2009 will be remembered as the year of financial turmoil. Leading economies of the world fell and this affected many facets of our lives. However, not everything was gloom and doom this year; there were some bright and joyous moments, and some sad events too and like every year, this year too saw the emergence of new lifestyle trends. We at OPTIONS, take a look at 2009 and bring to you what we think are the highlights of the year. Running for the third consecutive year, our HOT 100 List is a listing of who and what made the headlines and the year interesting for us — from our cover stories, people, trends, iconic products and issues to newsmaker and milestones that we covered through the year. Join Surinder Jessy, Jacqueline Toyad, Anandhi Gopinath, Elaine Lau and Grace Chin as we look at what made 2009 a year to remember.  

Cover Stories
2009 saw myriad personalities gracing the cover of Options. From global newsmakers and corporate captains to activists, artists and families, each personality had a great story to tell. Here we put together what we think are this year’s hottest cover stories.

1 Mohamed Tawfik Tun Ismail
Lest the nation forgets the great leader and fearless visionary that was former deputy prime minister the late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, his son Mohamed Tawfik compiled his father’s writings into two bestselling books — The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time and Malaya’s First Year At The United Nations (As Reflected in Dr Ismail’s Reports Home to Tunku Abdul Rahman). As Tun Dr Ismail’s first born, Tawfik felt it was his duty to fill the lack of knowledge about his father and the crucial role that he played in the birth of Malaysian politics.

But as Jacqueline Toyad and Surinder Jessy found out, Tawfik was not the kind of man who expected fame and fortune to come his way just because of who his father was. The interview with Tawfik revealed a loving husband and father of five who works hard for what he earns, and deals with life’s challenges calmly and with no bitterness. After unsuccessful tenures in business, broadcasting and politics, Tawfik has chosen to remain independent of the institution his father believed so strongly, opting instead to chart his own history.

Today, Tawfik is in the business of education and is continuously looking for new ways to revive his father’s legacy and remind Malaysians about a visionary leader who died without ever seeing his dreams come true.

2 Prof José Ramos-Horta, president of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Conflict happens when people “don’t attempt to see the other side’s thinking”, says Prof José Ramos-Horta. To him, resolving conflicts, whether personal or between nations, requires the deceivingly simple act of stepping back and thinking about the other side, what their motivations are, fears and interests.

Ramos-Horta does not merely preach this ideal; he walks it, too. In a candid chat with Jacqueline Toyad and Grace Chin, he talked about how when he became president of Timor-Leste in 2007, at a time when the nation was going through a civil war, he went to “neighbourhood meetings with gangs, with the youths” and “spent hours sitting and listening to them”. On the matter of the bloody 24-year Indonesian occupation of the nation, he would not support an international tribunal for Timor-Leste, and was opposed to putting Indonesian soldiers on trial for human rights abuses inflicted during that time. It is because of this — refusing to practise eye-for-an-eye-type justice and extending a hand of forgiveness — that the two nations enjoy full diplomatic relations today.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner adheres to this stance in his own life as well. After he recovered from an ambush at his home where he was shot twice, he met his assailants and talked to them in an effort to make them see that violence is not the way. He said, “You need to bury the past if you want to progress.”

3 Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, MP, Sungai Siput
The town of Sungai Siput, Perak, was never of great interest to Malaysians until last year’s March 8 general election when MIC leader and Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu was dethroned as Member of Parliament (MP) after 34 years. The person who took his place is a man with soft unhurried voice whose life’s mission is dedicated to social work — Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj. The Edge associate editor Rash Behari Bhattacharjee, a former university mate of Kumar’s at University Malaya, spent a weekend with the new Sungai Siput MP at his constituency and examined the tough job that lay ahead for the heart doctor/social activist/politician.

Rash revealed Kumar’s desire for a more socialist approach to politics — at least in his constituency — and his perspective that people need to be more motivated about doing things for themselves. Much like the man himself, who clearly believes in his cause and isn’t waiting for someone else to help him do the work that needs to be done — Kumar gets to the root of the issues and engages with the community to solve them.

Rash’s description of Kumar indicated a farsighted and compassionate leader, and the country needs more people like him to stand in Parliament. A new Malaysia? Looks like a good start.

4 Anne Abraham, managing director, Cisco Malaysia
Anne Abraham is an anomaly in the male-dominated IT industry. Her first IT-related job was with a local distributor for Novell in 1989, where she became a certified network engineer and helped establish the first education centre for Novell in Malaysia. She moved on to Oracle six years later and then other IT companies, before taking up her current position at Cisco Malaysia as managing director.

At Cisco, connectivity through networks is the name of the game. Speaking to her, Grace Chin and Elaine Lau discovered that mobility and efficiency are what consumers demand these days and Cisco’s products and services provide that. After joining the company, she has gained a deeper understanding of the whole connected working lifestyle, not just the fact that everything is accelerated, but the risks involved as well. Anne conceded that how they deal with these “threats” are all part of the “growth towards development”.

The lady boss makes it a priority to be connected with her 70-odd staff. She said that celebrating and promoting inclusiveness, equality and diversity are areas that she intends to pay more attention to with her staff. She strongly supports the formation of informal community groups in the company, such as the women’s action group, which focuses on women’s needs, including accommodating job conditions for working mothers. “We support [the formation of] any other small groups — religion, ethnicity, anything — to ensure everyone is treated fairly and equally,” she shared.

Anne knows that connected human beings are where the real network’s net worth lies.

5 Reverend Jesse L Jackson, social justice activist, founder, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Reverend Jesse L Jackson is not one to just sit back and calmly accept the injustices faced by people, as Jacqueline Toyad and Grace Chin found out. This tireless social justice activist started with working for the improvement of African-Americans in the 1960s under various organisations and movements, but has since widened that net to include negotiating for the return of Americans captured oversees.

Jackson grew up at a time when African-Americans did not have equal rights. Even as a young man, he challenged the injustices and prejudices heaped upon him and his kind. During his time at seminary, he joined and then led the Congress of Racial Equality, and it was here that the civil rights activist within him emerged.

In his efforts to globalise human rights, Jackson models his non-violent, pulling-down-walls-and-building-bridges ideology after the principles of Martin Luther King Jr (whom he worked under when he was alive) and Mahatma Gandhi. He says, “Dr King and Mahatma Gandhi taught us to keep our eyes on the prize, focus on the moral centre and fight fiercely and non-violently for what is right rather than what is expedient, then we can truly change the world.”

6 Dr Reza Azmi, founder and director, Wild Asia
It started with a love for the outdoors and nature, which then became his life and vocation. Dr Reza Azmi told Jacqueline Toyad that as a student, he was looking to merge his passion for the outdoors with a profession, and it eventually led him to major in biology and environmental sciences at the University of St Andrews in the UK.

Upon returning to Malaysia in 1994, WWF Malaysia offered him a job to do field work at Sabah’s Lower Kinabatangan River as a senior scientific officer for its forest programme. He gained valuable experience, but grew frustrated at the way things worked at the organisation and how it was donor-dependent. He left, and in 2003 established Wild Asia, a company that had a completely different model from WWF. The idea was to “create business structures that could have a positive impact”, said Reza.

In more specific terms, Wild Asia is a social enterprise that works to support the conservation of the environment and the communities dependent upon its natural resources through partnerships with individuals and businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible. Wild Asia’s projects begin with understanding the system within the company first, understanding its constraints and then coming up with a customised solution that would benefit the planet and the people, and its profit margins.

Wild Asia’s portfolio comprises Responsible Tourism Initiative, Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Natural Corridor Initiative and Sustainable Island Programme.

7 Datuk Lat, cartoonist
Like Madonna and Sting, one of Malaysia’s most famous men is also known by a mononym — Lat. However, there is nothing diva-like about Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid (Lat is taken from a childhood name of Bulat), even though he is famous for his unique chronicling of Malaysia and her people with his simple line-drawn cartoons. Lat charmed Anandhi Gopinath with his simple ways and easygoing manner, and of course, the ear-to-ear grin that we all know so well from his cartoons.

Malaysia’s pre-eminent cartoonist began his life in a kampung, and used that as inspiration to develop his body of work. First published at the age of nine, the industrious Lat went on to draw cartoons until he left school and went on to join the media fraternity.

While he was a rookie crime desk reporter with The Malay Mail, a cartoon that was published by Asia Magazine captured everyone’s attention and revealed the genius in our midst. His work over the years has immortalised multiracial Malaysia, from village life to lampooning of heated debates of our politicians. His mastery is in social commentary carefully masked by humorous passages and slapstick.

Lat continues with his award-winning narrative, expanding the reach of his creative genius to animation and most recently, music, collaborating with conductor and composer Carl Davis.
Today, the nation’s favourite Kampung Boy is in semi-retirement and enjoying his time off as he continues his life’s work of describing Malaysia to Malaysians. 

8 The Benjamin family
In the 50 years since its founding, Singaporean fashion retail company FJ Benjamin has grown into a fashion empire to be reckoned with in the region. Audrey Simon (The Edge Singapore’s Options editor) and Goola Warden (The Edge Singapore associate editor), sat down with five male members of the Benjamin family — founder Frank and brother Nash, and Frank’s children, Douglas, Samuel and Ben-Judah — and talked about their past, present and future.

Frank comes from the third generation of a family of entrepreneurs who made a living in the rag trade, and says it was in his DNA to head into retail. He started his eponymous company in 1959 with distributing jewellery and handbags, and today, FJ Benjamin distributes such global fashion labels as Celine, Banana Republic, Gap, Guess, Marciano, Guess Accessories and La Senza, and watch brands Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Bell & Ross, Rado, Chronotech, Guess Watches, Guess Collecion, Marc Ecko, Nike Timing and Victorinox Swiss Army. It also has its own label, Raoul, which his son, Douglas, created in 2002.

The company has seen through its fair share of tumultuous times, particularly in the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis. Frank concedes it was “very tough”, but soldiered on, the thought of giving up never entered his mind. He says the key to surviving is to understand that change is inevitable, “to look at trends and act on them and pre-empt them”. This mindset is what’s helping the company weather through the current economic climate, and is what will see them through into the future. 

9 Fathers and sons
Fathers who raise their sons as individuals rather than as a reflection of themselves create lasting, beautiful relationships that all parents should emulate. Options went in search of such father-son pairs in celebration of Father’s Day, and had the pleasure of featuring three pairs who left all of us inspired.

The three duos were a wonderfully muhibbah mix of backgrounds and identities. First was former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and founder of law firm Zaid & Co, Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, and his son, Ezra Mohd Zaid, who runs the publishing house ZI Publications. Next was Jose Thomas, one of the foremost innovators of the local jazz scene and his son, John Ashley Thomas, an award-winning percussionist. Finally was Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim, renowned historian and Professor Emeritus at University Malaya, and his son Eddin Khoo, a journalist, poet and traditional arts activist.

After the interviews, photography and a delightful tea party thrown by L’Oreal at Groove Junction Bistro & Café in Desa Sri Hartamas, we learnt an important lesson from all of them — becoming a father is a lifetime process, and it’s only by letting go will you really be part of such a meaningful relationship.

10 Jean-Baptiste Debains, president, Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific
The world’s most recognisable luxury brand, French malletier Louis Vuitton, earlier this year opened its second global store in Singapore’s latest fashion and lifestyle hub, ION Orchard. The brand’s Asia-Pacific president Jean-Baptiste Debains spoke to Surinder Jessy and Audrey Simon on Louis Vuitton’s rapid expansion plans across the region right in the midst of a global recession and of course, the significance of opening a global store in this part of the world instead of anywhere in Europe.

With a rich product range that carefully caters to changing trends as well as the nature of individual markets, Louis Vuitton has managed to remain incredibly successful despite the recession. Debains spoke about the brand’s rich and varied product range, their engagement of social media and online communities as well as their growing Asian operations and their hope for the future. He is obviously optimistic — if Louis Vuitton has managed to remain relevant after 155 years in business, there is every reason to think it will continue to do so well into the future.

