Popagandhi

Food

2026-07-17T19:31:51Z

Food

Food is politics, history, culture. It's also the best lens I know for learning about the world. I've eaten extensively across the world, worked on cookbooks, photographed a lot of food for money and for fun, and I write about food often on Mastodon..

Half Boiled Eggs Recipe

April 8, 2024
Now that I live so far from home, I have to make my own half-boiled eggs. Half boiled eggs are not the same as soft boiled eggs: they come out of the shell almost in a liquid form, not in the shape of an egg that is starting to firm. So it's less cooked than a typical soft boiled egg.

Growing up in Singapore and Malaysia, this was a typical breakfast food. Half boiled eggs were really just vessels for soy sauce and white pepper. Eat them with kaya toast, with a large slab of butter (at least 1cm of butter).

There are lots of recipes for this online but here's what I do.
- Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil
- Turn off the heat
- Gently lower 2 medium-sized, fridge-cold eggs into the water
- Cover
- Leave it in the water for 7 min for medium sized eggs, add 1 min if you like it less runny
For larger eggs, try 8-9 min with fridge-cold eggs.

Use a spoon to crack all around the eggs, and then pour into a small cup. Use a spoon to scoop up anything left on the shell. Add as much or as little light soy sauce or white pepper as you like.

Enjoy!
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Indonesian Dinner Parties

March 16, 2024

I've been on Mastodon. Quite a bit. Somehow, over there I've started continued doing what I was doing on Twitter: talk about food. But not just talk about food. I've been reminiscing about the food culture that I left, and how much I miss it. I realize now that growing up in Southeast Asia and living in a few parts of it and seeing almost all of it repeatedly (except East Timor, which is not at all), I've experienced a wealth of people, foods, food culture, and general deliciousness that I'm learning now is rather unique.

Back in that part of the world, it was just food. Not Asian food. Not Southeast Asian food. Just food. So in Othering myself by being an immigrant, I've had a lot of time and opportunity to really think about what this means.

Today, I said on Mastodon:

i think about this when i go to dinner parties and people are like 'this dish was delicious' and the host is like 'oh i'll send you the recipe it's super easy it only takes 20 min!' and that's something that is fine

whereas

in indonesia or singapore the conversation would be 'this was delicious' 'yeah it's my great grandmother's recipe it took 50 hours to cook and i'm never going to give you the recipe' and everyone is like 'thank you for sharing it with me i quake in this complexity'

Like everything on social media, part exaggeration, part truth.

This was, in particular, a comment on the difference in food culture that I see. Many people prioritize simplicity and convenience where I now live, which is quite different from where I grew up and where I lived.

I have more thoughts on this from the resulting discussion. Most of it is about labor, ingredients, and food ways, but also, damn I miss that nasi and I miss those dinner parties.

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My Singapore List

March 12, 2024
Food is extremely subjective, and in Singapore it's a national pastime and passion. The following lists are based on my tastes. Other people may disagree, and you may want to do further research based on your own dietary preferences.

If you're from Singapore, resist the urge to tell me I missed your faves: I'm prioritizing picks that I think tourists will find more accessible. I don't expect anyone to travel to my corner of the woods to find the best of something.

(Or, get this list in one single Google Maps list)

