No time to blog, so I'll just post something heartwarming.
This is taken from the New York Times.
Accepting Gay Identity, and Gaining Strength
ONE month before Zach O’Connor, a seventh grader at Brown Middle School here, came out about being gay, he was in such turmoil that he stood up in homeroom and, in a voice everyone could hear, asked a girl out on a date. It was Valentine’s Day 2003, and Zach was 13.
“I was doing this to survive,” he says. “This is what other guys were doing, getting girlfriends. I should get one, too.”
He feared his parents knew the truth about him. He knew that his father had typed in a Google search starting with “g,” and several other recent “g” searches had popped up, including “gay.”
“They asked me, ‘Do you know what being gay is?’ ” he recalls. “They tried to explain there’s nothing wrong with it. I put my hands over my ears. I yelled: ‘I don’t want to hear it! I’m not, I’m not gay!’ ”
Cindy and Dan O’Connor were very worried about Zach. Though bright, he was doing poorly at school. At home, he would pick fights, slam doors, explode for no reason. They wondered how their two children could be so different; Matt, a year and a half younger, was easygoing and happy. Zach was miserable.
The O’Connors had hunches. Mr. O’Connor is a director of business development for American Express, Ms. O’Connor a senior vice president of a bank, and they have had gay colleagues, gay bosses, classmates who came out after college. From the time Zach was little, they knew he was not a run-of-the-mill boy. His friends were girls or timid boys.
“Zach had no interest in throwing a football,” Mr. O’Connor says. But their real worry was his anger, his unhappiness, his low self-esteem. “He’d say: ‘I’m not smart. I’m not like other kids,’ ” says Ms. O’Connor. The middle-school psychologist started seeing him daily.
The misery Zach caused was minor compared with the misery he felt. He says he knew he was different by kindergarten, but he had no name for it, so he would stay to himself. He tried sports, but, he says, “It didn’t work out well.” He couldn’t remember the rules. In fifth grade, when boys at recess were talking about girls they had crushes on, Zach did not have someone to name.
By sixth grade, he knew what “gay” meant, but didn’t associate it with himself. That year, he says: “I had a crush on one particular eighth-grade boy, a very straight jock. I knew whatever I was feeling I shouldn’t talk about it.” He considered himself a broken version of a human being. “I did think about suicide,” he says.
Then, for reasons he can’t wholly explain beyond pure desperation, a month after his Valentine “date” — “We never actually went out, just walked around school together” — in the midst of math class, he told a female friend. By day’s end it was all over school. The psychologist called him in. “I burst into tears,” he recalls. “I said, ‘Yes, it’s true.’ Every piece of depression came pouring out. It was such a mess.”
That night, when his mother got home from work, she stuck her head in his room to say hi. “I said, ‘Ma, I need to talk to you about something, I’m gay.’ She said, ‘O.K., anything else?’ ‘No, but I just told you I’m gay.’ ‘O.K., that’s fine, we still love you.’ I said, ‘That’s it?’ I was preparing for this really dramatic moment.”
Ms. O’Connor recalls, “He said, ‘Mom, aren’t you going to freak out?’ I said: ‘It’s up to you to decide who to love. I have your father, and you have to figure out what’s best for you.’ He said, ‘Don’t tell Dad.’ ”
“Of course I told him,” Ms. O’Connor says.
“With all our faults,” Mr. O’Connor says, “we’re in this together.”
Having a son come out so young was a lot of work for the parents. They found him a therapist who is gay 20 miles away in New Haven. The therapist helped them find a gay youth group, OutSpoken, a 50-minute drive away in Norwalk.
Dan Woog, a writer and longtime soccer coach at Staples High in Westport, helped found OutSpoken in 1993. He says for the first 10 years, the typical member was 17 to 22 years old. “They’d come in saying: ‘I’m gay. My life is over,’ ” Mr. Woog says. “One literally hyperventilated walking through the door.”
But in recent years, he says, the kids are 14 to 17 and more confident. “They say: ‘Hi, I’m gay. How do I meet people?’”
For the first 10 years, Mr. Woog never saw a parent; meetings were from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, so members could get out of the house without arousing suspicion. Now, he says, parents often bring the child to the first meeting.
He believes teenagers are coming out sooner because the Internet makes them feel less isolated and they’re seeing positive role models in the media. Indeed, Zach says he spent his first therapy session talking about the gay characters on the TV show “Will and Grace” as a way to test the therapist’s attitudes before talking about himself.
Still, seventh grade was not easy. “We heard kids across the street yelling ‘homo’ as he waited for the school bus,” Mr. O’Connor says. Zach says classmates tossed pencils at him and constantly mocked him. “One kid followed me class to class calling me ‘faggot,’ ” he says. “After a month I turned and punched him in the face. He got quiet and walked away. I said, ‘You got beat up by a faggot.’ ”
The O’Connors say middle-school officials were terrific, and by eighth grade the tide turned. Zach was let out 15 minutes early and walked across the football field to Daniel Hand High School to attend the gay-straight club. Knowing who he was, he could envision a future and felt a sense of purpose. His grades went up. He had friends. For an assignment about heroes, a girl in his class wrote about him, and Zach used her paper to come out to his Aunt Kathy.
He still wasn’t athletic, but to the family’s surprise, coming out let out a beautiful voice. He won the middle school’s top vocal award.
His father took him to a gay-lesbian conference at Central Connecticut State in New Britain, and Zach was thrilled to see so many gay people in one place. His therapist took him to a Gay Bingo Night at St. Paul’s Church on the Green in Norwalk that raises money for AIDS care. Zach became a regular and within a few months was named Miss Congeniality.
“They crowned me with a tiara and sash, and I walked around the room waving,” he recalls. “I was still this shy 14-year-old in braces. I hadn’t reached my socialness yet, and everyone was cheering.
“I was the future. Most of the men were middle-aged or older, and to see this 14-year-old out, they loved it. They were so happy.”
Now, as a 17-year-old 11th grader, Zach has passed through phases that many gay men of previous generations didn’t get to until their 20s, 30s, even 40s. “Eighth grade was kind of his militant time,” Mr. O’Connor says.
“Everything was a rainbow,” says Ms. O’Connor.
These days, Zach is so busy, he rarely has time for the gay-straight club. He’s in several singing and drama groups and is taking an SAT prep course.
“I’ve been out so long, I don’t really need the club as a resource,” he says. “I’m not going to say I’m popular, but I’m friendly with nearly everybody. Sophomore year, my social life skyrocketed.”
In music groups he made male friends for the first time. “They weren’t afraid of me,” he says. “They like me.”
His brother, Matt, says sometimes kids come up to him and ask what it’s like to have a gay brother. “I say it’s normal to me, I don’t think of it anymore.”
As for his parents, they’re happy that Zach’s happy.
“Coming out was the best thing for him,” Ms. O’Connor says. “We ask him, ‘Why didn’t you come out in fifth grade?’"
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
2-6-2-5
I am sure some of you would have known this already.
As I washaving a steamy SMS exchange with a hot stranger I know from the IRC texting using predictive text, I realised that the subject title spells A-N-A-L and C-O-C-K *giggles*
I know, I know, I am such a schoolboy sometimes.
Anyway, I saw this advert for a movie from a Malaysian film-maker Tsai Ming Liang, called I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, which has been banned in Malaysia because it shows Malaysia in "a bad light".
It's always so disappointing the so many Malaysians are famous elsewhere but not in their country of birth, that their work are not recognised and appreciated.
It's so ironic that Malaysian works and films are shown in Singapore instead, deemed our arch-rival and competitor.
Back to the film. The storyline goes that:
After being attacked and robbed in Kuala Lumpur, the homeless Hsiao Kang is taken in by some Bangladeshi workers. One of them, Rawang, lets Hsiao Kang sleep beside him on an old mattress he has found. As he nurses Hsiao Kang’s wounded body, he feels calm and contented. Is it because of the mattress or because of Hsiao Kang?
Chyi, who waits tables in a small coffee shop, is also nursing someone: her lady boss’s paralysed son. Chyi hates her life. When she happens to meet Hsiao Kang, her body fills with lustful desires. However, her difficulty in finding a place to have sex with him brings home to her just how little freedom she has.
As Hsiao Kang slowly recovers, he finds himself caught between Rawang and Chyi, pleading for attention like a stray cat but equally capable of fluttering away as free as a moth. Chyi’s lady boss also develops lustful feelings for Hsiao Kang, finding that he resembles her paralysed son...
Meanwhile a heavy haze envelops the city that is so humid that it reeks of the sweat of its multi-ethnic population. These men and women and the old mattress lose their way in the haze, but perhaps find each other …
Whoo! How interesting. Slightly gay-themed some more.
The so-called trailer is below. The song is just so beautiful and haunting.
I so can't wait to watch it next week. It is in Mandarin, but there are English subtitles, so that's a plus ;P
Edited:
Apparently, I was wrong. Found out that it might be screened in Malaysia after all.
Taken from here:
Despite Tsai having been careful about how he portrayed the character of his Muslim actor, Norman Atun, and the edits they made specially for the Malaysian release, somehow the censors still took offence with the film.
The censorship board's reasons were that Malaysia was depicted negatively in the film, with beggars and immigrants populating Kuala Lumpur and the hazardous haze (caused by open burning) enveloping the city. They said Malaysians were also portrayed as cold and heartless. It is Visit Malaysia Year 2007 after all, so they felt it wasn't appropriate for the film to be shown.
An appeal was quickly made against the ban and just a couple of days ago, the appeals committee of the censorship board finally said yes to the film's release ... but with a few conditions.
The film will only get a limited release in arthouse cinemas, while five cuts are to be made. The cuts involve scenes where actor Lee Kang-sheng's bare buttocks can be seen, Norman is cleaning Lee as he lies injured and clad only in his underwear, Norman washes his underwear, Lee and actress Chen Shiang-chyi are kissing and where radio reports of open burning can be heard in the background.
Producer Tee said they were happy that the appeal was successful, but worried about the five cuts. He said they would make another appeal against those cuts. Meanwhile, Tsai voiced his concern as well, stating that he could not see how a story about love and compassion could be seen by the censors as something negative. He also said he is still trying to make up his mind whether to accept those conditions put forth by the censors.
As I was
I know, I know, I am such a schoolboy sometimes.
Anyway, I saw this advert for a movie from a Malaysian film-maker Tsai Ming Liang, called I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, which has been banned in Malaysia because it shows Malaysia in "a bad light".
It's always so disappointing the so many Malaysians are famous elsewhere but not in their country of birth, that their work are not recognised and appreciated.
It's so ironic that Malaysian works and films are shown in Singapore instead, deemed our arch-rival and competitor.
Back to the film. The storyline goes that:
After being attacked and robbed in Kuala Lumpur, the homeless Hsiao Kang is taken in by some Bangladeshi workers. One of them, Rawang, lets Hsiao Kang sleep beside him on an old mattress he has found. As he nurses Hsiao Kang’s wounded body, he feels calm and contented. Is it because of the mattress or because of Hsiao Kang?
Chyi, who waits tables in a small coffee shop, is also nursing someone: her lady boss’s paralysed son. Chyi hates her life. When she happens to meet Hsiao Kang, her body fills with lustful desires. However, her difficulty in finding a place to have sex with him brings home to her just how little freedom she has.