11 Geoffrey Briscoe, managing director, MW Malaysia
The general perception of BMW here is that it is a sporty, high-performance car brand, but there’s actually a whole lot more to it under the hood, so to speak. The luxury carmaker is a leader in fuel-efficient cars — sustainability is the guiding principle for all the company’s processes, from design and engineering to production. BMW was recently named the most sustainable automobile company in the world for the fifth consecutive year recently by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World.

This aspect of the carmaker is well-known in Europe, but not so much here, and that is something Geoffrey Briscoe, managing director of BMW Malaysia, wants to change. He talked to Jacqueline Toyad about the new range of efficient cars recently introduced to the local market and how the company will be pushing its Efficient Dynamics Technology more aggressively. “You’ll hear more and more about it in everything that we do… in our advertising, our PR, everything that we do in the future,” he said.

Briscoe was transferred from BMW Australia to helm the company here. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, not just about BMW, but also the industry as a whole, having been involved in the automotive industry since leaving university. Malaysia is his first overseas posting, and Briscoe says it is a great place to be.

12 Datuk Bridget Lai, group CEO, Alliance Bank Bhd
It was by sheer tenacity and hard work that Datuk Bridget Lai got to where she is today, as group CEO of Alliance Bank and a formidable force in the banking industry. Jacqueline Toyad and Grace Chin discovered that Lai has nerves of steel and is not afraid to take challenges and sees it as part and parcel of her growth and development.

Lai revealed that she wanted to do law as a teenager, but found her calling in banking instead when she worked as a temporary bank teller. Lai began her banking career with Standard Chartered and rose through the ranks to country head of consumer banking (Malaysia), the first Malaysian to hold such a position. She shared that she is not one to just accept things and take them in stride — she was and still is not afraid to challenge her superiors when there was a need to — a quality she appreciates in her staff today.

Lai spoke admiringly about her grandmother and mother, who left a legacy of entrepreneurship and the keys to succeed in life — in her words, “you have to work very hard, you have to be charitable, you have to be humble and you have to be God-fearing”.

Outside of her corporate persona, Lai is a mother of two and a woman with wide interests (reading, travelling, gardening, painting) and a weakness for Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice- cream and durians. According to Lai, she really is just “a very normal person who had a normal childhood”, and that she is where she is today because “I’m very stubborn and persistent”. 

13 R Nadeswaran, editor, special reports and investigations, theSun
Better known as Citizen Nades, theSun newspaper’s editor of special reports and investigations, R Nadeswaran is almost larger than life, often referred to as “the nation’s conscience” and the “truth seeker”. In a rare interview, Nades opened up to Jacqueline Toyad and Surinder Jessy about his first book on the Port Klang Free Zone scandal entitled PKFZ: Some Untold Stories and his eventful career in journalism. Nades (as he’s affectionately known) began as a stringer with The Malay Mail sports desk before graduating to the news desk. He then went to the UK to do his law degree, after which he assumed his position with theSun, his employer for the past 10 years.

But behind the tough-guy image is that of a doting father, and he also spoke about the loss of his eldest daughter five years ago in a car accident. At the time, colleagues remember Nades having lost a little of his zest for life, yet he kept working. “It’s simple. I had to hold my family together. If I broke down, everyone around me would have collapsed,” he says. The PKFZ book, his first, was launched on the fifth anniversary of her passing.

The interview turned out to be quite an exposé of our own: Who Citizen Nades really is and what keeps him going everyday — family and friends, respect and integrity, and a passion for the truth.

14 Datuk Dr Nirmala Menon, CEO and president, ING Insurance Bhd
Passion is what clearly drives ING Insurance Bhd’s CEO and president Datuk Dr Nirmala Menon — not just in her work, but also in the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. In a frank conversation with Anandhi Gopinath and Elaine Lau, the witty and warm Nirmala animatedly described the social networking platform that ING is now using to communicate its CSR programmes, something very new which the company is embarking on.

A trained doctor-turned-insurance practitioner, the petite mother of three has translated her nurturing ways to the running of the company, and not just in her closeness to the CSR programmes but also in how she motivates the rest of her employees to join her. 

No-nonsense and practical in a charming way, Nirmala also revealed her girly side during the interview as she talked about how she redecorated the entire office floor right before she moved in, with a well-chosen selection of paintings and sculptures.

Yet, it is Nirmala’s humility that is most arresting. When asked if her multiple roles as a woman, mother and doctor have shaped the way she works and made her a stronger, more compassionate leader, she was unable to answer. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s me, it’s the way I’ve always been."

Bestsellers
Our special themed issues are always a hit and this year we presented four special editions — the annual Spring/Summer Fashion Focus, our second annual Green Issue, a Merdeka Special and last but not least our glossy 15th Anniversary Luxury Issue. Each one of them was a hit among our readers.

15 Spring/Summer Fashion Focus
Options turned the attention from the subject to the artist for this year’s annual Spring/Summer Fashion Focus, putting on the cover four Malaysian female visual artists. The final list that was agreed upon comprised writer-poet-photographer Bernice Chauly, artist photographer Soraya Talismail, and artists Yau Bee Ling and Sharon Chin, who create truly beautiful work and have inspired all of us at Options in different ways.

Make-up artists from L’Oréal Paris, Giorgio Armani Beauty, shu uemura and Lancôme joined hairstylists from Andy Ho Haute Coiffure to groom our four artists, who loved the idea of a morning’s worth of pampering.

The idea was to celebrate femininity in all its forms, so we picked different dresses in strong colours and silhouettes — Bernice’s curves were celebrated with Celine’s wrap dress, Soraya’s look was ultra feminine in a billowy shift dress from Massimo Dutti and Yau’s post-baby figure worked well with the structured lines of a shirtdress from Hugo Boss Women. We chose a voluminous pair of silk trousers and chiffon top from Farah Khan for Chin, the baby of the group, to update her girlish features. All four women looked simply stunning, a glamourised version of their already beautiful selves.

The morning we spent with the four artists is something we still talk about, as their varied personalities struck a chord with us. Their giving nature and the selfless attitude towards their work have been inspiring, and made us realise that art in Malaysia has a bright — and beautiful — future indeed.

16 Green Issue
The second annual Green Issue took the Options team on a four-day trek across the cool mountain resort of Cameron Highlands, one of the country’s most important water catchment areas and the source of much of our fresh vegetables and flowers. However, we soon discovered that there was a lot of ugliness that brewed beneath the pristine surface of Cameron’s beauty.

Farmers were illegally tapping the source of fresh water from its source further up in the mountains, and in return, dumped massive amounts of agricultural waste and pesticides into the rivers — which eventually flows down south into Sungai Pahang and Sungai Selangor and later on into many of our kitchen taps. The perfect green leaves and smooth orange cheeks of the vegetables suddenly appeared unnatural — if a caterpillar will not touch it, why should we? Vegetable farming was also done in areas gazetted as reserve forests, eating away into this precious natural resource.

There is hope, however. As we dug deeper, we found that there were efforts in place to change things. Regional Environment Awareness Cameron Highlands (Reach) is an NGO which is fighting to protect the environment and educate the public on the issues. In the Klang Valley, Global Environment Centre (GEC) focuses on the environment but on a local level with members of the community. We also found farmers in Cameron’s who were active proponents of organic farming, which is both a healthier and more environmentally sustainable way to grow produce.

It was an eye-opening look for all of us at the problems we faced as a nation, but it was also gratifying to see that there is still hope in people, who in their small way, strive to make a difference.

17 15th Anniversary Luxury Issue
To commemorate The Edge’s 15 wonderful years as a publication this year, we came out with a special edition of Options dedicated to luxury and style. With the theme of Icons of Luxury, our first-ever glossy had on its cover four personalities who define the business of style in Malaysia: Kathy Lam, country manager of Louis Vuitton; Cynthia Lim, managing director of Chanel Malaysia; Angie Chong, CEO of FJ Benjamin Malaysia; and Farah Khan, president of Melium Group. Jacqueline Toyad and Elaine Lau spoke to them on the companies they lead, the evolution of the local luxury retail market and what the future held for their individual luxury houses and the industry. Options editor Surinder Jessy held a roundtable discussion with the four ladies on the values of luxury branding, the state of the industry and their hopes for the future. She also presented an overview of the industry in Asia and how the concept of luxury has changed over the years.

Luxury icons are defined by six Es — excellence, elegance, exclusive, exquisite, extraordinary and exotic — and Options presented items that embodied those elements. We also paid tribute to the Asian faces who are the preferred choice for luxury houses to showcase their core values and products and compiled a “21st century wish list” of uber-luxurious items and toys for the moneyed.

Also in the same issue was Options’ annual autumn/winter fashion coverage. Options dressed four leading men from the advertising industry — Lee Szu Hung, executive creative director and deputy chairman of McCann Worldgroup Malaysia; Ng Heok Seong, executive creative director of Lowe & Partners Malaysia; Adrian Miller, executive creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia; and David Sin, group creative director of Grey Group Malaysia — in the season’s best sartorial offerings. The Options team spoke to them about the business of ideas and what luxury means to them. And the issue also highlighted the season’s trends for men and women.

18 Merdeka Special
The “young shoulder” represents the burden of hope and the future, and it’s no different in Malaysia. Hence, for Options’ annual Merdeka issue, we wanted to find out from young burden-bearers on what they thought the future held for our nation. Six young Malaysians — dancer and choreographer Suhaili Micheline Ahmad Kamil, lecturer Eddie Wong, technopreneur Hardesh Singh, freelance writer Ahmad Hafidz Baharom, filmmaker Tan Chui Mui and film director Abdullah Zahir Omar — shared with Grace Chin and Elaine Lau about their perceptions of a country experiencing growing pains.

Since Malaysia’s independence in 1957, the country has been clouded by political colourings and an unnecessary feel-good sepia-tinted view of history. The young Malaysians think it’s time to move on. The 1Malaysia concept mooted by our prime minister has drawn sharp criticism from every corner, and Tan feels that it is superficial. She says unity cannot be achieved by just a branding exercise.

Hardesh feels that the youth should be engaged to speak their minds and express their worldview on their own terms, which is why he embarked on a pilot project called PopIn for that very purpose. Ahmad, Zahir and Wong all define independence simply as the freedom of speech and expression, something that we still cannot claim as ours.

Ahmad and Zahir applaud the proposal for the removal of the ethnic category in forms and paperwork, but feel that the issue of race and ethnicity should be removed from the political system as well. Suhaili found herself inspired by singer Datuk Siti Nurhaliza’s artistic approach, the Konsert Eksklusif Satu, where the singer redefined her identity on her own terms as an artist and celebrity using the “Satu” concept.

The Merdeka issue also highlighted Malaysian-made goods, including bamboo and rattan handcrafts, which are still being kept alive by craftsmen in George Town, Penang.

We Salute...

19 Yasmin Ahmad (Jan 7, 1958 — July 25, 2009)
Yasmin Ahmad was Malaysia’s consummate storyteller, putting her innate talent for narratives to good use with the legendary Petronas TV advertisements as well as in her award-winning films Sepet, Gubra and Mukhsin. At age 51, she was a visionary, a leader in the field of advertising as executive creative director at Leo Burnett/Arc and a rising star filmmaker making waves in the international film arena. She was an amazing spirit, dedicated to reminding Malaysians who we are and what unity and being human truly means.

She was a disciple of love — “You love because you love. No questions. Why ask the head to explain something that comes from the heart?” Her TV ads and films often spoke of a truth that Malaysians are familiar with, depicting scenes of Malaysian life that are seemingly mundane and important at the same time, filled with symbolism.

When asked once what her driving force was, she replied, “People, more than anything. I love the fact that you can never know enough about any one person. I love to see hope in others.”

