Carolyn Khor's blog

GEORGETOWN: In an inspiring display of compassion and dedication, medical specialists and hospital staff generously volunteer their expertise and time to provide essential healthcare services to the underprivileged at the Sivasanta Medical Camp, located at 11 River Road, adjacent to the Tamil school. The free medical camp, established by the welfare subcommittee of the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA) at the request of Swami Shantanand Saraswathi, TFA's founder and advisor, embodies the organisation's motto ‘Love for God and Service for Fellow Beings.’ TFA, a non-profit organisation, nurtures young artistes in performing traditional Indian dances and musical instruments such as the harmonium and sitar. It also demonstrates its commitment to serving others through its charitable initiatives. In the spirit of this motto, the medical camp operates with a sense of servitude, offering essential healthcare services to those in need without expectation of anything in return.

  GEORGETOWN: Underprivileged children in Penang now have the opportunity to learn tennis from qualified coaches with at least an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Level 2 Certification and assisted by a group of senior and experienced coaches. “The entire training programme will take six months to complete, and it is open for students aged between 7 and 14 years old,” said K. Manimaran, 56, the founder and head coach of Proace Tennis Academy, which operates from two tennis courts at the St. Xavier’s Institution at Lebuh Farquhar. “Tennis, like many other sports, is not just about the sport itself. It is about character building and integrating life’s lessons such as discipline, integrity, and ethics into the sport itself. In the past two years, we have had students participating in Penang School Sports Council (MSSPP) and Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) with a few medals won,” he said. Last year, sisters Agasini, 18, and Agilasini Chandramogan, 17, represented their

Penang Port Charterd Ferry for Penang Bridfe Sunset Cruise https://thesun.my/spotlight/penang-port-charters-ferry-for-penang-bridge-sunset-cruise-HP11870513

Link to article on Community Farming in Penang https://thesun.my/local_news/community-farms-start-to-flourish-in-penang-DO11860210

Julian Kam, better known as ‘Lefty’, takes storytelling to the next level and breathes life into every stroke of his pen – his graphic narratives transcend mere ink on paper, portraying real-life scenes, people, experiences and authentic moments. This art form, called ‘documentary comics’ combines journalism and biography, presented through sequential art, or comics. Lefty employs the use of sensory ethnography to capture the essence and vibrance of the themes or geographical locations within the projects he undertakes. “What I do is fully immerse myself by relocating to the vicinity of the project I’m involved in. I observe, indulge in local cuisine, get to know the people, gather data, conduct research, and then integrate these facts and experiences into the storyline,” elucidated Lefty, who is left-handed, just like his namesake. The 'Ferry Tales’ from the Sama-Sama: George Town series depicts Penang’s iconic ferry services that traverse the 11-kilometre-wide Penang Strait

Link to theSun's article published on 16 Nov 2023.

Here are two articles that I wrote for MSN Malaysia, which are no longer available on their website. I have included the articles below for your convenience: 1) 50,000 Signatures sought for Chee Gaik Yap 2) Prosecutors fail to deliver justice on Chee Gaik Yap's case Unfortunately, I cannot locate more links to my previous articles, and if I do, I will update them to my portfolio. ***************** MSN Malaysia News Thu, 04 Jul 2013 02:30:00 GMT  |  By Carolyn Khor 50,000 Signatures sought for Chee Gaik Yap 50,000 Signatures sought for Chee Gaik Yap A total of 2058 signatures were collected during a signature campaign in Farlim, Penang to petition against the discharge and acquittal of a suspect involved in the rape and gruesome murder of the Chee Gaik Yap. Chee was abducted while jogging around her neighbourhood in Sungai Petani seven years ago. Shahril Jaafar, 32 walked free after the high court ruled, last Thursday, that the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie   case. Shahr

If you're interested in learning more about music or piano, I invite you to visit my music blog, The Music Room . As a piano teacher with over 30 years of experience, I have shared my personal insights and expertise in a variety of articles that may be of interest to students, parents, and teachers alike. Whether you're looking for tips on how to improve your playing technique, reviews of new music books and sheet music, or insights on music theory and history, you'll find a wealth of information on my blog. 

