Can We Stop Talking About Alfie Already?

Years ago in tropical, smoggy Malaysia, as soon as I mentioned that I intended to further my studies in Dublin, the general response would have been between:

1. Isn't that place that's in the middle of a civil war and bombs go off every now and again? Isn't it? Why the hell are you going there then?
2. Where? Wha?

As news about the island of Ireland would only filter to Malaysia rather slowly (remember, this was a time before Facebook, Tweeter, YouTube and the like), the first reaction would be relatively understandable. Plus, most of them were actually genuinely concerned about my safety and wellbeing so, I'd take some effort to give them an update on the situation in Ireland and assure them that I'd be safe for the duration of my stay.

As for the second response, I might as well have named a small village east of Timbuktu. So, to help resolve matters, I'd normally just say near London to which I'd get a long Oooooh reply in the affimative. Sorted.

More recently though, the two classic responses would normally be replaced with the fiscally-related:

Have you still go a a job there, ah? Wah...that place is in some real deep shit lah. You OK ka?

Or...with relatives and friends more used to reading Harian Metro and Utusan Malaysia rather than errr...any other proper news source, there can be only ONE response:

Wah...that's the place where that gay Malay dude got married his to his Mat Salleh husband kan? Eh, you must know him lah?

No, I don't know the now infamous/famous (whichever way you like to look at it) Ariff Alfian Rosli who armed with a tanjak has single-handedly changed Malaysia's view of Ireland. Congratulations for putting Ireland on the map Alfie! Tourism Malaysia and Tourism Ireland should give this man a medal for all the publicity work he's done for both countries.


There were mixed reactions to Alfie's treatment in the
Malaysian press.
Liverpool's defeat against City could have been a contributing factor


Now, I'll stop writing about Alfie and let you enjoy the totally not gay pics of a couple (did I say couple?) of Dublin-based guys just out having fun...


Apparently, some feel that Alfie looks quite macho



Another random couple on their travels