Since I started writing short stories when I was 6 or 7 (this is according to my mom – citation needed), I have always wanted to publish my writing. I wrote countless poems and short stories during my school days, mostly when I’m bored at classes. Unfortunately the problem was the follow up – many of the stories were unfinished, or even lost. Goodbye published stories.

So when my friend Putu kept telling me to write a human-interest story about my name-change, I was skeptical about myself. Because 1. As I said before, I have had problems with my attention span and follow up when writing longer pieces and 2. I have never written a human-interest piece tailored for newspapers/magazines. Sure I have written some pieces on this blog, but of course the style is much more relaxed and carefree – not really of publishing standard. I actually planned to blog about the name change already, but he convinced me to just write an article about it.

The process of writing that article took about 6 months, including slacking and forgetting about it. I started with conversation bits because that’s how I like it. Call that my style or something. That was the shape of the article for months, until the time when I just moved in to a new room. Since it was a new room, I had not configured the internet connection. Staring at my computer without internet connection, I then decided to open the almost blank document and started writing… Before I knew it it was nearing 1000 words. (I sent the early draft to Putu after I configured the internet connection, the subject line: “What I did when I didn’t have internet”)

I initially wanted to talk about the process of the name change, but the funny/annoying stories about my one-name took up too much space. If I’m not wrong I ended up with almost 1500 words for only the anecdotes. So I decided to scrape the name change process story.

“Remember that papers usually ask for 1000 words”, he said. Ugh. “Help me edit it then,” I said. Score!

The final draft was +/- 1025 words. He helped me to cut it until about 990. I then sent it to The Jakarta Post and The Jakarta Globe. That was December 22 – I remember because it was “ondeh-ondeh” day, my auntie made some delicious rice balls in ginger soup. Unfortunately The Jakarta Globe’s mailbox was full and I had to resend several times until December 25 (Christmas!).

On December 30, Globe emailed me back saying that they would like to publish my story. The only catch – I would have to shorten the piece into 750-800 words as per the column requirement. Damn! From 1500, 1025, 990, now 750-800? I could hear my pretty words crying. And yet I said ok.

Then I tried, miserably, to shorten it. I couldn’t bear it. My words were all crafted carefully. My kids, my darlings!

“You gotta help me. I give up.”

And so through Google Docs on flaky internet connection (we were both in Jakarta at that time) he managed to cut it into 805 words. “I leave the last 5 to you”, he said. I finally cut it down to 790 words and sent it by January 1. Signed, sealed, delivered.

Days came and went, I took my own sweet time waiting for a response. Well, they would tell me when it was about to be published, wouldn’t they? Then I could prepare to buy a copy of the paper, and cut the part and frame it. (I was serious)

Wrong.

On January 4th, another friend of mine Joe posted a link to an article on my wall. It first seemed foreign. But they kept my conversation bits at the beginning, and then I knew. This is my stuff! After editing and changing some stuff, of course. But they published it!

Excited and confused, I emailed the news editor again, asking about payment and whatnots. I wondered whether they can transfer the payment to my sister’s account (I don’t have an Indonesian bank account anymore), or if they’re not comfortable with it, they can wire it to my Singapore account. Translation – please save me trouble and send it to my Singapore account. Then I also asked whether they can tell me how I can get a copy of past issues. Translation – give me a copy please.

I learned not to use the hinting language too much. The money finally got transferred to my sister’s account (actually I haven’t confirmed this) and I didn’t get a copy of that particular issue. Speaking of which – anyone got one? You can scan and send it to me! It was January 4 2011 edition.

My takeaway? I can only say – I feel lucky. This was my very first attempt and somehow the universe or the guy up there decided to give me a lovely chance. Did my ego some good, seriously.

All in all, an interesting experience. I think I like it. May I experience it more. Let’s write!

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I know I’ve shared about this on Twitter and Facebook, and yet here I am sharing it again. I can’t help it, I’m so happy.

While my friends play with Barbies and Polly Pockets, my parents keep buying me books books books and more books. I have so many books back home in Jakarta that one time the bookshelf broke!

So when I got the emailer from Times (my bookstore of choice in Singapore – cheaper books, same quality!) about their $2 book warehouse sale, I hyperventilated on the spot.

When I got to the warehouse sale I still saw some books being priced at $10, $6, and so on. Confused, my boyfriend asked the attendant and he said that no matter what price is slapped on the book, it’s still $2. I hyperventilated again. Rows and rows of books, from the smallest to the heaviest, all for $2. Novels, cookbooks, do-it-yourself books, biographies, etc etc etc.. For only $2 each. Needless to say, I went mad.

