THANKS!!!

I didn’t write an acknowledgement in my book for some personal reasons, but God knows there were people who made this possible.

I would like to thank wonderful poet & publisher Sitok Srengenge and his kind, attentive wife. Thanks for waiting patiently for me to finish my short stories and for the interesting discussions over glasses of wine. Without Mas Sitok’s support (plus a hint of pressure…), I couldn’t have thought of publishing early.

People say don’t judge its book by its cover, but spending five years working in the media has changed my perspective. I’ve become a very visual person, and my great friends have made my gothic imagination come true. Thanks to Muhammad Taufiq (Emte), the chameleon artist, who has surprised me with his unconventional interpretation of ghosts... *Your artistic sense is so adorable but could you please stop showing disturbing pictures in Friendster?!?!! Thanks to Dissy Ekapramudita, for the dark picture of me on the back cover and for helping me with my research about polaroid. Also thanks to Hartadi who assisted the photo session.

Thanks to my two lifetime gurus: Melani Budianta and Manneke Budiman. They are the first people who introduced me to literary criticism and, even better, ‘drowned’ me to “the real world of literature” (quoting Mas Manneke).

Thanks to people who have allocated (hopefully not wasted) their time to read my book and willingly given their comments: my dearest Ibu Melani, inspiring author Linda Christanty, my ex teenage idol (ha ha…) Alex Komang, and the admirable critic Nirwan Dewanto. Thanks, Mas Nirwan, for your criticism (which can tear any hearts in two...) and for publishing my very first short story, “Sejak Porselen Berpipi Merah itu Pecah”.

I value some people’s suggestions and their willingness to be the early, encouraging readers. I therefore would like to thank “Mami” Widyawati Adisantoso for her pair of sharp designer’s eyes, Eka Kurniawan with his experiences as a prolific writer, Nukila Amal for some input about the book’s title and mainly for being an inspiration, and friends who accidentally heard my idea of publishing and had to bear the burden of listening to the “backstage” stories: Ully Damari Putri, Oriana Titisari, and S.M. Gietty.

Special thanks
to my bestfriend & alter ego for a decade, Nadya Sofyan, who collected all my works and claimed that she would be my first number one fan even when she read my puisi picisan years ago. She’s my long-distant patron, supplying me with great books (giving me the privilege to read anything not yet published/ sold in Indonesia), encouraging me to write despite occasional writer’s block, and watching the ups and downs of my life.
To my family--- but mostly to my mom, Etty Indra, my greatest inspiration, who has shaped me to be a feminist without even mentioning the word. Most of this book is about you.
To the writing goddesses I worship: Mary Shelley, Margaret Atwood, Angela Carter, Joyce Carole Oates, Anne Sexton.
To the cryptic songs and poems of The Doors and Jim Morrison.
To the songs of Keane (especially “Bend and Break”), Radiohead (especially “Exit Music”), and Cake.
To uncountable cups of coffee and… other stimulants.
And finally, to my two most beloved people, Iqbal Abdillah and Ilana Priyanka Avanindra, who have taught me about love instead of hate and anger, who remind me that there’s more in this world than my constant struggle to bite off more than I can chew.

May 2005