness in terms of three acceptable things in any democratic society: civic assembly, political cartoons and the ability to sue the government - and win" (I can just imagine her raised eyebrow and the unasked: "Where does that leave us then?")
The political desk at the ST is not known for its independence or candour: esp when people like Chua Mui Hoong insist on eschewing the government line about everything including how foreign talent is good! for! us!
But I have to agree with her column about how no point trying to stop the influx of bright kids from china and india.
I (and anyone who does arts, I think) have never had much of a problem with foreign competition. But the thing is, if you can make it, you can make it lor. If you can't - doesn't matter WHO you lose to, foreign or whatever, you can't. It's just like barely-concealed xenophobia for parents to blame foreigners for their kids not being able to keep up in schools. Some kids just don't do well in school, and some do. No point trying to be indignant about it.
Which reminds me of how I really don't like how Jireh is so rude about my cousin. (actually this has nothing much to do about the foreign talent thing. But I guess it shall be the gripe of the day: )
Flashback to last night:
Jireh: "Your cousin got into Merton. MERTON. But you know, he doesn't know who Jeanette Winterson is!" (gasp! the humanity!)
Me: "SO?! So what if he doesn't know who Jeanette Winterson is? He still got into Merton. He still got the PSC scholarship. And since when is knowing who Jeanette Winterson is the barometer of literary ability? Just because he doesn't know who she is, and YOU do, does not make you any smarter than him, or better at lit. (subtext: YOU didn't get into merton. so shut up.")
Jireh: [in sing-song voice] "Ok then, whatever you say!"
Urgh.
"Among the mourners [at her funeral] will be someone from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica), because she is, after all, an author.
The representative, however, will be a low-ranking official, ' whose duty is to represent the minister at the funerals of Singapore's politically controversial writers, playwrights, artists and film producers - the minister preferring to represent himself for the rest '. "
Heh. she rocks. And I love that she has the balls to say this kind of thing still (especially after the whole 1994 debacle). And I want her new book: Unhurried Thoughts at my Funeral
And amazingly enough the ST devoted a whole page to her. and included all the comments one might expect to be cut: eg "I examine political openness in terms of three acceptable things in any democratic society: civic assembly, political cartoons and the ability to sue the government - and win" (I can just imagine her raised eyebrow and the unasked: "Where does that leave us then?")
The political desk at the ST is not known for its independence or candour: esp when people like Chua Mui Hoong insist on eschewing the government line about everything including how foreign talent is good! for! us!
But I have to agree with her column about how no point trying to stop the influx of bright kids from china and india.
I (and anyone who does arts, I think) have never had much of a problem with foreign competition. But the thing is, if you can make it, you can make it lor. If you can't - doesn't matter WHO you lose to, foreign or whatever, you can't. It's just like barely-concealed xenophobia for parents to blame foreigners for their kids not being able to keep up in schools. Some kids just don't do well in school, and some do. No point trying to be indignant about it.
Which reminds me of how I really don't like how Jireh is so rude about my cousin. (actually this has nothing much to do about the foreign talent thing. But I guess it shall be the gripe of the day: )
Flashback to last night:
Jireh: "Your cousin got into Merton. MERTON. But you know, he doesn't know who Jeanette Winterson is!" (gasp! the humanity!)
Me: "SO?! So what if he doesn't know who Jeanette Winterson is? He still got into Merton. He still got the PSC scholarship. And since when is knowing who Jeanette Winterson is the barometer of literary ability? Just because he doesn't know who she is, and YOU do, does not make you any smarter than him, or better at lit. (subtext: YOU didn't get into merton. so shut up.")
Jireh: [in sing-song voice] "Ok then, whatever you say!"
Urgh.
