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The issue was that despite over sixty years of independence, the Malays were still searching for their roots. We had not realised that this journey was a dynamic one, whose plot points changed with each generation. What would Malay youths look like in the future? This was something we may not be able to predict. Perhaps that was why there was such a frenetic resurgence of looking up Malay history, so the future generation would stay Malay, even if in practice, identity is very mcuh fluid.

p. 60, Malayland by Dina Zaman

My former colleague Nadia Lukman said, "We also have multiple identities. When I act as a daughter, I'm different from when I act as a friend. Our real selves are when we are on our own. So, when we are in front of a crowd, who are we?" Ethnicity, in this sense, is a performative exercise, underlined by the same logic as the capitalist system.

p. 40, Malayland by Dina Zaman

The parallel lines of faith, nationality and culture are so close as to appear blurred, further conflated by the legal constructs surrounding them.

p. 40, Malayland by Dina Zaman

"Perhaps the problem lies not in race itself, but how society is obsessed with it. And for that, I suppose a good dose of guilty conscience is healthy to remind everyone not to take things only at the skin-deep level." — Nicholas Chan, "Are We Problematising 'Malay'?"

p. 30, Malayland by Dina Zaman

"What it means to be Malay is a constant, but it also does evolve," I said. Everyone had their own idea of Malay identity (...) such was the standard answer in our postmodern age, although some versions were indeed harmful.

p. 12, Malayland by Dina Zaman

I do believe that we Malays have to acknowledge the fact that we live in our silos, and find that the Ordinary Malay is a mythical and inconvenient creature indeed.

p. 10, Malayland by Dina Zaman

(...) our privilege was not to be flaunted. Friendships and money have to be earned, and not even the powerful are automatically entitled. Our parents taught us to be civil yet guarded, and to "let people think whatever they want". This seemed at odds with the broader Malay society, with its emotions, lack of boundaries, as well as histories which owed debts to sentiment.

p. 10, Malayland by Dina Zaman

Bring all of your awareness into the present and take a deep breath. (...) Only when we slow down can we finally see clearly our relationships, our thoughts, our pain. As we slow down, we are no longer tangled in them.

p. 263, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

Everything is impermanent, including the world's most comfortable posture.

p. 261, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

The truth is that other people do not really think about you that much. If you think you will enjoy something, then do not overthink it. Just do it. Even if it does not turn out the way you imagined it, you will still appreciate it for what it has taught you.

p. 221, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

I realize what it is that I really want from others: attentive ears that listen to what I am saying, kind words that acknowledge my existence and worth, gentle eyes that accept my flaws and insecurities. I resolve to be that person for those around me.

p. 196, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

When someone does not like us, it is not our problem but theirs. Not everyone will like us. This is a problem only if we let it bother us.

p. 189, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

"Three Liberating Insights" First, people are not as interested in me as I had always believed. (...) Second, not everyone has to like me. After all, I do not like everyone. (...) Third, if we are brutally honest with ourselves, most things we do for others are in fact for ourselves. (...) Stop worrying about what others think and just do what your heart wishes. Do not crowd your mind with "what ifs." Uncomplicate your life and own up to your desires.

Selected excerpts from p. 185-187, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

There are many more ordinary hours in life than extraordinary ones. (...) Happiness means finding a moment of joy in those ordinary hours.

p. 176, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

The flaw you immediately notice in someone you meet is probably a flaw of yours, too. If you didn't have it, you wouldn't have noticed it so quickly.

p. 131, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

Inside of us there is a steep mountain of fear and a deep river of grief. But there is also the compassionate eye witnessing your inner landscape. May you find your inner witness, the source of freedom and healing.

p. 126, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

Although your heart won't listen to your mind's decision, resolve to forgive and to free yourself from emotional bondage. And then revisit your feelings of anger and bitterness. Give them your full permission to express themselves. (...) Let the waves of sensations surface and recede. Attend to the sensations moving through your body. When the waves become a bit calmer, look deeply and see what is beneath them.

p. 125, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

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