The wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant has caught public attention for its staggering price tag of over 600 million USD. The entire ceremony took place over the course of five-months, with 11 pre-wedding ceremonies and a guest list including celebrities like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, John Cena, Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra; and politicians like Boris Johnson and Tony Blair. So first, we speak to a wedding planner on extravagant weddings, and the thrills and terrors that come with it. Th...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 22 min
An article by The Atlantic has highlighted how parent-child relationships have transformed from old school independence-driven parenting to a more modern, bond-focused dynamic. So we asked our listeners how close they are to their parents, how this shaped their adulthood, and when the right time is to be more independent. Image Credit: imtmphoto,Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 11, 2024•59 min
Greece introduced a new employment law that establishes a six-day working week to boost economic growth, at a time when many other countries are increasingly seeing positive results from experiments with four-day working week. We ask our listeners to share their thoughts on Malaysia's current five-day working week and to imagine their ideal structure of the workweek. Image Credit: PeopleImages.com- Yuri A See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 18 min
We all have a tough time breaking bad habits, whether that's smoking, doomscrolling or shopping. Some people opt to go all in, and quit cold turkey, but others prefer baby steps. So we talk about these two approaches, and ask our listeners, which side of the fence they are on when it comes to this. Image Credit: sosiukin, 123RF See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 04, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Should we be taking the fun way, or the hard way in our path to learning something new? Co-founder of OpenAI, Andrej Karpathy thinks the latter. He argues that the "shortification of learning" made popular by short form videos on social media, packaged as a way to learn while being entertained, is a "trap." Instead, he advocates that if one were serious about learning, they should seek out heavier academic content; think textbooks, manuals, documents and research papers. We dissect his argument,...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Society often idolizes the concept of early success, made all the more prominent by high-profile figures like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk. However, an article by The Atlantic proposes that blossoming later in life can be equally, if not more impactful. We explore this idea, and ask our listeners about their own late-blooming experiences, and the skills that they discovered in adulthood. Image Credit: sorapop,123RF See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 28, 2024•53 min
The World Health Organisation has revealed that one third of adults are not doing enough physical activity. So we get into it with our listeners, and ask them how much exercise they do, and if not, what prevents them from exercising. Image Credit: Skydive Erick, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 2 min
With Paramount Global pulling the plug on MTV News and it's 20-year archive, netizens are starting to worry about the internet disappearing. In fact, a study by Pew Research Centre says 38% of webpages from 2013 are have already disappeared from the web. With that, we asked listeners about how they preserve their most precious memories to withstand the test of time. Image Credit: WiP-Studio,Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 26, 2024•35 min
That's exactly what an article in The Cut addressed. In short, the author asked whether they were better off forgetting things, and went on to talk about the existential differences between forgetting and remembering. This, of course, got us wondering: Which side of the fence do our listeners fall on? Is ignorance really bliss, or are there merits to having acute memory? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 9 min
In the world of penguins, pebbling is when one penguin gives a pebble to express its desire to mate and build a nest. In the human world, pebbling is when we share social media posts with our loved ones as a form of kinship or affection. So we asked our listeners if they pebble and how they share affection online. Image Credit: champlifezy,123RF See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 24, 2024•41 min
An article by economist Professor Geoffrey Williams about the people not choosing to pursue higher education due to it not providing them with a good return of investment has got us wondering: Is a university education worth investing in these days? We get into it with our guest Nina Adlan Disney. Then later, we hear thoughts from our listeners. Image Credit: Patchanaran, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 21, 2024•56 min
A new survey conducted by The Credit Counselling and Management Agency has revealed that shopping addiction is one of the main reasons that young people in Malaysia are in debt. So we ask our listeners if they have a shopping problem, and then later, we speak to AKPK themselves on their findings. Image credit: przemekklos,123RF See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Do you know how much your MPs receive in their monthly pensions? A new special report from Malaysiakini sheds light on the substantial sums MPs earn and how their pension schemes differ from those of regular civil servants. We speak with Aidila Razak and Ooi Choon Nam from Kini News Lab about the process behind analyzing the data and developing the story. Image Credit: most wanted, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 19, 2024•40 min
