Day 2 Prompt: Surreal
The heavy laden aeroplane
floats lightly through the air
It crawls like a snail among the clouds
soon it's no longer there
I hear its engines hum and roar
in a silent voiceless sky
The huge craft passes high above
like a sparrow flying by
#GloPoWriMo #NaPoWriMo
By Harold B Huang
03Apr23 0950 hrs GMT+8
Day 1 Prompt: A book cover
A book is discovered when
you see its elegant form
with vivid colours and
pretty pictures on its cover
you'd want to take a closer look
A book is uncovered when
you find its meaningful title
clearly written and
boldly printed across its cover
you'd want to get a glimpse within
A book is recovered when
you encounter its profound story
quietly lurking and
patiently waiting beneath its cover
you'd want to wake it up from sleep
and read it through
from cover to cover
#GloPoWriMo #NaPoWriMo
By Harold B Huang
02Apr23 1135 hrs GMT+8
I wrote these thoughts about the significance of the number seventeen in my life and posted them on facebook more than 7½ years ago, on 17Apr2015.
I think I should have it in this blog too, under the collection "Journey In Life", so here it is —
The Number Seventeen
The number 17 appears to mark significant milestones in my life.
I was born on the 17 day of the month. When I was 17 years old, I converted to Christianity.
In the same year, I was admitted into hospital for the first time, for pulmonary TB, an illness that I contacted soon after I was born, that I had unknowingly suffered for about 17 years of my life.
After I was discharged from hospital, It took me two years to finish the course of outpatient treatment, right until I completed Upper Form Six in 1978.
Then, in 1995, father passed away. It was 17 years after I had finished Sixth Form.
Today, the 17th day of April 2015, marks the last day of work at my college. I go to hand over my official duties to my colleagues and return my ID card and office keys to the HR department.
I am now on official leave until the end of the month. Finally, on the 30th of April, will be officially retired, after working for 17 years and 17 days at this job.
When will the next milestone occur?
I do not know. I will put my trust and confidence in the Almighty One, the Creator of Heavens and Earth, who has granted His Grace through His Only Begotten Son, Yeshua the Anointed One.
"Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis Grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And Grace will lead me home!"
Absolution is the final book in the series, "Absolution", a trilogy of young adult fantasy stories set in a magical land called Nusantara. The events unfolding in this book occur five years after the conclusion of the first book Amok.
"Absolution is both a quest for absolution and a journey of faith as Sultan Mikal attempts to restore Kudus’ blessing on the kingdom of Terang and preserve their magical gifts." (Anna Tan)
Story note:
Tulen is living as a servant in the Impian Palace. In the earlier part of Chapter 5, Tulen is talking to Magda, the head cook & Tengku Nawal’s nanny, in the kitchen when they hear Tengku Nawal throwing a tantrum. They go up to her room to find out what’s going on.
What Tengku Nawal wants, of course, is something we can’t do anything about.
“I don’t want to get married!” she shrieks as we step into the room.
“Tengku? Tengku Nawal? What’s the matter, sayang?” Magda says.
Tengku Nawal flings her arms around Magda’s waist and buries her face in her chest.
“Magda, oh Magda, Ayahanda is a horrible person. He’s forcing me to get married to some fat
old foreign raja!”
Magda flounders. Che Nuri groans from the sofa, her face buried in her hands.
“You’re the only one who loves me, Magda. The only one who doesn’t want to send me away!” Tengku Nawal wails. “Ayahanda doesn’t love me. He doesn’t want me around anymore!”
Yes, because you’re annoying. I keep my head down and stare at the floor to prevent myself from rolling my eyes.
“It’s only the Sultan of Maha,” Che Nuri grumbles through her hands, “the actual twenty-year-old ruler of this Sultanate.”
My head shoots up so fast my neck hurts. “That’s not a foreign raja.”
“Who asked you, girl?” Tengku Nawal snaps. “You wouldn’t understand!”
I clap a hand over my mouth and stare down at the floor again, my cheeks heating up.
“Magdaaaaaaaa!” she whines.
I can hear rare impatience leaking out from Magda’s thoughts—leftover irritation from our earlier conversation?—before she deliberately pushes it away. She runs a soothing hand down Tengku Nawal’s back.
“Come, sayang, talk to Magda. What did your father say?”