As Hsiao Kang slowly recovers, he finds himself caught between Rawang and Chyi, pleading for attention like a stray cat but equally capable of fluttering away as free as a moth. Chyi’s lady boss also develops lustful feelings for Hsiao Kang, finding that he resembles her paralysed son...
Meanwhile a heavy haze envelops the city that is so humid that it reeks of the sweat of its multi-ethnic population. These men and women and the old mattress lose their way in the haze, but perhaps find each other …
Whoo! How interesting. Slightly gay-themed some more.
The so-called trailer is below. The song is just so beautiful and haunting.
I so can't wait to watch it next week. It is in Mandarin, but there are English subtitles, so that's a plus ;P
Edited:
Apparently, I was wrong. Found out that it might be screened in Malaysia after all.
Taken from here:
Despite Tsai having been careful about how he portrayed the character of his Muslim actor, Norman Atun, and the edits they made specially for the Malaysian release, somehow the censors still took offence with the film.
The censorship board's reasons were that Malaysia was depicted negatively in the film, with beggars and immigrants populating Kuala Lumpur and the hazardous haze (caused by open burning) enveloping the city. They said Malaysians were also portrayed as cold and heartless. It is Visit Malaysia Year 2007 after all, so they felt it wasn't appropriate for the film to be shown.
An appeal was quickly made against the ban and just a couple of days ago, the appeals committee of the censorship board finally said yes to the film's release ... but with a few conditions.
The film will only get a limited release in arthouse cinemas, while five cuts are to be made. The cuts involve scenes where actor Lee Kang-sheng's bare buttocks can be seen, Norman is cleaning Lee as he lies injured and clad only in his underwear, Norman washes his underwear, Lee and actress Chen Shiang-chyi are kissing and where radio reports of open burning can be heard in the background.
Producer Tee said they were happy that the appeal was successful, but worried about the five cuts. He said they would make another appeal against those cuts. Meanwhile, Tsai voiced his concern as well, stating that he could not see how a story about love and compassion could be seen by the censors as something negative. He also said he is still trying to make up his mind whether to accept those conditions put forth by the censors.
Monday, March 26, 2007
300
I haven't been reviewing movies lately, though I am still watching one movie a week on average.
Two weeks ago, I watched 300. The CGI background was fantastic. The cinematography which gave it a comic book feel, with greyish undertones worked really well.
Those are about the only good things about the movie.
Storyline itself, there's nothing much to shout about. To be correct, the movie is based on the comic, not the actual Battle of Thermopylae. Most people seem to believed that the movie is quite close to fact, when it isn't.
According to a professor, some of the inaccuracies include the number of Spartans who fought (7000 of them) and any one going into war would be wearing something more than just underpants, like armour and breastplates.
Maybe I am just biased, but beefcakes and mature beefcakes to be precise, doesn't do it for me. And I think there was a little too much breasts exposure for my liking.
Although there are a lot of people gushing over the movie, I would expect that they do because the movie appeals to the masculinity of most straight males. There's violence and there's female nudity. The good guys are fighting for freedom and to protect one's country are indeed noble virtues.
Though the fight scenes are quite nice to look at with the blood splashing spectacularly and a lot of stabbing and beheading, I still prefer the fight scenes in the LOTR.
Anyway, as I said, the movie would appeal to most males. There are sex and violence and gore in abundance.
Another thing that would most likely appeal to them is how the bad guys are portrayed. The Persians are just freaks. Just look at the giant disfigured killing monster of a man, crazy elephants and most of all, the so-obviously-gay-with-too-many-piercings-and-wears-makeup leader, Xerxes.
Needless to say, it perpetuates the idea that homosexuality is evil and freaks of nature and they need to be destroyed.
Acting wise, no one would win any awards. They just shout their battle cries and go to war.
To most males, what is not to like? It reinforces their masculinity and propensity to hate and fear what they do not understand.
As mentioned, the things I found interesting is the beautifully rendered background and the comic book feel cinematography.
Overall, I would rate it a 6 out of 10. IMDB rating is 8.2 at the moment and Rottentomatoes rates it 61%.
Two weeks ago, I watched 300. The CGI background was fantastic. The cinematography which gave it a comic book feel, with greyish undertones worked really well.
Those are about the only good things about the movie.
Storyline itself, there's nothing much to shout about. To be correct, the movie is based on the comic, not the actual Battle of Thermopylae. Most people seem to believed that the movie is quite close to fact, when it isn't.
According to a professor, some of the inaccuracies include the number of Spartans who fought (7000 of them) and any one going into war would be wearing something more than just underpants, like armour and breastplates.
Maybe I am just biased, but beefcakes and mature beefcakes to be precise, doesn't do it for me. And I think there was a little too much breasts exposure for my liking.
Although there are a lot of people gushing over the movie, I would expect that they do because the movie appeals to the masculinity of most straight males. There's violence and there's female nudity. The good guys are fighting for freedom and to protect one's country are indeed noble virtues.
Though the fight scenes are quite nice to look at with the blood splashing spectacularly and a lot of stabbing and beheading, I still prefer the fight scenes in the LOTR.
Anyway, as I said, the movie would appeal to most males. There are sex and violence and gore in abundance.
Another thing that would most likely appeal to them is how the bad guys are portrayed. The Persians are just freaks. Just look at the giant disfigured killing monster of a man, crazy elephants and most of all, the so-obviously-gay-with-too-many-piercings-and-wears-makeup leader, Xerxes.
Needless to say, it perpetuates the idea that homosexuality is evil and freaks of nature and they need to be destroyed.
Acting wise, no one would win any awards. They just shout their battle cries and go to war.
To most males, what is not to like? It reinforces their masculinity and propensity to hate and fear what they do not understand.
As mentioned, the things I found interesting is the beautifully rendered background and the comic book feel cinematography.
Overall, I would rate it a 6 out of 10. IMDB rating is 8.2 at the moment and Rottentomatoes rates it 61%.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Fertility clinic for gay men
I have always wanted kids, even though they may not be my own.
Obviously, there aren't many choices to begin with, either I adopt or find someone who is willing to be a surrogate mother.
Nowadays, there are quite a few celebrities adopting, like the most recent one being Angelina Jolie adopting her third child, who is from Vietnam and the high profile Madonna case and her Malawi boy last year.
Things could get easier, but of course, with ease comes a high cost. To be precise, USD60,000! It's more than RM200,000!
With that amount of money, I think I could have a grand reception and marry a woman, have a child, divorce, pay alimony and get custody rights!
Just kidding of course ;P
You think the price would have gone down, by the time I decide to go ahead with it? ;P
The article below is taken from here.
Gay male parents get dedicated fertility program
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles fertility clinic has launched what it says is the first dedicated program for gay men wanting to become parents.
The Fertility Institutes, already a pioneer in the controversial area of gender selection, said it was responding to huge demand from gay male couples around the world who want their own biological children but are often thwarted by prejudice and bureaucracy.
"There are a lot of centers that dibble and dabble in this. But we are the only program for gay men that has psychological, legal, medical, surrogates, donors and patients all taken care of in one place," Dr Jeffrey Steinberg, director of The Fertility Institutes, told Reuters in an interview.
"The demand is incredible. The United States has always been busy but we are seeing more and more demand from abroad."
The last few years have seen a large increase in the number of gay men who want to father children using surrogate mothers rather than opting for adoption, which is difficult or impossible for homosexuals or lesbians in several U.S. states.
Gay male couples seeking parenthood usually have to go to several different agencies to find surrogate mothers, egg donors, lawyers and medical treatment.
Potential surrogate mothers often opt out when they discover the couple wanting a child is gay, partly because of perceptions that homosexuals have a higher risk of diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and the HIV virus.
Steinberg gets consent from surrogates up front, tests the fathers-to-be for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and freezes their sperm for six months as an extra safeguard.
Steinberg has already treated about 70 gay male couples while perfecting the program. Some 40 percent were Americans, with the rest from Britain, Germany, China, Canada, Italy, Brazil and South Africa.
The average cost is about $60,000 -- and three-quarters of gay couples pay extra to choose the sex of their baby. Gender selection of babies is illegal in most countries except the United States.
"We thought they were all going to come in and want boys, but about 65 percent want male and the others want girls," Steinberg said.
Steinberg said he was braced for controversy about going public with the program but hoped to ride the storm.
"This is new. It is challenging. We understand people are a little intimidated, a little frightened by it," he said. "It just takes time to get used to things."
Obviously, there aren't many choices to begin with, either I adopt or find someone who is willing to be a surrogate mother.
Nowadays, there are quite a few celebrities adopting, like the most recent one being Angelina Jolie adopting her third child, who is from Vietnam and the high profile Madonna case and her Malawi boy last year.
Things could get easier, but of course, with ease comes a high cost. To be precise, USD60,000! It's more than RM200,000!
With that amount of money, I think I could have a grand reception and marry a woman, have a child, divorce, pay alimony and get custody rights!
Just kidding of course ;P
You think the price would have gone down, by the time I decide to go ahead with it? ;P
The article below is taken from here.
Gay male parents get dedicated fertility program
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles fertility clinic has launched what it says is the first dedicated program for gay men wanting to become parents.
The Fertility Institutes, already a pioneer in the controversial area of gender selection, said it was responding to huge demand from gay male couples around the world who want their own biological children but are often thwarted by prejudice and bureaucracy.
"There are a lot of centers that dibble and dabble in this. But we are the only program for gay men that has psychological, legal, medical, surrogates, donors and patients all taken care of in one place," Dr Jeffrey Steinberg, director of The Fertility Institutes, told Reuters in an interview.
"The demand is incredible. The United States has always been busy but we are seeing more and more demand from abroad."
The last few years have seen a large increase in the number of gay men who want to father children using surrogate mothers rather than opting for adoption, which is difficult or impossible for homosexuals or lesbians in several U.S. states.
Gay male couples seeking parenthood usually have to go to several different agencies to find surrogate mothers, egg donors, lawyers and medical treatment.
Potential surrogate mothers often opt out when they discover the couple wanting a child is gay, partly because of perceptions that homosexuals have a higher risk of diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and the HIV virus.
Steinberg gets consent from surrogates up front, tests the fathers-to-be for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and freezes their sperm for six months as an extra safeguard.
Steinberg has already treated about 70 gay male couples while perfecting the program. Some 40 percent were Americans, with the rest from Britain, Germany, China, Canada, Italy, Brazil and South Africa.
The average cost is about $60,000 -- and three-quarters of gay couples pay extra to choose the sex of their baby. Gender selection of babies is illegal in most countries except the United States.
"We thought they were all going to come in and want boys, but about 65 percent want male and the others want girls," Steinberg said.
Steinberg said he was braced for controversy about going public with the program but hoped to ride the storm.
"This is new. It is challenging. We understand people are a little intimidated, a little frightened by it," he said. "It just takes time to get used to things."
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Swimming Instructor
A few friends and I watched the play called "The Swimming Instructor" yesterday.
The story is about this very Ah Beng swimming instructor called Guan who became the object of attraction of an ambitious marketing executive (Dave) and a spoilt rich girl who is sexually aggressive (Jan).
I suppose the attraction of the play is the unspoken expectation of lots of exposed flesh (checked), ripped bodies (checked) and nice swim wear and apparel by Bods Bodynits (checked).
