Wassup July 2012

The cultural trends magazine from Correspondents:Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific TariRusbianti(Jakarta)Edited & designed by Kunal Sinha InkeKurniawan(Jakarta) Mala Yutimalah (Jakarta) Elaine Dai (Beijing) NehaPunjabi (Mumbai) DonnahAlcoseba(Makati City) Wine Chua-Leonardo (Makati City) Joyce Koor( Singapore) WaqasTahir (Singapore) Naoko Ito (Tokyo) Azusa Fukai (Tokyo) Madhurim Gupta (Colombo) Mei Wu (Taipei) Beatrice Yong (Kuala Lumpur) Josephine Phang (Kuala Lumpur) Serena Park (Seoul) © Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific, 2012

Our engagement with the digital world is driven by what technology allows us to do, butin great part it’s because it is shaping our opinions like never before. Amongst theburgeoning population of bloggers and those that tweet, some folks are particularlysticky: these opinion leaders stand out and are avidly followed because they have a pulseof what’s happening across diverse fields: entertainment, politics, sport and lifestyle. Inthis issue of Wassup, we speak with a cross-section of such influencers to get a sense ofwhat makes them so appealing.Even as Western animation characters gain a toehold amongst kids and youth in Asia, anentirely homegrown set of quirky characters has emerged on to the scene, dominatingthe world of cinema, TV, comic books and theme parks. Japan’s foremost cultural exportsmight be mangaand Hello Kitty, but here we’ve chosen to profile some of the lesserknown characters who are no less engaging. Go on and explore how they tap into localcultures.While political and economic turmoil continue to buffet the world, with little resolutionin sight, Asians have to deal with their own uncertainties and tensions. Sometimes, anover zealous police officer may have a city’s merrymakers up in arms; or a bureaucratwho decides to crack down on those sporting tattoos can face strong resistance. Onother occasions, politicians and religious leaders who drive a wedge amongst peopleinvite their anger.Ambitious new buildings, a new beer variant with frozen froth toppings, a new videogame and new TV shows, and the forthcoming cricket Twenty20 World Cup are just someof the things that folks are talking about. They may be interested in the Euro Footballtournament, or the London Olympics, but these topics aren’t quite on top of theiragenda.Here in Asia, what’s trending is different. And Wassup tells you all about it !

14 countries.20 correspondents deeply immersed inpopular and leading edge culture bring youCultural Insights that will make a world ofdifference to your business. SOUTH KOREA BANGLADESH PHILIPPINES SINGAPORE INDONESIA SRI LANKA THAILAND MALAYSIA PAKISTAN VIETNAM TAIWAN JAPAN CHINA INDIA

Look who’s talking: Internet Opinion LeadersKnowing me, Knowing you: Animation characters Playing on my iPod Rage against Waiting ListEveryone is talking about Tense about Favorite knock-off brands

Look Who’s Talking Internet Opinion Leaders

Look who’s talking Indonesia Pribadi Prananta PribadiPrananta is among the 5,5 million Twitter users in Indonesia. However, PribadiPrananta is not just a Twitter user, he has that special “spot” in the twitter land for tweeps around Indonesia as the influencer. Pribadi aka Pipu is out othere on Twitter using the name @pipis , in which in Indonesia, means “pee”. That’s a plus one for Pipu, as it’s an interesting name selection. *on his experience on transjakarta bus On his Twitter account, Pipu describes himself as a Transjakartabus user, and an ad man - story teller for the whole day. Pipu does play a role as a story teller in Twitter, at least to his followers. He’s telling his story in the morning when he takes Transjakarta bus on his way to the office. He describes the people, or the things that he sees, and his experience in a different way.Pipu doesn’t stop to tell “story” in the morning. Duringthe day, he usually shares content such as videos ofthings that interest him; about cats and dogs, movie trailer, inspiring people, any updates on Japanese group“AKB48” and last but not least, as an Ad Man, he also shares great ads around the world. What’s unique is onThursday night, it a session for a horror story, or called #memetwit. Pipuis one of the influencer who isactively sharing a story each week.His followers are mostly young people, cat lovers, Japanese girl band; JKT 48 or AKB48, and horror storylovers. Every day, there will be one or more followers who shares photos of his/her cat, and they ask Pipu tosay “hi”” to them, and he did RT and say Hi. On Thursday night, also the same, there will be followers whoaskPiputo tell them a horror story. We asked him how can he tell horror story each week, and doesn’t he run outof stories? Do you experience something scary each week? Well, story tellers are like magicians, they nevertell.Because of his populariity among theTwitterati, brands such as AXIS (telecommunication provider), PocariSweat , SMAX (Crackers), and others are using Pipu to drive his followers to get to know more about theirbrand, or join the campaign they’re running. It seems that big brands trust Pipu will tell good stories aboutthem to his followers.

Look who’s talking Sri Lanka RamodMalaka is a talented 23 year old dancer who excels in all types of dance genres. Ramod is also a choreographer at his young age and owns his own dance studio. But this isn’t his only talent; his skills in IT have given him the opportunity to launch his own website to exhibit his dance skills and to promote his dance studio. He has made many friends especially because of internet. His dance troupe is also like family to him and he hangs out with them a lot. He feels he gains a lot of knowledge just socializing with his friends because each person has a different perception not just about dancing but about life in general. He further explains that his life is not completely about internet, although it plays a big part in his life. Life outside internet is where he finds emotion. He says he enjoys it a lot. He loves to hang out at the beach because it relaxes him and enables him to improve his creative thoughts in dance. Internet is a drug to him is what he says. His typical explanation on how he feels without internet is the same way a drug-addict would seek for his “line” to snort everywww.ramodonline.com day, anytime of the day. He quotes “Without the internet I would feel weak and lifeless”….

Look who’s talkingThe main reason why Ramod’s second home is the net isbecause of his career. He thinks that the net helps him inmany ways to promote his dance studio. He launched hiswebsite in early 2011.What kind of stories does he like to share? Does his site have any impact?Since Ramod’s passion is dancing, he finds interesting quotes, He believes that his writing definitely hasstories, case studies on dancers, dance genres and so on to an impact, especially on budding dancersshare with dance enthusiasts. He also likes to share videos of who are inspired to reach the heights heinteresting dance moves he comes across on famous shows has at his young age. Whenever he comeslike “So you think you can dance” and “Dancing with the across something that is interesting heStars”. Moreover, he always uploads his personal shares it with his fans with the hope thatperformances which have always managed to get him a good it will inspire them as well. Interestingly, itcrowd cheer. By doing so he expects his fans and friends to is not only dope on dancing that heshare their thoughts and takes the positives and the negatives shares, but also information about newas constructive criticism which he believes improves him technologies as he is also very much intoperformance by performance. this industry, and is doing his BSc in Computing with Interactive Media at the South Asian Institute of Technology and Management. What are his favourite sites? So You think I can dance- http://www.fox.com/dance/ Monster Hip Hop – http://www.monstersofhiphop.com/

Look who’s talking Mumbai Miss Malini We hereby present to you MaliniAgarwal who is also popularly known as @missmalini on Twitter. Her blogs feature on her own website – missmalini.com “So it’s like this; I’ve worked as a DJ on a local Radio Station – 94.3 Radio One, reported in on the Bollywood buzz live with Nikki Bedi on BBC Asia Network, continue to run a social network called Friday Club, write a gossip column in theMid Day and attend a hell of a lot of social “dos” (I plead occupational hazard but secretly enjoy it.) I like to think my fly-on-the-wall perspective is sometimes funny and mostly fair. Remember though that this is Bollywood; aka tinsel town, the land of Prada & Paparazzi. Here everyone wants to be on “Page 3″ – a direct descendant of the LA “Page 6” and very often they’ll stop at nothing for a full color high resolution mugshot. Watch this space then for all your desi glam gossip..Perez Hilton I’m about to play it forward.”

Look who’s talkingShe covers way more topics than just Bollywood, “Everything from an awesome site called postsecret.com to500pencils.socialdesigner.com dedicated to pencils of every imaginable colour, how cool is that right? I publishwhatever I find interesting assuming only that if its good enough for me its good enough for you! (excerpt fromher interview back in 2010)What has made MissMalini, the blog, so popular?I think MissMalini.com has a very unique voice and a living breathing personality which really sets it apart. It isalso completely a labor of love and I think that comes through. Since Ive been in the media in Mumbai for over adecade, the network I have built affords me unique access to Bollywood, lifestyle and fashion events as well aspersonalities. So my perspective comes from behind the velvet rope which people are most curious about. Werealso very particular about the quality of writing and use a variety of media to make the posts very interactive. Soits a fresher approach than traditional media.My style.I try to do what I always tell my writers and guest contributors: write the way you speak. Like youre telling afriend. I want to hear your voice. Dont be afraid to have an opinion. The beauty of a blog is that you have greatcreative freedom. The only 2 big rules I have are: a) dont be unnecessarily nasty and b) always spell check andrespect proper grammar rules! Its part of respecting your readers.Blogging at this scale is still pretty limited inIndia. We just do what we think our readers will appreciate. We keep it fun, fresh and current. Were happy to seethe blogging industry grow in India!What works for me?I think brands are looking for new ways to connect with their audiences, in more individual, interactive ways.They also want to get a finger on the pulse of todays youth, and we can help them with both. I think beingassociated with the MissMalini brand also offers some credibility among my 18-35 demographic, especiallybecause we only work with partners and brands we genuinely like. Honestly, I think we mostly influence byexample. If we like a product, well talk about it. We like sharing the love if we think its something our audiencewill enjoy. Where brands want a more sustained campaign, we work with them to create customized and uniquesolutions that include editorials, contests, photo and video content, interviews, events, etc. But the golden rule isthat we only support things we like.

Look who’s talking How Malini, the girl, become Miss Malini, the blogger? I grew up in the digital age! I call it serendipity and being in the right place at the right time. Ive always loved to write and am an Internet junkie, after working in print and radio for 9 years running a social network called FridayHow do brands capitalize on her popularity? Club and working online with MTV and Channel V (as head of digital content) I found that blogging was a fabulous way to connect all my passions in one place. The blog is a living breather mirror of my life and curates everything to do with Bollywood fashion lifestyle and geek chic - I am a life caster, I live my life online and I love it :) Rules I blog by: - Keep it honest. Blog about what you love. It shows. - Respect your readers. Give them something that deserves their time. Theyll respect you for it and come back too! - Dont take yourself too seriously. Its very easy to get caught up in yourself, especially in the entertainment industry. But you need to be able to laugh at yourself and let things roll of your back. - Make it fun!

