KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Every year, aspiring student coders from all over the world join the Apple Swift Student Challenge. 

From the best entries, a selected few get not just a certificate and cool prizes but an invitation, travel and board provided, to Apple Park for the Worldwide Developers Conference.

These 50 winners are dubbed Distinguished Winners whose entries have been considered “truly exceptional” by Apple and this year, Malaysian Jasmmender Kaur is among them.

Ipoh-born Jasmmender, 22, is currently pursuing her bachelor’s in computer science at Taylor’s University Malaysia, specialising in data science.

She said her interest in technology started at an early age: “My journey with technology actually started at home at the age of 10 when a curiosity about how things worked led me to my first computer.”

After picking up the basics of computing at school, she soon started using HTML and CSS to code her own websites as well as built mini-games in Scratch.

By the time she was 15, she had also created a tuition centre management system and with Python, created a simple quiz game.

As to how she became acquainted with Apple’s developer ecosystem, she said, “I actually taught myself Swift independently through YouTube tutorials and Apple’s official developer tutorials, documentation and workshops.”

Apps are in themselves solutions, solutions to specific problems and what Jasmmender saw as a challenge was to help people understand what’s actually going on behind AI.

Her app, Unreal, is meant to educate users about how AI works, saying that the name came from what it does, “pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and the technical backgrounds of AI, but in a very friendly and approachable manner.”

With AI already being used in a myriad of ways, at scale, Jasmmender said, “But most people have no understanding of how or why these decisions are being made.”

Jasmmender said that existing information is not tailored as much for the everyday person, either being too formal or targeted at those already in tech. 

“I felt like in Malaysia, AI adoption is growing, but openness without proper understanding is a very dangerous gap,” she said.

She first listed down what she knew about AI, then noted things that she felt would be important for people to understand and know about.

With that base, she then used AI tools like Claude to create a structure and figure out how she could create something that could be translated easily for everyone.

She added, “But I also got advice from my friends as well about things that they wish they knew before they got into AI.”

Jasmmender considered her win as invaluable in many ways.

“It not only gave me the experience and the lessons, but it opened doors to connect with incredible developers and professionals globally, especially through the network from the Apple community,” she said.

It also allowed her a platform to advocate for AI literacy on a much larger scale, something that she is deeply passionate about.

“Everyone deserves to understand the system that’s shaping their world,” she said.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will take place in Apple Park at Cupertino, California from June 8 to 12.

Caption: Jasmmender Kaur learned to code from an early age and is now in her final year studying computer science. — Picture courtesy of Apple

 

MAY 20 — “Would you like a cup of tea?”

It was not a question I expected, as I stood there at the entrance of SunnyHills Café in Taipei, bedraggled and a little damp after trying (and failing) to figure out the city’s buses.

Just 20 minutes prior to arriving at the cafe a harried bus driver had yelled at me for taking too long to get off the bus.

My post-cancer treatment legs were still too stiff; going down steps was and still is a painful affair and while the pain has ebbed a little, the stiffness keeps rushing back like waves to sand.

So I wasn’t angry at the bus driver, I couldn’t even understand what he was saying.

But from his frustrated tone, I get that he was upset.

If I was a much older woman, if I still had a bald head and cane, perhaps he might have been a little more patient or perhaps not.

As hard as it is sometimes to deal with a physical facade that does not match my reality (“You look good/You’re all better now, right?”), I will take the stiff legs, the awkward halting steps, the ever present pain as trophies hard-won, souvenirs from a battle where I claimed the ultimate prize — coming out alive. 

Yesterday I woke up and my left shoulder felt lighter than it had in over six months and I rolled my arm around and around, hearing the clicking of my shoulder blade as if it had finally come to life, like a thawing of ice after a long winter.

Back to my cup of tea.

I am used to the usual “CanIhelpyou?” I get at Malaysian stores that actually mean “Are you here to buy something, I hope you’re here to buy something, I’m here for you if you buy something.”

Instead the pleasant staffer asked if I wanted tea, and when I said yes, ushered me to a long, polished wooden table, with many seats as though prepared for not just one mussed and confused visitor but as many as could make it.

On a little plate was a pineapple tart, the Taiwanese kind, a slender, rectangular cube, still in its wrapping and next to it, a cup of a pleasant oolong tea.

I should have asked what kind of tea it was but instead I sank into a chair to have my tea and tart.

There’s a very good reason SunnyHills pineapple tarts often win in local “what is the best pineapple tart” polls.