So here’s the listing of the books I bought.. Just to remind myself of how many books I have bought and later on remind myself of how many I haven’t read. Hehe.

Novels

My favourite kind of book, because it’s the kind of book I can read anywhere (and I mean anywhere… Ahem).

Pankaj Mishra – The Romantics

Nell Freudenberger – Lucky Girls

Yann Martel – The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

Short Stories

I used to make a lot of short stories in Indonesian. And ever since I took the class “Creative Writing (of Short Stories)” at school, I grew more interested in reading short stories. They’re short without less punch.

Catherine Lim – Women in Bondage

Oh no! I thought this is a collection of her short stories but apparently it consists of her essays about women in bondage, interviews, and annotated bibliography. Yes I just realized this when I’m writing this blog post. I feel so bummed, I love Catherine Lim’s stories. She came once to my Creative Writing class and she was a wonderful lady.

Gopal Baratham – Of Memory and Desire

Apparently this book is the same thing as the book described above. Oh well, might be an interesting read anyway.

Travel Stories

Chronicles about travelling/living at other countries. Usually amusing.

Peter Carey – Wrong About Japan

Neil Humphreys – Notes from an Even Smaller Island

Travel Guides

I bought them because they look pretty and not wordy! Haha. Currently the possibility of really going to these places is really low. Except perhaps Thailand. I chose the one on Thailand because it was the lightest. I don’t get the point of heavy and bulky travel guides. I mean, it’s supposed to be brought while travelling!

Knopf Mapguides – Milan

Knopf Mapguides – Stockholm

Globetrotter – The Philippines

AA Essential – Thailand

My boyfriend and I collectively bought 8 travel guides. So 4 of them stay with me while the other 4 stay with him. The ones at him are guides to Miami, Munich, Malaysia, and Naples.

Others

And some other stuff…

From Harvard Business Press – Lessons Learned – Straight Talk from the World’s Top Business Leaders – Starting a Business

Ong Siow Heng and Nirmala Govindasamy-Ong – Metaphor and Public Communication: Selected speeches of Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong

Ron and Caryl Krannich – Nail the Cover Letter!

Oh man, I haven’t even finished reading books I bought at the Carrefour sale some months back. I’m currently reading The Namesake. Normally I would ask you to give me recommendations of books to read, but I guess not today

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The song was based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poem from “Gitanjali”.

The poem is very beautiful so I thought I would share this little literary gem to brighten up your day.
(translated poem found in School of Wisdom. Find more poems in “Gitanjali” in that link.)

If the day is done,

if birds sing no more,

if the wind has flagged tired,

then draw the veil of darkness thick upon me,

even as thou hast wrapt the earth with the coverlet of sleep

and tenderly closed the petals of the drooping lotus at dusk.

From the traveler,

whose sack of provisions is empty before the voyage is ended,

whose garment is torn and dust-laden,

whose strength is exhausted,

remove shame and poverty,

and renew his life like a flower under the cover of thy kindly night.

I hope my choir will learn this fast and I’ll be able to share our performance with you. It’s a very beautiful song

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Why, Why, why am I still asking?
When I know it’s all because of me
Too coward to continue
Too afraid to listen
Refusing to know the truth

So, why, Why, why are you still here?
Floating around, singing “Why, why, why”
Along with the what-ifs
Along with the memories
Memories of crushed hopes and sleepless nights
Memories of tears and swallowed pain
Pain, Pain, why did you come with Why?
Tears, Tears, why are you still rolling down?

Tell me why, Why, why can’t I let go?
Why, Why, why can’t I stop?

Oh, Why
You have stayed in my mind for so long
Now why, Why, why can’t you just go?

I hear the why why ringing
Hi, Why
I wish I can say bye to you soon…

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Here’s one English poem I found. (I usually read Indonesian poems, with super rich vocabulary and grammar-breaking form)

Titled “Funeral Blues”, it’s more well-known as “Stop All the Clocks” due to its first line. It was written by W. H. Auden.

You can listen to my reading by clicking play below (flash player needed) while reading the text of the poem.
Enjoy..

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

My first time ever reciting a poem in English (really!). It’s exciting. Hahaha.

In case you don’t like my rendition, here’s a popular version, read by John Hannah at the film “Four Weddings and a Funeral”

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The sun will soon set
yet don’t fret
Since we’re together
with all the love we can gather

I’ve never made a poem in English before.
This one was scribbled on my boyfriend’s course handout =P

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