The Amazing Race Asia is back! Wanna star in Season 4?

Travelling around the world in less than 80 days has never been a fun prospect...unless it entails you racing across the world to reach a US$100,000 pot at the end of the rainbow. The Amazing Race Asia is back, and this time, they’re recruiting. Read more

Francophones, unite! French-Language Week returns in March

Parlez-vous français? Uh, what? Don't understand? Okay, maybe you can help yourself to lesson or two at the 15th French-Language Week, coming your way this March. Read more

Tortura 2: Chairs with iron spikes + other medieval machines of malice take over Melaka!

If you don't have any plans lined up for the long Chinese New Year weekend, then take a short drive to Melaka. Don't panic! We're not asking you to go around the historic city in a trishaw. We've got our eyes on Tortura 2, an interesting exhibition that features Medieval torture devices. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted... Read more

Federal Court: Zambry "lawful" MB of Perak; woman spends 200K baht on Doraemon doll; 12-year-old NY girl cuffed for doodling desk!

TUESDAY! We brave Kris Allen fangirls and Pakatan Rakyat supporters to bring you the news!

• The Federal Court has ruled that the BN's Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir is the lawful MB of Perak - notwithstanding the fact that BN's majority in the state was never achieved through an election. What happened to democracy, Judiciary? [The Malaysian Insider]
• Wholehearted-sentimentality filter: a Thai woman spent 200,000 baht for an elaborate Thai Buddhist funeral for her stuff Doraemon doll! She must've really loved that doll. [CNN Go]
• Google's planning a Facebook-like news feed for your Gchat contacts on Gmail! The social media wars continue. [Wall Street Journal]
• A Chinese dad chains his toddler son to a tree, not out of cruelty, but of fear that the child may disappear. Tens of thousands of kids go missing in China every year. [Guardian]
• Mounting-overreactions filter: a 12-year-old schoolgirl in Queens was handcuffed for doodling on her desk. [NY Daily News]
• An excellent illustrated guide to gestures -- and their meanings -- around the world. [Guardian]
• BTW: hipster puppies. [hipster puppies]

(Photo from hipster puppies) Read more

TAPAU: The Music, The Road, A Camera

This could be the year we get intimate with local indie musicians, if Ahmad Faris had his way. Leaving his desk job to do his own thing, Faris initiated IkanPaos Collective - a platform for better TV content in Malaysia and TAPAU: The Music, The Road, A Camera is their first project. Read more

Interview: Malaysia according to Namewee

Wee Meng Chee, better known to Malaysians as Namewee, is a figure of controversy. He became famous for Negarakuku, a love song to Malaysia that nevertheless highlighted racial frustrations. He got into trouble for Fuck TNB, a video reaction to an unannounced power cut and Tenaga Nasional's subsequent indifference. We talk to him about music, illegal VCDs and media hype.

Oranges, yee sang and a beast: Myths and facts about Chinese New Year!

We love celebrating Chinese New Year, but do we really know how it really started? Here's a little story to the celebration steeped in history! Read more

Kris Allen live in KL! (the press conference)

Kris Allen -- mostly famous for beating out the more fabulous Adam Lambert in American Idol Season 8 -- is here to meet shrill fans. Also to perform -- at 8pm, 8 February 2010, in The Gardens @ Mid Valley's ballroom. More mugs of (and non-plussed-ness towards) the budding star after the cut! Read more

Ku Li: "M'sia a democracy in name only"; Moral guardians wail on no-panties campaign; Sinatra's "My Way" kills in the Philippines!

It's Monday: the sun is out -- and it's sweltering. You're in the office, freezing. Par the course, then.

• Tell it like it is, brother! UMNO maverick Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah says that Malaysia is a "democracy existing in name, but grievously compromised in substance, reality and fact". [The Malaysian Insider]
• Sodomy II: court-bound opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim moves to disqualify the trial judge for bias, as Justice Mohamad Zabidin Md Diah failed to do anything about Utusan Malaysia's sensationalist headlines last week. [Malaysiakini]
• Demonstrations-culture filter: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has banned buffaloes and other animals from street protests. Apparently, he's been likened to the 'big and stupid' creature. [The Straits Times]
• Things falling apart: an ancient tribal language from the Andaman Islands has just died. Boa Sr, the last fluent speaker of Bo, a tongue with a 65,000-year history, just passed away. [Guardian]
• Sinatra can kill you in the Philippines. Singing "My Way" often leads to knifings, apparently. Things are so bad that many karaoke bars have taken the song off their lists. [New York Times]
• V-Day is nigh. A Toronto restaurant is actively encouraging people to do the dirty in their bathrooms. Health officials say: "No problem. Just don't screw in the kitchen." [Newser]
• Moral-police filter: the Secretariat Against Social Ills Penang (UNGGAS) is protesting a "No Panties" campaign, currently gaining popularity in local universities. Oh, come on. Where's the love? [The Star]

(Photo from popartuk.com) Read more

Beat the heat with ais kacang, cendol and 8 other thirst quenchers!

The afternoons are sweltering hot and al fresco lunches cause us to sweat buckets! So, here are 10 of our favourite thirst quenchers to chill out with! Read more