Look who’s talkingMalaysiaKenny Sia (www.kennysia.com)Kenny Sia is one of Malaysia’s most popular bloggers. In fact,his blogging career is one that most bloggers aspire to have.He started the blog in January 2005 as a tool tocommunicate with his overseas friends. However, it soonbecame one of the Malaysian blogosphere’s most popularblogs, partly attributed to an infamous post on April’s Fool’sDay where he made fun of a score of famous bloggers.Today, his blog has been visited over 24 million times andhas been awarded titles such as Blog of the Year and BestEntertainment Blog.It’s easy to see why people love his blog. His posts never failto make you laugh, whether he is writing about current Kenny Sia after shaving his head for charityissues, Malaysian politics, local advertising, product reviews,understanding women, day-to-day life or his travels. Hewrites with a sense of humor that appeals across borders,and it’s this humor that keeps people going back for more.He’s notorious for his crude humor and satire, hisunabashedly self-depreciating wit and is well-known for hisparodies of scandals and controversies.He’s not merely funny. He also writes thoughtful andpoignant posts, in between nonsensical ones, and hisproduct reviews are well researched and informative. Butwhether it is a trip to the salon or patriotism or vibratingcondoms, his perspectives on the issue at hand never fail to A parody of a slimming product advertisementgenerate vigorous discussions and spark heated debateamongst netizens.Readers also love his blog because each post he puts up is anoriginal creation, not simply a copy-and-paste of interestingnews. Much thought and research goes into the planning ofeach article and he painstakingly creates candid photo-shopped pictures to illustrate his stories.The most recent brands that have capitalized on his celebrityblogging status are Apple, local car brand Perodua andGuinness, but apart from the wide endorsements ofproducts, he was also appointed a judge for MalaysianDreamgirls, an online reality modeling pageant, and engagedto be the brand ambassador for Mister Potato, a potato chipbrand. A controversial parody of a Malaysian politician’s sex scandal

Look who’s talking South Korea Hyori Lee ‘Social-tainer’ is a new terminology, that combines society and entertainer. Lately, it’s a big trend amongst entertainers to actively get involved with social issues by lending their voices, and even sometimes participating in touchy issues, which consequently makes them even more popular amongst the public. Hyori Lee is South Korea’s most famous singer and at the same time, fashionista. She is well known for expressing hers view on various issues via social media. This has made her one of the best social-tainers in South Korea. Most of all, she actively tweets about her care and concern about abandoned dogs and cats; these are reported by a large number of Korean media. Now, the serious issue ofVia Twitter, Hyori Lee showed her on-going abandoned pets has become the talk of town.support and care for pets and animals, whichgradually raised the public’s interest in animalrights. Most of her Tweets (numbering around 2000) are about her trivial everyday life story, along with her support and care for pets and animals. Half of her Tweets are about animals in danger. Quite often, she makes an effort to help pet owners to search and find their lost dogs by Tweeting and re-Tweeting their message. Obviously her influence as a celebrity works well in finding lost pets. She has also donated her possession towards raisings funds for the animal protection movement.

Look who’s talkingHyori Lee recently announced that she had turned vegetarian, publicly encouraging vegetarianism amongst herfollowers. She said “I tend to act without hesitation when I have a conviction. Since I have been interested in animalrights and protection, I found out another hidden side of animal protection. This made me turn vegetarianspontaneously. Actually, after becoming a vegetarian, I am less touchy, more generous and relaxed about thingsaround me.” She added “If you feel it is difficult, or too dramatic a change to become a vegetarian, I recommendthat you skip having meat at least once a week, which would be a good way to start.”In one media interview, she confessed her inner thoughts, saying, “Sometimes, as a well known celebrity, I feel aburning desire to express my opinion in SNS like Twitter. Nonetheless, I enjoy expressing myself straightforwardly,without any barrier through SNS, which is its biggest charm.”Lately, we have noticed that a number of celebrities are easily hurt and mentioned negatively via SNS. But therearesomecelebrities who use their fame for socially responsible activities, and in a more productive manner, likeHyoriLee.She truly knows how well-known public figures can change the world into a better place. Hyori stars in a documentary about vegetarian life style on one of major South Korean cable TV channels. Hyori posts pictures of her own vegetarian pizzaon Twitter, promoting vegetarian life style among Koreans.

Look who’s talking 16 year-old Xia Xue Before & after plastic surgery Xia Xue today, with dyed hair, make-up and help from PhotoshopSingaporeXia Xue Before diet pills: 46kg After: 38.5kg & her 24-inches shorts being very looseWhether you love or hate her, Wendy Cheng (better While she has her fair share of haters who criticizeknown as Xiaxue) is arguably Singapore’s most well- her for being ‘bimbotic’, ‘shallow’ and ‘vulgar’, sheknown blogger. With 86,205 people likes on also has a strong following, even winning variousFacebook, 105,323 followers on Twitter and 37,842 blog awards such as her latest win for “Mostpage visits on an average day, it’s hard to deny her Influential Blog” which caused some to deem it aspopularity. “inappropriate” and “disappointing” last year.She’s known for many things- her honesty about her Her latest blog post, “The Faces ofplastic surgery and experience with diet pills, her Haters”http://xiaxue.blogspot.sg/2012/05/faces-of-penchant for pink and purple hair, her heavily haters.htmlcaused controversy as well as peoplephotoshopped photos and last but not least, her were split between supporting her and condemningvocal expressions of her (often controversial) points her for “hurting” innocent bystanders. Thisof view. She even has her own mini-series titled controversy was also published on national“XiaXue’s guide to life” which covers things from “Lie platforms such as The Straits Times and Yahoo News.Detecting” to “My Pet Bunny” to “Kissing AGirl” As one article aptly put it “Depending on who youwhich you can view here: are, Wendy Cheng aka Xiaxue is a feminist avengerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgFJlXB2cJo or a symbol of everything wrong with young women today”.According to a survey she conducted with 6000respondents, her readers are mainly Singaporeanfemales, young adults, into fashion and looking foralternative voices.

Look who’s talkingTaiwanChen Chi-shunChen Chi-shun, acerbic style blogger of the highly influential"My Bitchy Personal Opinions,” is a fashion critic who is lovedand hated by almost every entertainer."Just because you love someone and are a huge fan, doesntmean everything that person does is perfect," Chen argues,adding that he would personally never forgive a seriousfashion disaster just because he loved the person wearing it.Chen says people often tell him that criticizing fashion ismuch easier than creating fashion or great personal style ofyour own. To this, the droll Internet personality explains that“criticism" and “creation" have always been completelydifferent things, and bridging this distinction has never beenthe point of his blog.Chen has recently described popular entertainer, Jolin Tsai, afashion disaster in her latest MV ,“Honey Trap(美人計).” Heridicules her shoulder pads with tassels as being“a monthlycalendar on shoulders.”Jolin’s agent responded to Chen’s “bitchy” comments bysaying, “as long as they’re not personal attacks, Jolin candismiss them with a sense of humor.”With over 10 million views this year, "My Bitchy PersonalOpinions" has allowed Chen to develop his own fan baseamongst a group of readers who are most likely officeworkers suffering from work related pressure, and enjoy thetemporary pleasure of mocking someone’s clothing or aparticular brand. And of course, they may also appreciate thefashion tips and trends.And though he is frequently invited as a guest by manyfashion and luxury brands, Chen continues to criticize themon his blog, which demonstrates his true commitment tojustice and humor. Jolin’s fashion disaster

Look who’s talking CHINA Sisi Ren Sisi Ren is a 28-year-old popular blogger from Hangzhou, China. He has been blogging at Yoho.cn, one of the biggest youth online communities and trendy online shops in China since 2008. As an art director at a leading premium womens wear brand in China, he has always been on top of fashion trends and loves sharing his fashion inspiration with his friends online. He also writes reviews and recommendations about recent popular music, movies and art exhibitions that interest him personally. In 2010, Sisi’s blog was featured on the leading youth fashion and culture magazine YOHO as the editor’s recommended blog for fashion conscious Chinese youth.The majority of Sisi’s online followers are fashion consciousand artistic youth between 18 and early 30. They visit his blogto look for inspiration in fashion and art, as well asrecommendations on music, movies and new products.However, Sisi doesn’t like to call his blog readers as ‘followers’,he thinks he is also learning from them when they areinteracting online. “I always respond to each comment on myblog and I love to interact with my online friends. I feel fulfilledthat my voice is being heard and appreciated by others, butmost importantly, I’ve made friends who have the sameinterests and we will always learn new things from each other.It is harder to find friends offline with mutual interests,” Sisisays. He also cares very much about the quality of his blogpost. “I make picture board for each of my blog post because Iknow young people prefer to look at picture, instead ofreading a long text article. I keep my writing as concisely aspossible and I always post new article every 3 or 4 days.” Sisiexplains.Because of having a strong online presence, Sisi has beenidentified by agencies and brands that are trying to marketand promote products among young Chinese consumers. Inthe past three years, Sisi has collaborated with brands such asLynx, Lego and DEMETER to promote their products amongstyoung Chinese consumers. He has also helped moviecompanies such as Sony to do film promotions before themovie is released.

Look who’s talkingJapanKyohei Sakaguchi “A house, by nature, should be something free, flexible, and personal, and that is what I wanted to pursue,” Sakaguchi explains. But even his water tower house and pizza scooter house didn’t prepare him for what he found on the banks of Tokyo’s Tama river in the year 2000. It was an encounter that changed his life. After the earthquake last year, he moved to Kumamoto (a southern island in Japan) and built up a new government, becoming its first prime minister. He has started up the “Zero-center”; where there were only four residences, more than fifty people live today: the number of people has grown quickly in the last six months.Architect, artist and photographer of 0 Yen house Creative people, who worry about radioactivity, are moving from Tokyo to Kumamoto. A social“Man can also build a house just like a bird can build its community was built around the new governmentnest. A wall of morning-glory, a house made of pottery and started sending out information. It has becomepipes, and a two-generation house with dog … the total one of the fastest growing creative communitiescost of construction is just 0 yen. Photograph collections today.of houses on road covered in surrounding of ShirakawaPark and Kamagasaki and Shinjuku Central Park, etc. Sakaguchi suggests that as human beings, peopleDrawing is on the back of the cover.” have to stop depending on others, but need to start expressing their own creativity in their own lives.While studying architecture at Waseda University, His attempt is to wake Japanese people up and toSakaguchi eschewed model-making and drafting for restart people thinking by themselves.more more visceral explorations, like living in anabandoned water tower, and converting a pizzadelivery scooter into a mobile home.

Look who’s talking Philippines Jenni Epperson Jenni Epperson is one of the Philippines’ most popular bloggers these days. Not only does she have a very entertaining and fun writing style, her blogs also covers a variety of topics, ranging from food, beauty, interior design and general lifestyle. This range of topics is one of the main reasons why she can reach such a wide base of people. This also helped her build her huge Twitter following of around fifty-five thousand people. Because of her growing popularity, a lot of different brands have been engaging her. She has recently written blog posts about Havaianas, Beach Hut, Avon and a couple of make-up brands such as NARS. Other brands and services that have gone to her for support are a couple of food services and beauty treatment services. Jenni is definitely one of the countries top influencers and more and more people and brands are starting to take notice.She blogs about a variety of topics

Look who’s talking

Knowing me,Knowing you Animation characters

Knowing me, Knowing youIndiaChhotaBheemWith a viewership of over 35 million people, homegrown hero Chhota Bheem is India’s top animatedtelevision series.Launched in 2008, by this year, over 120 episodes ofthe popular animation series have been aired. Thesuccess of the series has spun off into a numberof short animation films over the years and a fulllength feature film titled ChhotaBheem and theCurse of Damyaan which was released in 2012.Bheem is an adventurous and fun-loving 9-year-oldwho is gifted with extraordinary strength. This poweris a boon for Dholakpur, Bheems village, which isconstantly beset by all kinds of perils. This child has abig heart and he always uses his strength to helpthose who are wronged or needy. He nabs culprits,robbers and is seen as a Guardian of the innocentand poor people and also the animals. He wants tobe a protector of the world. Bheem loves foodand has a certain craving for laddoos, which in fact,give him a surge of energy and make him evenstronger than he normally is. Every episode comeswith a subtle message.Parents and grandparents love him because it helpsthem instil values into the child through stories fromepics of ancient India. How? Kids ask for LordBheems’s stories because they want to know whattheir favourite character grows up to become.Inspiration : Bheema isone of the central charactersof Mahabharata, an epic of ancient India. Bheema wasdistinguished from his brothers by his great statureand strength. He was said to be capable of fighting60,000 warriors at once, so mighty was he that whenhe were to roar in anger he would put to shame theproudest lion and frighten the most fearless warrior.It is said that Bheemas appetite was so huge, that healways had to eat less than full.

