Spanish clothing brand Desigual began its winter sales season in a truly original way that made people show up at its store in nothing but their underwear.

Desigual Undie Campaign participants

Would you brave the cold weather and the media exposure for the chance to take part in Spanish clothing brand Desigual’s  “Come in underwear, leave dressed” campaign? Well, thousands of people around the world did just that, spending hours outside Desigual stores, hoping to be among the 100 lucky ones that would enjoy the brand’s offer.

Come in underwear, leave dressed

Desigual Undie Party on 34th Street New York

Desigual Undie Party at its Soho shop in Broadway

Under this “Come in underwear, leave dressed” campaign at selected Desigual stores, Desigual challenged its customers to show up outside its branch stores in underwear, and leave with a free full outfit. Unfortunately, only the first 100 people over 18 years got to enjoy this ridiculous sale.

Desigual undie party - The lucky ones who made it inside the store

Some people actually showed up outside the stores at 3 pm the previous day, to make sure they are among the chosen few, but those that didn’t make the cut also had something to be cheerful about. Desigual decided to give them half-price discounts on all the items in the shop.

Desigual undie party ---one of the lucky ones

Desigual stores in Amsterdam, Madrid, Lisboa and New York already held their undies parties. Other cities that would witness these parties this week include Barcelona, San Sebastian and Marbella.

If one of the clothing retailers along Singapore’s Orchard Road were to hold such a campaign, sucess is guaranteed. Why? Because of Singapore’s kiasu attitude! I bet the queue would stretch the whole length of Orchard Road ( or at least a few hundred meters, haha!).

Fancy Parkson holding such a campaign in Malaysia…. I have no doubt that the response would be fantastic, not only from the public but from the government authorities. There will be long queues of people wanting to take part but I am pretty sure there will also be a lot of our government authorities standing by for action, awaiting to arrest those who strip to to their undies in public. For this campaign, I am afraid Malaysia Boleh Tak Boleh!

What do Liu Wen, Aki Hoshino, Eunice Olsen, Aishwarya Rai, Shin Min Ah, Nadine Ann Thomas, Sonia Sui, Jessica Cambensy, Dominique Agisca Diyose, Aung San Suu Kyi and Cherman Ploy Boonyasak have in common?

They are all listed in Esquire magazine’s “atlas” of sexiest women alive 2010.

US actress Minka Kelly is at the top of the heap as the Sexiest Woman Alive, and was made Esquire’s cover girl for its November 2010 issue.

Minka Kelly on the cover of Esquire Magazine November 2010

A total of 195 women were singled out by editors of Esquire’s 17 international editions. They were picked for representing “something different, something beautiful, something that reveals a little bit more about who we are.”

There were some beauty queens on the list, as well as politicians, actresses, singers, and models. Among the popular ones on the list are actresses Diane Kruger and Rachel Hunter, model Gisele Bundchen, Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela, model Daisy Fuentes, and musician Andrea Corr. Political figures, such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, were not left out.

The magazine, which picked one woman per country for its Sexiest Woman Alive Atlas, has included stars like Barbados-born Rihanna, Iceland’s Bjork and India’s Aishwarya Rai in its atlas of 195 women.

Here are the Esquire’s sexiest women alive from 25 Asian countries, listed in alphabetical order.

Afghanistan – Malalai Joya

Afghanistan's Malalai Joya

Malalai Joya, born April 25 1978, is an Afghan politician who has been called “the bravest woman in Afghanistan.”

TIME magazine named Malalai Joya to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Foreign Policy Magazine listed Malalai Joya in its annual list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. Her most memorable quote is: “I don’t fear death, I fear remaining silent in the face of injustice.”

She was chosen because she won’t be silenced. Because she takes the grand ideals of Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy at face value. And because her condemnations before parliament of warlords, drug lords, the Taliban, and the Karzai government are as courageous as any battlefield heroics, earning her worldwide admiration — and a few assassination attempts.

