A Bit of Culture

Documentary filmmaker and regular guest Ahmad Yazid returns to the show after his trip to Everest Base Camp, and naturally, he takes this opportunity to share his experience there with our host Kam Raslan and our other guest, Dhanya Nair. But before we get to the main event, Dhanya shares her harrowing experience buying tickets for BTS's concert in Malaysia, while Kam talks about whether it's poss...

Social media has become a space for people to share their deepest thoughts, feelings and reflections. Sometimes excessively so. This has made one of our guests in this episode, Sheryll Paul, wonder whether a journal or a diary would be a better alternative. But has social media killed journals and diaries? Before we get to that though, our host Kam Raslan, who's suffering from World Cup fever, ask...

Matt Armitage's exasperated reflection on modern life encapsulates this episode of A Bit of Culture, as he, Kam Raslan, and long-returning guest Bernice Chauly talk about the effect of tech on our lives. But before we get to Matt's reflection on how big tech companies are operating against our best interests in the second half of the show, Kam starts the show by sharing his experience of discoveri...

Our very brave host Kam Raslan recently had to live without his mobile phone for 24 hours, and he survived to share the tale on this episode of A Bit of Culture! Then, it's Sudais Ferhard's turn to talk about dreams and how surreal they can be. In the second half of the episode, Vernon Adrian Emuang talks about the concept of "Asian parenting" and whether it remains relevant today. It's another ep...

It's an episode of A Bit of Culture that invites you to relax, chill, and do absolutely nothing, as our two guests talk about naps and doing nothing. Sandwiched between those two is Kam's segment on the importance of surprise in creative efforts. The first guest, Azmyl Yunor, starts the show by advocating for people taking naps, as a counter movement to the very active and extremely occupied lifes...

What do we get when Kam Raslan, Dhanya Nair and Vernon Adrian Emuang come together for another round of A Bit of Culture? A bit of fun, of course, as these three individuals share their takes on cultural issues. Dhanya gets the ball rolling by talking about gatekeeping hidden gems and whether that's an acceptable approach to preserve the quality of places you enjoy and prevent others from "ruining...

Kam Raslan recently moved to a new house, and he chose to reflect on this significant moment in his life with his two guests — Zan Azlee and Hafiz Noor Shams. Apart from discussing Kam's acclimatisation to a new place that will potentially be a "forever home", the group also hears from Zan, who shares the journey he is currently on — teaching his primary school child the meaning of money. In the s...

Kam Raslan is back on another episode of A Bit of Culture, accompanied by Sudais Ferhard and the returning Jo Kukathas. Together, they discuss three distinct topics that will scratch your cultural itch. Sudais gets the show started by talking about Michael Jackson, as the King of Pop's recent biopic has resurfaced the controversies surrounding him. Then it's Kam's turn to talk about his fascinatio...

We all have our favourite cult classic movies, but what are the ingredients that make them a "cult classic"? That's what Michael Gong is asking Kam Raslan and Matt Armitage on his return to A Bit of Culture. But before we get to that, Matt talks about whether we still need humans for our space travels, on the back of the successful Artemis II mission, while Kam talks about buzzwords, inspired by h...

Ong Kar Jin and Sudais Ferhard join Kam Raslan on this episode of A Bit of Culture to discuss fandoms, collectibles, and historicisation. Kam kicks off the episode with his observation on fandoms, inspired by his other show on the station, Just For Kicks, and how the pundits on that show are very loyal and protective of their teams. Then, Sudais talks about collectibles and the rabbit hole they ca...

A Bit of Culture is back with host Kam Raslan, accompanied by Vernon Adrian Emuang and Sheryll Paul, to talk about reading, syncretism, and comfort culture. Kam starts the show by reflecting on his reading habits and learning about how his guests read. Then, Vernon talks about syncretism, inspired by the Oxford English Dictionary's (OED) recent decision to add a few Malaysian words to its lexicon....

A Bit of Culture returns from the Raya break with three topics that are unique in their own ways. Kam gets the ball rolling with a conversation on dying art forms, inspired by Timothée Chalamet's recent comment on opera and ballet. Then, it's Zan's turn to talk about critical thinking (or the lack thereof) among students in higher education these days, with Marion chiming in with her experiences....

