Environment

I suppose that it never occured to us as we plan our holidays domestically or to exotic places abroad, we might be aiding in the destruction of the eco-system, what contributing to non-sustainable economy.
Articles on environment have of course come up again and again in various newspapers in Malaysia. Unfortunately, they never seem to occupy the same importance as what some minister or another has to say about something (like the recent brouhaha (a joke, if you ask me) on the National Service issue-for those who not in the know, Malaysia has tried to implement a national service system like Israel, Singapore and various strategically (or imagined to be) threatened countries.
I find it interesting that an article about how the indiscriminate building of holiday resorts in Port Dickson is juxtaposed next to an ad to the reader about booking a holiday with a resort in Terengganu. See Crowded Beachfront. What would be an academic or lay person's take on this? A way to forget about the gravity of the issue by immersing yourself in the epicurean pleasures of a decadent holiday in the yearly holiday plans?

Also, check out this Notification on Further work on the effects on forest biological diversity of insufficient forest law enforcement Thematic area: Forest Biological Diversity. Perhaps you might want to check if your respective countries participant to this proposition. To know where all this is coming from check out the website for the Convention for Biological Diversity

Tired

I seem to be perpetually tired every afternoon after lunch time, no matter how much sleep I have had. This does not only happen on weekdays but also on weekends. I think it is time to review my eating habits. Or it could have been the heat stroke (apparently 2 ppl I know are now suffering from that). It has been rather warm lately, followed by thunderstorm and shower.

I now realised how hard it is to find works of Malay classics in Malaysia, strangely enough. After going to a few bookstores known for selling more local works, I have yet to find any of the books I want. This reminds me of reading a particular comic strip by Lat, where there was this guy going around trying to get HIkayat Abdullah Munshi, canvassing areas from big bookshops to our august Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka and finally finding the book he wants at a local indian newsagent. Though I wasn't so lucky. If anyone out there reading this blog knows a good place to find these books, please let me know!

I attended a study session (well, the final hour of it) and realised now that many of the issues plaguing the religions of the Book are similar (I know people who would choose to disagree with me on this), as various factions and believers wrestle with multitudinous interpretations, problems caused by uninspired/dogmatics writers by certain theologians/religious scholars, and narrow worldviews that refuse to observe one's own short comings. I am making a study on this end whenever I could, though I have been rather lax in doing so of late. (:

Another problem that I had experienced over the weekend is realising how complex a poet I had picked to study for my dissertation. While many good poets are complex, this particular poet's complexity has so many layers to pick that one does not know where to start. She is not simple in anyway. Period. I realise that it would be a long while before I could reach such standards in my quest to write poetry, but then I will drill myself at it.

On a lighter note, I had the most delicious French dinner last Sat, though I was tired out when the final course was eaten and the bill was paid.

When my car gave me grief again over a traffic jam, I contemplated not driving in this notoriously bad public transport country of Malaysia but I shudder at the thought. Maybe I will just drive less and take public transport where possible.

I realise that I did not quite do everything that I set out to do over the weekend, but it was a good one nevertheless.

Hullaboo

It has been almost a week since I last blogged. In fact, it is a week. Many things have happened since, including one of the most relaxing weekend ever, which means not having to run errands or do work, other than picking up some stuff on the way out, renewing some library books and doing some grocery shopping ( ok, a bit of errands but nothing tough). It is also one weekend spent on loading up the calories so I am going to spend this week, and the followings ones, unloading them. Through regular exercise of course.

Due to my heavy work load last week, I wasn't able to go anywhere really much. However, I succeeded in reading through some essays by a group of Englightenment scholars, talking about subjects as wide ranging and as familiar today as civil liberties, governments, rights of (wo)men, politics etc. One realises from reading ppl like Rousseau, Voltaire, Herder, Priestley et al, that ideas and ideals haven't changed much (though Voltaire made boo boos when talking bout the science of anatomy by saying that a negro (black be the PC word) innards differ from that of the white men. However, the gaffe was more funny than insulting, and basically, he was trying, in that particular essay (title I have forgotten since I returned the book) that all men are as good and as bad as the next person and that it is mostly the system they live in that render them bad.

Best way to begin reading these people is to begin by looking at anthologies compiled by scholars of today. That way, you get a feel of each writer before endeavouring to explore them further. I wish I have had the time to finish up that particular anthology (it was from the Cambridge Series) and write a longer critique on the essays by doing a comparison with some of today's political systems. I will do that in due course, but I am too busy with work and various projects right now.