Singapore Dishes you should try
1. Laksa: Sungei Road Laksa, Janggut Laksa, Wei Yi Laksa (my absolute fave laksa but the lines are.. long. I waited 60-90 min the last few times I went, and they sell out before noon. definitely one of the most 'local' and 'old school' of the bunch. This is the laksa I grew up eating), 928 Yishun Laksa
2. Chicken rice: 'what's the best chicken rice' is an explosive question in Singapore. Here are my my picks: Tian Tian (Bourdain's recommendation and has a line to show for it), Ah Tai (similar to Tian Tian, with a less long line, in the same building), Sin Kee (my fave Cantonese style chicken), Tong Kee (my fave roasted style chicken rice), Feng Ji
3. Chwee kueh: a Teochew breakfast delicacy made of steamed rice cakes (different from idlis, they are more.. glutinous and starchy) served with a delightful turnip / chillies relish. I like mine at Bedok Chwee Kueh @ Chinatown Complex, Jian Bo Shui Kueh, Pek Kio Chwee Kueh. This is one of the more unique foods that I can't really get many other places
4. Congee / porridge. Many, many styles of congee in Singapore. I like Zhen Zhen, Weng Kiang Kee, Ah Chiang, Imperial Treasure
5. Nasi lemak (sometimes halal, sometimes not, depending on the stall you go to): Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, Uptown (for Malaysian style nasi lemak, which I love), Dickson Nasi Lemak (take-away only), Mama Lemak, Pak Mandor, Owen Road Nasi Lemak
6. Har jeong gai (fermented shrimp paste coated batter) and other distinct styles of fried chicken wings: Ah Tan Wings, Eng Kee, Ban Leong Wah Hoe, No 5 Emerald Hill (go here if you want booze in a bar in a hidden away spot behind busy Orchard Road, with gorgeous old world architecture. The wings are great. The drinks are middling (just have a bottled beer or something), there are better bars in Singapore but it's a unique spot for chicken wings, bottled beer and beautiful historic architecture
7. A large 'zichar' meal. If you're familiar with the 'dai pai dong' in Hong Kong, zichar is the Singapore equivalent. I always like Kok Sen, JB Ah Meng (hot take: skip the chilli crabs that tourist blogs / videos tell you to go to, and come here instead. Get the white pepper crab, 'san lou' beehoon. It's cheaper and better), Wok Master, Maddie's Kitchen (where I always eat if I'm in the Orchard area), Zhenyi for vegetarian option. Every residential neighborhood will have its own good zichar but I think this list of spots will give you a good introduction to it
8. Soy sauce chicken (hot take: skip the 'cheapest Michelin meal in the world' (very middling after their Michelin star expansion) and go to a better stall, Ma Li Ya chicken or Fragrant Soy Sauce chicken
9. Indian rojak (rojak means 'mixed'. Kind of like a salad, but most things are fried and very tasty): Siraj, Habib's, Haji Johan
10. Fishball noodles or minced pork noodles (very similar: dry noodles with soup on the side. Fishball noodles come with... fishballs. Minced pork noodles come with.. minced pork. Sometimes the lines are blurred): Soon Wah, Hock Lee, Ah Ter, Ah Huat Minced Meat Noodles, Liang Seng
11. Char siu and other Chinese rotisserie: Roast Paradise, 88 Hong Kong, Fook Kin), Foong Kee
12. Curry debal and other Eurasian food: Quentin's
13. Henghwa food: Ming Chung, Xing Hua Family Restaurant (there's a chain called Pu Tian that you'll see in malls all over, it is pretty decent if you've never had this food, but these spots are better). Heng Hwa / Xing Hua food is food from Fujian, but coastal, and therefore a lot of seafood. I really like it and think it's one of the more unique cuisines you can get here
14. Lor mee: Keng Heng Whampoa Lor Mee, 86 卤面 Lor Mee, Feng Zhen Lor Mee
15. Braised duck rice and duck noodles or goose rice and noodles: Jin Ji, Tong Kee, Chuan Kee, Sean Kee
16. Prawn noodles: River South Hoe Nam,Don Don Prawn Noodles, 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles
17. Yong tau foo: Xiu Ji, Yong Xiang
18. Hainanese curry rice: Beo Crescent Curry Rice, Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice
19. Mee rebus (halal): Afandi Hawa
20. Mee soto (halal): HJ Waliti HJ Mazuki
21. Mamak food especially mee goreng: Hajjah Jamillah Rajmohamed Muslim Food, Hassbawa, Kassim Stall
22. Singapore-style Hokkien mee. Different from KL Hokkien mee. Singapore Hokkien mee is 'white' and not 'black'. also uses copious amounts of pork lard, but it's more 'broth'-based rather than 'dried' (although it isn't a soup). Hard to describe, but I love this stuff: Blue Star, Hong Heng, You Fu, Prince of Hokkien Mee
23. Wanton Noodles: Ji Ji, Bei-Ing, Wei Min, Eng's, Ah Wing's
24. Roti prata (halal): Prata Saga Sambal Berlada, Mr & Mrs Moghan, Sin Ming Roti Prata, any of the Springleaf Prata restaurants (various branches)
25. Nasi Padang / Minang (halal): Putra Minang, Minang House, Pu3
26. Vegan-friendly Hakka Thunder Tea rice: Hakka Thunder Tea Rice at Margaret Drive, Queen Street Thunder Tea Rice, The Thunder Tea Story, Traditional Hakka Rice
27. Kaya toast and coffee: Heap Seng Leong (order the butter coffee too!), Tong Ah, Chin Mee Chin, Ah Seng (Hai Nam), YY Kafei Dian. In a pinch, Ya Kun and Killiney (all over the city) are good too but these places are more old school.
28. Dimsum, like everything else, has 'street' and 'fancy' version and it's here where I truly believe that splurging for dimsum is a better experience than the 'street' version (usually made a factories. Have you seen how much work it takes to make dimsum?! Also we have some really good dimsum spots). My pick for dimsum is Peach Blossoms (call, make a booking for lunch; I believe it's on par with some of the best dimsum in HK) and Ji Xian
29. Bebek goreng: if you can't make it to East Javan in Indonesia, bring East Java to you. Fried duck with lots of spices is a Surabaya / Madura specialty and one of my favorite dishes anywhere in the world. Thankfully, we have good ones in Singapore too (we also have a large Indonesian population) and my favorite is Pak Ndut.
30. Really good coffee: even though I live in the land of Sightglass and Four Barrel coffee, Tiong Hoe (and coffee shops in Indonesia) is probably the coffee I miss the most
Greatest hits hawker centres to go to for generally great food

If the list is too overwhelming, literally go to any of these hawker centres and eat anything you find interesting. If there's a line, join it. Anything called 'market and food centre' is a hawker centre with an attached wet market (no wildlife. Just good fresh produce, fish, meat. Generally pretty clean).
1. Old Airport Road Food Centre (breakfast, lunch and dinner, especially good for dinner)
2. Maxwell Food Centre (breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper)
3. Pek Kio market (breakfast, early lunch. Many stalls here are Teochew in origin, run by very old folks, closes very early)
4. Haig Road (breakfast, lunch). Best option for halal food
5. Tekka Centre (breakfast, lunch and dinner). The main hawker centre in Little India. One of my faves. Lots of halal options and regional Indian, even Sri Lankan, options. Chinese food at the back. Get freshly made prata. idiyappam, appams, good prawn noodles, and lots more. Wet market at the back is spectacular and is a chef's dream. There's a stall that only sells banana leaves. Another that only sells eggs. Follow the sound of smooth jazz music in the wet market and find yourself at Chia's, an excellent vegetable shop that chefs shop at
6. Chinatown Complex (breakfast, lunch, dinner). I always say that this single building has more great Chinese food than San Francisco has Chinese restaurants. There are different versions of it, and it's massive. Come in the mornings for excellent mostly Chinese breakfasts. Try one of the last remaining handmade 'sachima' shops. Late night, claypot rice, craft beer. If you love seafood, very good, very affordable seafood in this section of this hawker centre in the evenings. Too many to name, but there are dozens like this clustered together around this stall.
7. Bedok 85 (good for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. One of the most famous eating spots in the east of the city)
8. Bukit Merah View (breakfast)
9. East Coast Lagoon (good for supper, and 'on the way to and from the airport' meals as it's very close to the airport). Nice outdoor hawker centre that is probably the hawker centre to go to if you want a jovial, outdoor exotic hawker centre feel, especially if you've never been to one. Most of the stalls are quite good
10. Tiong Bahru market (good for breakfast and lunch). Very popular foodie-ish hawker centre.
Best spots for vegetarians and vegans
1. New Fut Kai for veg versions of things like laksa and other 'Chinese Singaporean' foods
2. Whole Earth for a delightful veg version of Singaporean / Chinese / Thai / Malaysian food
3. VeganBurg: Veganburg started right here! I love the vegan chilli crab burger
4. Herbivore: really good Japanese veg food especially for veg yakitori
5. Almost all Indian places in Little India will have vegetarian options, but especially Murugan Idli and Mavalli Tiffin Room and Gokul and Kailash Parbat
There's more I want to post on this topic, especially the great regional Indian, regional Chinese and other foods you can get in Singapore, but this is a good starter list just for food somewhat unique to Singapore (and Malaysia).
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A Perfect Singapore Food Day

