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Alwyn Lau
Bookworm. Contrarian. Proud Malaysian. Or thereabouts. Tweets at @alwyn_lau
More from Alwyn Lau
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Is sexual fidelity necessary for public office?
JUNE 17 — The recent sex video scandal has resurrected the spectre of “gutter politics” (or maybe it’s just proven that the gutter never left us) and exposed the factions...
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It needn’t always be about ‘SOP’ #LatheefaKoya
JUNE 10 — You’re the hiring manager of a certain department. There’s this person you’ve worked with over many years from a previous organisation. You trust him. Both of...
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Tottenham Hotspur: The pain and the promise
JUNE 4 — Sometimes I wish I could find a lamp in some desert cave, rub it and meet a genie who could either a) ensure Tottenham win the English Quadruple — the Premier League...
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‘Avengers: Endgame’ and Malaysia’s war against spoilers
APRIL 29 — Humanity this week has been divided between those who have watched Avengers: Endgame, and those who haven’t. The first group, since Wednesday, has begun to behave...
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On Judas: Rethinking history’s No. 1 traitor
APRIL 15 — Over the next few days, Christians in Malaysia celebrate what’s called Holy Week in the Christian calendar. This period commemorates Jesus’ final week spent in...
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Why anti-Grab taxi drivers get no sympathy
MARCH 11 — Try this one day. Dress like a tourist. Pretend you don’t speak Malay. Carry a few shopping bags. Hang out at the entrance Pavilion. Then pretend to want to...
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The priority skill our kids need to learn: Meditation
MARCH 4 — During the Tham Luang cave rescue last year, the 12 kids and their coach were trapped for more than a week before they were found by British divers. ...
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Liam Neeson against virtue-signalling
FEBRUARY 11 — Irish actor Liam Neeson’s recent confession to having murderous intentions towards black people (upon learning about his friend being raped) had predictably...
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Why ‘Chinese (or Indian or Malay) only’ rooms for rent aren’t racist
FEBRUARY 4 — A landlord puts out a sign as follows: “ROOM FOR RENT: MALAYSIAN CHINESE STUDENT ONLY”. Is that automatically and necessarily racist? Think about it....
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Pakatan’s Cameron Highlands defeat not as bad as it looks
JANUARY 28 — I’ve lost count of the number of tweets I’ve seen declaring (or insinuating) that Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) defeat at the recently concluded Cameron Highlands...
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Learning should be strength-based (convex), not stress-filled (concave)
JANUARY 21 — A new school year recently started. If the status quo persists, a small batch of learners will excel beyond all others, and another (hopefully very) small...
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Online/public shaming and how it kills community
JANUARY 14 — “We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart everyone outside of it.” — Jon Ronson, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed It was painful reading....
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If smokers cared more, maybe there wouldn’t be a ban against smoking
JANUARY 7 — I know, I know. The smoking ban at eateries has a puff load of problems. Many restaurant patrons-cum-smokers hail from the B40 class; there are already two dozen-ish...
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‘Dakwah’: From missions to missional?
DECEMBER 31 — First, whatever I say here, it’s clear that Minister of Education Maszlee Malik should have chosen a phrase other than medan dakwah when urging religious...
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Two surprising things about the 3 Wise Men of Christmas
DECEMBER 24 — So it’s Christmas. The time when malls fill their atriums and centre courts with over-sized bells and trees from another altitude (or is it latitude?). There’s...