I have a simple goal for this newsletter. I want to share the delights of the Chinese and Malaysian culture to remind people that at the end of the day, we are human beings, no matter which side of the fence we come from.
In our extremely polarised world right now, I think this message is so important.
A country does a lot of ugly things, I agree. But there are far too many people and outlets sharing negativity right now and I didn’t want to contribute to the US vs THEM rhetoric that is damaging and dividing the world.
Instead, I would like to bring some balance by sharing the beauty of China and the Chinese culture. And since China is so demonised today, I want to do my part to remind people that China is not an amorophous Mordor-like land in one corner of the world.
Chinese people are just like you and me - they have created wonderful things and her people want to live in peace and harmony too.
A lot of the narratives about China and the Chinese are distorted by media that has an agenda.
I’m one of the Chinese diaspora, and I live in a country that is almost next door to the country. I’ve visited China for years, seeing it grow from a struggling country with barely passable sanitation to the advanced superpower it is today.
It’s painful to read and watch the disinformation spread about her.
I also write from a unique Malaysian point of view.
You see, we Malaysians prefer to be quiet and stay unnoticed.
“Oh, let them fight and yell at each other. We need to do other things.” That has always been our mantra. In fact, that has always been the South-East Asian way when big powers fight. We prefer to stay out of “their stuff”.
But South-East Asians offer a unique perspective. We were once called the “Balkans of Asia”, destined for war. Yet, we defied the predictions of Western thought leaders.
For the past four decades we have been one of the most peaceful regions in the world. Why? Because we have cultivated a culture of understanding, negotiation and give and take. We can teach the world a thing or two about getting along with people you don’t agree with.
I hope that my newsletter will bring a unique perspective to the English-speaking online media, which are currently dominated by Western, largely American-centric narratives.
Meet the writer
When I was a kid, my dad always lectured me that I was “too tidapa”. Tidapa is the abbreviation of the Malay words tidak apa (“no problem”). I was a little daredevil back then, but was so laidback, and happy-go-lucky that very few things upset me. (That includes parental punishments lol.)
In many ways, my “chill” and fun-loving attitude has greatly helped me in my life. But it has given people the mistaken idea that I don’t think deep thoughts. 🤪
I’m both very unserious and extremely serious. I think very deeply. Far too much! People are often confused about this dichotomy, so I don’t often share my serious side out of worry that I’d startle them!
Although I’ve been a professional writer for nearly two decades, I still spend daily battling this fear of sharing my deep thoughts. Tai Tales is my way of working through this.
So, while Tai Tales is often light-hearted and sparkly, occasionally it dips into very serious territory.
My mission is to get the unpublished essays in my hard disk out to you.
Besides writing this newsletter, I work as a technical writer for a software company. Before that, I was a content manager and marketer for various companies and a journalist for 15 years for the newspaper, The Star. Have a look at my portfolio.
I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a pretty apartment on top of a hill.
Grab a cuppa, snuggle into a comfy chair and join me.
Alternatively, you can give me a one-off tip. Buy me a coffee!
Where I hang out online
