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Singaporean songbird, Kit Chan has released her new book of poems,
Cork Out Of My Head. We catch up with her and talk to her about
her book and the 'corks out of her head'.
By Peng Wan Joo
Everyone has got a dream. For Kit Chan, this dream is to publish a
book of poems of her own. "Actually, writing this book is one of my
dreams which may not mean anything monetarily. I am not counting on
it on being acclaimed. It is just a dream," claims the former RGS
girl.
Book Sales
Her book, Cork Out Of My Head was released in Singapore in early
February. As all the books available are parellel imports as she
does not have a distributor here, Kit is unable to give us the exact
sales figure so far. "But after the book came out in Taiwan, within
a few days, it went into second print so that is very encouraging."
says the level-headed Singaporean lass. With the first print being a
modest 3 000 copies, the sell out phenomenon should be thought of as
no mean feat for a first-time poet.
On The Different Mandarin & English Title
"Cork out of my head is a poem and the Chinese translation would be
Nao dai kai le suan which the publisher didn't like. But I realized
that as a writer, you have more say in what you want to do and that
was great and he asked me what I wanted to call my book and I wanted
to call it Cork out of my head." explained Kit.
Apparently, this name when translated in Chinese would be quite
indecipherable to the Taiwanese. Thus, another more commercial and
acceptable title would be needed for the chinese version of the book.
" Then I was looking through the book and there was this poem with
the title, Xiang Ru Fei Fei which is called Plane Thoughts in English.
I think that these two titles are somewhat related because they are all
about something coming out of your head and that is what this book is
all about. It is about thoughts, imaginations, fantasies, whatever and
later I chose this and they liked it and that is why it is like that."
The 'F' Word
In the book, Kit uses the 'f' word to describe her frustrations and
there were a lot of concerns about whether it would taint her healthy
image. " I don't know if Singaporeans are ready for such books,"
confides Kit. "Don't think that I just put it out there without thinking.
I actually had the manuscript ready in 97 and I only published it in year
2000 and I had a lot of excuses like I was too busy, I couldn't get a
publisher but now on looking back, I realize that they were all excuses.
Maybe I was just scared," she explained.
To Kit, the 'f' word was actually just an expression which came up in t
he form of 'what the fxxx'. "It's okay because I have artistic license,
" reasons the smiling Kit and that statement came not from Kit herself
but her old and very bookish looking publisher. "I actually asked my
publisher if he really didn't mind my' f' word and he told me, " What is
wrong with that? In literature, you are free to express yourself in anyway
you like." So he agreed that I had artistic licenses and since anything
goes, I don't care."
Honesty
For many, the honesty in the book is frightfully raw. "It is such a brave
thing to do, " said the Two Girls when I asked them about their opinion.
While Kit is able explain why and how some of the poems were written, there
are also intangible parts to the creative process which she is unable to
explain.
Truth to be told, such brutal honesty of the book is indeed a rare find in
the entertainment industry. While Kit declares that she would account for
some of the things she has written, there are others which she will account
for. "But I think after you read it, you would know. Some of it is really
honest. There are even names inside. Don't ask me who the person is I will
not tell you but the name is already there."
And because of such honesty, many people fear that such honesty would make
her very vulnerable. "They are being kind and are worried for me but they
don't have to." says the gung ho girl. "I am prepared to take whatever
criticisms and compliments."
--
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> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- <
作者: duffy (平淡就是福) 看板: KITCHAN
標題: [eastciti]Cork Out of Kit's Head(2)
時間: Fri Oct 20 09:53:59 2000
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On How It All Came About
"It is amazing how from the day I met my present publisher till the day
my book came out in the book store, it was only less than a month,"
recalls Kit of her meeting with her present publisher whom she fondly
describes as an old and gentle man. "It just shocked me because when I
met him, he really believed in it. He is like a literati and when he
told me that I write very good poems and I was really touch that he was
willing to risk it."
Despite not having published a poetry book in 10 years, the impressed
publisher was quite insistent on publishing Kit's work and for Kit,
what was most touching about his offer was that when she asked him what
made him want to publish her book, he just told her simply that he would
like to do it.
And so, the touched and impressed Kit started going into full steam and
getting everything together. "At that time, I was working on my album in
the day and in the night I would work on my book, so I think that was why
I was quite sick because I was totally overworking because I was doing
two major projects at the same time."
Thinking Back
Thinking back, Kit acknowledges that the transcripts were in her drawer for
three years because it was not the right time and she wasn't ready.