Her life continues to be celebrated in the legacy of work she left behind. She shared so much of herself with us in her films and will forever remain a creative and dynamic force Malaysians can call our own.

20 Michael Jackson (Aug 29, 1958 — June 25, 2009)
On March 5, Michael Jackson announced “This Is It”, a series of concerts marking his retirement from the pop music scene he helped build from age 10 onwards, first with his brothers in The Jackson 5 and later as a solo artiste. Three months later, he stunned the world once more with his death, leaving a legion of fans numbering hundreds of millions across the world grieving the loss of their icon.

Apart from a voice with a timbre no other singer could match, Jackson was a master of imagery and dance — he knew it wasn’t enough to sing, that you had to be the whole package too. He was a trailblazer, changing the face of the music industry by integrating avant-garde videos to accompany the release of his singles and albums. He broke records with the album sales of Off The Wall (which sold 20 million copies and accorded him his first Grammy), Thriller (110 million copies) and Bad (32 million copies).

An icon at many levels, his reach extended indiscriminately across the globe from presidents to children in slum areas. His life had been unreal, always in the spotlight, even tainted by scandal; it was never possible for Jackson to live a normal life although it was what he wished for the most. He was an inimitable entertainment machine who used his magnanimous personality to help children’s charities around the world. His music helped mark and celebrate our milestones between childhood and adulthood while he himself stumbled awkwardly through his own life. Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight… long live the King of Pop.

21 Farrah Fawcett (Feb 2, 1947 — June 25, 2009)
Farrah Fawcett was the golden girl that helped make the 1970s a bit more bearable for the Americans as crime rates and fuel price escalated around them, and Nixon and the Watergate scandal compromised the integrity of their government. Who could forget that famous poster of her in the red bathing suit, accessorised with her signature feathered shag hairdo and dazzling Ultra-Brite Toothpaste smile? Back then she was known as the girl in the Wella Balsam shampoo ad and the wife of Lee Majors.

Fawcett was one of those gals whose face became famous before her name or talent did, a situation that was resolved once she scored her role as Jill Munroe, one of Charlie’s Angels, and she catapulted to international stardom. There were debates on whether it was the show that made her or it was her that made the show the success it was.

Fawcett left after one season in pursuit of more serious roles feeling that the show’s popularity — in her words — “could only be because none of us wears a bra”.  

She had talent — she was hailed for her performance in the TV movie The Burning Bed (1984) and a few of her roles have garnered her nominations for the Golden Globe and Emmy awards although she never won; the problem was, many saw her as a glamorous poster girl first and she spent most of her life trying to be taken seriously as her actress.

She left her final mark on the small screen with Farrah’s Story, a reality series documenting her battle with terminal cancer.

22 Patrick Swayze (Aug 18, 1952 — Sept 14, 2009)
Who could ever forget People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1991? Patrick Swayze, famous for his role as the dancing, rumble-fish heartthrob in Dirty Dancing and the sweet investment banker who dies and learns to connect with his partner in Ghost, was a man of many talents. He not only danced and acted, but sang as well, and he had a love for life that was evident in the passionate way he embraced his acting roles. Swayze was also always determined to do his own stunts.

Swayze definitely proved his acting chops in movies like The Outsiders (1983), Red Dawn (1984), Point Break (1991) , City of Joy (1992), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995) and Donnie Darko (2001) and made a lasting impression on the viewing public with his swan song — The Beast, a riveting TV series — a project he continued working on as he was battling pancreatic cancer.

A delightful combination of masculinity and grace, Swayze had said in an interview with Barbara Walters nine months before his death, “If I leave this Earth, I want to leave this Earth knowing I’ve tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself [with The Beast]; and that keeps me going, that gets me up in the morning. My work... is my legacy.”

Milestones
The people and companies below have made a difference in our society and this year each one of them celebrated a proud moment of their existence 

23 The Edge’s 15th anniversary
The Edge celebrated a truly momentous occasion of our own in 2009 as we turned 15! So, we of course chose to commemorate the occasion with what we do best — reporting. On Sept 7, The Edge included a special pullout that featured interviews, anecdotes and plenty of stories chronicling the birth of The Edge and its journey over the years. Additionally, Options put together a special luxury edition in commemoration of our relationship with the world of luxury — for the first time, in glossy format!

The inspiration and main financier for the idea of a purely business paper back in 1994 was then stockbroker and banker Tong Kooi Ong (now Datuk), who entrusted the responsibility of kick-starting this brave initiative to three former journalists — Tan Boon Kean (who today is managing director), Lim Siang Jin and Pauline Almeida. They roped in chief copy editor Dorothy Teoh, writers Azam Aris, Au Foong Yee, Shariff Hamid and TH Chan, production editors Yeoh Guan Jin and Thomas Soon, copy editor Angeline Lim, picture editor David Loh and graphic artist Sharon Khoh, when they lauched the paper. Ho Kay Tat joined as editor two years later, and is today the paper’s editor-in-chief. 

The inaugural issue of The Edge was published on Sept 5, 1994, and over the past 15 years has maintained the same standards of quality that it stood for at that time: a  paper that strove for substance and form. Sixteen people out of the pioneering team of 30 are still with The Edge, and have passed on the collective memory to a new generation of staff who will continue to uphold the paper’s high standard.

After 15 years of being in operations, several awards won, two financial crises and hundreds of employees walking through the corridors, the company has grown leaps and bounds yet has retained the essence of what defines us: good people who work in the company, a culture of hard work, integrity and a pursuit of excellence and loyal readers, supporters and advertisers. Echoing the words of Teoh, who is today the deputy editor-in-chief — here’s to 15 years of being a good business paper, and to a bright future of being a great one.

24 Dama Orchestra’s 15th Anniversary
The floods that washed out Dataran Merdeka in 2003 famously ruined The Actors Studio’s (TAS) space, but few people know about the other facilities that also suffered. The Dama Orchestra also did, and founder Khor Seng Chew and his team lost the bulk of music and reference materials from the 1970s right up to 2003 that Khor had painstakingly sourced and collected, as well as musical instruments, among other things. Just like TAS, Dama Orchestra bounced back and in 2009 celebrated 15 long and fruitful years of performing.

The occasion was celebrated with a musical that reflected Dama Orchestra’s story, I have a Date with Spring, written by Hong Kong dramatist and film director Raymond To, which was adapted into a multiple-award-winning film of the same name in 1994, and later a TV series in 1995. The musical was Dama Orchestra’s biggest to date, and is the first time that both Chinese and English-speaking performing arts practitioners came together in a Chinese musical.

The show was a critical success, and its run was extended by an extra week thanks to popular demand — reaffirming Dama Orchestra’s reputation as one of the most renowned music theatre groups in Malaysia.

25 Five Arts Centre’s 25th Anniversary
Founded by theatre directors Chin San Sooi and Krishen Jit and dancer/choreographer Marion D’Cruz, the Five Arts Centre is one of the country’s most established theatre companies, committed to articulating multiple Malaysian identities and championing local creativity.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Five Arts has produced over 90 plays, 13 dance productions, 10 children’s theatre productions, nine music concerts, seven visual art events, several interdisciplinary events, an album of contemporary gamelan music, and over 100 workshops and training programmes. The company has also performed internationally in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cairo, Berlin and Manchester. Together with Astro, Five Arts organises the annual Krishen Jit Astro Fund to support artistic work by Malaysians and others committed to the development of the arts in Malaysia.

Throughout 2009, Five Arts held a diverse and frenetic range of performances and projects, involving four external artists — actor Fahmi Reza, technopreneur Hardesh Singh, indie filmmaker Liew Seng Tat and theatre practitioner Natalie Hennedige — to initiate various different projects. While some are one-off projects, others are scheduled to last well into next year.

26 TAS & ICT’s new art spaces
Across the months of September and October, the performing arts community in Malaysia was abuzz with the news that the Instant Café Theatre (ICT) and The Actors Studio (TAS) were finally ready to move into their new homes.

The spaces were radically different — ICT opened the Instant Café House of Art and Ideas (CHAI House) in one of Petaling Jaya’s older, single-storey houses, creating an intimate theatre space well suited for talks, discussions and smaller exhibitions. The concept was to develop a fertile ground to generate and nurture creativity and new ideas.

TAS moved from one mall to another — leaving its home at Bangsar Shopping Centre, it moved into a much better and larger space on the rooftop level of Lot 10 Shopping Centre in Jalan Bukit Bintang. Featuring state-of-the art sound systems and a unique Hanamichi-stage, the new facility also boasts a lovely outdoor space perfectly suited to pre-show events or outdoor shows.

As different as the spaces are, their objectives remain the same — they hope that their new locations will tap into a new market that may not have been exposed to the arts before, creating new audiences who can appreciate, enjoy and participate in the performing arts.

Affairs to Remember
Need we say more... from Tiger Woods to Daphne Iking, there has been much fodder for the tabloids this year

27 Tiger Woods
The good-guy, squeaky clean image Tiger Woods sought to maintain over the years came crashing down recently as the handsome young golfer’s sex life became public — much of it not involving his wife. Even more shockingly, it wasn’t just one affair — at press time, the ever-increasing count of the golf superstar’s marital indiscretions had hit 14!

A simple car accident in front of his Florida home on Nov 27 set in motion a stunning personal downfall for the world’s No 1 player who for 13 years rarely made news off the golf course. As his media shield began to crack, the stories — and the women — crept out from the woodworks and the world suddenly saw beyond his boyish good looks and his fairy tale family. His personal life was tabloid fodder par excellence as renewed claims of sexual encounters kept coming to light — incredulously, one session on the night of his father’s passing.

Although his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren has made no concrete decision on the state of their union (the couple have two young children) Woods has announced he is taking an indefinite break from golf to try to save his marriage. “I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person,’’ Woods says on his website. With one income stream gone, another is about to go as Woods is losing some of his endorsement deals — several companies that were in talks for future deals are reconsidering, Gillette suspended advertising featuring Woods, while Accenture has completely cut its sponsorship.

28 David Letterman
Talkshow host David Letterman’s affairs would have never come to light if a former CBS producer had not threatened to expose all he knew in a tell-all book if he wasn’t paid US$2 million (RM6.8 million). Letterman went to the police with the threat, but it meant that he had to admit to his sexual affairs with several of his female employees.

A few days after the scandal broke, former CBS employee Holly Hester announced that she and Letterman had engaged in a year-long secret affair in the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student at New York University.

Letterman dealt with it the best he could. On his Oct 5 show, Letterman devoted a segment of his show and issued an admission of his faults and a public apology to his wife and staff for his indiscretions. By and by, the world seems to have forgiven him.

29 Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi is a name more often associated with tabloid-level scandals than anything else, as his leadership of Italy has been mired by counts of fraud, tax evasion and bribery. His sex scandals, however, are what he is most famous for, leading to his wife Veronica Lario filing for divorce this year. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the Italian prime minister’s alleged affair with 18-year-old Noemi Letizia that came to light in May. The continuous inconsistencies and contradictions in his denial of the affair soon exposed the truth. In June, Patrizia D’Addario, a 42-year-old escort and retired actress gave graphic details of their alleged affair and described how Berlusconi surrounded himself with dozens of young women like a harem, whom he cuddled and kissed.

Berlusconi’s approach to the scandals is most shocking — rather than addressing it any way, he has asked his ministers not to respond anymore to questions regarding gossip and instructed the Italian press to only talk only about the “successes” of the Italian government in internal and foreign policies.

30 Jon and Kate Gosselin
With eight children and a highly successful television show called Jon & Kate Plus Eight between them, the Gosselins pretty much had the perfect family set up — but then again, it’s the perfect families that often get worst hit by the smudge of slander.

In April this year, this loving father of eight and seemingly faithful husband of 10 years was rumoured to be having an affair, which later turned into even more sightings at bars with younger women. Jon initially denied the rumours, but when concrete evidence emerged he had to admit to his lies.

