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SE Asia (Page 14)

Valley of the 9,000 dolls: One man’s incredible collection

Scott R Dixon
Jun 23, 2014
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For the parents of the world who refuse to let their children play with gender non-confirming toys, Jian Yang from Singapore should serve as a warning to what may happen if you don’t let kids be kids. The 30-something professional wasn’t allowed to have a doll growing up, but started collecting them when he got older and is now the proud owner of roughly 9,000 dolls.

While he hasn’t gone as far as some doll enthusiasts to sate their obsession, he has spent at least US$350,000 in the last 20 years on his ever-growing collection. Click below to see pictures of Yang’s enormous stash and to learn more about what drives this self-described “toy nerd” to buy this many dolls!

SE Asia
(Barbie • collection • doll • hobby • Singapore • toys)

A brand new capsule hotel just opened…in Malaysia

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Jun 20, 2014

Capsule hotels were something of an anomaly when first introduced to the world through pictures taken in Japan. But it seems the compact rental sleeping areas are catching on abroad. If you thought Japan was the only place you could crawl into a compartment just longer than your body, you’ll be surprised to find that you can now have a similar claustrophobic experience in Malaysia.

SE Asia
(capsule hotel • hotel • Kuala Lumpur International Airport • lodging)

“Attack on car”? When real life angry birds attack

Krista Rogers
Jun 19, 2014

Not unlike the “911 attack cat” that’s been making waves across the States, it looks like a peacock at the Singapore Zoo has also gone into an unstoppable rage! Only this time, the battlefield happens to be a road, and the peacock in question has challenged a car to a duel. Maybe its wrath was triggered after seeing its own reflection in the car’s shiny exterior, or by the driver’s attempt to get it out of the way by beeping the horn…but regardless of what provoked it, this is one angry bird. Who do you think emerged victorious after the fight?

SE Asia
(attack • car • peacock • Singapore • zoo)

Hugging, “borrowing” Wi-Fi and 8 other things that can get you arrested in Singapore

Scott R Dixon
Jun 17, 2014

Singapore may have a reputation for being an extremely safe and clean country, but there is a good reason for that—very strict laws. The infamous gum ban is just one of the many rules in Singapore designed to keep the city-state tidy and well-behaved. So if you are planning a trip to Singapore (besides perfecting your race-walking skills) you might want to check out some other local laws that are surprisingly stricter compared to other developed countries. Click below to read about 10 laws in Singapore that you should probably follow unless you plan on taking an up close and personal tour of a Singapore jail!

SE Asia
(crime • hugging • law • LGBT • littering • music piracy • pornography • Singapore • weird)

Crocodile ice cream: It won’t bite back!

ロケットニュース24
Jun 12, 2014

With summer very nearly upon us, it’s time to break out the cold foods like kakigori, Garigari-kun, and, of course, ice cream. Even now, as we struggle through the rainy season and moisture hangs in the air, there’s little in this world as wonderful a giant bowl of strawberry ice cream.

If you’re in Tokyo like we are, there are plenty of places and reasons for gobbling up a chilly bowl of sweet ice cream–and the same is certainly true for the Philippines as well. However, while Tokyo may have some of the best restaurants in the world, Davao City in the Philippines has something Tokyo does not–crocodile ice cream. Don’t worry, though–it won’t bite back!

Oceania, SE Asia
(crocodiles • food • ice cream • Philippines)

“Singapore Da Por” confesses his love in a clever cover of Joyce Chu’s “Malaysia Chabor”

Krista Rogers
Jun 12, 2014

Singing that kimchi is delicious but that she prefers her familiar cendol (a traditional dessert) and keropok (shrimp crackers), 17-year-old Joyce Chu (also known as 四葉草) from Johor Bahru, Malaysia has become quite the YouTube sensation. It’s now approaching three weeks since her song and video Malaysia Chabor (“Malaysian Girl”) about her experiences being mistaken for a Korean in her home country was first published on YouTube, and since then the video has racked up 3.9 million views and counting.

With her good looks and sweet voice, it was inevitable that Joyce would pick up a few admirers after her sudden rise to fame. One man in particular seems to be quite smitten with her, and even went so far as to create his own original response video to her song.

