The Takeaway Table Podcast

SPM, PMR, PT3, UPSR - you've probably heard of all these acronyms at some point in your life if you were a Malaysian student - because they are all part of the Malaysian Examination System. Over the years, this system definitely has seen changes from certain examinations being restructured or removed. Today on the podcast, we invite a very qualified guest to talk all about the system - Teach For Malaysia's CEO Chan Soon Seng! Be sure to check out Soon Seng on Instagram @chansoonseng or learn more about Teach For Malaysia at teachformalaysia.org.

Being in Malaysia, you hear of people being overachievers, being able to buy their first house within a year or two of working, or people achieving big goals in life. In a culture where being ambitious is a very desired trait - what if.. you just want to take a step back and decide that you are happy with where you are, and there is no need to be ambitious? In today's podcast - we are joined with Vivian and Sophira and we chat all about being ambitious - and what our thoughts are on this word. Be sure to join our Discord server at discord.gg/thetakeawaytable!

How important is trust in a friendship to you? With the recent news, saga, drama in Malaysia, (if you know - you know), we decided to bring in special guest Dennis Yin on today's episode and we talk about why Dennis is the best person to talk about this topic, how we all lost trust with the people around us and why we became selective with the people around us! This is going to be one episode for the books - so buckle up! Follow Dennis on Instagram @dennisyin and be sure to join our Discord server at discord.gg/thetakeawaytable!

Have we had our fair share of relationship nightmares? On the podcast this week we have The Nictionary, Nicole Chen with us to talk about relationship nightmares! Learn how Nicole was trapped in her current relationship, Ming Han & Ming Yue's relationship experiences and how we would react to some relationship dilemmas! Be sure to follow Nicole on Instagram @thenictionary and join the community Discord server at discord.gg/thetakeawaytable!

Growing up in Malaysia, were you subjected to tuition classes, either because of your parents or your teachers? In today's episode - we have Nicole on board to share some of her tuition experiences as she was studying. Find out how she dealt with over four to five tuition classes A DAY at one point, when Ming Yue fought with his tuition teacher, and will Ming Han send Hailey to tuition? Be sure to join our Discord server at discord.gg/thetakeawaytable!

Yellow on the inside, white on the outside. Well - if you know what that means, that's what we'll be talking about on today's episode! Learn about how Ming Han had to use Google Translate to speak with his grandfather, how Chinese educated kids felt about bananas, and we played a little fun game at the end, if you stick around for it! Today we have Desmond, our resident Penang boi to share with us what life felt on the other side. Be sure to also join our Discord fam at discord.gg/thetakeawaytable!

As you scroll through your Instagram stories and see people lining up at Don Don Donki or Taco Bell, you can’t help but wonder why you aren’t trying the next trend on the street.. Well.. that is exactly what people feel when they experience the fear of missing out. Today on the podcast, we have Caleb and Graeme and we chat all about the fear of missing out and why we buy into trends. Be sure to also join our Discord fam at discord.gg/thetakeawaytable!

We always hear whispers of how Penang people are terrible drivers, or that Ipoh girls are prettier than other states, and being in Malaysia, a multicultural country - stereotypes are more apparent. In this episode, we have Matthew, one-half of the Penang boys and Nathaniel, a newcomer to the podcast to talk about the many stereotypes that exist in Malaysia, from state-related stereotypes to office stereotypes.

Something that we don't talk about often is our insecurities. Most of us deal with it every day, but it’s not something that we openly talk about or share with others as we fear the stigma that comes with it. In today's episode, we deep dive into the realm of insecurities with Sophira and share some of our insecurities, how some of us on the table have been overcoming it, or how we deal with it. Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/8eUq8kqgdA

Did you grow up reading comics at the bookstore, or perhaps had to wait for your favourite cartoons to air at a certain time on television? Well, on this episode of Table Talk, we are joined by Jared Lee from GRIM FILM and we talk about growing up as Malaysians, the differences of growing up back in the day vs today, buying nostalgic things and some of our memorable moments in our childhood! We also get a special exclusive look at some of Jared's childhood memorabilia on this crack episode! Follow Jared on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/jaredle3/ and join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/8eUq8kqgdA

