An urbanite by birth, a country boy at heart. A lover of the great
outdoors. An admirer of extreme sportsmen and women. A curious guy who loves
seeking new knowledge about anything and everything. A man young at heart, who
enjoys good food, good wine, a good dance and a good sense of humour... Now,
any jokes to share?!
Who is Ken?
Kenneth Ka-Wu Siow, born
in Singapore in the year of the Tiger (1974A.D), left Singapore in 1995 for
Australia to pursue his undergraduate studies, after spending 2.5 years in the
Singaporean Military as a full-time soldier. He spent 4 memorable years in
Perth and Melbourne, before moving back to Singapore in 2000. After 15 months
he was relocated to London, the United Kingdom, and lived there for nearly 3
years. In Autumn 2002, he took a 6 months sabbatical leave and swooped his suit
and tie to become a Volunteer Aid Worker (with Volunteer Service Overseas
International - Partner Organisation with the United Nation Volunteers
Programme in the UK) and ended up in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. (He had one of the
most memorable time of his life in Mongolia by the way!). In July 2003 Ken
moved back to Singapore, ready to put his plans, dreams, vision and goals into
reality. Asia Pacific will be his area of focus for the next few years.
Having a huge appetite
for adventure, knowledge, information, and the "Unknown" - From
Philosophy to History, from Politics to Geography, from Photography to Art,
from Travelling to Astronomy, from International Relations to Fighter Jets
Model, Religion to Zoology, and ... Hollywood/ Hong Kong stars' gossip columns!
- He has decided that he only has one shott in life and will do everything he
can, to live life to the full! (And whatever that means is something he's still
discovering). Ken has also taken courses in Social Anthropology and Philosophy
in Birkbeck college, London, and frequently involves himself in discussions and
debates on topics related to global social-geo-political scenes.
"The world is Ken's
playground!" - Ken has worked, travelled, and lived ...in over 30 countries, and
nearly 100 cities across the world. He has backpacked extensively around Europe
and North America, but especially enjoy travelling around East Asian countries.
Describing himself as a "new age guy" with a "traditional
spirit", he has travelled to more than 16 cities, 10 Provinces/SARs within
the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as South Korea and
(Independent/Outer) Mongolia. Fluent in both Mandarin and English, he also
speaks his mother tongue - Hakka - as well as (survival/basic) Cantonese,
Hokkien, Teochew, Japanese and Mongolian. His current obsessions are with -
Korean/Japanese Languages and culture, Pan-Asian Confucianism, Relations
between China and its neighbours, Ethnic Minorities in China, Hakka Culture,
and the East Asian Diaspora including the Chinese, Indo-Chinese, Japanese and
Korean Diaspora.
Ken is also particularly
interested in the History of Civilisations, and the "Power of Cultural
Norms" on societies - especially the effects of Colonialism, Cultural
Imperialism, and Popular Culture. Philosophy and Politics remain his favourite
subjects of all time.
A Liberal Christian
thinker, and one who believes in the ideals of the Human Rights movement,
gender equality, the ideals of socialism, as well as taking action on
Sustainable Development - he is also a firm believer that society should reward
those who had worked hard and smart in life. He enjoys exploring Power
relations amongst social, economic and cultural groupings, imagines (and
aspire) himself to be a photo-journalist in his free time, and indulge in
conversations which has nothing to do with everyday-living...
In his professional
life, Ken works for an Anglo-Dutch Oil Company as a
Project/Management/Technology Consultant. He has a soft spot for - amongst
other things - good food, wine and a good dance!
Chat with Ken - ICQ
number: 9940382 ]
"Really, the writer doesn't want success. He knows he has a short
span of life,
that the day will come, when he must pass through the wall of oblivion, and he
wants to leave a scratch on that wall
--Kilroy was here --
that somebody a hundred, or a thousand years later will see." --- William
Faulkner
Some of Ken's favourite
quotes:
"Winning
is not everything, but losing isn't anything either" - Charlie Brown
"If you think you
can, or you think you can't, your right!" -Henry Ford
"To avoid criticism......Do
nothing...Say nothing...Be nothing!" -Elbert Hubbard
"The definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and over again, but
expecting a different result." -Albert Einstein-
"I am a great
believer in luck, The harder I work, The more of it I seem to have." -Coleman
Cox-
"We must be the
change we wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi-
"Both poverty and
riches are the offspring of faith!" -unknown-
"People often say
that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing that's why we
recommend it daily." -Zig Ziglar-
