Is Petronas feeding a fatal habit?
7 min read
The first oil well in Malaysia was called the Grand Old Lady. This was in Miri, Sarawak. Also known as Oil Well No. 1, it was operated by the Royal Shell Compan...
Online Platforms That Run Errands For You
4 min read
Shawn (not his real name) was excited; he had booked a hotel room where he planned to propose to his girlfriend. A day before the event, he came down with a hea...
Virtual Classrooms are virtually here
8 min read
At school I had decent handwriting, but it’s been steadily getting worse. More worryingly, the other day I was handed a paper map and absentmindedly tried...
How well can we police the police?
5 min read
As enforcers of the law, the police are imbued with considerable power – but this is power that is wide open for abuse. As cases of police brutality and d...
After the good start, let's get the rest high
6 min read
Two months ago, I wrote in this column about the issue of English and asked whether our government would give the language the importance it deserves and get ou...
Reforming Education
11 min read
Man of Mathematics was the title of the book, a parting gift from Mr Paul Pommel, my father’s secondary school teacher who finished his term as a Peace Co...
A feast of fish
2 min read
There is no cold hard rule to eating at a buffet, but to not miss out on anything, we started with the line-up of appetizers, diving into the refreshing and mod...
The Tailor of Bishop Street
3 min read
I first met Lee in 1999 when my husband suddenly moved to a job that required him to be in an office and wear suits. Tukang Jahit Soon Loong was recommended by...
Tropfest comes to Penang
4 min read
What started out 20 years ago as an informal short film festival for friends in the Tropicana cafe in Sydney, Australia is now the largest short film festival i...
Ecstatic about short + sweet
5 min read
Short+Sweet Theatre Festival 2013.I still remember the rush I felt in the weeks leading up to last year’s Short+Sweet theatre Festival. It was my ve...
VIDDSEE, make south-east Asia films available
6 min read
It’s a Sunday a ernoon and Derek Tan and Ho Jia Jian are chatting with me via Skype (both of them are based in Singapore). Ho, the Malaysian half of the d...
Penang's secret hash society
6 min read
I am a runner. I may not stride at a blistering pace, but I do run when and where I travel. I get out in the early mornings before it is too hot. Last summer my...