Star2
Sowing seeds stories and
IT can be argued that Chinese Internet sensation Li Ziqi wouldn’t have reached the same level of fame she has today if it weren’t for social media. Her first taste of “virality” came in 2016, through a video of her cooking Lanzhou beef noodles that...
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These women are crushing it
HOMEMAKER Noraini Abu, 53, is never too shy to collect empty soy sauce bottles and used glass jars from her neighbours and relatives. They might seem like rubbish to some, but to Noraini, they are valuable. The crafter from Puchong, Selangor knows...
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Seize every opportunity
SINGER Datuk Elaine Kang, who is best known for the patriotic anthem Sejahtera Malaysia, recalls singing at weddings when she was only 10 years old, earning just RM8 for each performance. The modest earnings are among the memories that remain vivid...
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Ballet aesthetic takeover
CLASSY, elegant and demure. It’s the shoe trend that invites its wearers to embrace feminine flair. Yet it is not posing as a onesize-fits-all. Taking that into consideration, designers from all corners of the fashion world put their own tasteful spin...
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The weight of being
Being Carried is a theatre work exploring disabled, deaf and neurodivergent experiences through monologues, music and movement. 3
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Coding is caring
These Malaysian husbands are turning software into an expression of love by building apps that solve everyday problems for their wives. 2&3
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By ABIRAMI DURAI
In modern times, the classic Italian staple of pasta is ubiquitous around the world, with 17 million tonnes produced annually. While Italians eat about 27kg of pasta per person per year – the most amount of pasta of any nation across the globe (pasta...
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From daily mart to tourist spot
DISCOVERING a new destination is always exciting. There are famous landmarks to visit, local dishes to try, and nooks and crannies waiting to be explored. Every trip offers something new, whether it’s experiencing a different culture, meeting people...
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Staying for success
AT a time when job-hopping is common – even expected, especially among the younger generation – there are still many who have chosen to build long-term careers in the same organisation. Their reasons go beyond loyalty. For some, it’s about continuous...
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Commercially accessible, socially relevant
FINALLY, after almost two months of keeping myself free at 10pm from Monday to Thursday, TV3’s drama series Jiwa Seorang Pentaksub, about a rogue Yang Berhormat, has come to an end. YB Datuk Firzan was shot dead by his personal assistant, who gave...
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Beauty meets sustainability
A WALK around your favourite beauty store today reveals a quiet shift: refillable perfumes, reusable under-eye patches and refill pouches are steadily replacing the industry’s single-use norm. Our routine, from the morning shower to the evening...
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A bridge back to home
DECADES later, Samar Kabouli still fondly recalls gathering with women in her family and sipping cardamom-spiced coffee as they embroidered fabric with colourful threads in traditional Palestinian patterns. Born in Lebanon to Palestinian refugees,...
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New hot spot
The crackdown on scam compounds in Cambodia is leading some gangs to relocate to beach resorts and office buildings in Sri Lanka, in what may be the next phase of one of the world’s fastestgrowing criminal industries. A combination of visa-free...
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These crunchy, buttery cakes have taken the Internet by storm. BUTTER RICE CAKES
AS A recipe creator, digging into a recipe, ingredient by ingredient, is my favourite part of the job. Often, it’s easy to predict how they’ll act and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, though, a recipe can feel impossible to crack. Enter butter rice...
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Nature’s playground
GRAINS of sand flew into my face when I rode the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) down the rugged trail, revving the engine. The afternoon sun was relentless, and the soft breeze did little to cool us down. The moment the wheels hit the muddy track, the heat...
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The weight of holding on
IMAGINE towering stacks of boxes and heaps of random items competing for space, leaving only a narrow path to walk through the place called home. The solution may seem obvious: just clean up the mess. But what many may perceive as a lack of...
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True calling
YVONNE Chapman never planned to be an actress. More than a decade ago, the Chinese-Canadian was working in corporate finance when she signed up for an acting class to escape, what she described as, a regimented, tightly scheduled life. “I genuinely...
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The next time you’re out perusing the jacket aisles, consider the more chromatic offerings versus the run-ofthe-mill neutrals.
When it comes to blazers and jackets, we tend to veer towards the safe side. It is, after all, a staple that serves multiple functions. Perhaps most importantly, it is to be worn in formal settings. In order to project reason and stability, we eschew...
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Shakespeare in Kelantan rhythm
IT’S been a hectic stretch of travel, rehearsals and performances for Dr Norzizi Zulkifli, but that has done little to slow her down. If anything, the cross-cultural theatre stalwart has only gathered momentum, continuing to innovate traditional...
