The Malaysian language, Bahasa Malaysia, has contributed a small but interesting number of words to English. I’d like to start an occasional series on them, starting with the Cockatoo. Now, many of you may first think of an irritating pop band, but that’d be the Cocteau Twins. The Cockatoo is a parrot-like bird found here […]
Category Archives: Nusantara
Happy Chinese New Year
Malaysia has a very large Chinese population, about 1/3 of the country, and the New Year (year of the Ram, apparently) is a big holiday. The town is lit up with those pretty red lanterns. Downtown, the main drag is strung with lights and lanterns from the spreading canopy trees in the boulevard to the […]
Bali
The recent bombing in Bali is terribly unsettling, coming as it does a few months before my departure for Malaysia. As horrific as it is, though, it doesn’t change my plans, and I don’t think it will be a “first step” on the road to something more terrible, God willing. Eric Boehlert of Salon.com has […]
Update
I came home to see Omar Al-Faruq on the front cover of my free copy of Time Magazine. OK, so that explains the embassy closings. That article is serious bad news, except for the fact they caught him. Really, the arrest of Faruq is a perfect example of the war on terrorism done right. Authorities […]
Malaysian students abroad spent RM6
Malaysian students abroad spent RM6 billion this year. That’s almost USD 2 Billion, the great majority of which is spent in the USA. That’s quite an expenditure that US colleges and universities undeniably benefit from. The University of Michigan charges upwards of three times in-state tuition to international students. Why then, did the US Consulate […]
Information for expatriates about living
Information for expatriates about living in Malaysia
so many islands, so little
so many islands, so little time Joe Friend’s weblog, an American living in Indonesia. He has links to a large number of Indonesian bloggers, useful tips for expats, and local news sources.