While I was growing up, my father used to tell me many stories that were told to him by his mother. Some of her stories were folktales that were told to her. Others were from books that my father's family used to get. Books that were still in their original form and written in Jawi.

The one story that my father always spoke of was the legend of Puteri Santubong. The guy who wrote the song we hear nowadays took a lot of poetic liberties to it and changed the entire legend. The old people here all know the real story.

Besides, if you think about it, Santubong is a mountain. Sejinjang is a hill. As petty as the gods can be, why would a higher god lower themselves to fight with a minor god? But if you think of Santubong fighting Lesung, which is a mountain on its own in the Second Division, wouldn't that make more sense?

Anyway, I started a little of the legend here. That's the way I write. I'm influenced by romance and fantasy writers. So I describe in great detail. This is so that I won't have to bother filling in the details later when the action starts rolling. And also, I want to put a picture in people's head. That way, they can't come to me and say 'Oh, I had an idea what so-and-so looked like. Only later then I got the real picture from your description.'

I don't like that as a reader. So I don't do it when I write either.

I don't write very well. I talk better than I write.

Oh heck! Just read the story.