with 3 long silence pauses of 2, 4, 3.19 minutes.
i called the NAC many times in the last 4 days but the main number listed in the letterhead has no one answering and the mail box is always full!
Yesterday - 7 April - i called a direct number to reach the Director of Resourses and Development. i addressed him as Mr Lim.
The conversation go on codially. Then, i put to him a query. There was a long pause.
When the voice came back, he asked me to write in if there is anything he can help. i said i have wrote in many times and the last email with no reply. There was again a long silence...................................................very long silence....................................................................very, very long silence........................................easily 3-5 miniutes!!! Exerggerating? Surely not..... read on...
The voice came back, again he asked what he can do to help. i then asked if he wanted me to read his last email to me? He said yes. So i read to him the first paragraph..........
Thank you for your reply below. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this email to share your thoughts on the many issues you and we face. They are very enlightening, beneficial and thought-provoking. I will not attempt to address them but just wish to assure you that we, as NAC, have looked into most of these issues. We will continue to do so in order to champion Singapore arts/artists and establish Singapore as a distinctive global city for the arts.
and the last paragragh.............
I would like to meet you in person to discuss such matters and get to know you better as an artist. Please do not fly home specially for this meeting. Just let me know when you are back so that we can meet for a chat. Once again, thank you for your reply. I am saying so not out of courtesy or formality. I discern you have put in so much thoughts and belief into the contents. I appreciate that very much and look forward to meeting you.
Best regards
Chwee Seng
"i am not Chwee Seng."
i was dumb founded. i said i addressed you as Mr Lim. He said 'Yes, Russel Lim'
i said: 'Earlier, when i mentioned that i wrote many times to you (i have always write to the Director - Chwee Seng, not Russell - the Deputy Director) why didn't you denial? he said he cannot remember as he has writen so many emails to different people.
??!?!???
Well well, the conversation continued.... and i asked did he get the message i left in his answering machine last Friday. There was a non conmittal reply.
i asked again if his answering machine is not working or has he not retrive his messages?
There came the third silence. This time i was quick to look at the time on the table phone: 26.01.....................................long silence..................................nothing heard of...................... 29.20
the voice came back - 'if you want to know if i have retrived my phone messages or not this morning, the answer is no.'
'Thank you' ( i didn't know it needs to take 3 minutes 19 seconds for that answer from a Deputy Director?!?!).
The call ended at 31.05min with him promising to relay the message to his Director.
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