BFM :: A Bit of Culture

Kam Raslan is joined by doctors, Dr Jason Leong and Dr Ann Lee on this round of A bit Of Culture. Kam Raslan opens up with the topic of Corona virus. Just like the virus, the spreading of fear behind it on social media is insinuating panic and racism. If the virus would have come from any other country would the reaction still be the same? Then, Dr Anne proposed the topic of contagion. They also discussed how this Wuhan virus outbreak is made to be a proxy for other issues. Changing gears, Dr Jason shared how Brazilian Jiutjitsu gave him the strength to be gentle. A revelation that he had gotten during his friend’s wedding.

In conjunction with International Day of Education, this episode of A Bit of Culture, we discuss all things in the realm of learning. Kam Raslan chats with guests Zan Azlee, who is a documentary filmmaker, teacher and columnist together with BFM’s Morning Run producer, Sim Wie Boon. Wie Boon enlightens us with uniquely Malaysian hoaxes and makes some notable references to other local superstitions. Next, Kam recounts his student days to share an interesting tale of the most important thing that he learned in school that had nothing to do with education. Finally Zan Azlee wraps up with TikTok generation students knowing more than the teacher a.k.a him in this digital climate.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam Raslan welcomes regular guest Sim Wie Boon from BFM’s Morning Run as well as actor, director and writer, Na’a Murad. Kam delves into a Korean movie called Exit which prompted him with the question on why local movies are not made the same way? – genuine and distinguishably Malaysian. Then, Wie Boon poses a dilemma that he recently gathered through social media regarding the Australian bush fires: celebrities getting called out either way, in their exercise of nobility. Also, Na’a Murad discusses the differences between cinema and movie, terms that are being used interchangeably these days. Are Marvel superhero films classified as cinema or movie?  

In our first A Bit of Culture episode of the new decade, Kam Raslan is joined by tech meister Matt Armitage and BFM's resident movie buff Julian Yap. Matt kicks it off by discussing a recent article on genetic dating, a social app to help you find a date AND possibly avoid genetic mutation. Julian waxes lyrical on the recent musical film CATS and recounts her experience growing up dealing with her fear of cats; but also her fascination with the musical. And finally, Kam takes our culture vultures back through time to discuss the Christmas classic, It's A Wonderful Life. A film released in 1946 that was initially a box office disaster but have eventually received critical acclaim throughout the years.

As the curtains fall on the decade, Kam Raslan welcomes two BFMers - Rahmah Pauzi and Ali Johan to collectively contemplate on the future of their Facebook accounts. Reflecting on the years of being on the social media platform, the culture vultures discuss their personal attachments to their respective accounts and what the future holds for them. Rahmah then shares her own anecdote on the discovery of the different types of tapai, a local kueh with a long history attached to the different parts of the country. And Ali eventually rounds it off with his personal take on bands reforming after being on hiatus and wonders about the value of a comeback in music.

In this episode of A Bit Of Culture, Eddin Khoo returns to our panel of culture vultures. We also welcome Saqina Latif, Managing Director of indie video games outfit Persona Theory and our three speakers discuss video games (surprise, surprise); magic; and the national anthem. Kam starts off getting his thoughts tangled between wizardry, sorcery and magic but manages to somehow relate his understanding of the mythical realm to the Malay psyche. Debutant Saqina let us in on her thoughts on the future of video games - narrative based gaming, allowing the player to choose their own adventure. And to top if off, Eddin proposes his views on the Negaraku; what our language means to us, the spirit of the anthem and the liberties of singing it in another language.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture Kam Raslan is joined by two of BFM's finest; Evening Edition's Chwi Lynn and Morning Run producer Wie Boon to discuss three rather polarising topics of eunuchs, geography and the value of crying. Kam starts us off by sharing his intrigue with the narrative of eunuchs in ancient history, weighing up their stature in the society of its time. Wie Boon then goes on a more introspective tangent and ponders an alternate future or reality. Finally Chwi Lynn shares her thoughts on the value of crying at the movies, concerts or a performance.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam is joined by two iconic figures in the Malaysian arts industry—triple-threat and comic Shamaine Othman and singer-songwriter and academic Azmyl Yunor—to examine the magic of sad songs, the importance of stage banter and the LPF’s stance on censorship. Kam recently discovered the secret to writing a powerful sad song through YouTube and asks the table what type of song makes them shed a tear. Meanwhile, Azmyl as a seasoned performer stresses on the importance of connecting with the crowd through a show to humanise the performance. And having went all the way to Singapore to watch Hustlers, Shamaine challenges the logic behind Malaysian censorship to outright ban a film about strippers.

