Paul Theroux in Singapore !

The book I most wanted Paul Theroux to sign was 'The Happy Isles of Oceania'. It was a collection of his travel through the Pacific with his foldable Klepper kayak. So eager in fact I asked my mum to courier the book to my office as I did not have it with me.

Paul Theroux has a special connection with Singapore as he wrote a book "Saint Jack" about the life of a brothel owner in the 70s Singapore. He taught briefly in National University of Singapore, was told his hair was too long, was sacked, and vowed to write and never to work again. He went on to write over 40 books, many of them about his travels around the world.

This is the first time I ever attended a so-called 'book-reading' session by an author. I am not sure if I should expect the author to read chapters of his books or what. But in came Theroux at the appointed time and he gave a talk about the 'passage of time'. From what he said, if you tell the truth and live your life long enough, you will be proven right at the end. I sort of 'know him' through his writings as an idealistic younger person. And that night he was thoughtful, candid, soft-spoken. Mellow.

He did not talk about kayaking for sure ! But we did talked a little about kayaking during the book signing. I told him about the kayaks I have and he told me he has a feathercraft and klepper. He much prefer the klepper as it was easier to fix. And I did asked him if he would like to go kayaking in Singapore. He answered "Ya, sounds good. Maybe in October." Is that a 'yes' to my invitation? I am crossing all my fingers and toes !

'Keep Paddling' was what he signed off in my book. I certainly will !