Dewi Lestari

Multitalented Dewi Lestari fits many titles, including writer, singer and songwriter. The 30-year-old also deals seamlessly with other more private roles, from mother to Keenan Avalokita Kirana, her nearly 3-year-old son, wife to R&B crooner Marcel, sibling and loyal friend. Her fifth book, Rectus Verso, which means mirror, is nearing completion. It’s a book with a difference: a compilation of 11 short stories accompanied by 11 songs -- or is it the other way around? "This is me composing lyrics into short stories," Dee, as she is known to her readers, said in her cozy storied house overlooking Bandung. "It'll be my most romantic book as it's all about love.”

LAPTOP: It's my life, mind and brain. It seems that my mind lacks a processor without it. I always have my laptop with me in the car so I can work anytime, because, since I have had a child, I have less time alone.

PIANO: I don't touch it every day, not as often as my computer. I go to the piano when I want to create. A piano is pretty much the same as a laptop but with a different set of keys -- without it I can't compose songs.  With the laptop I am a writer, while I am a musician with the piano.

CABLE TV: I'm not an avid TV fan, but when I want to watch I can't stand having only local channels to choose from. All they offer are soaps, gossip programs, advertisements and crime shows. Everything is shown as extreme, depicted as black or white, and it's draining to watch. I love Star World for its comedy series, and the National Geographic and Discovery channels for the tons of knowledge available.

PILLOWS: I'm the kind of person who can't sleep without a pillow. It's the epitome of comfort -- the atmosphere immediately becomes relaxed when a pillow is present. I bought goose-down pillows a few months a go, they're fat and fluffy, just the way I like them.

BEST OF TEARS FOR FEARS CD: I once joked that if I was ever stranded on an island and could only have one song repeated over and over, it would be Woman in Chains. It's the best song ever, perfect in every way: the arrangement, sound and melody. I've listened to it since I was in junior high school and still use it to test a new stereo -- if the song sounds good on it, then I know that all others will too.

'HUJAN BULAN JUNI' POETRY COLLECTION: This is the book to bring along as a castaway. It has to be poetry because I believe this is the essence of writing. Even if there are only 100 pages of poems, with the addition of interpretation, a poetry book can reach 1,000 pages, but you won't be bored. Hujan Bulan Juni (June Rains) by Sapardi Djoko Damono contains the most beautiful poems ever. My favorite is Aku Ingin (I Wish).

CHILI: As long as there's chili in the world, I can live. I can crush them to make sambal or chop them up as part of my dishes. I'm a moderate user, but I can’t eat food without a slight zing, which is why I always bring packets of chili sauce when I go abroad.

TOFU: As vegetarians, this is our source of protein; my son can only eat tofu. I love Bandung-made tofu, which is yellow from the addition of turmeric and has just the right texture and taste. I was a bit disappointed with tofu in Jakarta, it's too salty, while Sumedang tofu is too bland.

IRON CHEST: Actually, it's not the chest that is my favorite, but my diaries dating back to junior high school that I keep inside. If there was a fire in the house, this chest would be the first thing that I threw out to save it. It's my own recollection of myself, my journey, all in one space.

SHORTS: I can't sleep without my shorts. In my imagination, my knees would get very hot if there was something between my knees and the bedcover. When I go to a factory outlet I can buy six shorts in one go -- I just don't want to run out of them.

+ Sonja Fransisca

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