"I know I am a bit controversial but I kind of decided that like I sing a
lot of songs but a lot of them were not written by me and this is the only
way I can express things that go through my head and it is my way of
sharing it with my fans. It could be shocking but I think if they really
think about it, I think it goes through everyone's head, you know. I am
not worried. I will still continue what I am doing."
For Kit, being a writer or a poet is just another extension of herself and
she wants to keep the two profiles separate. So strictly she has defined
her boundaries that when she launched the book in Taiwan, she purposely
dressed very differently. "I was wearing glasses and everything because I
wanted people to distinguish the writer from the singer." Hmm. I wonder if
she looked like a literati herself in the pair of glasses.
Media Mania
In her book, Kit described an incident where she was doing a photo shoot.
While she was smiling into the camera and doing her best to look good, she
was actually swearing and cursing inside. "Aren't you afraid that the next
time you meet the media, they would think that you are cursing them deep in
the hearts?" asked a concerned reporter.
"No, they understand," explained Kit after breaking out into a huge smile.
"In Taiwan when we launched the book, I actually did a recital of this poem
and all the photographers were all laughing. They totally understand, I think
everyone in the business understands. Sometimes you are already very tired
but you still have to look good and that to me is the hardest part. I always
feel that if you ask me to slog it out doing a manual work and look dirty
after that, it is easier than trying to look good all the time and work very
hard."
" I guess it comes with the job. When I wrote the poem, it was a form of
venting my frustrations. Actually I feel that the poem really should be
read by fans and people who want to be celebrities because think again.
I think it would let them have a look at the other side of the coin. It is
basically a humorous piece lah, dun take it too seriously." explains Kit.
--
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作者: duffy (平淡就是福) 看板: KITCHAN
標題: [eastciti]Cork Out of Kit's Head(3)
時間: Fri Oct 20 10:01:15 2000
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On Her Music Career
"Music is the part which keeps me attracted to this job. Also working
with good working partners is important. It takes away the unpleasant
parts of the job." One example that Kit cited was when she was filming
her MTVs and was going through hell with her fellow colleagues. "But
we still make merry among ourselves and the time will pass. It is very
strange how the more tough a time may seem, when you look back, you
will find that that is where it was most fun."
Citing another escapade with her ex-PA (personal assistant), Kit tells
a story of how the both of them were in Canada to film something. "It
was such a torture. Now when we talk about it, we think that it is a
lot of fun but at that time, we definitely didn' t think that it was
fun. When you have been through something with another person, you end
up being closer so I guess my working partners and music gives me a
lot of satisfaction."
On Her Satisfaction In Work
"A lot of people think that once you are a public figure, you lose a
lot of privacy. But I feel this is yes and no," asserts Kit. "Like my
classmates who are working in banks or stat boards, they are very
unhappy there and they dislike their boss but if I am unhappy, I can
still communicate this unhappiness to my manager and many problems can
be solved and I really appreciate this. I think it is terrible when
you are stuck in a place and you can't do anything about it."
"Sometimes I think that even though my work may seem very sophisticated.
In many aspects I am still the girl I was when I was studying. I still
do things my way as and when I feel like doing them and gain satisfaction
like that. I hope that I can keep this kind of feeling forever." says
Kit with feeling and we cannot help but be impressed with her passion
and self motivation for her work.
On Her Latest Album
"I have always tried to do something different in each album but it seems
that the songs that are played on the radio tend to be ballads so I guess
that is what people think of when they hear my voice." Listen closely to
Kit's album and you will find that there other elements in them.
After putting all her greatest hits on this album, Kit feels that it is
time that she movies on to a new direction and that alone makes her shiver
with excitement. "We are now in the process of getting songs and it is a
very slow process. It is always very hard when you try to find a new
direction." confides Kit to us. "I can't quite tell you yet what the new
direction will be but I would say that one of the criteria that I set up
is that I would like more ..erm, because we used alot of midi stuffs like
synthesized stuffs and the arrangements tend to be very grand. Like this
song we are listening to is a lot simpler and I want to do something more
pared down. Even if there were full orchestration I want there to be more
live instruments or more ethnic instruments."
Year 2000 Plans
For Kit, the year 2000 has been a fulfilling one so far. "It was almost
like for every month I would do something. I have been so happy since the
countdown. From the countdown, I had this wonderful party, then I had my
album and then the book and then a trip to Nepal, I am very very happy
and I am prepared to work very hard now. After I had all my fun, I am
prepared to work very very hard. " And for concert fans, yes a concert
is in the pipelines for the year 2000.
--
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