Childhood

Why “your parents did the best they could” isn’t always comforting things to hear. — “Being a parent is really hard.” My heart sank as I read my father’s words. We had been estranged for years when I received a handwritten letter from him. Littered amongst the apologies were several justifications for his mistreatment of me. All of them came under the theme of parenting…

An Eerie Encounter That Unleashed Hysteria and Tears — It was a night just like any other night in Malaysia. The hot and humid daytime had finally passed and the nighttime coolness had settled in. Insects were chirping their songs, the neighborhood was in rest mode, and most families had their TVs on and were lounging around. My mother…

Ting! Is that what I think it is? Ting! Yes! The first lightning bug of summer! I’ve always found lightning bugs (aka fireflies) immensely fascinating. Imagine producing light on your own and communicating with others in a kind of illuminated Morse code. Memories return: Filling my plastic bug catcher with…

When dreams can be as simple as ordinary… —

The baby girl’s arrival was met with profound disappointment and shattered expectations. She was an unwanted byproduct of her parents’ fervent desire for a baby boy. Their hearts were only filled with bitterness and resentment, leaving no room for love. There wasn’t even a name prepared for her. In her…

‘Bo kaata’ is the expression of triumph upon slicing through your opponent’s kite thread. he waits an entire nine months for just the right shards sheer blue ground to finest spice filtered through finest muslin then glued to finest kite thread lethal a jinn against the noon sky sizzle nicks…

On my grandpa’s gramophone —

Hi, I am Aliya. I scribble words for my own solace. I am writing this piece with a heavy heart — a reflection of my innermost turmoil. As a kid, I would often get caught in fantasies of adulthood, where I imagined having the courage to stand up for myself. …

Growing up experiencing trauma can change the way of your perspective of life, relationship, and people in general. Childhood Trauma For Me For me, Living in a dysfunctional family where abuse, fights, and yelling were daily. My father is a narcissist, and my mother is a manipulative person. As an…