Elizabeth Tai

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  • You don’t have a moral obligation to leave Twitter

    You don’t have a moral obligation to leave Twitter

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  • Creatives, you need to figure out your 3 core routines

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  • Cheng Beng in Penang

    After decades travelling the world, these days I’m content to just wander my own Malaysian backyard. And it’s a big one. I have to say that I’m a tad boring, always returning to the same favourite – Penang, my hometown. I just feel very comfortable there! I can speak in my native tongue, people “get” me, and I feel as if every molecule in my body is saying “I’m home!”

    I grew up in Penang, but sadly only until my kindergarten years as my Dad had to work in Johor Baru (where I picked up my Mandarin. I’m the only one in my family that speaks it). Then it was on to Selangor. I’ve lived in Selangor far longer than I lived in Penang, but it just doesn’t feel as “home” as Penang.

    Tomb Sweeping in Penang

    Every year around April my parents and I travel to Penang to pay respects to our ancestors on “Cheng Beng” or “Tomb Sweeping Day”. That’s when Chinese families visit the graves of their ancestors to pay respects and tidy it up.

    For my family, it’s almost a pilgrimage. We will travel from Selangor to Penang and join our relatives to pay respects to our ancestors in various temples around the island. We then buy and eat food–lots of it. I am my parents’ travel agent, chauffeur and fellow pilgrim.

    I look forward to these trips every year. Not only is it a way for me to spend more time with my parents, but it’s also a chance to be in Penang for a few days. I think of Penang as Malaysia’s version of Hawaii, filled with beaches, jungles and old colonial buildings. Half of Penang is an island off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. We call the other half “the mainland”.

    My parents and I were born on Penang island. Although my family has mostly lived elsewhere, we have always considered ourselves “Penangites”.

    As we gaze upon the spirit tablets of our relatives and ancestors at various temples, my parents always remind me to be “proud of our roots”. Each year I nod, as if I’ve just heard it for the first time.

    And I am proud! Like most Penangites, I’m fiercely proud of my state. As I said in a previous post, my family are Peranakans, descendants of one of the earlier waves of Chinese migrants that settled in then-Malaya. My family has been in Malaysia for almost six generations. I’m a little murky on how long both my paternal and maternal sides, both Peranakans, have been in Malaysia, but I reckon it’ll be around 150 years. (My parents say it’s been over 200 years.)

    During that time, Peranakans have developed our unique culture: a mix of Malay and Chinese. Even our unique version of Hokkien (spoken only in the North) uses Malay-loaned words.

    I remember both of my grandmothers walking around their kitchens in their nyonya kebayas, cooking delicious Nyonya cuisine. Alas, I never bothered to learn from them and have regretted it ever since!

    So, despite the “grim” nature of the holiday, Cheng Beng is one that I look forward to every single year. A time to spend with my family (dead and alive) on the best island in the world and eat awesome food!

    Mastodon log

    Here are my Mastodon posts which I’ll repost here. (I practice the PESOS model of blogging – Publish Elsewhere, Syndicate (to your) Own Site. I do it by compiling social media posts into one blog post.)

    Apr 02, 2023
    After the stay at the seriously uncomfortable hotel, it is nice to finally check into a quality place! Here is the Airbnb I got near the beach 😁

    Translation for the Hokkien I say at the end: “Very comfortable!”

    Edit: Gurney Drive is what you call a “tourist trap”. Most of the restaurants that line up the drive are overpriced and most Penangites argue that the food isn’t good. I mean, I find it okay but what do I know right lol.

    Getting an AirBnB is definitely a great option. The condo I stayed in is Sunrise Gurney.

    Apr 04, 2023

    So I can’t join #30DaysOfBiking as my trusty folding bike is back home in Selangor and I’m in Penang, but I’m happy to see these bikes at Gurney Drive. As a Malaysian however, I’d say you’d be pretty bonkers to bike down Gurney Dr though.
    Use it to explore the inner roads instead, but you don’t get to see the sea. Not that you can see much of it these days at Gurney Drive 🙃

    Don’t let the quiet streets fool you. Gurney Drive is a hotbed of cars most of the time.

    April 4, 2023
    The best kind of room is the room where they upgrade you to the sea view 😍

    This is a solid hotel, something I always go back to each time I am in Penang. Great service, quiet (rooms are relatively sound proofed), central location and recently renovated – Cititel Penang Hotel.

