Happy Friday! I bet you’re glad that the weekend is here. It’s time to kick back with a few good reads and here are some suggestions for you.

With International Women’s Day falling on March 8, this month is all about celebrating women in all their power. Our cover story puts the spotlight on two Malaysian mothers who have been fighting to be given equal citizenship right as the men when it comes to their children born overseas. They scored a major victory when the Cabinet agreed in February to amend the Federal Constitution to resolve this inequality. We celebrated this landmark decision by dancing to our favourite female empowering anthems and rewatching shows featuring strong female characters.

In other news, Berjaya Corp made a groundbreaking move with the appointment of an all-female executive board. Chryseis Tan is now the executive director at the conglomerate following the retirement of her father, Tan Sri Vincent Tan.

And then there was the Oscars, which made history when it awarded Michelle Yeoh the Best Actress prize. Yeoh is now the first Malaysian and the first Asian to win the coveted top acting award. While the excitement of the awards season has somewhat settled, we can’t help but wonder who could be the next Malaysian to achieve the previously unimaginable heights that Yeoh currently enjoys.

Cheers,
Brian Cheong
Digital Editor

Setting the precedence for other women by becoming the first female in charge of the country’s central bank, representing Malaysia in the international fora or being the first Malaysian actress to star alongside superstars on the global stage is quite the feat.

From Michelle Yeoh to Zeti Akhtar Aziz, we profile 10 powerful Malaysian women who inspire us with their pioneering achievements in various fields, whether it is entertainment, banking or public service.

Read story.

Long before Michelle Yeoh became an Oscar winner, she was an aspiring ballerina. Born and raised in Ipoh, Yeoh’s path took a turn after an injury cut short her dance dreams. After winning Miss World Malaysia, she was cast in a Hong Kong commercial opposite martial arts superstar Jackie Chan. From there, she started making name as an action movie star who, like her male compatriots, was fearless in attempting death-defying stunts on screen.

She has since thrilled audiences by hurtling onto a moving train on a motorcycle in Super Cop, engaging in balletic fight scenes with Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and sparring with James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies. Though better known for kicking butt with the best of them, Yeoh has also proved that she is a brilliant actress.

Read about Yeoh’s remarkable journey to Oscar victory here.

Instead of the traditional red carpet, Oscars 2023 rolled out a champagne carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. And like the vanilla hue, the stars chose to play it safe this year.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any traffic-stopping looks. Michelle Yeoh was a vision in white haute couture Dior, Rihanna showed off her baby bump in a sheer dress, and Angela Bassett was the queen of style in her purple Moschino.

Read more about our favourite Oscars looks.

Design flair and aesthetic value are probably not top of mind when visiting a McDonald’s. Sating hunger (and sometimes greed) is more likely. Yet in some locations sporting the Golden Arches, you’ll get more than Big Macs, french fries and Happy Meals.

Discover five McDonald’s with stunning architectures.

Former technical engineer Khor Sue Yee wants to help to educate the public to rethink their trash and recycling habits. In 2016, she co-founded Zero Waste Malaysia, a non-profit organisation with a community of more than 40,000 members. She wants to dispel people's apprehension about the zero-waste lifestyle and show them that it can be as simple as utilising more reusable containers to reduce waste.

Read story.