A Great Read...

Though the article is a bit lengthy, the subject is fantastic. A novel written by a French woman about a love affair in French Colonial Vietnam, and a reporters attempt to retrace some of her steps, in modern day Saigon. It highlights one of the things I find most fascinating about Southeast Asia, the way that history is alive and breathing, still so visible, despite the modern day highrises and innovations that dominate the landscape.

Similarly, there were five old colonial era manors that sat on two corners facing KLCC park. They were rundown, but would have been absolutely splendid, had they been bought up and renovated. Unfortunately, they sit on what is arguably the most prime real estate in all of KL, with their proximity to everything. Last week, as I walked past, I saw them in the light of the setting sun, with the Petronas Towers in the background. It would've made for a stunning picture that would need no words to describe it. And I thought, tomorrow I'll grab my camera and get a picture of that. Tomorrow was too late. The next morning, the two on the north side of the street had been razed to the ground. And the trees surrounding it too. It is a huge tract of land, and it must be worth millions.

I know that Malaysians are not particularly eager to preserve the colonial past, and I don't blame them. But still, the whole of the situation just struck me.

Now, I really must get back to that thesis proposal.