Category: Blog
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Beach Scribbles
Last week’s highlight was our travel to Langkawi, an even smaller island than Penang, hidden halfway between the Malaysian mainland and Thailand. It represents my earliest dreams about this trip: work hard during the week, then sojourn in a tropical paradise. There isn’t anything unexpected here, it’s just classic beachy fun. White sand, turquoise water, and a healthy supply of mojitos. If you’ve vacationed in the Caribbean, you…
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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.…
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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.…
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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…