Yesterday was another typical day in the life of the Cenkudu Chumps trying to write in Singapore.

On the one hand, a group of 4 20-somethings told us how 'fantastic' our trip/book idea is, and that we should certainly keep trudging away towards our goal of a published book. What was most satisfying is that in a short space of time, their understanding of our project moved from "What the heck?" to "Wow, great idea. Can't wait to read about it."

Seemed genuine enough. Not just lip service.

However, just a few hours earlier, an elderly Singaporean had offered us this thinly veiled criticism:
"So, are your parents concerned at all that you do not have a real job?"

How does one respond to something like that?

"Our parents are supportive!" (which they are)

"Our parents are happy as long as we are!" (which they are)

"But it is a real job!" (which it is)

Too much effort. We have learned to let some slide. You can't win them all. The only way they'll be convinced is if the book makes a lot of money.

But that was never the point.

Here is a photograph that appeared in Singapore's The New Paper on July 15, 2004, a day after we had embarked on our journey. Thanks to good friend Jen Lee for writing a great article, that highlighted what we were about to do, and encouraged other Singaporeans to likewise do something 'different' with their summer internships.

Riders

Writing in Singapore:
It's funny. We sort of decided to start this blog to document the experiences of budding writers in Singapore. So, perhaps we should start talking about this a bit more.

To say that it is tough to be a writer in Singapore is a collosal understatement. People ask us what we are doing in life and we respond writing a book. A few rare Singaporeans compliment us on our expedition. But the other 99% of people offer discouraging commentary.

Negative reactions range from the instinctively Singaporean:
"Ya, ok, but when are you going to get a real job?"
to the downright stupid:
"Writing? Huh? For what? Who is going to read?"

For so many of our country(wo)men, engaging in something creative is still seen as the loser's option, a
"I see, you can't get a job with a respectable company so you go and do this lah." attitude.

This problem has been discussed ad nauseum by the Government, in the press, in coffeeshops etc. Need more creativity, need to think outside the box etc. etc.

So why do so many people around us still ridicule us, still express shock and surprise, still give us incredulous looks as though we are wasting all our precious time and money spent studying by writing a book?

(And, it must be noted, that many of these reactions come from unlikely sources - good friends, relatives, people we've studied and worked with who know us well. )

Hard to say. The most obvious reason is that human attitudes can't change overnight. We were once taught to think and act robotically, and now we are asked to think and act creatively. How long will that take?

When will wanting to write a potentially meaningful book earn somebody the same social capital as wanting to be a doctor, lawyer or banker?
Maybe never. From the reactions of most of our countrymen, it would appear as though Singaporeans have no business writing books.

But for the few who believe, we'll keep slogging away. Even if never published, hey, at least we tried.



(Additional thoughts:
We've heard many blame the Government for their overly manufactured methods of engendering creativity here. Critics claim that "You can't tell somebody to be creative, it has to be an organic process." True, but the criticism goes too far. And it ignores the fact that all of us Singaporeans are so well trained to live our lives by Government diktat. If the Government didn't tell us (and show us and push us) to be creative, would we ever?

We're slowly opening a can of worms. Can artistic creativity ever be fully enjoyed/expressed while living under limited socio-political rights?)