AT five foot five, Terry Ong says he has never been made to feel insecure about his height as much as he has been made to feel insecure about a more fundamental and unalterable aspect: his own heritage. Ong, 29, is an emcee and voiceover talent. But he is also known because he is a […]
Found in Malaysia
“Forget about race”
By Deborah LohAZRAN Osman-Rani is Air Asia X’s chief executive officer. Because he doesn’t have an office to himself, for the interview with The Nut Graph on 11 Sept 2009, we sit down at a table in a corner of an open-floor office in full view of other staff at their work stations. Azran shares the same […]
“Lahirkan kesakitan dengan berkarya”
By Shanon ShahPERLIS-born Nam Ron has been called “one of the freshest voices declaiming in contemporary Malaysian theatre”. The talented playwright won Best Original Malay Script at the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards for his Perlis gangster history, matderihkolaperlih, in 2004. He has since been multiply-nominated for his plays Lembu (2005), Laut Lebih Indah Dari Bulan and WIP […]
Sharing a common thread
By Nick ChooSINGER-songwriter Azmyl Yunor started out as a busker Down Under in Perth back in 1997. Since his return to Malaysia in 2000, he has tirelessly supported and developed the local independent music scene, and has gigged on a regular basis. Azmyl has also organised events such as the singer-songwriter showcase KL Sing-Song, which is back […]
Same country, different place
By Nick ChooSINGER-songwriter Mia Palencia echoes the sentiments of other artistes from Sabah and Sarawak who recognise the disparities between East Malaysia and the peninsula. The 25-year-old recording artiste, whose first solo album Finding My Way was released in April 2008, writes in her Facebook profile on 11 Sept 2009: “[…As] my awareness and understanding of the […]
The vegetable basket baby
By Zedeck SiewVISUAL artist Wong Hoy Cheong is probably Malaysia’s most internationally-renowned modern cultural export. While a fixture on the biennial — or repeating art exhibitions — circuit, he has nevertheless continued to make work deeply engaged with the Malaysian context. Take his Vitrine of Contemporary Events, for example. Made in 1999, post-Reformasi, the work is an illuminated […]
Confessions of a Malaysian boy
By Nick ChooKAM Raslan grew up and lived in the United Kingdom for some 20 years before returning to Malaysia. “I think I could say I was an economic migrant,” the one-time filmmaker and director says. “I was just starting out in film, and it was very hard to get in. Things [in Kuala Lumpur], on the […]
The tattooed Bidayuh
By Shanon ShahTHE Malay-language entertainment industry knows Tony Eusoff, 32, as a rising television and film actor. Tony’s talent, however, extends beyond acting. At the 2006 Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, he was nominated for Best Solo Performance (Voice) for his vocal chops in Five Arts Centre’s musical production, Encore. What is less known about Tony, though, is […]
Anything but bland
By Nick ChooCorrected at 1:45am, 21 Aug 2009 JEROME Kugan was born and raised in Sabah, but has lived in Kuala Lumpur since 2000. Over the years, he has made a mark for himself in the arts, entertainment and media industries. He is currently the media manager for the Annexe at Central Market. Before this, he was […]
Learning to be “unproper”
By Claire BrownellIVY Josiah is not the type of person to keep silent in the face of injustice. As the executive director of the Women’s Aid Organisation, she’s been at the forefront of the struggle to reform domestic violence laws and create shelters for battered women. Because of her outspokenness, Josiah is also often at the forefront […]