February 2026

I can almost believe I’ve learned to make kopi—or at least understand that in Malaysia, coffee is a simple pleasure, and no less delicious than coffee made anywhere else.

“What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.” — Leisure, William Henry Davies

The tragic loss of Zara Qairina[1], the culmination of a systemic bullying culture, where a “High Council” of seniors and abusive confrontations over theft accusations preceded her fatal fall, is a painful reminder that silence can kill.

Automation is forcing a philosophical reset in the labour market. While “work” historically meant performing routine tasks for pay, the future requires societies to compete with AI on meaning, not speed.

Project Mars hopes to shift how people think about eating—not as something dependent on constant regrowth, but as something already growing around them.

Such environments do not merely accommodate pets; they support a mode of living that values connection, slowness and shared presence.

THERE ARE SPACES we occupy by necessity—home, school, office—and others we gravitate to by choice. The latter are…

Katharine believes that the garden’s success in drawing in crowds from both the community and foreign visitors could not have been made possible without a very passionate, 20-strong team.

Across Penang, these reading spaces differ in scale, philosophy and operation. Yet, all share a commitment to something increasingly rare—a space to be.