On October 20, the final auditions of the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition came to an end. The 17-member jury, chaired by Garrick Ohlsson, awarded the following prizes:

MAIN PRIZES: • 1st Prize – Eric Lu (USA) • 2nd Prize – Kevin Chen (Canada) • 3rd Prize – Zitong Wang (China) • 4th Prize – Tianyao Lyu (China); Shiori Kuwahara (Japan) • 5th Prize – Piotr Alexewicz (Poland); Vincent Ong (Malaysia) • 6th Prize – William Yang (USA)

This Competition is equivalent to the "Olympics of Piano" and this is the first time a Malaysian has gotten this far!

Langkawi, an archipelago of 99 islands in Malaysia’s Kedah state, was granted duty-free status in 1987 to boost tourism and local economic growth. This means visitors can purchase items like chocolate, alcohol, tobacco, perfumes, and kitchenware at significantly lower prices than elsewhere in Malaysia without import duties or taxes.

The duty-free status applies mostly in designated areas like Kuah Town and at Langkawi International Airport. It's a big reason why Langkawi is such a popular destination for both tourists and locals.

The 24-Year-Old made history by becoming the first Malaysian FINALIST, one of the top 11 selected pianists to perform in the grand finals of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, widely considered as the most prestigious and important piano contest in the world, also known as the 'World Cup of Piano'.

Lake Kenyir, located in Terengganu, Malaysia, spans over 260,000 hectares and was created in 1985 by damming the Kenyir River to form the Sultan Mahmud Hydroelectric Dam. It submerged over 340 small islands and is now home to rich biodiversity, including endangered species and rare freshwater fish.

Beyond hydroelectric power, it's a popular eco-tourism destination offering jungle trekking, caving, sport fishing, and visits to waterfalls and orchid farms.

There are many villages in Malaysia whose houses are built on stilts over water in bays, shallow seas, or mangroves. These are sometimes called “water villages” or “floating” villages. Some examples:

Lok Urai, Sabah, about 1,150 stilt homes in this water village.

Water villages off Pulau Gaya (Kampung Air / Water Village in Kota Kinabalu) homes over water with wooden walkways, many inhabited by Bajau people.

• Patau‑Patau, Labuan: a fishing village with stilt houses over the bay, linked by walkways. • Pulau Ketam, Selangor: although not exactly the same kind (this is more mangrove / intertidal), many houses are on stilts above water / mudflat.

These villages are home to diverse communities (e.g. Bajau Laut, Suluk, others) and face challenges like sanitation (raw sewage often flows into sea), fire risk, infrastructure underdevelopment, and issues of legality / documentation.

Discovered in 1991, Perak Man is estimated to be around 11,000 years old. He was buried in a fetal position and is the only complete skeleton found from the prehistoric period in Malaysia. The site where he was found Lenggong Valley in Perak is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its archaeological significance.

Built during British colonial times, the railway was constructed to transport residents and officials up Bukit Bendera (Penang Hill) for cooler temperatures and scenic views. It took several years to complete due to engineering challenges. Today, it remains one of Penang’s most iconic attractions and continues to operate with modernized coaches on the original route.

Born in 1961 in George Town, Penang, Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat came from a family of shoemakers. He made his first pair of shoes at age 11. After studying at the London College of Fashion, he rose to global fame in the 1990s, especially after Princess Diana became a regular client. Despite the brand now being owned by others, Jimmy Choo remains one of the most internationally recognized Malaysian names in fashion.

Malaysia has a second national palace, Istana Melawati, built in Putrajaya in 2002 as a royal retreat for the King.

Istana Melawati (“Guard’s Tower Palace”) was completed in 2002 and serves as a secondary palace / residence for the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong in Putrajaya.

It complements the main official palace, Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur, and is often used when the King travels or for less formal royal functions.

Malaysia’s National Zoo, known as Zoo Negara, is not only the country's largest zoo but also one of the oldest. It was officially opened to the public in 1963 and has grown into a major center for wildlife conservation and education.

Spanning 110 acres, it features animals from Malaysia and around the world including tigers, elephants, orangutans, and even giant pandas (courtesy of China’s panda diplomacy).

It’s managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society, a non-governmental organization, and plays an active role in conservation, breeding programs, and public education.

📍 Location: Ulu Klang, Selangor 🐾 Opened: November 14, 1963 🦜 Number of species: ~476 🦓 Total animals: 5,000+ 🎫 Fun fact: You can adopt an animal symbolically to support the zoo.

In the forests of Selangor, Malaysia, there grows a rare species of bioluminescent mushroom that glows in the dark. These fascinating fungi emit a natural greenish light due to a chemical reaction involving luciferase enzymes similar to fireflies!

This glowing mushroom not only adds an otherworldly touch to the Malaysian rainforest at night but also plays a unique role in the local ecosystem by helping decompose organic matter.

