Laughing in the Shadows: Stand-Up Comedy in Malaysia
4 min read
In Malaysia, a country juggling contradictions for decades, stand-up comedy quietly functions as both pressure valve and mirror.
Facing the Spectre of AI: The Real Challenge is to Restore the Conditions under which Thinking Happens
7 min read
Before we debate what teachers should do in the age of ChatGPT, Gemini and Deepseek, we must ask a more foundational question: Do our classrooms still offer the mental, emotional and social space that allows students to think at all?
AI Complicates Ownership of Intellectual Properties
5 min read
Advancement in generative AI over the last few years has disrupted not only the tech scene, but knocked businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals off-balance… with new opportunities and also threats.
Making State-Federal Relations Fit for the Purpose of Nation Building
4 min read
Have you ever wondered why, at times, it takes so long to repair certain potholes, alleviate congestion at bottlenecked road junctions or realign bus routes closer to housing communities?
The State of AI in Malaysian Healthcare
5 min read
A recent review estimates that the AI healthcare market in Malaysia could grow more than 20 times, from roughly USD10mil in 2022 to approximately USD220mil by 2030, which indicates both the current under-penetration and also the significant upside available.
Dried Fish: A Luxury Born of Necessity
4 min read
Ikan bulu ayam, gelama tengkerong and ikan gelama tiga gigi are fish species usually dried because they are too bony to be worth cooking. Salt, which gives dried fish its distinctive flavour, is used in abundance for its antibacterial properties.
Revisiting Challenges in Conserving George Town’s Heritage Buildings
5 min read
Implementing conservation standards and monitoring mechanisms to conserve George Town’s heritage buildings remain complex, even after 17 years since its UNESCO inscription in 2008.
Tracing the Taste of Thailand in Penang’s Kitchens
7 min read
Penang’s proximity to Kedah and the long history of cross-border marriages and trade brought Thai culinary traditions southward, introducing the intense, spicy-sour palate that still defines much of northern Malaysian food today.
A Penang Potpourri: How Indian Food Became Everyone’s Food
6 min read
Indian food in Penang reveals the history of those who brought it over and the openness of the people in its new home.
The Forest’s Table: Reviving Indigenous Knowledge for Malaysia’s Food Future
6 min read
Malaysia is home to one of the world’s richest rainforests, with an estimated 15,000 plant species. Out of these are more than 520 edible plant species, and 300 of these are indigenous to the country.
The Southern Chinese Flavours that Built Penang’s Palate
6 min read
As a child, I spent a lot of time in this aunt’s house, and most of that time, in her kitchen. While my other aunts and cousins played mahjong in the background, I would sit at the kitchen table, annoying her with requests to help her cook.
The Wan Li Shipwreck: It’s Last 300kg of History
5 min read
In the space Rongen has curated over two decades, ceramic shards from the Wan Li shipwreck are arranged like relics. Some have been made into jewellery and others set onto small sculptural pieces. The rest remain untouched, displayed just as they were when they were lifted off the seabed.
