Relating Tales of Dislocated Culture
8 min read
AUTHOR SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA’S initially hesitant demeanour over Zoom belies the writing style of her debut short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife. Sh...
An Insider’s Account of Malaysia’s Parliament 2018-2020
5 min read
BOOK REVIEW: Parliament, Unexpected: Recollections of Parliament, Politics, and Pandemic in Malaysia (Matahari Books)PARLIAMENT, UNEXPECTED: Recollections of Pa...
Dikir Barat: An Evolving Identity Marker
5 min read
A dikir barat ensemble consists of the tok jogho (lead singer), tukang karut (spontaneous verse composer), awak-awak (chorus and clappers) and musicians. It starts with the bertabuh musical prelude, followed by singing led by the tok jogho.
Euston Quah and the Virtues of Cost-Benefit Analysis
8 min read
OUR EDITOR WAS stuck in Singapore for a few weeks in 2021 during the pandemic, and took the chance to meet up with one of Penang’s many famous sons living in th...
When Did You Last Look Up at the Stars?
5 min read
Overcast weather aside, Penang’s night skies offer the best of both worlds, providing vistas that stargazers from the global north, where the hobby has gained traction (think North America and Europe), have to fork over tens of thousands of dollars to travel to see.
Around the Rocky Isle of Pulau Tikus
5 min read
MENTION PULAU TIKUS to a Penangite and most often what comes to mind is the northwestern suburb of George Town, well known for its good food and interesting his...
PSDC’s New CEO Not Allowing Any Resting on Any Laurels
5 min read
ON MARCH 1, Tan Eng Tong became the new chief executive officer of the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC). A Penangite with a wealth of technological exper...
What’s in a Kampung Name?
6 min read
Ever wondered why certain kampungs are so named? Maybe they were named after their founders or an upstanding community member? Or perhaps, they got their names from plantation crops, or the hills and rivers in their immediate environs?
How to Strengthen Your Financial Health: Part Two
4 min read
LAST WEEKEND, I went out with a young friend. As we wandered through bookstores, bought pastries in bakeries and lunched at kopitiams, I admired his carefree-ne...
No Room for Economic Complacency regarding Ukraine-Russia War
5 min read
ABOUT TWO MONTHS ago, Russia shocked the world by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, causing horrible human suffering and destruction. In response, the...
A Discourse on Birds – and Biodiversity
7 min read
BIRDS POPULATE literature and folklore as symbols of transit and freedom, embodying fleeting moments of beauty.[1] In Farid-ud-din Attar’s The Conference of the...
A Quaint History of the Mystical Islet We Call “Pulau Tikus”
9 min read
IT IS SAID that Francis Light, after negotiations with the Sultan of Kedah to take possession of Penang, anchored his three ships off the islet, Pulau Tikus, an...