Shallow as I am, I did expect a heavier and more intriguing story then I wassplashed served with.
The scenes seemed patchy. The so-called innovative video which showed the thoughts/past/flashback of the characters, didn't seem to bring anything new into the story. The video scenes could easily have been incorporated into or implied in the live acting.
Guan does not seem to know what he wants and is confused about his sexuality. He kept mentioning about his fiance whom left him five years ago. There was also a best friend (Tong) in his past who confessed his love for Guan and which he rejected. Tong was found dead the next day and Guan has put the blame on himself.
It was unclear from the play whether the fiance was a woman or Tong and the fiance is the same person.
Dave has no time for relationships because of his career and his bad experience in love. He doesn't want to put himself out there and get hurt. He is attracted to Guan, but resist from acting out his desire, even though Guan has shown subtle interest in him.
Jan, whose parents are no longer in love with each other, as the father brings different women home often and the mother indulges in her own affairs to get back at her husband, is afraid of commitment because of parents. Deep down, she wants someone to love her, yet is afraid to commit and thus chooses physical intimacy over emotional solace.
The object of both their affections, Guan, however is still a believer in love and wants to find someone for a committed relationship.
There were a few sexually exciting but gratuitous scenes: heavy make out scene between Guan and Jan and Dave's naked shower scene.
This was a restaging of the original which was performed in 1999. In the original, Guan was almost asexual and there was no obvious interest in either Dave or Jan. It was more intriguing, as the audience was left wondering who did he like. Finally, Guan left for Australia without making his affections clear.
In the latest reincarnation, he was both attracted to Dave and Jan, but more to the former. The ending was to me, a cop out and didn't make sense. Probably to keep to the spirit of the original where no one was chosen, Guan drowned when he did one of his usual sink-to-the-bottom-and-last-as-long-as-he-can routine.
Acting was good all around, even though the three leads were first timers. Guan however was a little too loud; he seems to be shouting all the time in his portrayal of an Ah Beng. Though his chiselled six-pack abs did distract me a little from that weakness ;P
In short, it was quite a disappointing play. I was expecting a meatier plot. The eye-candy can only do so much, as it still boils down to the story.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
The story is about this very Ah Beng swimming instructor called Guan who became the object of attraction of an ambitious marketing executive (Dave) and a spoilt rich girl who is sexually aggressive (Jan).
I suppose the attraction of the play is the unspoken expectation of lots of exposed flesh (checked), ripped bodies (checked) and nice swim wear and apparel by Bods Bodynits (checked).
Shallow as I am, I did expect a heavier and more intriguing story then I was
The scenes seemed patchy. The so-called innovative video which showed the thoughts/past/flashback of the characters, didn't seem to bring anything new into the story. The video scenes could easily have been incorporated into or implied in the live acting.
Guan does not seem to know what he wants and is confused about his sexuality. He kept mentioning about his fiance whom left him five years ago. There was also a best friend (Tong) in his past who confessed his love for Guan and which he rejected. Tong was found dead the next day and Guan has put the blame on himself.
It was unclear from the play whether the fiance was a woman or Tong and the fiance is the same person.
Dave has no time for relationships because of his career and his bad experience in love. He doesn't want to put himself out there and get hurt. He is attracted to Guan, but resist from acting out his desire, even though Guan has shown subtle interest in him.
Jan, whose parents are no longer in love with each other, as the father brings different women home often and the mother indulges in her own affairs to get back at her husband, is afraid of commitment because of parents. Deep down, she wants someone to love her, yet is afraid to commit and thus chooses physical intimacy over emotional solace.
The object of both their affections, Guan, however is still a believer in love and wants to find someone for a committed relationship.
There were a few sexually exciting but gratuitous scenes: heavy make out scene between Guan and Jan and Dave's naked shower scene.
This was a restaging of the original which was performed in 1999. In the original, Guan was almost asexual and there was no obvious interest in either Dave or Jan. It was more intriguing, as the audience was left wondering who did he like. Finally, Guan left for Australia without making his affections clear.
In the latest reincarnation, he was both attracted to Dave and Jan, but more to the former. The ending was to me, a cop out and didn't make sense. Probably to keep to the spirit of the original where no one was chosen, Guan drowned when he did one of his usual sink-to-the-bottom-and-last-as-long-as-he-can routine.
Acting was good all around, even though the three leads were first timers. Guan however was a little too loud; he seems to be shouting all the time in his portrayal of an Ah Beng. Though his chiselled six-pack abs did distract me a little from that weakness ;P
In short, it was quite a disappointing play. I was expecting a meatier plot. The eye-candy can only do so much, as it still boils down to the story.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
An afternoon in the city
Since I had such an eventful weekend, I was dead tired on Monday. As such I took the afternoon off. But then, instead of resting, I went out with Frankie.
These are some of the random shots of places we visited. They were taken at the Singapore National Museum.
The next picture is the Singapore Management University (SMU), located right in the city and near to the National Museum.
The Singapore Arts Museum was our next stop.
There wasn't any description on this, but probably is to inspire the Singaporeans
to procreate more, as their birth rate is one of the lowest in the world.
The corridor outside the Arts Museum
This picture looks so wrong!
Oh, apparently colleagues think that my hair looks quite nice. I didn't think it was that great initially ;P
But now I seem to like it more and more!
These are some of the random shots of places we visited. They were taken at the Singapore National Museum.
The next picture is the Singapore Management University (SMU), located right in the city and near to the National Museum.
The Singapore Arts Museum was our next stop.
There wasn't any description on this, but probably is to inspire the Singaporeansto procreate more, as their birth rate is one of the lowest in the world.
The corridor outside the Arts Museum
This picture looks so wrong!Oh, apparently colleagues think that my hair looks quite nice. I didn't think it was that great initially ;P
But now I seem to like it more and more!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
My 26th year
First time celebrating my birthday away from home. First time celebrating my birthday with someone else organising it, with the itinerary being more than just lunch.
I had no idea what to expect when I was told to head to Jurong East at 12 noon. My initial thought was either Jurong Bird Park or the Science Center.
But of course, whatever plans for the day would have to start with a meal. I was practically starved and we headed to Pizza Hut.
The people who came were Shahul, James, Anson, Daniel, Lloyd and Jason.
We ordered three regular pizzas. It was more than enough. When we were near to finishing the meal, James and Shahul went out and bought a chocolate cake.
It was really sweet of them. The cake was delicious; not too sweet and sufficiently moist.
I'll post a picture of the cake the next time.
After that, the plan was to go ice skating. Now, I am not really a fan of skating and I only did it once when I was in KL. I thought that time would be my first and last.
Anyway, I thought what the heck. It might be fun, though I doubt I would have improved much. I would probably be falling countless times and flailing like a mad man.
So basically I just walked, not skated. The shoes felt really uncomfortable and I am not very good with my balance.
And then something really memorable happened.
My friends got the management to announce my birthday over the public announcement system. There was another person who shared the same birthday and his name was mentioned as well.
The Happy Birthday song was played and there was ice being sprayed from ice-making machines. It created a snow-like effect, like falling snow.
It was really nice. We were standing in the middle of the rink, with falling tiny ice around us. Most of the other skaters gathered around the middle as well.
Too bad there wasn't anyone around to snap a picture of us.
We skated for an hour and a half. After that we headed to Suntec City as Lloyd wanted to buy a 4Gb Flash Drive at the IT Fair. The item was selling for $75 and that was really a bargain!
Dinner was the next item, as we were all quite hungry from the walking and window shopping. We had Thai at this place called Lerk Thai. which had a 30% discount.
The food was quite nice, but the portions were quite small. If it hadn't been for the 30% discount, I think it wouldn't be worth it. The bill came up to $74.
This was what we had for dessert.
So that was how my birthday went. On the way back home, we spent half an hour browsing books at MPH.
Overall, it was a memorable birthday experience. It was made special by those who came and celebrated with me.
Thanks so much guys! *hugs*
Oh, this is my new haircut. I had it coloured and highlighted ;P
I had no idea what to expect when I was told to head to Jurong East at 12 noon. My initial thought was either Jurong Bird Park or the Science Center.
But of course, whatever plans for the day would have to start with a meal. I was practically starved and we headed to Pizza Hut.
The people who came were Shahul, James, Anson, Daniel, Lloyd and Jason.
We ordered three regular pizzas. It was more than enough. When we were near to finishing the meal, James and Shahul went out and bought a chocolate cake.
It was really sweet of them. The cake was delicious; not too sweet and sufficiently moist.
I'll post a picture of the cake the next time.
After that, the plan was to go ice skating. Now, I am not really a fan of skating and I only did it once when I was in KL. I thought that time would be my first and last.
Anyway, I thought what the heck. It might be fun, though I doubt I would have improved much. I would probably be falling countless times and flailing like a mad man.
So basically I just walked, not skated. The shoes felt really uncomfortable and I am not very good with my balance.
And then something really memorable happened.
My friends got the management to announce my birthday over the public announcement system. There was another person who shared the same birthday and his name was mentioned as well.
The Happy Birthday song was played and there was ice being sprayed from ice-making machines. It created a snow-like effect, like falling snow.
It was really nice. We were standing in the middle of the rink, with falling tiny ice around us. Most of the other skaters gathered around the middle as well.
Too bad there wasn't anyone around to snap a picture of us.
We skated for an hour and a half. After that we headed to Suntec City as Lloyd wanted to buy a 4Gb Flash Drive at the IT Fair. The item was selling for $75 and that was really a bargain!
Dinner was the next item, as we were all quite hungry from the walking and window shopping. We had Thai at this place called Lerk Thai. which had a 30% discount.
The food was quite nice, but the portions were quite small. If it hadn't been for the 30% discount, I think it wouldn't be worth it. The bill came up to $74.
This was what we had for dessert.
So that was how my birthday went. On the way back home, we spent half an hour browsing books at MPH.
Overall, it was a memorable birthday experience. It was made special by those who came and celebrated with me.
Thanks so much guys! *hugs*
Oh, this is my new haircut. I had it coloured and highlighted ;P
Friday, March 09, 2007
White
Nothing to blog about, so I shall just show pictures of my new trunks which I bought last Saturday.
I tried, like, 8 pairs of trunks before deciding on this. Apparently, this is the one that I look the nicest in, according to Lloyd.
Wore it for the first time on Tuesday. Don't think I got any stares! LOL
By the way, His Skankiness, Frankie has arrived safely last night and survived the first night. Actually, I am the one who suffer as I have to wake up at least half an hour earlier than usual!
It's gonna be a long six days ;P
I tried, like, 8 pairs of trunks before deciding on this. Apparently, this is the one that I look the nicest in, according to Lloyd.
Wore it for the first time on Tuesday. Don't think I got any stares! LOL
By the way, His Skankiness, Frankie has arrived safely last night and survived the first night. Actually, I am the one who suffer as I have to wake up at least half an hour earlier than usual!
It's gonna be a long six days ;P
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Tremors
I was talking to my manager today and suddenly I felt my chair was shaking. My head moving sideways and I felt I was about to faint.
My initial thought was, "Oh no! It's another dizzy spell. It seems to have gotten worse since my last one and I really have to see the doctor soon."
I was way off. It was actually the Indonesian earthquake was felt all the way here in Singapore, 400 kilometers away. The time was 11.49 a.m.