This particular anthology (called keyword search "Enlightenment", sorry, forgot the full title) was targetted at introductory courses in political thought, history and all related fields. It is by reading works like this that I realise how "uneducated" I am, despite spending 4 years doing undergraduate in university , taking my sweet time to learn as many subjects inside and outside my field (which was Physics) as I possibly could, while having the time to absorb everything. Of course, 3 years was not enough for a person as unfocussed as I was, though a majority of my coursemates who went in together with me (from Physics) had graduated by then. Maybe I am a slow learner. Even then, despite doing my MA now and having completed all my coursework, I still feel like I am lacking in the liberal Arts education. Could it be that the way "higher education" is structured today leave many students feeling inadequate and half-educated? Was the old system better?
I guess in this age of specialisation, people know more and more about less and less. But then, I seem to encounter people who seem to know less and less about more and more.

What say you?

101 things

I have, to quote one of my bosses, 101 things to do for these past few days, hence the sparseness of updates. Bad excuse, I know. I realise that I need to find a more effective way of sorting out not only my work, but my personal life. Hard when one knows that one is an impulsive person who likes to live spontaneously. Trying to categorise between work, personal work (as in work done outside work hours) and personal life (which includes, among other things, my social life, family life, other lives (not saying), hobbies and personal interests done to merely feed my satisfaction and ego (doh!)

I thought that blogging could help organise my thoughts, besides being a receptacle to my thoughts, ravings, rants and jottings.

Since I started blogging more regularly 3 weeks back, there is of course a few things added/revived on a professional and personal side. Professional being that I have got a research ongoing, and on a person front...not telling in this public-private blog :P

Hope that all of you would have a better day than me. Oh yeah, gonna attend something tonight which I will enlighten you about later. Ta ta, my sweeties.

Lack of practicability

Glossary for overseas readers
BN - National Coalition
BA - Alternative Coalition
PAS - Islamic Party of Malaysia
The last weekend would had been great if my car had not broken down halfway, partly due to inexperience and carelessness on my part. I supposed I have not bother to keep up to speed with the general condition of my car, having lost my paranoia that it would and could break down anytime. I have forgotten that my car is old and needs constant attention, by keeping a hand on its pulse. Hence I am now without my car for three days.

Having have this happened to me, I realise now that the reason why BN won big time, and perhaps opposition lost big time, is the latter's inability to keep to the pulse of the nation. Perhaps we could blame the apathy in the people, of being afraid of change, of being afraid of losing their perks, or being afraid that they will be ill-used if the Big Brother found out about their 'betrayal' (very real fears for some of them), of couldn't care less as long as the country is still surviving, or perhaps a narrow worldview (knowing more about what is going on in the US than in their own home country). Nevertheless, all these excuses aside, I think in general, the BA has not provided workable manifestors- I don't mean that all their plans are unworkable, in fact most of the plans are good, though lacking in details (but very few voters bother with details, come to think of it). It is always good to have the ideal. But one should not forget what kind of voters one have. And how they think. In a country that places economic well-being above the well-being of the masses, you are not going to get any support for change during the 8 day campaign period. Though I do not always agree with Mike Moore, I do agree when he say that you are not going to buy over your voters by giving them altruistic and idealistic agendas unless they are already converted to that belief. You have to educate them bit by bit. Harping about human rights (something which I feel strongly about), will not work in a constituency who cares more about earning money to feed their kids than about getting minimum wage. Some might think, "what if voting for these people might cause me to lose whatever meagre perks I have now?"

I also believe that the Opposition, should not make small issues their BIG issues, because it would make their voters think that they are reactionaries, people who could react to issues but have nothing solid to back up whatever raw assertions that they make. Take the case of mother tongue education. I am all for learning your mother tongue (or whatever language that you choose to learn), but I believe that it should be done in a way that would benefit the students who are SUPPOSED to be the beneficiaries. What is the point of talking about government conspiracy in oppressing vernacular education (even if it exists) as it would not help these students in any way. I know of course that all schools do not receive equal funding. This is not only the case with vernacular-language schools, but also even government funded national-language (Malay) schools. When the government fails you, you have no choice (until the next election comes about) but to organise yourself and work around them (even if they are trying their level best to screw you).

