Two years ago, one of my PhD supervisors David Herbert picked me up from Kristiansand International Airport, and my adventures in Norway received a warm welcome. It was snow white then just like today. When I look out of the window now, low and behold, the exponentially increasing flurries dance at the rhythm of the…
Category: Five Sentences
Five Sentences
Religionism?
If Racism is defined as “hatred or intolerance of another race or other races”, then we should define Religionism as “hatred or intolerance of another religion or other religions”. Perhaps, the above helps us see clearer more than a narrow focus on religious zeal, jumbled up by descriptions such as “excessive and exaggerated” or “affected…
Snapshots
After the smoke subsided, I listened attentively as two men spoke into my small Canon A70 away from the big mass media cameras. How could I not dig back looking for the traces which lead us to some ashes? The project, however, required new instruments from old sages, so I could attend the fragments of…
‘Recomposing’ Myself
I like music. Good music relaxes, inspires, energizes and occasionally touches me. Lately, a range of musical images and sounds as metaphors keep hovering over my head. Somehow, they open up fresh ways for me to think, and reorder my reflections. 'Recomposing': Perhaps, I am working on this again and again… Posted with Blogsy
Forbidden Education
They say that learning is a life long activity, but beyond that, I think learning to learn (again) is a series of necessary interruptions through life. Watching the 10 episodes ploughing through the subtitles of the originally Latin American-Spanish independent documentary 'Forbidden Education' was exactly what I needed yesterday. Because this PhD journey of mine…
Friend or Enemy?
A public figure with 'former' in front of his previous job blurs out a comment, perhaps expecting us to take him seriously. But why should we, when a quick google of his name pops up a 'triple correct video' that has publicly sent his credibility down the drain. Though easily distracted, we don't – and…
Revisiting is Good Practice
Revisiting is good practice because so often I miss the treasures when I'm in a hurry. Last night, I revisited Luther and reason; and both surprised me. This morning, a detour to think about research programmes helped to refine the way I look at my work. The last one week, it was good to return…
Minority Alien
I spoke with a 'minority alien' today. The content of our chat spurred me to question whether 'minority' is simply about numbers, and the word 'alien' – at first sight – doesn't necessarily mean a visitor from another planet. Memories of 'minority' voices from two contrasting countries engaged in dialogue flashed back like it was…
Five Sentences
How much can I say in five sentences? It depends whether what I string together is well formulated, crisp, clear and meaningful. But the inner critic haunts me that English is not my first language; Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, and even a bit of Norwegian floats in my head. It's inherently multicultural and multilingual with all…