Immediately I went online to check for news. No updates. Probably not so soon, even though we are leaving in the age of almost instantaneous information.
As it was almost time for lunch, my colleagues and I, in fact almost the whole company, came out of the building. We saw all the other office lobbies nearby were crowded with people too. Everyone has instinctively left their respective buildings, even though the tremor lasted only about 20 seconds.
There was a sense of excitement and worry. The phone lines were jammed and some of my colleagues couldn't even send out SMSes to their family and friends.
Apparently, many areas in Singapore felt the vibrations too. According to news reports, Kuala Lumpuer felt it too.
But when I called home at 2 p.m., my mom said she didn't feel a thing.
Not long after I put down the phone, another tremor was felt. It was the aftershock of the earthquake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. Nearer to the epicenter in Padang, Indonesia, there were many smaller aftershocks after the main one.
This second tremor which I felt seemed stronger than the first one, but was shorter. Probably about 10 seconds.
The thing is, I felt dizzy for the rest of the day, even though there were no other tremors. The feeling is hard to describe; it's like a combination of headache with a slight pain, with some daze and dizziness included. It's also like those feeling when you had a lack of sleep for days ...
I felt better after I had a swim after work. But as I type this, the feeling seems to have return.
I think it's best I go to bed now.
My initial thought was, "Oh no! It's another dizzy spell. It seems to have gotten worse since my last one and I really have to see the doctor soon."
I was way off. It was actually the Indonesian earthquake was felt all the way here in Singapore, 400 kilometers away. The time was 11.49 a.m.
Immediately I went online to check for news. No updates. Probably not so soon, even though we are leaving in the age of almost instantaneous information.
As it was almost time for lunch, my colleagues and I, in fact almost the whole company, came out of the building. We saw all the other office lobbies nearby were crowded with people too. Everyone has instinctively left their respective buildings, even though the tremor lasted only about 20 seconds.
There was a sense of excitement and worry. The phone lines were jammed and some of my colleagues couldn't even send out SMSes to their family and friends.
Apparently, many areas in Singapore felt the vibrations too. According to news reports, Kuala Lumpuer felt it too.
But when I called home at 2 p.m., my mom said she didn't feel a thing.
Not long after I put down the phone, another tremor was felt. It was the aftershock of the earthquake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. Nearer to the epicenter in Padang, Indonesia, there were many smaller aftershocks after the main one.
This second tremor which I felt seemed stronger than the first one, but was shorter. Probably about 10 seconds.
The thing is, I felt dizzy for the rest of the day, even though there were no other tremors. The feeling is hard to describe; it's like a combination of headache with a slight pain, with some daze and dizziness included. It's also like those feeling when you had a lack of sleep for days ...
I felt better after I had a swim after work. But as I type this, the feeling seems to have return.
I think it's best I go to bed now.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Undressed
Came across these from another videos from another blog. They are a series called Undressed shown on MTV. You have to pardon the old TV kinda look and the fashion sense, because it was shown in 1999.
Taken from Wikipedia.
Undressed was an anthology series that followed the relationships (both sexual and romantic) of young people, often high school or college students. The series was notable for featuring both heterosexual and homosexual characters and relationships and controversial for its frank depiction of sexuality among characters who are often under the age of 18. Each season had several recurring characters with each episode focused on two or three specific characters with plotlines presented as interleaved vignettes. Undressed ran for 6 seasons.
Of course, this being a gay blog, the episodes below are consistent with who I am.
Enjoy, folks! And yes, there are some nude scenes of the cute teens. And oh my, lookie! I just wrote a phrase of rhyming words! LOL
P/S If the guy in the first two clips looks familiar, he's the straight guy pretending to be gay in Eating Out.
Taken from Wikipedia.
Undressed was an anthology series that followed the relationships (both sexual and romantic) of young people, often high school or college students. The series was notable for featuring both heterosexual and homosexual characters and relationships and controversial for its frank depiction of sexuality among characters who are often under the age of 18. Each season had several recurring characters with each episode focused on two or three specific characters with plotlines presented as interleaved vignettes. Undressed ran for 6 seasons.
Of course, this being a gay blog, the episodes below are consistent with who I am.
Enjoy, folks! And yes, there are some nude scenes of the cute teens. And oh my, lookie! I just wrote a phrase of rhyming words! LOL
P/S If the guy in the first two clips looks familiar, he's the straight guy pretending to be gay in Eating Out.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
On the first day of CNY ...
I am now back in Singapore. Came back yesterday evening so that I can have a day's rest before starting work on Monday.
I think my brain will need some time to defrost from the holiday mood. Heck, technically it's still the holidays as Chinese New Year is 15-day long. I heard from a friend working in Taiwan that they actually got the whole of last week declared as public holiday.
I went back to KL two Fridays ago. Took half day leave as my bus was the 2.30 p.m. one. I was expecting long queues at the immigration and expected the Singapore-KL journey to be delayed for at least two hours, but luckily I was wrong. There was practically no one at both sides of the immigration. Traffic on the highway was smooth as well.
Thus, I was arrived back in KL at half past five. Some of my friends who came back after work hours on Friday had to suffer 8-10 hours of traffic, both human and vehicular.
As soon as I reached KL, I had a craving for nasi lemak. Truth be told, there is no good nasi lemak in Singapore! I thought of Madam Kwan's in Midvalley, and thus my best friend and I were headed there.
As luck would have it, Madam Kwan's was closed. So was Oh Sushi! And so was Dragon-I. Hence we made our way to Little Penang Cafe instead.
After dinner, Nyk finally showed up and we headed to Coffee Bean for two more friends to show up.
We made some small chat and I was all over him.
The two appeared half an hour later and we sat there till the cows came home. Not really, we left about half past eleven as some of them had to work the next day.
New Year's eve was a no-no for going out. I stayed home the whole day and looked forward to the reunion dinner.
Reunion dinner dishes were a bit different to previous years. We had fish, roasted duck, some vegetables, ah chat and prawns. There wasn't soup or chicken this year.
Chu Yi (First day of CNY)
Nothing much happened. Nyk came over in the afternoon for a while to spend some time with me.
At night, went out for mamak with a friend who is flying off to Australia to fulfill his PR requirements. He is going be there for two years and his company would be missed.
Chu Erh (Second day of CNY)
Went back to my grandma's house, as is the custom for my family. We usually go back to my maternal grandma's house on the second day of CNY.
Luckily my younger cousin who is married didn't give me any ang paus (red packets with some money) this year. It so embarrassing to receive it from her when she did last year. Instead I gave some money to her children.
At night, I went out with some friends for dinner. I wasn't feeling so well; feeling hot and feverish. Went to yam cha at Wong Kok OUG. Came home and took some Milidon before falling asleep at 3 a.m.
Chu San (Third day of CNY)
Didn't go out either. YF (my ex) came to visit after FFK-ing the day before. I really wasn't in the mood to see him, but it turned out to be quite an enjoyable evening with him. He was telling me about his current boyfriend and how the boyfriend was freaking straight in all aspects. The strong silent type.
That was followed by a schoolmate dropping by and also Nyk. We took a can of beer each and went down to the pool side to chit chat. We had mandarin oranges and basically just had a good time talking till two o'clock.
Chu Shi (Fourth day of CNY)
Dinner plans at Itallianies at 9.30 p.m. But it was changed to Kuchai Lama food court instead, which was very near where I live.
As I would be starved to death at half past nine, Nyk and I had dinner at this vegetarian shop. I had been there before with another friend who is vegetarian and the food is quite good.
After that, we walked around a bit at a shopping place nearby to kill time and then proceeded to the food court. There were four others already there, Apollo and defiant, CK and his friend.
Talk, talk, talk, they went home as they had to work the next day. The two of us went to some mamak nearby to do more talking.
Chu Wu (Fifth day of CNY)
This was the most happening day for me. Went to visit my ex-babysitter at 1 p.m. Then I had to meet up with ex-colleagues in SS2. This was followed by a trip to Subang to visit the same group of ex-colleagues. Then two of them came to my house for a short visit as they drove me home.
At quarter past six, Nyk was waiting for me to go for dinner. My colleagues left at the same time. He and his wife were generous enough to give me 6 ang paus; five were for my other colleagues in Singapore.
We went to Xenri for dinner. The price is slightly on the high side but the food was good. The bill came to about a hundred and I said there and then that we should come only for the lunch buffet (forty ringgit per person).
Next stop was Bangsar Shopping Center where we watch the premier of Ah Steve.
I have never watched any of de Silva's work before and from what I heard, his works are quite good. Overall it was an enjoyable play, which was about an hour long and not 90 minutes as stated. Acting was commendable all around and Carol Wu as Ah Steve's sister was more outstanding than the rest.
I think it hit home more for Nyk than it did for me. A cocktail of Catholicism, Mother Mary, Chinese culture, transgenderism and a My Little Pony (does anyone still remember the cartoon?) and we have a heady mix of hilarious and spot on observations on the peculiarities of Malaysian culture and human behaviour.
After the show, we went to another group of school mate's house for a round of card-playing, which was followed by another mamak session.
Chu Liu (Sixth day of CNY)
Nothing eventful except for visiting a junior schoolmate's house. Time stated was 7 p.m. but I was the only one there from 7.30 till 9.
My friend's dad forced everyone who came to his house to finish a can of beer. If not, he would sit there and watch you till the guest do, no matter how long.
Scary right? LOL
Nyk came to pick me up at 10 p.m. and we spend a little us time before I go back to Singapore the next day.
And now I am back here, dreading tomorrow when tonnes of work beckons.
I think my brain will need some time to defrost from the holiday mood. Heck, technically it's still the holidays as Chinese New Year is 15-day long. I heard from a friend working in Taiwan that they actually got the whole of last week declared as public holiday.
I went back to KL two Fridays ago. Took half day leave as my bus was the 2.30 p.m. one. I was expecting long queues at the immigration and expected the Singapore-KL journey to be delayed for at least two hours, but luckily I was wrong. There was practically no one at both sides of the immigration. Traffic on the highway was smooth as well.
Thus, I was arrived back in KL at half past five. Some of my friends who came back after work hours on Friday had to suffer 8-10 hours of traffic, both human and vehicular.
As soon as I reached KL, I had a craving for nasi lemak. Truth be told, there is no good nasi lemak in Singapore! I thought of Madam Kwan's in Midvalley, and thus my best friend and I were headed there.
As luck would have it, Madam Kwan's was closed. So was Oh Sushi! And so was Dragon-I. Hence we made our way to Little Penang Cafe instead.
After dinner, Nyk finally showed up and we headed to Coffee Bean for two more friends to show up.
We made some small chat and I was all over him.
The two appeared half an hour later and we sat there till the cows came home. Not really, we left about half past eleven as some of them had to work the next day.
New Year's eve was a no-no for going out. I stayed home the whole day and looked forward to the reunion dinner.
Reunion dinner dishes were a bit different to previous years. We had fish, roasted duck, some vegetables, ah chat and prawns. There wasn't soup or chicken this year.
Chu Yi (First day of CNY)
Nothing much happened. Nyk came over in the afternoon for a while to spend some time with me.
At night, went out for mamak with a friend who is flying off to Australia to fulfill his PR requirements. He is going be there for two years and his company would be missed.