Part of it is the pastry. You can taste the butter, good butter at just the right ratio to keep the shell moist and the filling, ah, you wish local pineapple pastries could come close.

The filling is generous and the flavour gets the right mix of not being overly tart nor overly sweet but I confess I love the apple tarts most.

My friend says the reason SunnyHills’ tarts taste so good is that they use only pineapple instead of substituting in some wintermelon.

I think that’s only part of the charm. What the tarts get right is that lovely mouthfeel where you get just the right amount of dough and filling with each bite, without leaving a doughy aftertaste or an unpleasant overly sour flavour from poorly prepared pineapple jam.

There was no attempt to immediately ask me why I was there or to show me what they had in-store, the wares were on display after all.

When I looked curiously at the apple tarts, the salesperson asked if I would like a sample and I said, sure.

She handed me a whole tart.

Bear in mind, Taiwanese pineapple tarts are the length of my palm and thick as two fingers and being the typical Malaysian who is used to free samples being the size of a fingernail, this was an unexpected bounty.

So you see, dear reader, you can hardly blame me for buying two boxes of tarts, some banana waffle biscuits and a gift set of tarts for the friend who was the reason I was there in the first place.

She had asked me, “Are you going to SunnyHills? No pressure.”

I said, “Well, I could.” I could and I did, because my itinerary was as loose and as free as the passing clouds. 

After looking at my receipts, I realised I wasn’t even charged for the cup of tea, nor was there a fee for the tart that accompanied it and of course, the apple tart sample was free too.

Perhaps it was hospitality.

Perhaps they just knew that once you tasted their tarts, you wouldn’t be able to resist taking some home with you.

If there is one memory I will hold most dear about Taipei, it is that one cup of tea and the kind of simple hospitality you don’t get as much in big cities so when you do find it, when you’re standing on shaky legs in the rain, it’s something to savour, like you would a very good, buttery tart.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

 

 

 

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — “Like this also can,” was my reaction to reading about a Chinese period drama that has stirred up enough controversy to even rile up China’s official government media.

To think that the Zhejiang Provincial Committee went so far as to publish an op-ed complaining that a character in Pursuit of Jade was overly good looking, to the point it could lead to misunderstandings of Chinese culture among international viewers.

Hilariously though, another government news site CCTV News loved the character’s style, saying the costume design choices gave the character a unique oriental charm.

Pursuit of Jade? Is this some auntie’s shopping trip rom-com?

No-lah.

Pursuit of Jade or 逐玉 (Zhu Yu) is a very popular new Chinese-language drama based on the web novel written by 团子来袭/Tuan Zi Lai Xi.

Directed by Zeng Qingjie, it stars Tian Xiawei as the daughter of a butcher who rescues a fallen nobleman played by Zhang Linghe.

They end up in a marriage of convenience that blossoms (but of course) into one of real affection, but alas, they end up being separated by conflict and intrigue.

While in China it aired on the streaming platforms Tencent Video and IQIYI, it is also on Netflix and since its worldwide release on March 6, 2026 it has become a global hit.

On release, Pursuit of Jade debuted at number six on Netflx’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows chart.

Fast-forward to the controversy please

Fine. While Tian is very winsome as the heroine, Zhang is just as pretty and there, critics say, is the problem.

It’s not a Chinese period drama without at least some sword waving and there are battlefield scenes where Zhang gets to don armour and well, apparently look too good while doing so.

He’s even garnered a nickname — General of (Liquid) Foundation due to the heavy makeup he dons in the battle scenes.

Taiwanese-American actor Peter Ho somehow ended up in the discussion with people sharing screenshots of him as Qin dynasty warlord Xiang Yu in the drama The Legend of Chu and Han that came out in 2012.

Ho has been very diplomatic about all this discourse that he did not ask to be included in, only saying, “They are two different types of dramas, and cannot be compared.”

Anyway if you really want to know how good Zhang looks in this show, someone on TikTok was super helpful and made this clip of some of his best looks in the series.

What do the fans say?

Fans have pointed out that Zhang’s portrayal is very much true to the source material.

Writer Tian has described her hero as having “eyes like black lacquer” and a  “face like cold jade.”

In other words the hero is supposed to be handsome because at its heart, it is a romance in what is popularly known as the “slow burn” category.

Slow burn — no love at first sight here, instead its very gradual, almost glacial pace, will they-won’t they kind of romance that hooks a certain type of reader or viewer who does not care how much foundation their “general” wears so long as it looks good.