September 26, 2023

My favorite cup of coffee at Tiong Hoe, S$5

I start the morning at Tiong Hoe Coffee, one of my favorite coffee spots anywhere.

Tiong Hoe was set up decades ago by Mr Tan Tiong Hoe, who started as an apprentice in a Dutch coffee company in 1960. Today, the cafe is run by another group of younger folks, but you can still see Mr Tan in the cafe drinking coffee and talking to people.

Their house blend "Gachala" is an all time favorite espresso blend. It actually tastes better than many single origins I've had elsewhere. They also tend to have a wide range of coffee beans from all around the world. Unlike many San Francisco roasters which, I find tend to lean way too sour (just like the damned bread in that city), Tiong Hoe's coffees are balanced. Fruity when they have to be, smoky or heavy at other times, but always with interesting notes (the "Gachala" house blend has 'gula melaka' flavors!).

The chicken rice I like at Sin Kee, S$6 with extras

My favorite 'white' chicken rice

There is no such thing as the best chicken rice.

There's only the best chicken rice, for tourists who have never had it and who would like to stand in a line (Tian Tian).

The best chicken rice, for people who like dark style chicken with caramelized eggs (Tong Kee).

The best chicken rice that is not Tian Tian, but is in the same building and that has shorter lines and is similar in flavor (Ah Tai). Then there's the best chicken rice in the north, in Katong, best after-clubbing chicken rice, best in the east.

For me, I prefer Cantonese-style chicken rice and I tend to not venture far from the south / west / central parts of the country. So Sin Kee is my spot for 'white' chicken rice, and Tong Kee for 'black' chicken rice. I don't claim them to be my best, they're just my spots.

If you've never had chicken rice like this before, don't make the mistake of thinking they're just plain, boiled chicken. Cantonese and Hainanese people do 'white chicken' in very skillful ways. They use specific types of chicken, different from the kinds we'd get in western supermarkets. They have a technique of blanching, steaming or boiling the chicken that I find difficult to replicate at home. It's definitely more than just boiled chicken. It's the flavor of home, for me.

Blue pea flower ice cream at Birds of Paradise, S$6.80

After walking through the city on a hot day (haha, that's every single day!), I am craving for ice cream. There's a significant craft ice cream scene in the city. It's one of the things I love about it. But today, I am closest to Birds of Paradise, whose Craig Road location actually used to be the space of a well known agile software development web shop (Pivotal), so I feel like it's my worlds colliding. Ice cream and software are the two main things I live for.

Macadamia blue pea flower ice cream with thyme-infused cone

I'm a sucker for blue pea flowers. I love them in drinks, in dessert, in everything really. I love them most of all in ice cream. In Tanjong Pagar alone, there are at least two places for bougie blue pea flower ice cream. Birds of Paradise, and Apiary. I'm a fan of both. And that's not even a fraction of all the good ice cream spots we've got.

Mazesoba at Kajiken, S$14.80

Japanese 'Taiwan mazesoba'

While I like ramen, I love mazesoba. I think it's the perfect blend of supple noodles, tasty condiments and ingredients. It's a mix of Japanese and Chinese noodles for me. This style originates from Nagoya, Japan, which confusingly calls it a 'Taiwan mazesoba'. I like the one at Kajiken. There's a Kajiken in San Mateo now, which makes me happy.

All in, I got to check off a lot of things on my 'places I always go to'. I'm happy!

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Rawon Setan, Surabaya

September 23, 2023

Rawon Setan, Surabaya

My all time favorite Indonesian food is nasi rawon.

I love it so much I will order it every time I see it. Surabaya, Malang and other East Java cities, tend to make the versions I love the most.

This spot has delicious rawon. Beefy, but light, with the spices and flavors of the keluak nut. Since I haven’t found a source for keluak in the US, I don’t make this at all. In a pinch, the Bamboe brand of premade spices (available at Richmond New May Wah in San Francisco) has a good rawon packet, but it’s obviously not as great as having it here. Still, I’d rather have rawon from a pack when I’m in California, than none at all.

I’ve also noticed that most of the Indonesian restaurants in NorCal where I live tend to be western Javanese or Balinese, or really some pan-Javanese / Asian flavors that are much, much lighter than the intensely savory Eastern Javanese food that I prefer.

So I am over the moon to be back in Surabaya, having the dishes and flavors that feel just right.

P.S. Apparently, if a restaurant in Java has ‘Setan’ in the name it means it is open late. Because obviously only devils stay out late (that’s what parents would call kids who stay out too late).

Rawon Setan No 78/I, Jl. Embong Malang Surabaya (Map)

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A week in the heat

2026-07-10T00:00:00Z

In the midst of a historic heatwave on continental Europe, I am here, bemoaning the lack of standing fans, ceiling fans, AC and housing infrastructure that expels, not keeps, heat.

I started my trip in Paris, which is always a fun stop for family and friends, then headed to Geneva for UN AI for Good. I was invited to speak at a workshop on AI Testing and Evaluations, and I gave a talk named "Beyond Responsible AI", where I argued that the people who should be testing AI the most (people that AI impacts) don't get to; and proposed some recommendations on how we can do that.

