Jason Ko

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education

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international students

New research unveils a disconcerting reality for international students in Australia who are grappling with more than just their studies.
(Story adapted from source: The Guardian &amp; Malaysians on Social Media)
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/655dbeec7c983b7619d11cb626c3514e84c923c4c400e60780f1710b3f9e3f46" />
Jane Cheah of Subang Jaya, Malaysia always wanted to do the OZ study adventure. Meet some interesting students abroad and perhaps do a Road trip along New South Wales and visit the 13 apostles as she checks out the whole IG checklist.
However, what she encountered instead was a range of racism ranging from subtle ugly looks to downright verbal (fortunately not yet physical) abuse at the most unlikely of day-to-day everyday locations. The shock of being treated like an outcast just because her skin was not pale white was not something she was adequately prepared for. This not even yet taking into account rising inflation meaning fresh fruits she had taken for granted while living in Malaysia are considered something of a high-end food in fast-rising inflation Western economies.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/9c823e8f9510a2f7f3f41e78344db72cd1abc752da8142195ffecc73d074a837" /> Imagine not eating any Fresh Fruits for a year until you make it Home
&nbsp;
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/35314a2afd7079cd4b4049be5919d18055595c62cb12020412282d19358c8f18" /> Malaysian students in Australia (2019)
When Juli&euml;n Lubeek, a well-deserving recipient of a scholarship to complete his PhD at an esteemed Australian university, landed Down Under, he didn't envisage the 'Australian Dream' to involve bouts of homelessness and a literal hunger for knowledge.
Lubeek&rsquo;s scholarship money evaporated at the end of 2021, thanks to pandemic-induced delays, turning him into a full-time student by day and a near-homeless, hungry, international scholar by night.
The rules of the game were tough: No government support, but international students could work up to 40 hours a week. Alas, Lubeek found that balancing full-time studying with a 40-hour work week was as tough as convincing a kangaroo to sit for tea.
The truth is, he says, international students are viewed as cash cows - an ATM with feelings. If they treat Caucasian foreign students like this, one can only imagine the treatment of Asian students these days. Thanks in part to the near-daily mainstream media assault by the USA on all things &lsquo;&Ccedil;hina&rsquo;.
New research conducted by Monash University, which surveyed more than 60 international students in Melbourne, reveals that the Australian Dream is more of a mirage for these students, with the rising cost of living, exorbitant transportation expenses, and the Herculean task of managing studies with work commitments.
Now, consider that there are 182,000 international students currently living in Melbourne, almost 40% of Victoria's entire university populace. That's like filling up the Melbourne Cricket Ground twice over with students from all over the world, including a sizable contingent of 20,000 students from Malaysia alone.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/e23f3660951012b45bf3130767531a5ccd74d05f04231d8b5ccaa3ed894f39ad" /> Malaysian students at their club booth at a University in Aussie.
Diving further into the numbers, the report shows that almost half of the surveyed students are food insecure &ndash; a rate that triples the average Aussie.
Dr Beatriz Gallo Cordoba, co-author of the report, was taken aback by the extent of hardship the interviewees were encountering, often quietly bearing the brunt of their circumstances, which led to diminished academic performance and overall well-being.
It seems that the 'Aussie spirit' of mateship and support is needed more than ever. International students require more assistance, including food relief, financial support, and scholarships, to ensure they aren't just surviving but thriving.
Yet, despite the hardships, students continue to flock to Australia. As of December 2022, there were 619,371 international students pursuing their degrees in Australia, a figure that's projected to grow to 940,000 by 2025.
However, when a crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic or a cost-of-living crunch hits, coping strategies often stop working. A 27-year-old male student revealed that his diet was dictated by his wallet, not his stomach.
<img src="https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExOTI5YWRmZWFmOWUwNDdiYTI0MTBhNzZiZDdlODQwNjVlYzllOWY5MSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZzX2dpZklkJmN0PWc/La7P30FM3sTDrwntki/giphy.gif" alt="No Money Bangladeshi Gif By Gif" />
The responsibility, therefore, lies not just with the universities to support these students but also with the wider community to ensure that their experience in Australia is not just about surviving but thriving. After all, these international students aren't just figures in a database, but humans living, learning, and contributing to the Australian society.
Australia is home to a large population of Malaysian students, with an estimated 20,000 choosing to study here each year, out of the hundreds of thousands of Malaysian students studying abroad. Australia, and indeed all countries that welcome international students, need to do better by them.
The pandemic isn't over, and neither are the challenges faced by these students.
Some snippets of the life of KOLs in Australia:
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/0346a9ba3bf4818614123e0ec82a8e25551bd3acf4449e807c2c6f45c434001c" /> Image Isabelle Kwan <a href="https://www.instagram.com/issakwannn/">(@isabelleeyt</a>)
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/fb2cc888a2601b1bbc27db897a72f02a05dc310f0699e0fa86e0fd3492c8845c" /> Image via Wen <a href="https://www.instagram.com/weninmelb/">(@weninmelb</a>)
International students are not just transients or cash cows. They're part of the community, contributing to the vibrancy and diversity of the country. As the Greens spokesperson for education, senator Mehreen Faruqi, astutely points out, Australia seems to have failed its international students during the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.
We lure these bright young minds with promises of a world-class education, only to leave them struggling with sky-high rents and a cost-of-living crisis that has seen many students choosing meals based on their wallets rather than their dietary needs.
According to Walsh, with the present circumstances, it seems unlikely the situation would improve in the short term. International students were a particularly vulnerable population during the pandemic, and the effects will continue to linger.
In conclusion, international students aren&rsquo;t just silent communities that fly beneath the radar; they are a vital part of our society, and it's high time we recognized and supported them as such. We must stop treating them as mere statistics and start welcoming them as integral members of our community. The pandemic may not be over, but neither is our collective resilience and capacity for empathy and support.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, The Guardian &amp; various cross-references for context.
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Is Australia really the best place to study abroad? 

