While I was living in Australia, I set up this blog as a space for me to connect to my country of origin and enjoy the diversity, glory and mediocrity of Malaysian life through the medium of the written word. I was away from Malaysia at a time when our country was experiencing dramatic shifts in our understanding of what constitutes a democratic society, and I did not want to miss out on the fun.
I have a keen interest in current affairs and the world at large, so while this blog has a natural bias towards Malaysian society, there are also pockets of musings about other countries and cultures. Previously I have focused on Sweden, Australia and the admittedly not very popular series on Syria; currently I am fascinated with Turkish and French society, having travelled there at the end of 2010.
One of the things I cherish most about this blog is that it has a strict no-censorship policy with regards to visitor comments. I leave all offensive remarks unedited – be they sexist, racist or just filled with obscenities – mostly because I believe it hurts the cause of those who utter them. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and debates with blog readers and I always welcome feedback.
Happy reading!
lindsayrattray
July 14, 2009
Hello,
I came across your blog and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you mention Sydney Road Melbourne under a picture of Bekdash…
I’m living in Syria now myself and before that I used to live in Brunswick. Anyway your blog is very interesting to me!
Lindsay.
kampunghouse
July 15, 2009
Whow, what a coincidence! It’s good to know Brunswick-ites (is that right?) are spreading their wings in the world’s nooks and corners. I saw some of your pics of Syria and Jordan..they’re beautiful. Are you a professional photographer there?
Akki
lindsayrattray
July 15, 2009
Yes, I think Brunswick-ites is the correct demonym…
And no, I take that as a compliment but I’m certainly not a professional photographer!
I am here studying Arabic, how about you?
kampunghouse
July 18, 2009
Oh yeah..University of Damascus has a really good Arabic course.. I’m fresh out of uni and keen to join the workforce..yeah talk about timing..
Eurasian Sensation
July 21, 2010
Yo, what’s happened to your blog, man? Everything is protected now and inaccessible.
kampunghouse
July 22, 2010
Sorry that was an oversight on my part. I’m working on a project at the moment and I was too lazy to create another blog. The private posts have now been removed and kampunghouse is now back to public mode, open to critique as it was originally intended!
On a separate note, what are you looking forward to more this weekend? The election debate or the Masterchef finals?
Eurasian Sensation
July 23, 2010
Masterchef, honestly, and I’m not even that big a Masterchef fan. I’m just so bored by Australian politics at the moment and can’t envision subjecting myself to a whole debate full of Julia repeating “moving forward” ad nauseum.