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| January 20th, 2012
Americans concerned about China's rise routinely point to China's lack of freedom and democracy as a major obstacle in her drive to become a global superpower. The argument goes that China will always play second fiddle to the United States as long... -
| January 14th, 2012
Peking University and Tsinghua University, sometimes referred to as China's Harvard and MIT respectively, are located in the Haidian area of Beijing, about 45 minutes to an hour away by subway from Tiananmen Square, the center of the city. They are... -
| January 11th, 2012
During the course of this project, I've had the privilege of conducting interviews with some really influential people in China. Some are top academics or researchers, and inevitably, they all work at either Peking or Tsinghua University, said to be... -
| January 5th, 2012
Picture Above: I had the opportunity to interview Enge Wang, the Vice-President of Peking University. This winter, the AT&T Fellowship has been a great opportunity for me to not only visit a foreign country, but to study it in-depth. Though... -
| December 24th, 2011
Merry Christmas! I'm in China, where the consumerism part of the Christmas spirit is going strong indeed. The bustle and very evident prosperity around me tells me that China is indeed having a very good year, just as it has had in the past thirty... -
| December 23rd, 2011
I didn't have any interviews lined up yesterday, so I took the chance to visit the 798 Art District in the western area of Beijing. This used to be a military factory, but after the factory was decommissioned, artists moved in to take advantage of... -
| December 12th, 2011
Ever since Silicon Valley became synonymous with creativity and technology companies like Microsoft and Google, countries around the world have come to realize the economic benefits of concentrated, creative ecosystems in different high-tech sectors... -
| May 24th, 2011
I sat transfixed and glued to the computer screen as I read about how social media like Facebook and Twitter changed the way political battles were fought around the world. Obama's campaign in the 2008 US Presidential elections, the Arab Spring... -
| May 15th, 2011
Former Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, 87, announced yesterday in an unexpected press release that he was retiring from his cabinet position of Minister Mentor. Born 1923, Lee became the first Prime Minister of Singapore in 1959. He... -
| April 25th, 2011
There are many reasons why I called Singapore's political scene boring in my previous article. One key reason is that the ruling party, the People's Action Party (PAP), has, since independence in 1965, constantly attracted the brightest minds and... -
| April 23rd, 2011
Politics in Singapore can be a very boring affair. Refer to this table below showing the outcomes of the 10 general elections Singapore has had since independence in 1965. Year Total Number of Seats People's Action Party (Ruling Party... -
| February 22nd, 2011
Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore (image from Wikimedia Commons) There has been a lot of talk recently in the American media about education standards in the US, and many times, Singapore has been cited as an example in the debate on the... -
| February 6th, 2011
It has been two weeks since I left Nicaragua, and I've finally found time to pen the final post in this series, an overall reflection of sorts. Traveling in Nicaragua was a real adventure for me. I spent a year before college backpacking around the... -
| January 25th, 2011
As my trip approached its end it became clear that I needed a break from travelling, if you will, before returning to Brown. So I decided to spend 5 glorious days in Esteli, a cowboy town in a valley surrounded by high mountains dotted with coffee... -
| January 25th, 2011
I'm glad I decided to go to Matagalpa. For its really a sweet little place, dotted with cafes, cheap eateries, supermarkets, parks, small departmental stores and interesting clothing shops, all relatively central, along two main streets that run... -
| January 20th, 2011
First air-conditioned bus ride in Nicaragua. I was so comfortable I couldn't believe it was true - here I am, in the cool comforts of modern transport, breezing up north to Leon on a air-conditioned, comfy minibus, far removed from the hot chicken... -
| January 17th, 2011
This pair of 2 small islands in the Caribbean has a really sweet name: the Corn Islands. Doesn't that make you want to go there right away? Well, it did, at least for me. On Saturday, at the last minute, just 1 hour before check-in time at the... -
| January 17th, 2011
After 3 weeks in this country and too many things that have happened (dengue fever, missing the ferry to Ometepe, kayak capsizing, a series of boring, dusty small towns), my heart told me there was one place I needed to go to: Managua, the capital... -
| January 13th, 2011
Time to bid the river ciao and head to the mountains. Lancha ride up the river back to San Carlos. As we departed the most boring town ever (check out my previous post), I saw the most sublime sunrise ever over the river. The landscape was painted... -
| January 11th, 2011
San Juan de Nicaragua, population about 1,500, wins the unofficial title of most boring town in Nicaragua. There is nothing to do except wander its two short streets running through the center of town, with a handful of run-down storefronts and... -
| January 6th, 2011
I am taking a deep breath as I write this. The past few days in the river town of El Castillo have been at the same time exhilarating, rejuvenating, exhausting, inspiring and utterly memorable. It reminded me of the beauty and fragility of life and... -
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January 6th, 2011
After breakfast, I walked along quiet rural roads lined with farms baking under the hot sun, with gorgeous picture-perfect views of Volcan Concepcion. Found my way to Charco Verde. It was a peaceful, quiet pond with waters lapping against the shore...
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December 30th, 2010
Climbed Volcano Concepcion on Monday. Had a very greasy breakfast of an omelet which cost C$50 (US$2.30 or so). It was more like an extremely deep-fried and salty egg with toppings, dripping in oil. Concepcion was a good experience. I gave the guide...
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| December 30th, 2010
Picture of the interior of a bus in Nicaragua. I apologize for the poor quality; it was shaky. After another day of rest on Saturday after being discharged from hospital, I was more than ready to get out and start doing some exploring. It came as a... -
| December 25th, 2010
Picture of hospital food in Granada, Nicaragua. I was the only patient and they ordered the local version of KFC for me. What a bummer. After my last post vowing I will go out of the city and explore as much as I can, it seems I may not be able to... -
| December 22nd, 2010
What a totally uneventful day. After classes in the morning, I chose not to go anywhere because I wanted to spend some time soaking in the sights and sounds of Granada. I guess I've already spent long enough here, because nothing much seemed exotic... -
| December 21st, 2010
Swam naked in a 200m deep, 200 centuries old lake today. After a mind-boggling morning of Spanish regular and irregular verb conjugations, I needed some adventure and adrenaline. Thought about cycling out to the Peninsula de Asese, which according... -
| December 20th, 2010
First full day in Granada, and I like what I see a lot. I'm once again reminded why I don't really like staying in hostels. Its cheap, social and everything, but I took a long time to fall asleep last night even though I was dead beat from the plane... -
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December 20th, 2010
So I've arrived in Nicaragua. Its great to finally walk out into 80 degree temperatures and its wonderful to feel the humidity in the air, sticking to your skin (maybe I should explain - I'm from tropical Singapore). Three hours into arriving at...
Kai Herng Loh
Profile
I'm a junior from Singapore concentrating in Computer Science-Economics at Brown. I like exploring and learning about new places. Before coming to Brown, I spent a gap year backpacking around the world.
During the winter break of my freshman year, I visited Nicaragua, and wrote a blog series as well as produced a video for the Global Conversation on my experience. The following year, I received the AT&T New Media Fellowship to travel to Beijing to study innovation in China. You can read about all these experiences on this blog.
I am also an Assistant New Media Producer for the Global Conversation and the Watson Institute for International Studies. Part of my responsibilities includes reporting on lectures and talks organized by the institute.
