End of the first day of meeting organized by the ASEAN Services Employees Trade Unions Councils (ASETUC) and supported by the Fredriech Ebert Stiftung in Singapore. We will be here until Wednesday to discuss on the possibility of setting up an online academy to train trade unionists across ASEAN. The participants come from different ASEAN [...]
Over the weekends, while I was in KL, I had the opportunity to organized a small ngobrol-ngobrol (chit chatting) session with Liew Chin Tong (www.liewchintong.com) in Petaling Jaya with a group of young professionals.
Discussions included comments and expectations of young people in view of Malaysia’s current political climate. Liew answered a couple of questions on [...]
Spent the weekends in Hulu Sgor-KL before flying to Singapore today for a meeting. The turnout on nomination day for Hulu Sgor by-election was electric on the side of Pakatan Rakyat. There were probably at least 5-to-1 if not 10-to-1. The BN crowd could barely compare in terms of number and spirit. But of [...]
Since I have revamped YB Chong Eng’s website (www.chongeng.org) and is currently working with my colleague in Indonesia to redesign the website of the Network of Social Democracy in Asia (www.socdem.asia), I though I might as well give my own site a fresh look.
Been searching for a couple of wordpress themes, until I come across [...]
In my philosophy class in USM, my teacher has been expounding the concept of universals, in particular Plato’s theory of Ideas.
The problem with the presentation is the usage of the word “ideas”; while we have come to understand an idea as a thought in the mind, Plato meant for it to be something outside the [...]
This article was originally published here: Malaysiakini
What is the most resilient parasite? A bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient, highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed, fully understood. That sticks, right in there somewhere. [Points to his [...]
After experiencing the notorious Jakarta traffic congestion! After breakfast, I was in for a two hours’ waiting at the airport, then two hours’ flight to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. I reached Jakarta about 3pm Malaysia time and from the airport, it took me slightly more than four hours to arrive at my hotel at Kemang. The [...]
In my MA thesis, I proposed that the question about meaning of life is actually one about the coherence of the story we tell about life. Recall I wrote once, that,
“Naturally however, human beings are drawn to experience coherence and unity. For e.g. we see shapes rather than mere dots and lines, our brain with [...]
I had a short discussion over lunch with a friend of JR about spiritualism vs. religion.
It all began with him saying he is a vegan due to spiritual and health concerns when I asked him whether he is a vegan because of health or religion?
My accidental lunch mate went on to say that there is [...]
I just finished reading a very lengthy article from the Atlantic Magazine titled The End of Men.
The apocalyptic title does not do justice to the chill one felt at the end of the article.
I for one felt dreadful, not because women are being empowered but because the quest for gender equality should not end up at [...]
I know I have been missing from this blogging business. My blog was down, again, for a while and the discontinuity took a toll on my writing here. I am actually looking for a new server to host this site. Any good service to recommend, one with a reasonable price?
The reason I am writing this is [...]
My friend ET, who is a real top notch pastry chef, offered to teach me how to make cupcakes today afternoon. I was trying to decide between two conference papers I had to write of which the abstract is due this weekends and spending the afternoon learning from a master (trust me on this one!).
It [...]
JR has been quite fascinated with Oscar Wilde ever since she watched Dorian Gray. Not only did she write two blog posts about the movie (here and here), but she is now able to give a Wilde-quote for any situation we are in.
The movie was based on Wilde’s only published novel The Picture of Dorian [...]
After about 3 weeks, the first phase of no.12 is finally completed. To recap, JR and I have a to-do list which I published some time back:
1. enlarging the living room2. re-tiling certain portion of the house3. building a new fence and gate4. fixing a new automated gate and a new glass door5. putting up [...]
I am a true-blood Penang "kia" (son of Penang) who love everything about my beautiful home-state, well, almost everything. :)
Formerly I served as the Special Assistant to the Penang State Executive Councillor (State-level ministerial post) in charge of Youth and Sports. I am now pursuing an MA in Philosophy at a local university.
I am also the Executive Secretary of the Network of Social Democracy in Asia (www.socdem.asia) and sit on the committee of the State-sponsored Good Governance and Gender Equality Society (3Gs). Since 2007, I also served in various capacities in the office of the Hon' Madam Chong Eng, a leading Malaysian woman Parliamentarian.
Politically, I had the privilege to help manage four successful political campaigns since 2007 and was involved in planning, campaigning and monitoring of eight state and federal level elections in Malaysia.
I am engaged with the love of my life, Jorin. Both of us worship at the Bukit Mertajam Gospel Centre.
