Niki Cheong

I am frankly quite tired of sodomy

Jun 29, 2008 Rantings

Well, well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose.

I was just thinking the other day, when SAPP Chief Yong Teck Lee announced that the party would push for a motion of no-confidence against the PM, whether it was the first sign of Anwar’s return to power. And if so, how would anyone *cough* BN *cough* stop him. “More sodomy charges,” I thought. “Maybe there’s another mattress somewhere.”

To be fair, Pak Lah made a statement this morning denying the BN Government’s role in this new allegations against Anwar.

I received a Star News Alert about it, but anyway, it is in this story posted on The Star Online.

For those of you who are not sure what I am talking about, I woke up this morning to a front page headline in The Star:

Shock! Anwar Ibrahim fighting off sodomy allegations again.

Yes, apparently, an aide (a volunteer at that) was sodomised last Thursday (and sometime before as well) by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He (Anwar, not the aide) called for a press conference at 1.20am this morning to deny the allegations.

The good news is thing is, international media have picked it up really quickly. The AP mentioned that the report is sparking speculation that Anwar will be sent back to prison, the BBC also ran a story headlined Malaysia’s Anwar faces sex claim. I also saw it on CNN while I was at the gym earlier. And the AP story made it to Yahoo! front page too.

(Oh, and I love how the all refer to him as just “Anwar”. Maybe he’s joined the one-name personality club like Britney, Beyonce and Kylie.)

It’s quite funny that these allegations would come back again - 10 years from when he was fired as DPM based on similar charges - and just a few days after 8,500 marriage certificates were issued to same-sex marriage in California, and on the same day CNN decided to post a video on the Mexico Gay Pride Parade on its main page. It is also about two weeks since Norway became the sixth country to legalise gay marriage and on the weekend India hold its largest ever display of gay pride to protest anti-gay laws.

Truth be told,  I couldn’t care less if Anwar likes boys (or men, or both).

Despite what PM has said, it does reflect badly on him (and the country) that these allegations would spark at such times of politican uncertainty. Surely, the consequences of such allegations are severe - from national security to economy. (I don’t know if the BN was really involved in this, or if Anwar really did sodomise the guy either.)

And yes, while it is exciting that we may see the word “Penal” on our front pages in the media again, frankly, I’m tired of it. Who cares what he does in his bedroom, and which organ he prefers playing with.

It’s the 21st century. Surely we have more important things to worry about that who’s taking who’s thing up their arse?

(And I apologise to anyone who thinks that I should be focussing more on the political implications (or agenda) than the sexuality issue, but really, doesn’t everyone already have an opinion on that?)

5.32pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Tags: Anwar Ibrahim, Barisan Nasional, Malaysia, Pak Lah, Prime Minister, SAPP, Sodomy, Yong Teck Lee

Rocking out at Urbanscapes!

Jun 29, 2008 Events

What a day! Lots happened today (including finishing my taxes, which btw, is not finished yet) but the highlights had to be Urbanscape, then a nice foot reflexology with Elaine and Hansen and then yummy dinner at HSBC (the restaurant, not the bank).

Live art? Haha

We didn’t stay too long at the event held in KLpac, just a few hours, but it was fun enough. I managed to catch Estanged’s act (yes, I’m still a groupie), spent some time at The Marketplace, catch up with friends and of course, Rob!

I really liked a lot of the installations on display.

Yup, Project Rob - RA’s latest project - happened at Urbanscapes today and the victim was Adrian Yap - the publisher of KLUE and the other magazines they, umm, publish. It was quite cool, some of us were wearing RA’s new line of T-Shirts (should be on sale soon) and we got people at various points to ask people if they had seen Adrian. Then people started shouting along - Adrian! Adrian Yap! Adrian!

It was quite funny! :)

There were so many things happening at Urbanscapes though, so I got lost midway through but I enjoyed myself (although it was hot beyond belief)! And parking was crazy too! Madness!

But anyway, yeah, it was nice seeing so many people there, and I shot quite a few photos too.

Joyce at her Tongue In Chic booth.

(Left) Hao kong and hao poh, Elaine and Hansen. (Right) My cousin Julian.

Ohh, Adam so sexy. Must be from when he was secretly in love with me.
With Jin and another friend I don’t remember the name. Soz!

12.43am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Tags: Adam C, Adam Carruthers, Elaine Daly, Hani, Hansen Lee, I Heart KL, Jin, Joyce Wong, Kinkybluefairy, klpac, KLUE, Project Rob!, randomacts, Urbanscapes, zain hd

Have you seen Rob (or -insert name here-)?

Jun 28, 2008 Events

It’s just past midnight now, and I’m quite excited. For one, I think I’ll have the weekend to myself (well, other than the fact that I’ve got to finish my taxes by this weekend, and that I might have to pop into the office for an hour) but I’ve not had rest in a while (holidays are tiring too you know!) and time to myself.

