A Bit of Culture

A Bit of Culture starts this episode with a banger of a topic! Julian Yap returns to talk about the trend of rating things and how it has perhaps made our experiences objectively worse. Then, it’s Kam’s turn to ask a very deep question - what brings you joy? This gets them thinking deeply about the topic. Last but not least, Dhanya Nair completes the trifecta by talking about how hard it is to be...

It’s a mini reunion on A Bit of Culture as Kam Raslan welcomes the return of two former BFMers to his realm. Sim Wie Boon and Sharmilla Ganesan join Kam to trade cultural blows, and they get the party started by talking about solitude, and whether they’re okay with a bit of quiet time by themselves. After tackling solitude, they talk about the internet and how the space is now used by people to ve...

Kam Raslan returns, and with his trusty sidekicks, Ong Kar Jin and Matt Armitage, they tackle three topics that will tickle your curiosity. Kar Jin steps up first, and as the youngest of the three, confesses to missing newspapers and how news was curated and delivered then, compared to now. This warms them up nicely for the second conversation on science fiction and whether this genre delivers (or...

It’s a special episode of A Bit of Culture as Kam Raslan is joined by two well-known figures in the Malaysian theatre scene - Marion D’Cruz and Na’a Murad. Kam uses this opportunity to immediately jump to the topic of theatre, its ephemeral nature and whether this is a downside, compared to other forms of arts. Na’a then talks about the incessant toxicity in pop culture these days and why that’s t...

Our host, Kam Raslan decides to start this episode of A Bit of Culture by reflecting on his relationship with his surroundings in the form of asking our guests of the week, Zan Azlee and Ahmad Yazid, whether they’re members of their respective communities. From there, Zan changes the trajectory of the chat slightly by sharing his experience of being in a veteran basketball group and the advantages...

Have you ever thought of the “right way”, or the etiquette of splitting a bill, after a fun day out with a group of friends? This is a topic that our A Bit of Culture guest, Sheryll Paul brings to the table, and frankly, it’s about time it’s being discussed, as the nuances can be pretty layered and complex, depending on your social group and what they are like. Man of culture Kam Raslan moderates...

A Bit of Culture up the stakes this time around, with regulars Dhanya Nair and Michael Gong joining Kam Raslan to indulge in his slightly confessional topic that may (or may not) be strange to some - he likes watching videos of ears being cleaned! Not really strange, really, but what did Dhanya and Mikey think? But before we get to that, Mikey poses a very interesting question - what are three Eng...

It’s a jam-packed episode of A Bit of Culture that’s filled with starry-eyed conversations that look into the future of rom coms, AI and memory. Regular guest and a huge fan of rom coms Julian Yap shares her love for a genre that has seen a resurgence in popularity and how it’s going to evolve in the future. Then, it’s futurologist Matt Armitage’s turn to put Julian and our host Kam Raslan on the...

Our culture vulture Kam Raslan welcomes regular guests, Zan Azlee and Ong Kar Jin on another thought-provoking episode of A Bit of Culture. Since they’re both guys, Kam starts the show by talking about the concept of machismo, and their perspectives on it. Zan then reflects on the various types of Malaysian sports movies that are available out there after watching the recently released Padu The Mo...

It’s a star-studded cast on A Bit of Culture, as futurist Matt Armitage and Bob Dylan of Bangi Azmyl Yunor join Kam Raslan for another session of culture-filled banter. Matt gets the party going by talking about ChatGPT’s latest feature - it can now sing! This gets Kam excited, though Azmyl thinks it won’t be much of a threat to his music career. After that, Kam talks about coolness and whether th...

A Bit of Culture welcomes economist Hafiz Noor Shams to the ABOC family to share his take on Malaysia’s growth in the 90s and her eventual decline. But before Hafiz’s debut topic, the show’s regular guest Julian Yap talks about girl power and the rise of female-driven pop culture content. Kam then follows that up by looking for the definition of middle class and what it entails. Another exciting e...

Sometimes, it’s good to have conversations that are so random and diverse and that’s what this episode of A Bit of Culture is all about. Dhanya Nair and Marion D’Cruz join our culture vulture Kam Raslan on the episode to unpack three distinctive topics -  the concept of living funerals and whether that’s a cool thing that we should consider before we say goodbye to our loved ones, the continuous g...

