Malay Mail’s Top 10 inspiring, witty and weird Life stories that got you hooked in 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 — 2022 is very nearly over and like previous years, it was an eventful year.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, economic downturns and political instability, Malaysians never failed to amaze with their inspiring stories, while some amused us with their witty and weird antics.

As we get ready to open a new chapter in the new year, here’s a look back at Malay Mail’s top 10 most-read Life stories in 2022.

The fifth generation of the cellular network is set to revolutionise internet connectivity. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

4G vs 5G: Learn the key differences between the cellular network gens now that 5G is finally in Malaysia

The fifth generation of cellular network, known as 5G, was among the anticipated rollouts this year.

The coverage in the country has reportedly reached over 30 per cent of the populated areas and aims to achieve its 80 per cent target by the government by 2024.

Malay Mail put together an explainer to highlight the benefits of the new generation cellular network and its benefits once 5G is fully made available in Malaysia.

The cosmetics entrepreneur bought her husband a lavish sports car in exchange for his attention and assistance when their baby was born. — Screengrab from TikTok/@ayunieso

Pregnant Malaysian wife gifts husband RM2m Lamborghini as reward for upcoming confinement

A Kelantanese wife made the headlines in March after splurging on a RM2 million Lamborghini as a gift for her husband.

The then 19-year-old pregnant lady, Anes Ayuni Osman, wanted to reward her husband in advance for all the sleepless nights ahead of him, especially during her 100-day confinement.

The woman surprised her husband at a car dealership in Kuala Lumpur where she presented him with a Huracan Evo model in turquoise.

An Italian decathlete (in blue) who went commando during a 400-metre race came in last in the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships. ― Screen capture from Twitter/ @SanchezdeCastro

Decision to run without underwear leads to Italian decathlete's penis dangling out, causing him to come in last in 400m race

An Italian decathlete had an uncomfortable yet embarrassing 40-meter race at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championship that saw him finish last for a wrong decision.

Alberto Nonino had decided to run without wearing underwear, which caused his penis to dangle out of his loose-fitting shorts.

Although he had a promising start by overtaking two rivals, Nonino suddenly got busy grabbing his crotch several times and fell behind the rest.

The 'liquid bob' was the trendy hairstyle of the year 2022. — Picture courtesy of beton studio / Shutterstock via ETX Studi

The ‘liquid bob’ is the hairstyle everyone is asking their hairdresser for

After two years of natural curls in the spotlight, some experts predicted "liquid bob” as the major hair trend of 2022.

True enough, the smooth and ultra-shiny hairstyle became a trend after some celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens wore it.

A 65-year-old Indonesian man divorced his 19-year-old bride after giving her dowry, buying her a house and a car and paying for a trip to Mecca. — Screencapture via Instagram @underc0ver.id

Rich Indonesian man, 65, divorces 19-year-old bride after two months of marriage

A wealthy Indonesian elderly man who had gone viral in May for marrying a 19-year-old girl with a dowry of nearly RM150,000 divorced her two months after the marriage.

The 65-year-old man, Haji Sondani, married 19-year-old Fia Barlanti in West Java, Indonesia.

On top of the dowry, Haji bought his bride a house and a car.

The marriage, however, only lasted two months and the couple parted.

Indonesian YouTuber Ria Ricis left her Instagram live viewers in shock after she brought along her phone to the bathroom as she needed to pee. ― Picture via Instagram/ RICIS

Afraid of losing her 13,000 viewers, Indonesian YouTuber continues Instagram session while peeing

An Indonesian YouTuber, Ria Ricis, shocked her Instagram followers after she documented her urination session in a live video.

A recording of the live video was then posted on local gossip pages on social media.

The 26-year-old who was pregnant with her first child made the controversial move not to lose her over 13,000 live viewers at the time.

She received much backlash on social media for her lack of professionalism.

Brazilian bigamist Arthur O Urso went on to look for two more wives after one of his nine wives Agatha (circled in red) wanted to end their marriage as the idea of polygamy was not as appealing as she once thought. ― Picture via Facebook/ Charles Awuzie

Brazilian male model who wed nine women on same day wants to marry two more wives

A Brazilian man who wed nine women went on to look for two more wives after one of them wanted to end their polygamous marriage.

Arthur O Urso, a male model with an OnlyFans page, went viral following his simultaneous marriage to nine women at a Catholic church in Sao Paulo.

It was then reported that Urso wanted to bring his number of wives up to an even 10.

Urso’s polygamy, however, doesn’t seem stable as recent reports said he has divorced four of his wives.

India Time quoted the model saying one of his wives left shortly after their symbolic marriage ceremony in 2021, and he was divorcing four more.

Penthouse cover model Ms Pui Yi quits OnlyFans in favour of DJ-ing. ― Picture by Firdaus Latif

Ms Pui Yi, Malaysia’s top female social media influencer, quits OnlyFans, sheds sexy image to spin decks as DJ

Malaysian social media star Ms Pui Yi decided to turn over a new leaf early this month after quitting adult subscription site OnlyFans to start a career in music as a DJ.

The 24-year-old shared that it was empowering to finally leave the platform on which she grew her massive fanbase, despite the challenges ahead for her brand.

The former hostess created her OnlyFans page in 2020 after her private images from her laptop leaked online when she was 19.

In the span of two years, Pui Yi amassed over 20 million Instagram followers and became the first Malaysian to feature on the cover of American men's magazine, Penthouse.

Sambal Nyet's owner, Khairul Aming sold his millionth bottle of Sambal Nyet after operating for just over a year. — Picture via Twitter/ Khairul Aming

After amassing RM14m in sales, local entrepreneur Khairul Aming to open second sambal factory in Kelantan

Young entrepreneur Khairul Aming made a huge milestone after operating his sambal business for just a year and a half.

The 30-year-old managed to sell his millionth bottle of Sambal Nyet, amassing a total of RM14 million in sales earlier in August.

The businessman announced that he will be opening a 2,044 square metre factory in Kota Baru, Kelantan, making it his second factory to date.

According to Khairul, he and his team first started their sambal business with 10,000 bottles in early January last year and it took them 10 days to finish packing all of it.

A Malaysian couple who was in a long-distance relationship finally got to embrace each other in person for the first time despite being married for seven months. — Screenshot via TikTok/ NatasyaBunny

Malaysian couple who got married without meeting finally meet in person after seven months

A Malaysian couple who were in a long-distance relationship met each other in person in July for the first time after getting married for seven months.

The moment was captured and uploaded on TikTok showing the wife embracing her husband at the airport and it went viral across local social media feeds.

The couple tied the knot online last year while the groom was in Australia.