This post was featured in the first Asian Women Blog Carnival at ciderpress’s blog. So there was this American guy, Jake, who sat with Gareth and me at lunch last Saturday and was telling us how much he wanted to go to Malaysia because it’s apparently a great place to meet women, and claimed that… Continue reading Foreign bodies as sexual playgrounds
Research and publications
Weekend round-up of favourite reads 7/2
It’s been a whirlwind of a week: got stranded in Amsterdam on account of deadly snow, got an article rejected by a magazine (oh, the pain!), baked cupcakes on an industrial scale for charity, and received more support for my film and sexuality discussion project. But it has also been a really good week for… Continue reading Weekend round-up of favourite reads 7/2
Malaysian mail-order brides: what fairy tale?
Excerpted from The New Straits Times: Once upon a time, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella had to battle witches and overcome spells to find Prince Charming. Now, young women are discovering that the road leading to “happily-ever-after” is wider, shorter and much less of an obstacle course. In recent years, a large number of… Continue reading Malaysian mail-order brides: what fairy tale?
When 'woman' is a dirty word
I get the feeling that the word ‘woman’ is sometimes used in a pejorative manner in my family. In conversations about a woman who is either interesting or just happen to be female regardless of age (but below 50, though this is completely arbitrary), the person is a ‘girl’. A ‘woman’, on the other hand,… Continue reading When 'woman' is a dirty word
Quick Dutch break
I’m off to Amsterdam tonight. See you back on Monday!
Open thread: Guilty pleasures
I want to share with you a dark and shameful secret. So sit back and make yourself comfortable because it will be a guilt-ridden confessional joyride. Now, being a feminist supposedly involves being humourless and super-ethical about everything. All that makes it real difficult to deal with guilty pleasures sometimes. That’s because such pleasures often… Continue reading Open thread: Guilty pleasures
Book review: Ombak Bukan Biru by Fatimah Busu
Fatimah Busu has a gift for telling stories of social alienation. Her stories are often a provocative social critique of Malay society but are easily accessible and good for philosophical rumination. In Salam Maria, her protagonist is a misfit, a social castoff who is forced to the depths of the forest to live with those… Continue reading Book review: Ombak Bukan Biru by Fatimah Busu
Busy
Dear Readers, Cycads is going to be temporarily stalled this week to make way for concert rehearsals and workshop meetings. The concert is this coming Sunday and I will be playing my man J.S. Bach’s praeludium in A-Flat BWV 886 (from his Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2) and for my choir. Also, I’ve been just dead… Continue reading Busy
I need serious cheering up aka weekend round-up of favourite reads 16-18/1
There are days when I feel like tearing my hair out and never leave my flat. I’ll just return to the world when my hair grows out again. But following my better judgement, I’m going to have to recover from an agonisingly disappointing week for a couple of days with delicious cooking, fine entertainment on… Continue reading I need serious cheering up aka weekend round-up of favourite reads 16-18/1
Every woman's "big day" – what is it for?
Originally written by Bidisha at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free under the title, Wedlock throws away the key: Wedlock. It’s the kind of word that ought to send chills down a modern woman’s spine. It describes with deadly aptness the prison-like qualities of that institution and evokes a cold sense of confinement and consignment. An… Continue reading Every woman's "big day" – what is it for?
Alicia Izharuddin 