Chin Chai!

Here's an invite for you to an event you might enjoy which features art with a literary twist!

Dear Sharon,

Sharon Chin and I are having an art exhibition, "Chin Chai" (after our surnames), at Sek San's from 9 - 23 August 2008.

We'd love for you and your readers to come for the opening event on 8.8.08 at 8pm (Friday).

During the opening event, we'll be launching our accompanying book to the exhibition, also titled "Chin Chai". It features new writing by KL writer Simon Soon, Auckland-based artist Kah Bee Chow, some poetry by Sharon and a short fiction piece by myself. The book will be 'sold' by donation.

We're very excited about this and would appreciate people spreading the word about the exhibition and book launch. Attached below is the full press release with more info about the exhibition and ourselves.

Thanks, Sharon.

Regards,
Lydia

Event: "Chin Chai"

Dates: 9 - 23 August 2008 (opening event 8.8.08, 8pm)

Venue: 67 Jalan Tempinis 1 Gallery, Bangsar, KL (see map)

Opening hours: 1pm - 7pm (Mon - Fri) and 11 - 5 (Sat - Sun)

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:

"Chin Chai" is a joint exhibition by artists Sharon Chin and Lydia Chai. They met in art school and became friends. Now Sharon lives in Kuala Lumpur while Lydia lives in Auckland. In an ambitious series of drawings, installation and video, they explore ideas of distance and friendship in relation to artistic collaboration. "Chin Chai" is the invented landscape of two very different artists living far apart, engaged in conversation with each other and the world around them.

We warmly welcome you to the opening event on Friday 8 August 2008, 8pm, where an artist book will be launched in conjunction with the exhibition.

There will be a screening of Werner Herzog's "Mein liebster Feind" (My Best Fiend), followed by a discussion of the film and the exhibition on Saturday 9 August, 3pm.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Sharon Chin was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1980. Working with text and sculpture especially in site-specific installations, her work looks at how we negotiate geography, history, human relations and language in the contemporary imagination. Recent solo exhibitions include Fourth World at the Australian High Commission (2006) and SENSORS: Banned Books and Other Monsters (2007) at Central Market Annexe. She is the recipient of the Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund grant as well as Australian High Commission Visual Arts Residency. She also writes regularly on art.

Lydia Chai grew up in Petaling Jaya and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, New Zealand, where she is now based. Her recent work ranges from chinese ink and watercolour paintings to socially interactive projects. These works are based on the form and idea of roots and footnotes, their rhizomic qualities, while extending the metaphor to relations between people. She recently exhibited in the group show Tell Me To My Face (2007) organized by The High Street Project and curated Footnotes: Walking Backwards Toward Meaning (2007) in Off The Edge magazine. She has her writings on art published now and then, while working on fiction privately.

My Friends on Pop TV

Have you discovered The Fairly Current Show yet?

This is a great new venture by Fahmi Fadzil and Mark Teh (both well know theatre practioners and much more), a new weekly Internet TV programme which features interviews with well known Malaysian personalities though not the kind of celebs talking about the usual kinds of things that you would get on terrestrial TV :

The show is part of PopTeeVee, a new media network initiated by Hardesh Singh (composer, producer, music entrepreneur & all-round good fler) and friends. In the very near future, PopTeeVee will also feature other channels, including a local music channel (The Wknd Sessions) and a youth/student-generated campus news channel.

You can watch and download all episodes here, and if you subscribe to the group on Facebook you will know when next episode is up.

The latest episode features award-winning journalist Jacqueline Ann Surin*, author of Shape of a Pocket, talking about press freedom and those "spiked" columns.

Previous episodes have featured Ng Sek San (our friend who kindly lets us use his gallery for our readings) talking about the cutting of trees in his part of Bangsar, Adrian Yap of KLue/Junk, on Urbanscapes, the 'user-generated', day-long creative arts fest which happened last Saturday, and Shanon Shah, musician and activist, talking about his first play Air Con (which, hurray, I'm going to see tonight!).