Bangladesh – Anika Kabir Shokh

Bangladesh's Anika Kabir Shokh

Anika Kabir Shokh, born in Dhaka in 1983, is the hottest and sexiest Bangladeshi model and actress. She makes Bangladeshis drool as the spokeswoman for Nokia.

Bhutan – Tshering Yangzom-Tashigang

Bhutan's Tshering Yangzom-Tashigang

Tshering was anointed Best Model at the 2008 Miss Bhutan pageant. The event’s motto: beauty with a cause.

Brunei – Maria

Brunei's Maria

Maria (real name Meria Aires), born February 16 1989, is the most successful female singer in the tiny oil-rich sultanate of Brunei. Maria won the Most Popular Female Artist award at the 2008 Radio Television Brunei awards. She is known for her high-pitched voice and her hit  single “Bisik Hati,”

Burma – Aung San Suu Kyi

Cambodia's Somaly Mam

This is what a rebel does: meets violent suppression from freedom with words (“It is not power that corrupts but fear”), risks her life for democracy, gets elected prime minister only to have Myanmar’s military force her out, wins a Nobel Peace Prize for it, gets imprisoned for twenty years for it, and begins her release fighting for one thing and one thing only: the right to vote.

Cambodia – Somaly Mam

Cambodia's Somaly Mam

Orphaned as a result of Pol Pot’s reign of terror, left for dead in the Cambodian jungle, and sold into sex slavery, Mam has written a sobering account of her life — The Road of Lost Innocence — and dedicated herself to the fight against sex trafficking. She happens to have a lovely smile.

China – Liu Wen

China's Liu Wen

Chinese supermodel Liu Wen, born January 27 1988, is the first woman of East Asian descent to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway show last year and is the first Asian face for beauty giant Estee Lauder. She is currently ranked 10th on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com. She was chosen because “She is a top model who started her career in 2005 when she entered the New Silk Road World Model Contest. In 2009, she became the first woman of East Asian descent to walk the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. She is natural and pure, like a clear fountain of water.”

Hong Kong – Jessica Cambensy

Hong Kong's Jessica C.

Jessica C. is supposedly half-American half-Chinese though in all probability she is American/Filipino. Having worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Japan for such high profile companies as Clinique, L’Oreal, Max Factor and now Brilliage Japan through Satoru Japan Inc, she certainly has what can only be described as ’supermodel’ status. Esquire’s comments on her: “The model world in Hong Kong has never been this excited since Jessica C. burst into the scene with her sweet, goggling eyes. Many before her have taken the same express elevator to stardom but have quickly dissolved into obscurity due to their lack of work ethics.”

India – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

India's Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, born 1 November 1973, is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 1994. During her career, Rai has acted in over 40 movies in Hindi, English, Tamil and Bengali, which include a number of international productions. She is often cited by the media as the most beautiful woman in the world.

Indonesia – Dominique Agisca Diyose

Indonesia's Dominique Agisca Diyose

Dominique Agisca Diyose, born on August 7 1988, is Indonesia’s Top Model and also an actress.  Esquire’s comments on her: “She’s a tough cookie charting her own path, not through increased exposure but by selecting acting roles we will remember. She has magnetic, gorgeous eyes, sexy legs, lovely skin, and a knockout smile.”

Japan – Aki Hoshino

Japan's Aki Hoshino

Aki Hoshino, born March 14 1977, is a Japanese bikini idol. She has appeared in various men’s magazines, such as Sabra and television shows. The Pamela Anderson of Japan, she is incredibly popular after releasing dozens of low-budget DVDs and regularly appearing on television doing absurd things like pitching to baffled Japanese baseball players or competing on Japanese game shows. Men in Japan refer her as the “Angel of Japan”.

Laos – Boutsady Soudavong

Laos' Boutsady Soudavong

Boutsady Soudavong is a Laotian martial arts exponent. She was chosen for looking pretty calm about the whole “totally getting jump-kicked” thing.

Malaysia – Nadine Ann Thomas

Malaysia's Nadine Ann Thomas

23 year old Nadine Ann Thomas from Subang Jaya, Malaysia is the Miss Universe Malaysia 2010. Nadine is an event and talent coordinator. She was once a chubby, acne-pocked teen with braces, only to grow up and represent her country at the Miss Universe 2010 pageant.