The same week, also in Geneva, I also spoke on a WomenInGenAI panel at the WSIS Forum, "Responsible GenAI in Public Services: From Policy Principles to Deployable Workflows." With my co-panelists, we discussed challenges and practices with deploying AI in government, healthcare, education and more.

Geneva was abuzz the whole week, with thousands of people from many different countries. I attended the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, witnessing the leaders of many countries express interest and concern about AI.

From Geneva, I'm now beginning the long way home to Singapore, via London, Sharjah, and Kuala Lumpur. I've lived in or near all these cities as well (Sharjah is near Dubai) and I have lots of friends and people to catch up with in each location. When I get home to Singapore, it will be my first time back there in three years.

It's wonderful to be able to travel again. From feeling extremely disconnected from the world, when I was waiting for my immigration process to clear, to now resuming the life that I had, and more.

What I'm Up To (July 2026)

2026-07-09T00:00:00Z

Beyond Responsible AI

I was in Geneva to speak at the UN's AI for Good summit this year, on “Beyond Responsible AI.”

Responsible GenAI in Public Services

I also spoke on a WomenInGenAI panel at the WSIS Forum, “Responsible GenAI in Public Services: From Policy Principles to Deployable Workflows.” The focus was moving past high-level AI principles into the practical, governed work of actually deploying this in public services, e-government, e-health, e-learning, with human oversight and outcomes you can measure. It's close to the public-sector work I've done, so a good room to be in.

Global Dialogue on AI Governance

While I was there, I took part in the Global Dialogue on AI Governance (6–7 July). The premise: AI is reshaping economies, societies, and daily life. The opportunities are real, and so are the challenges, and no country can address either alone. The Dialogue exists so that governance reflects the priorities of all nations, not just the most technologically advanced, and so the benefits of AI are shared by all.

Home to Singapore

From here, I'm beginning a multi-country trek home to Singapore, my first time back in three years. It's wonderful to be able to travel again.

What I'm Up To (April 2026)

2026-04-10T00:00:00Z

First international trip in years

I'm on my first international vacation in years. It's a huge deal after years of immigration limbo.

Amtrak Rail Pass

But first, I traveled across the United States by Amtrak to New York. I rode the Coast Starlight, and then the Southwest Chief to Alburquerque. It was my first time in New Mexico. I then flew to Atlanta, spent time in Philly with friends, took the Northeast Regional to London then flew to London where I'm visiting family. It feels good to be able to do this again. If you want to know why this took so long, I wrote about our visa and green card journey.

London Calling

From New York, I flew to London on Norse Atlantic. They took over Norwegian Air's planes after they shuttered. Honestly, for half the price of a full service airline, it was great. Service was efficient, the plane was fine. New York to London is only 5 and a half hours anyway.

It's so nice to be back here. I haven't spent any real amounts of time here since the early 2010s.

New site design (again!)

I really wanted a personal website that can showcase my photography. I've been serious about photography for decades, but I've never made it a big part of my online identity. All of the photos taken here were taken by me on various film and digital cameras.

Our visa to green card journey

2026-03-16T00:00:00Z

(A shorter version was originally posted on Mastodon here:)

San Francisco as seen from Crissy Field. This is one of my favorite places in the place I now get to call my forever home.

In September 2018, my wife and I arrived in the United States to build our new lives. After 7 and a half years of paperwork, visa anxiety, job stress, we finally received our green cards in the mail this March.

From the moment we discussed moving to San Francisco, we knew that this was going to be a long game of sacrifices and major life changes. While we had a pretty comfortable life in Singapore, we knew that we had very little of a possible future together there. We don't have the same passport, it was getting challenging for her to get permanent residency in Singapore despite having spent a long time there, despite being half-Singaporean.

In the end, our decision to uproot and start over came down to this: my own country didn't provide any immigration benefits to the person I wanted to spend my life with.

So in 2018, we left. San Francisco was an easy choice due to my deep experience in tech. I found a job, and knew that as long as we were legally married somewhere, she could come too.

Based on the timelines that we knew about, from the experiences and stories of friends and family who had done this before us, we knew we were working with a ten-year timeline to try to get a green card. I'm not one of those people who lived all my life aspiring to live in America: far from it. I really didn't want to go. I had a very comfortable life in Singapore, even as a queer person. My Chinese and economic privilege brought me far there; the first few years of life in America were hell for me and I could not imagine ten years of that.

Ultimately, we took less time than a decade and the 7.5 years went by faster than that. San Francisco and the Bay Area generally started to feel more and more like a home. We struggled a lot logistically; we did not always know that we would succeed.

Here's how we did it.

The visa path

Most people in my position come to the United States on H-1B. That route is now extremely expensive for employers (more than six figures in total cost, primarily from the new $100K fee for a new H-1B). It was never simple, but it is now it is a huge hassle. Finding an employer who will sponsor a H-1B was already challenging in the last couple of years. It is now, in my opinion, an option that is available only if you have specialized skills that the most innovative and well-funded technology companies need.

As a Singaporean, I have always had access to a different route: H-1B1. I've written before about the H-1B1.

The H-1B1 visa is easier to obtain and renew than H-1B, but it comes with tradeoffs (it is also only available to citizens of Singapore and Chile). It is a shorter duration, non-immigrant intent visa. It is useful (because you're not in the same H-1B lottery, and employers don't have to pay $100K for it, therefore you are technically 'cheaper' than a H-1B worker), and it is also easy to get started (I was typically able to get a new job, go back to Singapore, get a new visa, within a week or two), but transitioning out of this visa into more permanent status is challenging, unlike applying for a green card from a regular H-1B.

As I did not plan to live in the United States permanently at first, I wasn't too concerned about this.

Sometime around 2024, San Francisco and the Bay Area generally felt more and more like home. Due to career growth reasons, I also switched to an O-1 work visa for people of extraordinary ability to give myself more flexibility in this area. In early 2025, I had two green card applications in the pipeline: both the EB-1A and EB-2 NIW green card applications were approved. I self-petitioned my EB-1A, which is one of the few employment-based paths where you do not need an employer, and my previous employer petitioned for the EB-2 NIW for me when I started my full-time role there.

