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The fifth and final installment in the Tales of Asia series takes us back to British Empire in the East Indies in the 1800s and 1900s. We visit Rangoon (Yangon), the capital of British Burma; as well as George Town (Penang) … Continue reading
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Here are the highlights of my fourth Tales of Asia talk. Full talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df5t70mbXaA&feature=youtu.be
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The fourth in the Tales of Asia series takes us back to French Indochina in La Belle Epoque. We visit the former capital cities of Saigon (today’s Ho Chi Minh City) and Hanoi – the showpiece cities of the French … Continue reading
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I’m very happy to update that I shall be a featured writer at the Singapore Writer’s Festival 2015. Join me and journalist, Elizabeth Pisani (author of the book, Indonesia, Etc – Exploring the Impossible Nation) at a panel on “The … Continue reading
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This one’s about fairytale kingdoms, grand palaces and Kings… Join me as we travel back in time to explore the city of Ayutthaya in Siam, and how it provided a reference point for the establishment of Bangkok. Explore the surprising mixed, … Continue reading
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I’ve been silent for some time now… That’s because I’ve been preparing for an epic series of 5 talks on 10 historic port cities in Southeast Asia. The talks shall feature histories and images from my book, The Romance of the … Continue reading
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In 1868, the Meiji Emperor, upon ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the Imperial Capital, Kyoto 京都, subdued the Tokugawa Shogunate and abolished shogunates altogether, declaring that from henceforth, political power would once again be restored to the Monarchy. The last time … Continue reading
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So it’s hard to believe that I’ve only been back home in Singapore 2 years and 9 months. I moved home officially from New York City in October 2012, and in three months time, I commemorate three years of homecoming. It doesn’t … Continue reading
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Dejima 出島, which literally means “out -” or “exit-island” in Japanese, was an artificial, fan-shaped island reclaimed from Nagasaki bay by order of the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu 徳川 家光 in 1634, to house those errant Portuguese, whom, ostensibly in the … Continue reading
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Last week, I popped into the Museum to admire the whale bone in its natural history galleries, dropped by a streetside stall to have a cup of teh tarik (pulled tea) and – it being the Chinese Lunar New Year – also visited the … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 