Watch for the PopTV sign behind the speakers in these episodes. Hilarious!

*(I decided not to embed the link on the page because the recording starts automatically ...)

Riveting Readings

Yesterday's Readings at Seksan's went wonderfully well. My biggest thanks go Reza who took the time and trouble to go shopping for a portable sound system for me, and came up with the perfect solution. For the first time, we were amplified. And what a difference it made! No longer did we have to strain to hear. No longer did we have to much the words of the quietest writers.

It has to be said though that Seksan's doggy (recovering from distemper) decided that he had things of his own to say - though addressed to his friend over the back wall rather than to us. Fortunately, when Amir Muhammad stepped up to the microphone, he settled down to listen too.

Amir is of course a famous indie film-maker whose work has won international critical acclaim, although at home all he's won is controversy for The Last Communist. His next banned film is Apa Khabar Orang Kampong and is due to premier at the 57th Berlin Film Festival next month. Amir is also has a column in the New Straits Times on Thursdays. (You may not be speaking to the newspaper anymore, as indeed I am not, but Amir's column is a must-read.)

Amir read us some of the pieces that his editor thought unsuitable and very funny they were too. There was a spoof review of M - The Opera; a news item about folks who move into a house but find themselves under seige by the former occupant who constantly criticises what they are doing to the property; and also a piece entitled (topically enough!) Should I Sue for Defamation? Apparently, Amir keeps receiving letters from readers who are unclear on the concept of satire, and take his columns at face value. Duh!

I'm still practising saying Thaatchaayini Kanantu's full name! I met Thaatch at the launch party for Silverfish New Writing 6, and very much enjoyed the extract from her novel in progress. She had agreed to read In God's Belly later in the year, but when Hsiung Han See called at the last minute to say he wouldn't be able to come, I roped her in for this month ... and she sportingly agreed. Very many thanks, Thaatch!

I like what she wrote on her blog about writing:

I have 7-tonnes of memories resting in a million buckets and I have no idea how they got there, why they are there and what potential use they have.

Well we know now that sitting in those memory buckets is plenty of raw material for more evocative stories ...

Another writer from SNW6 - Peter Hassan Brown. I've known Peter for years, but as half of the singing duet Passion with his wife Markiza. Peter read from his short story Dysfunction, introducing it by saying he had been afraid of a negative reaction to his portayal of the family in the story (the girl lepaks* at the LRT station, her brother is a drug-addict who steals from the mother to finance his habit), but I think it's a very well-observed piece that really comes alive for me. I loved too his poem Fritters - about the food and about frittering one's life away in the most enjoyable way.

Peter is now working on a novel.

Yes, I know I shouldn't keep banging on about this guy being just 17. What does age have to do with anything? Least of all with the ability to write really well. kG's poems are honest, sexual, often deeply painful and beautifully crafted. He also read an extract from a "long short story".

Okay then, 17 going on 28.

It was great to finally meet Jordan MacVay, after months of reading each other's blogs and exchanging e-mails. Although he confessed to "sweating like a whore in church" with nervousness, he read really well, the piece beautifully chosen.

Jordan has been working with Rizal, an Achenese tsunami survivor, to tell his story. This extract was amusing in places - especially with the - almost surreal - incongruity of Rizal and his friend floating in the sea and encountering six naked girls floating on a tree. And also deeply moving. (Read Jordan's account of the afternoon here.)

Burhanuddin Baki has a place on the MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia for later in the year. And having heard him read his fiction - am not at all surprised that he was selected. What did surprise me was how funny his work is - I'd imagined he would write in a very literary, very serious way from his very learned comments on my blog and from his business card (he has first class degress in Maths and Philosophy! Scary!). The reference to "the giant millipede" (am sorry, won't explain the context for the more impressionable minds reading this blog) was unexpected - and hilarious! Well, Burhan, just hurry up and give us the whole novel!

