The Curious Diary of Mr Jam
Page 32
Mrs. Jam is at home, happy at the prospect of her husband being “professor of storytelling” at a university—it sounds like a proper job, for once. It may even be conventional enough to please the bank manager. It’s going to be a busy year. In Singapore, my new agent Andrew Vine has already arranged a series of appearances for me, and several international publishers have commissioned books.
Around Asia, newspaper sub-editors are putting the final touches to special editions for New Year, some of them containing humorous looking-ahead-at-2009 columns. The subs have all been asked not to remove my punchlines. Some may even comply. This year has been a tough one for jobs and investments, but it seems to me that the whole world, including Asia, is about ready for a laugh.
The Quite Good Noodle Shop on Electric Road, humble nerve center for the Asian humor industry, is empty this chilly, damp morning. But as I open the newspaper and wait for my computer to boot up, I have the strangest feeling that there are a lot of people sharing that small, stained, round table.
Epilogue
Nury Sam Jam Vittachi still writes columns and books and makes live appearances. He is as close to solvent as any creative person has any right to be. The Quite Good Noodle Shop went through various incarnations, but all have now closed. Benny left Hong Kong, as did Fanny. Eddie and Des are still in their respective fields. Hendrick Mong became the chief editor of his newspaper. Harold S.T. Woot is still rich and miserable. Mr. Jam’s dog still refuses to fetch sticks.