All three paths, O-1, EB-2 NIW and EB-1A are challenging: you have to prove that you have special skills and experience in a specific domain. Due to my 18+ years of work experience in a technical area, I was able to prove in all three applications that yes, I deserve an O-1 visa and also green cards (multiple). Ultimately, as the 'line' for 'converting' my green card approval with my EB-1A application was much shorter than the EB-2 NIW, this is the one that I 'used' to complete the final step: actually receiving the green card. This is called the 'adjustment of status' process. If you are outside the U.S. when this step happens, for example if you're married to a U.S. citizen but living abroad together, you'll do 'consular processing.' When you hear anecdotes like 'people from India / China have to wait deacdes or a hundred years to get a green card', it means they're stuck at this step: they've gotten a green card approval through work, but they cannot actually receive the green card for the next decades or a hundred years, as they are in a much longer line (this line is based on country of birth).

When I submitted my EB-1A paperwork in January 2025, I weighed it as a joke: it was almost six pounds in weight. I was inspired to work on my own EB-1A application as I'd read several blog posts about how to do this, felt I met the criteria, and didn't want to spend 10-20 grand on an immigration attorney for this piece. In my next post, I'll write about my own EB-1A self-petition adventure and how I did that.

What all of this meant for us IRL

For years, our lives were organized around immigration constraints. I felt a deep fear of losing any job, and as jobs started to feel less and less secure through Covid-19 and the poor job markets of 2024- onwards, I started to feel I had to make plans to never be in a position where losing a job meant I had to leave. I like describing this part of my life as, 'as an immigrant, I had to have backup plans for my backup plans.' Indeed, I did.

The general rules were:

Keep employment stable enough to avoid being in a position where we had to leave suddenly
Plan around the 60-day layoff clock: if that could not be avoided, we needed to have a backup plan immediately
Retain excellent legal counsel: your employer's attorney isn't your attorney, so best to get yourself one, even if it's expensive, it's worth every penny
Keep personal copies of everything: every visa stamp, every passport, every I-539, every I-797C, every communication from USCIS (all of these acronyms will make sense to you when you are in the process)
Budget for filing costs, travel, and uncertainty: a few times, we had to leave the U.S. to get back to Singapore to get a new visa by a specific time.
Use almost all of my American paid vacation time (I was lucky to have jobs with paid vacation time!) to return to Singapore to procure new visas, visa stamps, stay in status always and never overstay

On 3: we always had to prepare enough resources to retain my own immigration counsel. Immigration attorneys provided by employers are there to provide immigration advice primarily for your employer: they don't need to have your best interests at heart. I needed someone whose only job was to watch out for our immigration interests and our household's stability. That was money well spent, because when it came time to do the 'adjustment of status', we could show that we followed the law and did everything right. This would have been extraordinarily difficult without additional counsel.

For the first few years, our lives were defined by the work visa renewal grind. Your mileage may vary, as if you're on an O-1, H-1B or L-1, it might feel less.. grindy. (The tradeoff of getting an 'easy' work visa is also that I had to spend more time and resources getting it renewed more often, as it was much, much shorter. They were valid for 18 months at a time, and you get 'stamped in' to the country for 12.)

For this entire period of 7 and a half years, we lived on one income. My spouse could not legally work during this stretch. We knew this going in, and we planned around it: she completed college and grad school while we lived frugally in our Tenderloin apartment. We traveled mostly by transit and on foot and bike.

Now that we no longer have those job restrictions, she can take any job in her field. Just in time, too. As a newly minted psychotherapist, she has plenty of job opportunities in the Bay Area that she now does not need a visa for.

We did everything 'right'. I'm proud of it. But it's still one of the hardest things we've ever done logistically and emotionally. Many days, I felt like giving up.

Privilege, randomness, and injustice

Any form of international immigration is challenging, hard and difficult. Any form of international immigration also requires skills, planning, paperwork, privileges and resources. The simple and unfair lottery of birth also factors in a major way, no matter where you are from and where you are moving to.

Some things that helped me:

I was not born in a country with extreme visa backlogs (like India, China, Mexico, the Philippines).
I had a passport that was generally treated with low suspicion.
I had never previously been denied a visa.

Some things that did not make it easy:

Being in a queer cross-national marriage in systems that were not built for us. Even to get married at all, we had to have the resources to go to another country (New Zealand) in order to get a visa for another country (the U.S.)
Living in constant fear that losing a job or missing a procedure or making a visa mistake could cost us months or years, or worse, disqualify us entirely.

In 2022, one of my last work visas was approved in Singapore but my spouse's was not. We were separated for months with no clear plan or path for reunification. One day, I'll write more about this in detail, but it showed me that immigration dysfunction in the U.S. is truly a bi-partisan issue, and I am skeptical of anyone who thinks otherwise.

While trying to navigate all of this, I was thankful for some of my privileges and resources, but I also saw how immigration issues can separate families, create life-changing anxiety, and prevent people from starting or continuing their lives with their loved ones. It got me to dive into how 'legal' immigration was also being suppressed and reduced, even though claims were being made about how 'they' were 'only' against 'illegal' immigration. That's another story for another time.

Nevertheless, we persisted

There are many things about the U.S. that feel deeply broken. But this was still the first place that gave us a legal foundation to build a shared life as a queer couple from two different countries that both didn't recognize our marriage. We looked at some Singaporean-foreigner queer pairings back 'home' and acknowledged that we did not want a future full of no legal recognition, and forever visa runs. We felt especially justified in this decision when, in early Covid-19 times, many of our straight and queer friends who had foreigner spouses with different visa statuses, lost jobs and had to leave and they were separated for many months or years, during that horrible period of no international travel anywhere.

