Month: February 2016

  • Chap Goh Meh (aka The Orange Toss)

    Chap Goh Meh (aka The Orange Toss)

    Chap Goh Meh is the Penang equivalent of Valentine’s Day. An old story (about a beautiful maiden and her love-stricken suitor, what else?) transforms the fifteenth and final day of Chinese New Year into the pinnacle of romance on the island. Courting dances, concerts in the parks, and long strings of firecrackers are hard to miss throughout the day and night.…

  • That Greasy Lunch

    That Greasy Lunch

    Seven years ago today, I was living my childhood dream. Years of dedication culminated in my first gig making video games — designing, prototyping, iterating. I was beaming with enthusiasm. As the year progressed, coworkers turned into close friends, including my then-manager, Fred St-Amour — who remains my greatest mentor, but don’t tell him or he’ll get too cocky.…

  • Happy (Chinese) New Year

    Happy (Chinese) New Year

    Penang is almost half Chinese, and we live close to the heart of Chinatown. So it should be no surprise that the phrase “Happy New Year” has been the favoured greeting the last few days (without the “Chinese” qualifier). The new year is celebrated over a full week, culminating in what promises to be a giant party…

  • Work Work

    Work Work

    The first days back from vacation, whatever the job, are never easy — crawling back into the regular nine-to-five can be a chore. You would think, what with me pursuing my dream, that getting back into the swing would be easy. But, the truth is, I’ve had a lazy couple of days. Maybe even more than usual because this is my dream. There’s…