Women's Nite 25th October 2008: So, what do you do?‏

You've heard such arguments before. You've heard that you:
grew up without a father figure
hate men
and threaten family values.

Ever felt the urge to fight such fallacies but don't know how? Come join us
at Women's Nite as we find out how to set the record straight.

***
Women's Nite October 2008
Saturday 25th October, 7pm
Venue (in Singapore) will be disclosed upon registration.

Limited to 30 invites, so please register with your full name, contact
number, the full name/s of your guests, if any, and the type of halal food
or drink you would be contributing to the potluck.

Although Women's Nite is open to women of all orientations, please let us
know if you are straight, or are bringing along straight guests, so that we
can be sensitive to the needs of all women present.

Please send your details to women.snite@gmail.com [women dot snite at gmail
dot com]

Registration closes at midnight 24th October 2008

***

About Women's Nite

Women's Nite provides a safe, neutral and alcohol-free space for lesbians
and bisexual women in Singapore to discuss the issues relevant to their
lives.

The event, held on the last Saturday of every month, was started in December
2003. Over a potluck dinner, we hold discussions on wide ranging topics like
self acceptance, homophobia, relationships and identity. We also invite
special guests to field questions on legal rights and sexual health, and
conduct art and dance therapy nights.

To check out the past months' events, or find out more, please go to
http://women_snite.livejournal.com
To get email updates on each month's event, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
women_snite to join our mailing list.

As far as possible, we would like to keep this space commercial free. To
advertise events and projects, please email us at
women.snite@gmail.com

Today: Murder charge reduced against those in Orchard Towers brawl (Oct 7)

Murder charge reduced against those in Orchard Towers brawl
07 October 2008 2324 hrs (SST)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/381036/1/.html


SINGAPORE: It was a night of revelry, as six friends – all gang
members aged from 17 to 28 – gathered at a pub in Orchard Towers on
November 23, 2007 to celebrate a birthday.

But the gathering ended in tragedy when a brawl broke out, and by 6am,
a 37-year-old stranger was pronounced dead after being kicked and
punched by the six friends.

The sextet – namely Ahmad Nur Helmy, Muhammed Ridhwan Mohammed Roslan,
Helmi Abdul Rahim, Ho Ching Boon, Lai Chee Kuen and Muhammed Suffian
Zainal – were collared in a matter of days after the incident, and
charged with the murder of Mr Suhaimi Sulong.

On Tuesday, they appeared at the Subordinate Court and pleaded guilty,
but to a lesser charge – voluntarily causing grievous hurt.

The charges were probably downgraded because the attack was not
premeditated, explained one lawyer.

With friends and family crowding the packed courtroom, all six
remained emotionless even as Deputy Public-Prosecutor (DPP) Samuel
Chua unveiled the gruesome details of the attack on Mr Suhaimi.

The fight took place at around 5am near Brown Sugar, a pub on the
second floor. According to court documents, the fracas began when Ho,
18, and Lai, who at 17 was underaged, left the pub after they spotted
police officers performing checks.

While they were waiting outside the pub for their friends to turn up,
Mr Suhaimi approached the duo and began making lewd comments and
offering sexual services. The teenagers decided to ignore him and head
back to the club.

At about 4am, Mr Suhaimi approached Ahmad Nur Helmy – the birthday boy
– while he was in the toilet, exposing himself to the 20-year-old in
the process. Angered, Ahmad summoned his friends and they confronted
the victim.

Eyewitnesses said the group began chasing after Mr Suhaimi while
shouting "jangan lari", which meant "don't run" in Malay. They also
asked Mr Suhaimi if he was a homosexual.

But when he didn't answer and tried to flee, Ahmad grabbed the
victim's T-shirt and began kicking and punching him.

Although the rest initially tried to break up the fight, they
eventually joined the fray and began throwing a volley of kicks on Mr
Suhaimi.

They then dragged Mr Suhaimi down to the first-floor entrance and
threw him into a taxi, court documents said.

By then, the victim was motionless and bloodied from the attack. He
had also sustained head injuries and was taken unconscious to the
Singapore General Hospital by ambulance.

The victim was pronounced dead at 6.02am and an autopsy later revealed
that he had died from blunt force injuries to his head and neck.

Over the next few days, police arrested his attackers. On November 27,
Helmi Abdul Rahim, 28, surrendered himself to the authorities.