    Well, if you cannot afford to stay at the venerable Eastern & Oriental you can at least look at it all day from your window 😁

    April 5, 2023
    A pleb walks the manicured gardens of the Eastern & Oriental…

    I have tried many times to convince my parents to have a stay here, but they cannot compute spending more that RM200 to sleep in a place. That and, according to my dad: “For sure haunted one.”

    My dad might be right 😆😅

    April 5, 2023
    Kek Lok Si temple at Air Itam, #Penang. I forgot how big it looked like from town.

    A must-see in Penang, do be aware that of all the towns in Penang this is the place I feel like target practice for motorcyclists.

    Try the Penang laksa here. Buy the Chinese biscuits. And try to survive the traffic.

    Edit: I have ancestors buried up on the hill near the pagoda. But it’s too much of a climb for my parents, so we pay our respects at another temple in Georgetown.

    It is only authentic #Penang curry mee when there is blood in the curry.

    Yes, those red squares are congealed pig’s blood.

    I swear it is yummy.

    Also, we Chinese don’t waste nothing.

    April 6, 2023
    The cafe culture is alive and vibrant in #Georgetown. I love to wander its streets only to find a cafe tucked in a corner.

    Tip – the best time to book a hotel anywhere in Malaysia is during the month of Ramadan.

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  • I survived a janky hotel in Georgetown

    Forgive the slightly manic look, but I just survived a night on a matrress that threatened to dislocate my shoulders. Behind me is the 130-year-old Chong Fatt Tze mansion which is a walk away from the hotel.

    Every year, I try to visit my hometown of Georgetown, Penang. Usually it’s around Cheng Beng or “tomb-sweeping day”, a day where we Chinese folks visit our ancestors’ graves to clean it up. Only, for my family, it’s a columbarium, so we don’t have to deal with the hot sun, grass or dirt and can pray and pay our respects in an air-conditioned room.

    This year, I booked a few extra days to get some me-time to enjoy Georgetown fully without, er, family.

    Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great start to my Penang trip – I ended up in a really janky hotel on my first night in Georgetown.

    The unremarkable view from my hotel window.

    Usually I’d read reviews and even watch Youtube videos of the hotel before booking, but this time I skipped my usual due diligence because a) it was going for only RM97 b) its brand name. I had good time at its branch in Batu Feringghi and thought the Georgetown branch would be more or less the same. It wasn’t posh or fancy, just serviceable, and serviceable was all I needed for a “stop gap” place before heading to the beach-side Airbnb I had booked for myself and parents on Sunday.

    Alas, when I finally read the reviews for the hotel, I went, “Oh boy…”

    I wondered if I should just cancel my booking.

    But then, I decided to just go ahead. how bad could it be, I thought?

    Well, it turns out – very !

    The most frequent complaint was that people end up taking hours to check in, which was ridiculous.

    And indeed, the check in time was awful, but it exceeded even my lowest expectations. Reading the reviews, I knew that the check in process would be slow, so I decided to go to Gurney Plaza and Paragon to shop. I returned to the hotel at 6.00pm only to find people still queueing up! And it wasn’t a short queue either.

    I only ended up in my room at 7pm. Yes, I queued for an hour! To add to the pain of it all, my back was in bad shape so I was standing with an achy back for over an hour.

    But that was not all. Once I got to the room I discovered that there was a gaping hole in the ceiling and the aircond wasn’t working.

    I called the reception only for the call to be disconnected four times. Finally, a maintenance man came to turn the aircond on manually and screw the aircond lid back on.

    Unbelievable. Fortunately, my room didn’t have bed bugs like one of the reviewers said. Boy was I worried. But the aircond was not cold enough and the beds are too hard. I was sorely tempted to just pack my bags and move to another hotel, wasted money or not.

    But alas, my aching back and tired body gave me the answer.

    I cannot fault the workers who are trying their best to work under obviously bad management and lack of resources. And most were really polite despite the working conditions and grumpy guests.

    I am just shocked that management have not made any effort to fix their check in problems – my bad review is hardly the first one. So, you’re just okay with copy pasta-ing the “Dear guest, I’m sorry we’ve not lived up to your expectations” messages on Google Reviews?

