Malaysia's main opposition party called on the government to cancel a concert featuring Canadian pop/punk princess Avril Lavigne. Why? The singer's on-stage moves are too sexy. The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party's youth wing made the request.

The government wrote off the request as moralist nonsense, right?

Actually, they took the advice seriously and canceled Lavigne's concert. Aside from being "too sexy," there was also something in the explanation from the Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry about the concert being held on August 29th, just two days before Malaysia's independence day.

How have other "sexy" artists fared in Malaysia in the past? Gwen Stefani was forced to cover up more than usual for a recent show. The Pussycat Dolls were actually fined for indecency in 2006. Beyonce moved her recent concert to Indonesia and Christina Aguilera opted for Singapore. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party even protests at some concert by Malaysian artists. One wonders how the censorship is going to jive with Malaysia's Vision 2020, an ambitious project to join the list of fully developed nations by the year 2020.

With summer in full swing it, finding good outdoor spaces to have a drink is the thing to do. Nothing says summer more than a couple of friends sitting on an outdoor terrace sharing a pitcher. But even better than your average terrace or patio has to be a rooftop.

Stopping for an evening drink is an excellent activity, but if you can find a bar on top of a tall building with an excellent view of your host city, even better. While in Vietnam last fall, my hostel in Hanoi had a rooftop bar and it seemed none of us ever wanted to leave. Our friends over at Matador Nights -- part of the Matador Network -- think along the same lines and have graced us with an article on The World's 10 Best Rooftop Bars. It's the insider's guide to finding the best rooftop nightlife, from the ultra cool to the ultra sexy.

Here are the top five:

1. Sirocco, Bangkok, Thailand
2. The Penthouse, Madrid, Spain
3. Luna Bar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4. Rooftop Bar, Melbourne, Australia
5. Gravity, Dublin, Ireland

For the rest of the list and descriptions to all of the bars, read the Matador Nights article here. Do you have a favorite rooftop bar?

People give me tips on where to travel whenever they have been some where they think I would like. A friend of mine jumped out of her chair in the middle of a sentence, remembering a place she went this past weekend. She fetched a certificate from the Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, saying, "This was great."

From the description of the tour, and from what my friend said, it proves that outdoor adventure and thrill can be found in Ohio, a state where a lot of it is flat as a pancake. The scenery of Hocking Hills thrills me from the ground. It's perfect for hiking, biking, and roaming around in glorious woods. Being hooked onto a zip line for a tour that soars through trees at treetop level sounds awesome. This is the stuff of the Amazing Race. There are skybridges, rock cliffs and rappelling. There is a two for one deal. My friend said I should take my daughter. I think I might.

There is another canopy tour I have been on that's a far cry from Ohio. At the Forest Research Institute in Malaysia in Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve not far from Kuala Lumpur, you don't travel through the trees on a zip line, but by hiking on a series of suspension bridges set high in the leaves and branches. There are many trails to explore with your feet firmly on the ground as well. I went here with a friend of mine. How much I perspired has been erased from my memory--kind of. What I do remember is the lushness and beauty.

Sounds almost too good, doesn't it. I don't think anybody is ever going to give you a better excuse to travel around Southeast Asia.

Malaysia Airlines announced today it plans to offer one million free seats for flights within Southeast Asia as part of an aggressive campaign to boost sales and income amid high oil prices, USA Today reports. The airline hopes that the Everyday Low Fares campaign will help them fill up its planes and recover some costs as passengers will have to pay the fuel surcharge. The seats to be given away represent 30% of surplus capacity.

Under the campaign, bookings can only be made online for 24 regional routes - including selected routes from Malaysia to China - for a two-week period from May 21 for travel between July 1 and Dec. 14. Passengers will still have to pay airport tax, administration fees and the fuel surcharge. The free tickets are non-refundable and will only be offered on lean flights. Malaysia Airlines first launched the zero-fare campaign for domestic destinations earlier this month, also offering a million free seats for travels between June 10 and Dec. 14.

(*Flights attendants are especially hot in First Class, which--sadly--is not free.)

Andrew Zimmern spit out durian. He ate a beating frog's heart in the Asia overview episode of Bizarre Foods, but the durian was a no go. As Neil wrote in a post on another foul food, durian is one nasty smelling fruit, unless you're a person who likes the smell. Some do. Some must. There are piles of the fruit in Singapore and Malaysia. Why would there be piles if people don't like the smell?