Chu Erh (Second day of CNY)
Went back to my grandma's house, as is the custom for my family. We usually go back to my maternal grandma's house on the second day of CNY.
Luckily my younger cousin who is married didn't give me any ang paus (red packets with some money) this year. It so embarrassing to receive it from her when she did last year. Instead I gave some money to her children.
At night, I went out with some friends for dinner. I wasn't feeling so well; feeling hot and feverish. Went to yam cha at Wong Kok OUG. Came home and took some Milidon before falling asleep at 3 a.m.
Chu San (Third day of CNY)
Didn't go out either. YF (my ex) came to visit after FFK-ing the day before. I really wasn't in the mood to see him, but it turned out to be quite an enjoyable evening with him. He was telling me about his current boyfriend and how the boyfriend was freaking straight in all aspects. The strong silent type.
That was followed by a schoolmate dropping by and also Nyk. We took a can of beer each and went down to the pool side to chit chat. We had mandarin oranges and basically just had a good time talking till two o'clock.
Chu Shi (Fourth day of CNY)
Dinner plans at Itallianies at 9.30 p.m. But it was changed to Kuchai Lama food court instead, which was very near where I live.
As I would be starved to death at half past nine, Nyk and I had dinner at this vegetarian shop. I had been there before with another friend who is vegetarian and the food is quite good.
After that, we walked around a bit at a shopping place nearby to kill time and then proceeded to the food court. There were four others already there, Apollo and defiant, CK and his friend.
Talk, talk, talk, they went home as they had to work the next day. The two of us went to some mamak nearby to do more talking.
Chu Wu (Fifth day of CNY)
This was the most happening day for me. Went to visit my ex-babysitter at 1 p.m. Then I had to meet up with ex-colleagues in SS2. This was followed by a trip to Subang to visit the same group of ex-colleagues. Then two of them came to my house for a short visit as they drove me home.
At quarter past six, Nyk was waiting for me to go for dinner. My colleagues left at the same time. He and his wife were generous enough to give me 6 ang paus; five were for my other colleagues in Singapore.
We went to Xenri for dinner. The price is slightly on the high side but the food was good. The bill came to about a hundred and I said there and then that we should come only for the lunch buffet (forty ringgit per person).
Next stop was Bangsar Shopping Center where we watch the premier of Ah Steve.
I have never watched any of de Silva's work before and from what I heard, his works are quite good. Overall it was an enjoyable play, which was about an hour long and not 90 minutes as stated. Acting was commendable all around and Carol Wu as Ah Steve's sister was more outstanding than the rest.
I think it hit home more for Nyk than it did for me. A cocktail of Catholicism, Mother Mary, Chinese culture, transgenderism and a My Little Pony (does anyone still remember the cartoon?) and we have a heady mix of hilarious and spot on observations on the peculiarities of Malaysian culture and human behaviour.
After the show, we went to another group of school mate's house for a round of card-playing, which was followed by another mamak session.
Chu Liu (Sixth day of CNY)
Nothing eventful except for visiting a junior schoolmate's house. Time stated was 7 p.m. but I was the only one there from 7.30 till 9.
My friend's dad forced everyone who came to his house to finish a can of beer. If not, he would sit there and watch you till the guest do, no matter how long.
Scary right? LOL
Nyk came to pick me up at 10 p.m. and we spend a little us time before I go back to Singapore the next day.
And now I am back here, dreading tomorrow when tonnes of work beckons.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
The Year of the Fire Pig arrives
I was flipping through the paper's yesterday and noticed that the Year of the Pig has become the Year of the Boar. All mention of pigs have become boar. The newspaper that I am specifically referring to is the Star.
I have grown up with pigs being called pigs. Boars are the wild versions of it, and this is confirmed in Wikipedia.
In addition,
The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs. In the case of wild pigs only, it is correct to say "female boar" or "infant wild boar", since boar or wild boar refers to the species itself.
Adult males of the following species are known as boars: badger, bear, guinea pig, hedgehog, panda, pig, prairie dog and raccoon. The corresponding females are called sows. Names for the young are more variable.
Maybe I am just reading too much into these little things. Or maybe I am right and that it is indeed a conscious decision by the editors of the Star.
Anyway, Petronas ads have becomes some sort of a mini story or short movie and almost synonymous with festivals. They have become a staple every time one of the major festivals come around.
Apparently, there's two ads for Chinese New Year this time
This is ad 1.
The second one is this.
Quite nice, isn't it? It has mass appeal, with a message that love can overcome anything. Even can pass off as a Valentine's Day ad.
But then, I remember seeing this ad not too long ago.
As I was looking online for this advertisements to post, I came across 2006's CNY one, which I honestly don't remember seeing last year. Most probably I missed it.
Between last year's and this year's, I think I prefer last year's.
Anyway, wanna wish all my readers a very Happy Chinese New Year! May the Year of the Pig bring lots of joy, success and prosperity into your life. All the best in your respective career and studies.
May all things good come to you. Be good, be wise, be healthy, be wealthy and be fabulous!
Cheers.
I have grown up with pigs being called pigs. Boars are the wild versions of it, and this is confirmed in Wikipedia.
In addition,
The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs. In the case of wild pigs only, it is correct to say "female boar" or "infant wild boar", since boar or wild boar refers to the species itself.
Adult males of the following species are known as boars: badger, bear, guinea pig, hedgehog, panda, pig, prairie dog and raccoon. The corresponding females are called sows. Names for the young are more variable.
Maybe I am just reading too much into these little things. Or maybe I am right and that it is indeed a conscious decision by the editors of the Star.
Anyway, Petronas ads have becomes some sort of a mini story or short movie and almost synonymous with festivals. They have become a staple every time one of the major festivals come around.
Apparently, there's two ads for Chinese New Year this time
This is ad 1.
The second one is this.
Quite nice, isn't it? It has mass appeal, with a message that love can overcome anything. Even can pass off as a Valentine's Day ad.
But then, I remember seeing this ad not too long ago.
As I was looking online for this advertisements to post, I came across 2006's CNY one, which I honestly don't remember seeing last year. Most probably I missed it.
Between last year's and this year's, I think I prefer last year's.
Anyway, wanna wish all my readers a very Happy Chinese New Year! May the Year of the Pig bring lots of joy, success and prosperity into your life. All the best in your respective career and studies.
May all things good come to you. Be good, be wise, be healthy, be wealthy and be fabulous!
Cheers.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Something to warm the cockles
Yesterday was Valentine's Day and everywhere I went there were straight couples all around. And of course, there were also the ubiquitous sight of straight men holding flowers.
What's so special about a day where bloody everyone else is doing the same thing? Ain't love supposed to be between two people, something personal to be shared between two people?
Oh wait, I forgot. These are straight people. They love to conform to the majority. They like to show the world when they have a girlfriend / boyfriend through grand weddings and celebrations.
They're just suckers waiting to be milked to the max. One meal on Valentine's is equivalent to at least three meals on a normal day. Flowers cost 5 times more. Restaurants throw out the usual menu and have Valentine dinner sets.
I am not trying to be cynical or anything, but I think it's just plain silly. I am being pragmatic, that's all.
Anyway, this is something taken from Trevvy, which I think is way cool and to be consistent with the post title.
On some Saturday nights, observant patrons of Taboo – one of Singapore ’s foremost gay joints – will notice that a youthful-looking girl with a winsome smile is the last to leave the club. No, she’s not the janitor. She’s Amy Chia, and she’s waiting for her husband to finish up so that they can leave together. You heard it right: husband. Just last Tuesday, Amy registered her marriage to Deren Teo, one of Taboo’s bartenders.
What a cool queer tale. It was a star-crossed night in late 2005. Amy was bar-hopping along the Tanjong Pagar stretch, Singapore ’s gay district, something she does quite regularly. “I have many gay friends,” she explains. “And I like clubbing in gay clubs because we’re all like sisters. In straight clubs, whenever guys come up to you, more often than not they’re trying to hit on you.”
How ironic that she should be dragged to Taboo by a friend, where Deren was mixing drinks behind the counter. “I was a bit drunk then,” Amy confesses, “but I still noticed that this guy was making eyes at me!” She grabs Deren’s arms affectionately.
“I thought she was quite chio”, Deren acknowledges with a bashful smile. (Chio is the Hokkien word for “pretty”.) “So when she bought drinks, I peeked at her credit card to find out her name.”
Noticing the sparks between them, their friends tried to bring them together. Though they were physically attracted to each other – making eyes at each other in the club from across the bar – things didn’t work out that night. “You must realise that I was half-drunk!” Amy laughs.
Mutual friends saved their budding romance. As luck would have it, Amy’s friend was dating Deren’s colleague. Permission was asked by proxy for her number. This permission was freely given by Amy, who found Deren “very cute”. They arranged for their first date, which was held at – you guessed it – Taboo. After a fruitful night getting to know each other in the company of many mutual friends who functioned as “mei niang” (Mandarin for “matchmakers”), they headed back to Amy’s apartment for a few drinks.
Love was quick to blossom between the two, but Amy is quick to clarify that there were “no fireworks”. Instead, theirs is a sweet tale of familiar love, filled with such sweet treats as telephone calls till daybreak. “It was nothing phenomenal,” Amy admits, “but our lives just grew together.” Deren continues: “We’re just very comfortable with each other. I love Amy’s company.”
When quizzed about them, Addie Low, manager of Taboo, reveals that they were very discreet about their courtship. “I didn’t know till six months later!” Addie complains in a mock-offended tone. “But I’ve come to realise they’re very suited for each other.” It is with his blessings that they move into their conjugal life: for the marriage registration ceremony, Addie stayed up the entire night before to personally design the flower arrangements.
Although Deren is now a married man, he has no plans to discontinue working with Taboo. He started bartending with Taboo four years ago, when he was still a student at the National University of Singapore. “My family knows that I work in a gay bar. They’re okay with it,” says Deren. “And of course Amy is okay with it.”
“Most of our good friends know about our story,” Amy points out. “In general, many straight people can be very homophobic, or have typical conservative misconceptions about gay people. But when they say something that is extremely offensive, I will put them in check.” Deren, for his part, invites his straight pals to Taboo so that they can check out the gay scene. “Most of them are actually very interested about gay things,” says Deren, “and they leave with a good impression of gay people.”
Gay men and straight men have more in common than you think. “Sometimes girls come early, and sit at the bar. When my staff members see a girl that they like, they will suddenly become very flirty and coy,” laughs Addie. “Their coyness will override their manliness.” According to Addie, Deren’s boyish looks and guileless charms have won him scores of admirers, many of whom sit at the bar to flirt with him. But Amy won out over the rest.
Amy and Deren plan to take it slow in the coming few months. They haven’t ruled out the possibility of holding their banquet at Taboo. “But we’re completely broke!” they lament, referring to their recent purchase of a flat in Bishan. So if you see them around in Taboo, don’t hesitate to offer them a hongbao to show your support for this unconventional couple.
It’s the same old story, just with a different setting: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy marries girl. The rest, as they say, is history. And it’s good that in a gay bar, at least some of us – albeit the straights – are finding love. And if you’re alone this Valentine’s: remind yourself that if a guy and a gal can get it off in a gay bar, a guy and another guy can do it too.
What's so special about a day where bloody everyone else is doing the same thing? Ain't love supposed to be between two people, something personal to be shared between two people?
