BFM :: The Bigger Picture

Project TRY is a non-profit working to empower marginalized rural youth to pursue gainful employment within the service sector. The project’s founder Raviraj Sawlani explains the work TRY does.

Bernice Chauly's memoir "Growing Up with Ghosts" is a non-fiction narrative that seamlessly weaves the diverse threads of ancestry, history, politics with the personal. It is also one of the few Malaysian works that has a remarkable sense of place. This week, on Invisible Cities, Uma speaks to Bernice about growing up in Ipoh, about traveling through time, about her crippling fear of the sea, and about the importance of place in explaining her origins, who she is, and where she's going.

Show Notes:

i. You can buy a copy of Growing Up with Ghosts here.

ii. For more of Bernice's writings, be sure to check out her website.

iii. Bernice is also the Director of the George Town Literary Festival. Make sure you check out the website for details on this year's festival.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament just ended on April 16th with Australia beating India to lift the title. Malaysia narrowly lost the third placing match to New Zealand in a 5-4 shootout. There are several forms and variations to the game, but they share one thing in common – manoeuvering a ball or puck into the opponent's goal with a hockey stick. To find out more about the game from a medical lens, we have Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Harjeet Singh.

The Baseline Study on the Working Conditions of Male and Female Lawyers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor conducted by The Association of Women Lawyers, provided a comparative view of the careers and compensation of men and women lawyers here. Factors examined include factors that influence career progression, levels of gender bias, salary levels and the impact of family obligations or having children, among others. We discussed the findings with Meera Samanther, the immediate past president and current board member of AWL, and Dr. Lai Suat Yan, a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya and the chief consultant of the study.

The El Nino phenomenon we're currently facing has wreaked havoc on our weather with Malaysia facing a hot spell which may last till June. Will Klang Valley residents face a water shortage and water rationing exercise similar to that of 2014? We spoke to YB Charles Santiago, the MP for Klang, to get his forecast of things to come, and discussed his recommendations to avoid a possible water crisis.

Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. Joining him this week are Dr Sundari Ampikaipakan and Dato’ Dr Abdul Razak Muttalif, respiratory medicine specialists, to discuss whether doctors are diagnosing asthma too readily.

Care2Run is a community project run by Project H.O.P.E. (Healing Opportunities for People Everywhere), whose beneficiaries come from diverse backgrounds, and some are from children’s shelters and welfare homes. We find out more about their work which aims to use sports and psychology to build character and to inspire youngsters to lead an active and healthier lifestyle.

The greatest of Singapore’s leaders - not the best, nor the most accomplished, perhaps not even the smartest - but the *greatest* of the five men who have led Singapore’s government since 1955 - is David Saul Marshall. David Marshall shaped the praxis of power in Singapore, setting a moral standard that no leader since has managed to reach. His actions - and equally importantly, what he didn’t do - irreversibly shaped his office, and have made a significant, lasting, and often overlooked impact on Singapore’s democracy. In this episode, PJ Thum discusses the origins of David Marshall, and how his humble upbringing shaped his principles, his passions, and his courage, and how this thrust a humble Jew, reluctant to take part in politics, into the role of the first Singaporean-born man to lead our government. Please send questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] or visit thehistoryofsingapore.com. Support the show at patreon.com/pjthum.

For all the previous episodes in this series, search for "History of Singapore" on bfm.my.

On their first international tour, the cast of Shrek The Musical have come to our shores to delight audiences with their colourful story of friendship, love and self-acceptance. Hear the backstage stories and the tales of making cartoon-characters into living breathing ones on stage who sing, dance and act. Joining us were Shrek and Princess Fiona, or rather the actors who bring them to life and stage: Kyle Timson and Lindsay Dunn, and also tour director Justin Scholl.

The Kuala Lumpur City Opera (KLCO) is organising the city’s first opera festival this May. During this two day festival, they’re hoping to foster an appreciation of Western opera amongst the Malaysian public. We find out from Danny Che and Ho Soon Yoon of KLCO as well as Chi Hoe Mak, chorus master and artistic committee member.