ARGH

I hate it when a post doesn't get published because of Blogger's occasional server hiccups. I just made a rather lengthy post, and now it's all gone.

Oh well. my point there, anyway, is that I got Alfian Sa'at, this brilliant Singaporean poet and playwright, to sign my One Fierce Hour book. There was this big talk at NUS, see, and Alfian was one of the speakers. It was big in the sense that top officials (including the NUS President and Guest of Honour Senior Minister of departments I forgot), JC representatives, the press (Channel News Asia, The Straits Times) were all in attendance. Alfian was one of the four guest speakers. Oh, they talked about Singapore and its youth, about if the youth were turning out to be the "diminishing torch of idealism".

It was a very entertaining session, I must admit. But more than that, I learned much about Singapore and its issues, which may help me in my Singapore Studies module. (I'm enjoying my SS btw, and won't have it marked as pass/fail instead of the letter grade..maybe I'll even take a Minor in English Studies) I have to admit also, that Alfian was one of the major "pull" factors of the academic symposium.

If you remember, we've been discussing Poetry in my SS class, and Alfian's book was one of those we tackled. It was brilliant to say the least. He provides a very relatable kind of poetry in the Singapore context, yet manages to discuss the greater Singaporean issues incisively and with wit and humor. And oh, he was 21 when he wrote the book in 1998, while he was a medicine student here in NUS, and since then he has made a growing list of books and plays, and has received some Young Artist and Poetry awards.

I was rattled when I spoke to him, and, I spoke in lightning-speed again, as I always do in those tense, awkward situations (See entry the other day about that Choir Comm). But he turned out to be nice and friendly, even approachable.

I guess that makes me a fan of this accomplished young man. I sure hope though, that the next time I go ask for an autograph of some accomplished youth, like Jason Mraz or Usher maybe (!), I wouldn't be all too jittery. Maybe I should start attending those Toastmasters sessions I signed up for?