Penang Monthly is a Malaysian magazine that covers a wide range of topics related to Penang, including history, culture, arts, politics, and economics. The magazine publishes informative and insightful articles that are relevant to the people of Penang and the broader Malaysian society. I am pleased to share that some of my articles have been published in Penang Monthly. If you're interested in reading them, here are a few titles and links: Making Penang Their Home by Cheering Up Others A Taste for Waste A Cleaner Penang Requires People Getting Their Hands Dirty I have provided the links above to the articles that I could locate at the moment. However, there are more articles that I will add to the list as soon as I find them. Please be aware that the articles are exclusive to Penang Monthly subscribers and cannot be reproduced on this platform.

The word "now" might seem to have an impatient connotation to it. However, being present in the now requires simply a state of mind that is calm, aligned and aware of the present circumstances. As Julian Barbour said, "Time is a series of nows". The concept of being here in the present can be easily understood by filling a drinking straw with water and then keeping the water in the straw by closing off one of the ends with a finger. When we release our finger which acts as a valve, water then flows out of the straw. It takes time for the water to flow out of the straw, from the top to the bottom. From this experiment, we can experience the "now" that happened in the past, the "now" in the present, and the "now" in the future. However, while the water is still in the straw, time becomes still, happening all at once - the past, present and future, simultaneously. Focusing on the now is relevant to many areas of our lives. For

A time to remember Altantuya: Human Rights Day by Carolyn Khor Malaysia is still rated fairly free despite fall in Human Development Index ranking Ironically, the existence of a Human Rights Day conveys an apparent lack of human rights in the world, even with laws which are supposedly meant to protect the innocent. In 1950, the United Nations General Assembly declared 10 Dec as Human Rights Day. It is twenty years since 1993 a mandate of High Commissioner was created for the promotion and protection of all human rights during the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna the same year. Women’s Rights are now acknowledged as a fundamental human right. Discrimination and acts of violence against women are at the forefront of the human rights discourse. Human Rights in Malaysia According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in a survey done under Human Development Index (HDI), Malaysia has backslidden in her ranking from 61 st place in 2011 to 64 th pl

All this useless fighting over who will be PM should stop immediately. Since PH won in 2018, Anwar's camp just kept on disrupting the government and asking the PM to step down. Why did PH lose the government? Because Anwar kept pressuring Tun M to step down. So, Tun resigned, but did Anwar become PM? No. All the manipulation, provocations and secret phoncalls to lobby for support, without any thought for the welfare of the people at all. Anwar supporters must be so proud of themselves for the situation we are in today. When TSMY steps down, will Anwar be the next PM? I'm afraid it's no, again. Why? Because he doesn't have the numbers. And his numbers depended on UMNO's support which he doesn't have now. PH consists of only 33 Malay MPs as opposed to 58 non-Malays. If you think this number is going to make him the PM, then it is wishful thinking. Now we hear claims of Anwar courting AA and Zu's support to make him the PM. The question is why is Anwar so despe

https://www.malaysianow.com/opinion/2021/06/15/high-time-for-an-anti-bullying-act/ T Nhaveen’s unfortunate passing four years ago due to bullying must not be in vain and we should all take this opportunity to stand up against bullying, whether in school, workplace, or in cyberspace. It affects people of all ages but especially the young, vulnerable and different.   According to the Education Minister, Datuk Mohd. Radzi bin Md. Jidin , the number of cases lodged against bullying from January 2020 – September 2020 amounted to 0.04% of the total number of about 4.8 million students in both primary and secondary schools, as compared to 0.12% the previous year. The years 2016 – 2018 recorded 0.07%, 0.06% and 0.09% respectively.   Malaysia has not enacted any legislation yet to curb bullying and it is high-time the policymakers look seriously into drafting the Anti-Bullying Act to prevent bullying and unnecessary juvenile deaths in the future. Currently, the Penal Code (Act 574) an

Of late, PH+ politicians have carelessly thrown around words like 'betrayer' and 'traitor'. What I cannot understand is that these words are only used on certain leaders who do not support Anwar as the 9th PM. On the other hand, potential leaders who have been identified as friendly MPs and are being courted to join Anwar are shielded from such lables. These two scenarios are in fact two sides of the same coin.  Why can Anwar openly meet and entice MPs from other parties to join PH+ while PH leaders who have being identified to be sacked or suspended cannot meet up with other leaders? Where is the logic behind this double standard? Even DAP and Amanah have not been spared from being labled as such. Is supporting Tun M for six months an act of betrayal? If having dignity is such a priority, then Anwar should have had better sense than to work with Tun M during GE14.  DAP and Amanah are between a rock and a hard place. Of course, nobody wants to be on a losing team, and e