But I am looking forward to today (Saturday) because that’s when Project Rob! will happen. I missed KLX a couple of weeks ago and will most likely miss RWP as well, so I’m not missing this one. And Zain knows it too!

Anyways, the nutter has released more information about Project Rob (watch the video to get an idea of what the event is all about).

The time? 5.30pm.

The venue? The Marketplace at Urbanscapes at KLpac.

The victim? Well, Zain’s only revealing that latest by 4pm on June 28, to those Random Agent who’s emailed him their mobile numbers.

It should be fun - and I’ll have my camera with me so expect a post with pictures on Sunday about the whole event.

It’ll be my first Urbanscapes but from what I’ve heard, it’ll be a blast!

12.43pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Tags: klpac, Project Rob!, RA, randomacts, Urbanscapes, zain hd

Wimbledon: Maria Sharapova bows out

Jun 27, 2008 Uncategorized

Wow, what a day in tennis!

I was busy with work the past few days, having just returned to work on Monday, so I missed some games. And I usually don’t get overly upset over missing the first couple of rounds, but this year’s Wimbledon is proving to be quite a spectacle.

Although, that I missed yesterday’s game between Marat Safin (my favourite player of all time, after Andy Roddick) and Novak Djokovic (soon to be one of my favourite players, I’m sure), was not the best thing. But oh well, work comes first. I need to pay my credit card bills off. Safin won by the way.

So my friend canceled on dinner tonight, so I had time to watch the game and luckily I did! Maria Sharapova just got outclassed and outplayed by Alla Kudryavtseva in striaght sets (6-2, 6-4). What a spectacular performance from the Russian underdog!

Then I found out that my favourite women’s player - Lindsay Davenport - withdrew from the tournament due to a knee-injury. Which is a shame ‘cos I have a feeling she’s not coming back next year. :(

In other matches, Venus Williams had a tough game against Britain’s Anne Keothavong (although she won in straight sets) and Nadal had a nice win over Ernests Gulbis (who is definitely a player to watch in the future!).

Looks like an exciting two weeks ahead - I can’t wait!

1:09 Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Laos Day 6: Parting ways

Jun 25, 2008 Trips

This will be my last post on my working trip to Laos with World Vision Malaysia. I know I promised a 10-part series, but even I am suffering from Laos fatigue on my blog (I will however blog once more on Laos later, about the rest of my trip where I did the touristy stuff). Besides, it ends nicely as my feature article on the trip is published today in Youth2 (cover story of Star2), as well as a video (thanks to Mee Yook who painstakingly rushed it so it would be out on time!).

My article focuses more on the situation in Laos, mainly children living in poverty, and how external organisation like World Vision is helping ensure that they have a better future. In the video, I tell the stories of three families I met - the hardships they encounter and their positive outlook in life.

As such, it is the perfect opportunity for me to reflect back on the journey in today’s post. Much of what I have to say was already published in The Star last Saturday in my The Bangsar Boy column. In the article, I mention that I don’t know if it’s a life changing experience - it would be too naive I think to presume long term impact - but the sights I saw, and the stories I’ve heard, definitely make an impact in the way I view thing.

After all, images like bloated tummy’s from lack of food, a near-skeletal diabetes patient and a 10-year-old child lugging 20kgs of water to take care of her family do not disappear so easily from one’s mind. Truth be told, I still think about those people I visited everyday.

Join the 30-Hour Famine campaign if you want to help. Hinboune, one of the districts I visited, is among the many beneficiaries from this year’s campaign. Link on image above.

The last day of our trip started early as well - and with my kind of luck, history repeated itself. In my post about Michael Wong (Part 3), I mention that Lucent and I were late for dinner on the first night and how bad I felt for making everyone wait. Well, it happened again on the last day - we were a few minutes late for breakfast, as we couldn’t find our room keys.

Breakfast was nevertheless a jovial affair - some of us got Michael’s autograph (hey, I’m still a fan!) - and we were still reeling from the laughter and jokes shared the night before. It was an early breakfast as Michael had interviews with members of Laos’ media at 9am. I myself would have to head to the airport at 10.30am.

At breakfast, we had a final debriefing and a few of us shared our thoughts and experiences. It was obvious that everyone was touched by what they saw, although I was equally as moved by the humanity of those people on the trip - I think it reflects on everyone as an individual how well we got along for six days with each other 24/7, how everyone reacted and dealt with unfamiliar territories.

The whole crew (minus Yee Lee who had returned to KL) in our last shot together as a group.

With a hearty goodbye, I saw them all off on a tuk-tuk. They were heading to do some last minute shopping and sightseeing, while Soukanya had so kindly offered me a ride to the airport.

It was the end of our trip, but what a trip it was. I don’t wish that we could do it again - it wouldn’t be the same - but I sure hope that the bonds were created would bring us all together again many times over.

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Links to my previous posts on the Laos trip: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

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9.58am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Tags: guang liang, laos, michael wong, Star 2, StarMetro, The Bangsar Boy, The Star, world vision, Youth2