Mongolia – Gundegmaa Otrya

Mongolia's Gundegmaa Otryad

Gundegmaa Otryad, born May 23, 1978, is a Mongolian pistol shooter who won thr silver medal in the women’s 25-meter sport pistol at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Nepal – Dichen Lachman

Nepal's Dichen Lachman

Dichen Lachman, born 22 February 1982, is an Australian actress notable for appearing in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Katya Kinski and the American science fiction thriller Dollhouse as Sierra. She was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, and lived in Nepal until she was eight years old, before her family moved to Adelaide, Australia. Her mother was born in India and is of Tibetan descent, and her father is an Australian

North Korea – Jong Song-ok

North Korea's Jong Song-Ok

Jong Song-ok, born 18 August 1974, is a female long-distance runner from North Korea, who won the world title in the women’s marathon at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville, Spain, beating a top field that included Olympic and World Champions, to bring North Korea its first ever medal at a major sporting event.

Pakistan – Meera

Pakistan's Meera

Meera was born in Lahore to Syed Mohammad Server Shah and Syeda Shafqat Zahra Bukhari. Meera’s mother is a former educationist and has also been a teacher, and her father was an architect. During her career, Meera has acted in over two hundred films including Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. Meera has won the Best Actress award ten times and she has established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Pakistani film industry.She has received death threats after filming a kissing scene in Nazar.

Philippines – Maria Ressa

Philippines' Maria Ressa

Maria Ressa is a journalist, head of ABS-CBN’s News and Current Affairs Division.

Esquire.com said the reason they chose was Ressa was this: “Despite her size, fearless enough to write an eyewitness account of Al-Qaeda.”

Singapore – Eunice Olsen

Singapore's Eunice Olsen

Singaporean actress and TV host Eunice Elizabeth Olsen, born 24 October 1977, is a former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from Singapore. She is well known for having been the winner of the Miss Singapore Universe contest in 2000 and went on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Cyprus where she did not place in the semi finals. Olsen was included “because she went from Miss Universe contestant to (becoming) the youngest Member of Parliament in four years”, the American magazine wrote on its website in October.

South Korea – Shin Min Ah

South Korea's Shin Min Ah

Shin Min Ah, born April 5 1984, is a South Korean model and actress. She debuted as a model for KiKi Magazine and has since appeared in many CF (commercial film) advertisements, becoming one of the most in-demand CF endorsers in South Korea. Aside from acting in films and TV dramas, she has also appeared in numerous K-Pop music videos, notably for G.O.D. She was picked for being a “fashion icon”. “She’s starred in many TV shows and films. She’s considered one of Korea’s hottest fashion icons. Korea is under Shin Min-Ah’s spell right now.”

Sri Lanka – Ishanka Madurasinghe

Sri Lanka's Ishanka Madurasinghe

Ishanka Madurasinghe is Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2010. The 23 year old History student at Kelaniya University has this to say: “My Ultimate goal is to represent Sri Lanka internationally at the Miss Universe pageant and I’m sure the experience I have gained during past pageants as well as in the field of academics will help me better represent my country.”

Taiwan – Sonia Sui

Taiwan's Sonia Sui

Sonia Sui (real name Sui Tang) is a model and actress in Taiwan. She is best known for her role as a fashion model under the management of Catwalk Modeling Agency. “She models, acts, and even contributes to Esquire Taiwan. She’s genuine and witty. Her smile is attractive.”

Thailand – Cherman ‘Ploy’ Boonyasak

Thailand's Chermarn Ploy Boonyasak

Cherman Boonyasak ( also known as Lila Boonyasak), nicknamed Ploy, is a popular Thai actress who has been appearing in films as far back as the year 2000 with an appearance in a little known film called Satang where she is credited as Laila Boonyasak.  Esquire’s comments about her reads “She can be very sexy without any ‘sexy’ pose or doing anything. She can be very sexy reading a phone book. That’s Ploy.”