What else? It was a very hot afternoon, and I think we were all melting. We had a larger than usual crowd there (around 30), and because of the sound system, they tended to spread out a bit more into all the arty nooks and crannies. The wine this month was rubbish because I bought el cheapo plonko myself (RM15 a bottle - doubles as drain cleaner) - the La Bodega sponsorship has to be renewed and I'm onto that ...

Thanks to all who read and all who came. (I'm sorry I did not have more time to chat.) Thanks to Seksan once again for the beautiful and inspiring space. Thanks again to Reza for his help. Thanks to Nic for letting himself be bullied into washing glasses and opening wine bottles ... and for keeping me calm ('cos as he noticed I have this tendency to panic and see in my mind's eye everything that could possibly go wrong ... but doesn't).

Update

Just as well I escorted Lainie, and Danny off the premises! kG's thoughts.

Glossary

*lepak = to hang out, but has a very negative connotation, especially in the Malaysian pressL

January Readings ... and a Cry for Help

Please can you pass this news on to anyone you feel may be interested?:

The next “Readings” will be held on Saturday 27th January, 2006 with the aim of giving established and aspiring writers a platform for their work, and encouraging networking.

Date: 27th January 2006
Time: 3.30pm (starting promptly!)
Place: 67, Lorong Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (for directions check www.seksan.com)

This month’s readers are:

Amir Muhammad
kG
Baharuddin Baki
Tshiung Han See
Peter Brown
Jordan MacVay

"Readings" is organized by Sharon Bakar and is made possible by the gracious sponsorship of Seksan from 67 Tempinis Satu and La Bodega.

Sharon Bakar: hp: 012-6848835
sbakar@streamyx.com
http://thebookaholic.blogspot.com

Also hey, can you give me a bit of help? We've managed thus far without a microphone. The space is small and intimate, but unfortunately the traffic and the elements sometimes kick up a din outside and some readers have quieter voices.

I am prepared to buy a mic, but need something that is light and portable and totally totally idiot proof. What equipment would fit the bill, where would I buy it, and better still, could some kind person step in and take this worry away from me somehow??

Postscript

An offer of assistance has been forthcoming. Many thanks ...

Getting ELARTI on Track

This month's "Readings" is taking place this Saturday.

Ruhayat X and "thoseamazingmalayboys! (TM)" will be launching the long-awaited first edition of their publication Project Elarti with readings from an all star cast at Seksan's this Saturday:

... featuring a monkey on a keyboard and about a dozen
humans.

Date : Saturday, 23 December 2006
Time : 3.30pm
Place : Seksan Gallery, 67 Jalan Tempinis Satu, Lucky
Garden, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

Since it's Christmas, why not come wrapped in tinsel and baubles?

The event is generously is sponsored by La Bodega (who provide the wine) and Seksan.

"Readings" is the brain-child of Bernice Chauly, and Sharon Bakar is brain-child-minding for Bernice.

Please pass on this information to anyone you think might be interested and feel free to stick it on your blogs.

Related Posts:

The Birth of Neohikayat (14/5/06)
All Aboard the Elarti (8/8/06)

Seksan's on Saturday

Those who came to Seksen's yesterday afternoon enjoyed an afternoon of exciting storytelling.

First up was Nizam Zakaria who told us that his first novel Susuk (based on the film by Amir Mohammad) will be published by Marshall Cavendish in January. He also had a telefilm on TV a couple of nights ago. He said that since he's gone mainstream in his writing recently he sai that he had decided to go a little more subversive in this reading and gave us Chapter 7 from his novel Diva Dilla, his novel in progress.

Saras Manickam gave us the story of Dey Raju which appears in Silverfish New Writing 6. It's a very funny and sweet story about a case of mistaken identity and an Indian wedding. (I feel a great connection to the story because I was there the night it was born at Leah Ray's house one Friday evening for a supper and writing session.)