Knowing me, Knowing youMy 9 year old nephew prefers Indian mythologyheroes over Avengers or Transformers. Like allboys, he loves fights but prefers those that makehis imagination run wild. He loves Bheem’sweapon, gadda, and how he fights with it. Thevillage is different from our world, just like ourmythology stories. Not like Spiderman’s orBatman’s.He doesn’t like spinach so he doesn’t get howPopeye loves it. But he loves laddoos, just likeChota Bheem and the rest of India does. Director Rajiv Chilaka on how he wanted kids to connect with an Indian hero and ChhotaBheem was the perfect choice.Also pushing the characters popularity ismerchandising. The comics, DVDs, t-shirts etc. “He was so strong and we all wanted to be like him,” says theChhotaBheemsFavourite Drink Notty Makes Its founder and MD of Hyderabad-based Green Gold Animation.Fruity Debut - Years later, he came up with ChhotaBheem and set him in ahttp://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/food/ different era and context. “Children fell in love with the boy20120523120685.htm who was righteous and could take on any opponent. Bheem hasChhotaBheem Games - some unique character traits and is deeply rooted in Indianhttp://chotabheemgamess.in/ culture. He came in at a time when children had access toChhotaBheem Home Décor – mostly to international content. We wanted to give them ahttp://www.greengoldstore.com/shop-by- chance to experience an Indian hero who could connect withcategory/home-decors.html them,” he adds.

Knowing me, Knowing youSri LankaScooby Dooby Doo The top 3 cartoon characters that are famous amongst Sri Lankan kids are: 1st: Scooby-Doo; 2nd: Dennis the Menace; 3rd: Tintin The Scooby-Doo series is well-known not only amongst kids but amongst young adults too. In Sri Lanka, the series is aired on Sirasa TV. It is dubbed in Sinhala but still retains the same name- Scooby-Doo, whereas the other cartoons dubbed are given Sri Lankan names. (e.g. Dennis the Menace – “Dangaya”)Who is Scooby?Originally aired in 1969, Scooby-Doo has been on TVvirtually non-stop ever since, entertaining generationsof kids around the entire world. Scooby-Doo is asmart, funny, adventurous series that will always be aclassic among the viewers. Well-formed humor is byfar the shows best quality: theres a laugh foreveryone, and especially the kids will love how Scooby Fanspeak …always runs away from trouble. At the same time thecartoon shows how kids can apply the characters “Scooby Doo!!! because I like the doggy!..” –ideas and solutions to their own lives, at home and at Mihelie(5)school. How do Scooby and his friends use clues to “Scooby!, he makes me laugh!” – Shaniza (7)solve a problem? Every episode is an interesting “Scooby – Doo!, I think Fred is cute!” – Venuki (8)mystery for the kids. “Scooby-Doo!, He’s COOOOL!!” - Jason (7)

Knowing me, Knowing youIndonesia Si Kancil (The Deer) is one of the famous characters from traditionalSi Kancil Indonesian fairy tales. It is quite likely that many adults have forgotten the stories, which their parents or grandparents and teachers may have told them when they were kids. Si Kancil has many adventures to share, among them“Si Kancil dan Si Siput (The Deer and The Snail)”, “Si Kancil Mencuri Timun (The Deer Steals Cucumber)” and “Si Kancil Menyeberang Sungai Penuh Buaya (The Deer Crossing River of Crocodiles)“ were quite popular. The most famous one is “Si Kancil Mencuri Timun”. These stories have now been transformed into a series of books, a cartoon show, and even a song to tell his story about stealing cucumber. *The Captious Deer Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ_LZU75Av0 &feature=related The Adventure of The Deer Cartoon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96greHc4kjM In recent years, some parents were concerned that Si Kancil‘s stories were about his using cleverness to trick, deceive or cheat others. Because of the concern that the fairytale could affect children’s character, Dr Sofyan Djalial, MA.MALD, Ministry of State Owned Enterprise, told people to stop telling stories about Si Kancil Mencuri Timun. Then, in 2009, Tedi Siswoko, published its first book, “Kancil (Bukan) Si Pencuri Timun (The Deer (is not) The Cucumber Stealer)”. It was a different story compared to the previous one, with Si Kancil using his cunning to help his friends, instead of cheating or deceiving them. Si Kancil plays the role of an anti-hero, but is still quite loveable, with children enjoying his adventures very much!

Knowing me, Knowing you Malaysia Upin and Ipin Their popularity amongst Malaysians has made them Malaysia’s favourite animated twins. Their Facebook page is a testament to that. With over 5.4 million fans on Facebook – they are the most “liked” Facebook page in Malaysia.To date, the series has reached its fourth year-long season on TV. Apart from TV, you can also read Upin and Ipin comic books, buy their DVDs, watch their series online, in Malaysia’s first CGI Animated feature film Geng: The Adventure Begins.Hi! We are Upin and Ipin, a pair of animated 5 year oldMalay twins who live in a small Malaysian village,Kampung Durian Runtuh (Literal translation: Village ofFalling Durian) with our big sister, KakRos andgrandmother, Opah. We attend classes everyday at ourvillage’s TadikaMesra (Friendly Kindergarten) with ourMalay, Indian and Chinese friends.‘Upin and Ipin’ was first created as a series of fourminute animated shorts by Les Copaque Production toeducate children of the meaning and importance offasting and the Islamic holy month. It debuted on TV asa Ramadhan special in September 2007 and was aninstant hit amongst adults and children in Malaysia. Upin and Ipin and their classmatesSince then, the series has evolved into Upin&Ipin andFriends, a more general themed series surrounding thelives and adventures of the twins and their friends on You can even catch them up close live in Upinnormal days, which has garnered an international and Ipin The Musical, a theatre play productionaudience following their debut on Disney Channel Asia. performed by children. You can also track their journey at the National Museum exhibiting theIt’s easy to see why viewers love the show. Aside from animation process, memorabilia and a tour totheir entertaining misadventures and fantasies, children Upin and Ipins fantasy land.love the show because the show’s characters, who arefar from perfect, are easy to relate to regardless of race, Upin and Ipin merchandise include T-shirts,religion or nationality, attributed by the racial diversity bags, stationery, water bottles, soft toys andof Upin and Ipin’s friends. Parents appreciate the show’s even their own range of Upin and Ipin food (e.g.moral grounding in each episode, aimed at educating biscuits, chocolate, curry packets, edible pictureschildren values such as responsibility, loyalty and for cakes). There are also Upin and Ipin themedhonesty. But more than that, viewers love the show carnivals with activities for children and familiesbecause the show’s typical Malay village setting makes and Upin and Ipin Cafes which serve dishes suchthem feel at home better than shows set elsewhere. as ‘Opa Fried Rice or Chicken Fried Upin’.

Knowing me, Knowing you South Korea Pororo“I am Pororo, the little penguin in a computer-generated animated cartoon series created by Iconix Entertainmentand EBS (a major education TV channel in Korea). Since my debut in 2003, I became so popular not only myhome country, Korea, but also overseas. I starred in animation film series revolving around the adventures in thesnowy village of PorongPorong Forest, where my friends and I often meet challenges and learn practical andmoral lessons in each episode.You can easily guess how popular I am by seeing the nickname "Pororo the President" while some teenagers callme "Pororo the God“ . I am so popular that a number of brands, especially brands targeting babies or children, started using me to promote in their products. In 2011 June, Korea’s biggest shopping mall brand, E-mart, held aPororophoto exhibition in book and music section, as a result boosting their sales by 32%. Lately bakery brand,Paris Baguette, also started producing cakes and breads that look like me, aiming at winning the youngconsumers’ heart”.Pororo’scharm comes from each character’s uniqueness and friendliness. The main character ‘Pororo’ is apenguin wearing big round aviator goggles and a tan-colored aviator cap. Considering that penguins are incapableof flight, a penguin aviator is rather nonsensical, however the character is full of wit and imagination.Likewise, other characters also have distinct personalities and unique interests which sometimes cause little (andsometimes not so little) happenings in their calm white world.Compared with other animations based on a super hero’s story, Pororo is something that’s more human and childlike, which helps young audiences stay engaged with the story more intensely.

Knowing me, Knowing you Consumer brands like Paris Baguette have adopted the Pororo character in their products to attract young consumers.Lately, the episode of one enthusiastic fanrushing onto the stage proved Pororo’spopularity among kids.

Knowing me, Knowing youSingaporeThe Legend of Korra‘The Legend of Korra’ premiered in Singapore on the Nickelodeon television network on April 14 this year.This animated series is a sequel to ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, which aired on the same network from 2005to 2008. Although only in its first 10 episodes, the show already has a strong following, appealing to a widerdemographic than just teenagers and kids despite being an animated series. One reasons for the show’spopularity is it explores a number of universal themes, mainly friendship, family, love, sacrifice, power andthe responsibilities that come with it. Underlying all these is also an examination of what freedom reallymeans. Wrap that together with amazing animation that pays close attention to details plus a mixture ofhumour and seriousness, you’ve got yourself an amazing series.Although ‘The Legend of Korra’ is a relatively new series, you canalready find weekly reviews on YouTube and elsewhere onlinewhere fans come together to discuss the latest episodes,speculate about what the show has in store next and anticipatingthe release of each new episode. As one critic put it “’The Legendof Korra’ promises to be an excellent addition to the Avatarmythos, pleasing both fans and newcomers alike”.

Knowing me, Knowing youTaiwanOpen ChanOpen Chan, the first cartoon spokesperson in Taiwan’sconvenience retail industry, was born on July 11th,2005. Open Chan is a dog who comes from the Openplanet and who loves to eat Onigiri (三角飯糰). Hewas created by Japan Dentsu and Taiwan Dentsu, theadvertising company which is the agency of theconvenience store 7-ELEVEN.In launching Open Chan, 7-ELEVEN and Dentsu enter a Open Chan itemsnew level of connecting emotionally with people. Also,Open Chan showcases the friendly spirit of 7-ELEVENwhile introducing new products and services toconsumers and releasing peripheral products loved byeveryone.Children and office ladies are the key target audiencefor Open Chan. They are attracted by the distinct andloveable image, and lots of popular products enjoygood sales if they are tagged a Open Chan image.These include cookies, bread, cake, soft drink, tissue,or small appliances (tooth brush, chopsticks, shoppingbag, T-Shirts…etc)With the popularity of Open Chan and its growing fanbase, Open Chan’s first music album was released. In a Open Chan’s Hotelrelated MV, he plays guitar with his friends Momo,Paiko, Chicowa, and others, thereby expanding thenumber of cartoon characters associated with OpenChan.Based upon Open Chan’ success, 7-ELEVEN hasventured into the hotel and restaurant business withOpen Chan as a central theme. Furthermore, ashopping mall as well as a theme park featuring OpenChan were opened.To some marketers’ point of view, Open Chan’ssuccess is an innovative marketing model which haspleasantly surprised 7-ELEVEN, and has successfullyrecruited children as new consumers. Open Chan’s Mall

Knowing me, Knowing youCHINAPleasant Goat “I am Pleasant Goat, an animated school- age lamb living in the village of Green Pasture. I wear a blue ribbon, with a bell around my neck. My friends think I am a hero because I always help them to get through danger when the wolves are trying to catch us. I love to play pranks and all my friends get mad at me.”In the U.S, there is Mickey Mouse; In Japan, there’s Hello Kitty. Both animated icons have generated billions ofdollars in revenue and, perhaps even more importantly, raised the cultural cachet of their respective countriesto sensational levels. And now China is getting into the action.Pleasant Goat is an animated lamb from a Chinese animated television series, ‘Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf’,which created by Huang Weiming, Lin Yuting and Luo Yinggeng, and produced by Creative Power Entertaining.The series is about a group of goats living on the Green Pasture and the story revolving around aclumsy wolf who wants to catch and eat them. Since 2005, the series have been broadcasting on more than 75satellite and cable TV networks across China, including Hong Kong‘s TVB. The first film based on the characterPleasant Goat, released in 2009, broke box-office records for locally produced animation films in China with 130million RMB (US$19.6 million) in revenue. In 2012, Disney announced that the series will be aired on itschannels in 46 countries in the Asia Pacific region, it is a milestone for China‘s homegrown animation industry. Inthe coming three years, audiences in countries such as India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Malaysia andSingapore will be able to enjoy the latest 100 episodes of the hit cartoon series ’Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf -Joys of Seasons.

