Malaysia
A journalist/writer based in Kuching, Malaysian Borneo. Interests include photography, travel, music, tea, cultures and languages.
HUMAN beings are a simple lot. We think we have what 'normal' is with most of us valuing calm and order in our daily lives. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has upended the normalcy we knew not too long ago. It has also deeply transformed the emotional landscape of many people.
JAPAN's Shizuoka prefecture is known for many things, including Mount Fuji. Travelling the popular tourist route between Tokyo and Osaka, the view of the iconic mountain is omnipresent for a good part of the journey through the central region. Another ubiquitous sight is the endlessly rolling tea fields.
THE sound of waves crashing against the nearby coastline was barely audible where I was in Miura Reien cemetery. My thoughts were distant as I gazed at the grave in front of me. The name 'hide' was carved in a stylised font on the tombstone which had countless flower bouquets, drinks and gifts lined in front of it.
A personal visit to the zero-waste town of Kamikatsu in Japan.
JAPAN is undeniably the land of kawaii (cute). Throughout the ages, the concept of cute has been apparent in many Japanese creations. From earthenware decorated with tiny animal motifs to finely-crafted traditional festival dolls to exquisite traditional confectionery, there is cute in almost everything imaginable in the Land of the Rising Sun.
A FAINTLY delightful aroma wafted through the air as we alighted from the chartered bus. It was a sure sign of something delicious within the walls of the building in front of us. The aroma was none other than the scent of freshly baked biscuits.
Interview with a Malaysian seal engraver based in the state of Melaka.
IT was a rainy autumn afternoon when the coach bus entered into Oswiecim, some 311km from the Polish capital of Warsaw. The bus was heading towards the town's most notorious landmark. We were entering Auschwitz Concentration Camp and as the bus pulled in at the main reception building, I felt a deep sense of gloom.
THE process of learning is not merely confined to the four walls of a classroom and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme at Fairview International School ensures the students are given a holistic education beyond the traditional classroom environment. Fairview students learn from young where real life education is concerned.