The Measure Of A System: Transforming Public Transportation In Penang
7 min read
A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW of Penang’s public transportation network charts the real-time movements of all buses traversing…
Rethinking Industrial Heritage: Charcoal As Black Gold In Kuala Sepetang
5 min read
BOATS NEGOTIATE MANGROVE-LINED waterways towards the Sepetang’s river-mouth, the smell of charcoal from domed kilns permeating the…
On Relationality and Geography: An Interview with Madeleine Thien
5 min read
In anticipation of Madeleine’s appearance at the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF), she talks about her new novel, the writing process and her identity.
Facts, Anecdotes and speculations: A Review of 63-65 Notes From A Separation
6 min read
The Present
AN ALTERNATIVE PRESENT haunts Boo Junfeng’s “Happy and Free”, a speculative karaoke video commemorating “a Malaysian Singapore…
Our Food Goes Wherever We Go
4 min read
Totem Park Maggi Mee (Dormitory version)Ingredients:1 x packet of Maggi Mee1 x eggInstructions:Boil water. Pour into rice cooker and turn on.A...
Economy Rice Stalls – A Digest of Malaysian Struggles
9 min read
On the surface, the concept of economy rice is deceptively simple. You will always recognise the economy rice stall. There will be a simple buffet-style display...
The George Town Literary Festival Persists through the Pandemic
7 min read
THE INITIAL PLANS for the 2020 George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) were for it to be celebratory – to look back on 10 years of work, while also looking f...
The Troubled Malaysian Book Trade and its Possible Recovery
8 min read
2020 WAS SUPPOSED to be a robust year for the Malaysian book trade, but that is not to be. The Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) was postponed by sev...
Keeping Alive Penang’s Reputation as a Jewellery Design Centre
9 min read
RETURNING CUSTOMERS ARE always welcome, even if they arrive to the little shop at the corner of the KOMTAR Gold and Jewellery Centre with a list of detailed spe...
Penang’s Gold and Jewellery Trade: A Generational Shift is at Hand
6 min read
THE SUDDEN MARCH rush to buy gold took even Penang’s seasoned jewellers and goldsmiths by surprise. A few timely factors had converged, such as the loosening of...
Absorbing the Ambience of the Peninsular North by Train
4 min read
THERE IS SOMETHING romantic about railways. In Penangite Wan Phing Lim’s essay, Slowly, Slowly into the Night, she documented her journey from Johor to Bu...
A Market that Reeks of History
6 min read
Is there a need to choose between the heritage and day-to-day market life, or the option of a new building like that of nearby Chowrasta Market, or to transform into a decidedly upmarket venue?