Our Desk
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Macau is per choice, not per fate
If there is a quotation or idiomatic expression that someone new to Macau learns quickly, it is the famous (or should I say infamous) ... -
Is Macau’s cash handout a cure or a crutch?
Is the cash handout scheme really what Macau residents need most? As the city’s economic and social landscape evolves, the question arises: can simply ... -
Comfortable convenience, but at what cost?
Being born and raised in Macau as a resident comes with undeniable privileges. Many of us become so accustomed to the ease of life ... -
Courage is the Missing Policy
Macau has a problem with its transportation network. It is obvious, undeniable, and ultimately not as complex as it appears to solve. There are ... -
In Macau’s labor market, culture may matter more than pay
A healthy corporate culture can do more than improve morale. It can help companies retain workers longer, lower turnover, and reduce the strain that ... -
From “LOL” to “cooked,” it’s giving language barrier
Scroll through social media such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or X long enough, and you’ll notice something interesting: Gen Z and Gen Alpha aren’t ... -
Grief without representation
The heartbreaking death of a Macau schoolboy has stirred a rare storm of collective anger and mourning across the city, yet as ordinary citizens ... -
We deserve more than thoughts and prayers
The recent death of a 10-year-old schoolboy after being hit by a car while crossing the road at a crosswalk in Macau has prompted ... -
Weight-loss challenges are popular, but are they missing the point?
On paper, Macau’s “Get Active Citywide” Weight-Loss Challenge sounds like a public health success story. Over 3,500 residents have signed up. The Health Bureau ... -
Is healthcare the modern-day Goliath for migrant workers?
Healthcare is often described as a basic right, but in practice, it is frequently experienced as a calculation, especially for migrant workers in Macau. ... -
The case for thinking beyond the Sphere
Macau has never been shy about borrowing spectacle. From Venetian canals to Eiffel Tower replicas, the city has long understood that scale and novelty ... -
The labor math ‘ain’t mathing’
Just last week, we learned that the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) has helped, through its multiple programs, some 11,584 people secure jobs in 2025. ... -
The numbers say 1.6%; the streets say otherwise
With International Labor Day approaching, several Macau legislators used Tuesday’s Legislative Assembly session to voice concerns over labor rights and employment — particularly the ... -
Is Macau’s non-gaming push realistic, or just ambitious branding?
Macau has long been under pressure to diversify its economy beyond gaming. Integrated resort operators have pledged billions in non-gaming investment, and the government ... -
Can we buy cultural cool?
Hong Kong’s “Super March” bundles Art Basel, Art Central, Art Hong Kong and West Kowloon District exhibitions into a high-octane art blitz. This year, ... -
The deafening silence
In a city that prides itself on increased efficiency, well-established order, and stability, one would expect clarity in public officials’ communication. However, in Macau, ... -
Healthy Macau – from a micro to a macro perspective
Conversations about obesity often focus on individual responsibility. “Eating better, moving more, and trying harder” are typical phrases. This simplistic framing overlooks a structural ... -
Chatbot confessions: A mental health crisis in the making
Picture this: Your teen, midmeltdown, seeks solace in a chatbot, texting it instead of telling you. It’s not just a Macau thing – it’s ... -
Big dreams, yet lost in translation
In Macau, language barriers in the medical sector are impossible to ignore. Cantonese, Portuguese, Mandarin, and English coexist, but fluency is uneven. Even with ... -
Pursuit of visitor numbers is driving away high-value tourists
Overcrowding during Macau’s peak tourist season has become a persistent concern, with critics accusing tourism authorities of prioritizing visitor numbers over residents’ well-being. Tourism ... -
History lessons say progress comes after turmoil
We often tell ourselves this comforting story about how humanity’s progress happens gradually through diplomacy, cooperation, and stability. In this version of history, societies ... -
Macau’s misfired concert dream
The Cotai outdoor performance venue, heralded as a game-changer for Macau’s entertainment ambitions, now faces a stark pivot, a conversion into a humble three-on-three ... -
The nursery race that turns parents into anxious spectators
Nursery school interviews in Macau have quietly become a source of stress for many parents. The nursery admission interviews commenced earlier this month and ... -
The urgent need to preserve Cantonese
A local Portuguese-language media outlet reported numerous errors in Macau’s Portuguese language usage, with a commentator suggesting that the government is gradually placing less ... -
Uber-taxis won’t fix the structural problem
Macau’s transportation woes are not new. Long queues at taxi stands, scarce taxis during peak hours, and residents struggling to get a ride home ... -
Generative AI: playground, power tool or pandora’s box?
Like most, I’ve tinkered with ChatGPT, Perplexity, DeepSeek and other AI agents, prompting them to draft emails, brainstorm ideas, offer opposing views and simulate ... -
The gallop begins, but is Macau ready?
Macau’s tourism engine is running at full speed again during Chinese New Year. Visitor numbers have risen, surpassing the government’s cautious projections. Streets are ... -
The issue of making babies
It is not new that the falling birth rate in Macau and its consequences of turning our society into a super-aged one (over 20% ... -
Ready to organize the Olympics?
Following the words of President Xi Jinping and other high-ranking officials from the Central Government, the local government has rushed to promote the idea ... -
All in the same boat, they say
The mandate that all Filipino nationals should undergo mass testing has led to public outcry, fueled frustrations and disappointment among many, and several have ... -
Our Desk | This is not a democracy – Part 1
This is not a democracy! This was a sentence I have gotten used to hearing since my early days in Macau. I confess that ... -
Our Desk | Macau’s (new) low standards
In a region that survives almost exclusively on tourism and the service sector, we should expect that its service standards would be of a ... -
Our Desk | Anxiety among Gen Z
The distressing suicides of several young people this year have come to the attention of the education and social welfare bureaus, implying the urgent ... -
Our Desk | Predictions for the Ox-picious new year
This new year will be running under the auspiciousness of the Metal Ox. This means that it will be certainly a lucky one (as ... -
Our Desk | What’s going on with these people?
On the same day I wrote this article, something happened during my bus trip, which expanded my horizons. I was on my way to ...
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