What changes the way we communicate with one another in the 19th century and how did it change the world of literature? Wan Azriq joins us this week to discuss Munshi Abdullah, a pioneer in modern Malay literature, as a social media influencer.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam is joined by Skip Intro sweetheart, Julian Yap and the return of the voice of Evening Intro, Lee Chwi Lynn, to engage in a discussion on swastikas, cooking challenges and patronising pop-culture fans. Returning from the George Town Literary Festival 2019, Kam is intrigued by the work of a German author about the historical vacuum that exists in Eastern-Germany after World War II. On the other side of the boat, Lynn has gotten hooked on Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel and relishes on the satisfaction of seeing wholesome content from relatable online personalities. And Julian objects the condescending attitude some fans adopt when they expect everyone to recognise relics of pop-culture, in effect to generational differences.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam with the help of regular culture vulture Sim Wie Boon finally got Ali Johan to cross from the producer’s desk to the front of the mic to debate on the credibility of year-end lists, the varieties of gym culture and the entitlement of fandoms. Ali challenges the upcoming insurgence of year-end lists when December comes. Gym rat Sim compares the well-rounded culture of his gym to classic stereotypes one would associate it with. And when Game of Thrones showrunners reportedly abandoned Star Wars due to its “toxic fandom”, Sim believes that sometimes fanatics are outright disrespectful.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam ropes over Azura Rahman of BFM Style File fame and Head of Digital and Media of BFM, Ezra Zaid to pinpoint the brand of Malaysia, scrutinize the trend of extreme athleticism and delve into technology addiction. Kam, with an ambitious recommendation of a national arts council (spoiler alert), is puzzled with the country’s reluctance to invest in Malaysia’s branding. Azura confides to them her obsession with staying physically fit in the wake of a midlife crisis and dissects the minds of middle-aged ironman triathletes. And, to break the fourth wall, Ezra reflects on the role of stopping cues in digital media to prevent people from falling down the technological rabbit hole.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam reunites newly appointed PhD holder Dr Ann Lee and BFM’s man of technology Matt Armitage to talk about data loss due to technology, right-wingers and all the cute kitten videos in relation to surveillance capitalism. As a writer and with a tendency to be careless, Kam faces the struggle of losing drafts of his work—and as we find out later, is something even time-capsules are not immune from. Dr. Ann then gives us a riddle: what do the latest news in politics and rugby have in common? That’s right, they both have a right-wing. Enfin, Matt is not normally scared of things, but a recent discovery from the MIT on passive radio waves and artificial intelligence is one of them.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Pauline Fan of PUSAKA and Julian Yap help Kam answer some of pop culture’s biggest questions: Whether Star Wars is a modern mythology, why food rarely appears in cinema, and how to differentiate a good contemporary traditional collaboration from a bad one. We are officially one month away from The Rise of Skywalker, so in the spirit of the countdown Kam brings forth the notion that the entire Stars Wars universe is the ultimate Iliad of the 21st Century. Meanwhile, cinephile Julian gives this episode a Skip Intro twist as she dives into the different aspects and cultural significances of food in film. Pauline then emphasizes the importance of respecting the meaning behind contemporary traditional collaborations, which tend to be taken lightly or superficially.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam’s studio session is graced by dynamic duo Sim Wie Boon and Faiq Syazwan on an intense conversation about gentrified city centres, devised theatre and the debate on Marvel movies—are they really that bad? Kam has observed that downtown KL has been “hollowed out”: with KLites choosing to move out of the city centre, he wonders about the fate of our metropolis’s city life. Then, Faiq gives us an insight into devised theatre, the different opinions on its collaborative nature and how live performances are generally meant to be a gamble. Lastly, Sim sets the record straight with the criticism of Marvel movies not “being real art” in relation to the different circumstances that make a successful box office film.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, two epistemophiles you're probably familiar with, Farah Hani and Na'a Murad, have a lively discussion with Kam on the future of freelancing, our history with dogs and Wong Yan Ke. Kam unionizes with his guests in the studio to discuss the triumphs and endeavors of being a freelancer. Na'a shares with us his favourite story of a 1930s Kelantan royalite, his pet dog, and the role of man's best friend in pre-independence Malaya. And Farah comes forward on regional protest culture in the light of a student protester making a statement against the vice chancellor of his university during his graduation ceremony.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam chose two of his favourite millenials, Julian Yap and Sim Wie Boon, to discuss certain problems of 2019: when things run their course, mood curation and "cancel culture". The burning question Sim brought to the discussion board was if a person could realize, without retrospect, when a phase or thing of interest has gone out of fashion. Julian meanwhile wanted to know if the men also shared her dilemma of not being able to find the right movie to compliment the ambience and when Spotify's algorithms didn't fit the mood. And last but not least, Kam had recently been intrigued about the issues cancel culture has brought to the modern world such as self-policing and the eulogizing of people with problematic views.

In this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam welcomes back two well-loved guests to the show, Bernice Chauly and Na'a Murad to discuss their undying love for pets, a new British teleseries and the time when kids could freely roam around on their bikes. Naturally Kam is excited about his new pet cat, but his joy is slowly followed by the realisation that pets are a reminder of short-term love before their inevitable death. Bernice also gives us an insight on Years and Years, HBO's latest drama about the terrifyingly plausible future of Britain and her ever-changing political landscape. The show ends on a melancholy note with Na'a's observations of modern-day childhood which has forgotten the dangerous thrill of monsoon drains and the everlasting bond of neighborhood gangs.

<p>In this edition of A Bit Of Culture, Kam Raslan is joined by two of BFMs culture aficionados; Sharmilla Ganesan and Sim Wie Boon discuss dating apps, award shows and the works of film maker Quentin Tarantino. Sharmilla starts off by sharing her experience using dating apps and finding the cliches of men who are on it #cringe. Sim brings up a slew of award shows and asks the room the relevance of these events outside of just the glitz and glamour. And Kam rounds it off with his take on Tarantino movies, discussing the usual tropes in many of his movies.</p>

<p>On this episode of A Bit of Culture, Kam Raslan welcomes Pusaka's Pauline Fan and The Ricecooker Archives' Joe Kidd to complete our cultural trident and discuss The Beatles, expressions in traditional artforms and new sounds. Kam kicks it off by taking us back through rock n' roll history with the impact of Beatlemania and what it entailed. Pauline then brings up the concept of "angin"; prevalent in traditional dances from the East Coast of Malaysia. Our conversation turns to the musician in the room, as Joe Kidd discusses his methods in discovering new music and opens up his topic to find out how Kam and Pauline discover new sounds.</p>