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A healing connection
THERAPY donkeys are helping patients with mental health conditions recover in a psychiatric hospital unit outside Paris that’s unique to France. The 19th century farm buildings and wooded surroundings are a haven within the Villeevrard hospital...
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Going against grain the
IN the heart of the kitchen at Petaling Jaya’s Meat Feds, Yenni Law is hard at work. The seasoned chef’s face is a rictus of concentration as her knife slices cleanly through the sinew, fat and silver skin (tough, shiny membrane of connective tissue)...
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Checking out some of the main attractions of Penang’s Bukit Mertajam.
THE century-old Tua Pek Kong Temple in Bukit Mertajam, Penang was decked in auspicious red lanterns and brightly coloured carp-shaped ornaments, symbolising perseverance and prosperity, when visited earlier in the year. That set the perfect Chinese...
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Keeping a heritage alive
CHERKI was once a familiar sight in Peranakan households, where relatives and friends gathered around a table for hours of friendly competition and conversation. Today, the game is rarely played and largely unknown among younger...
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Growing without limits
“IT was really hot!” That was the first thing South Korean singer-songwriter Ilhoon told StarLifestyle when asked about his last trip to Malaysia during this online interview, and he wasn’t talking just about the tropical climate. The 31-year-old,...
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Dopamine dressing
As with all things in life, balance is best. If the massive influx of quiet luxury content has stripped away the colours and joy from your outfits, then it is perhaps time to begin reintegrating bolder tones into your attire. Instead of going all out...
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The stories around us
AT the fringes of the Night Market in Langkawi Down Below – not the Langkawi island we are familiar with – stands a brightly lit warung, where weary travellers and adventurers find refuge and sustenance. This, of course, is no ordinary warung. In...
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Promises pitfalls and With earlier generations of ai models, such as GPT-4O and early Gemini models, there was a much higher risk of hallucinations.
The year is 2026, and a fleet of virtual helpers touting the ability to manage the entirety of a person’s digital life is starting to sound less like the far-fetched musings of a distant future and more like something that could be just around the...
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Double the charm
IN a quiet Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood, rows of terrace homes form a familiar urban rhythm, but Armoua House stands apart, with intention. Wrapped in a soft pink concrete shell and framed by expressive structural lines, the residence is at once...
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Holistic holidays
WEARY travellers seek peace and serenity on their getaways, a tranquil escape from the chaos of daily life. Understanding this, resorts and hotels have begun creating sanctuaries where guests can focus on relaxing and recharging. Yoga sessions, spa...
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Getting back on their feet
LIFE was tough for Zuraida Abdul Rahman when she got divorced 15 years ago and had to raise four children largely on her own. “The biggest challenge was ensuring all my children’s needs were met while managing the family finances alone,” says Zuraida,...
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Lifestyles of the rich and vengeful
ENGLISH actors Jessie Mei Li and Toby Stephens both share personal ties to Hong Kong – Li through her father and Stephens through his wife, who were both raised in the city. Yet despite those connections, neither had ever filmed there before. So when...
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Once associated with being nerdy, glasses have been redefined as a fashion statement through pop culture.
Glasses were once considered unfashionable, but that era has passed. In an unexpected reversal, frames have become a style statement – elevating looks and even appearing in purely decorative form on runways and streets alike. The “geek” label has...
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Football carries Africa’s voice
A PHOTO of Vinicius Junior celebrating a goal with one fist in the air was mounted near the entrance of the art exhibition, right next to an acrylic piece of a woman’s dreadlocks suspended in air as she heads a football. A replica of the FIFA World...
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Water park safety
THERE are 1,300 water parks in the United States and 85 million people visit them each year. (In Malaysia, there are more than 20 waterparks and they are popular with both adults and children.) As a parent, it’s important to know what to look for if...
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Journey of love
IN the Kuala Lumpur dining landscape, Cavaliere Modesto Marini is a redoubtable figure whose reputation precedes him. An Italian native, Modesto has been in the F&B scene for decades now, starting out as a chef in fine-dining establishments in the...
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Steeped in history
WALK the streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital city, and you will notice an interesting contrast. Standing right in front of you may be a historical landmark, but surrounding it are high-rise buildings born of modern times. Cities like this are one...
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The heroes we call dad
FATHERS Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year. It is a special day for children to show appreciation for their fathers and father figures who care for, support and guide them. Fathers play many important roles in the family. Some...
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Heading for the stratosphere
NOT too long after James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped up to lead DC Studios into the future, they were riffing about Supergirl. The Tom King comic series, Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow was one of the ideas they were especially excited about, and Gunn...
