Bukit Cendana: A Hike Through History
5 min read
Bukit Cendana is a popular hiking area – its peak rises just above 520m from sea level, and there are at least a dozen different ways of getting up there....
December 2025
Our December issue examines the flavours, practices and foodways that define Malaysian life, from home kitchens and inherited techniques to the diverse cultural influences that shape Penang’s palate.
The Singapore Nyonya Who Made Penang Her Home
6 min read
Annie Lim Liap Kiat.Annie was dressed like a boy during the Japanese Occupation.If you have ever visited the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, you might hav...
Sitiawan: The Promised Land of the Foochows
10 min read
Sitiawan gets its name from the tragic tale of two elephants, one of which perished after becoming stuck in mud, while the other drowned as it faithfully clung...
Painting in the Footsteps of Monks
5 min read
Min Wae Aung keeps up a disciplined daily regime of painting with breaks for food, walks and a de rigeur movie.Flip-flap, flip-flap! You can almost hear t...
Healing Penang Hill
6 min read
The railway track was badly affected by the landslide and the funicular train service was suspended.The freak storm on the night of November 4 battered Pe...
The Storm that Shook Penang
23 min read
Every time it rains now, Penangites get skittish – and for good reason. It has been five months since the freak storm hit the state. The storm of November...
How are Art Fairs Faring?
7 min read
Latiff Mohidin's Provoke (oil on board, 1964).Pagoda II (oil on canvas, 1964).Malam Merah (Red Night) (oil on canvas, 1968)....
Mayor of the World
8 min read
Dato' Maimunah Mohd Sharif with the children of Mathare.On December 22, 2017, the mayor of Penang, Dato’ Maimunah Mohd Sharif, was appointed Executi...
Outraged Enough to Go Vote or Cynical Enough to Stay Home?
12 min read
So many bizarre and inconceivable things have happened in recent years to damage Malaysia’s international reputation and self-image that, for a mortified...
Lending the Lesser-abled a Hand
10 min read
The Cerebral Palsy (Spastic) Children’s Association of Penang (CPCAP), which turns 56 this year, houses a fully functioning school that prepares children...
Deriving Life from Venom
4 min read
It is called the “hundred pacer” because victims of its bite meet their death by the time they have taken their hundredth step. While the veracity o...
Sun, Sand, Sea and ... Surgery?
7 min read
As many as 14 to 16 million people across the globe travel for medical reasons, be it for higher quality healthcare or affordability outside their countries o...
Explore column