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'Lapar’ Down Under: Australia's International Students Navigate Food vs Shelter vs Racism

For those who love binge-watching a series, you may know that lately, Disney+ has been on a roll as they have been releasing many different Star Wars series and, in all honesty, they have been way better than the movies they produced, more specifically Episode 7 till 9 of the Skywalker Saga.
This time around, Disney+ has set a primer date for the highly anticipated series, Star Wars Ahsoka as it will be releasing this August 23.
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The upcoming series serves as a spin-off from The Mandalorian series. If you&rsquo;re new to the Star Wars franchise, the show takes place along the same timeline as The Mandalorian and as a pseudo-sequel to Star Wars: Rebels. Unlike the many characters we&rsquo;ve seen in the previous Star Wars series, Ahsoka is a character that goes way back to the prequels as she first appeared in Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon before her story was continued in Star Wars: Rebels.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/9ce34b4a8c32342632ebf836eaead359c2852a96c90cd5c01123bfa6ce0fc80a" /> Ahsoka during Clone Wars
Her character was one of the most talked about characters out there as in previous iterations of the shows, we only saw an animated version of her until she appeared in Season 2 of The Mandalorian and the first season of The Book of Boba Fett.
Who Are The New Characters?
Now, since Ahsoka isn&rsquo;t a character like Din Djarin or Boba Fett who&rsquo;s covered in armour almost the majority of the time, she&rsquo;s one of the more unique characters in the franchise. In fact, Ahsoka will feature many characters who will be appearing in the live-action for the first time.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/aacd6d2f42ecc93818cd4f89e0716bd4d9cb02a68bcc59494e0d8c623e747cf8" /> (From Left:) Rosario Dawson, Natasha Lui Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eman Esfandi
Ahsoka Tano will be played by Rosario Dawson who started in Marvel&rsquo;s Daredevil (2015-2017). Aside form that, the series will also be featuring stars such as Natashia Lui Bordizzo who plays Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger.&nbsp;
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/ce16875543040c021193e0fc8338d17482076c10fe509d8f33316f0bdb6f44af" />
This time around, we&rsquo;ll also be seeing the debut of the franchise&rsquo;s notorious villain Grand Admiral Thrawn who is played by Lars Mikkelsen.
Do You Need To Watch Other Series To Understand Ahsoka?
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/2ed29a5e2dc7b445090334d484ce13baa9deb597b542dc87b26578f57391ef6a" />
Back during the Star Wars Celebration, executive producers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau talked a bit about the series. Fans wondered if they needed to watch The Mandalorian Season 3 before heading into Ahsoka but Filoni revealed that fans can watch and enjoy them on their own. In fact, fans wouldn&rsquo;t even need to turn back to the old Clone Wars cartoon to understand her character.
Since the latest trailer only revealed the release date, you can check out their longer trailer which was released 2 months ago alongside more extras that we can expect this August 23.
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Is The Arrival Of The Series Bad For Other Disney+ Series?
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/5c7c569f6f4ef60b49093c83ab63b466649c1b74a63fae2340c6caeb646d8860" />
For those who may not know, Disney typically releases an episode every Wednesday on their platform as seen from other Star Wars series in the past. As the first episode is set to air on August 23, we will see a clash in the premier of another series.
Aksoka is set to have 8 episodes and the penultimate episode of Season 1 is set to arrive on 4 October, two days before the premiere of Loki Season 2 and the finale will be airing between the first and second episodes of Loki on October 11.
Though this does not mean much to some who just enjoy watching a good series as they unwind from their busy day, this could be an issue for some as there&rsquo;s a gap between the end of the Marvel series Secret Invasion (premiering in June) and the premier of Ahsoka.
We all know the pain of juggling different shows at once&hellip;
But despite the clash in episode releases, we are sure fans wouldn&rsquo;t mind binging extra shows in between and that Ahsoka will certainly be fun to watch. Hopefully, it can give us the experience that Andor gave us if not better. 
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/2433/andor-season-2-to-show-the-intense-build-up-before-star-wars-rogue-one">Andor Season 2 To Show The Intense Build-Up Before Star Wars: Rogue One</a>
Are you looking forward to Ahsoka? Let us know in the comments!
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Disney+, IGN, Inverse &amp; various cross-references for context.
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While fans are excited, the series may also overlap with Loki Season 2.