Knowing me, Knowing you There are few reasons that the series is so popular. The animation industry in China has been undergoing a period of rapid transformation in the past ten years, the Chinese government at various levels have promulgated over 25 regulations to encourage creative industries and the development of specific creative clusters especially animation. Homegrown skilled animators are increasing and the quality of animation production has improved dramatically. The storyline of ‘Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf’ is very simple and easy for children to understand: a wolf tries to catch goats, but he always fails because the goats work together as a team and good will always win in the end. The whole story is very positive. The language that’s used in the series is based on the updated slangs and internet memes, even young parents enjoy watching it with their children. Pleasant Goat is not only a popular cartoon series, it is also a merchandising powerhouse! You can see it everywhere in China. In 2011, Hong Kong’s animation studio Imagi International bought the merchandise and licensing rights of the television series and animation films, in a 105 million USD deal. Disney has also been master licensee of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf since December 2010.

Knowing me, Knowing YouJapanRirakumaSawako Watanabe, also known as “Hiyoko 555” (39 years old) is a famous housewife who inventedfood shaped in the form of 3D animated characters. She creates different kind of dishes using acharacter called “Rirakuma” – Relaxed Bear. She has 5,000 followers in her photo sharing application.Sawako makes the 3D character from whatever is available at home.Recently, this trend has extended to other Japanese housewives who have found this as a great way ofencouraging their kids to eat healthy foods.

Knowing me, Knowing you Philippines Plogas: angasonghindi ‘The dog who isn’t’ Created by Pol Medina, Pugad Baboy is a comic series about the “pigs” living in different levels of Manila society. Polgas, the family dog of the Sungcal family, is depicted as the crimefighter – battling corruption, drug- pushing, extortion, and stupidity – the evils of scociety. He appears in many other guises such as Dr. Sigmund Floyd (a spoof of Sigmund Freud), Pol Torero (World Wrestling Entertainment or WWEs The Undertaker), Amorsolo (a non-existent Ninja Turtle), Aquapol (Aquaman), Growlsbuster (spoofing The Ghostbusters), Darth Paul (spoofing Darth Vader), Polverine (a spoof of Wolverine, an X-Men character) and many others. The strip does not only showcase domestic life; occasionally, it features adventure, drama, and pure spoof sequences. More often, the strip mirrors the general sentiment of the Filipino people on relevant topics such as corruption in the government as well as Filipino pop culture.iconic is this character, that Polgas appears in a variety of merchandise: limited edition San Miguel beer, plush toys, indie artist sneakers, shirts, and chess sets.

Knowing me, Knowing youPakistanBankayMianI am BankayMian, a 53 year old (animated) qawwal fromPakistan whom you must have seen on Express News.Alongside, I am also a columnist in the Urdu newspaper Expressand my column is published under the title, ‘BankayNama’.People know me well for my sarcasm and wittiness. I use the artof qawwali to comment on everyday issues which are beingfaced by the Pakistani people and use my cynicism for the goodof the society. I strongly believe that parody is the best revengeof modern times. My qawwalis follow the same pattern and sogoes the main line of my qawwali “BankayMianKiQawwali, SubSay Nirali” (BankayMian’sQawwali is the most unique.)As the name Bankay (brave) suggests that I am not scared ofsaying and telling the truth to and in front of anyone – but I sayit my way. This is what makes me stand out from the rest of theqawwals and that is why everyone likes me and respects me somuch.My struggling, stressed out, yet full of energy and enthusiasmqawwal party, consists of BabooBhai, Kallan and Laddan.BabooBhai plays the tabla while Kallan and Laddan are for claps.One interesting fact is that these three copy me in my style andappearance; I certainly don’t mind it, in fact I am proud of it.I am on a mission to be the voice of the common Pakistanipeople and to act as the platform through which I can shout outthe grievances of theirs to the relevant in a humorous way.To watch me in action, visithttp://www.youtube.com/bankaymianqawal

*or any other music player

Playing on my iPod*SINGAPORE Payphone Maroon 5 ft Wiz Khaila JAPAN http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5FlQSQuv_mg Kana Nishino Watashitachi Broken Hearted Karmin http://www.youtube.c http://www.youtube.co om/watch?v=jFTMj7va m/watch?v=s8cbak34DR RjI 0 MALAYSIASRI LANKA PathuSenehe Seya Roo Carly Rae Jepsen PoornaSachintha&Kushani Ft. Call me Maybe THILINA R. http://youtu.be/fWNaR-rxAic http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=vXnKFSqs6N0 SOUTH KOREA EpitoneProject – 2nd album Klangit Crack of Dawn SesalMendua http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=u_5C5am2530 http://youtu.be/sHF1YJY7tWc Minuethttp://www.youtube.com /watch?v=K4D8cdz_eA0&feature =related INDIA Wonder Girls - Wonder party album Like This http://www.youtube.com/ Song: ‘PaniDa Rang’ watch?v=7EZTUYwjWBs Girlfriend Movie: Vicky Donor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u vzVhrdq0NI http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=yA_S1s0DFmU&feature=fvwrel INDONESIA “AkuPastiBisa” Citra http://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=MVsY4bmYhqE

Playing on my iPod* CHINA Oli Hang Go Go FightingTAIWAN http://v.youku.com/v_show/i 2012 d_XMzk2OTIxMTUy.html by May day http://www.youtub e.com/watch?v=Yyg VVvuIWm4&feature =relmfu Miss D.D Everybody Loves A PHILIPPINES Lover http://v.youku.com/ v_show/id_XMzk3OT YxNDA0.html Ingrosso&Alesso ft. Ryan Tedder Calling (Lose My Mind) http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9G1I16gJBvU Chien Yao Star Toes http://v.youku.com/v_s how/id_XMzk0NTkxMjU 2.html Calvin Harris The Rain http://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=jscd9utzNHs PAKISTAN TahirMitthu PerePavandiSaan http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=fCP8uv9v0yI

Rage againstWhat’s making people really angry?

Rage against SINGAPORE Project Hello Stranger Sri Lanka The Let-down at Rio-20  Some groups attending Rio+20 felt the summit was aSri Lanka’s position on Rio+20 was largely in line with complete failure. On the penultimate day, protestersthat of the Group of 77, a coalition of developing took up a position near the entrance to the summitcountries. venue, where the top-level plenary sessions were in In his Rio +20 address, the Sri Lankan President progress, and said the Green Economy would not saveMahindaRajapaksa said “Outsiders should not the Earth, which was being battered by anti-encroach on a country’s natural resources, whether environmental practices.on land or in the ocean. Protection of the sea bedand the ocean floor against damage by the use of Back in Colombo, organizers of Earth Walk 2012 andenvironmentally unfriendly methods of fishing, such other youth groups were disheartened, upset andas bottom trawling, should be guaranteed by some even angry that the summit had been “so non-international law and practice.” conclusive”.  Japan Restarting a nuclear plant There was outrage in Japan when the government announced the re-start of one of the shut nuclear plants. 11,000 people surrounded the Prime Minister’s residence with banners saying ‘STOP the nuclear plant’, ‘STOP OOI (name of the nuclear plant)’. The local police arrested one of the protesters who assaulted a police officer. Supporters of the rally included influential figures such as famous writers and actors. But it remains a divisive issue: there are some people who support the reopening of nuclear plants to support Japan’s economic growth.

Rage against India Moral policing by the Mumbai PoliceAssistant Commissioner of Police Vasant Dhoble, 57, Working on a multi-pronged marketing strategy, thehas been accused by his severest critics of trying to team has begun distributing flyers with morningTaliban-ise Mumbai. Mr Dhoble, who heads the newspapers and will distribute around 600,000Mumbai Polices Social Service branch, faced his latest leaflets over the weekend. "We have hired 200criticism on Twitter when he was a trending topic for commercial hoardings across Mumbai. In fact we arerecent raids on some of the citys landmark restaurants paying Rs 28,000 to put up 30 hoardings in theand pubs. Bandra-Santa Cruz area whereas political parties are charged only Rs 8,000-9,000 for this number. BeingIts not just his mission, but his style that has enraged private individuals, we are charged many times morethe city. He often carries a camera during his raids because the civic body assumes we are advertisers,"to film people for relatively minor violations. Armed at says Kanal. The team has spent Rs 1,000 as printingleast once with a hockey stick, MrDhoble arrived to charge for each hoarding.enforce what many in the city believe are archaic laws.He raided Cafe Zoe for playing music without the The artistic community has pledged support from dayrequired license for a DJ, and because it was over- one. Writer-singer RamjiGulati whose song crowded. Apni Mumbai police sabkabhai had created waves will record a special song for the rally.A day later, he raided the Shiro nightclub in Worli on Choreographer SandeepSoparrkar is working on aSaturday, saying it was flouting rules. piece as well. Kabir Bedi posted his thoughts online. "Mumbai Police trample democratic rights (by)He has said in his defence that he needs to protect denying permission for Sunday rally against brutalyoung people who gather at hookah bars and pubs crackdown on citys nightlife," he wrote.which are breaking the law. "I am doing my job," hesaid to NDTV, a week after two women sued the policefor defamation because they were arrested for beingprostitutes in a raid led by Mr Dhoble.A Facebook page called Dhoble - Oppressor of theInnocent Public has 20,000 members. Writer andcommentator PritishNandy has described him asPublic Enemy No 1 on Twitter. TWITTER HANDLEMrDhobles track record in the police force has many ‘#DHOBLE’blemishes, but a patina of political patronage hasprotected him. He was suspended in 1989 foraccepting a bribe in Pune. In 1994, he was sentenced toseven years in prison and fined a lakh for his role in acustodial death. He was dismissed from the force butreinstated in 1996, after his jail sentence was dismissedby the Mumbai High Court. A departmental inquiryagainst him is still pending in this case - the SupremeCourt had ordered this. Before the Special Servicebranch, Mr Dhoble was posted with the MaharashtraVidhanSabha security.The organisers of 24TH June’s proposed anti-Dhoblerally at Carter Road say the Mumbai Polices denial ofpermission has in fact resulted in a fresh groundswell ofsupport.

