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, while Matt talks about the language around tech, and how we need to be careful of not assuming the word...
Jun 30, 2025•49 min
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 shares her feelings about JK Rowling and whether there is a line that needs to be drawn when it comes to...
Jun 23, 2025•40 min
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 Malaysia doesn’t produce enough rockumentary of our musicians. Then, in the second part of the show, docu...
Jun 16, 2025•43 min
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 suggestion, then shifts the conversation to silent movies and how different of a cinematic experien...
Jun 09, 2025•37 min
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 Raslan meanwhile talks about the trickster, and whether these caricatures that we usually see in the wor...
May 19, 2025•47 min
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 show talking about the “broligarch” and how they’re more visible under the Trump administration now,...
May 05, 2025•48 min
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 about technology and how we perhaps have overemphasised its importance to our lives. In the second pa...
Apr 28, 2025•39 min
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 and its similarities to current American politics. In the second part of the show, Ong Kar Jin asks...
Apr 21, 2025•38 min
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 second part of the show, Dhanya promotes the joy of missing out and why we should consider it. It’s...
Apr 07, 2025•47 min
Zan Azlee and Bihzhu Foo join Kam Raslan on another episode of A Bit of Culture that explores a bit of everything. We start with Zan and his experience engaging with the Bajau Laut community. He shares his observations of how they have to forage for food and compares that to some city folks’ desire for a more minimalist lifestyle. Then, it’s Bihzhu’s turn to talk about the growth of the Malaysian performing arts scene and whether that growth translates into the number of audiences that are going...
Mar 24, 2025•40 min
A Bit of Culture goes deep into the pop culture side of things in this episode, with Michael Gong and Julian Yap supplying topics in line with the show’s spirit! Mikey starts the show by talking about The Adventures of Tintin, a comic book series by Hergé, and how the series played a crucial role shaping his formative years as a teenager. Then, it’s Kam Raslan’s turn to talk about sugar - specifically the taste of it, as well as its role as a crucial commodity that has changed the world. The tri...
Mar 17, 2025•42 min
It’s a slightly more adventurous and confessional episode of A Bit of Culture, as Kam Raslan and his two guests, Marion D’Cruz and Sudais Ferhard trade personal experiences with one another, and the listeners! Sudais starts the episode by talking about a unique phenomenon that he experiences these days whenever he enters a bookstore. It’s called the Mariko Aoki phenomenon, and you’ll have to tune in to find out what it’s about. Then, Marion asks the team whether our society is doing enough for o...
Mar 10, 2025•45 min
A Bit of Culture returns at a new time, but with the same old fun, banter and thoughtful conversations. Joining Kam Raslan on his usual cultural adventures are Na’a Murad and Sim Wie Boon. They start the show by talking about our cinema-going habit and whether we still make the effort to do so, especially with alternative options out there. From there, they then talk about the instant gratification attitude that has plagued the entertainment industry recently, expecting instantaneous results fro...
Mar 03, 2025•44 min
A Bit of Culture welcomes two guests, Sheryll Paul and Vernon Adrian Emuang, to accompany our host, Kam Raslan on his journey of self reflection. But before that, they start the show by talking about tattoos and their rise in popularity among people, and the level of acceptance now, compared to before. The conversation then shifts to exploring the viability of the arts as a way to promote inter-cultural engagements to foster unity and acceptance in our increasingly polarising society. In the sec...
Feb 14, 2025•42 min
Visionary American filmmaker David Lynch passed away earlier this month, and it’s an opportunity for A Bit of Culture to pay tribute to this iconic filmmaker, with the show’s returning guest, and a film buff, Sudais Ferhard sharing the reason why Lynch is one of his favourite directors. In between paying tribute to David Lynch, Kam, Sudais and Michael Gong talks about letter writing and whether it’s still relevant now, as well as science fiction novels being a better predictor of the future comp...
Jan 31, 2025•41 min
Kam Raslan and his gang return for another round of cultural conversations. In this episode, Dhanya Nair and Na’a Murad join Kam as they talk about animated movies, domesticated animals and dark remakes. Our culture vulture Kam starts the conversation by talking about animated movies and how it’s difficult for him to sometimes accept animation that are designed to not be lifelike and more exaggerated. Na’a and Dhanya chime in with their take, and afterwards, it’s Na’a’s turn to talk about domest...
Jan 24, 2025•46 min
A Bit of Culture continues its foray into the world of all things culture, with three topics that will get you ruminating. Joining our host Kam Raslan to do that are Matt Armitage and Zan Azlee, and they start the show with a topic on censorship - specifically whether you should censor what your children are watching. Zan shares his perspective as a parent, with Matt and Kam chiming in. Then, it’s Kam’s turn to talk about his love of cavalry, and use that as a jumping off point to talk about tec...
Jan 17, 2025•43 min
A Bit of Culture returns in 2025 with three topics that are quintessentially just a tiny bit of culture! Kam Raslan is flanked by his trusted dynamic duo, Dhanya Nair and Julian Yap to tackle three topics. Dhanya starts the show by talking about airport etiquette and how people’s behaviour can drastically change once they’re at the airport. Then, it’s Kam’s turn to lament how he misses TV - from its random and strange curation, to the joy of following a timed schedule and discovering new shows a...
