August 2016 - Penang Monthly

Three Who Found the Call of Music Irresistible

11 min read

 Jazzing Up the IslandIt was the 1970s and everyone was playing the guitar. Paul Augustin was no exception. The St. Xavier's Institution boy was in the t...

Andrea Filmer

The Problem is not Intolerance, it is Injustice

7 min read

A buddy of mine treated me to a stand-up comedy show in May. It was my birthday. The show featured four highly-acclaimed comedians and all of them were funny....

The Common Ice Cream Goes Upmarket

9 min read

Penang may be famous for its hot food, but let us not forget its fabulous desserts. Its ice kacang and cendol are often included in top ten lists of all sorts....

Andrea Filmer

PDC – Making Penang Lead

5 min read

Bayan Lepas, like Komtar and the Penang Bridge, are symbols of the robust development Penang underwent in the early 1970s. The story of how Tun Abdul Razak Huss...

Fikri Fisal

Musica Sinfonietta– Born of Penang’s Cultural Bosom

5 min read

It was over 30 years ago when June Ong and Lo Mei Yoke first crossed paths. Pursuing post-Grade 8 studies with noted Penang piano teacher Joe Emuang, the duo kn...

Andrea Filmer

Where Does Our EPF Money Go?

8 min read

Most of the 1.4 million civil servants in Malaysia can expect a monthly pension, which is called a defined benefit. Those in the private sector, on the other ha...

Our Economist

Embracing the Past, Present and Future of Bahasa Malaysia

5 min read

An art and design exhibition, KATA KATA 2100 aims to trace Bahasa Malaysia's linguistic roots throughout history.From its role as a regional lingua franca...

A Pitstop for the Hungry and Needy

4 min read

The Pitstop Community Cafe is located in a picturesque pre-war building in downtown KL, an area where the homeless congregate late at night.Volunteerism a...

Carolyn Hong

Zooming in on Bugs

5 min read

Few of us think of insects as incredibly interesting animals, but it was exactly the sight of bugs that brought together Husni Che Ngah, 45, from Kuala Terengga...

Ways of Becoming

2 min read

The earth is dark. Gley soil mixed with alluvium, made heavy by the monsoon rains. Dusk is falling. Amid the quiet all is not quite still. A circling of birds....

Gareth Richards

Malaysia’s Parliament and Courts– No Longer Supreme

7 min read

I engaged in polite conversation, as one often does in such situations, with the person seated next to me during a recent regional conference in KL.“So...

Zairil Khir Johari

On the Isle of Outcasts

6 min read

Most Penangites are aware of Pulau Jerejak, located between Penang Island and the mainland, with the two bridges to its north and its south. But few have taken...

Louise Goss-Custard