Jon and Kate announced their divorce in June, but the show couldn’t pull through the damage of the bad press the couple was getting. When the show changed names to Kate Plus Eight, Jon demanded that they cease and desist production on the basis of the effect the filming may have on the children.

The show ended for good in November, and the couple finalised their divorce on Dec 18.

31 Daphne Iking
Sabah-born television personality and model Daphne Iking could do no wrong — apart from being beautiful, she also established herself as a woman with brains and substance. She has a master’s degree in communications and a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from University Sains Malaysia, and successfully juggled broadcasting with modelling. These days, Iking co-hosts ntv7’s The Breakfast Show with Naz.

Her 2007 fairytale Balinese wedding with Ryan Chong covered pages and pages of local tabloids, as did the birth of their daughter. Earlier this year, however, Iking and her family splashed into the papers for a completely different reason: Chong had summoned adidas Malaysia managing director Darren Choy Khin Ming to court, citing an archaic law under the Penal Code that prohibited “enticing or taking away or detaining with a criminal intent a married woman”. The case is still being battled in court.

Fashion Collaborations
When artists and designers collaborate, what one will get is a work of art. The year saw numerous personalities and design houses fostering partnerships which created one-of- a-kind innovative and artistic products

32 Gucci + Mark Ronson
Music mogul Mark Ronson admits he’s an avid sneaker collector, and when he was invited to co-design a limited edition collection of sneakers with Gucci, he made sure they were “truly special, both from an aesthetic point of view and a collectible one”.

That, they certainly are. The sneakers, with 16 men’s styles and two women’s styles, expertly marry classic sneaker sensibilities with snazzy design elements, like the one with dual tones and a mix of leather with canvas that gives it a unique textural effect. The range incorporates classic Gucci design signatures, such as the GG logo and a stylised version of the iconic Gucci red and green web detail. The sneakers also come with silver or gold metal dog tags, and customers have the option of purchasing customised leather dog tags with their initials on the laces. Every customer also receives a special gift: a custom 12-inch vinyl record with exclusive tracks produced by Ronson.

The Gucci Ronson sneakers are sold in the Gucci Icon-Temporary flash store, which is designed by the brand’s creative director, Frida Giannini. The store opened in New York in October, moved on to Miami, and will continue on to select cities in Europe and Asia, such as London, Berlin, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. A new limited edition Gucci Ronson sneaker is introduced at each international destination of the tour.  

33 Salvatore Ferragamo + Yohji Yamamoto
Influential Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto is known for his avant-garde spirit and visionary designs. Over the years, he has collaborated with various fashion brands (Hermès, Adidas, Mikimoto, Mandarina Duck) and artists (Sir Elton John, Placebo) on a number of projects. This year, he chose to partner with Salvatore Ferragamo in creating a collection of eight limited edition women’s shoes for autumn/winter 2009-10.

Yamamoto delved into Ferragamo’s archives for inspiration, and created shoes that celebrate clean lines and simplicity. He says in a statement, “The first time I visited Ferragamo’s office, I saw Mr Salvatore’s archives; various experimentations which hold true even today. There is a wide range of works from practical use to surprise, which shows a high quality of craftsmanship. I thought the only style they have not done yet, was a masculine style. Then I started to design shoes inspired by their archives.”

The shoes’ deconstructed lines and plastic shapes, typical of Yamamoto’s style, lightly sculpt the leather and transform the collection of shoes into works of design. Vara, the pump that has for three decades been a Ferragamo icon, inspired a lace-up and sneaker with expressive shapes and clean, undulating lines. Discreet and minimal in their femininity, the soft, round lines fit like a second skin.

“The partnership with Yohji Yamamoto has been a great source of creative inspiration for us,” said James Ferragamo, director of the brand’s women’s leather goods department, in a statement. “We are extremely proud to be sharing our technical and design background with an artist who has innovated the aesthetic canons of fashion today.”

34 Philippe Starck + Ballantyne
Last year, French design guru Philippe Starck suffered a spout of disillusionment, admitting to a German weekly that he was ashamed of having been “a producer of materiality”, and that “everything I designed was unnecessary… I want to find a new way of expressing myself”.

Several months later saw Starck emerging from the doldrums to collaborate on a green project with Pramac energy group on windmills that also function as wind instruments. That seemed to have sparked a renewed vigour and passion in the revolutionary designer, this time with a specific focus on green products.

Starck latest avenue of creativity is in contemporary clothing with Ballantyne, the prestigious international fashion house specialising in cashmere knitwear. The project, called S+arck with Ballantyne, is a sustainable clothing brand for men and women made from “intelligent cashmere”, described as “a combination of multifunction garments with new ergonomics and contemporary fittings”.

Both the men and women’s collections have 30 pieces each. The designs are contemporary, sleek and very chic, from charcoal-grey jackets with detachable waistcoats to knit dresses. The sustainability of the brand lies not so much in the waterproof cashmere but in the complete removal of the desire to consume. Starck has designed the line without a hint of trend-making embellishments and seasonal signatures such as cut and colour, so that wearers can don it again the next season. 

35 Raoul + Nokia
The initial collaboration between cell phone giant Nokia and Singaporean fashion label Raoul was in creating a fashion application for Nokia cell phones. That eventually turned into a co-branded cell phone that was recently introduced into the Singapore and Malaysia markets: the Nokia N97 mini Raoul Special Edition.

The limited edition phone is based on Nokia’s successful N97 platform, and is sleekly dressed with Raoul’s design vision. The warmly hued metallic rose gold phone has signature Raoul stripes on the back plate and comes preloaded with mobile application Fashion Asia, developed with FJ Benjamin’s stylish foresight and created by Nokia’s own technology team.

From the phone’s home screen, the Fashion Asia widget feeds the user with news and weekly style tips from Harper’s Bazaar and Cleo, displays monthly updates of FJ Benjamin’s brand collections in a slide-show format and has a handy GPS store-locator functionality should you want to purchase the latest in Raoul’s autumn/winter collection from the nearest store.

The widget has much room to be developed further (such as adding a retail component and streaming fashion shows live as they happen), and representatives from both Nokia and FJ Benjamin say that this is only the beginning. The possibilities are endless.

36 Jendela KL + Mouawad
Homegrown fashion and lifestyle brand Jendela KL teamed up with Swiss jewellers, House of Mouawad, to create a couture gown that went down in Malaysian history as the most extravagant and expensive dress ever made here. Valued at RM100 million, the dress had a total of 751 diamonds, ranging from one carat to three carats, and one dazzling 70-carat pear-shaped centrepiece.

The sumptuous dress was unveiled at the Mercedes-Benz STYLO Fashion Awards Gala in April. Eighty metres of fabric — taffeta, raw silk, satin silk, satin net and chiffon — were used for the one-shoulder maroon red gown. A fitted bodice of folds, ripples and swirls reminiscent of a deconstructed rose opened out at the knees to a skirt. The strap of the gown had a sprinkling of diamonds, while the 70-carat diamond was placed prominently on the left side of the bodice. The remaining stones were placed on a majestic 6m train, which had filigree motifs done in Swarovski crystals and accented at various points with diamonds. The dress also had a drape with a batik art piece on it, and matching shoes by couturier Datuk Professor Jimmy Choo.

Former actress and beauty queen Kavita Kaur modelled the gown down the 75ft runway at the event, as Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina in her Puteri Gunung Ledang persona recited the poem Rose and the Nightingale by Sufi poet Hafiz.

Sporting Issues

37 The F1 debacle
The Formula One Grand Prix races this year have been eventful to say the least. There were new teams and new circuits, near-fatal injuries and crashes and thanks to the recession, teams bowing out of the world’s most expensive sport.

2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton failed to repeat his podium performance, giving way to fellow Brit Jenson Button to stun the world in his Brawn GP car, winning the 2009 championship. Incidentally, Brawn GP was confirmed of its existence just a few weeks before the start of the season.

Conversely, Ferrari, the sport’s most popular team struggled, as did McLaren and BMW. The bad news kept coming — accidents caused Timo Glock and more famously, Felipe Massa, to withdraw from the rest of the season. Schumacher is rumoured to be returning to F1 with McLaren, but can he survive racing in anything apart from his red Ferrari kit?

Scandals also rocked F1, as Renault was found guilty of match-fixing during last year’s Singtel Singapore Grand Prix when Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he was asked to crash at the Singapore race in a strategy designed to aid teammate and eventual race winner Fernando Alonso. The team’s managing director Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering Pat Symonds were given life and five-year suspensions respectively. Piquet Jr has since left Renault, who only recently reconfirmed their presence in next year’s line up.

By the time the races had arrived at Abu Dhabi’s brand new Yas Marina circuit, BMW also confirmed that they were bowing out of F1. The announcement of the 2010 line up revealed that Button had joined McLaren, the reigning Constructor’s Champions, Brawn GP were bought by Mercedes-Benz and renamed Mercedes Grand Prix, and new teams on starting grid will include the US F1 Team, Campos Meta, the Tony Fernandes-led Lotus F1 and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Racing. Fernandes and Branson are embroiled in what seems to be a friendly challenge — whomever loses to the other will have to dress up as an airline stewardess on the winner’s airline, AirAsia or Virgin Atlantic.

With F1, nothing is really cast in stone till the cars are at the starting line — and who knows what will happen before the start of the 2010 season come March 14.

38 The hand of Henry
Arsenal striker Thierry Henry officially has the most famous limb in the worlds thanks to his handball at the recent World Cup qualifiers. During a nail biting game between France and Ireland, Florent Malouda launched a free kick into Ireland’s penalty area. Henry, the France captain, flicked the ball twice with his left hand and then crossed for William Gallas to head the goal that let France qualify at Ireland’s expense. Referees - who in all fairness had an obstructed view of the incident — blew the whistle and declared France the winner. Once the whistle sounds the referee’s decision is final, even if it’s the wrong one.

Henry’s jubilant celebration of his win was most distasteful of all, and although he has since apologised it hasn’t spared him from disciplinary action, yet to be determined by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association).

39 Olympic bidding
Every four years or so, cities all over the world gear up to be selected as the host of the Olympic Games. By and large, we barely notice this happening — who remembers London winning the bid to host the 2012 Olympics?

The reason we all remember the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games this year is because of one of its finalists — the city of Chicago, home of US president Barack Obama. Chicago was up against Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, which eventually won. What was most fascinating is that Rio won the bid despite Obama and his wife Michelle having flown to Denmark to address voters — news that made headlines all over the world.

Upon hearing their bid was successful, Rio, who had bid twice before and failed, declared a holiday for city and state employees and tens of thousands of people celebrated on the city’s Copacabana beach.

Rio de Janeiro, you deserve to win and we congratulate you. Good luck!

Online Trends
These lifestyle trends on the Web have taken the world by storm

40 Luxe 2.0
Manila-based fashion blogger Bryanboy flaunts a picture on the masthead of his website, where he is seated in the front row of a fashion show together with the top fashion journalists and editors : Suzy Menkes of International Herald Tribune, Michael Robers of Vanity Fair, Sally Singer, Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles from US Vogue.

This recognition is not undeserved: Bryanboy is a well-known blogger who has caught the attention of Marc Jacobs, who named and designed a handbag after him. Bryanboy, whose real name is Bryan Grey-Yambao, has been blogging for the last seven years, and has 21,500 unique readers who visit his blog each day, according to reports. British Vogue, by comparison, sells just over 200,000 copies a month.

Most fashion brands who have first shunned the power of online communities like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry have improved their communications with with online communities on Facebook and Twitter, and are anticipating better sales on their online stores in the next few years. This marks an increased confidence in online sales, with reduced expenditure in advertising and marketing budgets.

41 U2 and Youtube live-streaming concert
It’s become a norm to look up videos of international acts that rarely think of Malaysia as a destination during their music tours, as there are countless other fans who will likely record videos of the performance and upload them on the video-sharing site, Youtube.