Did we have other options and opportunities? Probably. For various reasons, this one still felt the one where we could both thrive in, after the initial period of logistical and emotional suffering. It felt like a hazing period but with a clear view of what could happen after that. I don't say this lightly. I don't recommend it for everyone, but it felt like that for us, and we still chose it.

Before coming to the U.S., I was aware of friends who were in the green card process and therefore could not leave at all, sometimes for years. As I used to travel internationally for life and work a few times a month (or week?) I found this unusual. I used to ask them: is America worth it?

In 2026, my answer is yes, with caveats.

It was brutally difficult. It was grossly expensive. It caused us a great deal of stress. But now, coming out successfully on the other side, it was worth it for us. It may not be for you.

My wife is about to graduate and become a psychotherapist after world-class training at a great public university that we could afford here.

I am about to start another software company, and permanent residency status changes what I can build and how I can build it. We can now plan life in years, not visa cycles. I've never started a software company in San Francisco, and I suspect that now that I can do this easily, that already impacts (positively) many possible outcomes for the company I'm about to start. (I'm being cryptic, but it's a software company in a space that is 'hot' right now, that aligns my passion and values, and where the majority of funding for this type of work is happening right here where I am.)

I still think, often, about what we left behind. What I left behind, specifically, as a person from a 'good country' with a 'good passport' who had all of the comforts and privileges of being able to have any job I want, do anything I want, back there. But that utopic ideal of my 'home' was also a mirage: none of it was a vision of life that included my spouse in it.

So this is really our life and our home now. It really, really sucks in some ways, but it means the world to me that we have emerged from the other side of a very long and seemingly unending tunnel.

What I'm Up To (March 2026)

2026-03-04T00:00:00Z

Back to founder mode

I am back in founder mode. More shortly.

Rebuilding this website

I spent a lot of time improving this site: design system cleanup, typography updates, accessibility fixes, search improvements, and image pipeline migration.

Writing and publishing rhythm

I am trying to write and publish in a steadier cadence again, especially here on my own site.

Spring projects

I am working on a few experiments at the intersection of product, AI, and public-interest technology.

Year of the Fire Horse

2026-03-04T00:00:00Z

We celebrated Lunar New Year a few weeks ago, and as usual, I was 8000 miles away from home. What does home even mean now?
I have not left the U.S. for three years. That must be some kind of record for 'no international travel' for me.
This month feels like the start of a new season of life. Our 8 years of 'visa anxiety' has come to an end. The pets we started our lives here with are no longer here.
Sabrena is done with grad school soon; we can finally travel
In a bit of a 'life reset', the events of no 3 also mean that I now have a lot more control over my life
I seem to have promised a variety of friends, trips to see them once we were done with our paperwork
Right now, that list comprises: Mexico City, Guadarajala, La Paz, Mumbai, Surabaya, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Bangalore and Chennai
In short, I'm right back where I started!

What I'm Up To (January 2026)

2026-01-10T00:00:00Z

Refreshed design

Spent some time changing up this site's look and feel. Can you guess what inspired me?

Celebrated the new year cozily

This new year, we were snug and cozy, as we have been for a number of years. Still the best way to ring in the year.

Catching up with old friends

It's the season for catching up with old friends. This past week, I've spoken to lots of people I've known from a long time ago, from all over the world. Good times. I miss you all.

Penne Pals

I started doing a pretty fun thing I call Penne Pals. The idea is I want to talk to anyone, anywhere, as long as they're not trying to sell me something. I put up a cal link and people book time. There are some rules, of course. No agendas, and no MLM / religion / startups. I've probably talked to hundreds of people I don't know this way, and learned so much.

Started an AI research lab

For the past year, I've been working on AI red teams and evals. It's been rewarding work, and I am so energized by new clarity on some very specific areas of investigation that I'd like to follow. We even have a website! It was great to see all the things I've done in this space, on one page.

Making Things With My Hands

2025-07-10T00:00:00Z

In a world that feels like it is coming undone, I find a lot of solace in making things with my hands. The biggest breakthrough I developed was when I decided I don't need to be good at everything that I do. I can just.. do things.

That goes against my programming as a competitive over-achiever, but it was ultimately what gave me the mindset I needed to.. do the things I need to feel less shitty about the world.

Things I did:

Attended an intro to pottery class
Started a doodle notebook
Picked up a water brush and a palette of colors
Learned how to develop film (black and white, and color) at home
Learned how to print film negatives of various sizes in a darkroom (black and white, as well as color)
Fold origami
Code this website entirely by hand

Some things stuck more than others. I'd like to learn bookbinding, as well as to go deeper into pottery. Like I love saying: my hobby is having hobbies. I don't want or need to ever hustle with my hobbies.

I think I am just done with hustle, full stop. I enjoy making and building things, whether it is software, or a thingamajig. That is enough for me.

What I'm Up To (June 2025)

2025-06-27T00:00:00Z

Building a new website

I am working on a new website to feature my marine and nature photography and writing. It's also a way for me to learn 11ty's new features.

Gave a talk at North Bay Python

In April 2025, I gave a talk at North Bay Python just outside Petaluma, CA. I talked about my experience leaving 'tech' for 'fin tech' (at the Monterey Bay Aquarium). Blog post here.

Spoke at an all staff meeting

I was asked to speak about my experience with my many intersectional identities, at a work all-staff meeting. Post and slides here.

AI red team / ethics work

I was lucky to have been able to spend the last 9 months working on various aspects of AI ethics, red team work and research. This is a core area of my academic and professional interest at the moment. I don't write about that much but this newsletter post captures more relevant information about what I got up to in this space.

In-laws' visit

Sabrena's family visited from France. We spent a lot of time together but I was especially proud to be able to plan a whale watching trip and aquarium visit with them.

June gloom and doom

Here in Monterey and San Francisco, we are in a foggy and cold-ish time of the year. It is not unexpected (this happens every year!) but it feels especially relevant given that we are now officially unable to leave this country due to something known as 'adjustment of status'. This is usually a thing that bodes well because it means we are one step closer to some degree of 'stability' (with regards to 'immigration'). But at this point, everything feels meh. I am relieved, but I am also feeling all kinds of meh.

