• A nostalgic watercolor collage inspired by growing up in Indonesia during the 1980s and 1990s. Vintage-style vignettes depict family gatherings, a busy bus stop, university students, roadside food stalls, and everyday public spaces where cigarette smoke was common. At the center, a thoughtful young girl imagines a whimsical smoker's helmet, while other scenes contrast smoky environments with modern smoke-free spaces and families enjoying fresh air in a park. Warm sepia tones and soft textures evoke childhood memories, changing social norms, and the importance of consideration for others in shared spaces.
    Nostalgia

    We All Smelled Like Cigarettes Anyway

    Growing Up Around Smokers in Indonesia There are certain smells that instantly transport you back to childhood. Fresh rain. Old books. Fried noodles from a roadside stall. Cajuput oil. And then there is cigarette smoke. Not because I wanted to remember it. It was simply… everywhere. Growing up in Indonesia in the 1980s and 1990s, I don’t remember anyone asking whether smoking was allowed. There was always somebody smoking—a father, an uncle, the neighbour, the man waiting for the bus, a wedding guest, someone at the family gathering, or a stranger in a restaurant. Sometimes I think even the ashtrays had ashtrays. My own father smoked. Some of my friends…

  • A bright yellow banana with small brown spots lies on a dark textured carpet next to a vintage dark-brown wooden door frame. The door is slightly open, revealing a glimpse of a shadowed hallway beyond. A dramatic shaft of light illuminates the fruit on the floor
    Nostalgia,  Reflections

    The 10:00 AM Ramadan Heist

    We like to think of our childhood memories as deeply spiritual milestones. But if I’m being truly honest? One of my most vivid Ramadan memories involves a storage room, a locked door, and a very poorly timed snack. I wasn’t even hungry. That’s the funny part. It was only 10:00 AM. But the house was quiet, the day felt long, and I was… bored. And in the mind of an eight-year-old, the best cure for boredom is a forbidden banana. I remember the strategy. I snatched the fruit and made a run for the storage room—that dark sanctuary of old suitcases and dust. I didn’t just hide; I locked the…