In an industry’s first, the world’s top rock band, U2 opened up their concert in California to five continents through a live-streaming partnership with Youtube in October. U2’s manager, Paul McGuinness, said the band had wanted to embark on this project for a long time. “…it’s the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium. Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 ­— this time, U2 can go to them, globally.”

Youtube’s first live-streamed concert featured the Outside Lands Music & Arts festival in San Francisco in August, followed by a two-hour concert and party for fans and artists, Youtube Live!, in November and Alicia Keys’ benefit concert in December in support of World Aids Day.

42 ‘Unfriend’
‘Unfriend’, which was declared the New Oxford American Dictionary 2009 Word of the Year, is probably a verb that was commonly used among childhood friends. Today, however, in virtual world, making or breaking a friendship is a big as a deal as walking away from a playground sandbox with a broken toy and a sad face.

It has become commonplace to remove friends from one’s social network after a falling out, or to surreptitiously announce a relationship break-up. As the senior lexicographer for the dictionary, Christine Lindberg, says of the verb ‘unfriend’: “It has both currency and potential longevity. In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year… It assumes a verb sense of ‘friend’ that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal.”

43 Twitter fever
What could possibly be the appeal of sending and receiving 140-character messages to your network of friends? Plenty: the Obama campaign used it to keep in touch with supporters, protestors of the G20 summit used it to organise rallies, journalists used it to break news, friends used it to try and save an entrepreneur killed in the Swiss Alps, local lifestyle magazines organise entire competitions on it, and the most unlikely of writing careers have been launched on it.

The free messaging service was initially developed as a side project for internal communications in Odeo, a podcasting startup founded by Evan Williams. Together with his colleagues Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone, Williams launched Twitter as a micro-blogging service in 2008, where it hit the five million user mark.

Users can send short messages, or “tweets”, to their followers, sent from phones or computers and received as text messages, email or Facebook updates. They can also restrict their messages, and “follow” other users and receive their messages without sending tweets.

Buzz Words
Words, that just about everyone uttered at least once this year

44 Apps
There’s an application for everything: virtual farming on Facebook, a work collaborative application on Google, aggregating your Twitter updates on a computer desktop, navigational maps and news aggregators on smartphones, and countless others for smart phones such as the Blackberry and iPhone.

The popularity of web-based applications, or apps, for both business and leisure, came to a peak with the services that make available their application-programming interface to all developers. While some applications require a level of programming skill, almost anyone who knows how to build a website, whether with drag and drop programmes or with basic programming languages such as HTML, CSS and Javascript, can make their own custom apps for use.

These apps make use of available data, such as Facebook friends’ activities for an online game, or by combining live data and news over a Google map for a weather or traffic application. Individual developers aside, brands and businesses have also ventured into the apps market as an extension of their marketing or public relations strategies.

45 1Malaysia
When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak came into office, he launched the slogan ‘1Malaysia’ which aims to foster national unity through eight values: a culture of excellence, perseverance, humility, acceptance, loyalty, meritocracy, education, and integrity.

The campaign was launched through his official website, which Najib explains as being a non-official channel of communicating personally with the public. The concept was further developed into the theme for our 2009 National Day celebrations, “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”

While the concept was initially met with scepticism, different parties tried to interpret what national unity meant to them, whether through co-branding business ventures, initiating national unity campaigns, or through artistic reinterpretations of national unity. This includes the Amanah Saham 1 Malaysia (AS 1 Malaysia) fund, 1Malaysia Banana Leaf festival, 15Malaysia project by Malaysian independent filmmakers, the 1Malaysia Lotus F1 team and the 1Malaysia batik design.

46 By-elections
While the general elections of March 8 last year has been hailed as a landmark in Malaysian politics, 2009 will be remembered as the year of by-elections, following the deaths or resignations of parliamentary and state assembly incumbents. The year began with a by-election in Kuala Terengganu in January, followed by Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai in April, Penanti in July, Permatang Pasir in August, and Bagan Pinang in October.

Newspapers and politicians were kept busy throughout the year, especially in March leading up to April 7, the date when three by-elections were held simultaneously. Towards the end of the year, a sense of dread set in, and the rallying cry for campaigns changed into complaints about wasting public money at a time of economic crisis.

Many heaved a sigh of relief after the year-long campaigning exhaustion, when it was declared that, for the time being, there would be no by-election for the Kota Siputeh seat that was declared vacant when its incumbent played truant.

Hottest First Lady

47 Michelle Obama
With beauty, brains and a strong character, Michelle Obama is the perfect first lady to US President Barack Obama. With style and grace, her popular profile derives not just from her husband’s position as leader of the free world but also from the mission she has set herself upon for the cause of military families, women’s issues and working families.

A lawyer by training with much experience in public service (as assistant commissioner of planning and development for Chicago City Hall and as founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps programme that prepares young people for public service), she continues to hold roundtables with working women and military spouses to hear for herself their struggles in balancing work and family, particularly during tough economic times.

She once made a statement that as a mother herself, her priority is always to make sure her daughters are “healthy and grounded” and that she wants “to help other families get the support they need, not just to survive but to thrive”.

A gifted orator, Michelle won over the American people with her speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, sharing that both she and her husband believed “that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, and you do what you say you’re going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them”.

She has also gained attention for her sense of style, ever since she wore the one-shouldered Jason Wu gown at the Presidential Inaugural Ball. What’s more, on a day-to-day basis, she has the skill of putting together ensembles that are a mix of both high-brow and mainstream fashion, high fashion designers with the up-and-coming, and often being compared to the other First Lady style icon, the late Jackie Kennedy.

Iconic Designs 
Innovative, avant-garde and absolutely sumptuous, these designs will never get out of style 

48 Baignoire by Cartier
This year’s version of Cartier’s most Parisian creation, the Baignoire timepiece, glorifies the brand’s legacy with a truly stylish innovation on a classic design. The gleaming faceted surfaces of the tonneau-shaped dial and the precious curve of the domed case of the original watch has been updated with the use of finely sculpted glass. It’s also presented in a bigger size, following the trend of larger women’s watches.

As a nod to its heritage as a jeweller, Cartier has coloured the new collection with an exceptional piece of jewellery — the rhodium — plated bracelet, bezel and dial of the Baignoire is studded with diamonds totalling 6.84 carats.

49 E-300 by Mercedes-Benz
The round lights that define the look of Mercedes-Benz’s E-class of cars are its trademark, and is what many people thought would see the car well into the future. The luxury German carmaker saw it another way and gave its new E-300 a radically different look and feel with a brand-new design concept. The new design is dynamic and strong, features a more streamlined silhouette than its predecessor and has taken on a sportier, younger feel. The new design is truly a revolution for the brand and its flagship series of cars.

50 Monaco V4 by TAG Heuer
The mechanical marvel that brings TAG Heuer’s Monaco V4 to life is driven by a set of five of the world’s smallest belt drives and ball bearings, and is the Swiss watchmaker’s boldest breakthrough since the 1/100th of a second chronograph. Born as a concept watch in 2005, the Monaco V4 went into commercial production only this year and only 150 pieces are available worldwide.

51 Tambour Mystérieuse by Louis Vuitton
The first timepiece to be wholly created, developed and assembled in Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking workshops in Switzerland, the Tambour Mystérieuse is so beautiful it’s almost supernatural — its hands hover magically within the case, causing time to float as if by some other-wordly bewitchment. A simple idea, yet complicated to develop: the tiny, vertically structured movement in the watch is held together by sapphire crystal discs, and takes a whole year to make.

For a flat price tag of €200,000 (RM983,716), the Tambour Mystérieuse can be personalised right down to the metal that is used to craft it and the kind of leather on the strap. Louis Vuitton will present the watch in a custom-made trunk that includes a watch winder, made to match the watch or an existing collection of Louis Vuitton luggage.

52 Lady Kalla Flame by Vacheron Constantin
This year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) was abuzz with the news of what might well be the world’s most beautiful diamond — a tapered, asymmetric 57-facet flame-cut diamond. Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin used this unusually cut diamond in a timepiece for the first time with the Lady Kalla Flame. Revisiting an iconic design from the 1982, the Lady Kalla Flame features a total of 200 flame-cut diamonds set into the bracelet and dial of the lovely watch, held together with pure 18-carat white gold.

53 Radiomir Egiziano by Panerai
Panerai is famous for its large cases, but the Radiomir Egiziano took size to new levels with its bold 60mm case. First made for the Egyptian Navy in the 1950s, the 2009 edition of this timepiece features Panerai’s signature crown security device and in-house P2002 calibre. The matte black sandwich dial of the watch features luminous indicators in a soft, patina-like shade and is held together with an extra-thick leather strap and a brushed titanium GPF-Mod Dep tang buckle.

54 Limelight Paradise by Piaget
Piaget brought the magic of the underwater world to life in unbelievably beautiful ways with its Limelight Paradise collection, a range of jewellery created in the image of tropical seas. Rings, drop earrings, a necklace and a watch are coloured with the wonders of diamonds, green beryls, aquamarines and tourmalines, crafted in the purity of white gold. There is also a hint of practicality in the way the collection is designed — the third row of the watch bracelet can be removed and worn as a separate piece of jewellery.

55 Rubellite pendant by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co
Elsa Peretti’s creations for luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co is characterised by elegant simplicity, and this piece embodies it. A luscious 135-carat rubellite is the centrepiece of this stunning creation. The stone is beautifully ensconced in a silk net crafted by master artisans in Kyoto, Japan, ending in a delightful tassel and accented with a Tahitian pearl.

56 Oyster Perpetual Datejust Royal Pink by Rolex
With a diamond encrusted tiger-striped dial, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust Royal Pink from Rolex is a ferocious timepiece indeed. The 18-carat rose gold case is fitted with a bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds, and the bezel edge with brilliants. Even the stingray leather and rubber strap are dotted with diamonds. This makes for a truly dazzling creation.

57 Ladies First Chronograph by Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe recently debuted the Ladies First Chronograph, a truly marvellous timepiece both inside and out. It features a new hand-wound chronograph movement, the traditional column-wheel-controlled CH 29-535 PS calibre, which proudly shows off the watchmaker’s rich technical heritage with several innovations and patented improvements that optimise the chronograph’s functionality and reliability. This movement premieres in an elegant ladies’ model of either two-tone silvery opaline or black dial with guillochéd ‘flame’ pattern. The dial flange is set with 136 round diamonds and wrapped in an 18-carat rose gold bezel.

58 Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands by IWC
IWC launched five Aquatimer watches this year to celebrate the brand’s involvement with the Charles Darwin Foundation to save the Galapagos Islands. Of particular note is the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands. It has the basic technical specifications of the new Aquatimer Chronograph, but displays a protective rubber coating and a specially engraved caseback that features an engraved Galapagos giant tortoise. Water resistant to 120m, this timepiece has a self-winding chronograph movement that displays the day and the date.

59 Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges by Girard-Perregaux   
The Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges is a tribute to Girard-Perregaux’s history and heritage of fine watchmaking traditions. This modern version with skeleton bridges asserts a contemporary geometric simplicity, while the rectangular rose gold case gives it a distinctive Art Deco flair. The tourbillon is an object of extreme attention, with its 72 components perfectly assembled within a diameter of a single centimetre.

Hottest Conversations
Besides the financial crisis, the world was also hit by an influenza pandemic and natural disasters that killed and misplaced millions. While we in Malaysia may not have been hit by an earthquake, we’ve had our fair share of calamities...

60 A(H1N1)
In last six months, the scene was familiar: people who sniffled slightly or coughed on the street were given a wide berth; airports and public venues regularly screened their patrons and guests for the slightest rise in temperature, and for a very long time, pharmacies made roaring sales from face masks and disinfectants.

The lack of information, or misinformation, on the pandemic spurred the government to launch a national awareness campaign on prevention and detection of the flu. As the number of cases increased, the government announced the closure of schools, National Service camps and universities. Individuals who suffered from flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, joint pains, or who were in close proximity with infected individuals were sent to receive medical attention and an uncomfortable swab test.