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Star Wars: Ahsoka Set To Premier This 23 August On Disney+!

We all know Malaysia as a land blessed with good food. No matter if you&rsquo;re up north, south, east or west in peninsular Malaysia or all the way in Sabah or Sarawak you&rsquo;re bound to find good food or even hidden gems across the country.
But there&rsquo;s been a debate on what food can be considered as our national dish since we have too many.
Debate If Bak Kuh Teh Should Be A Heritage Food
Jimmy Puah Wee Tse who is a member of parliament representing Teberau recently questioned the government&rsquo;s efforts in defending Malaysian traditional dishes such as Bak Kut Teh after a documentary on Channel News Asia claimed that the dish could have originated in Singapore.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/504e187ff7638fbb962a87c1dcf766495690952491f10524c361280c3a2e2ec7" />
In case you don&rsquo;t know what is this dish, it&rsquo;s a popular pork rib soup that is cooked with herbs and spices. It&rsquo;s a very popular dish among the Hokkien community in Southeast Asia and a very popular dish for those who live in Klang, Selangor.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
2. Khairul explained that foods can only be considered a heritage dish if they can be consumed by all races in Malaysia. Earlier, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah urged the government to recognise the dish as a national heritage food <a href="https://t.co/8mfJ8s2xJg">pic.twitter.com/8mfJ8s2xJg</a>
&mdash; BFM News (@NewsBFM) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsBFM/status/1666340534078824449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Puah debated that the dish had originated from Klang, Selangor but said the documentary gave the impression that it originated from Singapore when addressing the Dewan Rakyat.
Other MPs Respond With Facts Of Top Traditional Food In Malaysia
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/6ca880c73a8e7880581558757755caad2e13e727e7c3e4d7f31e42bb81a6f7cf" />
In response to Puah, Datuk Suhaimi Mohd Abdullah questioned the Dewan Rakyat since when was Bak Kuh Teh was considered a traditional dish.
"It is not listed as one of Malaysia's 10 most popular traditional foods, nor is it listed as one of the 30 traditional foods of various ethnicities in Malaysia," he added.
Such foods in our list of traditional dishes are like nasi lemak, kuih bahulu, gula melaka, ketupat, char kuey teow, sizzling yee mee, bubur nasi, tong yuan, kuih bulan, kuih bakul, muruku, tosai, idly, and putu mayam.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/2924fc49d21741c5ade72963871a39ee7d29075025eb08e05b9559c610d8f361" />
Deputy Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan contested that Malaysia does not have the right to dispute the shared heritages that Malaysia and Singapore. However, he is not against the fact that it could be added to the list of our heritage foods.
Khairul Firdaus says that if the meat in Bak Kuh Teh can be substituted with chicken (Chi Kuh The), then there shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem as both he and Suhaimi agreed that one of the key criteria of a dish to be considered as a traditional food is so all races in the country would be able to savour it.
Netizens Share Their Thoughts On The Parliament Debate
As food is certainly something every Malaysian would swear by, they also believe that the Dewan Rakyat should have better things to discuss as there are more pressing issues going on. Some even supported and questioned if it would be wrong to add food of other Malaysian races to the ever-growing list of our country&rsquo;s heritage food.
Here&rsquo;s some of the comments:
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Heritage dish must be able to consumed by all? So, beef rendang is out, then?
&mdash; Leslie Quah (@Leslie_Quah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Leslie_Quah/status/1666392152761581568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Diu, like that also debated in parliament&hellip; waste of taxpayers money. Build more road bridges and railways, culture will find its way out
&mdash; anothersapien (@AnotherSapien_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnotherSapien_/status/1666341824682946561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Other countries : &ldquo;We need to introduce economic reforms, address struggling currencies and bring about social progress&rdquo; Malaysia : &ldquo;We need to freak out over non-Malays saying all*h, rainbow watches and whether there's pork in a heritage food, very clear-cut priorities&rdquo;
&mdash; Sh@wny (宇祥) - he/him/dia/他 (@Poppy_Banty) <a href="https://twitter.com/Poppy_Banty/status/1666352935960453122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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It is a good idea to have a National Food Heritage that covers all food from all cultures be it halal or non halal. We can protect our unique food heritage from being stolen by others. Takkan no beef or pork in our food heritage. How about vegetarians? How about pescatarians?
&mdash; Bouncy_ sarahyong (@bouncy_sarahy) <a href="https://twitter.com/bouncy_sarahy/status/1666379091812163584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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such unproductive stuff being talked about in parliament.
&mdash; ForABetterMY (@ForABetterMY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForABetterMY/status/1666347447109697536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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So Khairul, daging dishes cannot be considered heritage dish since not all races eat beef? Is that your logic?
&mdash; david soong (@asianmalaysian) <a href="https://twitter.com/asianmalaysian/status/1666349846683594754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Following the lively debate in the Dewan Rakyat, it has become evident that there exist certain discrepancies in our nation's culinary heritage. However, we can find solace in the fact that the discussion did not escalate into a heated dispute within the chamber. 
What is your stance on the importance of safeguarding Malaysia's food heritage, and do you believe our government should undertake greater efforts in this regard?
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Harian Metro, Dewan Rakyat &amp; various cross-references for context.
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It was argued in the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia should do more to protect our heritage dishes. 