Are you someone that loves the hustle and bustle of a crowd, or the vibrant noises of a city coming alive? Or are you someone who prefers to live in quiet solitude, fully embracing the sound of silence? An article about the class dynamics of quietness recently went viral on X and so tonight, we brought up the question to our listeners: Do you prefer living in silence or with noise? Image Credit: Guilio_Fornasar, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 18, 2024•57 min
Following Denmark's recall of several spicy ramen noodles from Samyang, claiming that the capsaicin levels in them could "poison consumers", we thought the time was right to talk about spice tolerance and heat. So in this episode, we hear tales of enjoyment, woe... and borderline masochism, when it comes to how much spice we (and our listeners!) like in our food. Image Credit: xpixel, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr
What defines a good life, and how can we plans our finances to support our personal and family goals? In this show, we explore the findings of the HSBC 2023 Quality of Life report, and learn about how to diversify investments for financial security. We speak to Linda Yip and Elaine Daly for expert insights and personal stories about navigating life's challenges and staying financially prepared for the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 13, 2024•49 min
Singapore has big plans to lure Malaysian tourists in, with attractions and experiences aimed to please nature lovers. So this got us thinking about tourism in general, and how Malaysia fares when it comes to attracting people to the country. So we speak to director of Check-in Asia, about exactly this. And then, we hear from our listeners about the best places they've visited. Image Credit: noina, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 12, 2024•42 min
'Sadfishing' a relatively new term, coined by journalist Rebecca Reid in 2019, to describe a phenomenon in which a celebrity would market a product by posting something on their social media platforms that generates emotional responses from their followers. The term has since evolved outside of celebrity circles, to describe “the tendency of social media users to publish exaggerations of their emotional states to generate sympathy”. So we first look into what this behaviour entails, and how best...
Jun 11, 2024•55 min
You might not know this, but back in the day, we had nature studies in Malaysian primary schools, which aimed to provide students with a basic understanding of their natural environment. An article in Macaranga titled “Nurturing A Nature Revival” written by Surin Suksuwan, details this period in time and urges the reintroduction of this syllabus in our current education system. So we talk to Surin about where he's coming from, and how the learning of nature would push better environmental awaren...
Jun 07, 2024•50 min
It's that time again, where we contemplate the notion of heading towards becoming an ageing nation. Malaysia is expected to be an aged nation by 2043, and policymakers have been talking quite a lot about how the nation should be preparing for it. So we explore what that preparation and investment would look like, with our guest. And then later, we ask our listeners about how they see themselves in 20 years and if growing older is something they're looking forward to. Image Credit: Rawpixel.com, ...
Jun 06, 2024•55 min
The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry recently announced it's mission to introduce a lemon law and amend existing consumer protection laws related to defective vehicles in March next year. We speak about the best practices in it's implementation with Dr Ong Tze Chin. Image Credit: mikeledray, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 05, 2024•39 min
National TVET Council member, Howard Lee thinks TVET should get more media attention. He mentioned that shows like The Bear can really inspire people to explore different career paths. So tonight, we heard also heard stories from our listeners about the movies and shows that inspired their career choices. Image Credit: Dean Drobot, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 04, 2024•58 min
If you've been online lately, you might have seen the countless images and videos that have been shared on the situation in Palestine. Recently, it's been amped up by a series of attacks on Rafah, meant to be a safe zone for Palestinian families. So first, we speak to a Palestinian student living in Malaysia, about how she's coping and how people can help. And then, Benjamin Loh joins us to discuss the the role that social media activism has played in driving engagement and bringing in awareness...
May 31, 2024•54 min
For some, the path least taken is the one that is most ideal, even if it means you live in your car to save a few bucks. We speak to Mushamir Mustapha, who has chosen to do exactly that. Then, we discuss with our listeners about the most extreme thing they have done to save money. Image Credit: kazu8, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 30, 2024•59 min
MalaysiaKini recently published an article called "Our Muhibbah Story" where they included various tales of diverse friendships. So we thought we'd discuss this notion of growing up in our cultural hotpot, and the connections we make beyond creed and colour. Image Credit: anythings, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 29, 2024•42 min
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 leave reviews themselves. Image Credit: Prae_Studio, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 2 min
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 gauge different kinds of intelligence. Image Credit: Lano Lan, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listene...
May 27, 2024•39 min
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 ground about their own experience with burnout and how they deal with it. Then, a psychologist share...
May 24, 2024•48 min
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_Studio, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 23, 2024•1 hr 5 min
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....
May 21, 2024•1 hr 3 min
