Not very long ago, a small but thriving community of Jews called the island of Penang their home. With a presence spanning across two centuries, this little-known but truly Malaysian community eventually vanished, but traces remain! With prose by Zayn Gregory accessible even to goys of all ages, and beautiful illustrations by Arif Rafhan, The […]
Tag Archives: malaysia
Shah Alam Botanical Garden
Not ten minutes drive from downtown Shah Alam is the Shah Alam Botanical Garden. An enormous green space gazetted on Bukit Cerakah, the gardens range from open lawns to jungle trails, from ornamental plant collections to a mini zoo. For Malaysians looking for something truly exotic, there is even a four-seasons exhibit. I had to […]
Myth of the Lazy Native – Review
An anti-colonial short-course for Malaysians in one volume. The Myth of the Lazy Native was an influential book in post-colonial studies, published a year before Edward Said’s Orientalism[1]. Syed Hussein Alatas trawls through centuries of original sources to find the sources of the persistent idea that Malays, and other native peoples, are lazy. Some of […]
Jean-Luc Nassy-LeMac
Geddit? Geddit? [su_spoiler style=”fancy” title=”I Don’t Get It.”] [_su_spoiler title=”Nassy.LeMac?” style=”simple”]Nasi Lemak is a traditional Malaysian breakfast of rice cooked in coconut milk, served with chili sauce and various toppings. [_/su_spoiler] [_su_spoiler title=”And?” style=”simple”] That’s the whole joke, friend. [_/su_spoiler] [/su_spoiler] [divider type=”thin”] Photo from Flickr by Avlxyz of Greedy Gourmets.
Ramadan in Malaysia
“Ramadan through the eyes of foreigners in Malaysia” :: Borneo Post. I’m one of the foreigners interviewed. The article also ran in Bahasa Malaysia as “Ramadan Menerusi Kaca Mata Warga Asing Di Malaysia.” Ramadan through the eyes of foreigners in Malaysia Posted on August 5, 2013, Monday KUALA LUMPUR: Zikir, which occurs before the start […]
A Short History of Malaysia
by Virginia Matheson Hooker. Straightforward introduction to Malaysian history; key individuals, important dates, broadest themes. It feels comparable in depth to what I remember of high school US History class. A good preparation for further reading, I hope. Goodreads Link
Of Dukes and Datuks
Malaysia has a peerage system comparable in some respects to what is practiced in the UK, whereby Malaysians of common origins can be conferred a non-hereditary title of honor by the monarch. Like in the UK, this is given out to exceptional artists, athletes, statesmen, men of learning, and to the exceptionally wealthy. It gets […]
KL Bird Park
Two of my three amazing and talented sisters came to visit last year. It was a good excuse for us to do some touristy things in the capitol. We met them in KL and headed to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park! The park was wonderful. Right in the middle of downtown KL, it is a […]