Who is this mysterious admirer? Keep reading to find out more and watch his video for yourself!

Internet, SE Asia
(cover • Joyce Chu • love • Malaysia • Malaysia Chabor • Singapore • YouTube)

Doctors puzzled by Indonesian woman who claims to have given birth to a gecko

Master Blaster
Jun 11, 2014

Since the end of May a special investigative team was dispatched to Oenunto Village in Indonesia at the request of the Chief Medical Officer of nearby Kupang City. Their mission was to figure out what really happened after hearing about a woman who gave birth to her third child: a healthy, bouncing baby gecko.

SE Asia
(birth • gecko • Indonesia • weird)

Authentic Thai food in Thailand found in the least expected place

KK Miller
Jun 10, 2014

Thai food is fantastic; the flavors of sweet and spicy excite the taste buds like little else. But in a country as diverse as Thailand, how do you know which restaurant to visit? There are so many local eateries, how can you decide which one will be the best? Well, RocketNews24 has a recommendation for you, and it doesn’t matter what part of Thailand you are in, you will probably be able to find it.

The restaurant we recommend for you to try some authentic Thai food is…McDonald’s!

SE Asia
(breakfast • congee • McDonald's • rice porridge • Thailand)

No lions, six time zones and fast walkers: 10 fascinating facts about Singapore

Scott R Dixon
Jun 9, 2014

With four national languages, a multicultural population and its infamous chewing gum ban, Singapore is one fascinating country. Singapore is a major financial hub and its airport makes it an easy flight from almost anywhere in the world. And recently we found 10 lesser-known facts about the Southeast Asian island nation that can make up for even the most embarrassing tourism campaign mistake. Click below to find out where Singapore got its name, what’s up with their time zone and why some people love hugging vending machines there!

SE Asia
(ASEAN • Fandi Ahmad • lion city • Singapore • south east asia)

Coca-Cola giving away specialty bottlecaps in Vietnam to promote reusing their plastic bottles

Master Blaster
Jun 5, 2014

You have to hand it to Coca-Cola. Despite being the best-selling cola brand and one of the biggest companies in the world, they certainly don’t seem to rest on their laurels. Like a hungry up-and-coming business, they’re always coming up with new gimmicks in each of the 200 countries they operate in, whether it be personalized bottles in Japan or, like now in Vietnam**, a set of functional caps which can transform your empty bottle into a water gun, pencil sharpener, night lights and more after you’re finished with it**.

SE Asia
(Coca-Cola • recycle • Vietnam)

Malaysian girl gets 1.6 million views on YouTube for singing about not being Korean【Video】

Joan Coello
Jun 2, 2014

Malaysia, like many southeast asian countries, is a melting pot of people of different ethnicities and religions. Of course, there are more and more people working and studying overseas nowadays, so you might think that every other country is in the same situation, but you’ll know you’re in a seriously multinational city when almost every new person you meet asks you “are you local?” (my personal experience as a Singaporean).

To that sort of question, 17-year-old Malaysian YouTuber Joyce Chu proudly answers with her song Malaysia Chabor (chabor means “woman” in the Hokkien dialect), which has garnered over 1.6 million views in slightly more than a week!

SE Asia
(cute girls • Malaysia • singing • song • YouTube)

Tennis coach forces his students to draw elephant heads on their penises【TomoNews Video】

TomoNews
May 29, 2014

A tennis coach in Tainan banned his students from dating. Anyone who broke the rule was forced to have an elephant drawn on their privates.

SE Asia
(abuse • drawing • elephant • punishment • TomoNews • video)

What was this Attack on Titan giant doing at a protest in Hong Kong?

Fran W
May 29, 2014

We knew Attack on Titan was crazy popular with an incredible 36 million volumes in circulation and a huge fanbase that stretches from Japan to the English-speaking world and beyond, it’s also been translated for audiences in Korea and China (Taiwan). Next year things will reach new heights with a full length live-action film starring Haruma Miura in the leading role.