The six men, all out on bail, are due to appear in court on October 28
for sentencing. All six face imprisonment for a term which may extend
to 10 years, and they may also be fined or caned.


- TODAY/so

Today: 'V' for Victory (Oct 5)

`V' for victory
A lively, comedic takeon a quiet classic:
Mayo Martin
mayo@mediacorp.com.sg


YOU'VE seen one, you've seen them all, the saying goes. Not so with
this version ofThe Vagina Monologues (TVM).

Despite this reviewer's initial doubts on the wisdom of choosing an
arguably over-exposed piece as an inaugural production for new
theatre company Zebra Crossing, director Loretta Chen has admirably
eschewed conventions for a unique take on TVM (which is not an easy
thing considering how notoriously hands-on the playwright Eve Ensler
is).

Instead of three performers, there are nine. Sombre and minimalist?
No, thank you, we're having fun.

Hence, monologues are shuffled around, public service announcements
flashed onscreen along with video interviews of three prominent
theatre personalities on motherhood, a clinical "vagina workshop" is
re-imagined as an army bootcamp led by a hyperactive drill sergeant
with a French accent, shrill "schoolgirls" descend on the audience
waving their (unused) sanitary napkins, and, seemingly out of
nowhere, someone actually does a sexy pole dance. Naughty,
naughty ...

Barring uneven scene transitions, (opening night jitters, most
likely) TVM was without a doubt a lively theatrical ride. There was
a conscious effort to localise the experience, with phrases in
Tamil, Malay and Chinese dialects thrown around.

That said, the flashy approach tends to occasionally distract,
diffusing some of the more intimate, disturbing moments of what is
by nature a confessional piece of text.

Despite a few over-the-top moments, new talent Eleine Ng showed a
flair for the comedic with her scene depicting the various ways of
moaning.

Soul singer Asha Edmund's own spiels on, er, hair "down there" and
how to pronounced "c**t" were tight and snappy. Transsexual Elnina
recounting a transformative experience was a bit too dramatic but
intense, nevertheless.

My favourite was veteran actress Loke Loo Pin deadpanning her way
through a monologue as a dignified old lady recounting her first
sexual awakening. Too shy to even say the word "vagina", she flashes
a "V" sign instead — which could very well stand for the
word "victory", too.

While Chen's approach was a little too much for a play whose power
lies in the intimacy that monologues offer, we're inclined to give
it a "V" sign for being fun and, more important, fresh.

The Vagina Monologues runs until Oct 12,8pm, at Drama Centre
Theatre,National Library. With 3pm matinees.Tickets from $17 to $57
at Sistic. Rating: R18.

ST: Joy and tears of being women (Oct 4)

Oct 4, 2008
Joy and tears of being women
From first menstrual cramps to love and sex, this feminist play is
fun-filled and thoughtful
By tara tan

reviewtheatre
THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
Zebra Crossing
Drama Centre Theatre @ National Library
Last Thursday

This is Dim Sum Dollies-meets-Oprah - stories about love, family and
sex doused with tears and showered with laughter.

Eve Ensler's landmark play, The Vagina Monologues, played here by nine
women, is a series of vignettes that grapple with female issues from
domestic abuse to the first menstrual cramp.

Directed by Loretta Chen, this play had no qualms about its anti-men
slant: Father figures or male lovers are largely absent in this play.

Powerful feminist statements were made, such as chanting a certain
derogatory word (that rhymes with 'aunt') to reclaim it as a word of
worth.

Although the pacing in the first half was jerky, it hit a home run
with Loke Loo Pin's monologue, Because He Liked To See It. Playing an
elderly woman coming to terms with her vagina, a word she can't even
bring herself to say, Loke's deadpan humour - delivered with
impeccable comic timing - was a lethal combination.

Another very funny scene was between a lesbian sex worker (played by
Sabrina Chong) and a geeky girl on the cusp of sexual discovery
(Eleine Ng) with their inventory of orgasmic soundtracks.

In another scene, transsexual Elnina's brutally honest telling of the
trials and tribulations she endures was heartbreaking. The inclusion
of this monologue, taken from another of Ensler's plays, added a
significant dimension to this work.

Elizabeth Tan's young girl who goes through childhood sexual abuse but
finds salvation with an older woman in The Coochie Snorcher That Could
gave me mixed feelings, however.