Actor/ comedian / playwright and all round nice guy Jit Murad made it this time (no rain or hailstones to prevent him!) and read a new piece - a stream-of-conciousness account of his childhood linked to the various houses where he had lived. Funny and touching and I hope he goes on with it and gets it published. I am greatly humbled that a successful writer like Jit can come along to an event like this to try out his new work before a live audience.

Animah Kosai reading a very important piece she's written. In this case not fiction, but a letter to the prime mininster re. "restricted books" for us all to sign. I will tell you more about this anon.

Dianadirani has two stories in the Neohikayat collection Aweks (forthcoming). She read us a piece of what she called "Malaysian chic-lit".

Chris Yin rushed over from a tennis tournament to read his story The Geology of Malaysia which was published in Silverfish New Writing 5, and which also (deservedly) made it into The Best of Silverfish New Writing.

I would like to thank La Bodega for generously sponsoring the wine for the event and Seksan for allowing us to use his beautiful space once again. And of course, the very supportive audience without whom nothing at all could have happened.

Next month "Readings" is scheduled for 23rd December and will mark the launch of Neohikayat's literary mag Elarti. More news later.

Update

Natasha's wonderfully arty efforts. (Sorry I "transformed" your name. Am just blur. And thanks for bringing the cakes.)

Readings Rock On!

Ahah! You were wondering where Readings had got to, weren't you? One month off for Hari Raya and the open house season, and you thought I'd lost the plot among the ketupat and nasi impit or absconded with all that lovely wine. Not at all. Readings rock on!

I've shifted the date a wee bit, organiser's privilege I'm afraid. Bernice always organised the meetings for the third week of the month, I'm shifting it back a week because MPH Writer's Circle is on the 3rd Saturday and I'm involved in that too (especially now that Oon Yeoh has pulled out.) I've found it stressful to rush from one to the other and I want to fully enjoy both. Hope no-one minds too much.

This then is the blogvertisement to be broadcast far and near:

"Readings" Rock On!

The next "Readings" in our monthly series will be held next Saturday, 25th November 2006, with the aim of showcasing local writers and encouraging new talent. We have a very exciting and varied line-up for you, so come and join us for an afternoon of words, wit and wine!

Reading this time:

Jit Murad (really!)
Saras M. Manickam
Christopher Yin
Eileen Lui
Nizam Zakari
Dianadrani

Time: 3.30pm
Date: 25th November 2006
Place: 67, Lorong Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (for directions and map check www.seksan.com)

"Readings" was initiated by Bernice Chauly, is currently organized by Sharon Bakar, and made possible by the gracious sponsorship of Seksan from 67 Tempinis Satu and La Bodega.

Sharon Bakar hp: 012-6848835 - sbakar@streamyx.com - http://thebookaholic.blogspot.com

Could you please pass on this information to anyone you think might like to come along?

Readings Ride Again!

The next "Readings" in our monthly series will be held next Saturday, 23rd September, 2006, with the aim of showcasing local writers and encouraging new talent. We have a very exciting and varied line-up for you, so come and join us for an afternoon of words, wit and wine!

Reading this time:

Jit Murad
Aneeta Sundaraj
Xeus
Patricia Sykes
Amir Hafizi
Joy Teh

Time: 3.30pm
Date: 23rd September 2006
Place: 67, Lorong Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (for directions check www.seksan.com)

"Readings" was initiated by Bernice Chauly, is currently organized by Sharon Bakar, and made possible by the gracious sponsorship of Seksan from 67 Tempinis Satu and La Bodega.

Sharon Bakar Writer/ teacher hp: 012-6848835
sbakar@streamyx.com http://thebookaholic.blogspot.com

Could you please pass on this information to anyone you think might like to come along?

Readings at Seksen's

Phew! That's all I can say. Yesterday's readings at Seksen's place not only happened but came off rather well, I thought, considering that I hadn't had much time to organise the event and hadn't advertised it very widely. (Blogvertising works well!) Many thanks to everyone who passed the word on - there was a good crowd there.