Timor-Leste – Lúcia Maria Brandão Freitas Lobato

Lúcia Maria Brandão Freitas Lobato, born 7 November 1965 is an East Timorese politician, currently serving as Minister of Justice. She is a member of the National Parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party.

Vietnam – Veronica Ngô Thanh Vân

Vietnam's Ngo Thanh Van

Veronica Ngô Thanh Vân, born on 26^th February 1979, is a Vietnamese dancer, singer, actress, and model. She is also known as Veronica Ngo and by  her initials NTV. She is reputedly better known than MTV in parts of the Far East.

International Man of Mystery Low Taek Jho, who parties with Hollywood celebrities and is now Malaysia’s most famous socialite, has aroused so much worldwide curiosity that there has been a lot of online searches about him.  He recently granted an exclusive interview to The Star, the leading English daily in Malaysia, to shed some light into his background, his life, his career and a whole range of other points.

The Star...The People's Paper

Jho Low, aged 28, was born in Penang where he lived till he was 16. At 16, his parents sent him to Harrow School in England. He is the third and youngest child in the family of Datuk Larry Low, the founder of the engineering company MWE. He can speak English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Hokkien, Teo Chew and Basic Arabic.

Low attributed his success to being in the right place at the right time and going to the right schools – Harrow School in England (A-Levels) and The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, in the United States (Bachelor of Science in Economics majoring in Finance). Harrow had lots of children of prominent European, Asian and Middle Eastern families, enabling him to build the core foundation of contacts for the future. At Wharton, he expanded his network , further cementing his relationships with Arab royalty and well-connected Middle East friends especially those from Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

Harrow School

Wharton School of Business

Jho Low made his first million – in US dollars – when he was barely 20 years old when he took a semester off from The Wharton School of Business to set up an investment fund called The Wynton Group with US$25mil from family and nine South-East Asian and Middle Eastern friends. The company started out by dealing mainly in portfolio investments around the world. It later moved from just buying and selling public shares to private equity. The company, in which he owns a stake, now has offices in Malaysia, Singapore and headquarters in British Virgin Island and is now worth in excess of US$1bil.

Wynton is planning to launch a new US$1 billion real estate and hospitality fund sometime in October, mainly for investing in real estate, hotels and hospitality projects around the world.

A US$250 million entertainment fund is also in the pipeline because Wynton believes there is some synergy between real estate and entertainment. This fund covers the whole spectrum from fashion to movies and so forth. Shooting Hollywood movies in Malaysia is a vital part of Jho Low’s plans to help attract investments to the country. He has been trying to convince his Hollywood friends like Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Leonardo di Caprio to use Malaysia as a location for movies.

The third fund will be a US$250 million general fund.

All these fund sizes are the initial first phase equity commitment that the company is securing which means that actual fund sizes and purchasing power could be much larger. An equity of US$1 billion could have a potential purchasing power in excess of US$2 billion or more after leverage. The new headquarters will be a 20,000sq ft office in Sowwah Island in Abu Dhabi.

An impression of Sowwah Island

Jho Low was appointed to the board of UBG Bhd as group adviser and non-independent & non-executive director in 2008. He is also group adviser to several international corporations involved in global private equity, M&A and buyouts.

He lives a globe-trotting life covering Los Angeles, New York, London, St Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur. He parties with Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan and Usher but claims that news reports about the parties are exaggerated. His Arab childhood friends and investors are actually the spenders, not him. He is the person who calls to make the reservations on behalf of his Arab friends and investors.  His name is thus all over the place, putting him under the global spotlight.

On that particular occasion when the New York Post ran the article about him and his lavish spending, it was in reference to a party that was thrown for a friend’s engagement. He was just helping to coordinate the party arrangements as usual. Even his lavish 28^th birthday party in Las Vegas was a surprise party thrown by a group of his close friends.

He is not going out with Paris Hilton but they have been to several parties together because he is a friend of her parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton. Things had been blown out of proportions by the media according to Jho Low.