Whale Watching

2025-06-07T00:00:00Z

When I was a teenager and didn't know anything about whales or lesbians, I heard Margaret Cho say 'lesbians love whale watching. they fucking love it.'

I didn't know what any of that was.

Well, Margaret Cho, you were RIGHT. I fucking love it.

A whale named Pepper.

A whale named Little Dimple and her calf. Who is somehow, sadly, not called Littler Dimple.

All dolphins are whales. But not all whales are dolphins.

Mola-mola always astound me with their.. strangeness. I love them.

SQUEEEE. OTTERS.

In flight pelagic cormorant left before I could ask, can I kelp you?

We saw ALL of these on a three hour sunset whale watching trip with Monterey Bay Whale Watch. It's a company led by marine biologists, and everything is extremely professional. The marine biologists onboard knew all of the beautiful animals by name and sight. I learned so much! I shall commit to trying to go at least once a month (best employee perk for me)!

My Talk at North Bay Python

2025-05-27T00:00:00Z

In late April 2025, I had the opportunity to talk about my interesting career trajectory 'From Fintech to Fin Tech'.

If you told me a decade ago that I would be working at an aquarium, I don't think I would know what to think. I hadn't discovered my love for marine life, puns, or marine puns at the time. My life is so much richer now.

Here's the video.

Belated New Year

2025-04-09T00:00:00Z

In January this year, I wrote this about how I felt being away from 'home' for the Lunar New Year again:

This lunar new year eve, I am usually home in Singapore.

I am seven years old, and I wake up to the smell of roasted chilli, poached chicken, and cabbage soup.

There’s a bustle in the kitchen. My grandpa is stirring a pot, making his signature chilli paste that we all won’t eat our food without. My grandma is fussing over the roast duck, soy sauce chicken and whole fish and prawns.

I walk into the kitchen, in search of a snack. No matter how busy they are, they always have time to feed me.

Have some hae jor, beancurd rolls stuffed with pork, shrimp and chestnuts. Have a bit of everything.

My grandma calls me her ‘little baby mouse’, because I eat so slowly and carefully.

I watch TV until my cousins arrive. I put on my good clothes (but I have to be forced to do it). I greet everyone: first in Teochew, then Mandarin, then English.

Happy new year! Happy new year! Happy new year!

Eat, rub my tummy, smell everything, laugh and poke my grandpa’s tummy. I do that every day, but especially on lunar new year, he is especially jovial and happy. I tell him he looks like a fat Buddha, and he laughs.

If you hold your chopsticks that way, ah girl, you are going to move very far away from home. Very far away from me.

How right he was.

What I'm Up To (March 2025)

2025-03-30T00:00:00Z

Got into Instant Film

I got a Polaroid SX-70 and that's unleashed a new passion for Polaroid instant film. I've been shooting instant film with Instax film, but Polaroid is a whole other beast. Far more finicky, but I also enjoy the experience.

Spent a month with my family

My parents came to visit me. We went to Monterey, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle. It was lovely showing them my part of the world. They were already very familiar with San Francisco, but got to see these other cities this time. We traveled by Amtrak, coach (Flixbus), plane (Alaska Air out of Burbank, best way to arrive in / leave Los Angeles), and caught a ride with friends (Monterey to Los Angeles). We ate well, saw waterfalls, saw friends. It was a lovely way to spend a month.

Continued to commute to Monterey

After 4 months going to and from Monterey (by shuttle), I've grown quite comfortable with the commute and life there. I have favorite spots (Ho Wah! Barba azul! First Oriental Market!), friends, and more. I like it.

Intersections

2025-03-30T00:00:00Z

For an all hands meeting at work, I was asked if I wanted to share a story about my life and how I got here.

It has not been the easiest, holding all of these identities and selves, often in places that did not welcome me. I think sometimes of Merantau: of finding a home away from home. All of my parts and intersections make up the messy and glorious bits that I have lived and experienced.

I turn forty this year. I want so much to tell the four year old self: it's going to be fine, you're going to have fun, one day you are going to put up beautiful photos of your life and tell your story to everyone.

What I'm Up To (January 2025)

2025-01-19T00:00:00Z

This is a jumbo sized update, because lots of things have happened.

Sea Life

I work at an aquarium now!

I started a ridiculously cool gig at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I am building their first product management team. There's a lot to do, the people are wonderful, the animals are fun, the environment is delightful. I've been keeping track of some of the things that give me joy here (text-only Mastodon thread) and here (photos mostly). If I may say so myself, the photos are lovely.

I spend half my week out there, which I honestly don't mind. I go to the aquarium any time I want (which is, all the time). I am surrounded by marine puns all day.

It's funny this happened, because back in May I started listening to marine biology and deep sea ocean research podcasts whenever I was running. I thought, 'wonder if there are any cool jobs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for me?' Turns out, they did.

Kismet.

Cookie, the love of my life, passed on in June 2024. She was 14 years and 8 months. This Mastodon thread celebrates my life with her. In time, I may want to publish a little memorial photo book.

Sabrena graduated

My wife, Sabrena, graduated summa cum laude from SF State University in psychology! Back to work for her though, as she also started her Masters in Clinical Psychology shortly after. I am incredibly proud of her. What an achievement

More to come, hopefully I'll update these pages more frequently!

Working on a book

I am writing a book! "Product for the People: A Guide to Building Mission-Driven Digital Services in Government and Nonprofit Organizations"

Too often, many product management books are about maximizing profit. Well, that's important, but people are important too. So I'm writing a book about that. More details soon!

Gulls at Alcatraz

2025-01-19T00:00:00Z

Nikon D810, 200-500mm lens. Alcatraz Island, just off San Francisco

In the early days of Covid-19, a friend said 'we're getting old let's do old people things', so we picked 'birding'. Looks like it stuck.