Rage againstChinaPregnant Editor-In-Chief Forced to Resign A former chief editor of a Chinese website PClady, which provides information services aimed at women, was reportedly forced to resign last month for being pregnant. The company canceled her computer and email account after she refused to quit, reports the XinxiShibao, a newspaper affiliated to the Guangzhou Daily. The 34-year-old woman, surnamed Dong, had been working for the website since last February, rising on the strength of her performance to become chief editor. The Guangzhou-based website asked Dong to quit her job on Apr 24, five days after she informed the company of her pregnancy. Dong had told the company that her doctor had suggested she take a period of time off. The companys senior vice president told her to quit on April 24 despite recently released national regulations stipulating women should not be made unemployed or paid less on account of pregnancy, giving birth and breastfeeding. Dong refused to quit but found her computer, permit and email account had been rendered invalid the same afternoon. Dong said this is not the first time the company has dismissed a pregnant employee, adding that the company prevented a previous incident from being disclosed. The editor says she has retained legal advise over the case. Dong’s story has appeared on China’s largest micro-blogging service Sina Weibo. Within few days, the story has became one of the most discussed topics. Netizens have expressed their anger on this issue, one commented: “As one of the largest websites that target women, it is shame that you don’t even give your employee basic woman rights. Women today are well educated, we should fearlessly go to court to safeguard our legal rights and interests when we have not been treated fairly.”

Rage againstSingaporeThe Ferrari accident and its aftermathOn May 12 2012, 4.15am, at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street, a red Ferrari ran a red light,crashing into a taxi and instantly claiming two lives at the point of impact. This incident reads like an episode ofa drama series; a rich married man from China with an unknown female passenger driving recklessly in thenight causing the death of two other innocent victims. One victim was the taxi driver, a father of 3 and thehousehold’s sole breadwinner. The entire incident was captured on tape by another taxi driver’s inbuilt camerawhose occupants managed to escape death by mere seconds. This footage quickly went viral, sparking outrageonline from both Singaporeans and those in China.This incident has caused additional tension on the ground amongst Singaporeans especially at a time when anti-foreigner sentiment is on the rise. Many blame the government for its ‘liberal’ acceptance of foreign talentwhich they say is the culprit behind the rising influx of foreigners causing trouble.Even the Chinese embassy in Singapore has told its citizens living in the Republic, that “[they] hope that Chinesecitizens living in Singapore will respect life, value the safety of themselves and others, abide by its laws andregulations, and live responsibly and gracefully”. The embassy also conveyed its sincere and deep condolencesto the victims and their families.The Chinese themselves were outraged at the behaviour of one of their own as commentaries have appearedin China condemning the obnoxious behavior of rich Chinese overseas. Many see this irresponsible behaviourasa result of the sudden rising affluence among the Chinese and the lack of education and etiquette that shouldfollow.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZG1HgOyFkU

Rage againstTaiwanPoor working conditions for nursesAbout 200 nurses protested in front of the Department of Healthon 5/30, urging relevant authorities to immediately modify laborlaws to prevent hospitals from further exploiting them."Let me sleep," shouted Liang Hsiu-mei, a member of the RadicalNurses Union, which was formed recently to address theincreasingly deteriorating working conditions for local nursingstaff.Liang presented a sample shift chart that showed how theiremployers forced them to take care of patients when they didnthave enough rest.Nearly one in four nurses had the experience of working both thenight shift and the day shift on the same day, Liang said, citingfindings from a survey her organization had conducted."Only if we have enough rest can patients be in good hands," shesaid.However, some nurses just leave the industry or go to anothercountry to get the better pay and betterquality of life. At themoment, there are 230,000 individuals who hold nursing licensesin Taiwan, though only about 40 percent of them are working asnurses in the work force, according to statistics compiled byhealth officials. According to statistics from the DOH, the turnover rate for nursesreached 20 percent last year, which was 3 to 4 percentage pointshigher than in previous years. About 17,800 people left theprofession in 2011.In a ceremony held to recognize distinguished nurses a few daysearlier, President Ma Ying-jeou announced a set of guidelines fornursing reform and promised to improve the working conditionsfor nurses.

Rage againstIndonesiaLady Gaga’s Cancelled ConcertThe National Police stated that they would not issue a permit for Lady Gaga’s concert scheduled for Jakarta onJune 3, 2012, for, among other reasons, fears that the Grammy Award winner would exploit her sensuality in amanner which could harm the morals of Indonesian youth. This statement is more or less in line with the sametune as that of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which previously said that Lady Gaga would “bring the faith ofSatan to the country and thus would destroy the nation’s morals” (The Jakarta Post, May 16, 2012).Whether the police’s decision is right or wrong does not matter. In this case, state institutions seemed to fallunder the influence or are unable to deal with threats that come from religious hardliner groups. In thosecases, the hardliner groups clearly stated that they would launch physical attacks on other parties. Throughtheir actions, the hardliners were actually presenting more potential, and in some cases, actual threats to other groups.The irony, however, is that state institutions, which ideally must stay neutral to protect the well-being of allpeople, are aligning with the hardliner groups. Instead of overcoming potential threats, the state apparatuschooses to cooperate with the side that has launched the threat.Lady Gaga fans went mad and protested back, but it clearly did not save the concert. Local concert promoterBig Daddy Entertainment has promised to issue full refunds for the 52,000 tickets purchased for Lady Gaga’sJune 3 concert in Jakarta, after the US singer backed out early on Sunday morning. Big Daddy executive MichaelRusli told reporters in Jakarta that the tickets would be refunded “100 percent“, starting on June 10. "We willannounce detailed procedures on Wednesday because we have to ask the police to issue a permit for us torefund the tickets, since it will involve crowds," Michael said.A total of 52,000 tickets, with prices ranging from Rp 465,000 (US$50.75) to Rp 2.25 million, have already beensold since tickets sales opened on March 10. Michael Rusli declined to comment on how much money that thepromoter had lost due to the cancellation.A total of 52,000 tickets, with prices ranging from Rp 465,000(US$50.75) to Rp 2.25 million, had already been sold since ticketssales opened on March 10. Michael Rusli declined to comment onhow much money that the promoter had lost due to thecancellation.

Waiting list

Waiting listSri LankaWorld Cup Cricket Twenty20 The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 will be the fourth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international cricket tournament that will be held in Sri Lanka between September 18 and October 7, 2012. This will be the first World Twenty20 tournament held in an Asian country, the last three being held in South Africa, England and the West Indies respectively. Sri Lankan pacer LasithMalinga has been chosen as the event ambassador of the tournament by ICC. On 21 September 2011, ICC unveiled the logo of the tournament, named "Modern Spin” On 10th June 2012, the 100th day countdown for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2012 was launched at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium. As part of the celebrations, more than 300 school children from the Kandy District formed a giant 100’ (actual photograph on the left). The ICC together with Sri Lanka Cricket also donated cricket bats to 100 girls and boys schools playing competitive cricket in the Kandy District. Also present at the occasion were Pakistan captain Mohammed Hafeez and Sri Lanka captain MahelaJayawardena and Sri Lanka womens captain ShashikalaSiriwardena. Schedule available on: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/events_and_awards/twenty20/fixtures.php Malaysia Prevé from local car manufacturer ProtonRecently, local car manufacturer Proton announcedthat its latest car model, Prevé, has received over10,000 bookings in just two months, making it themost popular 1.6 liter sedan in the market. The Prevéis claimed to be Proton’s effort to offer the mosttechnologically advanced vehicle available to the massmarket and its launch was greatly anticipated by carenthusiasts and the average Malaysian alike.So far, reviews of the car have lauded the Prevé for itsaffordability and for its technological innovations, The 1.6 liter Proton Prevésuch as the built in GPS system and touchscreen audiosystem on the dashboard. Some reviewers have evendeemed the Prevé as Proton’s first global car and itsfinest model yet.

Waiting listIndia‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ This year’s most talked-about movie ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ is probably the only Hindi film of recent times which is getting so much attention abroad also. The movie director AnuragKashyap is like a representative of Indian cinema, who stands out from the usual masala entertainers. His films are hard-hitting and realistic and that is the reason why ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ was a hot favourite at Cannes this year. ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ is a six hour marathon and will be released in two parts. But the 2nd part will be released probably after 2-3 weeks of the first part. At the end of the first part is when you can sit back to watch the trailer of the second one. Last February, Japanese Philippines company Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Uniqlo formally announced the June opening of the first Uniqlo shop in the Philippines, which will be located at SM Mall of Asia. With just days to go, shoppers are giddy with excitement especially with an opening sale to welcome them for the first 3 weeks. Many came to know and love Uniqlo from their travels around Asia. The arrival of the brand is a big treat for Filipino shoppers. In the next 3 years, more shoppers will get their Uniqlo fix with 49 other stores to open in the greater Manila area.

Waiting listIndonesiaMaroon 5With the cancelation of Lady Gaga’s concert, people areresorting to the next concert by Maroon5, which is scheduledto be on October 5, 2012. Despite the fact that it will the theirsecond concert this year in Jakarta, fans had lined up andfought for the presale tickets launched on June 16. The salesturned out amazing with 8000 presale tickets sold in less than3 minutes.This was exactly what happened on their last visit as well.Looks like Indonesians haven’t had enough of Maroon5, andthis time, Maroon 5 made a short video to promote their tourin Asia, where Jakarta will be the last city, closing their tour.Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d0BXrq-_7pIPrior to their concert on October 5, Maroon 5 will belaunching their new album, and this is what people have beenwaiting for, on top of the upcoming concert.JapanTokyo Sky TreeTokyo Sky Tree opened on May 22. It is the worlds tallest free-standing tower with a height of 634 meters. The tower wasprimarily built to broadcast clear TV and radio signals withoutinterference from the many skyscrapers that have been built incentral Tokyo. Now, it become a town combining thebroadcast tower, an aquarium, a planetarium and the TokyoSolamachi complex, which boasts 312 shops and restaurants.From May 22 to July 10, entry to the observation desk are byAdvance Reservation only, which had been sold out beforeopening. In the first weekend, Tokyo Sky Tree and surroundingfacilities drew 564,000 visitors. Calculate on a year-long basis,the number of visitors to Tokyo Skytree Town is expected tototal 32 million in the first year, and 25 million in the second.

Waiting list Singapore Diablo III It’s been 12 long years since Diablo II came out, and the worldwide wait for the sequel was finally over this year wth Diablo III’s release. While fans of the game had the option of getting their games through third party suppliers or directly online, many others decided to do the brave thing: Face off countless other fans and get their games in person at the launch event held by Asiasoft at FunanDigitaLife Mall. Some even lined up 24 hours before the launch of the events while others took leave from school and work specially to get their hands on the latest game. But to them, it’s a small sacrifice. Just ask Seth Chan, the first person in the queue. Hestarted queuing with his friends at 6am the day before and even took two days off his annual leave to prepare for this launch event. This craze may not seem so surprising when one takes a look at the statistics: Singaporean youth are playing 27 hours of computer games/week according to an ongoing study by National Institute of Education (NIE). Some fun facts: this game has proved so popular that it’s namesake even made an appearance at this year’s Beerfest Asia in Singapore.

Waiting listand also in Taiwan !Diablo III has been the most anticipated game thisdecade, drawing an eager audience in in Taiwantoo! The game’s creator, Blizzard, had us waitingyears for the next installment to Diablo II – agame that millions of people still play.Those long years of anticipation can seem like alifetime in the gaming world, when games such asWorld of Warcraft, Call of Duty, or Battlefield,release yearly updates .Blizzard, the game’s creators, announced thatDiablo III had sold about 1 million copies in asingle month in Taiwan, making it the hottest-selling PC game this summer.However, there was some negative publicity asone gamer was too excited and couldn’t stopplaying the game day and night, as this 31-year-old man eventually died in front of the computer,with the screen continuing to show Diablo III.That’s how crazy these fans of popular computergamers can become!

