charlene's little zine of stuff

Interview- Character Profile Article

We are sharing a pint of Erdinger Dunkel. It is not his first interview of course, but I sense he needs some loosening up. His controlled practiced tone and almost emotionless expressions are affirmative of that. National junior record holder Calvin Kang is probably best known for his sprinter speed and having been interviewed many times before, this 20-year-old is too used to questions revolving around it. I tell him that he is a practiced interviewee. After some denying and coaxing from me, he almost grudgingly admits this with short laughter. It has been two weeks since the athlete returned from the Commonwealth Games in India and already he is preparing for the Malaysian Open this coming weekend. Claiming to be “very, very free” despite his five to six times weekly training schedule, this young man has matured as a promising athlete over the years. “The Commonwealth Games is one of the four main games for us, and actually Singapore hasn’t qualified for a number of years. Although we didn’t plan to win anything, my team ran a season’s best”, Calvin recounts with a nod and a small smile. When asked if he is confident of winning the Malaysian Open Men’s 100-metre race, “Probably hope to be in the top three” he states matter-of-factly. “My personal best is 10.53, I hope to clock a 10.6 this time round. The competition isn’t as stiff.” He informs me that he is the youngest in his team of 23 to 24-year-olds. There is a casual confidence, albeit a part arrogance, which I suppose every successful sportsman would possess. Shuffling a stack of drink coasters on the raw wooden table, the practiced interviewee slips into a fidgety mode. I am reminded of his boyishness and ask how he is different from other males his age. My question brings on a near 10-second pause, and as he leans to his right while supporting the weight of his head with a propped elbow, he lapses into that “professional” persona once again, pondering with a straight face. “I think I have more people skills. As a sportsman, or someone who has an influence in sports, I’ve had more chances to travel. Meet people, and different cultures. I really know what I want in life, because we’ve been taught to always set goals. Translating it to your life after sports is also important. At this age, I’m educated about what to expect after that. Okay. Yup.” He ends off abruptly, and awkwardly. “So what mood am I in now?” My interviewee is playing the part of an interviewer.

Interview- Character Profile Article

“You’re in that practiced mood. But I hardly even blame you”, I shoot back. Calvin playfully responds by throwing me a second question but I cut him short. The burning question of whether promising national athletes like him enjoy perks is answered enthusiastically. Travelling around to take part in competitions is one of the greater perks many athletes enjoy. All expenses paid trips do not come by for everyone and Calvin, like any other sprightly, adventure-seeking youth, obviously laps up this advantage. The lucky bloke has travelled to faraway places such as Poland where he experienced nightlife and clubbing for the first time. It is with this in mind that I ask him to share any interesting or significant experience he had while travelling around. A grin plays on his mouth as he immediately launches into the defensive. “Recording eh? No significant experience.” He chirps. Catching sight of my narrowing eyes, he laughs and asks rhetorically “Talk about clubbing only? Serious? I went to two clubs there, Euphoria and another which name I can’t remember. The people there were so welcoming and after knowing we were competing athletes from overseas, kept buying my friends and I drinks. I think they might have put something in our drinks though”, he recalls, amused. That enthusiasm is quickly replaced by a tone of derisiveness when he shares about his one pet peeve about the local sports industry. “Pet peeve?” he echoes the two words carefully, while looking at me quizzically. I have to repeat my blunt explanation twice. “Its something that you’re not really happy about.” I give him an encouraging smile as he folds his arms. His eyes soon find a spot on the table to be his point of focus as he pondered a bit. Lifting up his eyes, he deadpans “Only when you produce results then you get more perks I guess. For example, the soccer player playing within S league, he’s paid to train and play. For track and field, you’re hardly even paid to train or compete. If someone wants to pursue sports as a career, there has to be some gains.” As he twirls a coaster, it veers off and drops onto the ground. Reflexively, I inform him that it had dropped. He brushes it off with two words: don’t care, and continues his stride of words. I would not have second-guessed if his

Interview- Character Profile Article

casual attitude were a cover-up for the high standards that are expected of him. “You’re under a lot of pressure to perform because if you don’t do well, you just end up struggling. The talent pool in Singapore is quite small, and many athletes give up halfway because of NS or losing of interest. In fact, my association is only paying me now after eight years.” By now, he is growing increasingly fidgety, shifting and leaning back into the chair. I point it out to him, to which he responds with a knowing laugh, and provides information on how he often likes to shake his leg too. I wonder if this restlessness is a common trait in all sprinters since he chose the adjective ‘speedy’ when asked to pick five self-descriptive words. “I like the fast paced. But I also enjoy the quiet and the slow. I think that I am perhaps in the middle”, he says this with a learned expression. “Where do I see myself in five years? Probably doing something sports related with a degree in sports management. But then I’m not too sure. We can’t go on running forever, because reality takes over. There is the whole education system and pressures from the government to perform”. Soft shadows cast from a tea-light candle have been playing endlessly on his face since we sat down at George’s. He looks somewhat eager for the next question and I oblige. “What goes through your head when you’re running a race?” “Nothing. I just want to push off the blocks fast and if I’m in front, it’s better. Then by the time you know it, I’m just lasting the last 20m and tired. Most of the time, my mind is blank.”