Oh wait, I forgot. These are straight people. They love to conform to the majority. They like to show the world when they have a girlfriend / boyfriend through grand weddings and celebrations.
They're just suckers waiting to be milked to the max. One meal on Valentine's is equivalent to at least three meals on a normal day. Flowers cost 5 times more. Restaurants throw out the usual menu and have Valentine dinner sets.
I am not trying to be cynical or anything, but I think it's just plain silly. I am being pragmatic, that's all.
Anyway, this is something taken from Trevvy, which I think is way cool and to be consistent with the post title.
On some Saturday nights, observant patrons of Taboo – one of Singapore ’s foremost gay joints – will notice that a youthful-looking girl with a winsome smile is the last to leave the club. No, she’s not the janitor. She’s Amy Chia, and she’s waiting for her husband to finish up so that they can leave together. You heard it right: husband. Just last Tuesday, Amy registered her marriage to Deren Teo, one of Taboo’s bartenders.
What a cool queer tale. It was a star-crossed night in late 2005. Amy was bar-hopping along the Tanjong Pagar stretch, Singapore ’s gay district, something she does quite regularly. “I have many gay friends,” she explains. “And I like clubbing in gay clubs because we’re all like sisters. In straight clubs, whenever guys come up to you, more often than not they’re trying to hit on you.”
How ironic that she should be dragged to Taboo by a friend, where Deren was mixing drinks behind the counter. “I was a bit drunk then,” Amy confesses, “but I still noticed that this guy was making eyes at me!” She grabs Deren’s arms affectionately.
“I thought she was quite chio”, Deren acknowledges with a bashful smile. (Chio is the Hokkien word for “pretty”.) “So when she bought drinks, I peeked at her credit card to find out her name.”
Noticing the sparks between them, their friends tried to bring them together. Though they were physically attracted to each other – making eyes at each other in the club from across the bar – things didn’t work out that night. “You must realise that I was half-drunk!” Amy laughs.
Mutual friends saved their budding romance. As luck would have it, Amy’s friend was dating Deren’s colleague. Permission was asked by proxy for her number. This permission was freely given by Amy, who found Deren “very cute”. They arranged for their first date, which was held at – you guessed it – Taboo. After a fruitful night getting to know each other in the company of many mutual friends who functioned as “mei niang” (Mandarin for “matchmakers”), they headed back to Amy’s apartment for a few drinks.
Love was quick to blossom between the two, but Amy is quick to clarify that there were “no fireworks”. Instead, theirs is a sweet tale of familiar love, filled with such sweet treats as telephone calls till daybreak. “It was nothing phenomenal,” Amy admits, “but our lives just grew together.” Deren continues: “We’re just very comfortable with each other. I love Amy’s company.”
When quizzed about them, Addie Low, manager of Taboo, reveals that they were very discreet about their courtship. “I didn’t know till six months later!” Addie complains in a mock-offended tone. “But I’ve come to realise they’re very suited for each other.” It is with his blessings that they move into their conjugal life: for the marriage registration ceremony, Addie stayed up the entire night before to personally design the flower arrangements.
Although Deren is now a married man, he has no plans to discontinue working with Taboo. He started bartending with Taboo four years ago, when he was still a student at the National University of Singapore. “My family knows that I work in a gay bar. They’re okay with it,” says Deren. “And of course Amy is okay with it.”
“Most of our good friends know about our story,” Amy points out. “In general, many straight people can be very homophobic, or have typical conservative misconceptions about gay people. But when they say something that is extremely offensive, I will put them in check.” Deren, for his part, invites his straight pals to Taboo so that they can check out the gay scene. “Most of them are actually very interested about gay things,” says Deren, “and they leave with a good impression of gay people.”
Gay men and straight men have more in common than you think. “Sometimes girls come early, and sit at the bar. When my staff members see a girl that they like, they will suddenly become very flirty and coy,” laughs Addie. “Their coyness will override their manliness.” According to Addie, Deren’s boyish looks and guileless charms have won him scores of admirers, many of whom sit at the bar to flirt with him. But Amy won out over the rest.
Amy and Deren plan to take it slow in the coming few months. They haven’t ruled out the possibility of holding their banquet at Taboo. “But we’re completely broke!” they lament, referring to their recent purchase of a flat in Bishan. So if you see them around in Taboo, don’t hesitate to offer them a hongbao to show your support for this unconventional couple.
It’s the same old story, just with a different setting: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy marries girl. The rest, as they say, is history. And it’s good that in a gay bar, at least some of us – albeit the straights – are finding love. And if you’re alone this Valentine’s: remind yourself that if a guy and a gal can get it off in a gay bar, a guy and another guy can do it too.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
No gaiety in family
The letter below is taken from the Sunday Star.
Isn't sweet that they're together for 5 years already? By most gays' standards, that would be like an eternity. My own relationships, none has lasted more than a year.
But of course, there are exceptions. There are those who have been together 20 or 30 years.
And of course, most of us would like to have someone to love and be loved for life.
Notice how the introduction go. Why must be introduce himself by saying he is straight-acting? Why no one ever says they're gay-acting?
Oh wait, the couple is still very much in the closet.
Which is why I think that Thelma's advice is very reasonable and wise. He should meet more people and expand his social network, built up more confidence so that he can learn about himself and the world better.
The two of them is so deep in the closet, judging by the letter!
Read from somewhere, if you want to stay in the closet, make sure it's comfy and don't complain it's dark. Or something to that effect.
Still, I wish the author and his boyfriend all the best. In the relationship and his studies.
To all those couples out there, may you be happy and together as long as possible. To all those singles, please do not be desperate. Good things come to those who wait.
May the Year of the Fire Piggy brings lot of love luck!
I AM a very straight-looking 20-year-old guy. Many of my friends say I am good looking. Ever since I was a young boy, I've been gay. I just love older guys.
My boyfriend M, who is double my age, loves and cares for me very much and I know he is a good guy.
We met through the Internet and have known each other for five years. I even furthered my studies away from my hometown to be with him.
We are a loving couple who love the simple things in life. We do not go to pubs and keep to a small circle of friends. We do not have any gay friends and are two straight-looking men.
My biggest problem now is my family.
My siblings are dead set against our relationship, especially my eldest sister who has even threatened to harm my boyfriend. Even my mum does not want to understand me. Only one of my elder sisters is understanding and she knows I am still seeing M.
I am “grounded” and not allowed to see M or go out with him. I am forced to return all his gifts. I am brainwashed to change, to be “normal”.
They even put the whole blame on M, accusing him of influencing me to be gay. I have tried to explain to them that I was the one who started it all and wooed M.
M is a professional and I know him well. His family knows me and does not mind me seeing him.
My own family is forcing me to go straight and to date girls. I was given two months to change. Otherwise, my family will disown me!
What my family does not know is that I am still seeing M. M and I love each other very much.
We plan to migrate when I am older. When I was studying abroad, M took care of me. He has advised me to be strong and patient, and to remain faithful to my family.
Only when I am older and mature, I think, will they finally give up or understand that this is not simply another phase of my life that is forced upon me.
What I do not understand is why people are so discriminating towards gays.
Why does my family put so much pressure on me?
Why do they go so far as to threaten to disown me?
Forcing me to do things that I dislike will only make me suffer for the rest of my life.
To Be Or Not To Be
M is right. Be patient and do not put so much pressure on yourself. Understand that it is very difficult for loved ones to accept that you are different.
Know that they truly want the best for you so do not resent their interference. Accept that it will take time before they can come to terms with your sexual orientation.
Do not force yourself to date girls or try too hard to appear “normal”. You will soon hate yourself for betraying your love and feelings.
Tell your family that you would prefer to concentrate on your studies than get involved in any relationships for now. Prove that you are focused and capable of planning your career and future.
At the same time, there is no harm in building up a network of friends, female and male. You do not have to be alone if you are not with M.
Enjoying a simple life is fine. But isolating yourself from life is not the best way to live.
Do not be so bitter and angry with your family. You are still young and your family must honestly feel that you have yet to know your heart and mind.
You were only 15 when you met M. While you believe that you know what you are doing, you have grown from teenager to young adulthood under his influence.
It may be good for you to be away from him for some time so that you get to understand yourself and your needs better.
Know the world outside your tiny sphere. But be warned that you should not indulge in multi-partner sexual experiences.
Think of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Think of a wasted life trashed by empty sex without love.
You are only 20. Give yourself the chance to flex your wings and relish all that youth can offer.
There is time for love. There will always be forgiveness from loved ones. You lead your life. Do it without regrets, resentment or guilt.
Isn't sweet that they're together for 5 years already? By most gays' standards, that would be like an eternity. My own relationships, none has lasted more than a year.
But of course, there are exceptions. There are those who have been together 20 or 30 years.
And of course, most of us would like to have someone to love and be loved for life.
Notice how the introduction go. Why must be introduce himself by saying he is straight-acting? Why no one ever says they're gay-acting?
Oh wait, the couple is still very much in the closet.
Which is why I think that Thelma's advice is very reasonable and wise. He should meet more people and expand his social network, built up more confidence so that he can learn about himself and the world better.
The two of them is so deep in the closet, judging by the letter!
Read from somewhere, if you want to stay in the closet, make sure it's comfy and don't complain it's dark. Or something to that effect.
Still, I wish the author and his boyfriend all the best. In the relationship and his studies.
To all those couples out there, may you be happy and together as long as possible. To all those singles, please do not be desperate. Good things come to those who wait.
May the Year of the Fire Piggy brings lot of love luck!
############################
I AM a very straight-looking 20-year-old guy. Many of my friends say I am good looking. Ever since I was a young boy, I've been gay. I just love older guys.
My boyfriend M, who is double my age, loves and cares for me very much and I know he is a good guy.
We met through the Internet and have known each other for five years. I even furthered my studies away from my hometown to be with him.
We are a loving couple who love the simple things in life. We do not go to pubs and keep to a small circle of friends. We do not have any gay friends and are two straight-looking men.
My biggest problem now is my family.
My siblings are dead set against our relationship, especially my eldest sister who has even threatened to harm my boyfriend. Even my mum does not want to understand me. Only one of my elder sisters is understanding and she knows I am still seeing M.
I am “grounded” and not allowed to see M or go out with him. I am forced to return all his gifts. I am brainwashed to change, to be “normal”.
They even put the whole blame on M, accusing him of influencing me to be gay. I have tried to explain to them that I was the one who started it all and wooed M.
M is a professional and I know him well. His family knows me and does not mind me seeing him.
My own family is forcing me to go straight and to date girls. I was given two months to change. Otherwise, my family will disown me!
What my family does not know is that I am still seeing M. M and I love each other very much.
We plan to migrate when I am older. When I was studying abroad, M took care of me. He has advised me to be strong and patient, and to remain faithful to my family.
Only when I am older and mature, I think, will they finally give up or understand that this is not simply another phase of my life that is forced upon me.
What I do not understand is why people are so discriminating towards gays.
Why does my family put so much pressure on me?
Why do they go so far as to threaten to disown me?
Forcing me to do things that I dislike will only make me suffer for the rest of my life.
To Be Or Not To Be
M is right. Be patient and do not put so much pressure on yourself. Understand that it is very difficult for loved ones to accept that you are different.