I do know that the Opposition are hampered by being a minority in Parliament. Perhaps the people are partly to be blamed for it (and for taking the easy excuse of 1. Nobody to choose from 2. BN will win anyway 3. I forgot to register 4. Better the devil we know). But I always think, even with the odds against you, that it is possible to still work around it. Grassroots organisations within oppressed countries like Burma have allowed the various minority ethnic groups their voice. I think that it is a shame that PAS, after having won Kelantan and Terengganu, did not choose to make a difference, even in small ways. In fact, they have oppressed the people further by introducing a host of ridiculous rules that I suspect have little to do with Islam in the first place. I believe that the people voted them into power because they were fedup with BN. But they realised that they weren't getting anywhere with PAS. So why not vote for the devil that we used to know, especially since there is a new Prime Minister who is the son of a Muslim Scholar (as the national dailies are so fond of harping on). DAP, despite its altercation with its allies, have managed to sustain a rather impressive performance. Perhaps we should thank its various MPs who had tried to make a difference, despite the limitations which they have to face.

So, what do you think? In face of a governmental machinery that would make life difficult for you when you choose to work change from the outside, should you then swallow your pride and be its bed partner? Or is it still possible to work around the system for change. This is what I am trying to figure out to determine what I hope to do for my future. Looks like party politics aren't going to go away, since everyone have to campaign under a party flag in order to get the required support (from campaign workers down to the voters). Of course, certain outstanding indivuals have managed to get support even from previously apolitical people, but that is few and far between. Looks like Malaysia is still a long way from achieving a thinking democracy bereft of flags, posters, slogans, propaganda ads and mud-slinging leaflets. One where the media is free to air a list of information and the rest of us to click online and vote based on the candidate's track record (not necessary as an MP, especially for a first timer). Maybe we are still at the phase where we need to consult our astrologer and feng shui instead of listening hard to our minds and heart....but then, how many people are thinking types?


Any thoughts?

Singletons in Kampungs and Towns, big and small

Following from my orevious posting, I can write about young single men and women around Malaysia, their lives, their happiness, their misery, their values, their dreams, goals etc etc. And then, there is plot..

Makes a good novel. Anybody interested?

To write a book or not?

In this age of anything goes, publishing houses are all jumping on the bandwagon to publish anything and everything, as long as they think that they have a market that would lap it up. In fact, you don't even need to always be a good writer. As long as you publish something that people would read, good writing be damn. I have actually reviewed books that look like they have been hurriedly edited (if edited at all). That by supposedly well published writers. Every consultant in management, grooming, real estate, feng shui, yada yada yada, are publishing their books. In the book hypermarket, you can get anything from how to hammer a nail to how to how to be the next CEO. Talking about hype, Economist actually have an article about the hype surrounding Harry Potter books (and its ilk).. Even bloggers get published because of their blogs. Joseph Epstein has an advice for all potential writers who think that they will write the next great novel or whatever genre they are hoping to write.

I notice that that many publishing houses outside the western sphere do not get listed on google very much, let alone Amazon. Not to say that they aren't listed. It's just that it is hard to find them. I'll see if I can find a list of all the publishing houses within South East Asia, for a start. If there aren't any, I will start compiling them. Perhaps I should put out a call to all houses to send me their website, email, address and types of publications? Or should it be better to compile a list of available books in SEA? As a freelance reviewer, I try checking out publishing houses to get their book lists. I notice that sometimes, some of these houses have not published anything new in a long time. Perhaps they are sending me their outdated list?

What are your thoughts? With the advent of e-publishing, there are now many self-published authors out there. Some stuff are good. The rest is pure vanity.

To get some books from Malaysia, Singapore and some other countries in SEA, you might want to try Silverfishbooks

Why...

have I not posted any new articles on this site? Well, mainly because most of my creative/brain work in progress are geared towards publication, which means I can't publish them here yet. However, hopefully after July, or even before, I would be able to write something which I will post exclusively on archiveoflearning. I just need more time. Speaking of publishing, I came across this article in American Institute of Physics website which talks about the phenomena of publishing or perishing. Remember all the hyper surrounding plagiarising that has caused the downfall of various eminent academics? Here is one on whether and how much value is attached to being constantly published. The title is Publish or Perish--An Ailing Enterprise. I used to be a member of AIP when I was a physics undergrad. In a way, I missed those days, despite all the teeth gnashing to solve indecipherable problems.

