Seven Coolest Malaysians of 2007.
 by gua.com.my 27 Dec 2007 Around this time of year, many Malaysians get into retrospective mode, contemplating on the year that was, remembering resolutions that were made and broken. It is the same here at GUA. In the midst of reflection, one of the questions that popped up was – who were some of the year’s coolest Malaysians? We’ve identified seven (you know, this being 2007) and given you our reason for putting them there. This being a democratic country, you are free to disagree and post your own list of coolest Malaysians to us. Sheikh Muszaphar Hands down, he is the man of 2007. Who else do you know who can say they went to space? A trained orthopedic surgeon, the handsome KL-native was selected over three other finalists – who were part of the Malaysian Angkasawan spaceflight programme – to make that giant leap for Malaysians. His feat was all the more amazing as he chalked up many firsts including being the first Muslim to go to space during the month of Ramadhan. During his 10 days in space, the 35-year-old had the opportunity to show his new Russian friends what Malaysian hospitality is all about. He hosted a Hari Raya party on board the space station where he treated his fellow cosmonauts to satay and some kuih Raya. Farah Fauzana Just a DJ a couple of years ago, Fafau (as she’s affectionately known to her fans) has now become a bona fide brand. Her morning radio show, HOT FM AM Krew, which she co-hosts with Faizal Ismail, is the number one morning show, while Melodi has benefited from her crazy, (sexy?), cool factor with consistent ratings. She also proved to be a bankable actress when her TV sitcom “Fara” consistently garnered over 3million viewership. From the way her star is shining, she’ll become a success even if she is selling cekodok. Indeed, when it comes to Farah Fauzana, almost everyone just wants to LAYAAANNNN… Nicol David Squash sensation Nicol is not merely raking up the titles again this year, but she also proved to be a champion with true character. When she lost in the second round of the Women’s World Open Squash in Madrid, Spain, the headlines were less than kind. As is normal with the Malaysian sports scene, when a champion is born, the expectations grow more unreasonable. “What’s wrong with Nicol?” people asked. But the girl kept her cool, got back to work and ended the year with two more titles, the Qatar Classic and the Hong Kong Open, confirming her World No. 1 status. The fact that you can sometimes see her out about town and without being diva-ish makes Nicol one cool cookie. Radhi OAG Insisting on being called "Radhi-O" after the unofficial national drink, "kopi-O", Radhi was bound to make society come around sooner or later. And it was an eye-opener for plenty of folks when his show, “Radhi.Study.Go” debuted on 8TV recently. Taking a cue from MTV's “Tommy Lee Goes to College”, a confident and pumped Radhi initiated the unthinkable and somehow made it work. By allowing the mainstream a glimpse into the life of a reformed rock & roll bad boy, he showed why he still represents the alternative lives of a new generation of young Malaysians to the largely uninformed masses. Kenny Sia The ability to laugh at ourselves is a trait that not all Malaysians possess, but that’s exactly what Kuching-born blogger Kenny Sia makes us do with his (in)famous blog www.kennysia.com. From spotting accidental phallic symbols to his self-deprecating observations, his words have quite a number of cyberfans lapping up his brand of politically-incorrect homegrown humour, making his blog more popular than most official Malaysian websites. Kenny’s not hater-free, though. When he posted photos of an accident he had witnessed, a number of people called him names and swore never to read his blog again. But he plodded on and most recently caused another, um, uncomfortable situation by posting a picture of him touching a transsexual’s breast in Bangkok, Thailand. Yes, “fearless” is another apt word to describe the dude. And that, to us, is cool. Maya Karin Why is she cool? Well, she’s beautiful and talented. This year alone, she starred in three movies – “Waris Jari Hantu”, “1957: Hati Malaya” and “Anak Halal”, where she showed that she was not afraid to make herself look unattractive. Next year, she’ll be appearing in the highly anticipated “Duyung”. Fans hardly need a second nudge to high tail it to the cinemas when it is released … just imagine, the sight of this German-Malay beauty in a mermaid outfit doing underwater scenes. The 28-year-old, who’s still single but no longer available (sorry guys, her heart belongs to some European dude), capped off the year by becoming Tag Hauer’s latest brand ambassador. Audi Mok Not exactly a household name (yet), Mok is the man responsible for some of 2007’s biggest local hits like “Mahakarya Cinta” (Faizal Tahir) and “Satu Harapan” (Jaclyn Victor). What’s cool is that Audi has managed to do things his way, resulting in his own unique sound that’s innovative yet marketable, a much-needed balance in the local music industry. Those who know him would also say that Audi’s got a wicked sense of humour, as evidenced by his blog batdude.blogspot.com (read it, if you dare), which is a necessary escape when you’re holed up in the studio 20 hours a day like he is. Hey, whatever works for him, so long as those hits keep coming our way! |
posted by Francis Xavier at 11:24 PM