    The cafe I ended up holing up in – Higher Ground

    After a restless night of tossing and turning and hoping my shoulders would not be dislocated from the hard-as-rock mattress, I’m now in a comfortable air-conditioned cafe hoping that the Airbnb would be a better experience.

    I’ve gotten increasingly wary of using Airbnbs, but my parents wanted a kitchen. So as a dutiful daughter, I delivered. But the problem with AirBnbs are the extra steps you need to do just to check in.

    In Penang, many condos are hostile towards Airbnbs (the state government is even thinking of banning them), so checking in is sometimes akin to being a part of a covert operation.

    Wish me luck!

    PS: The name of the hotel is Bayview Hotel, Georgetown. I hope it improves but I’m not holding my breath.

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  • My misadventures with furniture

    March has been a mega expensive month for me financially. And this has everything to do with my inability to pick the right furniture for myself.

    I’ve always had bad luck with furniture, especially living room furniture. I could never seem to pick the right couch and always end up sitting on the floor instead. So, when I moved to my new apartment last year, I decided to go the minimalist route by not having a couch.

    I’ll have beanbags or sit on the floor like this cool Singaporean couple!

    Genius, right?

    But it turns out that my body (specifically, my ass) did not like sitting on beanbags or on the floor. It also turns out that despite having no problems sitting on the floor most of my youth, sitting on the floor in your 40s isn’t … a great thing.

    So, after half a year dealing with an achy back, butt and other painful joints, I’ve reluctantly concluded that this was a minimalism fail, and it was time to get something I could sit on.

    Yet, I was still resistant to the idea of buying a couch.

    Instead, in an effort to hang on to my minimalism ideals, I bought a low bed with a mattress and turned it into a makeshift daybed. At first, it was sublime. I would spend hours lounging in that daybed watching TV.

    But the mattress was less than optimal, and after a year on it, my hips began protesting from sitting on it. All those DIY videos of turning a bed into a daybed … eh, not so romantic when applied.

    So after almost a year with my makeshift daybed, I sold the beanbags, mattress and bed frame on Carousell. I was glad I could get rid of it with some money back at least.

    I hunted for more practical furniture – a couch. Something I swore not to get because I felt that it could end up really hard to move if I shifted houses. But all the sofas I saw were in insane ranges — RM2000 to RM4000. It felt beyond reach to me.

    Then, I spotted a chaise lounge at a shop I usually frequented. It was only RM800. What a steal! I tried it out and imagined myself lounging on it with a book.

    I mean, seriously, look at it! How luxurious, how elegant … doesn’t this look like it is in an apartment in Paris somewhere?

    Yes, this is my actual living room and my actual balcony. Those wooden tiles was something I got from Lazada and placed on top of the tiles. It made the balcony look really posh. My balcony is my favourite place to journal and sip a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

    And yet, by the first few weeks of owning it, I knew it’d have to go.

    First, it gave my back grief almost immediately. I was hugely disappointed that my body ended up hating it because it sure they didn’t tell me it didn’t like it at the store! It would’ve been much better if it had told me that before I bought it!

    It also had no cushion to speak off, and a curve that forced my back into a position it didn’t like.

    Second, I had to admit that I really disliked the ugly brown colour and how it took up so much space. I really liked to have some floor space to sit on the floor sometimes. I ended up pushing the chaise up against the wall which was a hideous furniture arrangement.

    I parted ways with the chaise after a mere two months.

    So, a couch it is then!

    This time, I decided to shop for my conventional couch in a second-hand furniture place called Kaki Lelong.

    Frankly, the entrance to the shop looked like it led to a serial killer’s lair.

    However, inside, there were treasures!

    I spotted the cheery blue, 2-seater couch almost immediately. It turned out to be a Harvey Norman couch that was used for display (hence the low price). I bought it for RM600, an incredible steal as the original price is around RM2000 to RM2500. I made sure this time to sit on it long enough to see if my back liked it. I can happily report that it’s been a month and it’s one of the most comfortable couches I’ve ever sat on in my life. No wonder those suckers cost at least RM2000!

    It had an “open end” so it looked incomplete, but it allowed me to add an ottoman at the edge to make it a three-seater. (I bought the ottoman from the same shop for RM100.) I can also shift the ottoman to the front so that I turn the sofa into a chaise. I love the flexibility.

    Kooky gives the blue couch his seal of approval.

    Then there’s the bed adventure

    Then it was my mattress.