Low vehemently dismissed talk that he was “wasting a lot of money partying”.

“For me, we all work very hard. Of course, we have a disadvantage where at our age, people may perceive it differently. At the end of the day, I handle the investors’ money prudently. I generate returns for them.

“I am not an excessive person. Excessiveness with alcohol is just not me.”

On the home front, Jho Low dispelled talk that he is involved in the controversial redevelopment of the TUDM Sungai Besi airbase. He denied the allegations that he had received a RM500 million contract for the project. He stressed that he has no involvement whatsoever.

Jho Low thinks Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had great vision when he was Prime Minister with big spending in Malaysian infrastructure which resulted in Malaysian-based construction companies becoming leaders in the global construction arena. Many Malaysian companies are now doing sophisticated construction work in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and all over the Middle East.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

He talked about his superstar friend – Usher – who wants to help him start a charity programme for children here to learn the business part of the entertainment industry. He has known Usher for a long time. He met Usher in New York when he was working with Usher on Usher’s New Look Foundation, a charity assisting children who want careers in the business side of the entertainment industry. He mentored these kids, advising them on writing business plans.

Usher

Usher's New Look Foundation

With this interview by The Star, we get a glimpse into the life of this international man of mystery and Jho Low achieved his objective of de-mystifying himself. No more “Jho Who?”. He is Low, Jho Low….licensed to kill invest your money.  May the force be with Jho!

Malaysia, truly Asia. This little phrase is Tourism Malaysia’s slogan. Over the past many years, we have all been bombarded with this slogan from Tourism Malaysia’s billboard, radio and TV ad to the point that some people are finding it annoying. And in the past two years or so, we have been bombarded by the 1Malaysia campaign. Malaysians are a funny lot. I propose another slogan for Malaysia. 1FunnyMalaysia, truly Lat Lah!

1Funny Malaysia

Malaysia's most popular cartoon character Lat

See how funny Malaysians can be!

Malaysian Starbucks

Who in the right mind would want to press the durians?

A Malaysian balancing act

A giant Malaysian bumblebee

The Malaysian government's drive to encourage reading is so successful that Malaysian dogs also know how to read!

Malaysian higher education?

The advantage of being a male in Malaysia!

Malaysian shopper

Another Malaysian shopper

Shopping Malaysian style

A rich Malaysian telling the whole world about his wealth

A no-signboard coffeeshop in Malaysia

A stool for males

Malaysian helmet

Two Wong Fei Hong visit Malaysia

Malaysia, truly Lat!

Lee Ching Wei finally did it! He clinched his first All-England championship in the men’s singles final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham yesterday. It was his seventh attempt to win the All-England.

He overcame a stubborn Kenichi Tago of Japan 21-19, 21-19 in a 47-minute final to be crowned the champion at the centenary of the world’s oldest badminton tournament.

With this win, Chong Wei has become the first player ever to win three back-to-back Super Series titles.  Prior to this All-England title, he has won the Super Series Masters Finals in South Korea and Malaysia.

Syabas, Chong Wei!

Zee Avi….her story sounds like a modern day fairy tale. Born in Miri in Sarawak (one of the 13 states that make up Malaysia) on the island of Borneo, she grew up in a liberal, encouraging household with a daddy who is very much into music.

Zee Avi

At 17, she used to lock herself in her room for hours on end to learn guitar playing. But guitar had to take a back seat for 4 years when she was studying fashion design in London. Upon returning to Malaysia, she picked up the guitar again and began writing songs and performing with a band.

Zee began recording her songs on a webcam and posting them on YouTube. How she came to record her debut album in Los Angeles is a 21st Century tale of the immense potential of the Internet.

The day before her 22nd birthday, she posted on YouTube what she intended to be her last video, a holiday song “No Christmas For Me”.  When she had time to check her emails, she had almost 3000 messages including a slew of record label offers. One of the offers came from Ian Montone of Montone Label after he had been shown her YouTube clip. And the rest is history.