There is no point at all fighting over whether Tun M or Anwar will become the PM candidate. 1. By default, the Opposition Leader will become the next PM if the ruling government loses support - so why did it become an issue in the first place? 2. Even if these two men were working together, the numbers still do not make a winning combination. 3. What makes DAP and Amanah want to support Tun M for six months? What is in it for them?  4. Why do Anwar supporters only support Anwar despite not having the numbers? 5. PKR should just discard DAP and PH, just like how it culled its own party members.  Consider this: 1. The people are sick and tired of elderly politicians fighting over the PM post.  2. The country needs a fresh and young face, preferably a young candidate as the next PM.  Anwar and PKR could team up with Muhyiddin and UMNO; and Tun could team up with DAP, Amanah, GPS, Warisan, Azmin, and PAS.  Who knows? It might work. 

Just as the Covid-19 crisis is about to let up, the political horse-trading and psywar by Pakatan Harapan and Tun Dr Mahathir intensifies. As if still not satisfied with the Agong’s confidence in the current government, Pakatan Harapan and Mahathir’s operatives are still hard at work to convince, especially the MPs to crossover so that Perikatan National may fall. The question then is: Fall to whom - Mahathir or Anwar? According to the Registrar of Societies, Mahathir is no longer in PPBM. Challenging the matter in court is a separate issue. As of the present moment, Mahathir is merely an independent MP who is an ally of Pakatan Harapan. And unless he agrees again, to support Anwar as the potential Prime Minister, there is no way these two men can work together. Neither is Perikatan Nasional strong; but it is definitely more stable than having two men at each other’s throats all the time. As economists indicate, there is a looming recession in the months to come due to Covid-19. We sim

The reality of politics is that when it suits the politicians, crossing the political divide can be as easy and technical as signing a Statutory Declaration. The winning team will then hail the crossover as a hero while the losers will throw all sorts of names at him. Of course, most non-Malays will immediately associate Azmin and the 11 MPs as traitors to Pakatan Harapan.  A particular president of a party had on numerous occasions hinted of crossovers from other parties, yet this person who is so quick to label others as traitors, still sees it fit to coerce others to betray their own party. What sort of logic is it then, that he is willing to accept traitors, while vilifying others for doing the same thing? Then, the staunch supporters will just shrug and say, “That’s politics.” Then again, the best quote of the day comes from Baru Bian: “That is a good katak. So don’t use that katak very loosely. An intelligent katak will jump, a stupid katak will stay. We need to be wise and prude

As my maiden post since I last written, I have chosen to write about racial discrimination in our country. I echo what many have said before, so let my ranting be yet another. Here goes nothing.  We can keep on pointing our fingers at other people and keep blaming others for the mess we are in. However, as non-Malays, many of us have forgotten that we are the minority in the country. Being right or feeling that we are right does nothing to change the situation. We can keep on and on, demanding for equality and what-nots, but the reality is that it doesn't matter what you and I want. What matters is what others, the majority want. As a minority, Chinese Malaysians have grown accustomed to the double-standard treatment that has been around ever since the NEP was implemented. I won't necessarily say that it is a bad thing, as through decades of discrimination, non-Malays have only become more resilient, self-reliant and self-sufficient. That is indeed the price to pay to live in a

Press Statement dated 6 June 2016 There is an apparent inertia when it comes to gender equality in Malaysia’s political landscape. No doubt Anwar Ibrahim is the iconic figure most supported as the PM candidate, with the President of Keadilan, Wan Azizah willing to be the interim PM while the process of #BebasAnwar gets sorted out. Still, there is still a void which nobody, especially Muslim women dare to even think about. The gracious, gentle and reluctant politician, as we all come to know fondly as Kak Wan, has been consistently supportive of Keadilan’s ‘Reformasi’ cause, central to the #BebasAnwar movement. Many of the key supporters are loyal to this cause and although it is the main driver behind Keadilan as a party, there should be, a plan B or plan C. Kak Wan's role as the interim PM must be strengthened further to propel our women's agenda into the next millennia. At the very least, Mahathir has offered to be the next reluctant PM, but this is still subject to the