From a building right in front of my windows, I can observe the speed of the sunrises and sunsets. The voices of children playing, laughing, yelling, and crying on the playground crawl up to the eighth floor, where I write. Their voices sound so innocent from a distance.

The decision to write full-time meant I couldn't afford to buy a house. A friend kindly offered me the use of his apartment in a thirty-six-story building full of newlywed couples in the southern area of Jakarta. I didn't like my working space at first, but the scenery and everything going on outside have worked their magic on me.

One of the challenges is creating characters. I am trying to compose my sentences to express epic events happening to ordinary people.

The treasure of a writer is to maintain their own style.

Racism and discrimination of any kind have no place in football.

I think being an athlete prepares you for more things than people give us credit for.

I like the challenge and instant gratification of landing a new jump or learning a new element. That made me fall in love with the sport.

Television is making sports universal; for the same reason, big-time soccer is growing more popular in the United States.