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Debate: Is Bak Kuh Teh A Heritage Dish In Malaysia? 

Yesterday, the internet was buzzing about Singaporean comedian Jocelyn Chia after her insensitive joke about MH370 went viral all over social media.
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/2537/sporean-comedian-faces-backlash-for-insensitive-mh370-joke-and-mockery-of-malaysia">S&rsquo;porean Comedian Faces Backlash For Insensitive MH370 Joke And Mockery Of Malaysia</a>
As the clip gained millions of views across social media platforms, local comedian Harith Iskander and the Singapore High Commissioner To Malaysia both shared their views on the video.
As we all know, comedy is an art form but its something that the jokester will need to be careful of as what they say can really deem if they get cancelled by society.
Harith Iskander Shares His Perspective
At the time, Harith says he was late to the party as he&rsquo;s currently overseas and he felt compelled to share his perspective on the joke online as the MH370 tragedy is truly a traumatic experience for Malaysians and many others. Harith also highlighted that comedians need to exercise caution when touching on personal and tragic topics.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My response to Jocelyn Chia's clip which has riled up Malaysians <a href="https://t.co/dbP1GBz1As">pic.twitter.com/dbP1GBz1As</a>
&mdash; Harith Iskander (@HarithIskander) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarithIskander/status/1666415764209913861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;As a comedian, I respect the freedom of expression that we comedians require to do our job. But it is equally important to exercise some level of sensitivity and empathy especially topics that is personal and tragic,&rdquo; said Harith in his video.
Aside from that, Harith also emphasizes that comedians need to be crucial in finding the balance between comedy, sensitivity and empathy. It's also the job of the comedians to make people laugh but also quote Uncle Ben&rsquo;s famous line in Spider-Man, &ldquo;With great power comes great responsibility&rdquo;.
Comedians must recognize that comedy is subjective as some jokes may be funny to some and others may not entirely like it. Even he admits that he makes fun of Singapore all the time but he only takes it as part of friendly banter that allows them to coexist &ldquo;like competitive cousins&rdquo;.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/a268f3f1d7dd4afefa07c9e3cc6ebbdac4a9220f55f9654e41d7d2b1f083e19c" />
Before ending his video, Harith had indirectly roasted Chia at the end of his video in the most harmful manner which certainly was the icing on the cake to end his perspective of the joke.
&ldquo;Malaysia, we may be a developing nation, but when it comes to KINDNESS and THOUGHTFULNESS, we are definitely first world, don&rsquo;t know about other countries though wink wink. It&rsquo;s a joke.&rdquo;
Singapore High Commissioner To Malaysia Apologises For The Incident
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/23e9981f84e5e47cfe3eca68161aeaedda869a0b3286fc8069d2ac1eb309bd11" />
Meanwhile, after the video blew up, Vanu Gopala Menon who is the Singapore High Commissioner To Malaysia issued a statement on their Facebook page about Chia&rsquo;s stand-up routine. &nbsp;
&ldquo;I am appalled by the gratuitously offensive comments made by stand-up performer Jocelyn Chia. The Singapore Government does not condone words or actions that cause harm or hurt to others and Chia, who is no longer Singaporean, does not in any way reflect our views. I sincerely apologise to all Malaysians for her hurtful remarks.
As our closest neighbour, Singapore and Malaysia enjoy a strong and multi-faceted relationship, with deep and cross-cutting ties. We also have unique historical and close people-to-people ties. Comments such as those made by Chia are unhelpful and undermine the close trust and friendship that both our countries and peoples enjoy.&rdquo;
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To add to the anger, Intan Maizura Othman whose husband Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan was onboard the tragic flight had also voiced out and criticized her for being insensitive towards victims.
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&ldquo;No matter how evil you are, you don&rsquo;t mention MH370 or make fun of it, you know? My son, Mohammad, is still crying until today over his lost papa and here you are having the audacity to make fun of MH370,&rdquo; she said.
Jocelyn Chia Goes Black On Social Media
&nbsp;Yesterday when visiting her social media pages, Chia had initially limited her page from receiving comments on her page after netizens had bombarded her with criticism. She even responded to some comments stating that Malaysians &ldquo;don&rsquo;t understand humour&rdquo;.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/05d9aa58d1dc7e1dba72d245d31daa55793a904c6ea3490bf084ee0b4be4b4ca" />
Checking back today, it seems like her official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page has gone dark with the exception of her <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jocelynchiacomedy?lang=en">TikTok</a> page and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@JocelynChiaComedy">YouTube</a> Channel still active. At the time of writing, Chia still had the offensive video uploaded on her TikTok but has since been taken down.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/20e7f860d1c65a08f91450d0444ecdb5c40538f6f30447769052daf99d276285" />
As of now, it&rsquo;s not known if Chia herself had taken her own page down till the controversy dies down or if her page has been officially banned by the respective social media pages.
Well, it looks like the cancel culture is now stepping in and it seems that Chia can&rsquo;t handle the pressure as she&rsquo;s being the talk of the town. 
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Harith Iskander, NST &amp; various cross-references for context.
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Since the offensive joke went viral, Chia’s social media pages have now gone black.  

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Harith Iskander Responds & Singapore's High Commissioner Apologizes For Jocelyn Chia's MH370 Joke