Someone once said that Malaysians are very right or left. I suppose they go whichever way that suit their need. Malaysians are also said not to have a concept of Left. What is Left? New Left? Old Left? Marxist Left? Frankly speaking, I doubt most of American polemics have a clear concept of left or right. The worst kind of polemics you get, unfortunately for the rights, are the Rights. Check out this RightWingNews. I know that the Left could be as polemical, given the stage to do so. Or maybe they are rights pretending to be Left? Anyway, counterpart of the RightWingNews is the LeftWingNews. Not exactly opposites of each other of course. But both in blogstyles, bashing regimes here and there. Let you decide whom you think has more reasoned arguments.

Humans are humans. They can lose reason

A few things

Complex arguments on why the postmodern west is bad in their commodification and materialism has been watered down, sieved and finally simplified to all things from the west is bad for week-kneed Asians. Talk about presumptious generalisation. Apparently, this is how students are being taught at school. Currently reading an old book (from the last century) by Ziauddin Sardar called "Postmodernism and The Other: The New Imperialism of Western Culture". Many of the arguments by various scholars could all be obtained in this book. He has valid points though I think he sometimes make certain generalisations about the West as much as the Non-West. But then, this is what one calls angling and perspective. Virginia Woolf does a good job in providing the pan-optican sweep. Though I agree with the points his made, I disagree with his overwhelmingly negative take on postmodernism, as well as his simplifying of it. Everything has its good and bad. Sometimes, bad things is packaged as something acceptable just to make its presence omnipotent. So many things are lumped into the postmodern because nobody really understands it. I am still trying to figure it out myself. SOmetimes, I think these things have more to do with human failures than human theories. I do disagree with theorists who over-step boundaries to demean the meaning of life. Or perhaps if life is so meaningless, why do we all bother with theories. Lets just live the life of a hedonist, try everything then kill ourselves.

Then there is the question of the soul......or would it be total annihilation?

I supposed Ziauddin is just trying to critique the negative aspect of postmodernism, though from the tone he uses, it seems like he doesn't like postmodernism. That's alright, many people don't like it either. Heck, many don't even like modernism, let alone what comes after...and I don't mean anti-globalists.

Anyway talking about the issue of how The Body Shop and sundry other western cosmetic companies who capitalise on the longing for the so-called exotic, I think it should be the part and parcel of every child's primary education to understand
1. The basics of health care and medicine....especially on drugs use (including THAT prescribed by the doctors). I think many doctors in poorly regulated health care systems tend to over-prescribe on drugs that can lead to overwhelmingly negative consequences.

2. The issue of choice. How does on make a choice when assaulted with so many reasons for swinging this way and that? How to be conscious that we DO leave in a world of propaganda and that we need to make INFORMED choices, and how to go about finding the information.

3.How to be a proactive citizen and take an active in legislations that will affect their lives. We realise that we allow many things to happen coz we couldn't be bothered. Instead of giving ourselves a hard time fighting against a bad system that is already there, be aware of it before it even happens. I know this is hard, since some people will always try to keep information from going out to the people at large. So, lets champion for an act, that not only allows freedom of information flow, but one which we could sue for NOT letting an issue of public interest be MADE KNOWN in its early stage.
Then, there is this chicken-and-egg theory as to what is or is not public interest, but these are details that could be work out.

4.How to be a good consumer of whatever items and products.

5.To understand that everyone does not share 100% of your viewpoints with you. That includes beliefs, ideology, creeds, whatever.

Any more points?

Btw, now that I have installed the comments option, you can all add your comments to mine.
Heh

Monday Post

Here I am, back at work again, struck with Mon blues. Ok, it isn't that bad except that I just recovered from the stomach flu over the weekend. It hasn't been all bad, since I spent a bit of my time volunteering for a cause as a good citizen of this country. Well, it is a bit political, in the hindsight.

Anyway, here are a few interesting sites which I have surf and found. Am currently working on a project on websurfers. Tell you guys more once it is underway. Need to get back to reading some papers to prepare for that.

On the side, am working on a project related to the eighteenth century. More on that too later...

http://www.cluetrain.com/book/index.html
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/red/
http://www.rageboy.com/scream3.html

P.S> I wonder if I should make this blog more personal. But then, I don't want to turn this into a voyeuer's playground. I will strike my own balance.

Cheerios

Few questions to ponder upon

This idea struck me yesterday, but I could only get on today, to blog this:
1. When one nominates candidates to represent a particular state or district in a country, is it fair to the voters in the cases when there are only two contenders, and one is rejected due to technical errors during the nomination, to allow the one and only contender left to have a walk-through? Or should the particular district or state wait for a few months for another contender to come up and therefore challenge the current one? Would that be fairer to the constituents? That would keep them on their toes as oppose to becoming complacent. Bear in mind of course that their is no perfect fairness in elections, especially in a system where the supposed majority (whose votes are not spoilt) are the voice for all.

