Bfm :: A Sunday Kinda Love

In the final episode of A Sunday Kinda Love for 2015, we bring back one of the most popular stories we've had on the show - The Spectacular Adventures of Sweet Potato a.k.a. Gamju - with 2 parts brought together for a bumper binge-listening session.

The first page of any book, is in our opinion the most important page. Maya Tan reads from the first pages of books she's enjoyed in 2015 and plays music from her New Year jam.  Books featured: A Madras Miasma - Brian Stoddart Indigo - Satyajit Ray The Fahrenheit Twins - Michel Faber The Rescue Artist - Edward Dolnick The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami The Coral Thief - Rebecca Stott Playlist: Tongue-Tied - OJ Law Put Me Down - Aquilo Waiting (feat. Madelyn Grant) - FKJ It's Only You - Dominique U - Mikky Ekko Good Together - Tom Aspaul Steps - Handsome Ghost Innocence - Madeon, Aquilo Chocolates & Roses - The Green

In the holiday edition of A Sunday Kinda Beauty, our bi-monthly show dedicated to beauty junkies, we speak to artisanal French parfumier Francis Kurkdjian about his creative processes. Li Ying Lim, Beauty Editor from Harpers Bazaar compares travel makeup kits with Maya Tan and provides some nifty tips for going from Office to Party in a flash.

 Hollow. The echoes of disillusionment. Are we expressed or repressed? Disparate readings and a killer playlist set the tone for a moody Sunday.  Acknowledgements: Puteri Eleni - The Malaysian Poets Society, Afiq Shahril, Tasha Lim, Marissa T. Original texts and playlist below: The Vape Escape  by Marissa T. - Petaling Jaya Eyes glow from narrowed slits Vapour escapes, sidestreaming from lips Hungry for something more We feed, feed, feed We're scrolling, we're trolling Craving more than before Fill Fill Fill We're empty inside Smoke, search, shop, preen Grab, stuff, shovel it in,  We're addicted Stuck on the middle plane Knee deep in debt Always waiting for something better Waiting for that lift off That payoff Next week, next month, next year Next time maybe But it never comes This Box by Marissa T. - Petaling Jaya This box Four walls Cracks: gaps in the wood Light; shimmer-shiny, sharpshooting Forcing their way in Making shadows on s

Trouble brews when a boy in the neighbourhood transforms into a brain-eating zombie, and the cat from next door goes missing. Chacko Vadaketh performs this dark comedic tale written by Ee Leen Lee.

In a series of letter exchanges, Ah Beng confides to "the girl who works at the shop downstairs" about his trials, tribulations, and conflicted joys as a loan shark runner. Othniel Ting reads us this story written by Tham Wai Liang.

Beauty is never only skin deep, and it is in feeling great within that we look our very best. We explore the goodness of juices with Sara Ding, nutritional coach and author of Juicing for Health. Next, Li Ying Lim lets us in on her secrets and favourite products for maintaining her perfect glow. Then, three beauty editors give us a quick review of La Mer's long-anticipated Renewal Oil.

Composer and trumpet-player extraordinaire Michael Simon, hailing from the Netherlands and due to perform at the 10th Venezuelan Week in KL tells us what it's like to grow up in a musical family,  to travel from Venezuela to Cuba, Holland and Kuala Lumpur in pursuit of his passion for music. He brings his unique sound in collaboration with producer/presenter Ezra Zaid, to tell Maya Tan's comic story of five mobsters having a seemingly uneventful evening. Mob-speak Glossary Bagman - a person designated to collect and/or distribute illicitly gained money  such as bribes to public officials or money collected in a criminal enterprise, such as a "protection racket," or an intermediary in such transactions.  Stand-up Guy - a member of the mafia that can be trusted and who has proven his loyalty time and again Moe Greene Special - executing someone with a single shot through the eye. Taken from the movie The Godfather where the character Moe Greene(who was based on Bugsy Si