Hey Malaysians, what are you up to after working hours or throughout the weekend?
If you&rsquo;re still there sitting at home on the sofa, perhaps it's time to grab a few buddies and head over to the third edition of Bon App&eacute;tit-lah by France&rsquo;s No.1 premium wheat beer 1664! What better way to unwind and chill with your friends than by sharing memories with good drinks right?
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/beb40becc36bffb2768528ab7a809954ede207378e1bd733dd11fbca867e3361" />
Enjoy Free Beer From 2nd To 17th June!
The third edition of Bon App&eacute;tit-lah is happening at none other than Sentul Depot! 1664 has redesigned the interior of Warehouse 3 to make it into a modern bistro representing the brand's iconic blue shades.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/26cbcee12019ef749c87461658302415b439ca6f0ba3c2a198234dfcde42e59c" />
1664 invites consumers to experience everyday pleasures at their trendy pop-up 1664 lounge. They welcome everyone to truly savour an amazing dining affair complemented by an unparalleled drinking experience where beer lovers can immerse themselves and indulge in the event.
Get ready to have an experience of a lifetime with your friends, families and even pets during the two-and-a-half week-long event. Upon arrival at the event, you&rsquo;ll be given a complimentary drink of either 1664 Blanc or 1664 Ros&eacute;.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/8d82554cad87fa90e7b9dc050a03404c5cc1d240a6f49c404ab3e9b155ab186d" />
Feeling a little hungry? Don&rsquo;t worry as 1664 has got your back as you can pair your beers with a delicious spread of food from NoLabel Cuisine, Waka Waka Gelato, The Bao Guys and Flaah The Bakery.
Bring Your Pets &amp; Enjoy The Creative Space
Aside from having beers and good food, you can bring out your creativity as 1664 will let you repurpose their iconic blue bottles into an art piece, making your mark on their graffiti wall and preserving the extraordinary experience by getting the perfect digital caricature of themselves at the Portrait with a Twist on selected days.
For those who are pet parents, you can bring along your furry friends to the event as 1664&rsquo;s first ever pet-friendly pawty will be happening on the weekends from 11am to 2pm!
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/17be9717d27a3a52161ca85f4dc6f5f70005f7e8a78780e3c09e4e95dd9e0d4a" />
Don&rsquo;t leave the place empty-handed and get yourself some cool merch as you can deck yourself out in stylish streetwear brand NerdUnit, shades designer Kazoku, timepiece maker iROAS and wellness wizard Gote. There are also limited edition 1664 Stem Glasses to take home if you enjoy drinks in the comfort of your home as well as an exclusive artist edition trolley luggage for those travel lovers.
Register Yourself To Get A Spot!
As this is a one-of-a-kind 1664 Bon App&eacute;tit-lah experience, you best be quick to register yourself! Pre-registered guests or those who choose to walk in are welcome every day from 5:00pm to 10:00pm on weekdays and from 11:00am to 10:00pm on weekends.
For further details, click <a href="https://1664malaysia.com/event">here</a>.
*All activities are open to non-Muslims aged 21 and above.
&nbsp;
FOMO much? Follow our <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://www.facebook.com/mycclub/">Facebook</a> and <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://www.instagram.com/myc_news/?hl=en">Instagram</a> for more updates.

Get yourself free beers and good food from 2nd to 17th June!

