cruising through northeast monsoon*

About

Cruising through Northeast Monsoon is inspired by my journey since last December after my father’s passing. It explores navigating between letting go while finding one’s footing. Not in the mood to steer the course in this slippery downhill; the cyclist threw their hands up in the air to feel the wind, despite being well aware of a potential collision or accident.

My expression in this piece is a timely parallel to something I said to my sister after scaling Mt. Merbabu: “Sometimes I scare myself with the thoughts I have… while I was climbing up and down the mountain, I thought to myself—I will be at ease dying here; to exit while being so close to the nature I love, that’s not too bad...” After all, acknowledging my limited existence has time and again helped me live a fuller life.

Cruising through Northeast Monsoon encapsulates the simplistic beauty of a Yellow Flame Tree’s falling blooms amidst a downpour in December, whilst emanating a sense of expansiveness and liberation. Despite being a firm believer that we play a vital role in writing our own stories; there are days I lay down defeated, thinking: “Whatever will be, will be.”

—Hwee Chieh, Hchiehart