Ivan Chan.

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Six Words That Changed a Life.

KAJANG : Life-changing advice from Zachary Roland Anthony’s uncle reshaped his future upon his high school graduation. The advice would not only alter the course of his life but also serve as a constant source of motivation as he forged a path across various sectors, unbeknownst to him at the time. It was the time when Zachary was in his twenties. Zachary self-identified as an introvert with ineffective communication skills because he disliked communicating and interacting with people back then, according to his own admission. Suffering from low confidence and self-esteem, his emotional struggles were compounded by his family’s limited expectations for him. One day, his uncle uttered six transformative words that changed his life: “Just open your mouth and speak.” His uncle treated him like his “own eldest son,” investing not just love but also unwavering belief in him, according to Zachary. Feeling both perplexed and startled by his uncle’s words, teenager Zachary thought that h...

Traditional Education System.

Present condition of Education. Problem 1: Prevalence of a one-size-fits-all approach to education. In actuality, the traditional education method lacks personalized learning due to the "one-size-fits-all" teaching approach that has been utilized for decades despite being a relic of the past. Simply put, this type of education presupposes that all students will learn in the same way and at the same pace. In this regard, if certain students prefer alternative learning styles and curriculum, they will have no other option but to devote more time and effort to studying something they are not interested in and forego their own interests in a bid to pass the subjects. And because they are so ingrained to be the same as others and have never been given the opportunity to choose what they want under the same education system since they were children, there is a trend of a plethora of students being dubious of their future career choices. Therefore, it stands to reason that a...

Freedom of Expression.

Present condition of Freedom of Expression. Problem 1: Freedom of Expression encourages violence. Although free speech remains the cornerstone of democracy, it is incontrovertible that it has been weaponized and transformed into a pretext for violence in contemporary society, with sometimes fatal repercussions. In essence, free speech consistently misleads individuals into believing that their subjectivity will be permitted regardless of the emotional impact it may have on others. Not only that, due to the anonymity of social media, people are more prone to say whatever they want while concealing behind their online profile, thereby creating an environment where abusers are protected from consequences. Therefore, someone who solely dislikes another person might utilize the rights of free speech as a veil to convey offensive and even discriminatory views. And as people become continually engulfed in their virtual existence, a greater proportion of them fall prey to issues ca...

Accessible Parking.

Present condition of handicapped parking. Problem 1: Violation and misuse of accessible parking lots. The misuse of accessible parking has become a pervasive issue in contemporary society. The general public may deem momentarily "borrowing" accessible parking from the disabled to be trivial and inconsequential, thereby compromising the convenience of the disabled. Yet paradoxically, this perilous circumstance is not unique to Malaysia; it’s a worldwide phenomenon. As a result, the majority of authorities are recruiting more security officers or concierges to remain near the parking spots and remove cone barricades when authorized disabled individuals need to use the parking. Although this method is somewhat effective at preventing violations, it increases the workload of security officers and concierges and prevents them from ensuring the buildings' tranquilly. Deplorably, not only do cases of violation occur among able-bodied drivers but also among those with disabili...

Deepfake Technology.

What is Deepfake. Deepfake is software that is propelled by artificial intelligence and capable of superimposing a digital composite visage or voice onto an existing video or audio of a person. Nonetheless, it is lamentable that it has been weaponized by evildoers in modern times. Current condition. Problem 1: Ease in creating disinformation. In 2019, Mark Zukerberg, the founder of Facebook, was "deepfaked" for a video in which he discussed the ominous topic of the power of big data. Yet, Zuckerberg never uttered those remarks, and the actual video is Zuckerberg's 2017 presentation on Russian election interference on Facebook. Ironically, Facebook did not remove the video and merely declared that they will restrict exposure to such erroneous content; consequently, the world will be rife with disinformation in the future as deepfake technology advances to flawlessness. At that point, it will be child's play to create a video of each of us saying something we've n...