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Garden variety
SUNGLASSES always add an air of glamour to their wearers, but these ones have an extra edge: quirkiness. While any shades you have will perform the same function of protecting your eyes from the glare of the Malaysian sun, these, with their...
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Picasso The our times of
DAVID Hockney, who died aged 88 on June 11, was a treasured British artist whose paintings of shimmering pools and colourful ipad drawings became icons of contemporary art. Over a seven-decade career, Hockney explored and reimagined classical...
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Building bridges to advance ai, autonomous systems and next-generation defence technologies.
RARELY does a day go by without yet another headline purporting how the latest developments in cutting-edge technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are going to transform how people live and work. This has even extended to the national...
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Local
Photos: Stefania I’VE spoken to many Malaysian restaurant owners over the years and nearly all unequivocally share the same dream: they want to expand. While many simply look at opening outlets throughout the Klang Valley or perhaps even setting up...
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Fairway in the foothills
THE first time I see the four-seater golf buggy roaming away from us with no driver, I imagine it’s careering out of control and brace myself for it to crash into a bunker, tree or person. Instead, it eerily stops in its tracks near to me on the...
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Presence felt
MEGHAN Ireland always loved chemistry, but as a college freshman studying chemical engineering, she didn’t know she could channel her passion for science into the art of making whiskey. It took stumbling across an article about a female chemical...
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Kuantan in festival mode
KUANTAN in Pahang is set to host its first-ever indie arts festival this weekend, transforming the city’s historic Jalan Besar area into a lively hub of music, theatre, film, visual arts and community-driven cultural experiences. The inaugural Kuantan...
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AI misuse at university alarming
THE spiralling uptake of artificial intelligence risks undermining university and college education, researchers have warned following a major survey showing that almost 40% of students regularly consult chatbots while one in ten use them to...
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The existential kitchen
A FEW times a month, I find myself wandering late at night. Everyone is asleep, and I drift, without much purpose, towards the kitchen. It is a comforting space. Everything is in place: pans, spatulas, herbs, seasonings, even the three kinds of pepper...
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A change better for the
THE sea air is crisp, the water crystal-clear. The nearly 6km stretch of beach is immaculate. And bright; Benidorm in Spain gets more than 300 days of sunshine per year. Travellers come here in droves to relax, swim and recharge their batteries....
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Growing urban an sanctuary
EVERY morning, Norbiha Mastuki makes it a priority to step outside into her garden and tend to the plants. Around her, pots and plant beds overflow with edible greens and vines creep around the wooden fences. Her cats trail closely behind her as she...
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Blockbuster bonanza
WE’RE already a month into the summer movie season, with several high-profile Hollywood sequels hitting cinemas – including The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Mortal Kombat II – and major releases like Michael Jackson biopic Michael, The Super Mario Galaxy...
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A softer statement
THESE stylish sneakers make a case for comfort, without compromising on style. Take your pick of this selection of trendy offerings which are both sporty and effortlessly chic. Adidas’ Samba Jane returns with a refined new design, landing as a JD...
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From stall to canvas
WATERCOLOUR artist Ryzalman Misran probably expected people to look at fish. He did not expect his giant patin publicity poster to spark confusion with an aquaculture fisheries seminar instead of an art exhibition. And he certainly didn’t anticipate...
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The dangers of agentic commerce
Ai-powered shopping agents that can independently research, compare and order products on behalf of customers are raising serious legal and privacy questions. while Ai-assisted chat advice is already relatively common in online shopping, providers are...
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The chicken
Serves 8 4 cups buttermilk 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp kosher or coarse salt 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper 1.36kg skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces (thighs, breasts or drumsticks) 4 cups canola or vegetable oil or more as needed, for frying 1 ½ cups...
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Best of Betong
WHEN it comes to Gawai Dayak, Sarawak’s harvest festival (June 1 and 2), you’ll want to set your eyes on Betong. Not to be confused with the mountainous town of the same name in Thailand, this Betong is a historical place in the Betong Division in...
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Drumming up interest
NELSON George Lansam was never particularly drawn to tradition as a child. Growing up, the Sarawakian didn’t enjoy listening to traditional Iban music as he found it a little too old-fashioned for his taste. “I grew up in the 1970s and back then, I...
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Entering a new era
BECOMING a mother has changed the way actress Zahirah Macwilson approaches her career. After welcoming son Isaac Raees in 2021 and daughter Inara Raisa in 2024 with husband Aiman Hakim Ridza, the 31-yearold says she has become far more selective about...