2. We have seen a dip in the way education is being implemented worldwide, which is a disgrace. How do we overcome this?

3. How well do you think theories work in providing solutions to practical problems?

stuck in the rut

As a young student, I used to think that getting a scholarship from the government to study overseas was one big deal. That was when scholarships were still rare. Well, scholarships now I not as rare, especially for a non-bumiputera student of Malaysia, and it became a trophy to be coveted by post-high school students and parents alike. Every A1s and A2s are calculated to bringing the student a step closer to the trophy. Many students are taking a lot of subjects just so that they could improve their chances of getting more A1s (who cares whether one learns anything). I was once told by a friend that it is stupid to jeopardize your chance of getting an A for the sake of trying to learn something the proper way. More important to learn how to pass exams with flying colours. Well, I guess that is why I never got my As. Idealism never help in this respect.

Also on the question of scholarships. This government scholarships, dished out to supposedly 'sterling' students (who managed to get all the questions answered the right way), to allow them a chance to study overseas. Many of these students aren't exactly from poor homes. In fact, a number belong to the top 5% income earners of Malaysia, if not top 1%. Scholarships are no longer a financial relieve given to poor students to allow them to pay their fees and further their education. It has become an investment in itself. If I have money to live well but not enough to live lavishly, getting a scholarship will allow me a chance to buy a car or another house (and all these while still a student). I have heard of these happening before. While I think that students who do well should be rewarded, perhaps it is high time to examine this system of reward. Aren't we rewarding people who are already advantaged by the very fact of their birth and socio-economic background? perhaps a few of these people are deserving people who would not go far without financial aid, despite being promising. But nowadays, that doesn't count. Getting a scholarship is all that matters. Whether you are a Datuk's child or if you belong to the squatter's community.

ALso the idea of using scholarship money to send people overseas. WHile I am not totally against it, I do wonder about sending so many students overseas with the tax payers money. Wouldn't it be better, in the long run, to actually improve the system of education IN the country, instead of having all the money flow out? Or perhaps we have not over the colonial mindset that overseas is always better. Perhaps it is, since they have had more centuries to develop. I think student excahnge programmes are good. Europe, America and Japan spend money sending their students abroad for a semester or two's exchange programmes. Wouldn't this be better than sending a few kids abroad to study? It would save money and more students would benefit. More students would be grateful. How does one ensure that those kids you send overseas would be grateful anyway? If there is anything we learn in life, being grateful is for fools...aint it? However, if corporations want to send the kids overseas with their money, by all means. Actually, I think it would be better to send a slightly more mature person (regardless of age) abroad as they actually would benefit more.

Maybe this obssession with A1s and A2s might be something that give you short term honour within your small community. But it does not ensure a brilliant mind, critical abilities or ability to create. It allows mediocre people like you and I, to go around saying "Hey, I got 11A1s, 12A1s etc etc" . We know that we would not write a book worth writing, exhibit our artistic work, innovate a better way of making cars, make technological improvements nor compose a good piece of music by 21.

P.S. To my international readers, this is a mere reflection of the Malaysian community. However, I would welcome feedback from you on your individual communities. Cheers!

....

Can't think of a title for this blog, so it shall remain untitled. I have finished the coursework part of my MA course (though I have yet to know the grade I will get for the final paper, hopefully I won't fail at the last leg!). In the meantime, I have to rework a paper on postmodernity and its paradox in today's worlview of Islam. Or maybe I will look at it from a different angle. Who knows. This is going to be another busy week for myself, though I have been taking things slowly since last Saturday. Been reading Faulkner's Light in August. Kept skipping to the back just to see what happen. Shouldn't have. The thing about a good book is that you will never fully understand what happen unless you read it til the end. That is how it differs from potboilers I suppose. I am also suppose to structure out my dissertation on Sylvia Plath while doing the literature review. I better get all those little projects out of the way just so that I can spend more time on them. Looks like that Class on Appreciation has to take a backseat for now until I can get my dissertation off and running. Or until I quit my job. Whichever comes first. Hopefully the former.

