About Sik Chuan Pua
Born in Malaysia, Sik Chuan Pua completed his high school in Singapore, and moved to pursue his tertiary education in Sydney, Australia where he has lived ever since. He studied playwriting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. His plays have been nominated for the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award and the Griffin Award, the two major national playwriting prizes in Australia. His short fiction has appeared in Washington Square Review and is forthcoming in Gargoyle. He is working on a novel entitled, Jaws; or The Lucky Country.
A Profile of the Author
Notes on “Hat Yai, 1979”
Several years ago, I watched a 60 minutes-type report about sex tourism in South-East Asia. One of the interviewees bragged that for several dollars a week, he could “live like a king”.
That stayed with me.
I chose a child’s point-of-view as it enabled me to explore this world at a slant. I wanted to capture his flight of thoughts, without him necessarily realizing what he has seen or felt contained deeper truths. The guilt haunting his mother is sensed by the child but attributed to an entirely different set of circumstances. I think a lot of childhood happens in the in between of knowing and not knowing.
When I wrote the story, I had left my native Malaysia for a number of years. By then, I felt it was the right time to dive back into my memories of growing up in that region.
A Profile of the Author
Notes on “If You Only Knew”
I have a special feeling for this story because I wrote most of its first draft while my son was an infant. Large chunks of it were written in the middle of the night with him in my lap when he couldn’t sleep. I cradled him while typing with one hand. These memories are forever linked. Considering that my son is now 26, I suppose this piece also represents persistence. “If You Only Knew” was a finalist in various contests and came “close” at other magazines, but it was never offered publication. I didn’t give up on it though. I just kept revising it through the years. The story itself was always a pleasure to come back to. Kevin’s sardonic voice remained in my head. In the revision process, I did cut a long scene at the end between Kevin and his estranged father, a “Kill Your Darlings” strategy. It was a really tough decision for me, but I think it helped the story overall. I still do much of my writing in the middle of the night, given other schedules and responsibilities, but sadly my infant cradling days are in the past. I’m so pleased that when “If You Only Knew” found a home it was at Willow Springs!
Music, Food, Booze, Tattoos, Kittens, etc.
I’m a movie guy. I’ve never been a music guy, so when it comes to music I depend on my partner Tom and his all-encompassing Spotify playlist. Without him, I would only be listening to Kelly Clarkson covers, which are fantastic, but there’s something nice about getting some music education on a drive to the grocery store. Unlike Tom, I really only listen to music in the car. I’m always pointing to the dashboard and saying, “Who is that again?” and Tom will grimace and say, “It’s Pat Benatar, how do you not know that?” We listen to everybody from Frank Sinatra to Troye Sivan, from The Rolling Stones to Years & Years. On our drives, I get acquainted with groups like Public Enemy or The Go-Go’s, who I should have been listening to in my youth but I was too busy watching old movies. Tom will sometimes stop the music and tell me facts about a particular singer or about the first time he went to an Elton concert or when he saw Diana Ross at Radio City or the time he met Kenny Loggins after a show. I like these little biographical interludes. It’s like when he lets me pause old movies to explain why Barbara Stanwyck was considered Hollywood’s most cooperative actress or why Humphrey Bogart’s Oscar win was so popular. I guess we each get points for patience.
Music, Food, Booze, Tattoos, Kittens, etc.
To combat the disorientation and all other ill effects brought upon by the pandemic, I have relied on various recordings of J.S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations, in particular, those by Angela Hewitt and Zhu Xiao Mei.
The strict border closure here in Australia led to my happy discovery of 4K walking tour videos on YouTube. Basically, your guide films his or her walk, without commentary, so it feels as if you’re on the journey yourself. This travel-by-proxy has taken me back to familiar places such as the flamingo house along the Venice Canals in Los Angeles, the ivory sands of South Beach, and the various levels of the Strand Bookstore in NYC. My favorite of these would be the snow-covered neighborhoods gleaming with Christmas decorations. (Americans really know how to celebrate Christmas.) I hope to visit Alaska one day.
Over the last two years, I have developed a strange aversion to alcohol. It’s like I now have organic Antabuse coursing through my veins. I am a tattoo removalist amongst other things. I never enquire who Brad, Jacintha or Richard 4ever is. Some narratives are meant to be erased. As I write this, there has been a tragic shark attack in Sydney, the first fatality in sixty years.
I dream of better days ahead for all of us. Peaceful as a stroll over the pristine snow on December evenings, the air suffused with goodwill.
