RPK on Perez Hilton!
Sep 25, 2008 Sounds Like Pop
Well, well … of all things about Malaysia to make it to Hollywood gossip blogger’s web site - RPK’s jailing?
A friend of mine had SMS alerted me that the self-declared “Queen of all media” posted something on Sept 24 (not sure what time so it could have been yesterday or early today) headlined: Malaysian Blogger Detained.
He wrote about how RPK was being held without trial for two years (without explaining about the ISA). He ended the post with:
God bless America.
We always give thanks for the freedom we have to speak our mind!
Err, really? I’m not going to say much but some of his readers have slammed him even in his own comments. But I say horrible things about Bush, McCain and Palin also so I will just not pass judgement here.
Seems like the Hollywood gossip fler is taking on topics outside of Hollywood. Either that or Malaysia has made it.
Malaysia boleh!
7pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: ISA, Perez Hilton, RPK
nicster^ rants is iPhone-friendly
Sep 25, 2008 Announcements
Yes, I had explored this option a while ago - mainly cos I’ve been using an iPhone just shy of a year now - but never got to it. I was going to focus on a new look for my blog first.
But that was taking longer than usual, so I decided to do the iPhone thing first. Basically, you can now visit my blog using the iPhone or the iPod Touch and it will appear looking different, but easier to read and navigate through.
The Safari web-browsing feature on both those gadgets are fine, just that this will make it easier to read. And if you don’t like it, there’s a link at the bottom of the page there to switch back to my regular look.
That said, I hope to have my whole site fixed by this weekend, so please keep a look out for it.
I’m a bit of a blur case with blogging coding etc. but this was quite easy to do, using the WPTouch plug-in. So those of you who are bloggers, using WordPress on a self-hosted site, and would like to do the same thing, just click the image below which will lead you to the plug-in.
9.56am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: iphone, ipod touch, plug-in, wordpress, wptouch
No such thing as coincidence
Sep 24, 2008 Sounds Like Pop
A few years ago, an old friend of mine introduced me to a book called The Celestine Prophecy. Actually, by then, there had been a few people who had told me about the book. I don’t know why but I wasn’t so interested.
What was interesting was that my friend had told me a book during a time when we were both in Singapore, by chance. Or was it? Having read The Celestine Prophecy, I’m inclined to think otherwise.
The content of the book for me was impactful. I hesitate to use such terms as life-changing; it has always been my view that until you’ve lived the rest of your life, you can’t really tell if it’s changed. Until today, I would recommend this book to many people - especially friends who have similar views with me on how the universe works, on fate, and on achieving ones dream.
On Monday, I had lunch with my friend Kee Thai. We had spoken before about some of these topics and he had recomended me The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho. Naturally, I suggested he read The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield. It was his birthday a couple of weeks ago, so we exchanged gifts - books - although it wasn’t planned.
I had forgotten about The Alchemist, I remember that I should read it, but forgotten that he was the one who had recommended it. I couldn’t find a copy of The Celestine Prophecy anywhere in the bookshops I went to so I opted to get him Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet In Heaven which is about how everything/one in life is connected. Coincidence? ;)
The Alchemist proved to be one of these books which would make me rethink how I’ve lead my life and how I plan to continue living it. I finished reading it on Monday itself, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Coelho is a genius. I’d totally recommend it - it is a jolly good read, and if you’re ready for it (my old friend I talked about right at the top of this post told me: “When the student is ready, he will seek the teacher” - which might explain my sudden willingness to read The Celestine Prophecy), it might share with you some insights to how the world works that you never considered.
What is even more significant is that these books all appeared at a time in my life when I needed some time and space to rethink.
Coincidence?
8.45pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: James Redfield, Mitch Albom, Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist, The Celestine Prophecy, The Five People You Meet In Heaven
What would Andy Warhol think?
Sep 22, 2008 Sounds Like Pop
Well, I never knew Andy Warhol (although I am a great fan of his work) but I’m not sure if he would approve of Interview magazine’s new look.
The September issue, which I only found on the shelves in KL today, looks like *shock-horror* a magazine. Yes, just another magazine.
Sure, Kate Moss looks hot on the cover, and the foil-and-ink cover is snazzy, but it’s not Interview magazine anymore. For one, the ad placements are horrible. Sure, Interview - The Crystal Ball of Pop, as it used to be called - has always been about the ads as much as the features (well, more the ads) but because it’s almost double the pages of what it used to be, the ads are overflowing!
What’s more, the layout and design has lost it’s edgy feel that I am familiar with. It looks, eeks, like Esquire, and uses as its standard form what looks suspiciously like … are you ready for it? Times New Roman. Like, yawn!
Even the paper material is more glossy and less edgy. Sigh …
I know, I know, one mustn’t be so resistant to change but yet I can help but feel that it’s turned into a fashion magazine (the shoots for all their stories look so … flat. So little creativity I think).
And sure, this is the work of the new Editorial Directors Glenn O’Brien and Fabien Baron but I can’t help but feel like this is Ingrid Sischy’s fault.
I’m just looking for someone to blame. I don’t suppose she could be there forever, she has helmed the magazine since 1990 (Andy Warhol died in 1987) after all and left earlier this year when her girlfriend Sandra Brant sold of her 50% stake in the publishing company Brant Publications Inc (New York Magazine called their move from Interview to Vanity Fair the biggest lesbian sellout heh heh).
The only good thing is that the Malaysian censors missed the breasts which were on full-display in the magazine. Maybe they got lost among all the ads too! Oh, and that apparently they threw quite a party in New York.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue reading Interview after this, we’ll have to see how the next couple of issues go.
What is most sad about this whole saga, really, is that Andy’s name has even been removed from the glory page.
Andy Warhol was a celebrity, and the magazine was created to celebrate that. Now that it feels more mainstream and more like a fashion magazine, it seems like Andy’s celebrity that is Interview, is also fading away.
Looks like The Crystal Ball of Pop has been burst.
7.35pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Yes, that is an advertisement above. Click the image for more details.
Email ads[at]nikicheong.com to advertise.
LOOK OUT FOR THE NEW LOOK OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
Tags: Andy Warhol, Ingrid Sischy, Interview, Interview Magazine
Happy birthday to me
Sep 22, 2008 People
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeee,
Happy birthday to me!
1.30am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)
Tags: birthday, Niki Cheong