    I was forced to buy a new one online during the pandemic. (Mattresses sure pick a great time to break down.)

    I bought a mattress, Sonno Lite, online. It wasn’t cheap, costing me about RM1500 or more. Despite trying it out (my brother has the exact model), and it being fine for 6 months, the mattress eventually sagged and gave me all manner of body aches. I suspect the foam layer degraded, turning the bed harder and also made it sag.

    After a terrible night with an aching back, hips and shoulders and waking up utterly smashed, I had it. This morning, I drove to a nearby store to buy a new mattress.

    Fortunately, unlike my pandemic mattress adventure, I did a lot of research this time. I discovered that as a combination sleeper, someone who sleeps on her side and her back, a medium firm, hybrid mattress is my best bet.

    A hybrid mattress basically has spring coils and a few layers of foam or latex. Knowing that I’ve never had a good experience with memory foam (it makes me hot), I decided to go for latex as it seem to have a lot of good things going for it. And because of this, the mattress cost me RM3,300. There was a cheaper RM1,500 one made from foam … but I decided to go for something durable this time.

    I’m nervous because I’ve never spent this much on a mattress before.

    I’ve always prided myself on having a good back – I could sleep on any mattress, so most of the mattresses I’ve slept on was on tend to be cheap ones. In fact, my frugal, penny-pinching parents insisted that I should not spend more than RM1000 for a mattress. They would probably faint if I told them that I had spent.

    But as I researched this topic – you need to change the mattress you sleep on as your body changes. If you get heavier (or lighter), or when your body gets achier due to aging. All these changes demand different types of matresses.

    So all in all, this has been such an expensive lesson. Choose the furniture that involves your back very, very carefully. You may regret it if you don’t!

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  • Utterly random episode 3: What it means to be multilingual in Malaysia

    Podcast RSS feed: https://anchor.fm/s/d4f4beb8/podcast/rss

    In this episode, I talk about why Malaysians are multilingual, how people react to this, and the politics of language in Malaysia.

    And you get to hear me speak Mandarin, Hokkien, Malay and English.

    Episode summary

    Most Malaysians speak at least two languages. It is not surprising at all to find some that can speak three to five, actually!

    I talk about why Malaysians are multilingual, how people react to our linguistic abilities, and the politics of language in Malaysia.

    At the end, this is something very unique about Malaysia, and we should celebrate this ability to speak to all corners of the world thanks to our linguistic diversity.

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  • Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty – review

    Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty – review

    Liking Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty as much I did really surprised me. It wasn’t a popular, addictive, idol-driven drama that tends to get a lot of attention, but it delivered solid storylines and performances.

    I love Wuxia dramas. And the type of shows that I’m drawn to are shows like Nirvana in Fire, Ancient Detective and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Sweeping, majestic, heart-wrenching addictions.

    I wouldn’t describe Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty this way at all.

    It’s certainly not heart-wrenching, although there are sad moments. And while it has amazing sets and beautiful costumes, it does not come close to the majesty and beauty of Nirvana in Fire.

    But it just works.

    Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I needed a show like this during this period of my life. I’m currently at a busy time at work and my personal life is fraught with usual middle-age anxieties (sans children, fortunately). After a day of staring at code and wrestling with software that toy with your patience, I wanted something soothing to watch.

    Watching something tragic and heart-wrenching like Nirvana in Fire was the last thing I want to do, no matter how beautiful and well-crafted the story is.

    The story

    We are first introduced to our heroic duo, Lu Ling Feng and Su Wu Ming, when they cross paths at Chang’an. A strange, addictive tea popular among the nobles has taken Chang’an City by storm. But there’s a lot of mystique around the tea. It seems to be tied to a mysterious “Ghost Town” in the dark parts of the city, and is supposedly distributed by a mysterious immortal. And someohow, it’s tied to the case of missing brides in Chang’an?

    Lu Ling Feng, a general of the Jin Wu guards, was given the task to get to the bottom of this mystery. And he ends up crossing swords (okay, maybe it’s more of a pointing sword thing) with Su Wu Ming.

    Su is a disciple of the famed detective Di Ren Jie, and Lu doesn’t like his shifty, sly attitude. But the two ends up working together, though Lu is a very, very reluctant partner.

    Political machinations end up upending a lot of things, however. And Lu ends up following Su on his adventures to reclaim his name and honour.

