Agora

I write this to proclaim my love for my beloved grandfather who has passed from this realm not two days ago. My grandfather and I enjoyed a close relationship since I lived not far from him when I was in Malaysia. Grandpa lived a very healthy life well into his twilight years. Since I was little, he would take me to the city park almost every other morning just for a morning stroll, and I was always treated to a good breakfast with soy bean milk with grandmother after. Grandpa's house was large- my family and I would visit everyday to eat lunch with them. For many years, it was the hub for festive occasions, be it Chinese New Year, Christmas, relatives visiting, funerals and so forth. I have chosen the house as a setting for countless essays during my primary school years, when I had to describe happy memories or celebrations. Indeed, Grandpa's home was such a collection of merriment and was very much an integral part of my childhood. Grandpa was always there a...

So after submitting those performance reports I felt at ease, and yesterday I went into work with a rejuvenated sense of purpose; knowing that I've done everything I could and that I would have no regrets working as a fundraiser. Following the workday, assessments were held and my report was perhaps the strongest @ the workplace. I only have God to thank for. I do not believe that my will to carry on stemmed from my natural capacities. I honestly think that there was a 'prime mover' that edged me on ever so gently and resolutely.

So work begins in 2 minutes and here I am blogging through my phone. I am to submit my report consisting of my fundraising activities and efforts for the past month. I am quite nervous since the last one I submitted was comparatively sub-par. My colleagues are stellar employees and somehow I feel that I am on a lower level. They seem a lot more motivated, much more energized and all the credit goes to them. Now I can go on and make excuses about my unsatisfactory performance but I take all the blame because at times I felt like giving up. I am not going to lie because the job is hard and I felt like I was not cut out for front-line cold-calling. I was not prepared for humble pie most of the work week. I was/am arrogant and I have to fix it. Therefore, as I enter today's work and submit my report I will treat this as a fresh start, even though my time with this company is limited and coming to a close. I will prove to myself that I can be a good team player; that I can look ba...

So it has been a while since my last blog post, and I have since experienced a cacophony of highs and lows; ups and downs.  Allow me to rant about several things that have constituted my so-called summer vacation. Being an employee in a fundraising company has been one of the most challenging episodes in my life thus far. The nature of cold-calling, knocking on doors and arranging appointments to pitch a cause is quite remorseless in that very few people are eager to reciprocate whatever passion you may still have about the cause at hand. Normally, that passion would've been depleted one week into the job; because there is just so much a human being can give and bear. Don't get me wrong, I am remunerated for what I do, but these 6-7 hour workdays have drained a lot from me. I, like many others, often spend my long commutes home hoping that what I am doing would amount to something at the end of day. Add in the high-ankle sprain injury which robbed me of a conference trip to...

SO I turn 21. Several implications: 1. the law stipulates that I have made the shift from being a dependent minor to an independent actor, capable of making my own decisions reasonably and rationally. False. 2. that my turning 21 indicates that since I have inhabited this earth for 21 years, I have a slight inkling of 'know-how'. Also false. 3. that I must start to grow up. Truth. I guess this is more like a pledge to myself to reassess my goals and figure out my career path. So far, I am still confused in regards to commitment, plans and strategies to achieve success. On a more mundane level, I am still looking fervently for a job and still playing basketball.  The coming year is going to be a pivotal point in my life, I can sense it. Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes!

Hey folks, It has been a while since my blog post. Frankly, I have been enjoying a lot of time outdoors playing basketball and I must say that I have missed this sport dearly. A combination of good weather (gorgeous sunshine) and enthusiastic friends equals a lot of hoops and sore muscles. I've settled into a satisfactory sleeping cycle, attempting to offset any physiological damage incurred during the last three weeks of hell aka 3 hours of sleep is already a blessing aka I should have studied this long before aka cramming is horrible aka exam period. And boy, did I come out of those examination halls with a victorious feeling. A Time for Hoops Anyway, I plan to schedule my time properly over the next few weeks so I don't catch either boredom bug or lazy bug (yet again); for in idleness there is great potential to be vegetated and unmotivated. So, I attempt to channel my youthful vigours into basketball and related exercises to boost performance. Honestly, that's w...

Stay tuned for SE Asia trip wrap up part 3 where I will provide some suggestions for Malaysia's public policy. Exams are around the corner, and I am in the process of completing some essays, one overdue. Applied for close to 10 jobs yesterday, so fingers crossed I will be earning some much needed money this summer! In the mean time, allow me to divulge a little about recent developments - Trying to catch up with 2 weeks worth of school work isn't fun by any means; whats more, I found myself campaigning for UBC's International Student Association elections, hoping to be voted in as Vice President External. With an international background, I naturally felt drawn to this position and club because I have had many experiences with international students on exchange here, and I do understand a thing or two about transitioning and the severe sense of alienation that some of them feel. Being far from home is one thing, not accepted here because of ones accent or command of E...