Ted Mahsun had his parents and girlfriend there to support. This was the first reading for this keen and hardworking young writer. I'm so glad he read his story The Ghost in the Garden as I personally like it best of all the pieces of his I've so far read. It's an autobigraphical piece in which you can really hear the voices of the characters. I love the gentle humour of it and sense that it could be developed into a longer piece. (You can read the whole story here.)

We got two thirds of the writers of Snapshots! Jessie Michael read The Change, one of the stories I like best in the collection because it makes visibly the disadvantaged community in Malacca's Portuguese Settlement. The story tells of one man who does his best to break out of the poverty trap but finds circumstances cruelly against him ...

... while co-writer Saradha Narayanan read her Rani, a moving portrait of an elderly woman.


I just loved this young guy, Roy aka Fairul Nizam who entertained the crowd with his poetry. How many miles from the traditional Malay deklamasi puisy has this new generation of poets come, with driving rhythms and street-wise language? Read his poetry here.

Sharanya reading another extract from her novel. Lyrical and sensual writing. I am really looking forward to the finish work.

The sporting Jasmine Low stepped in at the last minute to read some of her shorter pieces. She's so relaxed - love the way she relates to the crowd. it's one thing to write the words, another to show ownership of them when read aloud. She read some newly written short pieces including one partly written in Hokkien which I enjoyed very much.

We had a couple of "open mic" readers: Patrick Dominic and a very young guy called kG who positively shone with enthusiasm.

So it came off. It was okay ... even if I'm not as cool as Bernice! Phew again.

Many thanks to all the brave souls who put their work out there. (It is scary!) Many thanks to the crowd who supported. Many thanks (again) to all who spread the word about the event.

Many thanks to Seksen for allowing us to use this beautiful space.

Many thanks to Budi (?) who helped me to set everything up.

Many thanks to La Bodega for generously supplying the wines.

I hope to organise Readings again for 23rd September. More news soon.

Before then though, why not go to the readings organised by Jasmine at La Bodega on Wednesday night? It promises to be very good.

Postscript

Much nicer photos than mine are turning up on different blogs. I love Sharanya's arty set. Leon's are here. Nizam's are here. And here's a very honest account by Vovin.

Readings Blogvertisement

As promised, Readings resume this Saturday after a hiatus of several months. I am beginning to see just how much hard work Bernice put into organising the event, especially trying to pin down "the talents" and do some last minute roping-in when folks drop out. Thanks in advance to those who have volunteered to entertain us. I'm still working on getting one more reader and should be able to confirm who it is later today, but thought the publicity blurb should go out before people make plans for the weekend.

Could you please forward the information below to anyone else who might be interested or do a little blogvertising for me?

Our series of monthly readings resumes next Saturday 26th August, 2006 with the aim of encouraging new writing talent.

Time: 3.30pm
Date: 26th August 2006
Place: 67, Lorong Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (for directions check www.seksan.com) Readers for this Saturday include:
Ted Mahsun
Jessie Michael
Saradha Narayan
Fairul Nizam
Sharanya Manivanan

"Readings" is organized by Sharon Bakar and is made possible by the gracious sponsorship of Seksan from 67 Tempinis Satu and La Bodega.

Sharon Bakar Writer/ teacher hp: 012-6848835
sbakar@streamyx.com
http://thebookaholic.blogspot.com

Winning Wimmin!

Great to see so many friends turn up to support the readings at 67, Jalan Tempinis 1 yesterday. Seksen's place looked a little different with some very interesting installation art including a mobile of glass bottles stuffed with various colourful objects.

It was an afternoon of "wimmin" writers, readdressing the gender balance after the past few months when male writers tended to feature rather more. (Too many Kutus!)

In the end there were five of us reading. Sharanya Manivannan went first reading a beautiful poem about her relationship with her mother tongue, and a longer excerpt from "a novel in progress". Her writing is so sensual and languid and I'm glad that she's chosen for herself the larger framework of the novel. Have to pinch myself to remind myself how young she still is. (Yesterday was her 20th birthday!).