Waiting list China Xiaomi “Youth Edition” Smartphone May 15, 2012, Chinese smart phone marker Founded by Chinese Internet guru Lei Jun, Xiao Xiaomi released a new version of its smart phone mi began with a small team but aimed high - to- targeting younger and more price-sensitive make Chinese high-end performing smart consumers. Its name, the 青春 (Qing Chun) or phones with affordable prices. The companys “youth edition” also invokes a feeling of smart phones, which cost around 2,000RMB springtime, indicating that they aim for this to be ($317) or less than half the price of an Apple a seasonal deal. According to the announcement iPhone 4,soldmore than 1.65 million units since on Xiaomi’s Weibo, the model is limited to it entered the market on Oct 20 last year, the 150,000 units, preorders were only available company said. Xiaomi only offers its products through May 18. Priced at 1499 RMB ($238), the through online sales, with limited number new phone is 20% faster in speed but 25% of units at a time due to its limited production cheaper in price 25% compared with the original capacity. model. Earlier this year, Xiaomi secured $90 million in Before the preorder day, the message on Xiaomi’s a venture capital fund-raising that attracted Weibo page has already been reposted 72,000 foreign investors, bringing the total investor times by fans. On May 18, the company sold all financing to $130 million. It also 150,000 phones in just 12 minutes as it launched made Foxconn, the primary Apple product supp the online sale. One netizen commented on its -lier, to be its supplier from January this year. Weibo page: “I heard great things about Xiaomi smart phone, I have been wanting to buy it but the price is kind of expensive to a college student like me. When I heard about the release of the youth edition, I was so happy and I have been waiting in front of computer to preorder on May 18. But it is too popular and I couldn’t get a quota, they should produce more units!”

Waiting listPakistanWaar – The MovieFor the past few decades, the Pakistan filmindustry is going through the phase of turmoil.Since the decline of Pakistani cinema in the late1970s, mainstream films in the country have lostoriginality, a good script and an audience.In the ‘golden days’ of Pakistani cinema, the filmindustry churned out more than 200 films annually,today it’s barely one-fifth of what it used to be. TheFederal Bureau of Statistics shows that once thecountry boasted of having at least 700 cinemasoperating in the country, this number dwindleddown to less than 170 by 2005. Once thriving, thecinema industry in Pakistan now barely exists.Much has been attributed to the regime of Zia-ul-Haq, VCRs, film piracy and the introduction of With a productoin budget of over 2 million USD,entertainment taxes. Waar is going to be one of the most expensive movies made in Pakistan. The film has been writtenDuring this period, few films made their mark at by Hassan WaqasRana and directed by BilalLashari, aboth Pakistan and international level – these well known name in the local industry. Lashari hasinclude KhudaKeLiye (In the name of God - 2007), already made a name for him in directing musicRamchand Pakistani (2008) and Bol (2011). The videos, and has worked with top artists and bandsOscar win by SharmeenObaidChinoy for her short like AbrarulHaq, AtifAslam, Meekal Hassan Band, Jaldocumentary, ‘Saving Face’ also added to the and EP. Lashari also worked as assistant director forcredentials of the Pakistani film fraternity. It has ShoaibMansoor during the filming of thenow become the source of encouragement and internationally acclaimed Pakistani block-buster,inspiration for budding film-makers to produce Khuda Kay Liye (In The Name of God).quality films. The film is reported to star Shaan, ShamoonAbbasi,Waar(to strike) is one of the films which are Ayesha Khan, SadiaHyat Khan, MeeshaShafi and Aliexpected to change the face of the Pakistani film Azmat. The soundtrack of the film has been done byindustry. Dubbed as the most anticipated film ever Qayaas, a Pakistani rock band.in the history of Pakistan, Waar (to strike) is aforthcoming English language Pakistani The film has been produced by MindWorks Mediaaction/thriller, the storyline of which has been and has been shot in collaboration with Interinspired by the war on terror in Pakistan and its Services Public Relations (ISPR) at locations includingeffects on the world. Lahore, Islamabad and the Swat valley, with some scenes shot in Istanbul. The first official trailer of the film was launched on December 31, 2011. The film will first be screened at some major international film festivals and will then be released worldwide.

Tenseabout …

Tense about Sri Lanka Rising Prices hitting the Middle Class Hard Consumer prices in Sri Lanka rose by 7% in May 2012 from a year earlier. Food prices rose 2.5% in the month. Non food items were up 11.3% over the past 12 months. Analysts have said that the Central Banks activity of making unsterilized foreign exchange purchases has contributed to creating a ‘crawling peg’ The worst hit are the middle class or the salaried gentry. Their electricity bill has almost doubled. The van driver who takes the children to school is demanding Rs. 500 more for each child. and the monthly grocery bill has gone up to such an extent that it even threatens peace at home. The middle classs plight is aggravated by the crisis facing employers, many of whom are unable to give a salary hike in proportion to the rise in cost of living. Wages are not increased to cope with the rising cost. While the government prevaricates public sector pay hikes, the private sector complains that it is badly hit by the fuel price hikes and the increase in electricity rates, among other costs.IndiaLeander Paes adamant on no-showIts inconceivable to think of an Indian contingent in the Olympics without Paes. The only hope for a change of heart stems from the fact that a formal announcement, in the form of a statement or press release, hasnt yet been issued by the Paes camp.A hurt and disappointed Leander Paes is sticking to hisstand of giving the London Olympics a miss. Advice hasbeen pouring in ever since Indias longest-serving tennisplayer took a strong stand on Wednesday, whereby hetold the All India Tennis Association (AITA) that hewould be forced to withdraw from the Olympics if twodoubles teams were sent and he was asked to pair witha junior player.With the AITA going ahead and doing just that onThursday afternoon - naming Mahesh Bhupathi-RohanBopanna, along with Paes-Vishnu Vardhan - the 39-year-old is learnt to have got even more adamant.

Tense aboutIndonesiaLife Is Getting Tough For LowClass In IndonesiaNow, medium to low income familiesin Indonesia have a longer road toowning their dream automobile andproperty. In this June 2012, BankIndonesia (BI) has implemented apolicy of higher DP (down payment)for auto and property sectors. Thispolicy only favours Indonesia’smedium to high class, not the lowerclass. Furthermore, this policy appliednationwide.The minimum down payment will be 30% for mortgages and four- wheeled vehicle loans, 25% for motorcyclesand 20% for commercial vehicles.The down payment (DP) for property sector is minimum 30% for houses that are 70 meter square and greater.A 30% down payment is very expensive, specially for consumer outside the Java area. In Java area, this 70meter square house carries a price tag of 300-400 million rupiah, and mostly purchased through gradualpayment system. The buyers are mostly medium to upper class families. For the same house size outside Javathe price is around 200 million, and the payment mostly through home loan, with cash DP. It is far higher thantheir purchasing power. The low class will live in hardest condition, they will fight more to have their ownhouse.The higher DP for automotive was taken to overcome the traffic jam problem in big cities. Instead of developingnew mass transportation system in big cities, government prefers to reduce number of car and motorcycle inthe street through higher DP. In Indonesia’s cities, including Jakarta, the motorcycle is a cost efficient andeffective form of transportation. By using their own motorcycle, they can save more money for other lifeexpenses. Regardless, when the policy will be applied, the automotive buying power will decrease. And lowerclass people will be left with with bad public transport, everyday.http://en.bisnis.com/articles/bank-indoensia-to-push-through-down-payment-plan

Tense about Singapore Art or Vandalism?A 25-year-old woman, affectionately known as “sticker lady” (or SKL0 for short) was arrested for vandalism afterpolice officers found several paint-stained stencils and several pieces of stickers printed with captions at her homeon Sunday, 3rd of June. If convicted, she could face up to 3 years of jail and a fine of S$2,000.While an arrest for vandalism may seem like nothing out of the ordinary, this particular case struck a chord withmany Singaporeans who felt that the arrest was unwarranted and ironic since Singapore is trying to encouragemore creativity amongst her citizens. A debate between law enforcement and allowing room for creativeexpression has been sparked, with art lovers calling for “less restriction in public art”.Many felt that the spray-painting of words “My Grandfather Road/Building” and circular stickers pasted on thetraffic lights with self-depreciating captions that Singaporeans could appreciate and understand, added harmlessfun to an otherwise boring environment. Since her arrest, many supporters have banded together via petitions onFacebook and even through a town hall meeting hoping that the Government can ease their restrictions on publicart and to reduce the arrested womans charge from Vandalism to Miscellaneous Offences.Stephanie Choy, the creator of the Facebook page, wrote that she had started the page because “I am not happyby the constant censorship of art in Singapore”. A supporter wrote that “Singapore needs to let art speak foritself” and called the arrest a “suppression of creativity” and that “ in this instance, it truly shows how backwardsand uncultured” Singapore is. Another user also commented on Yahoo Singapores Facebook page saying, "Youcall this vandalism?… This is encouraging art and creativity, do we need a license to be creative?” However, therewere also dissenting voices who said the suspect’s actions have no place in Singapore. As Remus Cheng put it, "oursociety has no place for such impromptu creative acts … and [Singapore] is very much law-by-law". Others fearthat this would sent out the wrong message to deviants that they can get away with whatever they wish to do.The Saga continues as parody stickers continue to be found on traffic lights in Singapore even after the arrest ofthe original artist. The captions read slightly different with things like “STILL STICKING AROUND.#leaveSKLOalone” and “FREE STICKER LADY”. Even Today newspaper has caught on and designed their ownstickers that resemble the famous round ones.

Tense aboutTaiwanConsumer confidence falls on stock market worriesThe consumer confidence index (CCI) fell for a second straight month this month, mainly due toworsening confidence in the local stock market, a National Central University survey revealedyesterday. The CCI benchmark gauges public expectations about the stock market, householdfinances, durable goods, job opportunities, consumer prices, and the economic outlook for the nextsix months.This month’s survey — which polled 2,432 people over the age of 20 from May 19 to May 21 — onlyshowed improving sentiment on job opportunities, while uncertainty over the other five sectorsexpanded, said National Central University’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development.“The results indicated survey respondents remained cautious on the economy over the near future,”said center director, Dachrahn Wu.The stock market sub-index led the decline for the second consecutive month, plunging 5.1 points to54, marking its lowest level since January, the center said in a report. In addition, a governmentproposal to introduce a capital gains tax on stock investments was also a factor, analysts said.Consumers are expected to remain pessimistic about the stock market’s prospects in the monthsahead, particularly if the transaction volume shrinks further, according to analysts. In the latest CCIreport, the durable goods sub-index dropped 2.55 points from a month ago to 88.85, an indication thepublic held a pessimistic view on the housing market in the near future.

