Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Poem: Exquisite Adaptations in Nature

You are inscrutable. Bottle-sized glasses give you a disarming look, but I knew at once not to underestimate you. 

You're introverted, sure, but you've surrounded yourself with extroverts, becoming unpredictable. Charles Darwin would be proud but unable to categorize you; perhaps you fit his observation that "wonderful metamorphoses in function are at least possible." 

Long giraffe legs give you feelings of being imbalanced, but to the casual observer, if you wobble, it is because you do not yet see your strength. 

I am no scientist, but know this: I already miss the island species that once sat with me, gently tranquilizing me without firing a single shot. 

© Matthew Mehdi Rafat (2018)

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Interviews

Interviews

John Adler in California (2010): The Good Doctor

Asian Games' Wrestling (2018): Wrestlers

Fazal Bahardeen in Singapore (2018): Muslim Travel

Alain van den Bossche in Jepara, Indonesia (2019): Belgian Expat in Indonesia

Ellen in Cebu, Philippines (2018): Single Mom, Three Degrees

Matteo of Gelato Matteo in Semarang, Indonesia (2018): Came for Business, Stayed for Love

Lan Haiwen in Silicon Valley (2008): Ultizen: Developing Games with Chinese Creativity.

Noman Md Ariful Haque in Kuala Lumpur (2018): A Muslim Engineer in Japan 

Derrick in Katy, Texas (2018): Old Katy Coffee on good coffee 

James McRitchie in San Francisco, CA (2016): Shareholder Activist 

Sara Mendelsohn in Hanoi, Vietnam (2018): Personal Trainer and English Teacher 

Ayu Nuarida in Semarang, Indonesia (2018): A Woman for All Seasons 

Bruce Nguyen in Saigon, Vietnam: (2018): Third Wave Coffee

Marco Paulo in Cebu, Philippines (2017): Influencer 

Sulistiansyah Rahmadi in Palembang, Indonesia (2018): Indonesian Traveler

Auron Tare in Tirana, Albania (2018): Albania's Bill Bradley    

[Statements have been edited for clarity and condensed.]