Alwyn Lau | Opinion | Malay Mail

The much anticipated anti-corruption rally ‘Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah’ today was fairly uneventful after authorities decided to facilitate it rather than be antagonistic against it. — Picture by Sayuti Zanudin

Malaysia / 10 h ago

As it happens: ‘Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah’ anti-corruption rally in Dataran Merdeka

Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah have made history by reaching the women’s doubles final of the Indonesia Masters, the first Malaysian pair to do so in 14 years. — Bernama pic

Sports / 6 h ago

Pearly-Thinaah make history, first Malaysian pair in Indonesia Masters final after 14 years

China increased the Lunar New Year holiday to eight days for 2025, from seven previously in a bid to boost spending, but some people said they were foregoing the return home so they could earn more money. — AFP pic

Money / 10 h ago

China extends CNY holiday to boost spending amid worries about the economy; sparks surge in cinema and travel to SE Asia

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent an internal memo days after President Donald Trump took office vowing an “America First” policy of tightly restricting assistance overseas. — AFP pic

World / 16 h ago

US freezes foreign aid except for Israel, Egypt and emergency food

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) said it will contact Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung for a solution. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

Malaysia / 11 h ago

TNB says committed to assist landlords who were saddled with RM8.5m debt from illegal Bitcoin mining by tenants

Putrajaya said it will support KTMB to add more carriages and increase the train capacity as more people choose to travel via rail. — Picture by Farhan Najib

Malaysia / 9 h ago

‘If we have more trains, people will take them’: Loke affirms Putrajaya’s commitment to rail travel as demand spikes for CNY

Retailers are struggling to manage the surge in thefts despite employing security measures such as CCTV and additional staff. — AFP pic

Singapore / 13 h ago

Shoplifting on the rise: A growing concern for retailers in Singapore

The largest jackpot in Malaysian history of RM121.7 million from Supreme Toto 6/58 was won and shared by over 60 winners on January 18. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Malaysia / 12 h ago

Largest jackpot in Malaysian history: Over 60 winners share RM121.7m prize, says STM Lottery

Comedian Harith Iskander’s stand-up show at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) has been cancelled following a death threat against his former wife, Dr Jezamine Lim, and abusive messages targeting their children. — Pictture via Instagram/drjezaminelim

Showbiz / 6 h ago

Harith Iskander’s comedy show cancelled after death threat and abuse aimed at his children

Ayam Kesum Chilli at Sixteen Café. — Picture by CK Lim

Eat-drink / 14 h ago

Drop by Sixteen Café in Taman Desa to return to Nature... and a more natural way of eating

The Trump administration’s Interior Department said yesterday it had officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. — Reuters pic

World / 7 h ago

Trump administration officially renames Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

Estupinan lands a kick on Jojo during their ONE 170 fight. – Photo from One Championship

Sports / 15 h ago

Johan ‘Jojo’ Ghazali suffers eighth career defeat at ONE Championship series in Bangkok

Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad (front left) arrives at Penang High Court. September 3, 2024. — Picture by Opalyn Mok

Malaysia / 15 h ago

PAS lauds RM830,000 ‘jihad’ donation for Siti Mastura’s defamation suit, says supporters prevented by-election

Harith Iskanmder was scheduled to perfom at DFP tonight. — Picture from DFP

Showbiz / 15 h ago

Dewan Filharmonik announces cancellation of Harith Iskander’s stand-up show after ‘ham’ joke controversy

During his first term, Trump sacked five inspectors general in fewer than two months in 2020. — AFP pic

World / 7 h ago

The US purge: Trump sacks 17 independent inspectors general, paving way for loyalists

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Alwyn Lau

Alwyn Lau

Bookworm. Contrarian. Proud Malaysian. Or thereabouts. Tweets at @alwyn_lau

Opinions

With the Singapore MRT urinating cases, I’m sure I’m not the only one surprised at the fact that these incidents could happen at all. — Picture from Facebook/SMRT

18 Jan 2025

Singapore’s public urination cases and the broken windows theory

In between walking on a crane hanging from a skyscraper, fasting for four days and climbing up a 100-foot rope in the middle of Australia’s Blue Mountains, Chris Hemsworth shared his desire and strategies to avoid diseases and stay alive until a very old age. — Reuters pic

08 Jan 2025

From Chris Hemsworth to Bryan Johnson: The on-going quest for longevity

Magnus Carlsen is a five-time world chess champion, winning consecutive FIDE competitions from 2013 to 2021. — Picture from Instagram/Magnus Carlsen

30 Dec 2024

When jeans clash with chess

A screengrab of Donnie Yen in action in a scene from ‘The Prosecutor’.