“He sent me a letter,” she wails, passing Magda a crumpled piece of paper. “He didn’t even bother to come and talk to me himself. He sent Nuri here with a letter.”
Her thoughts radiate with hurt and betrayal, and her eyes start to tear up again. By now, I know what’s coming, so I slip out of the room. There’s fresh bawling before I’m even halfway down the corridor.
In the kitchen, I spy an earlier batch of pastries cooling on the table. Didn’t Magda once say that pastries calmed Tengku Nawal? I try to remember when I heard that, but realise she hadn’t actually said it. Should I get pastries to calm the brat down?—I’d read it off her thoughts when I was following her in the market.
I stretch out my Gift towards Tengku Nawal’s room. I can’t catch any single thought from where I am—it’s all a tangled mess of whispers—but the fragments I catch seem calmer, less roiling. I put a few puffs on a tray along with a glass and the pitcher of water I came to get and head back into the tiger’s lair.
Today is the last day of Book Launch Week Sales.
Hurry! get your copy of Absolution before prices increase tomorrow.
Get Absolution now
| Amazon |
| Other retailers |
Or get all three books
| Complete Series |
Get the other books in the series at our Launch Week Sales price of USD2.99!
| Amok |
| The Tale of the Hostage Prince |
Looking for paperbacks?
Paperbacks are in the process of getting printed. You can pre-order a paperback directly from
Teaspoon Publishing
if you're based in Malaysia!
Living elsewhere?
Ask for Absolution from your nearest independent bookstore!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Tan grew up in Malaysia, the country that is not Singapore. She is interested in Malay/Nusantara and Chinese legends and folklore in exploring the intersection of language, culture, and faith.
Anna has an MA in Creative Writing: The Novel under a Chevening scholarship and is the President of the Malaysian Writers Society. She can be found tweeting as @natzers and forgetting to update annatsp.com.
Write in the park, day 21
Falling waters, a sonnet.
I came across a lively waterfall,
as I walked one morning in the park.
Its rocky cliff face imposing and tall,
adorned by shrubs and trees with thorny bark.
Restless waters noisy and excited,
Hastily running towards the rocky edge.
Leaping, jumping, looking much delighted,
Prancing, dancing, like actors on a stage.
Rushing, gushing, one another pushing,
stumbling, tumbling, rumbling through the air.
Dropping, diving, frantically screaming,
falling swiftly into a pool down there.
These waters live a short and care-free life,
they're born to fall, it's how the waters thrive.
"Falling waters, a sonnet" — by Huang Bing Yao
Thu 07Jul22 0933 hrs GMT+8
#poetry #poetrybybingyao
#sightandsounds #writeinthepark
#sonnet
Write in the park, Day 20
Look beyond the canopy
of leaves that fill your view
High up in the clear blue sky
you'll find your hope anew
Look beyond the canopy
of weaknesses that impede
Rise above all disability
and find the strength you need
Look beyond the canopy
of anxiety and fear
Stand your ground firmly
you'll find courage appear
Look beyond the canopy
of failures from the past
Avail yourself of opportunity
find success that will last
Look beyond the canopy
of branches obstructing your view
fly up to the clear blue sky
and find freedom anew
"Look beyond" — by Huang Bing Yao
Sat 02Jul22 0908 hrs GMT+8
#poetry #poetrybybingyao
#sightandsounds #heartfelt
#writeinthepark
Write in the park, Day 19.
I hope to grow up big and strong,
the budding green shoot says,
With sturdy branches all year long
and green leaves every day.
Like those tall trees standing by,
towering over me,
Reaching high up to the sky,
for everyone to see.
An immense tree I hope to be
tho' now I'm just a shoot,
Tiny buds is all you see
I'm no taller than a foot.
There is a long long way to go,
to turn from shoot to tree.
Nonetheless I hope to grow
A huge tree I shall be.
"A Child's Hope" — by Huang Bing Yao
Tue 28Jun22 1510 hrs GMT+8
#poetry #poetrybybingyao
#sightandsounds #writeinthepark
(I took this photo of a young budding shoot of an agave plant on Tue 21Jun22 in Westlake Garden.)
Tue 03/03/2026 This is a popular Indonesian Christian prayer song. I learned it during my undergraduate days in the early 1980s. Today, I...