Take a look at some of the rave reviews that have been heaped upon Zee’s debut album:

Then.S.Chong, Portland, OR USAA lesson on originality and complexity, August 26, 2009

I am blown away by how someone can turn simple music into such pleasure. Zee Avi does not rock, she is a reminder that the joy and therapeutic value of music is from the heart just as Jimi showed that the mastery of the electric guitar is from the soul not by the skills we hold acrobatic chords or scales.

David Hutchins, Charlotte, NC USATerrific singer and songs, July 10, 2009

The title track ‘Bitter Heart’ grabbed my attention (probably heard it hundreds of times by now) but every song on the CD is very good, appealing melodies with catchy rhythms. Zee Avi has a beautiful voice and her style of singing is arresting. Highly recommend the CD. To view live performances of some of these songs search for her on youtube.

R.Willis, Bellingham, WA USAGreat dinner music, June 27, 2009

This CD has everything you need for an evening of relaxation. Zee’s voice is so smooth and beautiful and the songs are catchy. You will be singing them later in your head. I am a massage therapist, and have even played this CD during a massage. She has the Amy Winehouse feel…. only better.

The Sideman, Boston. MA USAFantastic!!!, May 30, 2009

As a huge fan of the whole Brushfire label I generally like most of the artists that they put out. In this case I can easily say that I LOVE Zee Avi!! Fantastic voice, simple but wonderful lyrics and just the right amount of accompaniment (a lot of singer songwriters tend to over produce) this album hits all the right spots for me. I am thoroughly enjoying this while I wait and hope she comes on tour near me.

Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Miami, FL USAGreat Discovery, May 19, 2009

I discovered this wonderfully talented singer today while checking some of the featured videos for some people I follow on YouTube when I discovered a video of some live performances by Zee. I was instantly blown away by her great voice, fun lyrics, and generally mellow mood of her music. It’s not often that you see somebody like this with natural talent and is not produced from some manufactured formula. If your a fan of anybody along the lines of Norah Jones, you’ll definitely enjoy Zee.

All the above reviews were by Americans. It is so rare for an Asian singer (and a Malaysian!) to receive such glowing reviews from the Americans. Zee Avi has definitely struck a chord with them.

Whoever is reading this, please just sit back, relax and enjoy this YouTube video in which Zee performs 4 of her songs.  And if you enjoy the songs, go grab her CD but if you are from Miri, you may have to wait for a while as the local stores have sold out her CD. I know because I have been trying without success to buy her CD for almost a fortnight already. The Speedy Stores inform me that they may receive fresh stock this week……I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Today is the 46th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. Malaysia Day is held on every September 16  to commemorate the establishment of Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. It marked the joining together of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo to form Malaysia. The formation of the new federation was planned to occur on June 1, 1963, but was later postponed to August 31, 1963, in order to coincide with the sixth Hari Merdeka (Independence Day). Several issues related to the Indonesian and the Filipino objection to the formation of Malaysia delayed the declaration to September 16 of the same year. The postponement was also done to allow the United Nations team time to conduct referendums in North Borneo (now known as Sabah) and Sarawak regarding the two states participation in a new federation.

Distrust and ideological differences between leaders of the State of Singapore and the federal government of Malaysia resulted in frequent disagreement in politics, economic, financial and social policies. On August 9 1965, the Malaysian parliament voted to expel Singapore from Malaysia. On that fateful day, Singapore became a new nation with Lee Kuan Yew as its prime minister.

To all Malaysians, I wish you Happy Malaysia Day!

The first stamp set issued by Malaysia on September 16 1963....this is my "greetings" card to all Malaysians!

Today is Malaysia’s 52nd National Day and to all Malaysians, I wish you all Selamat Hari Kebangsaan.  I know there are a lot of people who are not in a celebratory mood due to worries about H1N1, the economic downturn, the political situation and other issues.  Yes, it is sad to watch what is going on in Malaysia but let’s unite and pray for a better Malaysia irrespective of religion or race.

Which Malaysian has not been seen this image of Tunku Abdul Rahman declaring "Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!"?

Let the Malaysian flag fly high!

Let the Malaysian flag fly high!