Middle East Takes the Not-so-Middle-Road to Tolerence

A masked man opened fire on a crowd outside a gay club in Tel Aviv, killing two people and wounding 11 others and striking fear into the heart of the liberal Israeli city's homosexual community.

The black-clad gunman unloaded a pistol on the young group of gays and lesbians at the entrance to the centre in the heart of Israel's beachside commercial capital late Saturday and then fled, police and witnesses said.

A teenage girl and a man in his 20s were killed on the spot and three people suffered serious wounds, police said, adding that a manhunt has been launched for the assailant.

"All indications point that this was a criminal incident and not a terror attack, which was most likely deliberately directed against the gay and lesbian community," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.

Thousands of people gathered in the city centre overnight to protest at the attack, some waving rainbow banners and lighting candles for the victims.

"Our (gay) community won't let itself be frightened, it will stand up to those who threaten it with heads held high and with pride, we will respond to war with war," left-wing opposition Meretz party MP Nitzan Horowitz said.

The victims were identified Liz Tarabushi, 17 and Yaniv Katz, 26.

Police have imposed a complete blackout on details of the inquiry, but investigators were seen sifting through evidence at the scene while bloodied victims were taken by stretcher into ambulances.

Tel Aviv police chief Shahar Ayalon ordered the closure of a nearby gay bar and urged such establishments to remain vigilant.

"We are only at the first stage of the investigation, we continue our search and we are not sure of the motive of this attack since the centre has not received any threats recently," Ayalon said.

If the motive is confirmed, it would be the worst homophobic attack against Israel's gay and lesbian community.

"It is not surprising that such a crime can be committed given the incitement of hatred against the homosexual community," the president of Tel Aviv's gay and lesbian community, Mai Pelem, told reporters.

Pelem was referring to verbal attacks against gays from the religious community in Israel, where homosexuals, particularly men, often encounter hostility from ultra-Orthodox Jews who consider sexuality an "abomination."

In the past, swastikas have been painted at the entrance to the centre in an attempt to stigmatise homosexuals.

"In our worst nightmares we could not have imagined that the hatred against our community, which is hurting nobody, could go this far," the head of Israel's gay and lesbian national association, Mike Hamel, told journalists.

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch also said he believed the attack had homophobic motives and promised the police would do everything possible to arrest the gunman, military radio reported.

"Tel Aviv-Jaffa has always been a bastion for pluralism, tolerance and openness, Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai said in a statement.

"But no one will manage change the city's character. We will continue to offer the gay community a warm house in our city and fight for everyone's right to live according to his faith and beliefs."

In 2005, an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed three participants of the gay pride parade. He was later sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Israel repealed a ban on consensual same-sex sexual acts in 1988 and certain rights of gay or lesbian couples have since been recognised by the courts.
~MSN

Q

Cinderella and her glass slippers

Love @ first Sight

With your heart in intention and yearning desires, reaching out , no matter how vague and bleak the possibilities of knowing and finding that person that'll sway you off your feet, that happens.

I know . :-)

I took a chance and expected nothing.

But it did.

The miracles of life, love and intention.

And actually having that person look you up despite all the odds after a long time later, when your heart feels wrenched wondering why you didnt just say 'hi' there and then, that happens too. Wow.


Q ... there really is such a thing as love @ the VERY first sight indeed!


A knock on your door , with a glass slipper that fits....

I @ Play

Come Play with Me ^^

The world is so small apparently that some people think they know all about You.

Laughable.

Q... smooth operator.

Thunder from Down Under

The fellas and Supermodel Tyra Banks, posted.
Mega club , Zirca, the one that replaced the now defunct MOS Singapore , recently, announced that the management's gonna make Zirca attract a whole new audience at earlier time slots other than the normal clubber which steps in closer to midnight.

Their solution?

Bring in a world famous All-male revue.

Introducing , if you haven't heard of them already, the 'Thunder from Down Under' .

Critically acclaimed and world famous for their high energy and performance routines; not to mention those rippling bodies and skimpy ' as far as the law allows it' outfits.

Girls are getting all hot and bothered I know. ^^

Q

Bring on 6-xy to the 09 !

I intended to spend my countdown in Zirca, the hippest new mega club in town which came in place of the now defunct MOS. (BTW , I did end up there for the rest of the night. And left impressed though hardly in the mood to party.)

The traffic was insane and I ended up spending my final mins and the strike of 12 midnight-2009 in my car queuing up to get into the damn parking.

Seems like a total screw up. At that point I too felt lousy.

But still, I made my little wishes and resolutions for the coming year, alone and in the peaceful confines of my car and away from all the hustle and bustle around me.
I then realised that perhaps, it was a blessing.

I had private time to really reflect on the terrible year it was last year, most notably the passing on of my dog and of course , the pains of a relationship gone sour with no reprieve or resolution. (Still pains like hell, but thats another story said too many times) .

And I wished for things that I won't say here coz it might ended up jinxed?

But what I can say are perhaps the usual. Things I need the most in my life.

Like love, happiness and ambition.

Stains of the past, will forever haunt you.

But I'm looking forward still because that's all there is and all I can hope for.

Happy 2009 everybody.

Q ... Happiness. We all deserve it.

Saint James is better Merrier

Like a giant Phallus prodding the night.
Was at Saint James Power House last night.

Touted to be a hot club.

But I think not.

