Darkness surrounds us Life is filled with challenges A light saves the day  

I read Message From An Unknown Chinese Mother by Xinran quite a long while back and the stories of loss and love have stuck in my mind. Some very traditional Chinese believe that, as Xinran puts it, “you do not count as a human being unless you have a son” to carry on the family line. This was severely intensified ...

When you are in a restaurant, take a look around you. You will see that the majority of people are bent forward towards the glow of their smartphones. Whatever is streaming on their phones is so engrossing that they seem to be in some sort of hypnotic trance, ignoring the people around them. Conversations at dinner table are limited to ...

When my sons were still kids, they loved Pokemon. Pokemon ‘Pocket Monsters’ took the world by storm in 1995, spawning a generation of kids who were hooked by the game on GameBoys and Nintendo game consoles. Fast forward to Pokémon Go just released this month in many regions around the world but it is not available in Malaysia yet. It ...

A lot of us succumb to doubts about our faith as we cope with trials and tribulations that come our way. We ask all the existential questions when we are in the midst of a faith-testing trauma. I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of that. And the gloom that seems to be enveloping Malaysia lately ...

If you have never heard of Bitcoin, you must have living under the proverbial coconut shell. And you would probably think Blockchain is something to do with engines and Satoshi is some kind of Japanese sushi. Bitcoin is a cyber-enigma with an enthusiastic following. You can apparently use it to buy anything from coffee to cars, yet few people seem ...

As AirAsia Flight AK6181 from Miri to Kuching prepared for landing at Kuching International Airport yesterday, the usual reminder about use of hand phones only after the safety belt sign had been switched off was made by one of the cabin crew. I was sitting in a middle seat towards the back portion of the plane and as soon as ...

Malaysian time is very elastic, A laid-back attitude makes life less hectic, Tardiness is not seen as a moral crime, Punctuality does not mean you have to arrive in time.   Tardiness is an accepted practice, Even in the corporate office, Time is perceived as a gentle stream, Flowing leisurely like in a dream.   Malaysians are generally not lazy, ...

Anthony Bourdain, Food demigods he disdains, His adventures in the culinary underbelly, Will give you a case of Basra belly.

I taste, Durians, so rich, Its sweet flesh I devour, A small worm wriggling in the pulp, Too late.