My colleague Voon and I return with another interview series. This time, it's with the French Ambassador, H.E. Mr Roland Galharague!

Over the course of 40 minutes, we talked about:

• France-Malaysia history: French explorers have been to our region since the 16th century -- with the first maps of our region, palm oil and not forgetting Ayam Brand all introduced by French people
• Strategic priorities: For Malaysia to be France's principal partner (read: go to partner) in Southeast Asia/ASEAN and for France to be Malaysia's principal partner in Europe/European Union
• Trade: Malaysia is France's 2nd biggest market in ASEAN after Germany but Ambassador says it should be bigger! We talked about the presence of over 300-500 French companies creating over 10,000 jobs for Malaysians in all sectors
• Education & cultural cooperation: 15,000 Malaysians are learning French through Alliance Francaise! France wants more of its films and foods to be consumed by Malaysians.
• Everything else in between: We talked about France's Indo-Pacific Strategy for Malaysia, climate cooperation and strategic autonomy

If you prefer a podcast, you listen to it here.

I was interviewed by Marc Lourdes, founder of Between The Lines (BTL), an independent online media platform in Malaysia. Marc asked difficult questions, but it was a blast articulating my thoughts on key challenges faced by young Malaysians. I argue the number 1 issue is youth unemployment -- it has always been and will be for the foreseeable future.

​Check out the full interview here - and while you're at it, sign up for BTL!

Had a fun chat with  Hezril Asyraaf of BFM Radio for their "Good Things" segment. Check out the podcast at https://www.bfm.my/.../good-things-12-young-people-arise.

A wide-ranging of topics on youth development, community-building and civic empowerment. Walked back memory lane during early days in university and establishing Perdana Fellows Alumni Association and  Nation Building School for youth empowerment. Also talked about more recent initiatives Malaysian Youth Diplomacy - MyDiplomacy and my current project #DesignYourCareer.

I realised I talked too fast but hopefully, it makes sense! Thanks for recommending, Siti Aishah!

Alhamdullilah! Selected for the 2nd cohort of the Acumen Fellows! From the time I applied in August to the Selection Conference in December, the application process has been a journey by itself. Excited to be part of a powerful and impactful cohort -- changemakers from various backgrounds.

From the time I've heard Acumen Academy (part of the global investment fund Acumen) set up shop in Malaysia, I knew I wanted to be part of Acumen Academy Malaysia. I'm attracted to the idea of tackling poverty. Poverty is not only in the dollar and sense. Many people face poverty in opportunities -- especially in getting the tools, exposure and experience to level in life. I've been on a mission to do this. Now, I'm happy a group of superpowers to learn from and make ripples of changes for our community.

I was interviewed by veteran writer Sholto Byrnes on my thoughts on ASEAN for UNRESERVED's inaugural magazine issue in March 2018. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did sharing my thoughts. Access the article here.

The 23-year old me would have been proud seeing this.

I didn't graduate from my undergraduate studies with stellar results. It was a mistake to have taken a double degree in political science and law when I loved the former but hated the latter. I even flunked one of the basic law courses. It was embarrassing. I eventually dropped the law degree but by then, it badly affected my total CGPA. I thought I'd never been able to do my postgraduate degree. I've always wanted to study at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); I distinctively remember going on a walking tour many years ago with Dayang and the tour guide pointed us to the direction of LSE in Holborn, London. I thought it would only be a dream to get into LSE. But somehow someway, with the grace of God, I managed to get into London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) for my Master's degree. And I had the chance to study my favourite subject: international relations.

One of the goals I set out for myself when I arrived in London was to score a Distinction for my degree in LSE. I didn't know it was a tall order until I received the results for my first assignment. Despite all the hard work and sleepless nights, I attained only a Merit (<65). I thought it would have been next to impossible to get a Distinction (>70). But I kept that goal in sight to remind me. After all, what do I have to lose? I worked hard on every assignment but only managed to score High Merit (>65). It's bloody hard to score in LSE! For my dissertation, I spent 2 months at home -- dedicating many, many, many hours researching, writing, crying and editing my paper. I'm sure Dayang was annoyed with me. But Alhamdulillah, it paid off! Scored close to 80 for my dissertation and it brought me to just over 70!
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I learned a few things from this experience. First, don't let your past determine your future. Failure is not personal, pervasive or permanent. Me failing to academically perform during my bachelors didn't mean I couldn't do well for my Master's. Second, if you don't try, you won't know. If I hadn't applied for the Chevening Scholarship and LSE out of fear of failure, I wouldn't have known my full potential. Third, always take on big challenges with small baby steps. How do you eat a whale or an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you write a 15,000-word dissertation? By writing one page a day. I'm blessed to have had the support of Dayang in London and subsequently, my parents during the quarantine. Thanks for believing me when I couldn't do it for myself. You are the greatest! This is for the 23-year old me: you did it!

I was invited to speak a the Projek Amanat Negara (PAN) XVII conference organised by UKEC, the Malaysian student council in the UK at Cardiff University on 15th February 2020. During the event, I was interviewed by the PAN organising team. Enjoy!

Extremely grateful to be selected for the Chevening Scholarship, awarded by the UK Government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I'll be pursuing a MSc International Strategy and Diplomacy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). I'm looking forward to deepening my knowledge in international relations, build an extensive network with Scholars from all regions of the world as well as harness my leadership skills.

I've always been passionate about international relations. With some experience from my previous employment in the government-linked Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), I intend to understand the impact of emerging technologies on international relations. I'd like to study the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on international relations, specifically exploring the viability of an AI arms control between the major powers, namely U.S., China and Russia. Another interesting element would be Technological Diplomacy (#TechPlomacy), championed by the Danish Government in the form of the world's first Tech Ambassador.

Exciting times ahead!