ASEAN Beat

“I think I’m an RPG-kind-of-girl” – Miss World is a (Filipino) Video Gamer

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ASEAN Beat

“I think I’m an RPG-kind-of-girl” – Miss World is a (Filipino) Video Gamer

Also: Busted: Singapore prostitution rings. Tuesday ASEAN links.

Newly minted Miss World, Megan Young, may be the most beautiful gamer geek on the planet. Gamers around the world took note when Young admitted being a video gamer during the first Q&A round at the Miss World Philippines 2013 beauty pageant.

In an interview with The Inquirer, Philippine-born Young discussed her taste in video games and compared the pageant circuit to life-simulator The Sims.

“I think I’m an RPG-kind-of-girl. I really love role-playing games, but I did grow up with Super Mario and Pokemon,” Young said. She added that Xbox RPG Fable was her all-time favorite.

While traveling the world to participate in beauty contests, Young stays connected to her nerdy hobby with iOS games on her iPad. What is she playing now?

“A fun game called Dumb Ways to Die, and Zombies Ate My Neighbors – those are the two games that I’ve been playing the most. Dumb Ways to Die is so fun, it’s so addicting!” Young shared.

A much more serious addiction to illegal drugs fuels international smuggling operations – many of which are carried out by unsuspecting drug mules. Two women from Iran have been sentenced to death by hanging for bringing a combined 5.3 kilograms of methamphetamine into Malaysia.

Allegedly, a man in Syria offered to sponsor a pilgrimage to Malaysia if they agreed to transport food items on his behalf. Upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, police found drugs – not the nuts and sweets the women had been asked to transport – hidden underneath clothes in their luggage.

“The defense story where the two women came into Malaysia bringing food items was dongeng (a fairy tale) and ridiculous,” said High Court Judge Abdul Alim Abdullah, according to The Star.

Over in Singapore, a sting operation has nabbed 22 men accused of paying for sex with underage prostitutes – but their 12- and 13-week sentences seem incredibly lenient compared to the death sentences handed down in Malaysia.

Two of the accused plead guilty to spending between $300-400 each to sleep with 16 and 17-year-old prostitutes – encounters that were frequently negotiated by pimps.

“[One 16 year old victim] had been tricked into prostitution by her pimp and his girlfriend. At times when the girl did not want to serve clients, they would drug her to keep her awake or assault her,” reported Channel NewsAsia.

The accused johns could have been jailed for up to seven years each and hit with heavy fines.