Eating fruits from the jungle

There is a village nestled away in the hills of Perak where a little girl called Han Alice now lives. During my research with Orang Asli for a Masters thesis, I became good friends with her aunties. We played in the cools waters of the rushing river, watched Bollywood movies, and cooked vegetables over a [...]

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Her contradiction

Written on Jan 26, 2000
What is it about her
that makes you love her?
Her smile, crinkly eyes,
teasing dimple?
The way she pushes her hair back,
laughs unrestrainedly,
listens to your thoughts,
makes you think?
The way she embraces life,
finding beauty in teardrops,
in poems, books
and endless adventures?

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Ode to KTM

written sometime in 1999 about KTM train rides between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore
I’m tired of
the smell of urine
wafting into my bunk
when curtains are opened
The endless announcements
when we reach JB or KL
by officers painstakingly articulating
simple messages
The thin pillows
irregular numbering of sleepers
I just found a cockroach
in my bed

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On being human

Dec 22, 2006
We enter the world as babies… helpless and dependent on the care of others. We learn rapidly, with innocence and bare comprehension, what it means to live with others.
As we gain in stature, we gain control over our worlds. We start to decide what food we want to eat, [...]

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Towards a World Without Strangers

This is an article I wrote that just came out on Malaysiakini today. It also got listed on UN Dispatch.
Towards a World Without Strangers
Alice Nah
Dec 18, 06 4:01pm
Today, Dec 18, marks International Migrants Day, a day to celebrate the contribution of migrants to our societies, and to promote their rights and fundamental freedoms across [...]

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