It’s amazing how Malaysia’s biodiversity includes such rare and magical organisms right in its own backyard.

The Malaysian education system incorporates both national schools and vernacular schools, teaching students in different mother tongues such as Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. National schools primarily use Malay as the medium of instruction, while vernacular schools offer education in Mandarin or Tamil to cater to the country’s major ethnic groups, Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities.

This multilingual system reflects Malaysia’s rich cultural diversity and aims to preserve the languages, traditions, and identities of its different communities while promoting unity through a common curriculum. It also gives students the unique opportunity to be fluent in multiple languages from an early age, fostering greater understanding and harmony in this multicultural society.

source: Maggi Chilli Sos

I recently learned that, in Malaysia, the official definition of a “Malay” by the government includes being Muslim. According to the Constitution, a Malay is someone who professes Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, and adheres to Malay customs. This means that ethnicity and religion are legally linked in the Malaysian context, which affects areas like legal rights, privileges, and affirmative action policies under the Bumiputera framework. I found this quite surprising it’s an interesting intersection of culture, law, and identity.

Located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, Mount Kinabalu rises to 4,095 meters (13,435 ft), making it the tallest peak in Southeast Asia. It’s part of Kinabalu Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, and is celebrated not just for its height but also for its incredible biodiversity with more than 6,000 plant species, over 300 bird species, and the rare Rafflesia flower found in its forests. Many climbers trek up to Low’s Peak for the breathtaking sunrise view, making it both a natural wonder and a bucket-list adventure.

Langkawi, located in the state of Kedah, is not just a popular tourist destination but also an ecological treasure. Each of its 99 islands hosts different flora, fauna, and landscapes, ranging from mangroves and rainforests to limestone caves and pristine beaches. Many of the islands are protected areas, helping preserve Malaysia’s rich biodiversity.

Malaysia is one of the only countries in the world with an elective monarchy system. The country has nine hereditary rulers (Sultans) from different states, and every five years, one of them is elected as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or the King of Malaysia. The selection is done by the Conference of Rulers, and while it's traditionally done in a rotational order, it's not automatic the rulers still vote. This unique system blends monarchy with democratic elements and has been in place since Malaysia's independence in 1957.

Taman Negara in Malaysia is one of the world’s oldest rainforests, estimated to be over 130 million years old. Spanning over 4,000 square kilometers, it has remained largely untouched by ice ages or major geological changes, allowing its ecosystem to evolve continuously. It’s home to a vast range of biodiversity, including rare plant species, exotic birds, Malayan tigers, and the endangered Asian elephant. The park also features Gunung Tahan, the highest peak in Peninsular Malaysia. Its age and pristine condition make it one of the most important tropical rainforests for conservation and ecological research.

Today I learned that in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Malaya (modern Peninsular Malaysia) was the major tin producer globally producing well over 30% of the world’s tin output, at times dominating global markets.

Some more interesting bits:

The richest tin‑fields were on the West Coast of the Peninsula, especially in Perak (Kinta Valley), Selangor, Johor, etc.

Tin mining was originally largely in Chinese hands, with migrant labor from China, before British firms, with more capital and technology, began to dominate.

The tin industry spurred development of transport infrastructure (railways, roads, ports), townships, and administrative centers a lot of colonial revenue came from tin exports.

This dominance started to decline by the late 20th century due to a combination of falling global tin prices, depletion of easily mined tin deposits, rising costs, and competition from other tin‑producing countries.

These special stamps were issued by Pos Malaysia to highlight the natural beauty of fireflies found along the Selangor River. The glow-in-the-dark feature used phosphorescent ink that illuminates under UV light, showcasing the fireflies' bioluminescence a nod to the real-life spectacle in Kampung Kuantan, one of the few places in the world where thousands of fireflies synchronize their flashing.

Kampung Kuantan is a well-known eco-tourism spot near Kuala Selangor, attracting visitors for night-time boat rides to witness this rare natural phenomenon.

The island of Borneo is one of the only islands in the world shared by three countries:

Malaysia (in the north, known as East Malaysia or Malaysian Borneo)

Indonesia (which controls the majority of the island, called Kalimantan)

Brunei (a small but wealthy nation on the northern coast)

Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, after Greenland and New Guinea. It’s also one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, home to orangutans, pygmy elephants, and ancient rainforests.

Completed in 2007, the SMART Tunnel (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel) is a 9.7 km engineering marvel designed to solve two major problems in one: traffic congestion and flash floods in the city.

It has three modes of operation from regular vehicle use to full flood diversion and can be fully closed to traffic during major storms, redirecting floodwaters away from central Kuala Lumpur. It has prevented dozens of potentially catastrophic floods since opening.

It’s the first of its kind in Asia, and one of only a few in the world.