I read next. In the end I chose a piece I'd begun as a short story but plan to work into my own "novel-in-progress". Reading it aloud was an extremely useful experience - could hear how the audience collectively reacted to the words. And I was so pleased that they laughed in the parts where I had laughed when writing it.

Bernice then read a piece about a woman being physically assaulted by her lover. She used repetition and short sentences to skilfully control the emotional impact. Hope it grows into a longer piece.

It was Eileen Lui's first reading. (Bar of course for the launch of my anthology Collateral Damage.) As I've said before, I think she is a very good short story writer. Her two published stories are set in Vietnam, where she was working for some time. At The Gates, the story she read out, has a local setting and features two very elderly Chinese men reflecting on their pasts and worrying about their children. As with her earlier stories, characters emerge sharply from the dialogue, and background detail is worked in very carefully.

The final reader of the afternoon was Jac SM Kee who has recently completed Beth Yahp's creative writing course. She read several short pieces and an extract from a very quirky children's story Sammy and Me.

The only think that might have made me a little happier yesterday was some ice to put in my coca-cola ... it was a really hot afternoon with some serious sweating going on!

67 Jalan Tempinis 1 Strikes Again

Please don't moan that no-one does anything for writers. Please don't moan that no-one keeps you informed. Please don't moan that nothing exciting is happening in the writing scene here.

But please do turn up and support the latest round of readings organised by Bernice:


This month we are very pleased to present a group of innovative, dynamic writers who are currently pushing the boundaries of contemporary Malay-language poetry and prose in Malaysia.

Readings at 67tempinis satu presents:

Dhojee
Nizam Zakaria
Saifullizan Tahir
Jerome Kugan
(of the Wilayah Kutu anthology)

Raja Ahmad

and

Abror Rivai

Time: 3.30pm
Date: 25 june 2005
Place: 67, Lorong Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden,Bangsar.(for directions check seksan.com)

Free entrance

Writers' bios:

1.Dhojee is the co-publisher of Neohikayat. He started out in journalism before joining his father's publishing company. His heart has always been in moving images though so now he works as production consultant for Grand Brilliance (TV3).

2. Nizam Zakaria is a copywriter by day and exhaustive blogger and serial novelist by night. His novels can be found online on his blog.

3. Saifullizan Tahir brings some mainstream credibility to the ensemble, being the only writer in the anthology who has actually won a literary prize (Anugerah Sastera Johor). Currently a landscape architect in Putrajaya, he has just started up a production house with the aim of making his own movies.

4. Jerome Kugan is a precocious soul who moves around so much he's sometimes a blur. A part-time sub-editor and writer, his heart is full of poetry and song.

5. Raja Ahmad is a writer/poet and also the Director of Yayasan Kesenian Perak.

6. Abror Rival is a Performing Arts graduate from Uitm and has worked as a journalist for the pop art magazine Siasah. He currently works at a film studio. This is his first reading.

"Readings" is organized by Bernice Chauly and is made possible by the gracious sponsorship of Seksan from 67tempinis satu and La Bodega.

Datanglah beramai-ramai!! and thank you for your continued support of Malaysian writing.

bernice chauly
mulutmata
writer/photographer/actor

hp: 012 323 0929
malaysia

Director's Workshop

Please go along to support this event. I heard that last week's performance of Fahmi's play (which was performed in Sekseng's kitchen!) was absolutely excellent, and I was sad that I didn't have a chance to attend because of too many other things. Hope I can make it for this.


Five Arts Centre with the support of 67 Tempinis Satu presents

Directors' Workshop 5 - CPM @ 67, Jalan Tempinis 1, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, Kuala
Lumpur.

Thursday 16th June - Saturday 18th June 2005 @ 8.45pm
Entry by minimum donation (RM10).
Maximum Capacity: 70 people, first come first served.

