Sunday night was the first night of Tarawih prayers here in Malaysia. By the grace of God, I was able to move into our new house Sunday afternoon, in time to walk to the surau, small mosque, in our new neighborhood for prayers. Now I’ve successfully survived a day of fasting in the tropics. The […]
Author Archives: bingregory
More Kuching Waterfront
Here’s one last picture that should have gone with the last set. It’s the city hall of North Kuching, perched on a hill. Some of the older neighborhoods of Petrajaya, the city’s north bank, can be seen in the middleground. Kuching is split into two separate cities, North and South Kuching. It’s a very arbitrary […]
Pop Shuvit Reads BGP
Some time ago, I wrote an appreciation of the traditional Malay music form of Dikir Barat and it’s similarity to hip-hop. By way of contrast, I made some generally derogatory comments about Malaysian rap music, singling out the group that was freshest in my mind, Pop Shuvit. (Or were they? I may in fact have […]
Kuching Waterfront
Here’s a few shots from the Kuching Waterfront, the biggest tourist attraction in town. It runs for about a kilometer along the Sarawak River, from the historic wharf district with its wet market and shophouses to highrise hotels and shopping malls on the far end. One lovely thing about Kuching is that from almost any […]
P.S.A.
**This is not an abandoned weblog** Whoo, this month has been unbelieveably hectic, next month looks about the same. Planes, trains and automobiles; two jobs but no paycheck for 4 months; buying a house; finishing a PhD (that’s the wife but I feel her pain); maid problems; and more! I doubt I’ll be posting much […]
Strange Fruit pt. 5: Jackfruit
In Michigan, where I’m from, we have large fruit; watermelons and pumpkins for example can reach great size. Sensibly, these fruits grow on trailing vines, right on the ground. But imagine a fruit that size that grows suspended from a tree! Aiee! Maybe it’s called Jackfruit because it will jack you up if it lands […]
Beyblade!
Maybe I’m out of touch with what’s happenin’ on the playground back in the States. But I can tell you what is on the minds of every 4- to 7-year-old kid I’ve met here
TS Eliot: Four Quartets
The great poet TS Eliot uses Ailanthus altissima in his poem “Four Quartets”. Here is the opening stanza of the third Quartet, The Dry Salvages: I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and intractable, Patient to some degree, at first recognised as a […]