We had a durian tree in our backyard in Singapore, but let other people have it when it was ripe. We were told that it didn't smell when it was on the tree. The only time I smelled durian were the piles in the market. I used to wonder how people got them home since durians aren't allowed on buses or subways because they smell that bad.

Although durian smelled so foul that I never managed to eat any in its fruit form, I did eat durian ice-cream and cookies with durian paste filling. Both of them are good. Here's a Web site that highlights different ways durian is prepared. The chips look interesting. I'd eat those just to see what they taste like. If you want durian fruit in its pure form, chill it. It's supposed to taste better that way. Hold your nose, though--unless you like the smell.

Location: Tokyo and Kobe Japan; Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand; and Penang, Malaysia. (This episode was a repeat of a previous season. I missed this one the first time, so I was happy to catch it.)

Episode Rating: 4 Sheep Testicles (out of 4) using Aaron's system that certainly works well for this episode--if you trade sheep for pig.

Summary: After watching this episode, it might seem like there is nothing but bizarre food in Asia. I can attest that the eating is among the finest. I've been to all three countries and promise there's food to suit most people's palate. Being an adventurous eater helps. What Andrew Zimmern honed in on is foods that are thought to give power. Feeling a bit blah? There's nothing like some frog meat.

Thaipusam has passed and I'm wondering where I was. Back in November I planned to write a post, but it was too early. Now I'm late. But, considering that this festival is probably the most astounding event I've ever attended, consider this is a lesson in religion and culture--and perhaps some politics. The first year I lived in Singapore, one of the few countries where the holiday is celebrated, I blearily got out of bed 4:30 a.m. to head to Little India to catch some Thaipusam action. I had no idea how far people would go to prove their devotion. Intense is putting it mildly. This picture is just the beginning.

As with many aspects of Hinduism, this holiday, celebrated between the end of January or beginning of February, depending on the Tamil calendar, is a bit complex. Here's the condensed version. As with many religious holidays, Hindu and otherwise, Thaipusam celebrates good winning over evil. In this case, the celebration commemorates the birthday of Lord Murugan (also called Subramaniam) the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, as well as, his victory over the evil demon Soorapadman when he used the lance given to him by Parvati to vanquish the demon's powers.

It's quite miserable here in Pittsburgh, something like -10 degrees Fahrenheit with a nice drizzling snowstorm on top. So I went and found myself some nice tropical paradise pictures to look at, and guess what, it helped!

This one is from the porch of Laguna Redang Resort, which is on Redang island in Malaysia. Redang apparently has some of the best diving and snorkeling around.

Thanks to the Internet that allows us to travel and educate ourselves without getting out of our pajamas, today we can be privy into lifestyles and traditions of radically different cultures. And, when culture and superstitions blend, it's almost impossible not to have an an interestingly strange (if not explosively bizarre) outcome: believing that wearing red panties with rats on them will bring you good fortune, for example.

That's exactly what's happening in Malaysia: Chinese women are buying red panties -- this year with rat motifs -- in order to get lucky as the Chinese Year of the Rat is about to begin on February 7. They say if you really believe in something, it will probably come true and if wearing red panties will strengthen your belief, why the heck not, eh!?

The Chinese new year is celebrated with a bang throughout the world. Most Chinese cities will have a 3-day public holiday to bring in the new year, and Chinatowns around the world will rejoice the beginning of the rat year through parades, firework displays, multi-course banquets and parties. Unlike the rest of us, the Chinese party for a good month post their new year's day.

The Lunar Calendar determines the Chinese New Year. Although the western calendar is what's mainly referred to by the Chinese, the zodiac Lunar Calendar still holds much importance.

I have never followed the Chinese calendar nor do I entirely understand it, but I do know that according to it I'm a monkey. The last Chinese Year of the Monkey was 2004, so if it's a 12-year cycle, I suppose I'll be celebrating in 2016?

Singapore Airlines currently flies both of the only two operating Airbus A380 airplanes in the world on the Sydney-Singapore route. The third plane, also purchased by Singapore Airlines, will operate on the London - Singapore route, starting March 18. This will be the first commercial flight with the world's biggest plane in Europe.

Tickets for this flight are already on sale, starting at 550GBP (approx. $1100). First class tickets have not been priced yet. The Singapore Airlines A380 has 471 seats available in three classes: 12 seats in their ultra-luxury suites (see picture), 60 seats in business class and 399 in economy.

Those luxury suites don't look too bad. I don't think I want to know how much they go for.