It’s actually rather freaky

There’s a programme on BBC Two right now called The Choir. It’s about a classical choirmaster taking on a school that has never had a choir, and training a group to compete in the World Choir Games that were held this year.

It’s completely freaky since the World Choir Games were held in Xiamen, and my magazine was the official guide book for the games. I almost feel like I have to focus my camera on the television screen and wait and hope to catch a glimpse of my magazine lying around on a table or something.

I’ve heard that there is an editorial in a later issue of the magazine saying that I left Xiamen suddenly. The impression I got was they are accusing me, behind my back, of leaving them high and dry. I didn’t. I got pissed off with the Chinese publishers because I spent my own money on research in China — as I always did — and did most of the writing and all of the editing from Singapore and they were, as usual, dragging their feet on actually getting it published. All this work for an issue I would never see. So I told them they could use the stories I wrote and edited, and to leave me out of it from then on.

No sight of my last What’s On Xiamen on the programme. Ah well! Hehe. Neil thinks the conductor, Gareth Malone, is a poof for crying at the end. I disagree. I’m sure it was an incredibly stressful experience, and when it was over, he did need to let it out.

• 18 Dec 2006

• Thinking