    From left to right: Fei Ji Shi, Pei Xi Jun, Su Wu Ming, Lu Ling Feng and Xue Huan.

    Characters

    Lu Ling Feng
    A hard-headed, fiery-tempered general who likes to point his sword at people who annoy him. (And that happens quite often!) When we show starts, Lu isn’t very likeable — he looks down on Su Wuming, thinking that he’s beneath him, thinking that he’s up to no good. But, when his life goes downhill without warning Lu is forced to reflect on his choices.

    Su Wu Ming
    A disciple of the famous detective Di Renjie, Su is witty, crafty, and definitely very, very smart. He hides this by pretending to be a nice, humble bloke; a harmless commoner who doesn’t know anything. But believe you me, there’s a lot going on behind that affable demeanor.

    Pei Xi Jun
    The daughter of a high-ranking official who had a massive crush on Lu, Xi Jun ends up tagging along in the duo’s adventures.

    Fei Ji Shi
    A beggar on the outside, a brilliant physician in reality, he has saved the team from one scrape on another. As long as he’s paid in chicken and wine.

    Xue Huan
    Xi Jun’s servant and a budding martial artist.

    A story of many cases

    Strange is probably one of the most well-constructed Chinese dramas I’ve seen. It’s never too draggy, there are not many unnecessary fillers, and every story is interesting.

    I think one of the reasons why Strange was so good for me in this time of my life was because of its structure: About four to five episodes will be centred around a mystery. And with every case, the characters, especially Lu, grows.

    Watching Lu and Su’s relationship develop is a real delight. Some fans complain that Lu was unnecessarily haughty in the beginning, but it befits his background and the time. As a scion of a very prestigious family at a time where lineage gives you power, Lu’s haughty arrogance is almost expected. And unlike most people, Lu doesn’t buy Su’s “humble, common man” act.

    The cases are also unique as they exist in a world where magic is real, so it kept me guessing throughout.

    And towards the end, we watch how Su and Lu struggle with the poltics of the Tang dynasty. As the “police” of the empire, they still have to navigate the powerful, Game of Thrones-esque courts of the Crown Prince and the Princess Taiping. And this was done in a realistic way and there was a surprising, satisfying twist to come out of this political intrigue too.

    What I loved:

    • The sets and costumes – It’s quite faithful to the period. (I’m no expert, but at least there’s no weird modernesque hanfus and hairstyles.) One of the reasons why I’m finding myself bored of Marvel movies is because of its over-reliance on green screens. What a delight to see characters walking around in actual buildings and sets for once!
    • The fighting choreography – I cannot count the number of times I rolled my eyes as the lame fighting, flying scenes of modern-day wuxia dramas. Sure, there’s still flying, but there’s more emphasis on acrobatic manoevres and swordplay. Lu’s fight when he uses three swords was fun to watch!
    • The performances – the standout performance is Yang Zhi Gang’s Su Wu Ming.
    • The stories – one of my favourite Youtubers, Avenue X, complain that Show’s stories were not particularly remarkable, but I really enjoyed the supernaturally-tinged cases. They kept me guessing, and that’s enough!
    • The 4-5 episode story arcs — I really appreciated the structure. Because I could just watch a number of episodes, take a break, and easily come back to continue the story. With other 40+ episode Chinese dramas, I had to ask myself – what happened again? Who is this person? Show’s structure allows me enjoy the show at a comfortable pace without losing the plot.

    What I disliked:

    What in the world is Xi Yun’s role, really, except to be a romantic love interest to Lu? I found her inclusion in the series odd and rather forced. But it’s really a minor, minor niggle in an otherwise great show.

    Mastodon log entries

    I was live-blogging the show on Mastodon as I watch it. As I’m following the Publish On Your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere, and since it’s a waste to let my thoughts fade into the ether, I thought it was a good idea to keep a record of my thoughts here too.

    Feb 10, 2023, 24:20
    Yup of course I need to watch Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 😆

    The fighting scenes, for once, is decent!

    Feb 11, 2023, 19:20
    Watching up to 3rd ep of Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty and I’m liking it so far. It’s the kind of drama that is not too intense so you can enjoy without too much emotional angst. Also, ngl, I like how Yang Xu Wen looks when he fights.