We explore themes of fire, choke, smoke and the darker shades of emotion in these crazy hazy times through poetry and song. KL-ites read from their favourite poets while Daphne Lee's story of the Endless Night casts a chill - all this to Maya's alternative R&B playlist.  Part 1 Poems: Fire and Ice by Robert Frost, read by Ashraf Zain Fire by Dorothea McKellar, read by Martina Chow I Have in Me Like a Haze by Fernando Pessoa, read by Kent Tan Tracks:  This Time (Serious Symptoms, Simple Solutions) - Jarryd James Seen and Never Heard - Etta Bond x Chris Loco Sharpness - Jamie Woon Part 2 Short Story: Endless Night by Daphne Lee, read by Maya Tan Tracks: So Good - Johnny Stimson Part 3 Poems: Smoke, excerpts from the poem by Philip Levine, read by Melissa Karim The Fires, excerpts from the poem by Rudyard Kipling, read by Lim Jack Kin The Words Come, They Choke Me by Leila Chatti, read by Wan Irdina Tracks: In The Midst Of It All - Tom Misch feat. Sam Wills T

Foo Sek Han spins us a tale from the heart of the Borneo rainforests, of a precious creature with a precious lesson to learn. Richard Bradbury performs this short story written for the spoken word.

Apart from battling government type officials and the Malaysian traffic jam, Mobile Medical Unit Model DN-01152 is trying to save lives. However, being a robot doesn't mean not having to deal with human prejudice or emotions. Angeline Woon's short story, set in a future dystopian (or is it pretty much the same as ever?) Malaysia is brought to life by Tasha Fusil, Othniel Ting and Haniff Baharudin. 'Underneath Her Tudung' is published in Buku Fixi's Cyberpunk: Malaysia, available at all major bookstores. 

News has surfaced that fast food chain Micky's french fries are fried in beef fat! Apparently, to reach the desired taste and texture, a certain amount of animal fat is secretly added to the oil used in deep-frying the potatoes. This is a blow not only to vegetarians, but to all Hindus who have thus far been consuming these french fries from time to time. Find out how Aunty Kamalam deals with this in Sharmilla Ganesan's dark PJ Old Town tale. Renowned actor, Chacko Vadaketh brings it to life. 

An imaginary sultanate expels its unsavouries - the inlanders and uplanders who are heathens and uncivilised. They are tossed into open waters. What does fate put in their way? Zedeck Siew explores what it's like to be stateless with his short story - Whalebone & Crabshell. To read the original text, head to: www.projekdialog.com/featured/whalebone-crabshell/

Theatre and film actor Farah Rani talks theatre and acting in New York City and gives us an exclusive performance of 'Moonfruit', a short story written by Joshua Chong, making its debut on A Sunday Kinda Love.

We cover the trends coming out of KL Fashion Week and given the changes in the economy, we speak to beauty experts on the best investments in skincare and colour. Then, we take a romantic adventure of the nose with Miller Harris.

As Independence Day blooms around the corner, we get a headstart on celebrating all things Malaysian by looking at a hotlist of National Treasures in books, film, music and the performing arts with none other than a national treat herself, Shelah.  Intro music credits:  Bengawan Solo - Anneke Gronloh (1963) Oh Malaysia - Anneke Gronloh (1963) Oh Calypso - Grace Chang (1959) Di Bawah Bulan Purnama - R. Azmi & Rokiah Wanda (1950s)

We continue with the second part of our curated readings from the Project Watermelon workshop featuring the work of Eve Ensler and starring Dawn Cheong, Carmen Soo and Joanna Bessey.

We celebrate womanhood and women's issues in a two-part series, with performances curated and directed by Susan Lankester, featuring the work of Eve Ensler and starring Malaysian luminaries, Sue Tan, Samantha Schubert, Carmen Soo, Dawn Cheong and Joanna Bessey.

Let's face it - the world is inundated with content. Most of the time, it's hopefully good, some of the time it's so bad it's good and sometimes it's so bad, it's bad.  This week, we throw caution to the wind and talk about some of the things out there passing off as entertainment, that are so bad, they're just that - bad.  Maya Tan discusses the bad and the bad in books, film and the internet with Umapagan Ambikaipakan. Features cameos of Ezra Zaid and the Evening Edition Team.

BFM's resident DJ, Lawrence Graham creates some blissed out mixes for a chilled Aidil Fitri. Listen to the full 2-hour mix here!