(All pics below courtesy of Ahmad Sarji) VISITING Tun Ahmad Sarji’s office feels like taking a walk through Malaysian history. Photographs of national icons such as Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tan Sri P Ramlee line the walls, alongside old family portraits and pictures of Ahmad Sarji in the many roles he has played over the […]
Found in Malaysia
Selling ice to eskimos
INDEFATIGABLE. That best describes Chef Wan, or Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, the professional chef, television host, food critic, author, actor, entrepreneur, cultural ambassador, and motivational speaker. Chef Wan is the Asian Food Channel (AFC)’s resident chef. At 52, he has hosted a string of international TV shows, and is still tirelessly putting Malaysian cuisine and the […]
Building Malaysia
(All following pics courtesy of Sivarasa Rasiah) GENETICIST. Lawyer. Human rights activist. Subang Member of Parliament. Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president. Sivarasa Rasiah has worn many hats. Sivarasa returned to Malaysia on his 30th birthday in 1986 and began a life of activism in championing human rights. The Rhodes scholar says he began thinking critically about […]
Nurturing the artist
Lee Su-Feh AWARD-winning dancer, choreographer and dramatist Lee Su-Feh is in the midst of questioning her art, asking why we dance and why people watch dance. At the same time, she believes everyone should be involved in dance. “I believe in the dancing body,” Lee says. “Everyone needs to dance and experience dance…It’s a way […]
Citizen of the universe
“THIS country runs on fear. Decisions are made out of fear,” declares artist Ahmad Zakii Anwar on what he doesn’t appreciate about Malaysia. The Nut Graph met the painter on 14 Jan 2010 to probe him on how his Malaysian identity influences his artwork, including of the nude male body — a touchy subject for […]
No limits
JACLYN Victor is probably remembered best for her rendition of Gemilang when she won the 2004 Malaysian Idol finale. But Victor, or Jac as she’s commonly known, has gone on to win a string of local and international awards. This includes Ikon Malaysia in 2007, which also featured Dayang Nurfaizah and former Akademi Fantasia winner […]
Truth is beauty
HER grandfather was Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the first president of the MCA who worked hand-in-hand with Umno President Tunku Abdul Rahman and MIC president Tun VT Sambanthan to fight for Malaya’s independence. Her father was Tun Tan Siew Sin, also a former president of the MCA, and the country’s longest-serving finance minister (1959-1974). A […]
Proud to be rojak
BERNARD Goh, artistic director and co-founder of internationally acclaimed drum troupe Hands Percussion, was drawn to music and drums even as a boy. “Drums are very straightforward, maybe it’s like me,” he tells The Nut Graph during his 23 Nov 2009 interview in Kuala Lumpur. “I like you, or I don’t like you, I will […]
“Just leave out skin”
HANDS Percussion drumming group co-founder Eric Ch’ng, 33, has loved the sound of drums even as a young boy. “During Chinese New Year, once my brother and I hear the lion dance drums, we would run and run to follow the troupe and watch the show. My dad even bought us a lion head and […]
Embracing different cultures
JOANNA Bessey first stepped into the Malaysian limelight when she joined the hit comedy series Kopitiam, which ran for seven seasons from 1997. She has since become one of Malaysia’s most recognised entertainment personalities, having been in more than 200 television episodes as well as TV movies, feature films, commercials and plays. Recently, she hosted […]
