Malaysian Post

Reported in The NST today. Photo from Jeff Ooi’s Blog @ http://www.jeffooi.com/

More photos available at Jeff Ooi’s Blog

KUALA LUMPUR: A Guong Ming Daily photographer was allegedly assaulted when he got between scuffling Umno and DAP members in a multipurpose hall in Peel Road, Cheras, yesterday morning.

Koh Chun Seng suffered an injury to the back of his ear after he said he was punched by a man in his 40s.

Koh claimed he was attacked for taking pictures of two Umno members who had an argument with DAP Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai.

The 27-year-old photographer said Tan had earlier held a press conference at 10am in the hall where several Umno members were nearby.

He said Tan then approached several of the Umno members before an argument broke out.

“They told us to leave the scene. One of them then punched me on the back of the neck.” Koh later lodged a police report at the Taman Maluri police station.He received outpatient treatment at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Cheras.

From the BBC

Rindy Sam said her kiss was an act of devotion

A woman who kissed a £1.37m painting, leaving a lipstick stain, has been ordered to pay 1,500 euros (£1,074) in damages to its owner by a French judge.

Cambodian-born Rindy Sam told the court in the southern French city of Avignon that she was “overcome with passion” when she saw the painting in July.

The plain white canvas, part of triptych by artist Cy Twombly, was on show at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

She must also pay a symbolic one euro (71p) to the US artist.

The gallery owner will also receive 500 euros (£357).

 

Restorers have been unable to remove the lipstick and have unsuccessfully used 30 products to get rid of the stain.

 

At her trial in October, Ms Sam said the kiss was an act of devotion to the work of art.

 

“I just gave it a kiss. It was an act of love, when I kissed it, I wasn’t thinking. I thought the artist would understand,” she said.

The plain canvas (right) was kissed by Ms Sam

But Agnes Tricoire, lawyer for the picture’s owner, said the kiss was “as aggressive as a punch,” causing damage that was just as hard to restore.

“I do not share the same vision of love. For me love requires the consent of both sides,” she said.

Twombly, who was born in 1928, is known for his abstract paintings combining painting and drawing techniques, repetitive lines and the use of graffiti, letters and words.

He won the Venice Golden Lion award for his work in 2001.

A story to warm the heart and soul. Makes me proud to be a Malaysian!

Report from The Star

By LOONG MENG YEE

SHAH ALAM: Chef Teoh Kean Hong slaved over a hot stove in a Chinese restaurant in London and ate instant noodles on his days off to save RM10,350 – money to support his wife and three children back home in Subang Jaya.

Last Tuesday, he returned home for a short holiday.

Thank you so much: Teoh expressing his gratitude to Capt Zaim and Asma. With them are Teoh’s wife Ivy Lee and their child Kai Xuan.

He stuffed the £1,500 in an envelope and placed it in a pocket of his jacket. Little did he know that the enveloped had dropped from his jacket as he flung it over his arms before getting into a car at the KL International Airport to return home at about 8pm.

Teoh only realised the money was missing at 10pm while having dinner with his family.

He rushed back to the airport hoping to find his money. It was not there and he reported the loss to the police.

For the next few days, Teoh kept a brave front and took his family to Penang and Cameron Highlands.

On Sunday, while in Cameron Highlands, Teoh’s father called. Somebody had found the money and it was reported in The Star.

“I was so relieved. I am grateful there are still such honest people around,” said Teoh.

Yesterday, Teoh met the person – lecturer Asma Muda.

Asma, a lecturer at Technical Teachers’ Training Institute, had stumbled upon the cash while loading her luggage into her husband’s car.

Asma, 42, and her husband, pilot Capt Zaim Khalid, decided the money must be returned to its rightful owner.

She sought The Star’s help to trace the owner.

Over some home-made cookies at Asma’s house in Bukit Jelutong here, Teoh thanked the couple profusely for handing the money back to him.

He insisted they accept an ang pow (red packet) as a token of his appreciation.

Since the news was published, Asma and her husband had received numerous calls and SMSes.

One SMS even said the couple was stupid, and should have just kept the money for themselves.

