Anak Gen-X

The last time we were in Kuantan in 2022, we did what most people do these days -- crowd-sourced food recommendations from Facebook friends and mixed them with a bit of Googling to plan our makan stops. For breakfast, besides the usual local favourites like nasi dagang and nasi kerabu , we decided to try something completely new to us: mee calong in Beserah . The drive from Teluk Cempedak , where we were staying, was pleasantly scenic and set the mood nicely. When we arrived, we were greeted by a rustic little warung -- the kind that instantly feels familiar. And the food? Exactly our kind of grub: warm, soupy comfort food, best enjoyed in an authentic kampung setting. Only later did we learn that this berkuah dish, similar to mee sup or Terengganu-style mee rebus , is something you’ll mainly find in Beserah. Mee calong is often likened to bakso because it comes with fish balls , but the difference is the addition of tofu . Calong refers to fish meat shaped into balls, and the b...

  Bentong, Pahang ialah bandar warisan yang berkembang sejak era perlombongan bijih timah . Kini ia terkenal dengan alam semula jadi seperti Air Terjun Chamang , kolam air panas , durian Musang King , serta tarikan santai seperti Bentong Walk dan makanan tempatan yang unik . Tonton video di sini:

Watching Alex Honnold free-climb Taipei 101 —now lighting up social media—suddenly unlocked a memory closer to home. Long before viral clips and algorithm fame, Kuala Lumpur had its own jaw-dropping moment. September 2009 . Dawn in the city. Out of nowhere, the so-called “ French Spiderman ”, Alain Robert , began scaling the Petronas Twin Towers —bare-handed, no ropes, no safety net. Somehow, he had slipped past security two hours earlier and was already clinging to one of the world’s tallest buildings as the city slowly woke up. By 7.30am, the 47-year-old had reached the summit of the 452-metre (1,483-foot) tower. At the top, he unfurled a Malaysian flag —an audacious flourish that drew gasps, cameras, and inevitably, the authorities. Moments later, he was apprehended by police. This wasn’t a one-off stunt. It was Robert’s third attempt on the Twin Towers, after being stopped in 1997 and again in 2007. By then, he had already built a global reputation scaling icons like the Eiffel T...

Talk about retro vibes . This building was once an old Chinese furniture shop , left quietly abandoned for more than two years after its owner passed away. The structure itself is full of soul — a pre-war building dating back to the 1930s, carrying the kind of character you just don’t see anymore. The drive to Beranang already sets the mood. As you leave the city behind, the scenery slowly shifts into a proper kampung setting — winding roads, greenery all around, and that feeling like you’ve somehow slipped back in time. Today, the building has been given a new lease of life as a warm and welcoming café: Kafe Inchum & Aziz. The menu is simple but comforting — crowd favourites like nasi lemak and mee kicap sit alongside charming surprises such as mantou and enoki mushrooms . Best of all, the café only opens on weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, making every visit feel a little more special… like a small, nostalgic reward at the end of the road. Kafe Inchum & Aziz 154, Jalan S...

Sejak aku beralih kerjaya dari bidang undang-undang ke media lebih 25 tahun yang lampau, aku telah diberi peluang untuk bertemu dan menemubual ramai tokoh dan personaliti terkenal, dari dalam dan luar negara. Ini termasuklah ikon dunia sukan, figura politik dan selebriti hiburan yang dapat aku bersembang dan kongsikan buah fikiran mereka dalam pelbagai platform media, termasuk majalah, akhbar, media digital, radio dan televisyen.  Tak mungkin dapat aku sebutkan semua, namun izinkan aku berkongsi pengalaman mencungkil cerita dari tiga legenda ini.    The Big Show Dengan ketinggian 7 kaki 2 inci dan berat 500 paun, The Big Show (nama sebenar, Paul Wight ) adalah antara karakter paling besar dan menggerunkan dalam dunia gusti profesional . Sebab itu aku rasa teruja dan sedikit gementar apabila diberi peluang untuk duduk bertentang mata dengan gergasi ini untuk majalah gaya hidup lelaki berbahasa Inggeris, Men’s Review pada 2001. Lokasi temubual kami adalah di hotel KL Hilto...

