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‘Ma’-rching with speed and stability
THIS Chinese New Year, astrologers are paying close attention to one of the most intense combinations in Chinese metaphysics: the Year of the Fire Horse. According to Master Kevin Chan of KC Bazi, this is not a year designed for comfort or...
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Clean up for luck
WHILE most view spring cleaning as a ritual to attract good luck, Feng Shui consultant Paulynne Cheng pointed out that it also has practical value. “It’s meant to reinvigorate the quality of Qi in the house,” she said when contacted by...
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CLAYPOT PATIN FISH WITH YELLOW WINE
1 patin fish, cut into large pieces 60g ginger, sliced 60g garlic, sliced 60g shallots, sliced thinly 60g green chillies, cut thinly 200g Chinese yellow rice wine (Huang Jiu) 400ml oyster sauce 40ml light soy sauce 1 tsp sugar To make Heat a...
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Ride andrepeat
ARE you ready for that time of the year? You know what time it is. When puns and wordplays, specific to one particular animal each year, start making their rounds both online and in real life. Clue: Any variation of the phrase “gallop into the new...
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Different tradition, same family ties
LECTURER Dr Lee Chan Wai grew up in Kluang, Johor and for as long as he could remember, his family’s Chinese New Year reunion dinners were grand affairs at home. When his father, retiree Lee Poi Kan was still alive, there was little question about how...
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Galloping to the cinemas
Night King SET in 2012 Hong Kong, Dayo Wong plays Foon, the manager of the once-popular nightspot Club CJ. To revive the glory days of the nightclub, a new CEO is appointed to make sweeping change. To make matters worse for Foon, the CEO is none...
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Red hot kicks
FOR the upcoming Chinese New Year festive season, brands are pulling out all the stops with trendy pieces to elevate your style. Check out these cool sneaker offerings in vibrant designs that are perfect for the festivities. Christian Louboutin’s So...
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The world we live in
CENSORSHIP has been a constant in Ai Weiwei’s life. The 68-year-old Chinese dissident, whose activist art has made him among Beijing’s most prominent critics, has seen his films, sculptures and other works restricted for their criticisms of China as...
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Does ai create new ideas, or just repeat old ones?
FOR decades, elite mathematicians have struggled to solve a collection of thorny problems posed by a 20th-century academic named Paul Erdos. Last month, an artificial intelligence startup called Harmonic jumped into the mix. Harmonic said its AI...
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Happy Chinese
MOST Malaysian Chinese citizens in modern-day Malaysia trace their ancestral roots to 19th- and 20th-century migrants who arrived from mostly southern China provinces like Fujian and Guangdong with dreams of better lives. This influx was driven by...
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It’s not just romance
VALENTINE’S Day in the modern world is synonymous with romance, but could also be a celebration of the people you love – whether that’s a romantic partner, a friend or a family member. Depending on where you are in the world, Valentine’s Day customs...
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Lighter house, lighter hearts
IN many homes, the weeks and months before the Chinese New Year come with the familiar swish of brooms, the smell of detergent and the decluttering of cupboard shelves. Known as “sao nien” ( ), or “sweeping away the old year”, the tradition is...
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Riding a whirlwind success
KATSEYE, the global girl group, made up of Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Yoonchae Jeung and Manon Bannerman, is in the midst of a rapid rise to fame. In a matter of months – since the release of its second EP,...
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Refined casual dressing
If you’re the sort who prefers not to mix and match, dresses and playsuits are the perfect choice. Not sure how to dress them up? There are tons of ways to add accessories, scarves and jackets to your look to achieve an elevated casual vibe. Sandro’s...
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More than a backdrop
THE ceremony to mark the completion of the Phase 1 Conservation of Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad (BSAS) in Kuala Lumpur was held on Jan 31. This marks a significant milestone under the Warisan KL initiative – a national, heritage-led urban renewal...
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ALERT
The knitwear store appears to be a small family-run business. The sweaters on its website feature a photo of a woman hand-knitting a Christmas design. The caption says that after decades of creating knitwear that tells “quiet stories of care and...
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The virality game
IT is 2pm on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. It isn’t a public holiday or any kind of special day, yet when I walk up to the entrance of Kuala Lumpur’s Grumpy Bagels, it is heaving at the seams with an army of people. And there is no discrimination in this...
