URBAN
Part of my childhood memories includes growing up in a neighbourhood where it flooded often. Some nights, we would be woken up by thunderstorms in the middle of the night - just to find that water had already flooded our living room downstairs. Furniture and some of our things would be floating in the dank-smelling, murky water.
Fifteen months later, the story is now about to go out to the world. It has been a truly humbling experience to learn about my aunt’s life and the struggles she faces, and the philosophy of life that she holds onto in order to get by each day.
When the city is not designed on a human scale, people have no choice but are forced to get around with their private vehicles. The big area of car parks that typically comes with the LRT/ MRT station is a visual demonstration of that. Commuters must drive their cars or ride their motorbikes to get on a train/bus, contributing to the traffic congestion.
Suppose you find yourself within the age group of the thirties to the forties, with the responsibility of bringing up your children and taking care of your ageing parents at the same time. If that is the case, you are what the social analysts call the "sandwich generation".
Possibly the most pressing concerns about retirement are the financial implications – on the part of the elderly and their families and the government. This challenge exists in many countries as there is a need to provide adequate and sustainable pension and social security while ensuring sufficient coverage to its beneficiaries.
It’s been a long time coming. Hopefully, 2022 is where I find some time to start working on a coffee table book with the photos I shot of the architecture and streets of London.
There are countless of stories worth preserving, and many of those are personal and deeply intertwined with our daily lives. Some may see it as a nostalgic reminiscent of the past but these memories are precious because they essentially shaped and gave meaning to our identity as a Penangite.
Placing a blanket definition of ‘development’ on any form of land creation, landuse change and resource exploitation without an informed understanding of the social and environmental cost, is to legitimize displacement and dispossession; and subsequently causing deeper inequality.
The city can be read as a social discourse, where its plans, forms and function could be deconstructed and scrutinized to reveal the embedded conflicts and compatibility; consensus and compromises; as well as conformity and particularities.
And underlying all these is a complex narrative of power dynamics.
The LSE Cities Programme's latest studio publication by MSc students, Housing the City, explores Thamesmead to understand London's housing crisis, providing innovative ways to reimagine the area and what it means to inhabit the city.
The imagined and constructed modernity today still does not have a place for everyone's narrative to emerge equally - and perhaps this is a perennial issue (or an unsympathetic riddle) that urbanists will have to grapple with for yet another century to come.
One of the Penang Urbanites post-screening discussion was about the deterioration of public housing at places like People's Court at Cintra Street and UDA flats in Tg Tokong. Looking forward to digging deeper into this paper and do a case study on it.
Initially, this post was to be about a personal take of my first week of being in London but my first class today (25/09/2017) in the Urban Social Theory with Dr David Madden had put before me a lens of what is called 'thinking reflexively' - something which would intentionally and consciously influence the way I perceive the city from this point onwards.
Musings
Here's a confession - I often wonder what it is like to be a full-time photographer. It's a question that's been at the back of my mind ever since I picked up the first digital camera when I was in university. Until today, I still grapple with this question. What does it mean to be a photographer?
It’s been a whole month since my last post (22-1-2022). I said I would write more regularly but I clearly underestimated the force of inertia from not writing for a long time, to actually writing again.
I have always loved writing. Ever since I learned how to string together coherent sentences in English, I have indulged in the power and beauty of written words. But then I stopped. It didn't happen in a screeching halt, but it was marked with a series of false starts, draft posts, distractions, the "who's reading anyway" days.
This loaded question occupied much of my thought space as I was about to complete my studies in LSE last year. I became deeply uncertain about how life was going to be after London.
Have questions about applying for Chevening Scholarship? Here are 6 helpful points to get you started.
Many of our friends do not really know what we do in our daily lives. I cannot really explain it either, at least in a manner that would sound normal to an everyday person. In simple terms, I am a researcher, and Andrew is a teacher.
I had the idea of logging my time here in Bali after the second day I got here. It struck me that this was a transition moment in my life where upon my return to Malaysia, a new chapter begins. Obviously, despite knowing full well that this was coming — the reality of it hasn’t quite sunk in for me yet.
The process of researching for this article has opened my eyes to learn so much more than I could ever think about ageing - as it is multifaceted, and often with a heartbreaking undertone.
On and off, I've grappled with the question that quite a number of people have asked me: Why did I switch discipline from pure science to social science? Am I indecisive or are my interests move from one thing to another. Or in other words, have I not figured out what to do in life?
I really thought I was prepared to face the much-anticipated end of the year in London until November came along and showed me that there is more in store: early sunsets, i.e. shorter days.
I made a mistake thinking that everyone would understand or support the documentary that Andrew Han was producing.
A particular culture only lives as long as there is ownership. Ownership will stay as long as there is relevance.
There have been numerous occasions where I encountered gender stereotypes in my life. Some are quite petty, while some are downright uncivilized.
NATURE
Geometry, fractals and lines of flowers from Penang Botanical Garden.
Being an island blessed with a 130-million-year-old pristine rainforest, Penang is a haven for nature enthusiasts. But beyond weekend hikers and hobby anglers, there is a group of amateurs and professionals who seek out wild birds, simply for the pleasure of observing them in their natural environment. These are the Birders.
The many volunteers of the Langur Project Penang (LPP) have come to recognise Te Piek as an endearing male juvenile dusky leaf monkey (or langurs) who is playful and loves to explore the habitat which he finds a home near the Teluk Bahang forest.
Visiting this seagrass bed brings out the inner marine biologist in me again. It has been a great experience to finally step foot on the seagrass area of Gazumbo island which is still existing in Penang despite the rapid coastal development.
If Janda Baik was your home, you would wake up each morning surrounded by forest. In the distance, you’d hear the clear Sungai Benus rushing against cold rocks. In the distance, the Banjaran Titiwangsa spreads before your eyes, the great shadows veiled by mists. Often, you might see a flock of hornbills flying across the horizon.
As the days extended into months, and months into more than a year, I began to realize that this story needed time to unfold the facets of my aunt’s life. Such stories tend to tell itself, and it cannot be rushed.