Another week, another episode of A Bit of Culture. This post-Labour Day episode features regular guests Na’a Murad and Matt Armitage as they join Kam to explore Malaysian science fiction, the future of social media, and the enduring appeal of board games. Na’a opens the show by hypothetically projecting what a strong Malaysian science fiction will be based or anchored on, and this gets both Kam an...

Sometimes, A Bit of Culture starts the show with a topic that’s pretty deep, and that’s how this episode begins - with Kam sharing his dislike for the word “civilisation” and what it entails. It gets our regular guest, Dhanya Nair and debutant Sudais Ferhard thinking, reflecting and even coming up with a counter argument. Then, they move on to talking about dating app etiquette, inspired by Dhanya...

…that’s the question of the week, as Kam Raslan and his guests, Julian Yap and Vernon Adrian Emuang, unpack our obsession with travelling and whether it truly broadens our horizons, as claimed by many. From there, they then move on to talking about swearing, without dropping any foul words along the way, surprisingly. In the second part of the show, Vernon speaks about identity and diasporas, refl...

Zan Azlee and Matt Armitage return to A Bit of Culture and one of them might get in trouble with a lot of people as they discuss mass media’s appeal to the lowest common denominator. But prior to that, Kam kicks off the show by talking about optimism vs pessimism, forcing everyone to look in the mirror to assess their own personalities. From there, they move on to talking about brain implants and...

It’s a slightly unique A Bit of Culture episode this time around, as we only have two topics, instead of the usual three. BFMers, past and present, join Kam Raslan to talk about things that matter to them. Firstly, former BFM News Producer Sheryll Paul ponders about third spaces and whether we have enough of them here in the country. What are third spaces? Tune in to find out! Afterwards, current...

Miriam Margolyes, the actor who played Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter films recently courted controversy after telling adult Harry Potter fans that they should “grow up” and “get over it”. This riled up our regular guest, Dhanya Nair, a Potterhead herself, and she decided to talk about it on the show. Afterwards, Kam revisits the topic of whether Malaysians read books, this time getti...

Another week, another exciting episode of A Bit of Culture, this time around featuring Marion D’Cruz and Michael Gong! We kick things off with a philosophical discussion on capital cities and their characteristics. Then, the trio moves on by talking about high art and whether one should approach it with a certain degree of knowledge, or it’s fine if they’re just there to appreciate things without...

A Bit of Culture welcomes another debutant, in the form of dancer and choreographer, Lee Su-Feh! She speaks about our perception of our bodies and others in public spaces and how indirectly and subliminally aware we are of these things. But before that, ABOC regular Ong Kar Jin discusses the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell, to protest the Gaza war, while Kam shares to the group his reluctance an...

A Bit of Culture welcomes March with another episode that’s true to the essence of the show. Dhanya Nair and Na’a Murad join Kam Raslan to talk about Reddit, learning martial arts and Mount Everest. Dhanya gets the ball rolling by bringing Kam and Na’a down the rabbit hole of Reddit, much to the delight (and bemusement) of these two fine gentlemen. Then, it was Na’a’s turn to share his experience...

True to A Bit of Culture’s DNA, the Super Bowl (or at least a part of it) becomes a talking point for Kam and his two guests for this week, Julian Yap and Matt Armitage. Julian starts the show by talking about the controversy surrounding Alicia Keys’ slight off-key performance at the recent Super Bowl, which was subsequently “corrected” when the video of that performance was uploaded on the NFL’s...

Join Kam Raslan, Dhanya Nair and Azmyl Yunor as they look at pop culture from many different facets and perspectives. Kam kicks off the show by talking about music and how “visual” it actually is and can be, despite the obvious, inspired by Azmyl Yunor’s latest music video. Then, it’s Azmyl’s turn to reflect on rock and roll and its ageing rockstars and the secret to their longevity. After the bre...

The apologists are back and they’re looking for revenge! Not literally, but in a more dynamic way that somehow marks the delicate intricacies of the global societies and communities at large. Tune in for a clearer picture of this conversation, brought to you by ABOC regular, Ong Kar Jin. But before we get to that, Kam starts off the show by talking about AI-generated images and whether they will b...

New year means new milestone for some, and in the case of ABOC regular and documentary filmmaker, Ahmad Yazid, it’s embracing wearing braces at the age of 40. He shares his experience with our host Kam, and another ABOC regular, Vernon Adrian Emuang. Kam then asks his guests what their relationship is with their old photographs, while sharing his. After the break, Vernon talks about Youtube and ho...