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Finding peace on an island
THE plan was simple: Fly to Maldives, stay in an affordable three-star hotel instead of a luxury resort, and swim endlessly with the sharks. I had done my research – as well as budget calculation – before deciding on the trip, and brushed off the...
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A second chance at life
HENRY Wong, 32, wears many hats at Kairos Agriculture (KA) in Permatang Pauh, Penang. The trained vanilla farmer spends his days tending to the plants while also managing daily operations at the farm’s cafe, where he cooks for visitors and oversees...
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Zealous commitment
IN a room in his London house, 52-year-old spray tan artist James Harknett has carefully arranged more than 12,500 items connected, in one way or another, to Madonna. Along with CDs, vinyl records, store displays and magazines including Smash Hits and...
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Fresh So and so clean
Barrier protection Shu Uemura’s brightoil is designed for modern city living, addressing daily aggressors such as pollution, UV exposure, stress and long hours that weaken the skin barrier and dull natural radiance. Its Moisture-barrier Cleansing...
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The price of modernity
THE electronic devices which are prevalent in our daily lives – smartphones, laptops, tablets, TVS and more – are all made in large factories, shrouded in industrial secrecy. In the video installation Colorless, Odorless (2024), South Korean artist...
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Onwards and upwards
With 2026 in full swing, there’s a lot going on in the tech world, from the ever-present hype over artificial intelligence (Ai) to potential new mechanisms to generate and store energy. here are a few real, practical developments to look forward...
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More When is more
IN a design landscape long dominated by safe neutrals, clean lines and restrained minimalism, a quiet revolution has been building – one filled with saturated colours, layered textures, bold patterns and deeply personal stories. Maximalism, once...
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Bound by history and spirit
IN the lobby of a brand new hotel in Roseau, the capital of Dominica, I chatted with one of its Afro-caribbean employees. I asked him, “Do you know South-east Asia?” His answer was crisp: “No. What’s that?” I nodded and didn’t pursue it any further....
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Greener days ahead
FOR years, an empty plot of land sat unused behind an apartment complex in Kuala Lumpur. Its soil remains waterlogged after heavy rain and its barrenness noticeable, save for a few shady trees dotting the edges and brown patches where grass refuses to...
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Meet South Korea’s elite chefs
THE most surprising thing about Netflix’s smash-hit culinary survival series Culinary Class Wars may not be the food or the final rankings, but the stories of each chef. Season Two’s beloved judges and the white team – the elite figures who helped...
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From heritage designs to contemporary favourites, these handbags are made for every occasion.
If your wardrobe could use a refresh, now is the perfect moment to reassess what’s already there and what might be missing. Investing in a small edit of well-made designs of different shapes and sizes is the best way to ensure you’re prepared for...
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Klpac’s new theatre show offers an unflinching look at later life – time to reflect or one last wild
God’s
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The challenge of weight loss
FEW people realise how much humans are built to store fat efficiently. This is a genetic disposition shaped over millions of years during our evolution. But while our bodies are excellent at holding on to fat, they are also extraordinarily bad at...
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How to make a bracelet/ necklace from paper beads
Step 1 Select an old magazine or other paper product and tear out a colourful page. Step 2 Cut across the page at a slight angle to make long triangular strips. Step 3 Lay one strip on a flat surface, and align a pencil horizontally against the...
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From playful to polished
IT wasn’t long after Paloma Lanna started Paloma Wool that her brand began to receive the type of attention many designers only dream of. Its colourful, printed clothes were featured in publications like British Vogue and The New York Times....
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Online comments may not reflect public opinion
ANYONE using social media has likely long perceived that some people are not only prolific commentators but that debates on arenas such as X and Reddit often end up dominated by a handful of such keyboard warriors. A team of researchers from Germany’s...
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For animals and animal lovers
THERE are so many fascinating festivals around the world that travellers often plan entire trips just to experience them. In South-east Asia, for instance, Thailand’s Water Festival (Songkran) and Lantern Festivals (Loy Krathong and Yi Peng) draw...
