“Dear N,
As I was reading your dissertation in the train, I could not help but wonder about this strange connection we have over written words. And yet here we are, pouring our soul into this limit set by the institution! But having said that, it is a real joy and pleasure to read. I dare say you might surpass a lot of the local writers here if you do decide to take up the pen. Another great arsenal to have in your portfolio.
Thank you for inviting me, and many others into your space. It must have been a really difficult decision to make, but a necessary one. Does this affirm/reaffirm your faith? I do not know. Does it make the less trodden path you are about to embark on firmer? I can give you no answer. Does it give you solace and peace at the end of the day? Perhaps. But I do know this. You will become stronger in your own right. Not because I’ve said it, but because you’ve already did. You thanked for my inspiration in the letter. It is I should be thanking you instead. For courage, for love, for freedom.
Your sincerely,
C”
untitled (what arif wrote)
Shima
Epilog Kasih (2004)
“Terbayang ombak ombak bersama rantaian bunga tanjungnya yan mengaun mimpi, harum dan ganas.”
Picturing the waves with a chain of Tanjung Flowers that flows the dream, scented and violent
untitled (in conversations with my sister)
“We take in all these titles and labels like ‘ex-pat’, ‘PRC’, ‘wife’, ‘daughter’, ‘educated’, and we drown in them and we fight them, and we lose sight of what is really important to us because we are so busy trying to tell the world who we are supposed to be.”