A Bit of Culture

Michael Gong and Marion D'Cruz join Kam Raslan on another episode of A Bit Of Culture to explore talent, airport books, and belonging. Kam kicks things off by questioning whether talent is something you're born with, or if hard work is essential to making the most of natural gifts. Michael then delves into airport books—those go-to reads people grab before a flight—and whether they're still releva...

Two returning cultural heavyweights, Eddin Khoo and Jo Kukathas, join Kam Raslan on a special episode of A Bit of Culture that's contemplative and deeply philosophical. Kam starts the show by talking about whether it's okay if sometimes, you just don't "get it". Then, it's Jo's turn to talk about legacies left by our elders, inspired by the project she's currently working on called "What The Elder...

It's an episode that's full of (good and bad) reminiscences as Kam Raslan, Matt Armitage and Zan Azlee gather for another episode of A Bit for Culture. Kam starts the show walking down the memory lane by recalling his first encounter with British India curry and his preference for it even now, despite already sampling the more “authentic” variations. Then, it’s Matt’s turn to talk about ratings an...

Is reality TV still relevant today? That’s the question our regular guest Dhanya Nair brought to the table as she reflects on her relationship with these programs. Then it’s Kam’s turn to talk about his relationship with certain academic subjects, and how he might not be able to understand them ever. In the second part of the show, our other guest, Vernon Adrian Emuang talks about cultural resilie...

It’s a provocative topic that’s meant to get us to reflect on our role in this, with our guest, Azmyl Yunor wanting us to think about what we’ve not been doing right to support our creative industries, and hence why they will not be able to grow properly. But before we get to that, our other guest, Vernon Adrian Emuang gets the show running with a topic on public art, and the nuances surrounding i...

Zan Azlee and Sudais Ferhard join our culture vulture Kam Raslan on another episode of A Bit of Culture that has a bit of everything. Zan gets the ball rolling on a slightly serious note, by pondering about protests and their trigger points - what will get people to demonstrate against power? The mood shifts to a slightly lighter one afterwards, with Kam asking whether it’s possible for us to pers...

Kam Raslan returns for another round of cultural conversations, together with Ahmad Yazid and Michael Gong. Yazid, a sailor, starts the show by asking why some people are into extreme sports, despite knowing that they’re dangerous. Then, it’s Mikey’s turn to talk about the appeal of taking things slow, especially when you’re travelling. In the second part of the show, Kam reflects on his childhood...

Another week, another episode of A Bit of Culture, this time around featuring documentary filmmaker Zan Azlee and Chin Kar Yern. Inspired by Kar Yern’s presence on the show, Kam kicks off the episode by inquiring about Master’s degree and what it entails. Then it’s Kar Yern’s turn to talk about decluttering and how one should go about it, especially now. In the second part of the show, Zan shares...

The rampant proliferation of deepfakes that are looking more believable these days has led A Bit of Culture's tech guru Matt Armitage to wonder what else we can do to combat them. Sharing his thoughts on the topic are Kam Raslan and Dhanya Nair. Before we get to talking about deepfakes, Kam shares his thoughts on how technology, once only accessible by the elites, is now accessible for everyone. I...

“Where, in the Malaysian imagination, is the cultural center?” That’s the question that our host, Kam Raslan, poses to our two guests, Sharmilla Ganesan and Vernon Adrian Emuang, leading to a very fascinating conversation on where we are when it comes to acknowledgement and appreciation of our own cultural products and identities. But before we get to that, Sharmilla talks about “grandma” hobbies,...

It’s an episode of A Bit of Culture that focuses on our relationships with people, the environment and cultural products. Joining Kam Raslan to unpack these topics are Sudais Ferhard and Dhanya Nair. Dhanya starts the show by talking about whether we’ve gone too far in cutting people who disrupt our peace out of our lives. From that topic, we move on to talking about disaster paranoia, and whether...

It’s a more serious, sombre and introspective second half of the show on A Bit of Culture as Marion D’Cruz gets Kam Raslan and Ong Kar Jin to talk about hope - specifically, what does it mean to hope? But before that, Kar Jin talks about regionalism in this day and age, and whether our relationship with our neighbours is not just surface level. Kam follows that up by reflecting on the Malaysian di...

In their attempt to combat the proliferation of deepfakes, the Danish government is planning to strengthen its laws and give its people copyrights to their own facial features, bodies, and voices. This is an interesting move that has gotten Matt to think about the rights to our own bodies and where they fall under current existing laws. But before we talk about that, our A Bit of Culture host, Kam...