Woo hoo, we hit our 100th episode today! What a milestone! As we celebrated our 100th episode, we reminisced the old times and walked down memory lane, we got the Mings to play a trivia game to see how well they actually know their own podcast show and surprise, surprise! Some of our listeners from our Discord community server had the opportunity to call in to ask us a question too! We just want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sticking by with us and for all your support. This is an episode that is dedicated to ALL of you. So, sit back, grab your friends and family (and probably some snacks too?) and celebrate together with us! Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/8eUq8kqgdA **We recommend watching this episode instead! :D

We always hear our parents telling us "don't play too many games, it's bad for you!" ...but is it really? On this episode of Table Talk, the Mings sat down with gamer girl - Hanie, to talk and discuss the effects of gaming - the good & bad, does gaming actually promote real-life violence and finding the "balance". Share this episode with a friend or someone you know who'd benefit from this episode! Follow Hanie here: https://www.instagram.com/haniehyd Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/8eUq8kqgdA

Ever heard about the Meyers Briggs personality test? Do you believe in horoscopes? Are personality tests something that you hold on dearly to in life? On today's episode of Table Talk, we got Ming Han's coursemates to talk about all thing everything about personality tests -- what are they, what you should know about them and are they actually vital in life. A big shoutout to Alyssa from our Discord community server for suggesting today's topic! Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/8eUq8kqgdA

Have you ever wondered whether the person that you see online is the real and "authentic" version of themselves? Like are they really THAT funny as they perceive themselves to be online? Most often times than not, the version of the person that we see online is different than who they really actually are. On this episode of Table Talk, we invited the ever so talented and hilarious, Tata, to dip deeper into this whole topic together with the Mings of what it's like to be themselves while having an online persona. Aside from that, they also shared their encounters with meeting fans in the public, the struggles sometimes that they have to put up and also answered some of your assumptions about them! Follow Tata here: https://www.instagram.com/tatatawanqian

Disclaimer: This podcast was recorded last week and just yesterday the government has amended some of the SOPs for Chinese New Year. Also, Ming Yue's mic died halfway hence the quality. We apologise about that. However, we hope you enjoy the podcast. Cheers! Every week, there's always something new to talk about regarding the MCO and SOPs, huh?

We're sure many of you must have heard about the recent 'blackface' issue that occurred last week regarding a local Chinese artist's music video. On this week's episode of Table Talk, we had Nandini from SAYS to join us on the pod to weigh in her thoughts on the whole 'blackface' issue, what's wrong about it and why it's NOT okay. We hope that you have something to 'takeaway' from this episode and share this podcast with a friend that you know would benefit from it! Follow Nandini here: https://www.instagram.com/nandinibalakrish

DISCLAIMER: This podcast was recorded two days before the SOPs were changed for food delivery hours. Well, we would like to think perhaps maybe someone listened to our recording...

So... looks like we're back to where it all began. MCO 2.0, how did we get here again?!

"How do I start saving money?", "When do I start doing my savings?", "What do I do with my earnings?" "How do I even begin?!" As fresh graduates, these are questions that you may or may not have asked yourself and have pondered on when it comes to money. Especially during this pandemic, it's even more crucial than ever the way we start saving our money and how we manage our finances. It's never too late to start working on it hence we got the finance guru and expert, Suyin Ong, to join us at the table to give us tips and tricks on how we can start saving our money and going back to the basic fundamental of savings and investments. Share this podcast with someone you know would benefit from it! Suyin's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SuyinOng26 Follow Suyin here: https://instagram.com/suyinvests

Happy New Year, fam! Wow. Who would've thought that we'll make it through 2020?! But we did. YOU did. Truly 2020 has left so much for us to reflect on and we thought that we should start off the year with an episode of reflection, gratitude and sharing what we look forward in 2021. And of course, we got our other bossman, Bryan, to join the Mings on this episode. Sit back, reflect with us and let us know what is the one thing that 2020 has taught you!