Selected Writing & Journalism
PEOPLE, politics & society

For Some People, Sex is a Total Turn-off
The Straits Times (Singapore)
Asexuals say theirs is a valid sexual orientation, not a health problem. “Sex is just not as interesting as the other things I could be doing with an interesting person,” says David Jay. Like having a really “mind-blowing” conversation.

Beyond the Sea
Esquire Malaysia
The 2015 Southeast Asian boat crisis made Myanmar’s Rohingya more visible to the world, but the problems they face have persisted for decades. As the annual sailing season is under way, I dig into the roots of the crisis and find out what life looks like for those who made it to shore.

Pygmies in Peril
Esquire Malaysia
Borneo’s baby-faced pygmy elephants are increasingly pitted against humans, in sometimes-fatal confrontations, due to habitat loss and fragmentation. But if the wildlife and forestry authorities, oil palm plantations and tour operators see the creatures’ conservation as a common cause, they might just have a chance of survival.

The Science and Sentiment of Division
Esquire Malaysia
From freaks of nature and medical conundrums to individuals, conjoined twins have come a long way since "Siamese twins" Chang and Eng. I take a closer look at the mathematical, emotional and ethical considerations of bisecting a human body and what life is like after separation via brothers Muaiman and Muaimin Azli, the most recent case of separated twins in Malaysia.
TRAVEL Essays & FEATURES
malaysia destination Guides

Neighbourhood Guide: Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Silverkris.com (Singapore Airlines)
From humble beginnings as a rubber estate in the 1950s, Damansara Heights (also known as Bukit Damansara) has evolved into one of Kuala Lumpur’s most affluent districts. Having recently undergone significant urban redevelopment, this lively yet relaxed suburb is now luring in some of the city’s trendiest establishments.

City Guide: Kuala Lumpur
Silverkris.com (Singapore Airlines)
Founded in the late 1850s at the confluence of two rivers by tin-mining prospectors, Malaysia’s capital is most recognisable today by its iconic Petronas Twin Towers. Look beyond them, though, and you’ll see that Kuala Lumpur is a city that clings to its heritage as much as it sheds it. It runs on tradition and nostalgia even as it pulses closely with fresh energy from global trends.

Neighbourhood Guide: Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
Smile (Cebu Pacific Air)
Edgy cafés, bars and artist collectives have sprouted and taken up residence in the timeworn colonial-era shophouses that characterize KL’s Chinatown. PS150, a popular speakeasy-style cocktail bar, is one of these new inhabitants. Its co-founder and bartender, Angel Ng, who has lived most of her life in Singapore but now calls KL home, walks us through the neighborhood’s back alleys and five-foot ways to show us how past and present cultures have intertwined.
personalities, Arts & Culture

Q&A with Shih-Li Kow
Esquire Malaysia
"It can be quite hard to resist writing about the supernatural because it's very much a part of our life here. You know, you sit down and you meet people and chances are everybody has had a couple of conversations with friends about ghosts or something like that."

What I've Learned
Esquire Malaysia
Three of my favourites:
Clare Rewcastle Brown
Neil Strauss (& Online)
Michael Chong

Man at His Best: Manual
Esquire Malaysia
On Chris Sharma & rock-climbing (& Online)
Bar Stories & cocktails
On Peruvian food & culture

Q&A with Miguel Syjuco
Esquire Malaysia
"We ride our car to work and we see the beggar knocking on our window on a daily basis; our roads are terrible; we see endemic corruption. And, of course, every day you ask yourself, 'What can I do with my life to kind of cope with this? To address this, or help fix the problem?' I think that's why as writers from developing countries, we want to do something more with our work than just entertain or sell."

Man at His Best: Books
Esquire Malaysia
Some of my favourites:
Categorical Compulsion
A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Underachiever
The Road to Dystopia
The Relentless Search for Beauty
Life in a Northern Town
Intimate Bedfellows
Keeping Up with the Queks
Down the Hole We Go
Kung Fu and Chicken Feet