On Stand-Up Comedy

 

Last week, just before July this month, when I'll be conducting not one class but two, I decided to do a bit of exploration beyond just finance and gaming. So I paid $50 to attend a stand-up comedy event by Rachman Blake who is still performing at Blue Jaz at the moment.

It's good to get out every now and then to do things out of the blue. Anthony Robbins called this a 'breaking the pattern' and it was money well spent. I had a good laugh but I also managed to get exposure to what a world-class performance is like.  

What I particularly like about the performance is that the comedian took great pains to understand what living in Singapore is like and shared some really sharp observations about us.

I won't spoil all his jokes which centre on his sex life and dating in general but one of my favourite anecdotes is about Singaporeans who love talking about interest rates while on a date. And this was a great observation because if I were in the dating scene, I'd definitely talk about Fed action this coming end-July and its possible impact on interest rates and home loans. I think talking about interest rates exceeding 4% for fixed-rate loans is probably more exciting (and painful) than talking about anal. Worse if your loan is tied to SIBOR/SORA.

While I doubt ENTJs make great comedians, I'm beginning to see that exposure to comedy is not just relaxing and fun, but also good for my business, because the injection of some comedic elements can make my material more engaging. Some clients go for my programmes because of my competence, but I think I can increase my reach if I can improve my warmth. 

I'm not coming from unfamiliar territory as I did try some improv in the past but I did not follow up after one session. Feedback from classmates was that my jokes are too 'atas' and require some knowledge of current affairs. Also almost 4 decades of TRPGs should help. 

So I'm going to do this the slow steady way, I'm going to sign up for comedy courses in Udemy which should set me back less than $200, then I will slowly attend a couple of stand-up comedy acts. This July, I will attend my first Powerpoint karaoke session.  

If I find some avenue where I try my luck with an open mic setting, I'll go to unleash a few quips about FAs and hope I don't get beaten up by insurance salesmen. 

If you have a cruel anecdote or gag about FAs and don't mind me stealing and repurposing your material, feel free to write to me with your contribution.