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Fresh faces
Two beauty aesthetics are currently dominating social media feeds and makeup mood boards: the “Mori girl” and “Douyin” trends. Mori girl beauty (on the cover) embraces soft, natural and almost ethereal features, and Douyin makeup places emphasis on...
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Between life and death
TEENAGE memories remain. While walking home with a friend, artist Silas Oo, then 17, witnessed a sudden death – an experience that has since shaped his understanding of life’s fragility and death’s reality. “There was a cat waiting by the roadside,...
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Dieters spend longer consuming fast food content on social media
PEOPLE spend longer looking at fast food content on social media when they are on a diet, a study has suggested. The new research, led by the University of Bristol, found dieters are likely to spend more time looking at videos of highcalorie foods...
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An unapologetic design expression
FOR most interior designers and contractors, a client’s brief is a boundary where a set of compromises is etched in stone. But for MAG Architect managing director Dr Muhsin Abdul Ghani, his private residence is a 1,765sq m rejection of the status quo....
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Sleep in style
IF setting up a tent, inflating a mattress and cooking your own meals sound like too much work, glamping may be the perfect alternative. Glamping, or “glamorous camping”, lets people experience the outdoors without giving up daily comforts: beds,...
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A therapeutic complement
AT the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Dakshinah Subramaniam spent her days caring for critically ill patients in overflowing ICUS and operating theatres. As an anaesthesiologist working in a government hospital in Selangor, she witnessed...
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Power of play and imagination
ANDREW Stanton has spent more than half his life with Story. He was the lead writer on the first three, a script saviour on the fourth, and now, cowriter and co-director on Toy Story 5. “It wasn’t the plan,” he said in a recent interview. “But it...
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Timeless appeal
Handbags with iconic silhouettes have long transcended trends, becoming enduring symbols of style and craftsmanship. From softly structured shapes to architectural classics, these timeless designs continue to evolve while retaining their unmistakable...
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Reframing the tekat craft
TEXTILE artist Yann tilts her head at her work Blessing, where clouds and fine golden threads fall over an indigo batik linen backdrop. “I think I need to shake it a bit more,” she says, before lifting the large frame and giving it a vigorous shake,...
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Friendlier-sounding chatbots may be more error-prone
Training ai chatbots such as Chatgpt to sound friendlier may lead them to make more mistakes, a study suggests. Platforms that prioritised warmth were also more likely to tell people what they want to hear, especially if users expressed sadness. For...
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Ancient culinary wisdom
Photos: 123rf WHILE modern Chinese cuisine often emphasises rich, meaty dishes, older traditions reveal a foundation rooted much more deeply in plant-based eating. Historically, animal protein was a rare luxury, resulting in a culinary heritage where...
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From empowerment to inspiration
WHEN Zero Waste Malaysia launched its Green Wira Programme (GWP), a deliberate decision was made to focus on the individuals guiding the pupils in schools every day. For Zero Waste Malaysia co-founder and director Khor Sue Yee, teachers hold the power...
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Packing a punch
EVEN before he began travelling to Asia for work, ChineseCanadian actor Ludi Lin had visited the region on his own. “I’ve been to Malaysia several times,” he recalls in this exclusive Zoom interview from Singapore, fresh from a gym session. “The...
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The odd step
When is a shoe not a shoe? When fashion takes liberties to rethink its very form. At the Chanel Cruise 2026 show last month, creative director Matthieu Blazy unveiled barefoot sandals that quickly became the talk of social media. Some mocked the...
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Registering the turbulence
THERE was a relentless drizzle on the preview day of the 61st Art Biennale in Venice, Italy, turning the city’s Giardini park into a giant mud patch scattered with unavoidable puddles. (The first public day was May 9, the exhibition runs until Nov...
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Doctor
Throughout her first pregnancy, Wang Yifan had lots of questions, which she usually put to renowned obstetrician Duan Tao – or rather, an AI clone of the top Shanghai-based doctor. Duan has created a digital double for healthcare app AQ, which now...
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Learning from her son
IN their spacious family home in Subang Jaya, 68-year-old Soh Lay Choo reigns supreme. She bustles about with purpose and chats animatedly with everyone around her, often poking fun of herself in the process. Beside her is her son Chong Yu Cheng,...
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A day she deserves
THERE are plenty of ways to celebrate Mother’s Day – which is tomorrow, in case you’ve forgotten – in Malaysia. From quick getaways to big adventures, there are lots of activities you and Mum can experience together, and not just during that one...
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Save, stretch and sacrifice
TO an outsider, Norfiza Nor Ariffin, 56, should be enjoying her stress-free years. With her husband retired and her only child working, it is easy to assume that her tough days of managing household finances are over. In a way, that’s true, as their...
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