October 2012 - Penang Monthly

Statistics

4 min read

Green buildings in MalaysiaThe Green Building Index (GBI) is Malaysia's version of the green rating tool, conceptualised in 2008. This rating system provide...

Dining in the Clouds

2 min read

We’re 2,400ft above sea level. The view of George Town from up here is amazing, chunks of green tucked between jagged rooftops and structures characterist...

Real Democracy Requires Democracy in Planning

5 min read

When I attended the One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee meeting earlier this year, one of my long-held suspicions was confirmed: development planning really is elit...

System of Government in the Straits Settlements, 1942

5 min read

Mills’ work is most probably the last scholarly analysis of how the British Empire was run east of the Indian subcontinent written just before it all came...

Art Auctions are the New Stock Market

8 min read

This is a banner year for art auctions in Malaysia, with a grand total of four held so far. For a country comparatively short on art history and with a long way...

Major Changes Await the Botanic Gardens

5 min read

The Penang Botanic Gardens, sometimes known as Waterfall Gardens, is a 72-acre garden established in 1884 on an old granite quarry. As beloved as it is though,...

Tantalising Taiwan

5 min read

We encountered quite a few raised eyebrows when we told people we were off to Taiwan for a week. The questions were politely pointed; “What about the lang...

Rasa Sayang Goes Another Shade Greener

5 min read

“Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is our way of life,” stated Elaine Yue, general manager of Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, P...

Malaysia Education Blueprint: Weighing Unity Against Diversity

5 min read

The Deputy Prime Minister recently launched the draft version of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025) with great fanfare. With that, the Education Minis...

Cheah Cheng Hye

11 min read

Cheah Cheng Hye, alumnus of Penang Free School, has been called the Warren Buffett of the East. Although he claims that gives him way too much credit, the reaso...