I. i went to the cemetery today, there is a first for everything.

i visited someone i do not actually miss,

what remains of her since two and a half summers.

i wandered off. my feet skipping across crumbling stone, my

shadow falling on babies' graves. eyes

affixed on angels being sent to earth for a short time

remember you telling me with sad eyes. then some laughter: perhaps, i am an angel sent to you too, you know?

two and some minutes later,

it will be the last i shall ever see of you. II.

(i am in a field of green)

pain comes clear in a field of green fresh and clear as water littered on a lily head

our hearts are like a cemetery,

so much missing contained in one place

Movie Review Article- Australia

Baz Luhrmann has withheld his magic movie-making touch for seven years,

but the highly anticipated Australia readily announces his return with a

bang. This motion picture odyssey is imprinted with his signature theatrical

style, topped with classic cinematic visuals. But as with his previous works

like Moulin Rouge, over the top visuals are, thankfully, still unable to drown

out the earnestness in his voice. Dismiss this epic as being a promotional

tourism run if you must, but beyond the backdrop of the beautiful Outback,

Luhrmann weaves a heartwarming story based on aboriginal history.

The entire film is told through the eyes of a half-white, half-aboriginal boy

named Nullah (Brandon Walters), whose endearing demeanour and poor

English grows on you. But it is the story of his people that is brought to life

in this movie, and at some points, cause his famous Hollywood counterparts

to fade into the background. Nullah’s story tells of Lady Sarah Ashley

(Nicole Kidman) who travels to the land down under to settle problems

concerning her cattle ranch Faraway Downs. She is met with her husband’s

tragic death, and the discovery of a corrupted caretaker Fletcher (David

Wenham) whom she promptly dismisses, leaving the cattle un-herded. Enter

Drover (Hugh Jackman), a white man looked upon by the rest as aboriginal.

He comes to her aid and together, they race against time and rival cattle

baron King Carney (Bryan Brown), travelling across harsh landscapes to sell

the cattle to the army. Romance blossoms between Drover and Sarah as they

Movie Review Article- Australia

care for Nullah, but happy times are soon threatened by the World War II

and Fletcher’s continuous plots to take Faraway Downs out of their hands.

The first twenty minutes of the movie begins quite shakily, as the movie’s

main characters are quickly introduced and the plot begins to thicken in a

blur. Sarah’s inability to adjust to the harshness and culture shock in the

land lends comic relief at first. But underlying the laughter is Luhrmann’s

attempt to poke fun at his own homeland, and we are reminded of this the

moment ‘Crikey’ slips out of Drover’s mouth. Yet, the film starts to settle

down as the action develops, and Sarah miraculously reforms into a resilient

woman of the outback, braving desert and hardship. Much of that

development should perhaps be attributed to Nullah having an ability to

unlock motherly instincts within her, causing her to exhibit courage

unknown to her before.

The issues of racism and cultural divide between the Aboriginals and

Whites—of which Luhrmann decides to raise— are embodied within

character represented by the young Nullah, as the audience has nothing

more but compassion for him. Sympathy is almost demanded out of the

viewer, as he loses his mother early into the film, and when it is realised that

the evil Fletcher is his father who refuses any acknowledgement. His

fascination with music and the hope it brings in the face of harsh reality is

encapsulated in the tune of ‘Over the Rainbow’ which first bonds Nullah to

Movie Review Article- Australia

Sarah, and then reunites them together amidst the war. It is a simple touch.

And Luhrmann plays on this divine simplicity by inserting those heart-

tugging musical notes into appropriate moments of the film.

The war mode brings a different atmosphere to the film as our heroes are

divided at this point, and the tune sung is now of loss and confusion.

Emotions and character development are played well by the characters, but

the drama arising from Luhrmann’s long-running fertile imagination is not

for everyone. Yet, beyond the dazzling visuals and widescreen framing, the

aboriginal flavour is a throwback to the fulfilling simplicities of life. It serves

as a reminder to anyone that living on the wild side can be spectacularly

good.