There was a virtual riot when the announcement was made. Okay, I may be exaggerating a tad -- but when Salahuddin Bakery revealed in mid-2024 that it would be leaving its 87-year-old home at Jalan Dhoby due to rising costs, the reaction among generations of devoted fans was a potent mix of sadness and disbelief. Salahuddin Bakery, Jalan Dhoby After all, Salahuddin Bakery wasn’t just a place to grab pastries on the way home from work. It was an institution -- woven into the everyday rhythms of Johor Bahru life. But nothing lasts forever, they say. And so, in October 2024, the bakery -- now run by its fourth-generation owner -- finally moved to Bandar Baru Uda , leaving behind Jalan Dhoby and a treasure trove of memories. Founded in 1937 by Shariff Mohamed Mahku from New Delhi , the bakery grew alongside Jalan Dhoby itself, a street once lined with laundries (hence the name). Over the decades, Salahuddin became renowned for baking some 20 types of traditional breads and pastries, mos...

Built in 1902, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel lets you walk 370 metres under the River Thames from Island Gardens to Greenwich — for free, because Victorians were clearly fearless. We tried it for the first time a couple of years ago, entered from the Island Gardens side, and let’s just say… walking under a river is still mildly creepy, even 120 years later.

  Jugra mungkin nampak seperti sebuah pekan kecil yang tenang di Kuala Langat, tetapi jangan tertipu dengan suasananya. Di sinilah tersimpan lapisan sejarah Selangor yang jarang diceritakan — daripada asal-usul namanya, peranannya sebagai pusat pemerintahan Sultan Selangor, hinggalah kedudukannya yang strategik menghadap Selat Melaka. Jom kenali Jugra, tempat kecil dengan kisah yang besar. Tonton video di sini

  Ah, looking at these AJL 2009 pics really brought back some great memories. But okay, let me enlighten you a bit on how we -- the new media team (aka Alt Media ) -- helped reinvent the annual awards show. Today, all this probably looks… mundane. What’s the big deal, right? Get the social media guy to snap photos and upload them. Live streaming? Just pacak a couple of phones and go live on TikTok or Facebook . Even school kids can do it now. But 17 years ago? Whole different story. This was a huge production, and it was all hands on deck at the venue. We had to deliver live streaming, live photo galleries, and behind-the-scenes videos -- all in real time. Social media was still new territory, and we were among the first in the country to incorporate it in a big way. That became our cutting edge. With Twitter and Facebook embedded directly into the AJL microsite , the hype spread organically through digital word-of-mouth -- driven by the fans themselves. Even the red carpet was ...

Puchong -- sebelum menjadi pusat perbandaran moden dengan pusat beli-belah dan lebuh raya sesak, kawasan ini pernah terkenal dengan satu kejadian luar biasa yang kini menjadi sebahagian daripada sejarah lisan penduduk lama: penampakan buaya di sekitar lombong dan sungai Puchong . Menurut catatan dan cerita penduduk kampung, pada suatu ketika dahulu terdapat sebuah ladang ternakan buaya di kawasan Puchong. Ladang tersebut dikendalikan oleh seorang pengusaha persendirian, di mana sebanyak 264 ekor buaya pernah diternak untuk tujuan jualan kulit dan daging . Buaya-buaya itu berusia antara enam bulan hingga setahun ketika dibela di ladang tersebut. Namun, keadaan bertukar apabila banjir besar melanda seluruh negara sekitar awal 1970-an. Air naik mendadak di kawasan sungai, lombong dan paya, menyebabkan 264 ekor buaya yang ditempatkan di ladang ternakan itu terlepas ke kawasan perairan semula jadi. Setelah banjir surut, usaha menangkap semula buaya-buaya yang terlepas dilakukan oleh pih...