Malaysia has reported 77 influenza A (H1N1)-related deaths since the first confirmed case detected in May. Although the death count has reduced significantly, the health ministry is on high alert to avoid a second wave of H1N1.

61 Teoh Beng Hock’s inquest
In July, political aide Teoh Beng Hock was found dead on a fifth floor landing outside the grounds of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Shah Alam, where he was assisting in an investigation into alleged abuse of state funds.

His family and employer challenged the findings of the initial post-mortem conducted by a government pathologist, which concluded there were signs of suicide. Thai pathology expert Porntip Rojanasunan, who was engaged by the Selangor government, testified at the inquest saying Teoh’s death was very likely a homicide. Pathologists from Sungai Buloh Hospital conducted a second post-mortem in November. The inquest continues on Jan 7 when the second post-mortem report will be made available to the court.

Demonstrations, candle-lit vigils and rallies have been held in Teoh’s memory throughout the country and the MACC’s interrogation methods have come under scrutiny.

62 Kartika’s caning
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced to six strokes of the cane by the Kuantan Syariah High Court for drinking beer in a nightclub last year.

Kartika, who worked as a nurse in Singapore until her case was made public in 2009, said she respected the syariah law, which punishes Muslims who drink alcohol by caning and up to three years in prison. Women’s and human rights groups have spoken out, and even the prime minister himself has stated that she should appeal.

According to her family, Kartika had decided to go through with the caning to put an end to the agony the family has had to experience for the past year. Her sentence was deferred at the 11th hour, after religious personnel who were taking her to the Kajang prison literally made a U-turn. The punishment was deferred in view of the fasting month, but until today, the Pahang Syariah Judiciary Department has not revealed its next course of action.

63 Earthquakes and floods
The earth moved in the early hours of Jan 4 in West Papua, Indonesia, recording a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale. Four days later, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit northern Costa Rica and was felt also in southern central Nicaragua.

The tectonic plates continued to shift throughout the year: Sulawesi in February; Tonga in March; L’Aquila, Guerror and Afghanistan in April; Honduras in May; Greece, Yunan and New Zealand in July; Sumatra and Shizuaka in August; and Samoa, Bhutan, West Java, Sumatra and Georgia in September. These quakes and the aftershocks ruined the lives and homes of many villages, taking thousands of lives.

Malaysia was not spared from national disasters. In January, Sarawak was struck by floods, with Kuching and Sibu being the hardest hit areas. The Philippines, Indonesia and Fiji were also struck by the storms.

Last month, heavy rainfall caused massive floods in Kelantan and Terengganu, displacing thousands of villagers.

64 Air crashes
The American Airways pilot who saved the lives of 155 people was hailed a hero when he crash-landed into the Hudson River after the plane was hit by a flock of birds. And throughout the year, there was a slew of plane crashes.

In February, nine passengers were killed and 63 injured when a Turkish Airlines jet fumbled its landing at the Amsterdam international airport; in March, 50 people were killed when a plane slammed into a house outside Buffalo, New York; in April, all 24 passengers in a military aircraft died when it crashed into an airport in West Java during a regular training flight; in June, 228 passengers and crew died when an Air France aircraft crashed off northeast of Brazil’s coast; in July, only one passenger survived a crash of a Yemeni jetliner in the Comoran coasts; and in August, a helicopter and a small private plane collided and slammed into the Hudson River, killing nine people.

Sleek Tech Toys
Here’s our pick of chic and cutting edge gadgets that have made our lifestyle pursuits more pleasurable and sophisticated

65 Apple Magic
Apple iMac and Magic Mouse is a geek’s dream come true: an energy-efficient desktop computer with seamless edge-to-edge glass design, stunning LED-backlit display with 16:9 aspect ratio and beautiful colours, improved graphics card, 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 expandable memory, 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, built-in microphones and stereo speakers, with masterful performance on the Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

The most innovative of the new iMac release, which is available in both 21.5-inch and 27-inch display, is the wireless multi-touch Magic Mouse that comes with it. Instead of mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the entire top of the magic mouse is a seamless surface that enables the user to scroll through long documents, pan across large images or swipe forward through a collection of web pages and photos.

66 Snapped!
Leica’s M9, the world’s first full-frame rangefinder from its digital M-series, was literally snapped up in minutes after its launch in London recently. “We had eight… 14 minutes later, we didn’t,” a spokesman from one of London’s oldest Leica shop says in a report by a UK-based photo enthusiast website.

Another Leica dealer says that his initial supplies ran out within hours, as loyal customers snapped up the highly-anticipated M9 quickly. There are also reports that the M9 has also attracted new customers who were trading in their bulky Nikon and Canon digital SLRs, especially among professional and newspaper photographers.

Although Leica is largely unknown in the mass market, it has a cult-like following among professional photographers, hobbyists and enthusiasts who look to the brand as the gold standard for rangefinders. The new M9 includes an 18-megapixel full-frame sensor by Kodak with improved offset microlenses, a new sensor cover with improved filtering of infrared light, and a LCD screen measuring 2.5 inches with 230,000 pixels, among others.

67 Fashion Hardware
Once upon a time, the hardware presented by luxury fashion houses referred to accessories or small leather goods such as belts and cufflinks that compliment the lifestyle and personality of the brand. Today, the offered hardware is real storage space for digital files.

Hermès offers their 8GB USB flash drive in a leather bracelet made of chamonix calfskin, TAG Heuer has a dual-function 4GB USB-drive and a Bluetooth hands-free for mobile phones, Alfred Dunhill has a 2GB USB keyfob in stainless steel capped with the brand’s iconic bulldog character, while Louis Vuitton got into the memory game with the 4GB Damier Graphite USB key in platinum with a durable cord and a carabiner.

Memory, as we know it, can only aspire to be stylish now.

68 Digital ink and paper
The competition in the electronic book reader market heats up between the most unlikely of industries that have become rivals: a search engine giant, an online retailer, a bookstore chain, an electronics giant and millions of book publishers who are striking partnership and distribution deals for their titles.

2009 will be hailed as the year for electronic readers: Amazon launches its international version of the Kindle e-reader, Google Inc unveils plans for an online e-bookstore, Sony puts out three digital readers in the market and the US bookstore chain Barnes & Nobles is innovating the e-book reader service with 14-day loans of e-books from its stores.

Although there has been extensive improvements in product development, including the device size, colour display screen and touch screen navigation features, interesting developments this year address the two main issues in previous models offered by Sony and Amazon: connectivity, availability and format of content.

Almost all of these devices and services are not yet available in Malaysia, but fret not: there are many applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and even the Nintendo DS that allow for accessible and acceptably pleasant reading experience.

69 Sophisticated Sound
Although it was seven years in the making, Sennheiser’s new flagship headphone, the HD 800, has been worth waiting for, according to its fans and reviews. This latest entry into the premium headphone market does not appear to be a mere upgrade of the earlier models, and has been hailed as the finest in the German brand’s engineering history.

Although the headphones are certainly large and not ideal for accompanying portable music players, it is lightweight and limber. The ear cups are designed to deliver sound waves to the ear at a 45-degree angle for a natural listening experience. The most impressive of all is the patented technology for the 56-mm transducer, which delivers unparallel audio quality, detail and precision.

According to reviews, the HD 800 has brilliant trebles, detailed midrange, precise bass reproduction and exceptionally clear sound image, with a frequency response of 6 to 51,000 Hertz. It is also aesthetically pleasing, finished in sleek black and silver, befitting of its US$1,399 (RM4,800) price tag. This is one headphone you will not leave unattended in an unlocked office.

Super Drives
Options motoring columnist Y S Khong expected 2009 to be a quiet year for the car industry. However, it turned out to be quite the opposite as vehicle sales remained buoyant throughout the year, shrinking just about 8%, instead of the initial forecast of 26%. Thus, it has been yet another busy year for him, attending launches and driving some great cars. Being performance driven, his top five drives of the year naturally gravitate towards those cars that are built to please.

70 BMW Z4
The BMW Z4 is one of my favourites. Designed by two lovely ladies who know what men want (backed by a horde of BMW engineers who put in the mechanicals, of course), the Z4 is the perfect car for the one who has everything else, and needs a car to spend the weekend away from it all. With the Z4, you can let it all hang loose, drive topless (I mean with the convertible roof down, and not otherwise), feel the wind brushing through your hair, and with no one else other than your loved one beside you (it’s a strict two-seater). The three-litre straight six with twin turbochargers and a seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox, together with three driving modes makes this car a real pleasure to drive. With 306hp on tap, and 400Nm torque, the Z4 is putty in the hands of a good driver. Besides, its sexy shape makes it a head turner wherever you go.

71 Porsche Panamera Turbo
Built as a four-door, four-seater, the Porsche Panamera is Porsche’s attempt at tapping into the luxury saloon market. The only other four-door Porsche model is the Cayenne, a sporty SUV which has been a runaway success for Porsche. What the designers have done is to put the Cayenne mechanicals into a saloon. It looks much like a stretched 911, except that the engine is at the front. It does not drive like the 911 though, but if you can imagine a Cayenne turbo that is lighter and sits lower on the ground, you can imagine what a monster the Panamera can be.

72 Volvo XC60
Developing a liking for the XC60 is a little out of character for me, being a habitual fast driver and liking performance cars, but the appeal of the XC60 for me is perhaps what the Volvo brand stands for. With more safety features and driving aids, both visual and audible, the XC60 is mooted as the safest car ever built by Volvo. It is no road burner, but for anyone who needs about 200kph cruising speeds, the XC60 will do. It handles very well for a SUV, but most important of all, it is a cosy eggshell for precious cargo.

I also had the opportunity to drive the XC60 D5, the same vehicle as the standard XC60 in every way, except that the D5 has a 2.5-litre common rail diesel turbo engine; translated to every day language, this means ample power to move this 2.2-tonne behemoth, fantastic fuel economy, and cleaner air. I am looking forward to the day that we also get clean diesel (Euro-4 and above) here.

73 Nissan 370Z
The Nissan 370Z is my current favourite, because this is the most recent drive in a performance car. This is the latest of the Nissan Z series which started with the 240Z some 40 years ago. The 240Z still remains on my most wanted list, and I will pick one up without hesitation if I could find someone willing to sell it to me. Forty years down the road, the 370Z will still be sought after.

Why? Because the 370Z is all muscle, built solely to be driven, and driven fast, although it is docile enough to be used by your mother to go to market (provided she still remembers how to use a clutch and a stick shift). With 333hp, 363Nm torque, a manual gearbox, aluminium suspension and aluminium shock absorbers, huge multi-pot brake callipers with racing car-sized discs, the Nissan designers made the 370Z strictly for performance, sacrificing along the way, ride comfort, and even noise — it is the modern muscle car. What is particularly interesting about the 370Z is that it is priced relatively cheap for what it can do, and therefore it is an affordable source of brute power.

74 BMW 740 Li
If you like driving but have to put up an “executive” demeanour, the BMW 740 Li is perfect. It is a luxury saloon, extra large and extra long to provide you with the executive space and the executive look necessary for your business purposes. If you have to suffer being driven around by a chauffeur, at least you know that in the rear seat, it is luxuriously comfortable, with plenty of legroom, and space to lounge in. Come the weekend, if you don’t own a Z4, you can still take the 740 Li out for a good shakedown and grow some little horns on the side of your head if you so wish, because the 740 Li is powered by the same engine as the Z4, and although it does not have as many bells and whistles attached, the 740 Li is surprisingly agile for its size. It will still do a zero to 100kph in six seconds flat, and hit 250kph, more if you can figure out how to bypass the electronic speed limiter.

