881 vs Ratatou-something

The last two movies I watched were Royston Tan's 881 and Pixar's Ratatouille.

To me, these two films sing to two different groups of Singaporeans. Ratatouille's main guy, Remy (above), has a great gift: his keen sense of smell. It qualifies him to be a great chef, except that he's a rat! That didn't stop him, because he believe he can overcome that handicap. In 881, the Papaya sisters are talented Ge Tai singers, qualifying them to be the top act during the Chinese Seventh Month, except that one sister is destined to die of cancer. The similarity in the two movies is that both heroes/heroine shone despite their personal obstacles.

It's the difference between these two movies that I felt is most instructive in understanding Singaporeans. Now, this is just the crazy in me talking, but 881's hidden message is: "I am going to die soon, please let me hog the stage with my traditional act." Ratatouille's message? "We may look like little punks to you, but we're taking over the kitchen!"

Which ever movie you prefer after the viewing, don't miss either.

James Bonnet

Singaporeans don't like to read or buy local story books. Books on politicians and ghosts are the bestsellers. That's a fact.

Can't blame Singaporeans. In the pursuit of more wealth, our pragmatic little nation has neglected to buy some local Soul (and I'm not referring to those souls we burn lots of paper offerings for during the Ghost Festival). Tell a good story, and you bet Singaporeans will support (see, so many go see Royston Tan's 881!).

It's really up to the local artists to sharpen our skills.

I'm lucky my stories moved some modest book sales and plays, with, like, minimal dollars spent on publicity. But ask anybody on the street, and it's like, Otto who? Haha.

So, in the midst of setting End Of Year exam and preparing for a comic drawing workshop, I signed up for a one-day course in the Singapore International Storytelling Fest organised by National Book Development Council and The Arts House.

The seminar I attended is called The Creative Process and the Art of Storymaking. The speaker is James Bonnet, writer, teacher and story consultant.

He also wrote two editions of the book Stealing Fire From The Gods: The Complete Guide to Story for Writers & Filmmakers.

It's amazing how inspiring a short session with a master storyteller can be. I used Bonnet's creation the Storywheel and the Golden Paradigm to think deeper about my next comic project on the Monkey King. And here's some of my lecture notes:

So, my Monkey King is someone who never got approval. Budhha and the Heavens may have helped him in his Journey To The West, but nothing he did was ever good enough.

Er Lang, a formidable God, is like some privileaged kid with wealth, powerful parents and cool cars. Why, he even has more eyes than the Monkey King (like all the be-spectacled 'four- eyed' intellectuals). My Monkey King is the quintessential Chow Ah Beng (local version of the under-educated, low-class underdog).

So, I'd like to thank the Book Development Council and the Arts House for their wisdom to bring in James Bonnet. Thank my leaders in Raffles Institution for their foresight in allowing me to sign up for a course not directly related to my teaching subjects. Thank James Bonnet for generously imparting his knowledge.

Thank goodness for all your wisdom.