Know that they truly want the best for you so do not resent their interference. Accept that it will take time before they can come to terms with your sexual orientation.
Do not force yourself to date girls or try too hard to appear “normal”. You will soon hate yourself for betraying your love and feelings.
Tell your family that you would prefer to concentrate on your studies than get involved in any relationships for now. Prove that you are focused and capable of planning your career and future.
At the same time, there is no harm in building up a network of friends, female and male. You do not have to be alone if you are not with M.
Enjoying a simple life is fine. But isolating yourself from life is not the best way to live.
Do not be so bitter and angry with your family. You are still young and your family must honestly feel that you have yet to know your heart and mind.
You were only 15 when you met M. While you believe that you know what you are doing, you have grown from teenager to young adulthood under his influence.
It may be good for you to be away from him for some time so that you get to understand yourself and your needs better.
Know the world outside your tiny sphere. But be warned that you should not indulge in multi-partner sexual experiences.
Think of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Think of a wasted life trashed by empty sex without love.
You are only 20. Give yourself the chance to flex your wings and relish all that youth can offer.
There is time for love. There will always be forgiveness from loved ones. You lead your life. Do it without regrets, resentment or guilt.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Botanic Gardens run
I woke up early this morning to go for a jog. I haven't been jogging for a while, since Christmas eve. Furthermore, I signed up for my company's charity run to be held next month, so may as well train a little.
The sun was scorching hot at 8. The heat was intense as I felt it on my skin while I waited for a friend to pick me up from the bus stop.
The route that was planned was the Botanics Garden. It's really quite a nice place to run. But then, since I was running, there wasn't time to stop and smell the flowers.
There were plenty of people around. One thing which I have to give credit for is that there are many people who are health conscious here, especially the older folks. There are many senior citizens strolling, doing tai chi, having gatherings or just simply spending time with their family.
What is also interesting is that the Botanics Garden is also a place for joggers. It's pretty clever, come to think of it. Since Singapore is so small and space is scarce, whatever that can killed two birds with one stone is essential.
Since I haven't run for a while, I took the shorter route. The original route is about 7.5 kilometers. I think I only did 6 kilometers.
As not to scare the uncles and aunties around here, as after all Singapore is a conservative society as the politicians like to point out from time to time, there weren't many shirtless joggers, unlike in East Coast Park which is specifically for recreational sports like running, skating, cycling etc.
There is only one shirtless guy which was cute that I saw. Nice body, cute face, not too bulky. Just nice. Too bad I have already stopped running, if not, I would haverun after him followed his route.
After the run, we went for breakfast. As it is a touristy place, the food court is also nicer. Quite posh-looking. Luckily, the prices are not overly inflated, just slightly.
Also, overheard conversation from one of the group's runners, "Have you noticed how gay men usually and almost never play contact sports? I have met people who play badminton, kayak, climb, etc but not play football or basketball."
The only girl in the group said, "But lesbians love contact sports. The more contact the better. Or maybe it's just the ones that I know."
Interesting observation really. The gay sports group here, Adlus, has a lot sports on their list, from squash, swimming, volleyball, kayaking, climbing, badminton but NO football and basketball.
Ditto with LPG. Even the Straits Games have three non-contact sports, namely bowling, volleyball and badminton.
I wonder why. Anyone can shed some light on this?
The sun was scorching hot at 8. The heat was intense as I felt it on my skin while I waited for a friend to pick me up from the bus stop.
The route that was planned was the Botanics Garden. It's really quite a nice place to run. But then, since I was running, there wasn't time to stop and smell the flowers.
There were plenty of people around. One thing which I have to give credit for is that there are many people who are health conscious here, especially the older folks. There are many senior citizens strolling, doing tai chi, having gatherings or just simply spending time with their family.
What is also interesting is that the Botanics Garden is also a place for joggers. It's pretty clever, come to think of it. Since Singapore is so small and space is scarce, whatever that can killed two birds with one stone is essential.
Since I haven't run for a while, I took the shorter route. The original route is about 7.5 kilometers. I think I only did 6 kilometers.
As not to scare the uncles and aunties around here, as after all Singapore is a conservative society as the politicians like to point out from time to time, there weren't many shirtless joggers, unlike in East Coast Park which is specifically for recreational sports like running, skating, cycling etc.
There is only one shirtless guy which was cute that I saw. Nice body, cute face, not too bulky. Just nice. Too bad I have already stopped running, if not, I would have
After the run, we went for breakfast. As it is a touristy place, the food court is also nicer. Quite posh-looking. Luckily, the prices are not overly inflated, just slightly.
Also, overheard conversation from one of the group's runners, "Have you noticed how gay men usually and almost never play contact sports? I have met people who play badminton, kayak, climb, etc but not play football or basketball."
The only girl in the group said, "But lesbians love contact sports. The more contact the better. Or maybe it's just the ones that I know."
Interesting observation really. The gay sports group here, Adlus, has a lot sports on their list, from squash, swimming, volleyball, kayaking, climbing, badminton but NO football and basketball.
Ditto with LPG. Even the Straits Games have three non-contact sports, namely bowling, volleyball and badminton.
I wonder why. Anyone can shed some light on this?
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Bad news, dumb people
I dread what the country is becoming into. Day in day out, there seems to surface news and issues of what is wrong with the country.
First, politicians who don't keep promises. IPCMC anyone?
It was supposed to tackle the practice of corruption and inefficiencies of the police force.
True, there are good things about Malaysia. But it is becoming more unsafe by the day.
Taken from Lim Kit Siang's blog:
In the past three years, however, violent crime had skyrocketed by 85.8 per cent from 22,790 cases in 2003 to 42,343 cases in 2006, with rape cases registering the highest increase of 65.5 per cent – reaching an average of 6.7 women raped daily in 2006 compared to an average of four women raped daily in 2003. In 2003, an average of 1.5 persons were murdered daily; but in 2006, this has increased to an average of 1.65 persons murdered daily.
Next up, politicians' intelligence.
Courtesy of howsy
Whatever the connection is between having more wives and HIV ..... I shall not even waste my time trying to see his point of view.
If only HIV can be curbed by such simple measures ... and thinking.
Why, if the husband has the virus and he gets more wives, wouldn't it be spreading the virus instead?
To digress, why can't women have more than one husband? Oh I forgot, this is what we get when we live in patriarchal and male dominated society.
Everything, from laws and norms are usually set by the males, and males in this part of the world are much more conservative and backwards.
It so happens that I was reading this in the morning. The article is about how First Ladies are no longer in the shadows and can make or break her husbands premiership of a country. Names that come to mind are Hillary Clinton and Akie Abe.
First, politicians who don't keep promises. IPCMC anyone?
It was supposed to tackle the practice of corruption and inefficiencies of the police force.
True, there are good things about Malaysia. But it is becoming more unsafe by the day.
Taken from Lim Kit Siang's blog:
In the past three years, however, violent crime had skyrocketed by 85.8 per cent from 22,790 cases in 2003 to 42,343 cases in 2006, with rape cases registering the highest increase of 65.5 per cent – reaching an average of 6.7 women raped daily in 2006 compared to an average of four women raped daily in 2003. In 2003, an average of 1.5 persons were murdered daily; but in 2006, this has increased to an average of 1.65 persons murdered daily.
Next up, politicians' intelligence.
Courtesy of howsyWhatever the connection is between having more wives and HIV ..... I shall not even waste my time trying to see his point of view.
If only HIV can be curbed by such simple measures ... and thinking.
Why, if the husband has the virus and he gets more wives, wouldn't it be spreading the virus instead?
To digress, why can't women have more than one husband? Oh I forgot, this is what we get when we live in patriarchal and male dominated society.
Everything, from laws and norms are usually set by the males, and males in this part of the world are much more conservative and backwards.
It so happens that I was reading this in the morning. The article is about how First Ladies are no longer in the shadows and can make or break her husbands premiership of a country. Names that come to mind are Hillary Clinton and Akie Abe.
Extracts:
Then came Hillary Clinton, with her outspoken views on public policy, and Cherie Blair, the bright lawyer who is no shrinking violet. The rules changed. Political watchers suddenly realised that, in drawing attention to themselves, these women even had the power to influence voters (so much so that Mrs Clinton is now making a run for office herself).The invisible spouse has become a political factor. The trend was not so obvious in Asia until the world met Akie Abe, 44.The wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is young, glamourous and candid. She has her own blog and has written in a magazine about her struggle with infertility, a touchy subject in Japan.All this might have been just a charming distraction, until political commentators noticed an unprecedented development. A series of blunders — which include planting party supporters to ask flattering questions about the premier's leadership and a verbally-incontinent cabinet colleague who called women "child-bearing machines" – have caused Mr Abe's popularity to slip to just 40 per cent. But his wife's charm has cushioned the fall.Newsweek estimated that the good press that Mrs Abe has been getting may have boosted her husband's ratings by as much as 20 per cent. "Akie has Japan swooning," a local daily noted.In other words, these women will be seen, they will be heard. They will speak their minds about controversial issues and attract both, flak and acclaim. Inevitably, their own image will influence their husbands' political standing.On the other hand, Ms Wu Shu-Chen, the embattled wife of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, illustrates both aspects of the tightrope that politicians' wives have to walk. In 1985, she was run over by a farm vehicle during a political tour with her husband and childhood sweetheart, Mr Chen. It left her wheelchair-bound — but her bravery eventually helped his race to the top. "I am not the kind of person who hides and sheds tears in the dark," she said.But once Mr Chen was in power, Ms Wu continued to stay involved with his political life. She has now been indicted for doctoring his national security account and threatens to drag him down.So, what makes a wife an asset rather than a deadweight for a politician?The key, said Dr Chong, would be to complement the husband's role without competing with him, or overshadowing him.When the Malaysian Premiership was a toss-up between Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Mr Najib Razak, the spotlight fell on their wives, too. Ms Endon Mahmood, the soft-spoken spouse of Mr Abdullah, preferred to stay in the shadows, soothing tempers her husband may have ruffled. In contrast, Ms Rosmah Mansor had a higher profile and was seen as a constant advisor to her husband.Political observers said that the traditionalists were more comfortable with Ms Endon and she was deeply mourned when she passed on.But politicians' wives like her are becoming more rare as women find their place in the sun. So, what's a modern, educated woman to do when her husband starts climbing up the political ladder? Ms Abe said that she recently discussed this with Ms Laura Bush. "She told me: 'Just keep doing what you are already doing. Just do what you've been interested in'."
I don't believe everything I read, what more from a Singaporean publication. But just from observation, without any inside information, what was said about the wives of the PM and deputy PM seem accurate.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The Queen
The cinemas here are showing The Queen twice a day. Fearing that it won't be shown anymore, I left work at six sharp to catch the movie at 6.50 p.m. Managed to get to the cinema at Vivocity with an extra 10 minutes to spare.
The cashier was kind enough to let us know that, "There will be advertisements for 15 minutes and the show will start at 7.05." How about that?
I shall take note of this. I think almost all shows at GV has this 15 minute advertisement block, which in my book, is too long.
Anyway, The Queen is an excellent movie, with a superb performance by Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. She totally deserved the Oscar nomination - she was restraint, dignified and solemn in dealing with the death of Princess Diana. That was the way she was brought up, which was to keep emotions to herself. She has to appear strong for her people, duty first and personal second.
