Everyday lives of the Malaysian diaspora

The issue of Malaysia’s brain drain is not something new. Now and then, you hear of family, friends and acquaintances who choose to leave. Sometimes you read about government policies and programmes to attract overseas Malaysians to return. You also hear repeated stories of how the ‘Malaysian diaspora’ [see Note 1 below] struggled in their citizenship and emigration dilemmas; how those who returned choose to leave yet again; and how the rest contemplate leaving. It’s all very well to research broad trends, collate statistics and run regression analyses as ‘real’ proofs of social phenomena. Yet, what are the nuances and individual stories embedded behind that one statistical unit? How do we focus on twists and turns in the journeys of citizenship and migration decision-making, rather than assuming that leaving/returning is an end point? How do we capture and understand changing motivations and personal circumstances amidst uncertainties? More importantly, by standing in the shoes of the Malaysian diaspora, can we get closer to comprehending their considerations, so as to find real and sustainable solutions

Book review: capital without borders: wealth managers and the one percent by Brooke Harrington

In Capital Without Borders: Wealth Managers and the One Percent, Brooke Harrington offers an in-depth look into the work of wealth management professionals who ensure that the ‘one percent’ keep getting richer. Drawing on interviews and Harrington’s own experiences of a wealth management training programme, Sin Yee Koh finds this a well-researched and clearly written ethnographic study that focuses attention on a key industry behind the continuation of global inequality

Whither the 'Asian' city?

Reviewed publication: McKinnon, M. 2011. Asian Cities: Globalization, Urbanization and Nation-Building, Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 288 pages, ISBN 9788776940799 (pb). The worlds of Santosh, or Mohammed or the women of Yangzhou cannot be explained by globalization yet that does not relegate them to the category of ‘traditional’ or ‘backward’. They live in kaleidoscope worlds, as does anyone living in a rapidly changing capitalist city. It is a world in which making a living is an erratic, uncertain enterprise; in which faith can be regular observance, occasion for celebration or simply overlooked; in which marriage provides status and security but also carries risks. They are worlds in which ‘of the city’ or ‘being urban’ is the here and now, in which ‘west’ might be no more than a compass point. [p. 107

Book review: platform capitalism by Nick Srnicek

In Platform Capitalism, Nick Srnicek examines the rise of platform-based businesses from the 1970s to the present and how these are transforming the workings of contemporary capitalism. While more discussion of potential sites of future contestation would have been welcome, Sin Yee Koh applauds this book for its rational and accessible portrayal of the evolution of platform capitalism. If you are interested in this book, you may also like to read Nick Srnicek’s short essay on Platform Capitalism, published on LSE RB on 24 February 2017, or listen to a recording of his LSE Lit Fest panel discussion with Luke Dormehl and Laurie Penny on ‘The Future of Humanity’

Encountering the archival research ‘field’

The research ‘field’ is not a clearly defined, Cartesian geographical space or place, nor is it restricted to places where ethnographic work is conducted. Instead, one’s research ‘fields’ are: firstly, subjective and open to interpretations; and secondly, simultaneously existing in parallel to an ongoing understanding of one’s research and epistemology, writes Sin Yee Koh

Book review: the unruly PhD: doubts, detours, departures, and other success stories by Rebecca Peabody

This book is a useful and comforting resource for anyone interested in understanding how individuals get through their PhD journeys and negotiate their career choices. Most importantly, this book reminds us that there is a greater world beyond academia, and that it is OK to pursue alternative paths, writes Sin Yee Koh

Preparation of the Chinese sweet leaf tea extract and its anti-obesity effect in rodents

The aqueous leaf extract of Rubus suavissimus (Chinese sweet leaf tea) was active in inhibiting angiogenesis, which could be used to suppress adipogenesis and cause weight loss. Following this revelation and approach, the anti-obesity effect was thoroughly investigated in normal and obese rat models. The investigations began with the preparation of quality-controlled extract. First, the crude extraction methods were examined leading to the characterization of the chemical composition. Second, the impure components were removed by alcohol precipitation and column chromatography, resulting in a standardized sweet leaf tea extract (RUS). Third, three bioavailable compounds identified from the urine analyses were re-constituted to form the purified sweet leaf tea extract (GER), which accounted for 27% by weight of the RUS. These standardized and purified sweet leaf tea extracts were then evaluated for their anti-obesity effect in normal and obese-prone rats. Both RUS and GER reduced body weight gain by 7% (p =0.999) in normal rodents but statistical analyses failed to show any significance due to small sample size. Amazingly, it was discovered that the use of the tri-compounds combination (GER) produced the same anti-obesity effect as the standardized extract (RUS). Consequently, new experiments were focused on the GER using obese-prone rats as the study model. GER showed a significant anti-obesity effect by reducing 22% (p¡Ü 0.001) weight gain compared to the high-fat diet control group. Total abdominal fat was reduced significantly by 48%, indicating that the lost body mass was mainly due to the loss of body fat. Other benefits of the Chinese sweet leaf tea extract included lowered blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Food intake was not affected. No adverse effects were observed. This research provides exciting insights about the novel use of the Chinese sweet leaf tea as a safe and effective anti-obesity agent beyond its historic use as a natural sweetener. Human clinical investigations are strongly warranted to determine the effective doses and long-term use safety in combating obesity or managing body weight