Best Eats
For Options food columnist Iqbal AR, eating is pure pleasure. He is constantly looking out for new places to dine at, be it locally or while travelling. This year, he has had his fair share of superb, good and ordinary eateries and here are his favourite restaurants for 2009. The chosen five have, in one way or another, shown that serving good food is a passion, a way of life.

75 Top Hat
It’s been around for a long time, but Top Hat still serves the most ‘real’ food in KL. An incarnation of the amazing Bon Ton, Top Hat is run like a tight ship by Maria Danker, who oversees everything from the kitchen to the front of house. Perhaps it is this motherly touch that makes the food, the atmosphere, the welcome so enticing. It could also be the magic that is created in the kitchen that keeps loyal fans going back for more. Then again, perhaps it is all these things that make Top Hat a KL favourite. Its menu changes minutely, in tune with altering tastes, and the quality is strictly controlled. Famed for the lamb they serve up, it also has a slew of local flavours that are classics. Its satay alone is worth dining out for.

76 Dish
If I could, I would nominate The Delicious Group. But since I have to choose, 2009 goes to Dish, the group’s latest baby at Dua Residence. It’s a cross between a café and a fine dining eatery, but whatever you expect from it, Dish offers more. The meats are superb, the ribs huge and its their weekend Champagne Brunch is a whirlwind tour of good food. As with most of the group’s outlets, service at Dish is attentive and meticulous — something so many other places should take note of. As nice as it is to be remembered by the wait staff, it’s also marvellous that they know when to leave you to your own devices so you enjoy your meal. It serves up food that is very much guided by quality, creativity and a love of experimentation.

77 Bar Italia
Like Italy but can’t afford the air fare? Head off to Changkat Bukit Ceylon’s Bar Italia. It’s the latest (to date) Italian eatery and it does it as only Italians can. It’s cramped, it’s fluorescent and it’s chock-full of Italiana. From the pastries to the gelato, from the pastas to the mains, Bar Italia serves food that is as close to Mama’s cooking as you’ll get in KL. Climb up the spiral staircase to the rooftop and enjoy a rare 360° view of the KL skyline. The service is as brisk and efficient as the hosts are charming and knowledgeable.

78 Hakka Republic
Part of the drama of eating out is the décor of a restaurant. Some places are simple and some places go to town. Hakka Republic has managed to balance it so the interiors do not distract from the food whilst remaining quite the beautiful space. It’s a mix of modern chinoisserie and steel and glass without being over the top. The food is an eclectic mix of Chinese and western. The bar is a stunner and even if you don’t eat there, it’s worth just going for a cocktail.

79 Tom’s Kitchen
Of all the restaurants I sampled in 2009, Tom’s Kitchen in London wins hands down for using top quality ingredients in the simplest way possible. It helps that Tom Aikens, a remarkable chef himself, trained under chef and restaurateur Joël Robuchon. That combination of French style and English simplicity has won him two Michelin stars. Tom’s Kitchen is a great place for the best that English cuisine has to offer. The ingredients are top notch and the food has a clean and clear taste that brings out the delicate flavours of English food. If you have time for only one good meal in London, make it Tom’s handiwork.

Fitness Trends
These new fitness trends have been a big hit among fitness buffs in Malaysia. Both are fun and highly punishing but bring about significant improvements provided one follows through diligently.

80 Bootcamp
Improving fitness is one of the most popular New Year resolutions that people make and no workout provides the call of true commitment than Original Bootcamp Corps Training, a boot camp fitness system launched in 1991 in Australia. It’s a programme that’s stirred a fitness revolution the world over, inspired by military-style outdoor training and demands plenty of discipline, designed scientifically to achieve maximum results in minimum amount of time, be you an athlete or couch potato.

It comprises three 60-minute sessions a week for four weeks. Rain, hail or shine, the training goes on. It begins with a Benchmark Workout which allows your instructors to gauge your strengths and weaknesses and place you among those who share your fitness level. Each group enjoys a minimum instructor-recruit ratio of 1:16 per course so that everyone receives personalised attention. And on top of that, no matter how long you’ve been training with them, you’ll never repeat the same session twice — each promises to be fresh and challenging. There is also a full “money back guarantee” if you do not see serious results in as little as two weeks.

Keeping committed to the training will earn you strength and stamina as well as an increase in recovery time and overall health. Fat loss and muscle tone is another added bonus as well as a more relaxed, happier and more confident you. 
Learn more at www.bootcamp.com.my.

81 Jukari
Who said working out had to be all work and no play? In a brilliant collaboration, Reebok and Cirque du Soleil created Jukari Fit to Fly, an innovative fitness regime created specifically for women, inspired by training techniques used by trapeze and aerial artistes. Jukari, a Sicilian word that translates to “to play”, injects a dash of fun into a series of moves that combines cardio, strength training, balance and core training to strengthen and lengthen the whole body. It’s an hour-long session of exercise using a specially-designed piece of equipment called the FlySet, enabling participants to experience the sensation of flying while working towards a fitter and toner self.

Jukari was launched this year in 14 cities around the world, from New York and Los Angeles to Madrid, London and, of course, Kuala Lumpur, where classes are exclusively available under the CHI Fitness brand by Clark Hatch International.

The genesis of Jukari Fit to Fly stems from a survey of 15,000 women across 25 countries in 2008 which found that while nearly half of all women know that exercise and keeping fit is important to overall health, only less than 25% do it regularly. Sixty-one per cent of the women cited that if working out were more fun, they might participate in it more often.

Hottest Comebacks

82 Vampires
Bloodsuckers. Shape-shifters. Vampires make a comeback almost every couple of decades or so, and each time they come back better looking and sexier than before. From the time of FW Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) and Tony Scott’s The Hunger (1983) to Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire in the 1990s, these films have thrilled moviegoers and inspired many to return to classic gothic tomes as well as indulge in a little black lace and dark lipstick.

Vampire mania returns this time around via books, TV and the big screen. Teenagers are going ga-ga over the Twilight series while the more mature are sinking their teeth into the HBO original series True Blood, based on the best-selling series by author Charlaine Harris titled The Southern Vampire Series.

The fashion scene has also jumped onboard with leather, lace and gothic themes taking the spotlight in the international glossy magazines.

Look out as it continues into the New Year with The Strain, the first of a trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan in the world of publishing; with Blood: The Last Vampire and Let The Right One In, two vampire flicks set to send your heart racing with fright and seduction.

83 Dance
Who would’ve thought that dance would come back in as big a way as it has? Who can tell when exactly the wave began but we reckon it might have started with MTV’s The Wade Robson Project (2001), where up-and-coming dancers vie for a gig in a hip-hop music video, or maybe with BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing (2004), a reality show which sees celebrities paired with professional dancers and performing each week before a panel of judges. This has led to many other dance reality shows, including So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars in the US.

From street to ballroom, dance fever has spread across the world and culminated in Superstars of Dance, an international competition led by executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller, two of the masterminds behind American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance and hosted by Michael Flatley (of Lord of the Dance fame).

It sees the participation of eight countries — Ireland, India, the US, Argentina, China, Russia, South Africa and Australia — with each team comprising two soloists, one duo and one larger group in a competition much like the Olympics.

84 The Beatles
The Fab Four hasn’t enjoyed this much of spotlight since the band broke up in 1970. Since then, John and George have died while Ringo and Paul are in their twilight years by rock ‘n’ roll standards. The new The Beatles renaissance happened this year with the 40th anniversary of what many deem as The Beatles’ greatest album, the last they would record together before they broke up to pursue solo careers — none of which drew quite the same fan base as when they were together — entitled Abbey Road, the one with Come Together, Something and Oh! Darling.

Then there was the release of the new Beatles remasters which had fans in stores buying up box sets even though they already have the albums on vinyl, audiocassette and CD formats.
Then there was a bid to inject that Fab Four magic into a new generation with The Beatles: Rock Banda music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, open to anyone with an Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii game console. 

And now, Nowhere Boy, a feature film by artist-turned-director Sam Taylor-Wood, about John Lennon’s childhood and adolescence, is due for release at year-end.

Beatlemania may have quieten down for a while, but it sure hasn’t gone away. The world will continue to love them, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Screen Hits
Flicks that we all love this year; some we can watch again and again...

85 Inglourious Basterds
Much has been said about the purposefully misspelt World War II movie Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino, who last directed Grindhouse in 2007 with Robert Rodriguez and Kill Bill Vol 2 in 2004. Tarantino reportedly shot and edited Inglourious Basterds in a very short time under much pressure, despite having thought about and imagined the film for more than 10 years.

The film was a remake of Italian director Enzo Castellari’s 1978 World War II movie Quel maledetto treno blindato, also called The Inglorious Bastards. Starring Melanie Laurent, Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger, Tarantino hybridised the genres of the Western with World War II epics. The film opens in the Nazi-occupied French countryside where a band of very violent Jewish soldiers exact their revenge on the Nazis, and the band ultimately sets fire to a movie theatre filled with the Nazi elite. Inglourious Basterds is reportedly the highest-grossing film of Tarantino’s career, and highly entertaining and encouraging for its originality.

86 This Is It
The King of Pop’s posthumous film documentary, which features scenes from his concert rehearsals originally planned as a series of 50 concerts at The O2 arena in London, is the highest grossing concert movie and documentary in the history of cinema.

Up to 100 hours of film footage was acquired by Columbia Pictures for This Is It, which was directed and edited by Michael Jackson’s choreographer Kenny Ortega and the film is dedicated to Jackson’s three children. The documentary showcases dance routines and glimpses of Jackson’s pursuit for perfection in the concert’s production, with a rare frailty that is hardly seen in his performances. Ortega masterfully resurrects the persona and the legend that is Jackson, ignoring the circumstances of his death and drama that subsequently unfolded.

The film includes clips of Jackson singing Human Nature unplugged, a duet with Judith Hill for I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, and timeless hits such as Bad, Billie Jean and Wanna Be Startin’ Something.

87 District 9
This science-fiction thriller, which features a Johannesburg ghetto filled with outer space refugees, was originally inspired by the director Neill Blomkamp’s own earlier short film, Alive in Joburg. District 9 producer Peter Jackson combines xenophobia with the terror that comes with an impending apocalypse to produce a heavily animated conflict between earth residents and the aliens, known as “the prawns”.

Sharlto Copley makes his acting debut as Wikus, who becomes a mediator for both the human and alien races, who have been squatting in Johannesburg for more than two decades. The prawns are treated with contempt and viewed as a waste of taxpayer’s money, much like how illegal immigrants are treated in general. As confrontation escalates, Wikus is tasked to relocate the prawns, but he finds refuge in the trash-filled District 9 when he becomes the most wanted man alive after mysteriously contracting a virus. District 9 was well received internationally, earning six times its original budget of US$30 million (RM102 million).

88 Karaoke
Chris Chong, who started his film-making career in Toronto, Canada, makes his feature debut with subjects that are commonplace in Malaysia: the middle-class favourite past-time of karaoke and the national produce, palm oil. Set in a lush oil palm estate, the film tells of a young man’s homecoming and venture into the family business — a karaoke joint.

It stars Zahiril Adzim, Mislina Mustaffa, Mohammed Hairiry and Nadiyatul Nisaa, names that are known in the local experimental theatre and film circles. Although the film was screened for only a week in Malaysia, it has been hailed a success internationally, especially for its beautiful cinematography and script, which was co-written by singer-songwriter, journalist and activist Shanon Shah. The film was also selected for the 2009 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, a first from a Malaysian feature film at Cannes in 14 years.

In a blog entry, Chong reveals that the film has its deceptive moments. He treats the most commonplace in a casual way. Chong writes that he aimed to make “something as simple and entertaining as karaoke... manipulated into something more without the audience noticing”. He adds, “I like deceiving the audience, I feel it is my job as a filmmaker to feign reality for an audience who wants only fantasy.”

89 At the End of Daybreak
Even before the film was screened in Malaysia, Ho Yuhang’s At the End of Daybreak made waves in the international film circuit: Toronto, Vancouver, Pusan, London, Tokyo, Thessaloniki and Rotterdam.