Tense aboutChinaCCTV Host Yang Rui’s Anti-Foreigner SentimentYang Rui is the Managing Editor and Host of Dialogue on CCTV News, which endeavors to present news aboutChina and the world from a Chinese perspective and in a balanced way. A post put on his Sina Weibo page on May16 has caused great controversy. Yang wrote that the Public SecurityBureau must clean up foreign trash, arrest foreign thugs, expose foreign spies, and single out foreignshrews and those demonizing China. An American in China later also posted on Weibo, demanding that CCTV fireYang. A minority of foreigners in China and some western media such as the WallStreet Journal supported the demand. May 22, Yang responded to his article on Sina Weibo: “For a long time,many young Chinese think Westerners are well-educated and polite since they come from industrialized nations,where the rule of law prevails. Most of them are friendly. They travel, do business and make an honest living inChina. But until recently, a number of recent videos involving the apparent attempted rape of a young Chinese girlon one of the main streets of Beijing and the disrespect shown to a middle-aged woman on a Chinese train. Afterlooking at these incidents, I termed these expats "foreign trash" and I believe they should be brought to justice ifthey are found to have violated our laws. Western or Chinese, no one should be above the law”.Chinese internet users reacted to Yang’s article differently. Some agree with Yang by reading recent incidents onforeigners disrespecting Chinese women. One netizen commented: “The foreigners who come to China, if they’renot on official business, then they’re idiots, or slackers, or cheats, whereas the Chinese people who go to foreigncountries, if they’re not bosses, then they’re corrupt officials, or the society’s elites.” Some netizens think Yang’scomments are improper. One commented: “Why differentiate the treatment between foreign hooligans/thugsand native hooligans/thugs? Isn’t the harm caused by native thugs who exploit public power even larger?”

Tense aboutJapanMovement to eradicate tattoosOsaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who launched a crusade to eradicate tattoos from the public sector, hasannounced plans to prevent the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined torespond to a survey asking them if they have tattoos.“Citizens feel uneasy or intimidated if they see tattoos on workersin services and it undermines trustin the city,” Hashimoto has said. Traditionally, tattoos represents “Yakuza”, which indicates that youare a member of a traditional organized crime syndicate in Japan. Although small tattoos are now acommon means of self-expression in Japan, the right-wing Hashimoto initiated a survey in Osaka thatasked employees of the city government to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos,such as how long they had had them. He has also threatened to dismiss any city worker who hadtattoos. The poll found that 110 workers reported having tattoos.So far, 513 employees have declined to respond to the survey which was given to about 33,000workers. Hashimoto says they will be pressed again to give the information before disciplinary stepsare taken. “If they insist on having tattoos, they had better leave the city office and go and work in theprivate sector,” he said Tuesday after the results of the survey were released.Around 800 teachers and other education professionals have so far refused to respond to Hashimoto’ssurvey, in the belief that it infringes on their right to privacy. A Kansai-based lawyers’ group has alsoreportedly asked the city to cease the investigation, which it claims violates workers’ human rights.Hashimoto reportedly became infuriated earlier this year after learning that a worker at a children’shome threatened kids by showing them his tattoos.

Tense about Philippines Comedy king on life support “I’m praying that he recovers. A lot of people love him, especially the fans.” “In his role as actor in giving happiness to Filipinos, he really made a contribution.” Filipinos love their film, stars especially those who have resisted the lure of commercialization. This is why many felt great concern upon the news that 84-year-old Dolphy, The Comedy King of the Philippines, was admitted to the hospital last June 9 in critical condition requiring blood transfusion and dialysis. This was not the first news about Dolphy’s deteriorating health. It is known to the public that he is suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and has survived 9 pneumonia attacks in 2 years. News interviews with locals saw them talking about the great contribution of Dolphy to Filipino culture and offering their sincere prayers for his recovery. Born as Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr. in July,1928, he is simply known to all Filipinos as Dolphy. With his long roster of comedic work on stage, radio, television and movies, he earned his title as The Comedy King. Doing odd jobs during World War II, his exposure to movies started while, as a 13-year-old boy, working inside the theater selling peanuts, watermelon seeds and jicama snacks, so he could watch limitless movies for free. He started as a stage performer during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, at 17, when a director got him as a chorus dancer in theatre. He has received the presidential award of the Grand Collar of the Order of the Golden Heart.

Tense aboutPakistanPower OutagesWhat keeps us up at night is usually different for everyone. For some it’smaking those mental notes of things-to-do the next day. For others itswork related matters, a pitch that needs re-doing, and a report that has tomake sense. And then there are those who spend their nights making thebest possible use of late night deals on call & SMS packages. Butsometimes it so happens that everyone stays awake, and for the samereason i.e. electricity load shedding.Load shedding of electricity is nothing new to the people living indeveloping countries. When demand exceeds supply of power, the lastresort measure by and electric utility company is to engineer temporaryshutdown of electricity to prevent total black out of the power system.Rolling blackouts began nation-wide in Pakistan in early 2008 and continuepresently in June 2012. It intensified in the summer of 2011, with manyplaces around the country having no electricity for 20 hours per-day.According to Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO), Pakistanselectricity short fall is normally 2500 Mega Watts (MW) but reachesaround 6000 MW or more during the long summer season. As of June2012 the countrys electricity problems were so severe that violent riotstook place across Punjab, the countrys most populous province.Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has increased durations of loadshedding in residential and commercial areas on the pretext of oil and gasshortage. While every summer citizens brace themselves for a sweaty,humid weather in this part of the world, they do take comfort in knowingwhich time of the day they would not have electricity. Load sheddingschedules are made available before hand allowing people to figure outways to live through the hours of no electricity. They had started resortingto generators and alternate power supply vehicles such as UPS. Howeverthis surge in power cuts this year in which there is no power for up to 2hours every alternate hour has rendered people quite helpless. Theycannot afford to run generators incessantly given the high gas & petrolprices. While UPS which is an affordable way out doesn’t work because itneeds electricity to recharge batteries-and with such heavy off loading,UPS’s can hardly function.These unannounced power cuts not only disturb residents but have adeteriorating impact on business as traders are unable to carry out theirday-to-day commitments.While the government is trying to counter this shortfall by allocatingbudgets for various alternate energy projects they still remain long termsolutions. In the meantime the consumers have to face the brunt of theincreased electricity charges and longer duration of power cuts.

Everyone’s talking about Brands & campaigns generating buzz

Everyone’s talking aboutIndiahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om15DmzWQrABeverage conglomerate Coca-Cola has launched itslatest communication campaign, ‘Cricket kiKhushi’, withits brand ambassador SachinTendulkar.Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas chairman and chiefcreative officer R Balki and his creative team, the newadvertisement is produced by Amit Sharma fromChrome Pictures. It showcases cricket as a source ofimmense happiness transcending all boundaries, justlike enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola. In the new campaignTendulkar urges people to keep playing, be happy andenjoy Coca-Cola.Balki said, "Cricket is this countrys true happiness. Theweather...the playground...the national teamsperformance...nothing can stop millions of peopleplaying and experiencing the joy of this game and Coca-Cola celebrates this true happiness of the land with theCricket KiKhushi Campaign".JapanPopular Japanese beer brand presents an interestinginnovation that can change the entire experience of drinkingthe classic beverage. Japanese beer company Kirin has unveiled a new beer with frozen foam in the restaurants of Tokyo in April 2012. The variant, called “Ichiban Shibori Frozen Draft,” features cold Kirin beer topped with frozen beer foam created using a process called Frozen Agitation, wherein air is blown into the beer as it is stirred and chilled. The foam is very cold at -5 degreescelsius, which, according to Kirin, can help keep the beer below it ice-cold for roughly thirty minutes. The beer is currently available in select Tokyo restaurants but is expected to launch in other Japanese cities in May.

Everyone’s talking aboutMalaysiaEducational TV Sitcom ‘Oh My English’A campaign that has made a splash among Malaysians inrecent months comes from TV sitcom ‘Oh My English’.Recently launched by Astro, Malaysia’s satellite televisionservice, ‘Oh My English’ combines educational andcomedic elements to teach its viewers conversationalEnglish. The show has struck a chord with Malaysians;although aimed at young viewers, the show’s funny andeducational nature has also gained appeal with an adultaudience.‘Oh My English’ follows the adventures of a high schoolEnglish teacher and his mischievous and underachievingclass whose least favorite subject is English. Usinghumorous scenarios, the series puts a spotlight on and The cast of ‘Oh My English’corrects language errors that Malaysians commonly makein our use of colloquial English. Although these mistakesare largely viewed to be acceptable, the show points outthat we should not encourage it.Viewers of ‘Oh My English’ have nothing but good things tosay about the show. Many viewers agree that being able tospeak English well in this day and age is vital to succeed inlife and applaud the show for its effort in raising Malaysia’sstandard of English. According to government officerShamsuddinYahya, “My officemates and I never stoptalking about the show. It really shed a lot of light on theway we speak English in everyday life”.‘Oh My English’ initially caught the attention of Malaysiansthrough its funny video shorts that have garnered almost 1million views on YouTube. Since the launch of the show inMay, the show’s Facebook page has already gained 75,000fans. The phrase ‘Oh My English’ has even seeped into popculture – the show’s title is used as a hashtag on Twitterwhen English mistakes are identified and the show’s funnyscenarios have been parodied on internet memes. A pledge to speak better English on the ‘Oh My English’ websiteWatch snippets from the show here: http://bit.ly/JsnY1Q

Everyone’s talking about Singapore No shark fin The campaign first started as an online petition on Causes.com, and it had received 80,000 supporters worldwide within the first two weeks of being posted up. The team behind the campaign is made up of a mix of dedicated individuals from all over Asia, with the core team comprising staff of Ocean Geographic magazine. The campaign, fronted by Miss Singapore/Universe 2007 Jessica Tan, will run throughout the year on print and online platforms. It will focus on educating, raising awareness and gathering support from individuals, schools and corporations, before lobbying the Singapore government for the ban on the import and sale of sharks fin. To date, NGOs supporting this cause include WWF, Flora & Fauna International, Project FIN, Humane Society International and Shark Research Institute. Sharks’ fins are considered a delicacy and are a common sight at Chinese wedding banquets, festive celebrations and corporate events. Part of the campaign includes convincing all Chinese restaurants here to remove the dish from theirA nationwide “No Sharks Fins Singapore” was menus.launched at the Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) 2012 in bid tomake Singapore shark fin-free by 2012. Led by dive In addition, NTUC Fairprice, Singapore’s largestenthusiast Michael Aw, this campaign aims to urge supermarket chain is joined by French retail giantSingapore to be the first Asian country to ban shark Carrefour to boycott the delicacy, halting sales offin products. According to the conversation group shark fin products in January this year. Shangri-LaWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF), Singapore is the world’s Hotels and Resorts have also taken shark fin off itssecond largest shark fin trading entre after Hong menu worldwide.Kong. Sharks are on the red list of threatened speciesExplaining the need for action, Mr. Aw said: "Being a under the International Union of the Conservation ofprominent economy in the heart of Asia, Singapore Nature (IUCN), and their populations are criticallyshould take the lead being to be socially responsible endangered. While sharks fin itself has no taste orto be the first in Asia to make this happen.” nutritional value, its consumption nearly doubled between 2002 and 2010 in Singapore.

