Technical Difficulties

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.

Comments

To grandpa,

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...

3 Months in Malaysia: The Feeling of Belonging

Have you ever experienced leaving a place for many years and, upon your return, feel that you've never left? Unfortunately, it feels that I've been gone a long time from my home country, Malaysia. I feel some form of friction at the workplace, with the language, culture, sensibilities and norms. This is expected and what I perceive to be a natural process of re-acculturation and re-assimilation - re-settling myself into this place I call home . However, the stakes are a lot higher for me and I've got a set of goals for myself. I'll try to highlight one aspect per entry, so this post will be about the process of 're-learning' and 're-education' here in Malaysia. Having worked at a law firm for two months and now in a political party as a researcher, I've got some serious catching up to do in terms of catching up to speed with the pulse and current affairs of this nation. As I devour books, articles and writings that shed light on the many events t...

Walkability

I've spent close to 3 weeks in Singapore for a work trip recently. The city is a gleaming example of prudent, sensible & effective public policy. Every square-inch of the island has been mapped out, years before, with the room to rework the space if the need arises. Let's talk about walking, specifically, the decision to walk to your destination and forgo other means of transportation. Not enough people in Malaysia like to walk. Many blame the weather, the cracked sidewalks or that it's simply much easier to drive or share a ride there. Their reasons are justified. However, I'd argue that walkability is the end result of many policies aligning to create just the right environment to inspire people to lace up their shoes and make that walk. These policies are, in no particular order of importance: spatial planning, accessibility, public transportation. Using Singapore as a case study, I'll provide some observations and thoughts. Spatial Planning: S...

Agora

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