Another week, another episode of A Bit of Culture featuring our bubbly, knowledgeable host Kam Raslan, regular guest Dhanya Nair, and debutant Steve Yong, a content creator. Dhanya starts the ball rolling by talking about the return of old TV shows, either in the form of a reboot/remake, or a continuation from where they left off. She's not sure how to feel about them, with the rest chiming in wit...

If you’re given the creative rein to reboot James Bond, how would you do it? That’s the question returning guest Na’a Murad is asking our host Kam Raslan and the other guest Ahmad Yazid, as Na’a suggests his unique take on Ian Fleming’s most beloved work. But before we get there, Ahmad Yazid opens up about his life’s turning point and how it changed him forever, while Kam wonders why some people c...

Do people generally read the instructions before using a product? That's the question our host, Kam Raslan, is asking his guests, Hafiz Noor Shams and Matt Armitage, revealing his dislike for instructions along the way. Beyond that topic, Matt talks about how technology is ruining the believability of modern storytelling, while Hafiz ponders whether books will become a luxury item in the future. T...

They used to be the butt of jokes back in the 80s and in the 90s, especially in schools, but now they rule the world — the "nerds" are finally cool, according to our guest Michael Gong. He shares his observation with our host Kam Raslan, and the other guest, Sudais Ferhard. But before we get to that, Kam ponders Nostradamus and whether people are still paying attention to his predictions now, comp...

As the state of the world continues to get very depressing, our culture vulture Kam Raslan wonders whether good will always triumph over evil. Joining him to ponder that question and eke out just a bit more optimism from this world are Sheryll Paul and Dhanya Nair. Alongside that topic, Dhanya talks about having a partner and whether that is becoming less fashionable in an age where people are emb...

Fan fiction is a literature category that's pretty huge, with fans putting their own spin on lores, fandoms, and stories that they love. Not really knowing much about it, our host Kam Raslan seeks the help of one of this week's guests, Sudais Ferhard, to help him understand more about it. But before they get to that topic, Kam asks the other guest, Matt Armitage, to talk about the state of AI in 2...

It's a fascinating exchange of ideas and insights when Kam and his two guests, Zan Azlee and Vernon Adrian Emuang, get together again for another episode of A Bit of Culture. Vernon takes the lead here, opening the show with a conversation on film biographies that take creative liberties to embellish the narrative. Is this something that we should take note of? Kam follows that up by talking about...

A Bit of Culture returns for the new year, raring to go again. We start the first episode of the year with three distinctive topics. Dhanya goes first, talking about the simulation hypothesis and whether it's a theory that the others have entertained as they ponder life. Then it's Kar Jin's turn to talk about performative reading and whether some people are choosing to pretend they're reading to a...

Is being happy and content the same? This is the question that Dhanya Nair brings to the table as she seeks the perfect balance between the two. Our host Kam Raslan and his partner-in-crime Mikey Gong try to answer that question while juggling their topics. Mikey talks about the depth of children's books and what the panel would like to write if given the chance, while Kam speaks about being on ti...

Once upon a time, we looked to the West for inspiration on all things - from culture to politics. But things have changed now, as the West is now mired in various problems and no longer the beacon of inspiration that it was. So, what do we make of this? This is the question that returning guest Hafiz Noor Shams poses to his peer, Zan Azlee, and our host, Kam Raslan. But before we get to that, Zan...

Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? That's the question our guest Matt Armitage poses to our host, the venerable Kam Raslan, and our other guest, Vernon Adrian Emuang. They dissect the differences between the two in the second part of the show, but prior to that, they talk about historians' roles in the age of AI and whether they'll be displaced, followed by the uniqueness of "pasar mal...

Azmyl Yunor and Ong Kar Jin join Kam Raslan on this episode of A Bit of Culture to talk about espionage, crafts and art, and lo-fi! Kam gets the ball rolling by talking about our fascination with espionage and why some people find the genre appealing. Then it's Kar Jin's turn to unpack the difference between crafts and art and what makes one more appreciated or valued than the other. In the second...

Another week, another episode of A Bit of Culture that has a bit of everything. Ahmad Yazid and Sheryll Paul join Kam Raslan to talk about noise, quizmasters, and individual vs. community. Kam starts first with his topic on noise and how people deal with it—do they prefer total silence, or is a bit of noise here and there fine? Then, Yazid shares his new side hobby: being a quizmaster, and how muc...