Events
4 min read
COMPETITIONAre you a short film-maker or aspiring to be one? If so, show us your talent by participating in the Into the Lens: Horror Short Film Competitio...
September 2026
The September Issue Is Out Now! Penang Monthly’s September issue explores the vibrant world of Penang’s pasar malam, highlighting their food, culture, community, traditions, and evolving role in island life.
The Dedicated Carver
1 min read
Kok Ah Wah is a master in traditional carved signboards. His late father, at the age of 14, migrated from China and started as an apprentice in the trade on Penang Island.
Portraying a Political Icon and Malaysia’s Torturous Tale
7 min read
Theatre Impian “monument” in Bukit Jalil’s Aurora Place shopping mall, a visual art cavalcade of some 100 art gems by 80 of the best contemporary creative minds in the country.
Charcoal Makers of Kampung Keluat
3 min read
A sign that the charcoal is ready is when the smell of burning wood turns from a spicy scent to a herbal one. When this transformation happens, the chimney is sealed and the logs left to cure.
Let’s globalise wisely
2 min read
There is much to worry about in the world today, 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which should give us reason to pause and consider what the long-t...
Growing Old and Staying Young in a Brave New World
3 min read
The ICT revolution has been taking place all my adult life: I bought my first home computer in 1990 when I was 35, my first mobile phone a decade later, and then my first smartphone about a decade after that.
At the Heart of Bukit Mertajam
2 min read
Bukit Mertajam, once an agricultural settlement, is today a prosperous commercial centre. The town gained attention from the British in the nineteenth century and its growth has continued unabated.
The Beat of Our Souls: Kuda Kepang and the Spiritual Self
5 min read
The more complex rituals of the Kuda Kepang, as practiced by skilled performers, go beyond the colour and the delight. They demand our intellectual attention for something deeply rooted in our primeval past.
The interplay between Form and Flair
2 min read
Watching the recent World Cup matches brought to my mind the snug relationship between Form and Flair. Football seen on the TV screen shows clearly how differ...
The November Floods in Numbers
2 min read
Of all the natural disasters in Malaysia, floods are the most frequent, accounting for approximately 63% of all disasters and bringing the highest damage annual...
I Need A Mountain Spring
2 min read
I need to find a mountain spring, that man has never seen or touched, that only deer come to drink, and birds and squirrels can vouch.
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