Let’s not compare apples with durians

Those who equate the anti-Trump protests with local protests against our Government are ignoring some key differences. WELL that was a shocker, wasn’t it? The Unthinkable won against the Unpalatable! Who would have thought! It turns out that if some people had actually thought properly, they would have seen...

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A tale of three countries

THREE old friends, an American, a Filipina and a Malaysian, recently sat down to have coffee. After a long session of catching up on family news, the talk turned to current issues. Naturally the issue of national leadership came up. One bemoaned the fact that an orange-skinned self-confessed groper was actually...

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A fascinating show across the Atlantic

DON’T we all have moments when we dream of being led by inspiring leaders, rather than the dim wet blankets we currently have? Don’t we wish we could listen to them and feel our hearts soar with hope, rather than having to figure out what is the latest mumbo jumbo nonsense they are dishing out? Like many Malaysians...

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Remembering those far simpler days

Class reunions are a reminder of an education where we learnt about the world, about how to treat one another and how to write properly. THE year 2016 seems to be the year of reunions for me. Early this year, I was reunited with my alma mater, the University of Sussex – quite a nostalgic experience, even if...

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Are our decisions really ours?

ONE of the things I like to tell young people is that if they do well at school, they will have more choices in life. Having choices is one of the great privileges in a human being’s life and many of us are working to ensure the greatest number of people have the ability to make the most choices for themselves...

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Olympics lifted us above the mundane

With the exception of the spoilsports, the rest of us came together to cheer as one. THE Rio Olympics finally arrived and this time we had the best medal haul ever, four silvers and one bronze. We may not have heard Negaraku being played at the victory ceremonies but we did see the Jalur Gemilang being raised...

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Looking for certainty and comfort

Preachers can have a tremendous influence on desperate souls looking for answers to their troubles, and the latter may take everything literally. IT seems as if the last month has been marked by nothing but violence. Beginning with Orlando, Istanbul, then Dhaka and then the killings of Alton Sterling and...

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Getting more insular each day

WELL, it’s been some week! To the shock of everyone, Britain voted to leave the European Union. I was in Britain not too long ago and nobody I knew believed they would leave. But by a whisker, they did. And the consequences are still rolling out all over the world. All this can be put on the shoulders of one...

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Diverting the blame for a massacre

Instead of looking into how a man with a record could easily get a gun, some have focused on his religion and the alleged sins of the victims. IS it too much these days to expect Ramadan to be the month of restraint, reflection and rest? In the past few years it has been anything but, both domestically and internationally....

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Unexpected teachers in life

In addition to what we learn in school, other people we meet can give us valuable lessons, too. MONDAY this week was National Teacher’s Day. I had lost touch with this day until a friend reminded me in a rather unique way. Although we usually think of teachers as the ones in school, my friend used a broader...

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Don’t overthink before you act

I CAME across this great quote the other day. It’s by a filmmaker called Pierre Sauvage who, as a child, was saved by German villagers during the Holocaust. Interviewing the villagers as an adult, he found out one thing: “Those who agonise, don’t act. Those who act don’t agonise.” In other words, when it comes...

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The age of inverted meanings

YOU have to hand it to some people. They can be quite barefaced hypocrites when it suits them. The same people who say that “too much freedom is a bad thing” can suddenly invoke freedom of speech when someone they like is banned from speaking. Usually it’s not someone telling them anything new, because new ideas...

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Hotels should respect guests’ privacy

MALAYSIANS are having to get used to a schizophrenic life. The other night many of us watched a thrilling Moto3 Grand Prix race in Argentina when 17-year old Khairul Idham Pawi became the first Malaysian ever to win it. Tears welled up with pride when the NegaraKu was played as he stood there on the podium....

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Know that God is watching

I GREW up with perhaps a heightened awareness of God. As a child I was told that if I ever told a lie, God would cut off my tongue. If I ever fancied myself as well off, I was admonished that there was absolutely no one on earth richer than God. If I tried to hide from my elders after doing something naughty,...

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