Everyone’s talking aboutTaiwanGoogle search storiesGoogle Search Stories are fun to watch. Many of you would probably remember theParisian love story video which became a Super Bowl commercial. The search engine evencame out with a search story creator for users to create their own Google journey.And now there’s one for Taiwan too. The Google Search Stories site built especially forTaiwanese in traditional Chinese. Google Taiwan is apparently trying to get local consumersto give its video search stories a shot, in the hope that it might convince them to be loyalGoogle searchers.Search story: How a Taiwanese hip-hop band Googled their way to number 1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krYBtfREVykSearch story: How a Taiwanese Rock band recorded a promo for Google +.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vREOu6Axt8o

Everyone’s talking about China Yili’s Let’s Olympic Together CampaignOn May 18, Yili, China’s leading dairy brand and official Olympic sponsor of the Chinese Sports Delegation, havelaunched a new brand campaign, “Let’s Olympic Together,” to uncover ordinary peoples’ extraordinary stories.The campaign targets mainland Chinese consumers and consists of a series of emotionally engaging outdoorprint ads, microfilms, TVCs and digital engagement initiatives that inspire consumers to embrace a healthylifestyle so they can realize their own “Olympic” dreams. Teaming up with Chinese online video-sharing websiteYouku, five microfilms have launched online, on TV and outdoors. As a leading brand in China, Yili also wanted tohelp convey the Olympic spirit of the Chinese people to people from all over the world so they decided to takethese touching and personal stories to the streets of London during the Games. Winning video entries will bedisplayed as print ads on 400 of London’s iconic Routemaster double-decker red buses that will be in operationduring the Olympic Games this summer from July 23 to August 19.Since the five microfilms have launched Youku.com, they total have received more than 20 million reviews. Thefirst microfilm, “Happy Backpackers,” features an elderly travelling couple who have made world travel theirpersonal “Olympic” challenge. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the couple has backpacked through 46countries in all seven continents with the belief that good health allows them to travel with an “Olympic” spirit.In less than one week, “Happy Backpackers” had already been viewed more than 10 million times with “Run LaoLi” attracting more than 2 million in the first two days alone. In addition, two online video teasers in whichrenowned Chinese track and field Olympic gold medalist Mr. LIU Xiang invites consumers to upload their own“Olympic” story videos onto Youku.Campaign page: http://sports.youku.com/together

Everyone’s talking about PakistanPakistan has had a rich culture and history of art and music. From the ‘Sufi kalaams’ to the ‘Folk sangeet’, fromGhazal maestros to the gripping Qawals, we have had it all. Coke Studio is a fusion of all these flavors of musicpresented in a series of live studio recordings of some of the most challenging music & vocal variations by arhapsody of native artists.People still remember the wave of excitement and pure ecstasy that swept across the country when Coke Studiofirst came out. FM radio channels were flooded with requests of Coke Studio versions of songs. The uberawesome take on ‘GarajBaras’ had captured the hearts of people the day it was aired and to-date remains oneof Coke Studio’s finest collaborations. With the first season alone, Coke Studio became that anticipated show allaround. The second, third and fourth seasons of Coke Studio created much buzz and garnered considerablepopularity for some delectable fusions of artists, music and instruments and never before imaginedcollaborations.And finally the fifth season is upon us. Brimming with the same energy it carried in Season One, the similarity ofthe format hasn’t lead to people turning away from the show. This time around the new season’s first episodewas made available online, a night before it went on-air. First time digital media took precedence over electronicmedia and undoubtedly by morning most status updates were about the first episode. This season again has hadits share of cheer & cheese. Qayas’s ‘UmairJaswal’ was quite the revelation. His collaboration with AtifAslam on‘Charkha Nolakha’ has taken everyone by storm. Much remains to be seen as the season is still in progress.It is true that what Coke Studio has done for Coca Cola in Pakistan (a country full of previously Pepsi fanatics) isunprecedented. The reason behind the immense success of Coke Studio is its novelty and RohailHayat’scollaborative adeptness. Rohail gave doses of musical brilliance across the five seasons of the show. He had thecontemporary artist perform contemporary stuff, then he asked the old school classical maestros to lay downsome serious classical raags&alaaps, and then finally he asked the contemporaries to work out a masterpiecewith the orthodox. The results were amazing and over the years Coke Studio has become synonymous to sheercreativity and artistic, tasteful fusion.By taking music as a platform Coke has made solid inroads into the hearts of Pakistani consumers. Not only doesit give people something to clamor about, it has also highlighted some amazing local talent and rekindled thelove for other forms of music, different from the prevalent pop genre in our youth. Now when a teenager picksup his acoustic guitar and tries to find the chords for ‘PerePavandiSaan’ instead of a U2 track, you see thedifference Coke studio has made.Promo Video: http://www.youtube.com/cokestudio?WT.cl=1&WT.mn=YoutubeSocial Media sharing: http://tinyurl.com/c25lujl , http://tinyurl.com/6vx5jwh

Everyone’s talking about Indonesia The Brightspot Market The Brightspot Market was held again in Jakarta for the 8th time, on June 7-10, 2012. The event was initiated by Eldalia Wirjono, Anton Wirjono, Cynthia Wirjono and Leonard Theorsabrata, who joined in the Future 10, C&C Projects and LTD (Leonard Theosabrata Design). The market was initiated to provide a place for indie label owners to market their produtcs, from fashion, food, furniture, etc. Suprisingly, most of them are already in the heart of the consumers, so the event manages to attract thousands of visitors each time it is held.In 2009, when the first Brightspot Market was held, only 25 labels participated, but they managed to have5000 vistors. This year, Brightspot Market had 125 labels participating and drew in 65,000 vistors. For alabel to be able to participate in the event, Leonard said that one critieria that they need to fulfil is thatthey should have a clear design concept. Most of the local brands/labels sell their products at affordableprices, range from IDR 200 – 300 thousand or less.Brightspot Market has also become a perfect spot for new local brands that usually sell their productsonline or only thourgh an exhibition, to grab new markets, or let consumers see directly and feel theunique designs and quality of the products. Hopefully with the hype created around Brightspot Market,more local brands will come to the fore, and the love of local people for local brands will also grow.Looking forward to Brightspot Market in the years to come!.

Everyone’s talking about Philippines What’s Your Mix? “This is just all about mixing and matching. Nationalities, moods, personalities and of course your fashion pieces. Call it biased, but the mixing and matching of different nationalities with Filipino blood is almost a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class.”The month of June started with a commotion in social network sites Twitter and Facebook when localwomen’s clothing brand Bayo launched their new marketing campaign called “What’s your mix.”. Netizenswere outraged with the print ad seemingly suggesting that being a 100% Filipina is not enough and that apercentage of another nationality should be mixed with them so they will be beautiful and a worldclass beauty. A series of print and outdoor ads featured mix-blood Filipina personalities. A week later, thesaid ad has been removed from the BayoFacebook page and instead, the fashion company placed anapology letter on their profile page. The buzz even created a meme of the ad where people feature different characters and their mixes.

Favorite knock-off brands Ambush or imitation – you decide!

Favorite knockoff brandsTourists coming to Sri Lanka, besides seeking out the big waves come specifically looking for “factoryseconds”/“rip offs”, that the garment factories on the island seem to be ‘specialize’ in. Interestingly thereexists a very fine line between the factory seconds of Levi’s that are sold in AC stores vs. the denims sold onthe street with a misspelled Levise, as more often than not both are produced using the same raw material…

Favorite knockoff brands Starbucks has been famous for the coffee and as a hangout place in Jakarta. Jakarta people, the young and the olds, are all getting their coffees in Starbucks and not only that, it has been the meeting point and hangout place for everyone. Nowadays we see more and more cafés in Jakarta naming themselves after this famous brand. Interestingly, these Starbucks-wanna-be’s are ranging from nice looking cafes to roadside coffee shops, and each of them has its own regular customers. For them, Starbucks is more of a term they use to describe a café that specializes in coffee instead of a brand. It has become almost like a category name.Everybody loves Cadbury Dairy Milk!But some just can’t get enough of it. So much so thatAhmedabad, India, based company, Krishnaconfectionaries has actually created a chocolate andtoffee version of it’s own and called it ‘Daily Milk’This is not a sneaky job. They have a website with productshots. Here you will notice the variety of candies that arefakes of popular brands.http://www.krishnaconfectioneryindia.com/products.htmThe Planner who works on Cadbury in the Mumbai officehanded me a carton of homemade chocolates from Ooty,which was ‘inspired’ by Cadbury Dairy Milk packaging.

Favorite knockoff brandsMalaysia’s favorite knock-off, rather than a specific brand,is the pirated DVD. Malaysia is notorious for its DVD knock-offs; in fact, Malaysia was put on the United States’ watchlist for DVD piracy in 2003.Forget those bad quality pirated DVDs recorded in thecinema with fidgeting heads of moviegoers at the bottomof the screen – Malaysian pirated DVDs are no different inquality from the real things (or sometimes even better inquality) and even available in HD or Blu-ray. Going for justMYR 8.00–12.00 (USD 2.50–3.80) for DVD copies and MYR40 (USD 12.70) for Blu-ray copies, pirated DVDs has longbeen established in the consumers’ minds as the more A store selling pirated DVDseconomical option over originalDVDs.While still illegal – the police conduct raids on pirated DVDshops every once in a while – there’s no need for backalley exchanges and running from the cops for thesesellers. These syndicates openly and unworriedly conducttheir business from established brick and mortar stores.Sometimes, one can even find a police station just downthe road from the store.As for the buyers, many Malaysians have no qualms aboutbuying fake DVDs and do so openly. Along with being Pirated DVDs of ‘The Lady’ were already in circulationcheaper (pirated DVDs are always “Buy 5, Free 1”), buyers before the movie hit big screens in Malaysiafind that compared to original DVDs, the fakes are: betterin quality; more accessible and convenient; uncensored(movies have to pass through a censorship board inMalaysia and risqué scenes often get censored); devoid ofunskippable ads, trailers, and warnings; and the latestmovies – ones that haven’t even premiered in Malaysiancinemas – are usually available. Young and old, watchingmovies on pirated DVDs is definitely a favorite pastimeamong Malaysians. With the strict enforcement of anti-piracy laws here in Singapore, it’s rare to find the numerous knock off brands and products you might find elsewhere in South East Asia. However, if you take a stroll down Bugis Street which is the only street shopping location in Singapore, you may find clothes, bags and shoe that look strikingly similar to some popular brands (Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Chanel) or even some tongue-in-cheek imitations as seen above.

Favorite knockoff brands “Banane Taipei” is a brand offering a plastic bag which is just look like Hermes, although some Asian stars carry it away to support the brand, however, Banane Taipei was still charged with trademark infringement by Hermes. HK Singer Gigi with Banane Taipei bag https://www.facebook.com/BANANA.TPE?v=info#!/BAN ANA.TPEWhile the Chinese-American NBAbasketball player Jeremy Lin has rapidlyrisen to superstardom, the ‘Linsanity’ hasalso gone wild in mainland China. The Lin-Mania brings tons of business opportunityto the store owners at Taobao, the biggestonline shopping website in China. Manyknockoff merchandise of Lin such asiPhone cases, the No 17 New York Knicksjerseys, t-shirts and hoodies are sellingrapidly. Besides that, Lin’s name has alsobeing quickly registered as trademark.In May, 2012, the 30th China International Sporting Goods Show was held in Beijing. A new sports brand thatknocked off Jeremy Lin was exhibiting at the show. The company had registered “Jeremy S.H.L” and Lin’sChinese name ‘林书豪’ (Shuhao Lin) as a trademark in 2011. They sell not only basketball sportswear but alsosoccer and volleyball soccer sportswear. Recently, retired NBA legend Michael Jordan had filed alawsuit against a Chinese sports company, over the unauthorized use of his Chinese name in China. As forsuch knock-off merchandise, Jeremy Lin might need to put in some more effort for knocking it out.

Favorite knockoff brands

For more information, to request a presentation oncultural insights, or to contribute your perspectives inyour market, please write to:kunal.sinha@ogilvy.com

Wassup July 2012

by Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific on Jul 08, 2012

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Wassup July 2012 Document Transcript

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