The Joy of Company & the Splendour of Solitude
[CAPTION: A rainbow at the Devil’s Cataract. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.] These past two years I’ve been a recluse. I went into hiding, insulating myself from everything that was happening beyond my...
View ArticleSPIRIT OF THE CITY 城市精神
[CAPTION: 100 WAYS TO SEE… A STREET | 百看不厌:一条街] It’s been some time since I posted on DREAM OF THE CITY. The main reason for this was a sudden urge to get back to my novel. After a first round of...
View ArticleWONDER-LUST – Resolutions 2026
[CAPTION: Lasem. The oldest tree in the city: a trembesi, or Monkey Pod, tree.] It’s the time of year for resolutions. Last time I made one was in 2020, so I figured I’m due. [This shall also serve as...
View ArticleMOVED TO GASP – Art, Design, Architecture & Affect
[CAPTION: Monreale Cathedral, Sicily.] For the longest time, I’ve been preoccupied with how buildings and architecture make us FEEL. That’s the reason I’ve spent months and years wandering the streets...
View ArticleTHE HE(ART) ❤️ OF STORY-TELLING
[CAPTION: Part I of THE GREAT PORT CITIES OF ASIA: IN HISTORY evokes sea-faring, Sindbad the Sailor and historic shipwrecks.] In my various lines of work as cultural historian, museum director,...
View ArticleME = CULTURAL HISTORIAN | The Great Port Cities of Asia: In History
[CAPTION: Cover, THE GREAT PORT CITIES OF ASIA: IN HISTORY. Backdrop – Map of the East Indies (detail). Jodocus Hondius. Amsterdam, 1606. Public domain.] It’s been a busy month and a bit. Short spurts...
View ArticleIMPACT | RELEVANCE and the Importance of Having a (Strong) Personal Compass
[CAPTION: The Singapore Skyline from Bay East Gardens. Sometimes, I ride my bike from home all the way into the city, all around Marina Bay, and back. I find it amazing how there’s almost seamless...
View ArticleFUNDRAISING & HOSPITALITY, or Memories of Being in “High-End Geisha Mode”
[CAPTION: Utagawa Hiroshige, Kyoto: The Great Bridge at Sanjō, from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaidō Road, 1833-34.] The scene is set. I’m seated at the table, surrounded by eight guests...
View ArticleThe Joy of Moving in Slow Motion
[CAPTION: London… A paradise garden at an old friend’s home… Writer’s Retreat… ] This past week, I succumbed to a spurt of anxious activity, only to be reminded that I should be taking it easy. The...
View ArticleORGANISATIONAL TRANSFORMATION, or a Healthy Preoccupation with #CATx+
[CAPTION: #CATx+, or a 5-Year Process / Framework for Organisational Transformation. Former colleagues will tell you I’ve always been a wee bit touched by whimsy. Background image: Cats / after Miss...
View Article…To Begin Again
[CAPTION: The Rail Corridor – the perfect long walk for some major reflecting on life…] I’m back, in more ways than one. My year away from full-time work has come to a close, at least according to my...
View ArticleA Season of Anniversaries
[I’ve been receiving loads of flowers this past year for various reasons… This bouquet was specially commissioned by my colleagues at ACM to celebrate my being conferred the title of Chevalier de...
View ArticleFAITH BEAUTY LOVE HOPE – Bring On 2021!
This beautiful, serene Shan Buddha is one of the highlights of the FAITH BEAUTY LOVE HOPE exhibition. It is the centrepiece of perhaps the most spectacular sightline in the show. Last week, in an...
View ArticleA New Lease on Life / Affairs of the Heart
The Lake Palace, Lake Pichola. Udaipur On Tuesday, 27 October, just over a week ago, I collected the keys to my new apartment. Yes indeed, I have taken the leap and – with some financial help from my...
View ArticleChange, Connection and Care
View of New Singapore. Two months into Phase Two, things are not what they had seemed to be… For starters, it’s now clear that the virus is not going away any time soon, and the “new normal” that is...
View ArticleResolution for (the Rest of) 2020 – Read More, Write More and Give More Thanks
Museum Exhibition Catalogues, brought home from the office. Having recently emerged from a lockdown, I’ve found myself actually missing those days spent at home alone, leisurely exploring my own...
View ArticleFashioning a Brand-New, Benign (World) Order
Dewi Sri… the Balinese Hindu Goddess of Rice and Fertiity. [This work is by Balinese artist, Dodit Artawan]What a difference a month and a bit makes! In late February, when I wrote my previous post, I...
View Article…dreaming, in a city, of light & colour…
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heavens, a.k.a. Mexico Cathedral (1573 – 1813), at the Plaza del Zòcalo – the main square of Mexico City. It sits atop...
View ArticleCLOSURE & DISCLOSURE – Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!
Pura Besakih, against the backdrop of Bali’s holy mountain, Gunung Agung, wreathed in clouds. Besakih Temple is Bali’s holiest temple. This time round, I made it a point to finally visit Besakih Temple...
View ArticleTHE FACTS OF LIFE – FULL ALBUM + BONUS TRACK
Kennie in the bathtub, Venice. All songs written, composed, arranged and mastered by Kennie Ting. Photography by Joe Zandstra. Album Artwork by Kennie Ting. So here it is at last. 10 years ago, I...
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