442d588cfe6e5b9ef4c2337fe50f86048b72c6a8d1505e62776c3504e86cae39

Unwind With 1664 At Sentul Depot For The Third Edition Of Bon Appétit-lah!

Having 20-20 vision is a dream many would love to have as we get to see everything crystal clear and won&rsquo;t need to spend money on contact lenses or glasses.
Unfortunately, that&rsquo;s not the case and many of us Malaysians neglect eye health and we end up having to spend hundreds or even thousands just to get perfect vision. Sometimes, even LASIK eye surgery is costly and if performed wrongly, we lose our eyesight.
Introducing The Payung Rahmah Initiative
<img src="https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExYzg4MTNjYjQ3MWJlODQ0YTk3ZDVjY2MwNDBjMDM3ZWE1ZmZkODFmYiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZzX2dpZklkJmN0PWc/L2U7TuzO8yKtMAzkCN/giphy.gif" alt="Glasses Busby GIF by TLC" />
With the Anwar administration in full swing, the introduction of the Payung Rahmah initiative brings a sigh of relief to low-income households burdened by financial constraints. This innovative program aims to alleviate their worries by providing affordable eyewear through a brand-new glasses package, ensuring accessibility to vision care for all.
Malaysians are now presented with a golden chance to acquire eyeglasses at remarkably affordable rates, with prices starting as low as RM50. These budget-friendly options are made available at 96 Metro Optical Group (MOG) Eyewear outlets across the country, commencing from the 10th of June.
<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSalahuddin.Bin.Ayub%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0zsdNKNtTGrWedvMB4F2V44GgYCMQ9EUvRReZGrLGj1bu4Sonwtv7jegYCGXB69bol&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="792" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The initiative was announced by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub as they highlighted their collaboration with MOG Eyewear who will be helping the government to facilitate the initiative.
Affordable Glasses For Everyone!
With Payung Rahmah, Malaysians can now obtain glasses without concerns about compromising quality or breaking the bank, as the eyewear is priced between RM50 and RM100.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/35b83ccd456051dd7bd15be9cfe552627b84e04afc253371932ec6fe6306d1c5" />
&ldquo;For an additional RM100, individuals can choose to upgrade their lenses to &lsquo;blue cut lenses&rsquo; with ultraviolet protection,&rdquo; said Salahuddin Ayub.
Additionally, the minister also emphasized that there are more plans to introduce attractive offers under the Payung Rahmah initiative as they seek to cater to the needs of Malaysians.
For those wanting to get a new pair of glasses at an affordable price, the initiative will kick start from 10 June onwards at all 96 MOG Eyewear branches nationwide.
As the Payung Rahmah initiative extends its reach, Malaysians can now benefit from substantial cost savings while prioritizing their visual health. This expansion reflects the government's commitment to fostering an inclusive and cost-effective environment for everyone.
<img src="https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/463/051/7e7.gif" />
What do you think of the latest initiative? Let us know in the comments!
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, The Star &amp; various cross-references for context.
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d44c44ea44045b8e616a471107876fd2d188301ca3f81d75f551dc68a51d09da

