Inside Story

An article in The Guardian brought up the human compulsion to review, from five-star systems to 10-point ratings and how each number holds an intrinsic weight that that just makes sense. Certainly, reviews play a big role in where we choose to eat, what movies to watch and which hotels to stay at on our trips. So we opened up the question to listeners, on whether they rely on reviews, and if they...

The results of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams are out today, and this got us thinking about the notion of exams and what it means to do well in them. While SPM may be a pivotal moment for students, they are but just one way of measuring success and intelligence. So we ask our listeners what they were like in schools when it comes to exams, and dissect the ways in which we approach and ga...

The concept of activism burnout received spotlight recently, in an op-ed piece written by Bersih's executive director, Ooi Kok Hin, so we thought we would have a discussion on why the people who are fighting to make the country a better place, struggle in the process. So first, we play some clips of Kok Hin's interview with Dashran Yohan from The Bigger Picture. Then, we hear from activist on the...

Bumble’s founder Whitney Wolfe Herd recently spoken about the future of online dating, hinting at how digital AI-powered personas would be the one setting up our dates. Basically, we'll have AI to do the job of filtering out our dates. So this got us wondering about the modern dating landscape, and so we open up the floor for our listeners to chip in their own experiences. Image Credit: Hananeko_S...

Building off a nerdy discussion we had about apostrophes , we decided to ask listeners to rate their own standard of English, and whether they prefer speaking proper English, or if they're comfortable throwing all the rules of grammar out the window. Image Credit: pathdoc, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A deadly attack on a police station in Johor, followed by a breach of the Istana Negara, an attempt to steal arms at a Penang police station and a death threat towards Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has unsettled the nation. In the absence of information, the masses and the media quickly fall for assumptions. Tonight, we first dive into the undercurrents of violence and terrorism in Malaysia with Munira Mu...

We've been having a lot of conversations about trees lately, following the incident on May 7th, where a tree fell on the Jalan Sultan Ismail road in Kuala Lumpur, killing a man and injuring one more. Calls to hire more arborists have been made following this incident. So we thought we'd speak to one, about how arborists contribute to a safer environment. Later, we discuss the notion of including t...

It's Teachers' Day today, so we're marking it with a show in tribute to them. We ask our listeners: What role have teachers played in your life, and who's your favourite teacher? Image Credit: Twinsterphoto, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're having sleeping problems, you'd be surprised to know that you're not the only one. At least according to a survey done by Malaysian mattress company, Sonno, in which it was revealed that a significant number of people suffer from bad sleep quality. So we revisit a previous conversation that Bigger Picture had, on how to sleep better. And then we hear from our listeners, on whether they h...

GSC recently came out to unveil new restructuring plans to several of their major outlets, so it got us thinking about the ever-changing landscape of movie-going, especially with the streaming era upon us. Along with our listeners, we discuss the appeal of the cinema experience, what's shifted over time and what factors influence our decision to venture out for the big screen experience. Image Cre...

Industrial Court chairman, Augustine Anthony, recently urged companies to avoid conducting interviews away from the office. This naturally got us looking back at the job interviews we've gone through in our lives, and how crazy some of them were. So tonight, we wanted to hear from our listeners: From the interviews that left you feeling great, to the ones that left you scratching your heads: What’...

A new social trend is capturing the Chinese youth, reflecting a desire to follow the path of least resistance in life. "Light living", or, "light people" are characterised by an indifference to everything that happens to them. It's been linked to the trend of lying flat which also originated on Chinese social media. We speak to Dr Anasuya on this phenomena, and what it says about finding meaning i...

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, shared a video of a variety of objects including musical instruments, art supplies, typewriters, paint cans, sculptures, books and an arcade game machine.. All being crushed by a hydraulic press and replaced by an iPad Pro. This got all kinds of reactions online about the war between low-tech and high-tech - so of course, we had to ask our listeners whether low-tech is still a...

A recent report from talent agency Randstadt found that more than half of Malaysians are eager to quit their jobs if their working hours increased. Notably, this is 17% higher than the global average. So tonight, we dive into the hot topic of flexible work arrangements. First, we hear from Morning Run's interview with Deepa George , Managing Consultant at MYHRC Services, before we ask listeners: h...

STEM Educator, Kenneth Chai recently went viral on X for sharing how he had knowlingly let his child forget his assignment at home to teach him a lesson about consequences. This prompted a heated debate which got the whole online world invested. So we opened up the conversation with our listeners: Should we allow our children to make mistakes to learn from them, or is there more to consider? Image...

The Malaysian Research Institute of Ageing has highlighted the potential of viewing older people as assets, instead of liabilities, in light of research that reveals up to 60% of Malaysian elderly population still actively contribute to society. We dive into this suggestion with Dr Molly Cheah Bee Li, the President of the Gerontological Association of Malaysia to how we can go about appreciating o...

The Labour Day March that happened earlier this week highlighted a number of concerns people have, primarily underemployment, which leads us to the wonder about people who take on more than one job. So we first hear from folks who wear more than one hat, and then later on, we hear from our listeners about their experiences. Image Credit: LuFeTa, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

The term 'eldest daughter syndrome' has been going viral on Tiktok for some time now - basically describing the notion that eldest daughters have unique responsibilities and pressures that shape their adulthood. So we get into this, but also widen it to talk about family dynamics, and the way our birth order can end up shaping us. Lots of funny and bittersweet family stories await! Image Credit: c...

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has reminded parents to make sure their children below the age of 13 do not own any social media. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil explained that the commission found it was not appropriate for children under this age to have accounts. Now this brings up the question of how parents should actually think about managing their children's expo...

An American professor made headlines recently when he was invited to speak at University Malaya, in his talk titled “Will Malaysia Become an Active Middle Power” but was heavily criticised after he purportedly claimed that Malaysia had pushed for a “second Holocaust against the Jewish people”. This brought to light conversations around academic freedom. So we hear from academics as well as student...

Tonight, we're talking about the lessons that we gain from reading, especially as children. This is following the statement by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who said children need to be exposed to the culture of reading, especially books showcasing the diversity of races and religions in this country. So we talk about how books build our psyche and empathy, with Jason Pandya-Wood. Then, we...

With the announcement of EPF's restructuring scheme comes the introduction of Account 3, or what EPF dubs the 'Flexible' account. We speak to a financial advisor about what we potentially gain and lose from this scheme, then hear from our listeners on whether they're looking forward to it. Image Credit: SL Chen, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, there have been calls from the Consumers Association of Penang to do away with 24-hour eateries in the name of public health. They cited obesity, diabetes, oral health as the effct of 24-hour availability of sugary snacks and drinks. Are 24-hour eateries, or is the issue more complex, involving broader lifestyle factors? Tonight, two debaters go toe-to-toe, or rather, head-to-head to dis...

An article from National Geographic has pointed out how "urgency culture" — where people feel the need to respond to everything and everyone — might lead to burnout. So we discuss with our listeners whether they belong in this category, be it in their work or personal lives. Image Credit: estherpoon, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli affirming that the government is moving ahead with a gradual targeted subsidy approach for petrol, we discuss how this is going to affect the rakyat, and hear from listeners too. Image Credit: Juliana_haris, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.