“We were prepared for all the remarks. Keeping the money was never an option. As a lecturer, my wife always tells her students the importance of honesty.

“As Muslims, we teach our five children never to keep what does not belong to us. In this case, the money is Teoh’s sweat and blood,” said Capt Zaim.

Another Interesting item from The NST. Pictures are taken from other blogs on the net.

BERNAMA
KLANG, Sun.:

More than 60,000 people from all walks of life attended Port Klang State Assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros’ Hari Raya open house, held at his new mansion in Pandamaran here last night.

Among the dignitaries present were Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, Deputy Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zain Mohamed and Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Mohd Taib.

Zakaria told reporters that he was very pleased with the turnout and that it showed the people to be very much behind him despite the building of the mansion in an area where mostly low-income earners live, and being made a subject of controversy.

Asked if this meant he stood a better chance of being retained as a candidate for the next general election, he said that it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

The 16-room mansion, occupied by Zakaria and his extended family, was built at a cost of RM3 million.

From The NST today:

Benjamin Helfrich, AFP

Thailand’s Tanyarat Jirapatpakon (C) poses for pictures with runner-up Chanel Madrigal (L) of Philippines and Aleika Barros of Brazil after being crowned Miss International Queen 2007 in Thailand’s Pattaya resort. - AFP PHOTO/Saeed KHAN

PATTAYA, Thailand, Sun.:

Dressed in a flowing yellow gown with matching earrings, a demure Thai business student wept and embraced her rivals after being crowned the world’s most beautiful transsexual.

Tanyarat Jirapatpakon was today named Miss International Queen of 2007, besting 23 stunning transsexuals who had come to the Thai beach resort of Pattaya from as far as Germany and Puerto Rico for a shot at the diamond crown.

The Thai’s extravagant yet elegant costumes and dedication to environmental causes helped carry the day, taking her past runners-up Aleika Barros of Brazil and Chanel Madrigal of the Philippines.

“I feel excited and so happy. Everybody enjoyed the contest and I didn’t expect anything like this,” the 21-year-old said from atop her throne after winning 10,000 dollars and the title.

In a nation obsessed with beauty pageants and famous for its sexual tolerance, this elaborate contest is taken every bit as seriously as the more traditional competitions.

Contestants’ costumes can cost up to one million baht (33,000 dollars), and the audience was treated to all the glitz and glam of conventional beauty pageants, complete with swimsuit and evening-wear rounds.“This is the night I have been preparing for my whole life,” gushed Colombia’s Melania Armenta, a 25-year-old model.Festivities began on Saturday evening, with last year’s winner Erica Andrews performing “Mexican Aztec” — an upbeat, pulsating dance homage to her homeland complete with ancient pyramids, flashing native symbols and historic outfits.

In the costume round, Tanyarat had to compete against a butterfly, a swan and a Mercedes Benz, but the top prize in the category was given to Japan’s Beni Tsukishima for her authentic kabuki ensemble.

Tanyarat’s angelic white-beaded evening wear, fit for the grandest of galas, gave way to the more salacious floral pink bikini in the swimsuit competition, showing off her shapely legs and slim figure.

But she finally wooed the crowd with dedication to loftier issues.

“Global warming is one of the most serious problems the world faces today,” she said when asked how she helps educate people on environmental issues.

“I tell them to ’think about it’. It’s your world too,” she said.

The crowd, consisting of mostly Thais and the occasional bewildered tourist, cheered loudly for the homegrown favourite but were upstaged by feverish, flag-waving Filipinos who supported four of their compatriots.

Tiffany’s Show Pattaya, which runs the event and claims to be the world’s largest transsexual cabaret, said more than 25 million Thai television viewers had been expected to tune in.

Known in Thailand as “kathoey,” or the third gender, Thai transsexuals have slowly been leaving cabarets for mainstream success in music and other endeavours, helped in part by the popularity of beauty contests.

Participants praised Thailand for its progressive attitude towards sexuality.

“There is still a lot of discrimination against people like me in the Philippines,” said 24-year-old Rain Marie Madrigal, from Manila.

“Thailand is like a utopia for transgender people.” - AFP