    Feb 14, 2023, 20:30
    Currently on the 10the episode of Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty. I am actually quite surprised I am still #watching – thought I’d be bored by now. Maybe cos I really like the dynamics between the two main characters – the cunning and witty investigator, and the hot tempered general, who are always at each other’s throats.

    We love the odd couple police drama, don’t we?

    Feb 25, 2023, 19:55
    Can’t believe I am on episode 20 of Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty! It is compelling in a way I cant really fathom. But perhaps it has something to do with the short 3-5 episode mysteries that makes it more digestible than most 40+ episode #CDramas
    But I also like the friendship between Lu Linfeng (right, pic below) and Su Wuming.

    Some complain that Lu’s arrogance was not a good way to start their partnership, but I thought it was perfect. Lu’s journey from hot-headed asshat to less-angry asshat is what I enjoyed and kept me going.
    Also, while the mysteries have a supernatural bent, they are solved by real-world wits.

    Btw you can actually watch Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty on Youtube!

    Feb 26, 2023, 20:53
    This is hilarious but they sure exhume a lot of corpses in this #CDrama 😆

    Mar 07, 2023, 23:12
    I finished Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty! When it comes to #CDramas that is a rare feat for me as I find it tough to “last” a #CDrama‘s usual 40-episode run.
    Tbh me liking Strange this much was a surprise. It isn’t sweeping, dramatic or addictive like some #dramas but perhaps this is why In like it; when you have a hectic life, you need something light and not too angsty.
    It also has great acting, sets, writing & the story is finely constructed.
    A fun, rare gem.

    Final verdict

    Give this show a chance.

    I know it is not as sexy as the idol-driven dramas, or the trendy ones right now, but it is absolutely solid and delivers.

    A big part of me hopes that there will be a Season 2, even if the chances are terribly slim. (I’m still waiting for Ancient Detective!) It’s one of those rare shows that truly deserves another run.

    PS: Just found out Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty was ranked No.4 in the top 10 highest costumed dramas of 2022 in Douban! That must mean something, don’t you think??

    Watch it here

    In a move that I don’t quite understand but 100% appreciate, iQIYI has released the episodes, fully English subtitled, onto Youtube. So, you can watch it free in the playlist below:

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  • Unboxing Onyx’s Boox Leaf 2 eReader

    PS: The video looks like it ended abruptly, but I stopped cos he spent the next few minutes installing stuff. I should, er, edit it better next time 😅

    I have been thinking of getting a Boox eReader (by Onyx) since I discovered them way back in 2020.

    I’ve had a Nook (Barnes & Noble), several Kindles and was thinking of getting a Kobo next.

    But I then discovered Boox and realised: Why limit myself to an eReader where I can only shop at ONE place?

    Imagine having the ability to install apps from different bookstores and heck, even a library to your eReader?

    Why did I choose the Leaf 2?

    I decided on the the Boox Leaf 2 eReader (Specs: 7 inch, Android 11 32GB) because I wanted something bigger than the basic Poke model which was 6 inch. However, I felt that anything more than Leaf 2 was overkill. The range after the Leaf 2 is a tablet and they come with a stylus. I prefer making notes on pen and paper, and prefer to browse the web on an iPad, so anything above Leaf 2 is truly unnecessary for me.

    Mr. Tan from Boox Malaysia was kind enough to show me Leaf 2’s many features.

    I thought it’ll be useful for you guys to watch the session too.

    Breaking free from walled gardens

    After watching Mr. Tan’s demonstration, I thought to myself: Why did we put up with limited services and products??

    We just thought that being bombarded by endless ads on our Kindles was a given. But we paid for the dang things and deserve not to have them on our screens. And why did we think it’s okay to be forbidden to shop anywhere else but Amazon or Kobo or Barnes and Noble? And why did we accept a limited range of features?

    Import notes and highlights? Well, too bad if your book didn’t come from us. We won’t allow it!

    Read ebooks from the library? Nope! Maybe you can try Kindle Unlimited? For a price, of course.

    I suppose buying the Leaf 2 is yet another attempt of mine to break free from walled gardens and to gain more control over how I read my content.

    If you’re in Malaysia, you can either order online at https://booxmalaysia.com/ or visit their store/office at Worq Subang. First, make an appointment so that they can spend more time to answer your questions.

    PS: Did not receive a cent from Boox Malaysia. I just like to recommend good services and products. (Though I got free cappuccino. It was really good coffee, that.)

