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These are strange times we live in-- we’ve stopped believing in things that happen. The pandemic has been going on for more than a year, after all. Still, I think it was almost a shock to realise how quickly we got used to things. And when I say “we”, I mean “I”, of course, but it’s easier to talk about these things if you pretend you’re not the only one. Though I don’t doubt that there are others out there who feel the same. As the number of cases (and deaths) ascended--rather steeply at one point--it became almost surreal to think about the immensity, the scope of tragedy happening every day, and the way we’re barely able to engage emotionally with the facts. I don’t mean this as a castigation; perhaps desensitisation and detachment are necessary tools, at times, by which we make sense of the world without losing our minds. Plus, against this backdrop of disease and isolation, the usual injustices—police brutality, homelessness, fatally shoddy infrastructure, the stark shortage of effective, compassionate leadership—seem more pronounced than ever. But I wonder if some things have always been this bad, even before the virus. And it’s only that our heightened sensitivity to the news these days, and the pervading sense of general despair, have made us more receptive to the darker side of reality. Receptive, yes, but somehow, at the same time, in disbelief. If there are passengers on the train, that’s only a throng of ghosts. If there’s a light in the hospital window, it’s just the dark’s blinking eye. If there are any who have died, they must still be teetering on the edge between life and afterlife. Hence, this poem. But as with anything, its bleak, cynical outlook is only one side of the story. There have been instances of goodwill. Grief, when necessary. Healthy dissent, and efforts to reclaim justice. Enough that the world hasn’t earned the world’s end, as Szymborska puts it. There may also be some small comfort in the fact that if things have always been this terrible…well, at least some of us have still made it this far. We can choose how we face this. If nothing else, we bear witness to what goes on in this world. And that’s not nothing. How else could we have stood here
and watched this world do what it’s always done? One of the most astonishing (or maybe unbelievable) things about living through a pandemic is the crazy conspiracy theories that keep going around, whether it's about the virus itself (no, the pandemic is NOT a hoax) or the vaccines (no, you don't get 5g or turn magnetic) or off-the-shelf/home remedies (no, minum air suam doesn't help) . Celine Wu pokes at this phenomenon in Two Evils, spinning a crazy theory about what a hypothetical Malaysian vaccine trial is trying to do on the side. However, looking at the state of the world and our science comprehension (as well as the ability to tell fact from fiction), we felt the need to slap on a disclaimer: This is a fictional story which is entirely made up. There is no conspiracy. Vaccines work. Please get vaccinated as soon as you're able to. Excerpt:Su Min was still impressed that her girlfriend’s father had managed to get their entire family into the vaccination trials. While everyone was allowed to apply, the process was tedious and took weeks. Not only had Mr Liu gotten it done in a day, but he had also bagged Syuen an interview with the programme’s head researcher so that they could be well-informed of all the potential risks and side effects. This perk was also why they had chosen this trial vaccine instead of one produced and approved by another country. It was coming on 6pm now and Su Min was getting antsy. Why hadn’t Syuen texted her back after so long? In spite of their friends making fun of them for being the couple who lived in each other’s pockets, they maintained constant contact. It was the only thing that kept Su Min from feeling too untethered in this world gone mad. Messaging Syuen had been what got Su Min through the MCO. It was strange for Syuen not to text her after so many hours. Celine Wu is D O N E with everything right now. More than ever, she would like to escape into a magical world of her own making and ignore whatever consequences may come. Unfortunately, she's stuck in this realm trying to make a living like everyone else. In her free time, she reads and complains about her various craft projects (among other things).
If you were writing a letter to a future you, what would you say? In Side Effects of the New Normal, Rebecca Vega ponders the unexpected changes we're going through as a society and wonders at how quickly we seem to have accepted this new normal. Excerpt:The world is a quieter place now. Staying in a more tourist-friendly and populous part of the island, it was a strange stillness to behold. I have spent almost two decades of my life falling asleep to the sounds of mat rempits racing off into the wee hours, at times competing with the crash of plates from the restaurant next door (almost always followed by the sound of angry hokkien). I no longer hear Akon’s hit ‘I wanna make love right now’ booming into the night from the nearby clubs. These are now dead silent nights. I will admit, it was an eerie but much-appreciated silence in the beginning. The first night I went to bed in complete silence, I had a smile on my face. Months later, I look into empty streets at 9pm and am starkly reminded of how life has so suddenly shifted. But not to worry, this is just another side effect of the new normal. Are the streets still empty? Rebecca is an editor, writer, embroidery enthusiast, and bibliophile. Her current writing projects explore our relationships with mental health, social media, and the shifting social landscapes of Gen-Z. She is also managing plant parenthood with hopes of expanding her green family soon.
We've finished edits on NutMag Volume 5: Lost, and are moving on to layout, so here's a peek at our contents page! Over the next few weeks until we launch in October, we'll be posting up short snippets and maybe some guest posts! Plus, of course, our actual launch and how you can grab a copy of this year's zine.
If you answered "YES!" to both questions, you may be who we're looking for! Our usual cover designer is swamped this year so we're looking for someone new to design NutMag 5's cover! Check out the submissions page for this year's theme and our homepage for previous covers. Our budget for this year is RM150. If you're interested, send us an email at [email protected] telling us who you are and why you want to design for us. Don't forget to include samples of your work! Deadline: 31 July 2021 (Saturday) We closed our funding on 21 December 2020. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated and shared our fundraising drive! Here's a shout out to all our Super Home Groan Supporters, whose names will also be appearing in the acknowledgements of our book. Aneeta Sundararaj Anne Lim Charles Chiam Charlie Tan Darren Teh David & Deborah Tan Eksentrika Evelyn Teh Joelle Saint-Arnoult Julya Oui Kang Chung Yee Krishnaveni K.K. Panikker Nancy Jenster Ong Lin Lin Phoon Lei Kuan Sebastian Colorado Sukanya Dhanarajan Tang Sui Lan Winston Lim Yasmin Bathamanathan Digital rewards have been released on Christmas, so if you donated at any of the digital levels, do check your emails! We launch Home Groan on FB at 10AM! See you there!
Today's the final day to pre-order Home Groan! As of last night (20 Dec, Sun) at 10pm, we are currently at 45%! There will probably be some variance between our current figures here and the actual, as we continue to match the funds received in our bank and paypal account with the forms, plus manual bulk pre-orders. Which is also a reminder: if any of you have sent us money but NOT filled up the form, please do so now so that we can make sure that you'll get your copies of Home Groan. aDDITIONAL sUPER hOME gROAN sUPPORTERSTang Sui Lan Charlie Tan To everyone who has been faithfully following our updates and resharing our posts, THANK YOU! See Week 1 and Week 2.5's Super Home Groan Supporters. |