Singapore's successful urban-planning policies ought to be emulated by Malaysia I'm attempting to make the most of my procrastination by producing a coherent and legible blog post - one that is long overdue as well. With two papers waiting to be completed, I would hardly try to make this post anything like an essay, but it normally turns out to be like one, so I've heard. So, hopefully I'll try to write in a relaxed manner without betraying the gravity of the content, namely, that the disparities between the Malaysian and Singaporean state are so great as to provoke sadness and sympathy within me. As a Malaysian citizen, the Singaporean developmental, economical and political model is to be emulated, if Malaysia wishes to meet its 2020 goal of being a high-income economy. In today's post, I will elaborate on the different developmental practices in both countries. Pedestrian Sky-bridges amidst lush, green growth in Singapore   Sustainable, efficient, dur...

Throughout most of my return journey, I have playfully entertained various writing angles to punctuate a very meaningful trip to Southeast Asia. I could either give a rather relaxed journal or plunge into critical analysis of the visual, political and social stimuli in that part of the world. Maybe I could strike a balance between the two, and offer a few insights. I intend to make this a mini-series so I can do justice to all the sights and scenes I have witnessed and ultimately demonstrate how Singapore is that superior compared to Malaysia. Pace The Singaporean lifestyle is highly-mobile, fast-paced and revolves around a very stringent schedule. Public transit or transport is unforgiving if said schedule is taken lightly, since one plans his or her commutes to accommodate clients, deadlines, plans etc. Surely, this is a given in any metropolis, but given the sheer congestion, density and proximity of locations, it often takes 15 minutes via MRT to get to where a 3 minute car would...

2:48 am, Lavender Street, Singapore. I am extremely exhausted. The soles of my feet are aching because of my shoes' poor arch support, and the fact that one does not get around Singapore other than walking extremely fast from one busy point to another hectic destination. The pace here, especially in a conference, is disturbingly accelerated by rigidly constructed timetables and the unfamiliarity of location or landmarks exacerbates our physical conditions. I have bore the brunt effects of urbanity - my back covered in a sheet of sweat and forehead glistening with perspiration. All of this is, of course, hidden by my now very much worn-out and crumpled suit, away from unsuspecting glances. The fact of the matter remains that high-stress environments do not ally themselves harmoniously with equally high temperatures. The result of that is a climate of stress and sweat that, for me, increases the threshold of happiness - it makes it that much harder to be content and satisfied...

3:03 am, Lavender Street, Singapore My morning call is in less than 4 hours but I am determined to convey the turbulent emotions which have left me griping in the past two days. These feelings I speak of are quite intrinsic to humanity: the bittersweetness of goodbyes and love's resistance against separation. These forces have ground against every fiber of my soul, simply because I am not particularly fond of farewells. I capped my very brief trip in Penang by spending the little time I had left with my loved ones. Amidst the food and jubilant laughter, the hour of departure is often obscured. But when the hour approaches, the looming prospect of boarding a plane and turning your back on those you love always bites into my sanity. The ordeal of leaving those you love behind was not meant to be shouldered by frail humans like us. I often find it Herculean to suppress much of my emotions when others are expressing them through tears; and I often deem the whole process of separati...

6:58 pm, East Coast, Singapore. Just landed in Singapore. Will blog about my last two days in Penang quite soon. Pre-conference preparations in full swing, and its safe to say that I am deeply impressed by Singapore's development, infrastrcture and wealth. There really is a jarring disparity between Malaysia and Singapore. More on that soon, for now, I am off to dinner with my relatives. It feels good to be welcomed and loved by family scattered across the world. Their hospitality is always revitalizing for a weary traveller like me.

12:28pm, 30 degrees Celcius, Georgetown, Penang I am back in town! It feels great to be driving down the streets and observing the hustle and bustle here in this small yet highly urbanized place. Everything is so close and the traffic is absolutely insane. This is for the Vancouverites back in Canada: the Chinese are indeed some of the best drivers around, theyre too skilled to be following the laws of the road - you just got to get from point A to point B faster, no exceptions. Not even pedestrian or road rules. Its the wild west here. Nonetheless, its a pleasure to be back with my grandparents, spent a great deal of time talking to them upon arrival. I am glad that they're still going strong and living a simple and modest life, but yet not to the point of austerity. Sometimes, their piety inspires and nourishes my often battered mentality: I just have to slow down and alleviate my stress. So far, my trip has accomplished that but there are numerous issues that often muddle my...