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  • Leaving the cult of wokeness

    Africa Brooke’s open letter Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness gave voice to what many have hidden in their hearts, too afraid to speak up.

    Speaking up or heck, even make jokes on social media has been dicey the last few years. It could result not just in social ostracization but the loss of your livelihood too. As a result, far too many are too afraid to speak up about controversial issues.

    That’s not how the Internet began.

    “If being cancelled means me living in integrity as a human being who thinks for themselves, CANCEL ME TODAY!

    I repeat; I am not afraid.

    What I’m truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to submit to an ideology without question, otherwise I’m to be shamed (or pressured to shame myself) and cast out of the community.”

    Read: https://ckarchive.com/b/d0ueh0h67mpd

  • What it means to be Peranakan

    I little something about me – I am Peranakan. (Penang Peranakan, to be specific. I’ll explain why the distinction is important below.)

    Peranakans or “Straits Chinese”, were people from China who moved to (then) Malaya hundreds of years ago. I know that my ancestors have been in Malaysia for more than a century, most probably 150+ years.

    Our culture is a blend of Chinese and Malay. For example, both my grandmas used to dress like the ladies in the video below.

    And yes, my paternal grandma used to carry that handkerchief everywhere. At home, she would just wear a sarong and tuck that handkerchief near her bosom ☺

    I wish my generation carried on the traditions. Heck, I cant even cook our famed Nyonya dishes! I feel like I should at least get a baju kebaya (though I doubt I would look as elegant).

    There are Peranakans in Singapore, Penang and Malacca — we share similar traits but are different.

    My friend who is Malacca Nyonya says that Penang Nyonya food is sweeter. I mean I wouldn’t have a clue but I take her word for it. Also, the Penang ones speak a form of creole Hokkien dialect, which means we confuse our Southern Hokkien cousins. (We use words they don’t, and often our idioms are translations of Malay idioms. We also mix English words into our Hokkien.) The Malacca ones don’t speak Chinese at all but only Malay.

    Here’s a great documentary about Penang Peranakans. Often, documentaries about Peranakans (also called Baba Nynoyas) are on the Malaccan variety. So, it’s refreshing to find one about my people for once.

    This documentary was eye opening. I didn’t realise how many things my family did had to do with our Penang Peranakan heritage. For example, I’ve always wondered why my paternal “a cho” (great grandmother) is talked about like she’s the clan head. That’s because she was. It surprised me to learn that Peranakans have a matriarchical society, yet my experience with my great grandmother proved that. (I hear very little about great grandpa, for one!)

    I also laughed out loud when the narrator said that Penang Peranakans don’t use chopsticks but forks and spoons. My dad was mad about our table manners; I grew up with decidedly Anglophile table manners, using cutlery when eating prawns when most Malaysians were diving in with their hands. I was always a little embarrassed at my awkwardness when eating KFC with my hands. My dad would scold us kids for doing that and hand us cutlery, so I grew up being a dainty little princess at the dinner table.

    Curiously, my grandmother, my dad’s mother, ate with her hands too. I think at the dining table, most were expected to have good table manners but if you’re eating informally, that’s different.

    Now that you have seen the Penang Peranakans, here are the Malaccan Peranakans.

    Notice that they speak Malay, while the Penang Peranakans in the documentary spoke Hokkien.

    Like I said, I have Malaccan Peranakan friends, and their culture is definitely different from ours. Same, yet different. For one, they arrived at Malaya way earlier than us Penang Peranakans, so their culture definitely mirrors Malay customs more, down to their speech.

    When I visited the Penang Peranakan museum, the tour guide said that the Penang Peranakans of a century ago fancied themselves aristocrats and would look down at the more recent Chinese migrants. They are often wealthier too. I think back on my family’s history and have to agree — both my maternal and paternal sides come from wealthy families (no longer, though). Also, the snooty, “we are different and better” attitude is there. Let’s just say that my family prided themselves for being English-educated from schools established by Christian missionaries (ordinary schools won’t do) and looked at Chinese educated Chinese as “other”. Marriage with non-Peranakans were even considered a sorry thing!

    These days, it’s not the case anymore as more Peranakans are have assimilated with the larger Chinese population and are indistinguishable from every other Chinese. Many don’t even speak the unique Northern version of Hokkien that is found only in Malaysia.

    That’s rather sad really, that I’m losing such a big part of my heritage.