‘Remembering America’s Gun Victims’ – Makenna Lee Elrod (Uvalde, Texas)
Makenna Lee Elrod “had the biggest heart and loved her family and friends so much”. So says aunt Allison McCullough in memory of Makenna, a 10-year-old whose life was cut…
Jit Murad: The Malaysian Who Pushed The Boundaries of Laughter
During the 1990s, Malaysia’s longest-serving premier Mahathir Mohamad — an authoritarian loved, despised and feared almost in equal measure by his people — was invited to an evening of comedy…
Monica Moorthy: Behind The Smile and Glare of One of the Greatest Teachers Ever
It was still early in the school day, probably a couple of hours after the opening bell. In the corridors of Form Four (Americans would call it Grade 10) of…
Nagalingam Nagaraju: Covid’s Angel of Mercy for Food
“You do good, good will come to you. I follow this mantra,” Nagalingam Nagaraju says in an inspiring message broadcast on Malaysia's 64th Independence Day. While he wouldn’t make another…
Wong Sai Wan: Never Short of a Laugh or Witty Word
As I approached the hotel room, the door was ajar and a boisterous voice could be heard inside. Someone was singing; it sounded like one of those patriotic anthems in…
Tony Francis: The Malaysian Champ in the Ring of Heavyweight Journalism
Among Tony Francis’ prized possessions was a pair of boxing gloves from Muhammad Ali, which when he put on, made him a very unlikely looking champ. It was a perfect…
George Schoenrock: The Man Who Breathed Fire … And Turned Out Love
On a Sunday morning in 1959, Connie Schoenrock was pulling into her driveway after returning from church in her Secaucus town of New Jersey, when husband George, whom she had…
Ahmad Talib: The Creative, Quirky Giant of Malaysian Journalism
To instigate the flamboyant narrative of Ahmad A. Talib, this foundational plot has to be established: Mat — as he called himself — was greatly instrumental in the trajectory of…
Normita: The Ecuadorian Who Never Stopped Believing In Her Children’s Tomorrow
When Madeleine Hanley arrives at Yale in the fall of 2020, her lineage will celebrate its first to the Ivy League school. Away from the revelry, beaming upon the 18-year-old…
Ismail Kassim: The Bridge That Used To Connect Malaysia, Singapore Journalism
The Malaysia-Singapore Bridge, or more precisely the Johor–Singapore Causeway, is the world’s busiest border crossing, and has connected for nearly a century two countries that used to be one. A…
Lee Ching Fui: The ‘Human Sun’ That Touched Us All
According to his Cantonese name, he was supposed to be “cement” — tough, hard to crack. But on the inside, he was really a marshmallow — all sweet and mushy.…
Vikna Raj: An Extraordinary, Ordinary Guy
The call came at around midnight New York time. It was Vikna Raj. He said he was working on a deal he felt was a strong suit for me. "Can…
Senthilathipan Muthandi: A Great Dramatist
He could make the saddest of us laugh. And the coldest of us cry. If comedy and emotions had a face, it could have well been that of Senthilathipan Muthandi.…
Harjeet Amber: The Beauty Who Wore The ‘M’ Badge for Motherhood
Harjeet Amber, as seen here, could have passed for a Bollywood actress or even Pakistani model. But she was neither. Born into a Sikh family in Malaysia and raised on…
Perry Tan: An Untiring ‘Lovable Rascal’
It was toward the end of the school day, probably an hour to the bell, in the Malaysian capital’s MBSKL. Sunny Chong, who usually adored the bright kids in his…
A Sweet Soul Who Defined “Amma” and “Avva”
If there was one thing she proved in her 80 years, it was that she could be mother to anyone. From the milkman to newspaper delivery guy, the neighborhood grocery…
MBSKL’s ‘Yong-Sook’: The End Of An Era
It’s been more than 30 years since I left school. Yet, sometimes it feels like I just walked out of its gates yesterday. An active text group – probably a…
Supramaniam: The Man Who Constantly Cheated Death To Bring Life To Others
He was barely 20. Yet, death looked almost certain to his eyes as the B-17 bomber headed menacingly in his direction, ready to decimate any target in its view in…