Presented as a Dear Diary monologue, the text was hard-hitting but Tan
seemed joyfully detached from her past. Having said that, the actress
later put in an emotional turn in the role of an abused wife.

However, the series of short monologues sometimes felt too abrupt,
with its transitions shaky and irreverent. The music was also often
overly sentimental.

It did not seem as hard-hitting as previous versions staged in
Singapore. For instance, the scene dealing with genital mutilation was
played out with a video on butchery and accompanied with statistics.
In Li Xie's The Vaginalogue in 2003, which was based on the same play,
Li carved and sewed up a hunk of raw meat on stage, a visceral image
that is seared in my memory still.

Kudos to Chen for letting her nine performers' individual
personalities shine through. Most women would be able to identify
facets of themselves in them.

Also, intriguing directorial decisions gave this piece an added edge,
like how wealthy socialities laughingly exchanged stories of spousal
abuse at a lush party.

The Vagina Monologues is an enjoyable, fun and thoughtful production,
a should-see for women and their men.

taratan@sph.com.sg

watch it

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES

R18 (Adult Content & Strong Language)

Who: Zebra Crossing
When: Till Oct 12, 8pm (no shows on Monday), Sat & Sun matinees at 3pm
Tickets: $17 to $57 from Sistic (log on to www.sistic.com.sg or call
6348-5555)

RedQueen Celebrates 10 years!

*where - Pelangi Pride Centre
*when - 4th October 2008
*time - 8.30pm

*for women only

*by rsvp only

*please rsvp to [redqueen underscore at hotmail dot com] with your
full name and a contact number.

CONGRATULATIONS REDQUEEN! WELL DONE! :)

Herstory Newsletter

Herstory @The Boiler Room
09 Oct 2008
Herstory presents the first game show - DO YOU KNOW THE LYRICS? 6 Bold contestants take centrestage at The Boiler Room to challenge for $500 worth of CASH & Prizes. Come & support the contestants and watch them battle it out along side with Gino & Soul Kool Band. Semi Final round on 9 October at 11pm. See you @The Boiler Room! You know you won't want to miss this.

Collect the NEW Herstory Party Card
Never miss a great party again with this newly launched Herstory Party Card.
Specially for all Herstory Parties Supporters, collect the NEW Herstory Party Card and claim your perks.

Herstory has lined-up a year's worth of great fun and surprises for you. Collect a stamp each time you attend our Herstory party. Every 3 stamps will entitle you to a FREE entry to our party. Get all 9 stamps and you will receive a fabulous mystery gift! (It's so good that you must own it, serious!)

Party on grrls, and we'll see you there.

Sign up for 1 Year of Herstory BLACK to receive:
Privilege online surfing @www.herstory.ws
Herstory Black Membership Card valid for 1 year
1 FREE Party Entry Pass
Roxy beach bag
LePride's Car Decal

Don't miss Herstory Grrls Only Party happening at ZOUK and The BOILER ROOM at St James Power Station on 2nd Thursday of every month.

Whether you want to sit and chat or dance and cruise, you're guaranteed to find something you'll like at Herstory Party. See ya..

Showtime
Herstory - DO YOU KNOW THE LYRICS? starts at 11.00pm
Performance by Soul Kool Band at 11.30pm

Party Theme
Hip Hop and Funky!

Programme Highlights
Chillout 9pm-10pm
Showtime - DO YOU KNOW THE LYRICS? 11.00pm
Performance by Soul Kool Band at 11.30pm
Chart Topping Hip Hop and Sexy R&B Dance Music 12am-2.30am (by The Boiler Room resident DJ)
Pop Hits Dance Music till 3am (by The Boiler Room resident DJ)

Drinks Promotion
One for One on all standard housepour 9pm-10pm

Admission
No Cover Charge
Applies to all members/non members
Herstory Members - $5
Non Herstory Members - $10
Entry for men - Subject to Approval at Door ($15)
POLICY : Mainly womyn with men as guests

Table Reservations
Email: party@herstory.ws
SMS: +65 91700517

LOCATION
St James Power Station
3 Sentosa Gateway
Singapore 098544

MRT / BUS
Harbour Front Station

OPENING HOUR
9pm - 3am
Every 2nd Thursday Monthly