27 Dec 2024

Donnie Yen’s ‘The Prosecutor’ triumphs

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Lily Phillips is a 23-year-old OnlyFans creator who had sex with 100 men in 24 hours.

21 Dec 2024

Empowerment or exploitation? The Lily Phillips story

India's grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju (left) competes against China's chess grandmaster Ding Liren in game 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore on December 12, 2024. — AFP pic

13 Dec 2024

The 18-year-old 18th World Chess Champion

If students were taught to love their subjects and enjoy learning as a whole, the assessment method itself will be (almost) secondary, according to the author. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

02 Dec 2024

Abolishing exams to reduce student stress?

A general view of Menara PTPTN in Kuala Lumpur on August 13, 2024. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

20 Nov 2024

PTPTN non-repayment: Two possible solutions moving forward

As many educators know, the advent of ChatGPT, Gemini and the myriad of other Artificial Intelligence software have thrown a spanner into the entire system. ― AFP pic

13 Nov 2024

Cheating, translations and other AI dilemmas for educators

American complete their ballots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 2024. — AFP pic

06 Nov 2024

Must spouses tell each other who they’re voting for?

Starting in the fourth quarter of 2025, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority will replace its 11,500 mechanical pedestrian push buttons with touchless microwave sensors. — AFP pic

28 Oct 2024

Pedestrian crossings and how action bias impacts us

A file photograph showing Bangladeshi workers in line outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. — AFP pic

21 Oct 2024

Are we treating our migrant workers fairly?

The National Health & Morbidity Survey 2023 states that depression has doubled in the last four years. — Unsplash pic

10 Oct 2024

So when will Malaysians prioritise mental health?

File picture of a student working on her schoolwork. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

07 Oct 2024

Are our children involved in too many after-school activities?

Dropping out suggests one has given up on formal education which, despite all its misgivings and faults, remains critical for young adults today (especially in their teenage years). — Picture by Farhan Najib

30 Sep 2024

Malaysia’s SPM dropout crisis and how teachers can help

In the 90s, public transport was mostly limited to buses and mini buses dominating the roads, but today, the Klang Valley boasts a comprehensive network of buses, LRT, and MRT covering nearly all major commercial areas. — Picture by Hari Anggara

16 Sep 2024

Why some folks are saying no (or later) to drivers’ licences

Is work-life balance, coupled with a good salary, next to impossible to achieve in today’s society? — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

09 Sep 2024

Good pay, fulfilling job, family time: You can only pick two

In the average education institution, every end-of-semester is the time when lecturers are required to be invigilators for closed-book examinations which usually last between 1.5 hours to 3 hours. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

02 Sep 2024

Cheating at exams in Malaysia: A look at some popular ways

The smallpox vaccination (which eradicated smallpox by 1980) provided some measure of protection against monkeypox too; and in Malaysia, almost everyone born in the 1940s and 1950s have been given the shot. — Reuters pic

26 Aug 2024

Some thoughts on mpox... and why we should be alert but not panic

File picture of students on the first day school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Meru Raya in Ipoh March 20, 2023. — Picture by Farhan Najib

19 Aug 2024

Why are students still carrying huge bags to school?

