YeinJee's Asian blog

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Discovery archives - General news, society, culture, science and knowledge

Malaysia Covid-19 lockdown – Thank you, stay safe, good luck

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Malaysia will be in lockdown from March 18 to March 31, 2020, to deal with the Covid-19 situation. Officially it’s a Movement Control Order (MCO) but it’s effectively a lockdown like some other countries. Malaysians can read the details on local news so I am not getting into that.

Instead, I want to thank the medical staff – including some friends – and other folks who work hard to combat the pandemic around the world. Also thanks to those who will keep the country running during the lockdown. It is not a choice in some cases but a heartfelt appreciation nonetheless.

I hope everyone will be disciplined and thoughtful during the period. Restrict our travel as much as possible and follow the orders. Most of us have people we care who are vulnerable, and frankly nobody is really safe from the virus. Let’s make a collective effort to curb the spread.

There are people who will be more affected, mentally and financially etc. Hopefully the government can provide proper assistance. I will donate a bit to help those in need. Kindly contribute in your own ways if you are capable to do so. The options should become clearer after a few days.

So, thank you, stay safe and good luck. Malaysians, everyone, everywhere.

Update – The MCO has been extended at least until April 14, not going to update about this anymore. The situation around the world also worsen since I first posted the thoughts. My condolences, may the souls rest in peace. Others, stay strong, keep on fighting, and best wishes.

Kpop idol Sulli found dead, apparent suicide

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Korean pop idol Sulli, former member of girl group f(x), was found dead at her home on Monday. Authorities are investigating the cause of death, and it’s presumed that she took her own life.

Korean showbiz has always been troubled by suicide issues for the past couple of decades. People don’t see one coming for most of the time, but it’s not a surprise in Sulli’s case. There were hints from time to time but we couldn’t do much about it, and some people actually made it worse…

Sulli was a controversial figure and received many harsh comments online. A few of those might be fair criticism but most were just personal attacks, with some sexual harassment in the mix. It’s textbook cyber-bullying. It may not be the eventual cause but those comments won’t do any good.

Sad thing is most of the haters probably won’t regret a thing and will move on like nothing has happened. Or worse, they will find another target to harass instead. I don’t know if people are just ignorant, or are there so many psychopaths behind computers these days. It’s a scary world either way.

Hope Sulli would find peace at last. She was just 25, I almost forgot how young she was because she had been in the business for so long. Condolences to her family too.

Haruo Nakajima – The man in Godzilla suit

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Short English documentary about Haruo Nakajima, the man who portrayed Godzilla in the first 12 movies of the popular Japanese media franchise.

The costume was made of concrete in the first Godzilla film in 1954, that alone deserves respect LoL. Check the rest about his early career from the video.

Nakajima also played other giant creatures in various movies and in the Ultraman TV series. Hence, in some ways he’s the real king of monsters in Japan.

He retired from his suit acting roles in 1972. Fans still remember him fondly, and many people credited him as the greatest suit actor of all time.

Rest in peace

[Update] The legend passed away in August 2017, aged 88.

“In the end, the Godzilla I played remains on the film forever. It remains in people’s memory, and for that I feel really grateful.” ~ Haruo Nakajima

Daily life in North Korea as a foreign tourist

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Video by travel blogger Jacob Laukaitis who visited North Korea with a tour group earlier this year. He revealed the basic do’s and don’ts at the beginning of the film, and he didn’t hide the fact that most of the things he seen were staged.

Set politics (and atom bombs) aside, an interesting tourism video for the “mysterious” country. It reminds me of my trip to China in late 90’s, in other words North Korea seems to be 15-20 years behind some parts of the world.

Wedding Palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

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Photo of the Wedding Palace in Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan. The eleven-storey building is a civil registry centre. It’s constructed by Turkish company Polimeks and opened in 2011.

Wedding Palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Besides registration of marriage and other civic services, the “palace” has wedding halls, banquet rooms, and a hotel. It also has boutiques and shops that provide essential items for a proper wedding.

The cube on top has the form of an eight-pointed star on each side. The star is a common Islamic geometry pattern; it’s also the background of the national emblem of Turkmenistan. The shiny “ball” at the centre of the cube depicts planet earth, not sure what’s the hidden meaning behind that though.

Interesting architecture regardless. It’s a mix of traditional and futuristic elements.