MESYM.COM

I run MESYM.com with my partner Leo and we aim to connect the green dots in Malaysia by providing a non-profit, community-driven platform for environmentalists in Malaysia.

This website arose out of a personal need for a bird's eye view of environmental movements in Malaysia. At the same time when Leo and I decided to build an online community, we discovered MESYM.com (version 1), founded by Lim Gene Harn. MESYM 1.0 was a one-man-show where Gene collected all the information on environmental events, actions and profiles, and posted it up on the website. We decided to collaborate and expand the capabilities of MESYM.com, so that the community could upload their own content.

MESYM 2.0 was born after a few months of intensive development, completely revamping the infrastructure and rebranding the logo. Due to his busy schedule, Gene left the team - thus leaving Leo and I as the main drivers. We brought in some new volunteers who contributed to the design, content, and direction. We also started a monthly Documentary Night to bring the online community offline.

I cannot overstate how much I believe in this project. So much so that Leo and I are willing to work on it, full time and without pay, just to make sure that the startup survives. Somewhere along the way I found a great job that also pays the bills, thus lifting us out of financial uncertainty. We continue to persevere and push the project through. One day we hope that the community will achieve a tipping point and we will be able to mainstream sustainability and environmental consciousness in the Malaysian public. 

Launch website

ROBERTGOESCYCLING.ORG

RobertGoesCycling.org was a birthday present to my good friend Robert Ockhuizen, who is cycling from Amsterdam to Istanbul to fundraise for an animal shelter in Amstelveen, The Netherlands. The trip began in mid-June 2013. The goal is to raise 5,000 euros.

My partner Leo and I designed and built the website with Robert's input, and continue to provide technical support as and when needed. As I write this, Robert has started his trip and is somewhere around Luxembourg. This is not his first fundraising bike ride - he had also done a stretch from Singapore to Hong Kong to fundraise for the same animal shelter, in 2008. Robert is one of the coolest, kindest and most laid back people that I know. He also taught me how to cook, and to enjoy cooking.

Robert's an entertaining storyteller and his blog on the website is well worth a visit. Another good reason to visit his site is the excellent playlist that he has at the sidebar - Robert has great taste in music!

Interested to contribute to Robert's cause? You can donate here.

Launch website

ILLUSTRATIONS FOR GREENDRINKS.CN

In 2012 I was in Shanghai for a brief stint, and got to know the good people who ran Green Drinks Shanghai. At that moment, they were developing the new Green Drinks China website, so I volunteered to provide some images needed on the website, including a pictorial explanation of the concept, a generic avatar, and a series of banners.

The concept of Green Drinks is "From drinks to links", connecting environmentally conscious people through networking events to foster potential collaborations and projects.

The energy and passion of the GDC volunteers were so potent that I was deeply inspired. In a way, the experience with GDC prompted me to learn more about the environmental scene in Malaysia, and indirectly triggered the birth of MESYM.com.

Pictorial Concept of Green Drinks

Why Green Drinks?