Buy Your Next Pair Of Glasses For As Low As RM50 With The New Payung Rahmah Initiative!

Stand-up comedy shows can be some of the most entertaining things to go to whenever you come across them. One of the main reasons that people enjoy these kinds of shows is cause they are not scripted and it gives a sense of interaction between the audience and the comedian.
But if you&rsquo;re not too careful, sometimes your jokes can land you in a bit of trouble just like our very own Uncle Roger as he recently made fun of China during his comedy show.
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/2486/uncle-roger-gets-banned-on-weibo-over-china-mockery">Uncle Roger Gets Banned On Weibo Over China Mockery</a>
Singaporean Comedian Faces Heavy Criticism
Recently, @comedycellarusa posted up a video featuring Singaporean comedian Jocelyn Chia. In the video, that took place at a local comedy club in Manhattan, New York, she talked about the union between Singapore and Malaysia.
<video style="width: 776px; height: 388px;" controls="controls" width="776" height="388">
<source src="https://r2.myc.my/5e7117b54df4d0b6cb03d8c4c4c4750552f80ffcbaa54f5a342f3e9c7a6514d0" /></video>
In the beginning, the small nation just got their independence from the British and as they needed a way to survive, they needed to form a union with Malaysia at the time. As she mentioned that statement, a Malaysian who was in the crowd had gone &ldquo;wooo&rdquo; as a way to show his support for his home soil.
Little did we expect, she later replied to the person in the crowd by saying &ldquo;F**k you a**holes&rdquo; as a mockery of kicking Singapore out of the union. She proceeded to mock Malaysia stating that after 40 years of kicking Singapore out, they became a first-world country and stated that Malaysia is still a developing country.
Mocking The Disappearance of MH370
Continuing the mockery, Chia later joked saying that Malaysia had not visited them in the past 40 years and blamed it on our Malaysian Airlines planes that cannot fly.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/d6aeb470eb53f655ef50620593cb22e5b249afcf84e7f41daef92aca91d21b34" />
&ldquo;What? Malaysian Airlines going missing not funny, huh? Some jokes don&rsquo;t land. This joke kills in Singapore.&rdquo;
For context, flight MH370 which was carrying 239 people on board mysteriously disappeared back on 8 March 2014 as they were en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing China. The disappearance sparked one of the biggest and most challenging aviation mysteries in history with numerous speculations emerging as their communications device were deliberately disabled and later deviated from their original flight path.&nbsp;
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/6dfddd689863e894785cb020c0225fe1bad6a7513a41b405c119c07bb0283d38" />
To this day, answers to what happened to the mystery flight have yet to be answered and on the 9th year anniversary, Netflix released a 3-part documentary of the flight which received heavy criticism due to it not answering any of the unanswered questions.
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/2233/netflix-to-release-documentary-of-the-disappearance-of-mh370">Netflix To Release Documentary Of The Disappearance Of MH370</a>
The clip later ends when a member of the audience states that Chia will be getting a bad Yelp review after her statement but she says she has nothing to worry about as &ldquo;they don&rsquo;t have internet.&rdquo;
<img src="https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExMzM2ZTlkY2JmMjQzODY3Y2ZlMWIyZGVlYTBiNDk1MjcwMDNiNmFhNSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZzX2dpZklkJmN0PWc/xT9IgkCDBhjt9XZ4LC/giphy.gif" alt="Confused Excuse Me GIF by Chelsea Handler" />
Netizens Certainly Not Having It
At the time of writing, the video has gained over 327K views and 38.3K likes on TikTok. Not to mention that the comments sections were also filled with Malaysians who slammed her for making those sorts of jokes.
Here&rsquo;s some of the comments:
<img src="https://gifdb.com/images/high/oh-snap-jim-halpert-ohh-j6qlgsohvtdj8g9m.gif" />
As someone who also has Singaporean friends, most would agree that such a joke is too insensitive towards the victims of MH370. Some commenters also highlighted that for someone who&rsquo;s from a 1st world country, they say that she has a 3rd world mentality.
When visiting her Instagram page, it has now been set to limit the comments on her posts as the aftermath of the joke is now getting to her. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, TikTok &amp; various cross-references for context.
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S’porean Comedian Faces Backlash For Insensitive MH370 Joke And Mockery Of Malaysia