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Taking control
SOME 18 years ago, Indonesian martial artist Iko Uwais was working as a telecoms van driver when he crossed paths with Jakarta-based British director Gareth Evans. That chance meeting would change Uwais’s life, launching him into Evans’ breakout films...
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Holistic skin health
IF the past decade of skincare trends was driven by products overload, 2026 marks a decisive change in pace. The conversation around enhancing one’s natural beauty is no longer about what’s new, but what actually works and why. Consumers are far...
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No risk, many gains
Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engage in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and...
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Fuelling fire the
THERE are few culinary figures as revered as Argentinian celebrity chef, restaurateur and author Francis Mallmann. At the recent Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival in Margaret River, Australia, held in November 2025,...
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Mindy in Rome
BY gondola, speedboat and even a horse. Those were some of the exotic and over-the-top modes of transportation that Ashley Park’s character, Mindy Chen, used to experience Italy in this season of Emily In Paris. Season 5, released recently on Netflix,...
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Welcoming the New Year
THE year 2026 is an important year in my life because it brings forth new opportunities and growth. This year, I see myself becoming more focused in my goals and more aware on my role as a student. Every year, we grow more mature and I believe 2026...
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Owen Cooper
When Owen Cooper won a best supporting Emmy in September at age 15, it was for an emotionally complex, tumultuous role that could have challenged the most seasoned actor. But the performance in the four-part Netflix miniseries Adolescence – as Jamie,...
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High From fashion to pop culture
This year, it was noted how those included reflected a definition of stylish that was looser than the term’s conventional meaning – equal parts style and “ish”. While style is most obviously conveyed through clothes, accessories and haircuts, can’t it...
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Why ‘surveillance pricing’ strikes a nerve
IF you’re not paying for the product, you are the product, as the refrain goes. In other words, many social media sites and search engines that provide free services do so in exchange for your personal data. But with “surveillance pricing,” consumers...
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Defying gravity
WHEN viewed from the outside, the Float-box House – located on a 750sq m angular plot surrounded by the lush Kota Damansara Forest Reserve – appears to be levitating above ground. But that’s not magic. It’s an optical illusion, a feat of...
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The long journey
RECENTLY, I went on a walking pilgrimage on the Via Francigena in Europe. It traces its roots to old Roman consular roads, and is considered one of the oldest cultural, trade and pilgrimage routes in Europe. Via Francigena spans over 2,000km and runs...
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South Korea, Malaysia and beyond
In the 2010s, K-fashion – the umbrella term for South Korea’s street style, contemporary labels and Hallyu-inspired dressing – dominated the scene. Its rise was seemingly phenomenal, with even Western countries embracing the aesthetic (or rather, the...
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Energy on tap
Lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from cellphones to cars, are increasingly saving electric grids around the world. Batteries as large as shipping containers are being connected to power lines and installed beside solar panels and wind...
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For the broth To make stuffing
1kg chicken bones and neck 1 piece chicken breast 100g celery 100g carrot 100g white onion 50g porcini mushrooms For the pasta dough 5 eggs 650g semolina flour To make chicken broth In a casserole pot, gently sauté the chicken bones and neck...
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Travel notes
How to get there: airasia X flies direct from KLIA Terminal 2 to the Sabiha Gokcen International airport four times weekly. Where to stay: The asian side has more affordable options, like the doubletree by Hilton moda. For luxury stays, check out the...
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Deck halls the
CHRISTMAS is always a highlight in fisherman Mervin Adrin Desilva’s home. For the Desilvas – who live in the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir, Melaka – decorating their house ahead of Dec 25 is a longstanding tradition. This year, Desilva, 57, and...
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Trust and transformation
When hong Kong actors Lai Lokyi and Ali Lee agreed to headline the Malaysian drama The Exiled, they did so on faith alone. There was no script, character breakdown or even a full premise. All they were told was that the story would plunge them into...
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A cross-cultural trailblazer
AN exhibition by the Francochinese master printmaker Zao Wou-ki opened in Hong Kong last Saturday, the first time his work has been on display in Asia. Hong Kong’s M+ museum is hosting a collection of more experimental prints by the artist, who is...
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Building future-ready tech infrastructure
Adequate infrastructure and ecosystems need to be developed with long-term use in mind for both artificial intelligence (AI) and future technologies that come after it, says digital Minister Gobind Singh deo. “We speak about AI. We know what AI does....