According to an interview, Ho stumbled upon a news item that had inspired him to write At the End of Daybreak, where an underage girl engages in illicit sex with a young man, whom she met via an Internet chatroom. Her parents eventually find out about their relationship after discovering birth-control pills in her room. With the police involved, the worlds of the two youths are soon shattered. The film stars Chui Tien You, Wai Ying-Hong and Ng Meng Hui, with music by Pete Teo, artistic direction by Gan Siong King and is produced by Lorna Tee.

As in his previous films, Ho reveals that the elements of crime become central to his scriptwriting as “crime stories cut to the quick of human behaviour”, which also informs him of his own personality. “More and more, I see myself working on stories with very stirring matters. They may well involve getting into emotional states that I’ve failed to comprehend... it makes them worth excavating,” he adds.

Hot Chronicles
We found these tell-all reads enlightening and inspiring 

90 The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President by Taylor Branch
While this may not be an autobiography, the bulk of this book features former US President Bill Clinton’s own words transcribed from 79 recordings of dialogue between the president and his friend, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch. These recordings were initiated by Clinton “to preserve for future historians an unfiltered record of presidential experience”, affording the general public an insight to a presidency as it happened.

This book is considered groundbreaking as Branch filters nothing, including Clinton’s flashes of anger and humour, although the author confesses to some difficulty remaining objective because of the intensity of some of the discussion; however, his narrative does include some personal inflections and gives us a view of Clinton behind close doors.

The Clinton Tapes covers the wars in Bosnia, the unsuccessful health care reform, his impeachment trial and many other major events during the president’s two terms. There are also vivid verbal portraits by Clinton on important figures such as the late Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela.

91 True Compass by Edward M Kennedy
Perhaps it is because Edward M Kennedy, known popularly as Ted Kennedy, had written True Compass knowing that his battle with cancer was coming to an end that he injected so much honesty into his narrative — sort of like his last word or confession before he took that final journey.

He didn’t try to paint perfect portraits of himself or his famous family; instead he laid everything on the table so to speak, from the mundane to the life-changing, confessing to cheating at Harvard and encouraging bad behaviour among the younger Kennedys. In some ways, it’s almost like he’s seeking atonement for everything he may have done to inflict hurt on others.
He divulges about the assassination of his brothers John F Kennedy, who was “almost a second father”, and Robert F Kennedy, “loyalty was one of his greatest virtues”, and it is these anecdotes about his family that make the book worth a read.

92 The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder
Finally, a frank account of the life and times of Warren Buffett, the richest person in the world as ranked by Forbes in 2008, and an icon in American finance. The Snowball sees Buffett lay bare his childhood experiences, complex personality, his investment strategy and even the married man’s rather public affair with Washington Post editor Katherine Graham.

How Alice Schroeder, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley, earned his confidence remains a mystery, but she does an amazing job in unfurling his tale — she is able to include her personal observations without a hint of judgment nor awe. Well-written, this tome allows insight into this businessman and highly generous philanthropist, the man often labelled the Oracle of Omaha for his often-successful investment strategies.

93 Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
This autobiography by the winner of all four major tennis titles caused a stir upon its release as within it, Andre Agassi makes the following revelation: “I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion, and always have.”

The legion of cynics out there feels that this confession was designed to sell the book and holds no truth at all. The question, as posed by The Observer’s Paul Hayward in his review, is this — how can one win eight grand slam titles and US$31 million (RM105 million) if one truly hated the game?

Such a confession might upset Agassi’s own fans who will be disappointed that he shares not their passion for this game.

However, this is not the only revelation he makes in the book as the tome also divulges quite a bit on a lost childhood, drug abuse and a doomed relationship with a certain actress. Written “in collaboration” with Pulitzer Prize-winning J R Moehringer, Agassi’s tale is presented quite dramatically.

Fans will love learning more about the tennis champ; and don’t fret — it does end on an inspiring note in that Agassi reassures that he’s come out of the dark and is now making the right choices. His strong marriage to Steffi Graf is evidence as are their two children Jaden and Jaz, whom he says, he will not pressure to play tennis simply because their parents are world champions.

94 Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin
It would seem as if the world still has not had enough of Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for vice-president of the US in 2008. The former Governor of Alaska is now a best-selling author as her memoir has been Amazon.com’s bestseller since its release on Nov 17. Only recently was it bumped off the No 1 spot by Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, but Going Rouge remains the top-selling non-fiction book. The theory is that the book was picked up by the many who were curious about the inner workings of the McCain campaign while some are genuine fans, who see her as what the Wall Street Journal calls “a new style of feminist”.

However, politics only take up a meagre portion of the book. Going Rogue is actually a personal memoir and Palin includes her experiences coming of age in Alaska, her journey of faith as well as being a mother and politician at the same time.

Runway Hits
These fashion trends made heads turn, all over the world

95 Sky-high heels
Vertiginous heels, some reaching to a dizzying eight inches, were the hottest items in women’s accessories this year. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is credited to having kick-started the trend when she stepped out in seven-inch Alexander McQueen and Pacini heels while promoting the film Iron Man in Europe last year.

This year, fashion houses from Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani and Cole Haan to GF Ferre, Tod’s, Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo came out with some of the season’s highest shoes in wedged heels, chunky heels and stilettos. They were statement-making funky designs, bright colours, and liberal use of embellishments like feathers, fringes and ruffles. Fashionistas the world over flocked to purchase them, paying no heed to podiatrists’ warnings about the health hazards of donning such unbelievably high heels.

From the looks of it, super high heels are not going anywhere anytime soon.

96 Dramatic flutters
It used to be that women were too embarrassed to admit to wearing false eyelashes. Not anymore! Women today don’t bat an eyelid when it comes to flaunting whimsical, sparkly and sometimes outrageous lashes. They have become the hottest beauty-fashion accessories, all thanks to cult cosmetics brand, Shu Uemura, which was the first to come out with dramatic lashes.

Shu Uemura’s lashes recorded new lengths, dimensions and designs, made with unconventional materials such as feather, mink, lace, velvet and twill. They were the ultimate in wearable art — women looking to add a subtle accent or bold theatrical flutter to their eyes were spoilt for choice with the various Tokyo Lash Bar collections, which offered everything from ultra-feminine lashes to the edgy and fantastical.

Other brands have followed suit, most notably Sephora, with its colourful, wispy and lush offerings, and homegrown makeup brand Stage, with sweeping diamante-studded lashes.

97 African dreams
Spring/summer fashion was rife with African influences this year, seen in both clothes and accessories. But it wasn’t so much about the ethnic as it is the sculpted, geometric shapes of Africa and its rich, vibrant colours.

At Lanvin was seen brightly hued, animal print dresses that were oh-so-chic. Japanese designer Junya Watanabe offered the most dramatic example of tribal fabrics — bold prints in an African palette of sky blue, burnt orange, earth brown and leafy green, and tribal patchwork prints. Celine had wrap dresses and coats in the Tuareg style, skirts and dresses with motifs and graphics that echoed the traditions of Africa, and aprons embroidered with beads and feathers in the manner of tribal chiefs.

Accessories were where designers really let loose their creativity, and leading the pack was Louis Vuitton. The “It” shoe collection from the fashion maison, called Spicy, mixed python straps and a sky-high heel with beads, wooden pearls, a cord and a tassel. There were also lacquered wood bangles with leopard spots or zebra stripes, heavy gold cuffs with richly coloured acetate beads and tough-looking tribal necklaces embellished with beads and feathers. John Galliano had fertility symbols carved into Dior high heels, and Celine’s carved out wedge-heel sandals recall graphic lines of traditional African homes.

98 Snakeskin
Snakeskin is back, and with a vengeance (so long, crocodile skin!). Of course, snakeskin isn’t new; it’s seen every season in accessories like shoes and handbags, but not in any significant way until this year, that is.

Snakeskin prints and skins slithered their way in spring/summer catwalks in all manner of clothing: casual lounge dresses, short shift numbers, pencil skirts, pants, jackets, scarves and tops. Prada, Versace, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balmain all featured outfits in snakeskin or python print, in its natural hues or dyed in bold, psychedelic colours.

In accessories, snakeskin was used by Anya Hindmarch, Tod’s, Salvatore Ferragamo for evening and day clutches to large carryalls. Fendi, Christian Louboutin and Michael Kors came out with statement-making python pumps, boots and strappy heels. Snakeskin-inspired trinkets were aplenty, such as bangles from Jimmy Choo, oversized cuffs from Bottega Veneta, and belts from Salvatore Ferragamo.

99 Men’s shoes
As far as design goes, men’s shoes haven’t changed much — at most, they have become pointier and more elongated in the front. Every season we see the classic Oxfords, loafers, car shoes and boots, but what has changed this year though, is in the details, the use of materials and the colours. Yes, these classics have been given a contemporary interpretation.

Louis Vuitton jazzed up its Oxfords with straps running across them and even swathed one version in bright pink. Yves Saint Laurent gave its loafers touches of quirkiness — combining two tones, blue pipping and embossed croco leather. Gucci also came out with a line of funky two-toned patent loafers with ponyskin trim and tassel, and buffed evening slip-ons with mirrored heels cut like Deco glass. Tod’s classic Gomminis were in exotic coats of zebra, tiger and giraffe; Salvatore Ferragamo had a suede loafer in velvety purple. Even a staid menswear brand like Canali offered a shoe in glossy dark red lacquered finish leather. Oh yes, men’s shoes have been given a decidedly metrosexual treatment.

This year also saw fashion houses collaborating with entertainment personalities on creating luxe sneakers: Kanye West for Louis Vuitton, Mark Ronson for Gucci and Paul Pope for DKNY.

100 Hottest Moment of 2009
Options was awarded the Honourable Mention in the Excellence in Special Issue or Special Section by the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) at its annual awards ceremony for editorial excellence in Hong Kong. The winning special issue was the “On the Heritage Trail in Penang”. The award is given to a newspaper special pullout or magazine special issue that uses the best combination of writing, design and photographic excellence to enhance its overall presentation.

The citation by the judges for the award to Options read: “Good combination of editorial, pictures, design and local knowledge to produce a stand-out issue on a topic that has been covered often but not usually as well.”

Options editor Surinder Jessy received the award in Hong Kong on the night of June 11.  In every category, only two awards are given out — Honourable Mention and the Award of Excellence. The Award of Excellence in our category went to South China Morning Post for its Beijing Olympic Special Issue.

Last year, the Options team embarked on a special project close to its heart — an issue dedicated to the heritage of George Town, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Entitled “On the Heritage Trail in Penang” (Sept 1, 2008 issue), it was a project done in conjunction with the celebration of Merdeka to explore a segment of our history that a new generation has forgotten or doesn’t know about. It was quite a departure from the personality profiles of CEOs, luxury watchmakers and fashion designers that regularly grace our pages, but in the end, our efforts in this new direction paid off — we came out with a highly conceptualised issue from start to finish. While it was reward enough to see the four challenging days spent traipsing the streets of the Penang capital manifest into 56 pages of interviews and photo essays, winning the award was indeed a special moment for the team.

This project was the result of skill, passion and camaraderie by a team comprising Surinder and writers Jacqueline Toyad, Anandhi Gopinath, Grace Chin and Elaine Lau; The Edge photographers Haris Hassan and Patrick Goh; and Raymond Khor (assistant art director), Lee Wan Yee (senior graphic designer), Calvin Yuen and Andy Lee of The Edge’s design desk.

Most of all, it would not have been possible without the people of Penang who welcomed us with open arms and shared their stories. Indeed, they helped us to not only understand Penang’s rich heritage but also opened our eyes to the elements that already exist and which only need to be further developed if we, as a people, intend to move forward towards our ideal Malaysia.

This article appeared in Options, the lifestyle pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 787, Dec 28, 2009-Jan 10, 2010)