And the ONLY way she knows proved to be wrong.
The British public accused her of being heartless and her silence on Diana's death for 5 days was a wrong move. Tony Blair, played by Michael Sheen, helped her to regain the public's opinion andview of her (apparently, 1 in 4 wanted to abolish the monarchy) by managing to convince her to give a "tribute" to Diana, on live TV screened to the whole world.
Taken from IMDB:
It is hard to separate what is fact and what is made-up in this film. Many facts are certain because you see historical footage of the bunches of cut flowers growing in front of Buckingham Palace and the then President Clinton making a statement and many clips of Princess Diane throughout her life. But the many behind-the-scenes conversations had to be invented or recalled, so it has to be part fiction and part fact.
The monarchy is not treated kindly in this film. Prince Philip comes off as insensitive and a bearer of grudges. Prince Charles appears to be weak. Queen Elizabeth II, played brilliantly by Helen Mirren, comes off as reserved and complicated. And Tony Blair, played convincingly by Michael Sheen, trumps the royalty by being real and wise and likable.
The storytelling is compelling. Even though you know what will happen, you are intrigued by how the characters get to their ultimate positions.
In the end, Queen Elizabeth II and Tony Blair display a profound love for their country. It is really a story about public dignitaries trying to do the right thing for their country and their families.
I was especially moved by the actual footage of the mourning and grief of the British public. I still remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was at a hotel for dinner; it was a Prefectorial Board dinner at a hotel in PJ.
I went teary-eyed a few times. As was said in the movie, even though people do not know her personally, Princess Di was well-known and well-liked for her charm and her charity efforts worldwide for landmines and AIDS.
Go watch it, it is highly recommended. IMDB has a rating of 7.7 out of 10. I would rate it a 4 out of 5.
And I promise that the next post would not be another movie! ;P
The cashier was kind enough to let us know that, "There will be advertisements for 15 minutes and the show will start at 7.05." How about that?
I shall take note of this. I think almost all shows at GV has this 15 minute advertisement block, which in my book, is too long.
Anyway, The Queen is an excellent movie, with a superb performance by Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. She totally deserved the Oscar nomination - she was restraint, dignified and solemn in dealing with the death of Princess Diana. That was the way she was brought up, which was to keep emotions to herself. She has to appear strong for her people, duty first and personal second.
And the ONLY way she knows proved to be wrong.
The British public accused her of being heartless and her silence on Diana's death for 5 days was a wrong move. Tony Blair, played by Michael Sheen, helped her to regain the public's opinion andview of her (apparently, 1 in 4 wanted to abolish the monarchy) by managing to convince her to give a "tribute" to Diana, on live TV screened to the whole world.
Taken from IMDB:
It is hard to separate what is fact and what is made-up in this film. Many facts are certain because you see historical footage of the bunches of cut flowers growing in front of Buckingham Palace and the then President Clinton making a statement and many clips of Princess Diane throughout her life. But the many behind-the-scenes conversations had to be invented or recalled, so it has to be part fiction and part fact.
The monarchy is not treated kindly in this film. Prince Philip comes off as insensitive and a bearer of grudges. Prince Charles appears to be weak. Queen Elizabeth II, played brilliantly by Helen Mirren, comes off as reserved and complicated. And Tony Blair, played convincingly by Michael Sheen, trumps the royalty by being real and wise and likable.
The storytelling is compelling. Even though you know what will happen, you are intrigued by how the characters get to their ultimate positions.
In the end, Queen Elizabeth II and Tony Blair display a profound love for their country. It is really a story about public dignitaries trying to do the right thing for their country and their families.
I was especially moved by the actual footage of the mourning and grief of the British public. I still remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was at a hotel for dinner; it was a Prefectorial Board dinner at a hotel in PJ.
I went teary-eyed a few times. As was said in the movie, even though people do not know her personally, Princess Di was well-known and well-liked for her charm and her charity efforts worldwide for landmines and AIDS.
Go watch it, it is highly recommended. IMDB has a rating of 7.7 out of 10. I would rate it a 4 out of 5.
And I promise that the next post would not be another movie! ;P
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Babel
I know, it's another movie post.
Since Babel won the Best Picture (Drama) Category at the recent Golden Globes, I thought I would just checked out what the fuss is all about. Furthermore, a local daily here gave it a rating of 5 out of 5. I mean, no movie is perfect, so what justification for a perfect score?
Initially, we wanted to watch The Last King of Scotland, but there weren't any good seats left.
The synopsis, taken from IMDB:
In Gen. 11:9, the name of Babel is etymologized by association with the Hebrew verb balal, 'to confuse or confound'. Babel, through a series of misunderstandings, interweaves the unfortunate circumstances of a Moroccan, an American, a Mexican and a Japanese family. A Moroccan family acquires a rifle to protect their goats. An American woman, on a bus tour with her husband, is accidentally shot, which is in turn grossly exaggerated by the press who are quick to label the incident as a "terrorist attack". The same couple's children accompany their long-time caretaker to Mexico to attend her son's wedding, where upon re-entering the United States face problems. A Japanese widower confronts difficulties in communicating with his deaf-mute teenage daughter whom simply craves human contact.
Sounds interesting, but at a little over 2 hours long, it's a bit draggy. Someone even described it as "deliberately paced low-key thriller". I tell you, it's no thriller. It's a slow paced movie with lots of panning shots, lots of scenes that tried to invoke the atmosphere and immerse you in it, but I feel it fell flat most of the time.
Half an hour into the show, you already know how three of the stories are connected, save for the Japanese one.
It's all about human relationships and how and why people do what they do. About how people in different countries are different, yet similar. We yearned for love, we want to be loved, we try to be the best husband / father / wive / mother we can be.
Out of those four, I only found the Japanese girl story. The Japanese girl is a deaf mute and she longs for affection. She is constantly rejected by boys when they find out that she's mute. She goes to desperate measures to seek affection, doing things that makes her look cheap.
The Mexican babysitter who takes care of the American couples children was I feel, an unnecessary sub-story. With only three stories, more substance and background could have been extracted from them.
The whole concept of seemingly unconnected stories is not new. In Babel, I feel that there was no overarching story. None stood out at all. It comes across more like four different short stories.
Acting was good, but like the stories itself, no one stood out, which would explain why none was nominated for the Oscars.
As to why it was nominated for Best Picture, I could only hazard a guess that this is the year for international flavours and stories. This is quite obvious when you look at the nominees for major categories like Letters from Iwo Jima and The Last King of Scotland.
Overall, I would rate it a 3.75 out of 5. IMDB has a score of 7.8 / 10 and Rottentomatoes rates it 68%.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Unseeable
Turns out that the new guy isn't gay. Or if he was, then he is very much in denial, as he has a girlfriend apparently.
Was supposed to meet Lloyd after work to go a temple. Just as I was about to leave the office, my big boss appeared and we talked for like 10 minutes! So lucky hor?
Went to the temple all the way in Boon Lay. The temple was another 15 minutes from the MRT station. Prayed a bit at the temple. By that time I was damn hungry and tired.
After temple, had dinner. Last minute watched movie. A Thai horror movie directed by Tears of the Black Tiger fame, called Unseeable.
It is an interesting movie, with at least at least a good storyline which makes sense. You know how all those Korean and Japanese ones usually don't when the story draws to an end and the story is left hanging.
The movie setting was in the 1930s, with all the essence and characteristic of that era captured. Very classic style. Even the camera angles and all have a touch of old-style movie making.
I can't reveal much of the plot without spoiling the story. But basically, it's about a pregnant woman looking for her husband and who stopped over at this big creepy wooden house with interesting and creepy characters.
The wooden house creaks and squeaks like they all do in horror movies. The movie seems to be always at night, with day time as bright as 6pm in the evening.
Malaysia is rich in scary and ghost stories, but too bad they are not being taken advantage of. Thailand is doing very well in this and they managed to produce commercial horror movies like Shutter which are memorable and can be marketed to other countries.
Overall, I would rate it a 3.75 out of 4.
I am so glad that it's the weekend again!
Was supposed to meet Lloyd after work to go a temple. Just as I was about to leave the office, my big boss appeared and we talked for like 10 minutes! So lucky hor?
Went to the temple all the way in Boon Lay. The temple was another 15 minutes from the MRT station. Prayed a bit at the temple. By that time I was damn hungry and tired.
After temple, had dinner. Last minute watched movie. A Thai horror movie directed by Tears of the Black Tiger fame, called Unseeable.
It is an interesting movie, with at least at least a good storyline which makes sense. You know how all those Korean and Japanese ones usually don't when the story draws to an end and the story is left hanging.
The movie setting was in the 1930s, with all the essence and characteristic of that era captured. Very classic style. Even the camera angles and all have a touch of old-style movie making.
I can't reveal much of the plot without spoiling the story. But basically, it's about a pregnant woman looking for her husband and who stopped over at this big creepy wooden house with interesting and creepy characters.
The wooden house creaks and squeaks like they all do in horror movies. The movie seems to be always at night, with day time as bright as 6pm in the evening.
Malaysia is rich in scary and ghost stories, but too bad they are not being taken advantage of. Thailand is doing very well in this and they managed to produce commercial horror movies like Shutter which are memorable and can be marketed to other countries.
Overall, I would rate it a 3.75 out of 4.
I am so glad that it's the weekend again!
Friday, February 02, 2007
Mini updates
Want to update, but no idea of what to write.
KL was on holiday, while I was working. Someone from a recruitment agency called. She said she would call back, but I didn't receive any,
A new guy joined my department. Looks kinda cute. He is my age. Think he is gay, though that could just be me wishing that he was.
Went swimming after work. Had a change of pool, so we went to this pool very near to where I stay. Supposedly more cruisy. But didn't notice anyone cute. Maybe just one, or the most two. But so obvious that there are more gays over here!
Unfortunately, even though the pool is bigger, it seems older and dirtier. So we would probably go back to our usual haunt in Lavender, which is cleaner and newer.
Tomorrow is Friday! Yay! Want to watch a movie and over here, we're definitely spoilt for choice. There are so many movies shown currently, many more than in KL.
Watch Big Bang Juvenile A last Tuesday. Some find it confusing, others understood it very well.
Me? I wasn't as confused as the former was, but didn't completely understand it either. But the somewhat homoerotic scenes, where the camera focuses on bare skin, especially one of the leads ... yummy!
KL was on holiday, while I was working. Someone from a recruitment agency called. She said she would call back, but I didn't receive any,
A new guy joined my department. Looks kinda cute. He is my age. Think he is gay, though that could just be me wishing that he was.
Went swimming after work. Had a change of pool, so we went to this pool very near to where I stay. Supposedly more cruisy. But didn't notice anyone cute. Maybe just one, or the most two. But so obvious that there are more gays over here!
Unfortunately, even though the pool is bigger, it seems older and dirtier. So we would probably go back to our usual haunt in Lavender, which is cleaner and newer.
Tomorrow is Friday! Yay! Want to watch a movie and over here, we're definitely spoilt for choice. There are so many movies shown currently, many more than in KL.
Watch Big Bang Juvenile A last Tuesday. Some find it confusing, others understood it very well.
Me? I wasn't as confused as the former was, but didn't completely understand it either. But the somewhat homoerotic scenes, where the camera focuses on bare skin, especially one of the leads ... yummy!
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