Three Uncertain Histories

An exploration of both Chinese opera as well as the CPM,
Three Uncertain Histories presents the not-always-reliable
memories of the emergency as told by three different
characters struggling to negotiate the dilemmas of the
conflict: a female guerilla who takes an offering to a
temple before she joins the communists in the jungle, a
failed Chinese opera actor who hears rumors of killings and
torture, and a police interrogator who engages in a
dialogue with his prisoner.

written & directed by Gabrielle Low
performed by Kiew Suet Kim

Baling (membaling)
Rundingan Baling '55. Arms traders. Pistol-pistolan Darurat. Sympathisers & deportations. Memory and forgetting dengan Chin Peng, Tunku, Harold Briggs dan lain-lain.

directed by Mark Teh
performed by Chang Yoong Chia, Fahmi Reza & Imri Nasution
devised & written by semua orang


Mentors - the late Krishen Jit & Chee Sek Thim

Producer - Wong Tay Sy

Executive Producer - Marion D' Cruz

For map and directions to 67 Tempinis Satu, please visit http://www.seksan.com/map.html. Audiences are advised to park at Bangsar Village car park or Lucky Garden (near Pizza Hut-TMC).

For more information, please call Five Arts Centre at 03-7725-4858, Wong Tay Sy (012-328-1946), Fahmi Fadzil (012-281-1150) or Mark Teh (012-207-3744).

Hmmm ... talking about Marion D'Cruz, met her at a British Council reception the other night and she is over the moon about Tash Aw's success because she used to be his teacher! So of course lah, she deserves all the credit for his novel and a share of the royalties.

A New Home for Words

The monthly readings have moved from Darling Muse to a new venue. I initially felt sad because I'd got so fond of Yusof and Dax's place, but Bernice has found a gem in Seksan's place 67, Jalan Tempinis 1.

Seksan, a landscape architect, has gutted the original house, leaving a clean open space below his offices. There's paintings, wire sculptures scattered around and suspended from the ceiling so that they cast a dance of shadows on the walls. What little furniture there is is made from natural materials - a rough-hewn wooden bench, bamboo stools, a charpoy bed (bringing back memories of those Sikh guards who used to guard stores and banks). The stairs up to the office are made from old railway sleepers. And the landscaping is certainly unusual ... screens made of tall cages of coloured cacti, richly patterned porcelain balls lying in the lalang grass at the side of the house, and a koi pond.

Seksan's two lovely doggies played an active part (sometimes too active!) in the afternoon's proceedings.

First up to read was Datuk SHANmugalingam. Shan dedicated this reading to the memory of Krishen Jit who had encouraged him to adapt a couple of his stories for the theatre. I think this will work well - Shan has a wonderful ear for dialogue, a lively sense of humour and his work is populated by and assortment larger than life characters. Shan read from a number of his short pieces including Victoria and her Kimono.

Next was Jit Murad, actor, comedian, playwright and all round wit. He enjoyed the irony of an assembly of pigs in the huge painting behind staring over his shoulder as he read. His story is set in a steak house (in the Jakes's, Victoria Station mould) and tells of three very different lives meeting here. A very entertaining piece.

Then a break for wine (La Bodega sponsored as usual) and chat, before writer/filmaker Feroz Merican took the floor for just a moment to say "I wrote this when i was very patriotic", leaving Bernice to read from his work-in-progress No-one Has Claimed Responsibility. Hope he does get round to finishing it soon ...

Hishamuddin Rais ("everyone's favourite ISA detainee" as someone dubbed him) read last. "I'm not an artist and I don't pretend to be," he said. He read a chunk of his play Bilik Sulit about interrogation by Special Branch police officers. The play is supposed to open on 3rd June, I believe, but the performance has just been cancelled as DBKL will not grant it a license. It was in Malay but I found it pretty easy to follow ... it was fast-paced, angry and satirical.

I think I enjoyed this fifth set of readings more than any others so far. There was a terrific atmosphere of warmth and support and good humour. Thanks again to Bernice for making things move.