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Alena Murang is a musical artist known for her proficiency with the sape’, a lute instrument from Borneo. Last month, she released an 8 track album titled Sky Songs, a follow up from her acclaimed 2016 EP “Flight”. Alena joins us to share the thought process and her experience recording the album.

IMAGE SOURCE: Alena Murang / INSTAGRAM

By The Way is a rapid-fire segment that gives you a snapshot of developing stories in the music world. This week, Clubhouse makes progress with their “Creators First” pilot program and is set to roll out 50 audio shows as a way to unlock creativity for content providers on the platform. Canadian rapper Drake to be awarded Artist of the Decade at the Billboard Music Awards after being on the charts and becoming the biggest streaming act in the US. Björn Ulvaeus, a member of the iconic group ABBA confirmed that 2021 will experience new music from ABBA, their first since 1981. Lastly, producer and long-time friend of DMX Swizz Beatz has confirmed that Exodus, a posthumous album that will drop on the 28th May via Def Jam Records.

On this episode, we speak with the people behind Canvass restaurant, Chef Nikolaj Lenz and M.I.Rony. Canvass is one of the rare restaurants in KL that truly champions sustainability. From composting to converting their cooking oil to biofuel, cutting down on plastics to pruning a little garden for kitchen garnishes, Canvass is trying to do sustainability right, and build a community around it as well.

IMAGE SOURCE: Canvass KL

In the news this week, we frown at Brembo's new LED motorcycle brake calipers, and mull over the pros and cons of Geely's brand-new battery swapping station. In Part 2, we take a look at Perodua's updated Aruz, a couple of BMWs, a Subaru Solterra and the first-ever Mercedes EQT. It's all about pickup trucks in the final part of our show as we look at the upcoming all-electric Ford F-150 'Lightning',  the possibility of a Volkswagen Amarok in Malaysia, and a review of the ultimate pickup-truck for the urban cowboy: the Nissan Navara PRO-4X

Based on Leigh Bardugo's wildly successful books, Shadow and Bone takes us to the fantasy kingdom of Ravka, where a war has waged on, and The Shadow Fold, a darkness that separates the east and west and houses monsters. Enter Alina Starkov, an orphaned mapmaker who discovers that she may have the power to change the world. We discuss what it was like to be immersed in this story and the world of Ravka, and whether we've found a new fantasy franchise to hang our hopes on.

The story of two Orang Ulu women of Punan ethnicities in their 80s has gone viral due to their rocky journey through multiple rivers and rain to get their vaccinations against Covid-19. Amid praises for their determination, many people are left concerned about the accessibility of vaccinations in rural areas. We speak with Dr Sharuna Verghis to learn more.

Image Source: S.Ratanak, Unsplash

Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations begin tomorrow but with the MCO and the pandemic, this year is going to be different for many of us. We first look at the significance of Raya and the various traditions that are practised. Then, we discuss Raya ads, and how they’ve evolved over the years. Finally, we hear from someone who can’t “balik kampung” because of the MCO.

Image Source: focal point, Shutterstock

A software company in Argentina called 10Pines has introduced a new way of dictating their employees salaries. Employees would propose their own salaries, which would then be debated by the office. Shawn tells us more.

Image Source: focal point, Shutterstock

The National Blood Centre has been short in supply of blood stocks since last week and are urging the public to come forward to donate. We check in with the director of the National Blood Centre to understand its current situation better.

Learn more about being a blood donor here.

Image Source: Nguyễn Hiệp, Unsplash

The idea that you can provide personalised medicine – i.e. tailoring treatment approaches to patients’ individual risks and needs – seems like a niche concept that belongs in the annals of the future. But personalised medicine is here and could have far-reaching public health implications on funding, treatment decisions, and allocation of resources. We find out from Prof Dr Teo Soo Hwang, Chief Scientific Officer, Cancer Research Malaysia, how genomic data can be harnessed to personalise cancer care and what will it take to implement it in public healthcare for the wider population.

Image source: Shutterstock