The world feels different when you know the person has gone. — Picture by Irina Anastasiu/pexels.com

14 Aug 2024

Reflecting on grief and loss

Ultimately, navigating this digital age without crashing and burning demands the attention and responsibility of everyone involved. The tech companies and government are going to battle it out; we have to make sure we don’t just sit around doing nothing, says the author. ― AFP pic

06 Aug 2024

Beyond the licence: Our role in ensuring online safety

By tempting us to view others as less than human, in an ironic way, social media dehumanises us, says the author. — File picture by Yusof Mat Isa

23 Jul 2024

When social media turns deadly #cyberbullying

Primary school students return to school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Syed Idrus Chemor in Perak March 21, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Farhan Najibnn

03 May 2022

The (cautious) case against mask mandates

A man smokes outside an eatery in Petaling Jaya January 1, 2019. u00e2u20acu2022 Picture by Miera Zulyana

25 Apr 2022

Why a smoking ban probably won’t help

A man walks past a shuttered bar/night club with a u00e2u20acu02dcFor Rentu00e2u20acu2122 sign in Kuala Lumpur during the Covid 19 pandemic October 18, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

11 Apr 2022

So what really is the problem with nightclubs?

A customer counts how much change was given back after buying some groceries at a wet market in Kuala Lumpur. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Saw Siow Feng

29 Mar 2022

Why are we worth more dead than alive?

21 Mar 2022

Three groups who welcome the RM10,000 EPF withdrawal

Form Five students get ready to sit for their SPM examination at SMK Seksyen 7 in Shah Alam March 2, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

15 Mar 2022

Should Malaysian students do a gap year?

Sekolah Kebangsaan Section 7 students on their first day back at school in Shah Alam July 22, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

28 Feb 2022

Could e-textbooks be the solution to heavy school bags?

Election Commission officials get the polling station at Dewan Badminton Kompleks Perumahan Polis Tabuan Jaya ready ahead of early voting in Kuching December 13, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

14 Feb 2022

Are Covid-19 cases being artificially boosted ahead of Johor polls?

The Lim clan having their reunion dinner at Lim Jetty, Weld Quay on January 31, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

07 Feb 2022

Playing ‘20 Questions’ at Chinese New Year

Rex Lee Kok Hong, 36, displays his angpow collection at his home in Sungai Dua February 13, 2018. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

31 Jan 2022

Chinese New Year and e-’ang pows’

27 Jan 2022

BAM should revoke Goh Jin Wei’s ban too

A general view of traffic on the Federal Highway in Kuala Lumpur June 1, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

24 Jan 2022

Alternative to holiday traffic jams

Students resume classes at Sekolah Kebangsaan Meru Klang in Klang January 10, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Bernama pic

17 Jan 2022

Why hasn’t ‘Pendidikan Moral’ been scrapped yet?

People receive their Covid-19 booster shot at the KL Gateway Mall in Kuala Lumpur January 5, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

10 Jan 2022

Boosters: Allow walk-ins at PPVs by disabled

People wait to receive their Covid-19 vaccines at the Covid-19 vaccination centre in the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Seri Kembangan, June 17, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

27 Dec 2021

Notes from a PPV volunteer

A general view of traffic on the Federal Highway in Kuala Lumpur June 1, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

20 Dec 2021

Three pointers on how to be safer behind the wheels

As the country slowly reopens, the temporary traffic respite will gradually come to an end. u00e2u20acu2022 Picture by Yusof Mat Isan

13 Dec 2021

So far, yet so near: Are you a super-commuter?

Choong has spent more than 30 years zipping around the world visiting archeological dig sites and even excavating in some. u00e2u20acu201d Picture via Facebook

07 Dec 2021

A conversation with Malaysia’s own Indiana Jones

The release of u00e2u20acu02dcJames Bond: No Time to Dieu00e2u20acu2122 for Malaysian cinemas has been from September 30 to November 25. u00e2u20acu201d Picture courtesy of United International Pictures Malaysia

29 Nov 2021

James Bond: From fantasy to reality

Just IN

Fahmi Reza stands alongside one of his art. — Picture from Instagram/Fahmi Reza

4 h ago

Sabah Native Court summons against Fahmi Reza faces scrutiny over procedural flaws

Iran considers the Baha’i faith a heretical offshoot of Islam. — AFP pic

5 h ago

Iran cracks down on Baha’i, arrests 13 for alleged child proselytism

Malaysia’s growing reputation as a medical tourism destination has led to concerns over the emergence of fake clinics and counterfeit doctor certificates, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. — Bernama pic

5 h ago

Home Minister Saifuddin warns of fake clinics as Malaysia’s medical tourism grows