This episode of A Bit of Culture brings together Zan Azlee and Michael Gong, and alongside our host Kam Raslan, they will talk about cash, mathematics and nostalgia. The increasing reliance and preference for digital payments have made Mikey wonder whether cash will eventually no longer be used. Will that be the case? From that topic, they then move on to talking about mathematics, and how much Ka...

A Bit of Culture tries to go analog in this episode, by talking about physical media, but the younger crowd might be moving on from it, with our regular guest, Sudais Ferhard admitting that, despite romanticising them for a bit, he’s happy with his digital collections. But before we get deeper into that topic, our other guest, Sheryll Paul, speaks about the appeal of fitness classes and why she ke...

We welcome a new guest in this episode of A Bit of Culture, with Chin Kar Yern from Malaysia Design Archive making his debut, alongside regular guest Matt Armitage. Kar Yern speaks about the evolution of public spaces, then and now. In between that topic, Kam starts the show by talking about ChatGPT - confessing that he has never used it before, and wondering whether that makes him a dinosaur, whi...

A Bit of Culture returns with Dhanya Nair and Ong Kar Jin joining our host Kam Raslan on another cultural adventure. Kam begins the show by talking about ancestors and asks his guests whether they care about who their ancestors are. They then smoothly transition into talking about archiving and how one decides whether something is worth archiving or not. In the second part of the show, Dhanya shar...

Another week, another episode of A Bit of Culture that hits a bit of everything - life, aspirations and everything in between. Kam kicks off the show by talking about being a filmmaker and whether it can be achieved via pure vision and creativity, or do you have to have “what it takes”. Then, it’s Azmyl Yunor’s turn to reflect on rockumentary - how “manufactured” they are these days, and why Malay...

It’s an “At the Movies” episode of A Bit of Culture, as Kam Raslan and his guests, Michael Gong and Sudais Ferhard focus on all things cinema. Mikey starts the show by talking about cinema snacks and how Malaysia shifts its options from a more local variety to popcorn and candies, and how he pines for us to shift back to munching on sunflower seeds and Ramly burgers instead. Kam, horrified at that...

Is micro-retirement the best way to tackle the hustle and bustle of our lives? That’s what one of our guests, Dhanya Nair is pondering as she observes this new trend executed by the younger, more privileged members of the workforce. Kam and Zan chime in, sharing their own personal experiences along the way. Prior to that, Kam starts the show by talking about his collection of mementos that he coll...

Is there a limit to nostalgia? What are the risks of hanging on to nostalgia? This is the topic that A Bit of Culture guest Ong Kar Jin wants to discuss and dissect, reflecting on how we treat some of our monuments and spaces. But before that, the other guest, Marion D’Cruz talks about the benefits of doing a degree in the arts, as a response to a video that went viral recently. Our host, Kam Rasl...

It’s a tech-centric episode on this edition of A Bit of Culture, as Kam Raslan, flanked by his two guests, Sheryll Paul and Matt Armitage, talks about the recommendations given to him by his algorithm. But before that, Sheryll starts the show by talking about how ChatGPT’s existence is now making people doubt writers with a certain grammar and syntax style. Matt then spends the second part of the...

Culture vulture, Kam Raslan is joined by guests, Sim Wie Boon and Ahmad Yazid on another episode of A Bit of Culture that’s introspective and thought provoking. Filmmaker Ahmad Yazid starts off the show by talking about the evolution of Raya songs - from reflective and introspective, with melancholic tunes, to songs that are more upbeat and happy. What’s the rationale behind this? Kam then talks a...

Michael Gong and Ong Kar Jin join Kam Raslan on this episode of A Bit of Culture, and they start the show by talking about enhanced humans. We’re closer to creating Homo Sapiens 2.0, according to Mikey, and so, is this a good thing or a bad thing for humanity? They discuss this, and move on to the second topic - Kam shares a movie that he watched a long time ago called Gabriel Over The White House...

Another week, another episode of A Bit of Culture, and the post-Raya episode is a fun one as Dhanya Nair and Julian Yap join Kam Raslan to reflect on life as we know it. But before that, Kam starts the show by promoting his new book, Malayan Spy, and talks about what he has learned as he got this book published. Julian then asks the others what are the indicators that you’re an adult, while in the...