Seldom do first impressions of a club falls so flat. But, yes it did.

>The layout is haphazard. (The entrances are as unclear as the exits)

>The entrance-rules are rubbish. (Why can I only enter after 3am? I'm a paying customer am I not?)

> The music is crap. (What are the various themes again? It's all over the place!) .... The only song I liked the entire night was 2 minutes worth of Britney's 'Gimme More' club remix. Believe?

> The singers can't sing and the dancers can't dance (See, if I wanted drag queens I'd know where to get them.)

> and ...What's with the ultra dark toilets?! (This was supposed to be a Powerhouse, NO? Couldn't even check myself out in the mirror. So they do want a club full of crap-looking people...smudged , oily and all...)

Q

That's it. I'm going only on Fabulous Sundays if I ever were to go back there again. :/

Butter-Up at The Factory

She's ....

Stoned. Wasted. Dead-weight Aplenty.

And to think it's My first time at The Butter Factory.
The much hyped-about R & B club that is now associated with YO being boozed. :-p

(Sent her home. Hope she's feeling better. My car smells funky)

XOXO

Q

No Phuture ahead

There is light only at the End of the Tunnel. Not along it...
Straight ahead is Zouk. To the right is the Toilet. To the left is Phuture.


"To the LEFT . To the LEFT.... "

When you pay a lot to enter Velvet Underground and Zouk, there is just NO REASON WHY WE WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO PHUTURE.

What a bad experience.

No more.

The END is Near. No more Phuture. Nothing.

Monsters being themselves

... Suffice to say, such EYE-SORES. Dig your eyes you..

Today was All-Hallows' Eve. (Halloween for blur-fucts. LOL)

And the clubs.... ever more than it already was... filled with POSERS who had the opportunity POSE even more. *

*3 Phenomenon observed:

1) Everyone wants to be a Victoria's Secret Angel. But only 1 or 2 looked like it.:) The rest looked more like Victoria's Secret Love-child-that-should-have-remained-a-Secret. 'Angels' goons, Getit? Not moths... You want onlookers to swoon not swat.

2) Scary Movie killer. You know... if you've got like ten others standing in front of you... they are called Scary Idiots. Good luck with those friends who insist on bringing the fella back home thinking that the stubbornness is a result of being drunk rather than mistaken identity.... (Are you high?)

3)When you're a regular club-goer, you tend to recognise faces. And you swear that with painted faces, white-washed or blood, wigs/ hats and all.... they actually looked better .... heehee

Indeed, MONSTERS pretending to be MONSTERS.

LMAO.



But I did spot a gem (sad isn't it ? The Cannery is hugh and yet there were more messed-up folks than dressed-up folks) : There was this siren in a lil black dress with glowing-red devil ears and 6-inch red stilettos. Nothing over the stop. Subtle and understated. And yet the theme was obviously 'Devil Wears Prada' ... got it ... and oh-so-stylish and sexy. Too bad her bf looked like a prop.


Well, at least when the smoke screen dissipates and the lights go back on... you'd have expected to see a messed-up toad rather than some should-have-been-a-hottie ... only to die of FRIGHT later on.... or worse find one beside your bed that next morning.




Monsters.

Basically, a night where many were ...themselves. ;p

Happy .... & Less-Happy

You know, there has been increasing hoopla over a small but (at least when compared to the size of the general populace) thriving 'Happy' communitee ... yeah you know wht I mean.

And I made some very interesting discoveries.

Just last night , I chain-clubbed two very popular clubbers'-haunts . First it was at Play . Then it was down to Ministry Of Sound.

At Play, when I was there to catch the musical musings of world-reknowned Grammy Award winning DJ/Remixer Hex Hector, I realised that these men ARE happy. Not in the pun-slanged way mind you...but they trully are ...festive. As awkward as I was being there.... I was seriously feeling light-hearted about the whole atmosphere at the same time. It all seemed... more relaxed...these people were there to have fun and, most importantly, no pretense. As though once the doors are shut behind them, the ruthless world outside is locked out and they are safe there. Totally palpable.

Then, it was down to MOS later in the night . All I saw there were ego-trips. Slut-girls and trannies (or trannys; sorry I'm just trying to make a point here and not trying to provoke or discriminate) trying to out-dress each other by wearing the least and see who had the hook-ups. Shufflers doing their best to out pace each other and to stand out from the crowd. Boyfriends fiercely defending their girlfriends like those girls grew up in boxes and knew nothing about being the wee-bit independent or capable enough to stand on their own. There were simplying more people checking each other out and standing around with drinks in hand doing little more than tapping their feet or bopping their heads. I enjoyed myself little there.

Another thing that stroke me most, was that, other than what's mentioned above,ultimately, the crowd in MOS seemed little different from those at Play. They could well have switched places or to see anyone of those clubbers in the context of their daily lives, and you wouldn't tell the difference.

Yeash, say what ever you like , who ever is reading this, but well, I do have one thing to say :

It was indeed an eye-opener for me. And it only serves to further reinforce my notion and stand that whether a person is straight or not should hardly be an issue in today's context.

Gone with the naysayers and haters out there... ponder this... " If straight people aren't necessarily good people (such as killers, robbers, murderers etc.) , then why should g*y people be seen as bad?"

There is just no basis for let-downs and put-downs.

Enlightened and reassured.

Because men were not created equal but should at least be treated as such. That's justice. That's dignity.