For quite some time now, many people from students to even the working adult have been using Artificial Intelligence tools (AI) to assist in writing with tools such as Jasper AI and the more famous ChatGPT by OpenAI.
If there&rsquo;s one thing to note about ChatGPT, its free and premium feature is still limited to information till 2021 only and sometimes it can also make up bogus stories which are so believable that it can land one in trouble.
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/2514/legal-blunder-lawyers-use-of-chatgpt-for-case-research-backfires-with-fake-citations">Legal Blunder: Lawyer's Use Of ChatGPT For Case Research Backfires With Fake Citations</a>
Now, since it&rsquo;s good at making up stories, the chatbot could perhaps help in making stories for TV series or movies, right? Like, what could possibly go wrong?
Black Mirror&rsquo;s Charlie Brooker Criticizes ChatGPT&rsquo;s Writing Ability
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/ea0873a51064575adff37cf69c0380a9a42139a14356b4856192a4861228d82e" />
For quite a while now, Black Mirror has been raking in views online ever since its release in 2011 on Channel 4 in the UK and late moving to Netflix in 2016 as they featured 23 different episodes. For a show of that calibre, it does certainly take a while to write out the story and recently during an interview with Empire Magazine, writer Charlie Brooker revealed that he attempted to get ChatGPT to write out an episode of Black Mirror but was not impressed at its outcome.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve toyed around with ChatGPT a bit,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The first thing I did was type &lsquo;generate Black Mirror episode&rsquo; and it comes up with something that, at first glance, reads plausibly, but on second glance, is s**t.&rdquo;
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/8b90a52cf4801b349725d26531c40c53edbb8c93207aff9ae07b2146ceaff418" />
According to Brooker, the chatbot had just merely looked up all the synopses of Black Mirror episodes and shortened all of them together. Digging deeper into the generated text, he shared that the text he was reading had no original thought put into it.
The primary source of criticism towards ChatGPT revolves around its inability to produce original content. A significant portion of its responses is generated from a database containing a vast collection of online publications, which raises concerns regarding authorship. Setting aside ethical considerations, Brooker discovered one practical application for ChatGPT - using it as a guide on what actions to avoid.
&ldquo;I was aware that I had written lots of episodes where someone goes &lsquo;Oh, I was inside a computer the whole time!&rsquo;&rdquo;, he laughed. &ldquo;So, I thought, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m just going to chuck out any sense of what I think a Black Mirror episode is.&rsquo; There&rsquo;s no point in having an anthology show if you can&rsquo;t break your own rules. Just a sort of nice, cold glass of water in the face.&rdquo;
Why Did It Take 3 Years To Release Season 6?
Brooker explained that the extended gap between the seasons was a result of his lack of confidence. He believed that the dystopian story would have been more suitable during the peak of the pandemic. He didn't want to imagine how audiences would have felt watching a narrative about societies crumbling and the potential impact it could have had on them.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5jY1ecibLYo" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The 6th Season of Black Mirror is set to release this 15 June 2023 and fans can expect new elements in the show which was previously sworn not to do so. This time around the season will feature 5 episodes and it will kick off with the first episode &ldquo;Joan is Awful&rdquo; which features actors such as Salma Hayek Pinault, Michael Cera and Zazie Beetz.
Well, guess we can now pray that AI does not completely take over our jobs, right? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Insider, Empire &amp; various cross-references for context.
FOMO much? Follow our <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://www.facebook.com/mycclub/">Facebook</a> and <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://www.instagram.com/myc_news/?hl=en">Instagram</a> for more updates.

Guess we should never trust an AI to write a script out for a story. 

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