5:56 am, 25 degrees Celsius Another episode of jet-lag and here I am typing a blog post when the forces of nature should have lulled me into deep sleep. To be fair, I was comatose the moment my head found the pillow 5 hours ago so I guess I've gotten my beauty sleep. Had quite a trip down memory lane yesterday. I went to the Mid Valley Megamall, which I frequented quite a bit back then, the last time being 7-8 years ago. The culture in KL is such that one develops emotional ties with malls, since these monoliths are arguably the only worthwhile landmarks to go to, because of much needed air-conditioning (32 degrees Celsius outside) and consumerism wrapped in one. One could walk around for hours yet still sustain ones interest just a bit more to linger around. Met up with a special person at MPH book stores where I purchased Lim Kit Siang's autobiography. Spent literally the whole day just aimlessly walking around; stuffing my face with food and drink whenever I can; loung...

8:40 pm, KLCC , 28 degrees Celcius I'd like to think that I am a machine and could go on forever, but I am absolutely drained after today's excursions. A.M. Running on 3 hours of sleep and an assortment of plane-travel related ailments (eg. jetlag, neck soreness and fatigue), I didn't think I could have made it very far with my weary strides to the bathroom for my early morning shower. All of that began to change as I suited up to go to Parliament Building for the first time. Nothing beats a good 'mamak' breakfast. 'Mamak' is Malaysian terminology for Indian Muslims, often synonymous with affordable yet extremely palatable fanfare. I had iced Milo, roti telur and roti bawang , think naan bread except considerably tastier thanks to the ghee (butter) used. My uncle gave me a ride to Parlimen via Kesas highway and a turn from the Mahameru Freeway brought us to the building. I was given a security clearance pass and frankly, I didn't know where t...

 4:00 am, Shah Alam, 27 degrees Celsius Should be sleeping but I will make it a point to 'journal'. That was not a very pleasant trip, but I am grateful and relieved that I made it in one piece. Apart from in-flight service which was sub-par at best, I didn't get much shut eye. So, I caught up on my reading but still felt extremely exhausted once we landed in Pudong, Shanghai. My first impressions of the airport was a good one - gleaming panels, immense concourses, expansive architecture. Once you're in it though, I can't say that I've had a bigger hassle as a transfer passenger. I am glad China blocked Blogger, I don't have many kind things to say about my experience there. First, why do transfer passengers have to line up at an immigration checkpoint upon arrival? As far as I know, passengers-in-transit head straight to their gates and have a short security check before entering the lounge. I had to stand in line for about half an hour just to clea...

I hope For money, fame and fortune, I hope To be happy plus a portion, I hope That I will find success, I hope  With that comes ample rest; but I fear For reasons quite unknown, I fear The dark, it chills the bone, I fear My thoughts and misery, I fear That I might fail miserably. Continuing my series on success, I wish to address the very pertinent qualities of hope and the exasperations caused by fear. My previous posts dealt with the nature of success: never-ending, transient and that the very definition of success is the sustainment of dreams and aspirations. I also emphasized the need for inspiring and motivating others, suggesting that in so doing we perpetuate our passions and affections for one another. I hope to encapsulate the universal seesaw of hoping and fearing in a little anecdote featuring myself, but I fear that I will speak for others. So, I guess I just want to share my hopes and fears leading up to my Southeast Asian trip and how I have succes...

These videos are sort of complimentary to each other; yet, there is a possibility that a change in our capitalistic, industrialized educational paradigm could result in a rethinking of human nature and the other institutions within our society today. There is a chance that we can be educated to accentuate and even amplify our empathic sociability and rediscover our kinship as a global race. Why are we putting ourselves through factory-lines? Why do we stifle our aesthetic senses and capacities for creativity?  Sir Ken Robinson thinks that we should change the paradigm of education and I agree. What do you think? 'Can we connect our empathy to a single race writ large in a single biosphere?' We do have a common bond - empathy, and perhaps we ought not repress it, and give in to our 'secondary drives' such as narcissism, materialism, violence and aggression. Do you think these videos are accomplishing these goals, in that they attempt to educate and stimulate us in...

I will be in Singapore March 13th - March 19th for WorldMUN 2012 So, I have a million things to do before leaving for Malaysia & Singapore. Yes, I will be leaving on March 6th til March 22nd for a short return trip to my home country and the WorldMUN (Model United Nations) conference in Singapore. Before leaving, however, I have to finish two research papers, an economics midterm, complete position paper, draft some talking points for an informal meeting with prominent opposition party MPs in Malaysia (more on this in a future blog post); print out my business cards; dryclean my suits, pack my suitcase, buy new pair of shoes since last pair is a little worn out and do research on Pakistan everyday leading up to the conference on March 13th. I claim that it is 'hectic' because time management is not my forte. Besides, I have also made some time to hangout with some friends and close one before I leave (for some, I will be missing their birthdays). So, you can say ...

