The World of Tai Tai

On 17 June, I attended Robert Raymer's writing workshop at International English Centre, Kota Kinabalu. Sixteen people attended the 5 hour session. I learnt the following things during the workshop: a)Mechanics of writing b)formats of writing c)How to increase the believability of your writing d)The process of editing a story Robert Raymer cleared a lot of my doubts in writing. My favourite slot was the part where Raymer showed us how to edit a story. He addressed my problems with punctuation and syntax. A few days before the workshop I had submitted a short story to him and he did the editing nicely. Many thanks to him for improving the quality of my writing.

“I am going to end my life tomorrow,” said Ah Lien to herself, something she had been thinking about for weeks as she gazed at her sleeping husband. “I have had enough.”                 The thirty five year old woman woke up early as usual, making her children’s favourite pancakes. The delicious aroma of sizzling pancakes took the edge off the three kids’ sleepiness.   Making pancakes was Ah Lien’s specialty.  She could achieve a perfect ratio of milk and flour without measuring them.                 When the last pancake was crispy brown on both sides, Ah Lien put it on top of other cooked pancakes on a platter.  She told her eldest daughter Ah Ping, “Carry these pancakes to the table.”                 “Yes, Mama.”  ...

“I am going to end my life tomorrow,” said Ah Lan to herself. “I have had enough.”                 The forty year old woman woke up early as usual, making her children’s favourite pancakes. The delicious aroma of sizzling pancakes took the edge off the three kids’ sleepiness.   Making pancakes was Ah Lan’s specialty. She could achieve a perfect ratio of milk and flour without measuring them.                 When the last pancake was crispy brown on both sides, Ah Lan put it on top of other cooked pancakes on a platter and spoke to her eldest daughter Ah Hui, "Carry these pancakes to the table."                 "Yes, Mama."                 “Put six pancakes on Papa’s plate,”...

A Recount: May 2, '07 12:44 AM I was extraordinarily tired and sleepy after coming back from Brunei. I decided to go to bed early. It was 9.15p.m., at least two hours earlier than my customary bed time. As usual, I could hear my ear ringing I have been suffering from tinnitus since this January.v It hardly bothers me now even though I can still hear the sound. However, my ear stopped ringing when I was in bed for almost forty minutes. I was surprised by the quietness around me but my drowsiness got the better of me. I soon drifted into sleep. I was quickly awaken when something poked me in the ribs. Although the shock made my mind alert, an unexplained languidness spread all over my body. Sounds of heavy breathing were in the air and the walls were closing in on me in the same rhythm as my pulsating heartbeat. Fear started creeping over me from the core of my heart. Could the same old creepy sensation be coming back to me again? I had almost forgotten it. Hopi...

Mama decided to marry papa after the freak accident. On her way back from shopping one afternoon, her feet slipped and she fell down the steps of an overhead bridge. With a broken leg, she had to be hospitalized for several weeks. The injury was a huge blow to Mama. Her flight ticket to London had to be forfeited and she could not pursue her dream as a dental nurse as planned.Several days before the accident, she had resigned as a cashier at Shell's Commissariat Retail shop,the first supermarket in Brunei. It had never occurred to her that her dream would be dashed. Getting back to work in the supermarket was also an unlikely possibility. In those days opportunity was scarce and you could not possibly regain it once you lost it. Mama was sad and distraught. She received lukewarm concern from her family who could not be bothered with her. They attributed her misfortune to her stupid carelessness and hardly visited her in hospital. At this moment of desolation, the only person who...