Muzium Adat di Kuala Klawang , Jelebu merupakan destinasi penting untuk mengenali kepelbagaian adat resam di Malaysia. Terletak kira-kira 36 km dari Seremban , muzium ini menampilkan warisan budaya pelbagai etnik serta nilai persaudaraan, kebersamaan dan jati diri masyarakat beradat, selari dengan identiti Negeri Sembilan sebagai Tanah Beradat . Tonton video di sini:

Once upon a time, in the early to mid-90s, Damansara Utama -- or simply DU to us regulars -- was the place to lepak. Especially when my old school mates came back from studying overseas (and I was at nearby IIUM ), we’d be there almost every night, catching up like we never left school. Our nights usually started (and sometimes ended) at the old food stalls. Apart from makan, we’d pop by the video game shop to play 1942 or Raiden , or browse through cassettes at the music shop nearby. Simple pleasures, but they filled our nights with laughter and noise. At the old DU stalls, circa 1995 Among the many stalls, there was one mamak whose owner we called John. He was a legend in his own right -- the kind who’d know your regular drink order by heart ( teh ais , for me.) Sometimes, the drinks would land on our table before we even sat down. That’s service you can’t teach. But the true king of the DU stalls was Vicchuda Tomyam & Seafood . While other stalls had their slow nights, Vicchu...

For anyone fascinated by Malaya/Singapore colonial history, there’s actually quite a lot on screen to explore. I’ll admit I’ve been more or less obsessed with these stories for the past couple of years, and I’ve managed to watch most of what’s out there. Some of the international standouts: Changi (2001) – An Australian miniseries about POWs held in Singapore, blending memory, trauma, and dark humour. The Singapore Grip (2020) – Adapted from J.G. Farrell ’s satirical novel, set against the fall of Singapore in 1942 . Tenko (1981–84) – A BBC drama about British, Australian, and Dutch women interned by the Japanese in Singapore and the region. A Town Like Alice (1981) – Miniseries adaptation of Nevil Shute ’s novel, with key parts set in Malaya during WWII. Saint Jack (1979) – Filmed in Singapore, offering a rare unvarnished look at the city in the 1970s, though more social than colonial. Earlier cinematic takes worth noting: The Letter (1940)  – An American crime film no...

  Eighty-four years ago today, on 11 January 1942 , Kuala Lumpur fell to the Japanese Imperial Army . There was no dramatic last stand in the city, no epic battle splashed across history books. British forces had already withdrawn, leaving the capital open. What followed was a quiet, uneasy takeover -- the kind that settles in your stomach long before it appears in the streets. For the people of Kuala Lumpur, the fall marked the end of one colonial reality and the beginning of a far harsher one. Japanese troops marched in with speed and confidence, their arrival signalling the collapse of British power in Malaya . Overnight, familiar symbols of authority vanished, replaced by fear, uncertainty, and a new set of rules enforced with brutality. The occupation that followed would last more than three years, reshaping lives in ways that still echo today -- through stories of hardship, survival, resistance, and loss passed down through families. Remembering 11 January 1942 is not just...

Terletak di daerah Hulu Langat , Selangor , Empangan Semenyih bukan sekadar sumber bekalan air utama untuk Lembah Klang , malah sebuah kawasan yang kaya dengan keindahan alam semula jadi.  Siap dibina pada tahun 1986 dengan kos RM400 juta, empangan ini dikelilingi hutan hijau dan landskap berbukit yang mendamaikan, menjadikannya antara lokasi menarik yang sering mencuri perhatian pencinta alam dan penggemar pemandangan cantik. Tonton video di sini:

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dato' Shake a couple of times back when I was hosting Malaysia Hari Ini on TV3 . A true gentleman, with no shortage of great stories -- and absolutely no airs about him. During one of those interviews, I couldn’t help myself and asked how he still managed to look so youthful (he's 75 now, btw.) Before he could even answer, his wife jumped in cheerfully: “Gym, and a lot of skincare products!” We all laughed -- a moment that perfectly summed up the warmth and ease of being around him. Growing up as a JB boy , I’d of course heard of this Johorean who made it in France. Back then, we were genuinely in awe of his courage and perseverance. It simply wasn’t the norm for Malaysians to leave home and build an international career, let alone in Europe . But Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Ahmad did exactly that when he made Paris his home in 1976. The charismatic performer went on to secure a record deal and became a sensation across Europe, releasing a st...