Here, a photo of some baby Western gulls on Alcatraz island, which has many types of birds, including falcons, and herons and more. While Western gulls are kind of 'boring', I do love how these baby gulls have spots on their heads.

Postcard from Monterey

2025-01-19T00:00:00Z

I have a new job, which also means new views! Million dollar views, in fact.

I so love this part of the world: when Sabrena and I first moved to California back in 2018, we were so excited to finally be somewhere where we could travel with our dog, Cookie. We booked a trip and came to Monterey for my birthday that year. I wanted to see the aquarium, and I wanted to experience being in a hotel room with Cookie. We got that and so much more.

7 years on, I now work at Monterey Bay Aquarium. How I got to this was pretty fun: I like going on long runs, and I like listening to podcasts on topics I know absolutely nothing about. Back in May, all of my running podcasts were about marine biology, marine science, oceanography and deep sea research. The podcasts often reference Monterey Bay Aquarium and our partner org, MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute). I was obsessed with the stories about deep sea research, and the Into the Deep exhibit. I resolved to visit again, and to see the exhibit.

A view of Monterey Bay.

While looking up information about the exhibit at the aquarium, I noticed that they were hiring a Director of Product Management — which is what I do! I applied, of course.

The rest is history. Never in a million years did I think I would end up with such a cool position. I have an interesting commute where, once a week I take a shuttle from SFO Airport that takes me right into downtown Monterey. While there, I spend a couple of days, in a cute little room I rent. I live with a few other queer people, we like cooking for each other, and watching Interview With the Vampire at night, so it's been quite ideal, actually.

After five years of almost fully remote work, or working two blocks from work, I was ready for a change of scene. I love to travel but can't travel too much internationally at the moment, so this was perfect for me.

Invasive ice plants near the water, right outside Costco in Seaside

Sabrena came to help me setup the IKEA furniture. It was sad not to have Cookie there with us this time, but I'm getting to get familiar with the Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside, Marina areas. The coastal trail is my favorite: I can bike or run or walk to work quite easily, without ever coming across a motorized vehicle. Last weekend, I ran to several Korean markets in Marina and Seaside, where I came across the happy 'secret' that Marina / Seaside have tons of great Korean grocery stores with homemade banchan and many types of homemade kimchi.

The produce that we get at San Francisco farmer's markets also all come from here, so the produce is cheap and good and plentiful. It's going to be hard living anywhere else after this. Good vegetables go for '3 for $5', which is a great deal (here in Monterey and in San Francisco).

Some days, I grieve the life I left behind in Singapore, but I also know this for a fact: we've built ourselves a wonderful and beautiful life here.

Even though the world feels like it's too much somes days, I feel unreasonably lucky to be here, to be able to work on things I care about, to be surrounded by people who give a shit about the world. And to be able to eat delicious food.

A Whale of a Time

2024-10-17T00:00:00Z

Nikon D810, 200-500mm lens, somewhere near the Farallon Islands

Once or twice a year I try to get on a boat out to the Farallon Islands with birders in the Bay Area. Pelagic birding is my absolute favorite type of birding: being able to get out in the ocean and see a huge amount of sea life of all types is a treat.

In June this year I had the opportunity to head out there again. And this was a lucky shot.

Mission Street Photowalk

2024-10-12T00:00:00Z

I love the Mission. Specifically, I love the less gentrified parts of it. There's still so much life and culture; DJs spinning records on the street, bands playing live Latin jazz, record stores where you can explore cumbria, and Indigenous dance groups that perform at the many plazas.

Despite its many problems, the Mission is where I default to for food, adventure and fun. And to just generally feel alive.

I took all of these photos on my iPhone yesterday.

an iphone photo of a window with very symmetrical features

Windows.

an iphone photo of a guatemalan sandwich

Universal Bakery has a wonderful torta de carne asada. With a huge block of salty cheese. It's the perfect sandwich for me.

an iphone photo of colorful mosaic tiles

I love the colors of the Mission.

an iphone photo of colorful stairs

More colors.

an iphone photo of a school

Ever since I started shooting medium format on film, I've much preferred square or 1:1 photos. It helps me see the world in a different way.

Popagandhi

Food

Food

Half Boiled Eggs Recipe

Indonesian Dinner Parties

My Singapore List

Singapore Dishes you should try

Greatest hits hawker centres to go to for generally great food

Best spots for vegetarians and vegans

A Perfect Singapore Food Day

My favorite cup of coffee at Tiong Hoe, S$5

The chicken rice I like at Sin Kee, S$6 with extras

Blue pea flower ice cream at Birds of Paradise, S$6.80

Mazesoba at Kajiken, S$14.80

Rawon Setan, Surabaya

A week in the heat

What I'm Up To (July 2026)

Beyond Responsible AI

Responsible GenAI in Public Services

Global Dialogue on AI Governance

Home to Singapore

What I'm Up To (April 2026)

First international trip in years

Amtrak Rail Pass

London Calling

New site design (again!)

Our visa to green card journey

The visa path

What all of this meant for us IRL

Privilege, randomness, and injustice

Nevertheless, we persisted

What I'm Up To (March 2026)

Back to founder mode

Rebuilding this website

Writing and publishing rhythm

Spring projects

Year of the Fire Horse

What I'm Up To (January 2026)

Refreshed design

Celebrated the new year cozily

Catching up with old friends

Penne Pals

Started an AI research lab

Making Things With My Hands

What I'm Up To (June 2025)

Building a new website

Gave a talk at North Bay Python

Spoke at an all staff meeting

AI red team / ethics work

In-laws' visit

June gloom and doom

Whale Watching

My Talk at North Bay Python

Belated New Year

What I'm Up To (March 2025)

Got into Instant Film

Spent a month with my family

Continued to commute to Monterey

Intersections

What I'm Up To (January 2025)

Sea Life

We said goodbye to Cookie

Sabrena graduated

Working on a book

Gulls at Alcatraz

Postcard from Monterey

A Whale of a Time

Mission Street Photowalk