A Jewish child smiles before his artistic creation during the 'Paiting Pain Dreaming Peace' exhibition in San Fransisco. The exhibition sought to bridge Palestinian and Israeli cultures by bringing their children together in collaborative art. In my previous blog post, 'On Success: The Road with No End', I mentioned that the road to our success is a never-ending journey, since our perception of it is transient. Despite its ephemeral qualities, success is arguably the anchor of our careers. We motivate and push ourselves to succeed. Success of course, is in the eye of the beholder and suum cuique -  to each his own. What I also tried to clarify, was that success is not a destination but rather a journey on a road. This road, of course, is never ending because we will never get to a destination called success. I mentioned that we tend to fall in love with our misery because we always feel that success is that far away.  What I truly believe is that all of us must ov...

 We have a dangerous love affair with guns.  A little digression - a side route if you will, from the road with no end. In two of my lectures this morning, I began to realize the extent of a 'gun' culture in our world. Specifically, I am referring to how much the mentality of violence is engrained within us. I say this for two reasons: the romanticization of gun-based violence and the subconscious acceptance of violence as a necessary tools. These are what I believe to be the reasons why 'disarmament' or 'anti-small arm proliferation' talk are merely pie in the sky talk - we have to strike at our very own roots and discard our implict glorification of arms and violence. First, the romanticization of guns and weapons by the media, our conversations and social understandings. Make no mistake, I am not accusing anyone of being pro-guns or pro-violence. I will reserve my judgments on that matter here; instead, I am blaming our adventurous spirits and our...

'Everyone lives with an tries to hide fear. A rich man fears the loss of his property, the leader fears he will be outmaneuvered...everyone has his own fear and must learn to live with and conquer it.' - Mochtar Lubis If there is only one universal truth, it is that all of us are seeking success. This will not be a blog post to preach about the right ways or strategies to attain success - there have been numerous before me that have done so with elegance. What they have not really addressed, however, is our tendency to fall in love with our own misery. Here, I mean that our perception of and quest for success is often muddled and obstructed by our fear and obstinate  attitudes. Over the next few blog posts, I will start a series of reflective and exploratory writings to decipher the meaning of success. I also wish to offer my views on the correct frame of mind to achieve success. In these posts, I will propose several ideas that I have harbored in recent years....

Yes, we blog to convey our ideas. Yes, we blog to express ourselves in a domain accessible to millions of people. Yes, we blog to reveal our stances on particular socio-cultural issues. But, I hesitate to proceed with the next point in this post, because I am also prone to this mistake. This mistake I speak of is overzealousness and vanity. When we highlight a political issue for example, we choose quotes, pictures, words and frame the blog post in such a way as to reflect our own opinion. That is absolutely expected - no problems there. However, when we start to assert elements of absolutism and excessive negativity (in the form of accusations or skepticism) we begin to lose that moral high ground. We start to appear defeated, unwilling to compromise, almost  childish. Moreover, overzealousness invites ignorance, and ignorance welcomes irrational judgments. When we are too self-absorbed in our own opinion, we inadvertently shut off other avenues of thought. When we attribute ...

Okay, maybe the launching of this blog was slightly premature. Since I am no techie, there are two sets of redundant tabs at the top of my blog space. I will try to figure those out, I just have to link them to my pages widget, I think. I will figure this tech crisis during the intermittent rests I take when writing my papers. Those willing to help me solve this problem will be awarded a large medal of Good Samaritanship when all is said and done. Maybe that or a large shout-out in the next blog post.

I have spent many years marveling at the creativity of countless blogs and talented writers, only to realize that the capacity to reproduce such works of art and self-expression is only a few mouse clicks and words away. Recently, direct inspiration from my peers has motivated me to start up my own blog and this I did for several reasons, and you can read brief snippets explaining the birth of this blog in the picture panel above. Most importantly, I pledge to maintain enough discipline, loyalty and interest to perpetuate this blog, particularly because I am one who enjoys a good sounding board. A huge bonus for me would be if said sounding board actually talks back. So, Dennis' Agora welcomes an exchange of ideas and constructive dialogue in this place of gathering. Obviously, the onus is on me to provide thought-provoking material. A word of caution, however: there will be a slight (just slight) lean towards political topics. Those that know me personally will understand t...