Negative feelings often come and go, but some stay longer than we expect. I recently went through one of those stretches. It wasn’t just one feeling; it was a mix of many, including grief, boredom, loneliness,

I’ve been spending a lot of time working with paper lately. It starts off quietly. I look through my folders to find a drawing that fits. After that, I edit the poem that goes with it. Then comes the layout

Embuas (banded kingfisher), one of the Iban’s omen bird. Photo taken at the Borneo Cultures Museum. People sometimes ask whether I am superstitious. I never know how to answer that question. I grew up

If I could get rid of one word, what would it be? It would be the word "should". Why? That word is not rude or offensive. When someone uses it in a sentence, it doesn’t hurt or shock on impact.

As I write this, the world feels tense and unstable. The escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran weighs heavily on many of us watching

The hardest DIY project I’ve ever done was teaching myself how to be an artist. I did not attend art school or take any formal art classes or workshops. I learned by watching YouTube videos, reading books,

There are times I read voraciously. Other times, a book sits unopened for weeks, waiting for me to catch up to whatever it’s trying to say. I used to feel guilty about it, for not finishing or for moving

A woman from the 14th floor of my apartment block took her own life a few weeks ago by jumping from her balcony early on a Saturday morning. I didn't know her. She was just another person who lived at

I grew up in the 90s, an era when beauty was defined in strict, unyielding ways. The girls in the magazines didn't look like the women I knew at all. They had thin bodies, sharp cheekbones, long arms and

Tomorrow is the soft launch of Akar Kita Abadi, the group exhibition I’ve been preparing for the past few weeks. I will exhibit several of my Iban heritage poems called Rituals and Rivers, and holding

Last night, I responded to a post on Threads about Donald Trump’s visit to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit. The original post questioned why Malaysians who support Palestine were not outraged that Trump

When we talk about risks, people often think of something brave or daring, like skydiving, quitting a job to travel, or moving to a new country. Those are great choices, but the kind of risk I think about

Most people think I’m soft by nature. They think that gentleness is something I was born with. When people read my poems or see my drawings, they often describe them as whimsical, calm, tender, or peaceful.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a truly lazy day. I'm not talking about a day off from chores or deadlines. I'm referring to a day when I let go of everything without feeling pulled in any direction.

I’ve come across this question more times than I can count: “If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?” And every time, I wonder why I would give it all away. If I'm being honest,

There are moments in life when the ground feels stable, and other times it tilts, making you feel unsure of your footing. For me, those moments have to do with who I am, where I come from, where I live,

When I first read the prompt, “What skill would you like to learn?” I hesitated. My mind didn’t wander to something new, like playing an instrument or taking up pottery. Instead, it returned to what has

I always feel like I have to do more. Write more, draw more, make more, improve more, and perform more. There’s always something I haven’t finished. A file I haven’t uploaded, a design I need to tweak,

Before I share my experiences, I’d want to clarify who the koklir is and what she represents in Iban belief. People often think of the Iban people of Sarawak as headhunters, which is a part of our history,

Last weekend, I found myself standing knee-deep in a shallow river in Janda Baik. The sunlight came through a canopy of trees above, casting soft streaks of light on the water’s surface. Everything felt