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The lost flavours of Sri Lanka
IN the annals of food, time is reflected in evolving trends, changing predilections and quite often, the obliteration of recipes once considered sacrosanct in different communities. Sadly, there is often nothing to mark the end of a culinary era or...
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The island life
AS my flight prepared to land at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius, my eyes turned to the window, where I saw countless pointed mountains bordered by the sea. Located far out in the Indian Ocean, the island of Mauritius was...
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When paddles meet people
IN the mornings and evenings at different locations across the Klang Valley, similar scenes play out. People of different ages, backgrounds and fitness levels gather on compact courts, paddles in hand, ready for a game that’s easy to pick up,...
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Fashioned from a storied past
As the style industry evolves, brands scramble to stay relevant – but sometimes the most effective strategy is one rooted in heritage. People are naturally drawn to names whose stories reflect their own background. According to Dirk Adam Luebbert,...
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Making now visible today
A WOODEN house structure stands prominently in a main section of Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, carrying the humble, welcoming presence of a Chinese New Village home in Jenjarom, Selangor. Inside, nine lacquer carvings – recalling the delicate...
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Climate Pause
Experts recommend that users keep charging between 20% and 80% and choose slower charging methods for daily use – this minimises voltage stress and slows degradation. Another tip is to avoid charging right after driving, as charging while the battery...
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The meat of the matter
AT restaurants across Kuala Lumpur’s increasingly cosmopolitan dining scene, you’ll notice one familiar recurrence. Beef – in some form or another – is often a staple on the menu. This inclusion isn’t by accident. It is entirely bolstered by changing...
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Blinded by the allure
BLIND boxes might just seem like another cute trend of collectibles. But according to Monash University marketing lecturer Dr Racheal Louis Vincent, the craze reveals something deeper. She sees it as a powerful mix of psychology, culture, identity and...
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Boys just want to have fun
IT made perfect sense to director Indra Putra – better known as Sanji – to cast three good-looking actors as the leads of his first live-action film, Klepet, especially since the story centres on three childhood friends. And it certainly helps that...
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Polished and practical
The shoulder bag is an effortless fashion essential that is sleek, versatile and designed to move with you. From compact silhouettes to softly structured classics, current styles are the perfect balance of form and function. Saint Laurent’s Jamie mini...
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The spirit of the region
PAVEL Hajko never tires of painting roosters. Inside his home studio in Kovacica – a sleepy town in northern Serbia famous for its style of naive art – the brightly coloured creatures cover the walls. “From the beginning, even in elementary school, I...
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Much too
EVEN though she was toughened by years spent working in Internet activism, Caitlin Roper found herself traumatised by the online threats she received this year. The posts were part of a surge of vitriol directed at Roper and her colleagues at...
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Blue food
When talking about his latest cookbook, chef and television personality Andrew Zimmern had an epiphany. “My first job in food was when I was 14 when my parents said no allowance, so I went and got a job at the local seafood restaurant that my...
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The ultimate sacrifice
HEROIC exploits of the gallant Malay Regiment soldiers during World War II come alive through captivating exhibits in Singapore, collectively known as Reflections At Bukit Chandu. Housed within a double storey bungalow surrounded by lush greenery at...
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Gold threads, new horizon
AMRAN Abdullah, 21, has a learning disability but that hasn’t dampened his thirst for knowledge and his diligence in developing new skills. In the last two years, the young man from Kuching has been learning the art of sewing keringkam – Sarawak’s...
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The trending ajumma vest
IN fashion, essentially anything can become a trend. Once thought of as a purely practical layer worn by older women on kimjang day – the annual family marathon of making huge batches of kimchi – the kimjang vest has made an unlikely leap into the...
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How to decode art
FOR many, the enjoyment of visual art comes with an intimidation factor, as anxiety about “not getting it” can deter people from engaging at all. Similarly, even though studies show there are health benefits to creating art for its own sake, the fear...
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The neurotech revolution is here
From translating thoughts into words to allowing paralysed people to walk, the field of neurotechnology has been quietly surging ahead, raising hopes of medical breakthroughs – and profound ethical concerns. Some observers even think that neurotech...
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