When we saw these photos apparently showing a Titan from the series taking part in a demo in Hong Kong, we just had to find out more. “The Red Giant” is a piece of protest art made by Hong Kong based artist Kacey Wong, and pictures from the demo have been doing the rounds on Japanese online message boards this week. At once among the crowd and separate from it, the looming bright red figure is a powerful symbol of what Wong sees as the threat posed to Hong Kong by mainland China’s rapid growth as an economic superpower.

Japan, SE Asia
(Attack on Titan • China • Hong Kong • politics • protest)

New J-drama ‘Kol Kimono’: Brought to you from…Thailand!

Fran W
May 24, 2014

Elegant kimono, cascading wisteria blossoms and the stunning scenery of Kyushu, Japan’s most southwesterly island. If this sounds like an archetypal scene from the land of the rising sun, you’d be half right – new drama ‘Kol Kimono’, which hits TV screens in December, is definitely set in Japan. But you won’t find it broadcast there just yet – only in Thailand!

In Thailand, interest in Japanese culture is at an all-time high. Thanks in part to relaxed visa regulations, the number of Thai visitors to Japan has doubled in the last three years. The new primetime drama, which started filming on location in Kyushu last week, also stars Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre, one of Thailand’s biggest names, in his first leading role in 17 years.

Japan, SE Asia
(drama • kimono • Kimono Hiden • Kol Kimono • Thongchai Bird McIntyre)

Traffic accidents kill over 300,000 per year in SE Asia, Toyota calls in Taylor Swift to help

Cara Clegg
May 21, 2014

For many people around the world, it’s an automatic reaction to buckle up whenever you get into a vehicle. However there are still many countries where, despite having the laws in place, there isn’t much of an awareness of the tragic consequences failing to strap yourself in can have…that’s where Taylor Swift comes in.

Japan, SE Asia
(ASEAN • automotive safety • road safety • safety • seat belt • Taylor Swift • TOYOTA)

Denny’s Japan to serve ‘the most delicious food in the world’

Cara Clegg
May 14, 2014

From May 27 you will apparently be able to eat ‘the most delicious food in the world’ at family restaurant chain Denny’s! Are they just blowing their own horn here? Well, not exactly.

Japan, SE Asia
(Asian food • curry • Denny's • food • Thai curry • Thai food)

Malaysia didn’t start looking for the missing plane until 4 hours after it disappeared

BUSINESS INSIDER
May 2, 2014

Malaysian officials have released a preliminary report about the Flight 370 disappearance that says the official rescue operation didn’t start until four hours after the plane vanished from radar.

CNN reports that Malaysian officials also noted it took 17 minutes for anyone to notice that the plane had gone off the radar.

The gist of the report — officials are still far from finding the missing plane.

SE Asia
(flight 370 • Malaysia Airlines • missing plane • Pull Partners)

River overflowing? Got to get to school? Don’t forget your plastic bag! 【Video】

KK Miller
Apr 29, 2014

Bad weather holidays were the greatest reason for not going to school. Sometimes, though, the severe weather isn’t quite enough to force a closure. The wind isn’t quite strong enough or the rain or snow isn’t dangerous enough. So, if the school says classes are on, you do what you can to get there. A city in Vietnam has “schooled” everyone with the incredible lengths they will go to get students to their classroom.

SE Asia
(clever • flood • going to school • plastic bags • Vietnam)

Bangkok’s Snake Farm: Saving lives and teaching the world about snake penises 【Photos】

Jessica
Apr 25, 2014

Did you know that a king cobra has venom powerful enough to bring down an elephant? Were you aware that snake anti-venom is produced by injecting venom into horses? How about about that snakes have two penises, called hemipenes, that they alternate?

You can learn all these crazy serpent facts and more at Bangkok’s Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute and Snake Farm, as well as take in a snake handling show, a venom extraction demonstration, and check out about 40 different species of snakes endemic to Thailand.

SE Asia
(Bangkok • snakes • travel • weird)

Whack-a-Kitty: Now with real kittens【Video】

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Apr 24, 2014

Ah, whack-a-mole, that fun childhood arcade game where the only goal is to smash all the moles back down into their holes. No one ever felt sorry for the little plastic rodents, but what if they were actual kitties? Take a look at this video featuring kittens in their own version of the classic game. (Don’t worry, no kitties were whacked in the making of this video!)