The End of Civilisation?

Classic liberalism is credited with ushering in the Enlightenment in Europe, a period that led to profound transformations in European society. This era, spanning from the late 17th to the early 18th century, witnessed significant changes in European politics, science, and philosophy.

These changes gave rise to societies that prioritized the pursuit of knowledge, the dispersion of political power, and the establishment of rational thinking as a formalized norm. This upheaval effectively rendered the old hierarchical power structures, rooted in divine authority, obsolete. Instead, a new hierarchy emerged, with individuals possessing knowledge and reason as the key constituents.

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Reflections on 2020

It’s that time of the year, when things quiet down, for a reflection of the year that was 2020. It is truly a unique and memorable year in many ways one for the history books. Generations from now, books (and documentaries) will be produced to try and figure this year out. Academicians and storytellers will try to dissect this year to distill its lessons and meanings for the future of humanity.

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Working from Home

It’s been close to 4 months now since we started working from home. Right now, we are currently in a 3-team rotation.

I love working from home. There’s no tedious need to travel, thinking about how to appear not to dress up while dressing up and physically showing up for meetings that have no particular reason to exist. Yes, life now tends to be more straightforward. Sure, we lose the “personal” touch thing but I do feel (at least for now) that this is somewhat over-rated. Or perhaps this is the inner introvert me speaking.

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Is 2020 going to be the year of the COVID?

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 —previously known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19. Credit: NIAID-RML

It has been only 2 and a half months into 2020 and the world is already in turmoil. The new year started literally with a bonfire that ravaged through large swathes of Australia in January. Just before fresh images of singed cute koalas fade from our minds, Malaysia’s barely 24-months old liberal government was toppled by a rebellion within their own ranks. And before the cursed Sheraton Move fade from the people’s minds, the most consequential once-in-a-generation global pandemic broke out in March.

Suddenly, everyone who is not from China just woke up to the fact that a deadly novel coronavirus has been spreading within their borders and infecting large numbers of their population. Now, I have a lot to say about all of these events. But it is the last one that just boils my blood.

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Black Hole

On 10th April 2019, humans got their first photograph of an actual blackhole. After years of seeing black holes in sci-fi blockbusters (though to be fair, the most accurate depiction on screen has to be the black hole from Interstellar), the real image seems underwhelming to say the least. But what we have achieved is a major milestone in our understanding of our universe.

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Book Review: Billion Dollar Whale

Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

** spoiler alert ** Wow. My brain is fried from reading this.

I’ve been following the 1MDB scandal closely ever since it was raised by Sarawak Report. And I have talked to innocent acquaintances who had worked there as well. But nothing could have prepared me for the scale and scope of the 1MDB scandal that has been vividly retold in this grippingly well researched book.

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