Should I watch this?

Having watched a couple of episodes I can truthfully say that if you’re not into romances, give this a pass.

Sure, there’s some mystery and intrigue (that’s more confusing than some of our politicians’ speeches) and a fair smattering of comedy but if you’re not in it for romantic chemistry and smouldering looks, this is probably not the show for you.

Honestly I think some of the criticism being levelled is just jealousy because Zhang Linghe is not the first, nor will he be the last, actor to be absurdly good-looking, or as the Gen Zs say, looksmaxxing in a drama, what more a period drama.

If you think logically, you could also level the same criticism at Tian’s portrayal of a butcher. In all the scenes where she’s wielding a butcher’s knife, she is perfectly put together, makeup on point, looking like she smells of jasmine and peony and not pig offal.

There was this other scandal…

Zhang recently apologised for a remark criticised as racist when, on a variety show, he critiqued a sketch of him as making him “look like he was from South-east Asia.”

He said, in a statement in both Chinese and English:

“I am truly sorry that my words on the variety show caused any of you discomfort. Please know that I always believe every culture has its own beauty – and it was never my intention to cause any hurt or be disrespectful. Over the years, I have been touched by the incredible support from fans across South-east Asia – whether through messages, letters, or even traveling all the way to China to see me.

“I am deeply grateful for all of it, and the last thing I would ever want is for anyone who supports me to feel sad because of this misunderstanding,” he said.

The controversy seems to have faded like cheap foundation because Pursuit of Jade is still super popular and Zhang Linghe is now all over my social media feed (thanks algorithm).

One husband has even used his wife’s love of the show and fangirling over Zhang to comedic advantage as you can see below:

Will they get a happy ever after?

Watch the show, this article contains no spoilers.

Anyway you can catch JJ Lin singing the OST for the show below.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — Acer Malaysia has launched a fresh wave of gaming hardware, unveiling new laptops, desktops, monitors and portable displays designed to cater to gamers at every level. 

The rollout is accompanied by the ongoing “Predator Kasi Onz Roadshow” at Sunway Pyramid, where customers can score instant discounts, eWallet credits and free gifts.

Announced are the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, Predator Orion 5000 desktop, Predator XB273U X2 monitor and the Nitro PG241Y P1 portable display — offering gamers more flexibility across mobile, stationary and multi-screen setups.

Leading the pack is the Predator Helios Neo 16, a mid-tier gaming laptop aimed at socially connected gamers who want solid performance without breaking the bank. 

Available in multiple configurations, it packs up to an Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU, paired with a 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fan to keep thermals in check during marathon sessions.

The 16-inch 16:10 IPS display reaches up to WQXGA+ resolution, with a 180Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time and 100 per cent sRGB colour coverage. 

Connectivity is handled by Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro (Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5G Ethernet), while DTS:X Ultra Audio and Acer PurifiedVoice with AI noise reduction aim to keep comms crisp.

Prices start from RM7,299 for RTX 5050 variants, topping out at RM9,999 for the RTX 5070 model.

For those who prefer a stationary command centre, the Predator Orion 5000 arrives in a 45L chassis made with 65 per cent PCR plastic, featuring an EMI‑compliant tempered glass side panel and customisable ARGB lighting. 

Under the hood, an Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 265F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics are kept cool by the Predator CycloneX 360 cooling system.

It comes with 32GB DDR5 6000 XMP MHz RAM (upgradable to 128GB) and 1TB SSD storage, plus Wi-Fi 7 support. The desktop is priced at RM14,999.

Acer also unveiled the Predator XB273U X2, a 27-inch QHD gaming monitor with an overclocked 210Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time, aimed at reducing motion blur in fast-paced titles. 

It retails for RM799 and includes a three-year pick‑up and return warranty.

Meanwhile, the Nitro PG241Y P1 is touted as Malaysia’s first 23.8‑inch portable gaming monitor, featuring a 144Hz IPS panel that connects via a single USB‑C cable. 

A built‑in kickstand allows for easy placement on desks, mounting or even business meeting screens. It is priced at RM649.

All products are available immediately at the Acer eStore, official Shopee and Lazada stores, and authorised resellers nationwide. 

However, the biggest savings are at the Predator Kasi Onz Roadshow at Sunway Pyramid Blue Atrium, running from May 14 to 17, 2026.

For more details, visit Predator Malaysia’s Facebook page (@PredatorGamingMy) or call Acer’s Product Infoline at 1800-88-1288 (9am–6pm, weekdays).