15/03/2026

ON SUNDAY March 15, 2026 theSunday Special XI

T KH 0DOD\VLDQ ÀDYRXU RI LW W KDW PDNHV RXU ORFDO FRQWH[W XQLTXH LV WKH PL[ RI WUDGLWLRQ DQG WUHQG 2OGHU Malaysians have always been close to hands-on skills such as sewing, gardening and woodwork. Now, younger Malaysians are circling back to these activities, but in new formats. T LN7RN PD\ EH ¿OOHG ZLWK IDVW WUHQGV but there’s also a corner of the internet where Gen Z Malaysians share their journaling pages or crochet frogs. They’re not trying to go viral. They’re connecting over something slow and genuine. F RU H[DPSOH VKRSV OLNH 6WLFNHUULILF in Petaling Jaya are thriving not just as stationery shops but as creative communi WLHV 7KHVH VSDFHV R̆ HU QRW MXVW VXSSOLHV but sanctuary. You walk in and breathe more slowly.

It would be easy to dismiss these hob bies as quaint or escapist. But that misses the point. These small acts of slowness are D PHQWDO KHDOWK EX̆ HU They lower cortisol. They bring the mind into the present. They help people self-regulate, especially those dealing ZLWK DQ[LHW\ RU EXUQRXW 0HQWDO KHDOWK H[SHUWV VD\ UHSHWLWLYH UK\WKPLF DFWLYLWLHV like knitting or sketching can help settle the nervous system. And there’s joy, too. Real, sustainable joy. The kind that doesn’t spike and crash like a scroll session. The kind that ac cumulates quietly, stitch by stitch. During the lockdown years, many Malaysians turned to hobbies out of necessity. But now, they’re staying. Even as the world reopens, the appeal of quiet hobbies hasn’t faded. It’s grown.

In cafes and condo balconies across Malaysia, more people are deliberately turning to slow hobbies.

10 underrated quiet hobbies Malaysians are picking up

Crafting calm in a noisy world

NOT all hobbies need an audience or a monetisation plan. These peaceful pas times are catching on as more Malaysians embrace the art of unwinding, one gentle act at a time: • Watercolour journalling Combining soft washes of colour with doodles, reflections and handwrit ten quotes, this hybrid hobby turns notebooks into personal sanctuaries. Popular among students and creatives alike, it’s part mindfulness, part memory keeping. • Crocheting plushies Think tiny frogs with berets or ducks with scarves. Gen Z crafters are reviv ing the age-old skill of crochet with a twist – creating irresistibly cute animals that double as stress relievers and desk decor. • Miniature gardening From bonsai trimming to mossy ter rariums and kokedama (Japanese-style string gardens), these scaled-down green spaces are perfect for apartment dwellers craving a bit of nature. Some enthusiasts even name their moss balls. • Bullet journalling A productivity tool turned creative outlet. Malaysians use it to plan meals, track moods and collage bits of their daily lives with washi tape, stamps and even receipts from memorable makan (food) trips. • Origami and paper crafts Beyond paper cranes, crafters are now folding geometric stars, 3D hearts and seasonal decor. Some workshops even

blend origami with storytelling, creating narrative paper art that’s as meaningful as it is meditative. • Embroidery and visible mending Not just decorative, but empowering. Whether it’s patching jeans with colour ful patterns or stitching affirmations into tote bags, embroidery is reclaiming slow fashion with flair. • Calligraphy and brush lettering Satisfyingly rhythmic and visually calm ing, hand-lettering is seeing a revival in Malaysia. Practised in journals, wedding cards or handmade bookmarks, it turns language into visual poetry. • Pressed flower art Collecting local wildflowers, ferns and even bunga kantan and preserving them in notebooks, frames or greeting cards. It’s part foraging, part folk art – and deeply Malaysian when local flora takes centre stage. • Jigsaw puzzle trading A quietly growing subculture in urban areas, especially KL and Penang. Puzzle cafes or libraries let hobbyists swap 500–2,000-piece sets and connect over their love of quiet problem-solving. • Solo nature sketching Equipped with a sketchbook and por table watercolours, more Malaysians are heading to parks, hilltops and botanical gardens to document nature. It’s less about perfection, more about presence and appreciating the beauty of a leaf or shadow, in real time. These hobbies aren’t about talent. They’re about slowing down.

N OT everything needs to go vi ral. Not every weekend needs WR EH D SURGXFWLYLW\ ÀH[ In the age of hustle, side gigs and social media pres VXUH DQ XQH[SHFWHG UHEHOOLRQ LV WDNLQJ root: Quiet hobbies. Think jigsaw puzzles, knitting, journal ling, cross-stitch, sketching plants. No followers. No monetisation plan. Just you, your hands and time well spent. In cafes and condo balconies across Malaysia, more people are deliberately turning to slow hobbies. Not just screen free, but also soul-friendly. Whether it’s a young adult rediscovering Lego sets or a retiree painting watercolour fruit, these DFWLYLWLHV R̆ HU VRPHWKLQJ UDUH LQ WRGD\¶V world: Quiet joy without performance. Call it a counterculture or call it com mon sense, but the revival of low-key hobbies feels oddly radical. These aren’t skills being posted to TikTok or sold on Etsy. They’re not mar keted as self-improvement. If anything, they’re a return to play for play’s sake. No judgment, no end goal. Part of the appeal is how analogue they are. People want to touch something real again. To thread a needle, plant a seed

BY CECELIA FONG or watch paint dry – literally. It’s tactile, grounding and in a world of endless scrolling, deeply satisfying. J RXUQDOLQJ IRU H[DPSOH KDV VHHQ D quiet boom among Malaysians of all ages. Some keep bullet journals for daily planning. Others treat them like mental gardens, full of doodles, thoughts, quotes, even pasted receipts and leaves. There’s no algorithm, no engagement stats. Just a personal space that listens. From loud life to soft moments For many, quiet hobbies are a way to reclaim peace from overstimulation. We’re constantly online, bombarded with reels, ads, news and alerts. Picking up a paintbrush or arranging flowers becomes an act of refusal. You’re saying: This moment is mine. Even formerly loud spaces are soften ing. Book cafes now host origami nights. Knitting circles meet in coworking lounges. A small group in TTDI even gathers weekly for communal silent read LQJ FR̆ HH LQ KDQG 1R VSHHFKHV QR VPDOO talk – just shared quiet. There’s healing in that. A kind of gentle solidarity. You’re not alone, even if your hobby is a solo act.