Covid-19 seemed distant to me at first for the whole year of 2020. None of closest social circle had it. Then 2021 came with worse circumstance, more people contracted it, more people succumbed to it. Things become suffocating, but with a comfortable distance. You can live with it.

Up and until, approaching Raya Aidilfitri, my uncle and aunt who practically raised me (other than my parents) were confirmed positive with Covid-19. It started trivial at first because both seem asymptomatic. My uncle chose to be admitted to MAEPS.. He only coughed, he said. Then he had fever and body ache…

I started running a few months ago. First it was 5 km, then little bit more than that, then 10 km. I started to feel good when I ran, riding on the endorphin boost. My best distance is now 15 km. Not bad for four-month beginner. I started with running while listening to music, then podcasts, then, I could run without any assisted distraction. Just me and my thoughts and the sound of my strides.

I am thirty this year, and now every sitcom is my story. “Too afraid to move forward”, “I did nothing extraordinary”, “Have I peaked?” ran…

shoutout to all the 91 kids

It is 2021 and the dredging 30 has come to all of us — the 91 kids. You know, reaching 20 was fine: it is the mark of liberation, independence. But 30? It is the mark of getting old-er and for those whose plans derailed in their 20s, the big three-oh’s is nothing but a scary reminder: What have you done with your life?

Pessimism aside, we need to celebrate and reminisce the three decades we have been through. The events that occur that we read, we experience and we shaped and wrapped our…

This too shall pass…

I have no idea how but it will.

What was going on the world when I was 18–22 years old and how did it influence my worldview? (warning: I didn’t fact-check whether Napoleon did say it.)

Let be precise, when I was 18–22 it was 2009–2013, what happened back then? I knew I was in my full formative stage, being in the privilege studying in the States and back to Malaysia during summers. I remember that I closely follow the development of the Arab Spring which I had followed starting from the return of the islamist in Turkey (I missed Bahrain and Tunisia, but Egypt and Syria were…

Parti MUDA atau nama panjangnya Parti Ikatan Demokratik Malaysia menarik perhatian banyak pihak. Ada yang menyokong, banyak yang menentang — terutama daripada ideologi “muda” yang dibawanya. Suka saya nak menyoroti sejarah parti “splinter” di Malaysia: bagaimana nasib duduk bangunnya di Malaysia. Menariknya, hampir semua parti utama di Malaysia boleh dijejak semula kepada “the Grand Old Party” atau GOP Malaysia — Parti Pertumbuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu atau hari ini lebih dikenali sebagai UMNO.

UMNO diasaskan pada 1946, hasil keputusan daripada Kongres Melayu ketiga sebagai wadah untuk menentang Malayan Union — kemudian pada tahun 1949 apabila idea Malayan Union berjaya dirobohkan, beralih…

Bulan Ogos dan September setiap tahun merupakan bulan Kebangsaan bagi negara Malaysia. Terangkum bersama adalah 31 Ogos (tarikh tanah Melayu merdeka daripada jajahan British pada 1957 dan Sabah pada 1963) dan 16 September (tarikh Tanah Melayu, Singapura, Sabah dan Sarawak bersatu membentuk Malaysia pada tahun 1963).

Dan pada bulan inilah selalunya patriotisme kita diukur dan dijulang pada kibaran bendera dan sambutan perarakan gilang gemilang — malah ada yang memeriahkan lagi dengan memanjangkan aplikasi bendera kepada pakaian, dan kini pelitup muka. …

It has been few years since I grew my interest in Economics. It probably started with a growing curiosity, stemming from reading books on innovation like AT&T Bell labs or probably from reading Postcapitalism. Then it just cascaded and demanding me to find answers on how the most largest single system works, managing and affecting everyone. …