Anyway, my dearies, here are some blogs that you might want to check out, some belonging to friends and some to strangers. Oh yeah, some aren't blogs either. Here they are
http://www.infomuse.net/blog/archives/2004_03.html
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Residence/1216/academia.html
http://leeum.blogspot.com/
http://life.of.neekole.com/
http://michel.pycs.net/
http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/9828/index2.html

Have fun surfing! Can be pretty addictive.

Have a fine

I have recently visited the national art gallery, just last Thursday, on Thaipusam. There was an exhibition on Contemporary Art from China, showcasing the many different ways in which one can use ink to create different effects on canvas. There was a particular painting, called DNA of people/, which seems at first to be nothing more than repetitions of faces , smeared and blurred with smudges of ink, diluted with oil. Or black water colour. Yet it later struck me that this theme is repeated many times in various other paintings by other artists, all with shadowy or alluding images of people, yet their faces unknown and blanked out, leaving only their shapes to play other lines and blotches, ridges and raw edges. In some of the paintings, there were depictions of the old with the new. One see in one canvas, rows of different shoes worn by Chinese ladies from the first half of the last century to a century or more before. And yet in another painting, with repeated motifs, one see allusions to the crassness or even cruelty of modern technology, each of these items signifying man's rule on earth buffeted with blotches for cushion. The collection themselves are very small, yet they left me with a sense of niggling doubt as to what role has art in this day and age, where everything seem blaise and utilitarian. Perhaps another observer would see something different, or nothing, from those paintings. I next checked out the National Library, just two doors away. It is as messy and unkempt as ever, at least at the lending section. But I managed to find some rather interesting books which I will read, and write about once I am done reading them.

Today, I went to a class discussion on Conrad, Ellison and Faulkner. I have to confess that I did not read the latter two before going to class, but I definitely will now. Am now at the last leg of reading Jean Rhys's Quartets. While I caught my human self sneering at the weak-willed heroine, I realise just how much myself, and even supposedly 'strong' people around me, are as bad, or even worse. Perhaps we want to prove that our humanity is not weak. Perhaps we are struggling with the last throes of humanity as we plunge into the inhuman. Heck, even postmodern theories are now moving away from being anthropocentric. But then, are these theories of any practical use? Or are they echoes of our thoughts, couched in fancy terms?

Full time

Just as I was wondering which direction my life is heading, a full-time job landed on my lap. Now, I am a research fellow with the Asian Center For Media Studies. I have just finished organising and seeing a conference through. Will let you all know all about it once I have it up on the website. Other areas of my life have been on halt due to that, and due to a flu, which incapacitated me most of the time that I am not busy running through the finer details of the conference. I haven't really written anything for so long that I think I had lost the ability to write fluidly. A friend and I am trying to start a focus group that could empower ourselves to work within women's issues. Seeing that such groups exist already within the Klang Valley, I am thinking of a linkup. But, I need time to sit back and plan out the agenda. Now that I am quite recovered and the conference is behind me, I am trying to catch up with as much things that have been lagging behind as I could. I will try updating this site more often. Am now mastering the interface that Jonathan Poh has given me. Will post more soon.

Have a day

Busy Bee...or sluggish snail ?

Hey all,
I guess you do wonder where and what have I been up to, haven't you? Well been busy with my semi-professional, academic and private life. Or busy trying to escape doing work :P OK, just kidding on that. Been doing a bit of soul searching, trying to figure what should I do with my life and which direction I should take. Frankly speaking, I am torn between many things. However, things are slowly working out. In the meanwhile, I have been writing,writing and writing. Besides that, I have also been reading, reading and reading. Supposed to be working on a sundry of personal and professional projects. Things are going well, albeit slowly. That can be very frustrating, definitely. Have to plan out the proposal for my soon to begin MA dissertation (arrgh....). Ok, that wasn't so bad. I already have a few topics in mind that I just need to zero in and do some literature review on. Oh, did I mention that I had put myself out in the job market? That had been a really frustrating endeavour, with interviews after interviews. Will let you guys know how I fare later on. Never thought that an "early career change" could be so hard. Most employers don't understand the esoteric stuff that you've learnt from the cloistered ivory towers. Good finances is a must if you want to get into anything. Learnt that the hard way. Anyway, will write more in a not too distant date, when the re-building of this site has been completed. I have to thank Jonathan Poh for his dedication in making sure that everything is just right. (: Cool to have friends like this.

Site redesign coming soon

My Web site is now undergoing a major revamp, with the design and HTML coding undertaken by Jonathan Poh. Look out for a launch soon.