Jan 03, 2025•46 min
The A Bit of Culture crew gathers again for one last time this year, with another set of topics that will get your brain buzzing! Kam gets the ball rolling by asking his guests, Azmyl Yunor and Julian Yap whether they’re good at managing crises. It’s a moment of reflection for the crew, and one that they take full advantage of. Then, it’s Julian’s turn to talk about Algospeak, and how that has the potential to change the way we speak and use certain words in real life to mimic how we have to ada...
Dec 27, 2024•48 min
The festive season is upon us but that does not stop A Bit of Culture’s continuous pondering and acute observations. Joining Kam this week are Zan Azlee and Matt Armitage and they will be breaking down three different topics. First up is the peculiarity of boarding school culture, and whether that’s a good or a bad thing. That is then followed by Matt unpacking the relationship between incivility & conspiracy theories - that’s a pretty serious take on the state of the world that we live in n...
Dec 20, 2024•47 min
A Bit of Culture returns from a short hiatus, with our host rejuvenated from his short sojourn abroad. But although he’s now refreshed, he still thinks the world is falling apart. That’s the topic that he’s sharing with returning guests, Julian Yap and Dhanya Nair. In between that (slightly) serious conversation, Julian ruminates about the characteristics of a “movie star” and what sets them apart from a “typical” celebrity, while Dhanya ponders her past and how she grew up as a “good” kid, inst...
Nov 29, 2024•42 min
Kam Raslan, Zan Azlee, and Azmyl Yunor reunite on another episode of A Bit of Culture, with an eclectic mix of topics that will get you pondering. Zan goes first with his take on eating food from its place of origin, and whether that’s the best way to enjoy food from different cultures. Then, it’s Azmyl’s turn to dissect the nuances surrounding how people in the Malay community apologise. In the second part of the show, Kam wonders why people fall for scams, and speculates that it might not nece...
Nov 08, 2024•43 min
A Bit of Culture welcomes November with three different topics that will get you thinking deeply about things. Our first guest, Ong Kar Jin, kicks off the show by talking about our obsession with nostalgia, particularly the 90s and its promise of our dreams and aspirations. Then, it’s Kam’s turn to talk about his obsession with US politics, and why he’s focused on that, instead of Malaysian politics. After the break, our second guest, Julian Yap talks about cultural touchpoints that we used to c...
Nov 01, 2024•44 min
Indeed. So, should you? That’s the central question that we try to unpack and sift through in this episode, with regular guest Dhanya Nair raising the question to our host Kam Raslan and fellow guest Matt Armitage. They discuss this thoroughly, reflecting on various facets. But before that, Kam wants to know whether Matt and Dhanya are adventurous eaters, and to what extent they’re willing to expand their palate. Afterwards, Matt talks about Google’s NotebookLM and one of its unique features of ...
Oct 25, 2024•45 min
The dynamic trio of Kam Raslan, Na’a Murad and Michael Gong return once again to wreak cultural havoc! Na’a starts the show by talking about movie monsters and whether they’re a reflection of the worst of us or not. From that topic, we then walk down memory lane, with Kam leading the way to reflect on things we used to do that we don’t do anymore. This topic gets them reminiscing about things that people of a certain age can relate to! Later, they spend the second part of the show talking about ...
Oct 18, 2024•41 min
Another week, another new episode of A Bit of Culture, looking at the many facets of culture that we surround ourselves with, but may not reflect on necessarily. Sim Wie Boon and Marion D’Cruz join Kam Raslan as he talks about luxuries, and how they’re becoming more of a necessity for us these days. After that introspection, they then discuss whether gender equality exists in the art scene in Malaysia, before moving on to discuss our fascination for murderers and tragedies. Three different topic...
Oct 11, 2024•45 min
A Bit of Culture returns and this time around, it’s a confessional episode, with both our guests, Julian Yap and Ahmad Yazid opening up to our host, Kam Raslan. Julian starts the show by talking about the “crisis marathon” trend that’s sweeping people in their late 20s and early 30s. Is this their way of wanting to feel like they’ve achieved something significant in their lives? Yazid, meanwhile, asks the team whether they’re happy with their work, reflecting on his own career and whether he has...
Oct 04, 2024•48 min
Is there a shift in the music industry when it comes to people’s preference for music festivals? That’s the question our guest, Bihzhu, is asking as attendance numbers have dwindled locally and internationally. She shared her thoughts with our culture vulture Kam Raslan and his trusty sidekick Dhanya Nair. That topic is sandwiched between a conversation on body positivity and fandom, ensuring a wholesome, nuanced episode of A Bit of Culture that you will enjoy. Tune in and find out for yourself!...
Sep 27, 2024•45 min
This fresh episode of A Bit of Culture discusses the nuances in tech that has changed the way people behave and interact. Joining Kam Raslan to unpack the nuances, in separate contexts, are Azmyl Yunor and Sheryll Paul. Kam starts the show by talking about the dangers of being misunderstood in texting, drawing from his own personal experience of being interpreted as being “too aggressive” in the way he writes his text messages. Sheryll follows that up by talking about how LinkedIn can get pretty...
Sep 13, 2024•44 min
Zan Azlee and Matt Armitage join Kam Raslan on another fun-filled episode of A Bit of Culture to tackle Godzilla, AI and the news! Kam starts the show by talking about his recent experience watching Godzilla Minus One, and whether there are other equivalent “monsters” in other cultures. Then, it’s Zan’s turn to put on his journalist hat and talk about journalism in the age of AI, and whether it’s a boon, or a bane for the industry. Matt follows up on that topic by then talking about news and how...
Sep 06, 2024•43 min
