BADMINTON/All-England : So near yet so far

New Straits Times
K.M. Boopathy

Jan 22:
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MALAYSIA had a confirmed grip on one and a firm grip on another but it was left to the veteran pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah to march into the final of the All-England badminton championships at Birmingham’s national Indoor Arena yesterday.

Tan Fook-Wan Wah defeated compatriots Lin Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan Tazari 15-8, 15-7 in 33 minutes to book a berth in the doubles final for the second time in three years.

However, third-seeded Chong Wei appeared to be on the way to an upset victory over favourite and World No 1 Lin Dan of China but inexplicably allowed him to snatch a 9-15, 15-10, 17-14 win in the men’s singles semi-finals.

Chong Wei led 8-1 and 14-13 in the deciding game but just lacked the killer instinct to register a rare victory over Lin Dan.

It will also be a crucial mission for Tan Fook-Wan Wah as they earned the chance to slay the demons of 2004.

Then, Tan Fook-Wan Wah (left) looked set to end a 22-year wait for the men’s doubles title when they led Danish pair Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard Hansen 15-9, 12-5 only to lose 15-9, 13-15, 3-15.

And tonight they face the very same opponents who vanquished them two years.

Giant-killers Zakry Latif and Gan Teik Chai gave early promise of an all-Malaysian doubles final when they took a 14-5 lead against Eriksen-Lundgaard Hansen but succumbed to pressure and went down 17-14, 15-9 in the other semi-final.

Tan Fook-Wan Wah had struggled to recover fully from the setback two years ago and a series of injuries over the last 18 months almost put an end to their careers.

However, thanks to chief coach Yap Kim Hock and the arrival of Indonesian coach Rexy Mainaky, Tan Fook-Wan Wah have made their way to the top and earned the chance to heal the wound that has hurt them the most, the defeat to Eriksen-Lundgaard Hansen at the same venue in 2004.

Razif and Jalani Sidek were the last Malaysian doubles pair to win the All-England title in 1982 and based on their current run in the tournament, Tan Fook-Wan Wah have what it takes to finally land the title.

Tan Fook-Wan Wah were hardly given any chance when they were pitted against World No 1 Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto of Indonesia in the second round but they shocked the former world champions in style.

That was the major breakthrough Tan Fook-Wan Wah needed and they have improved by every match and appear to be in prime form.

Lin Dan will be meeting South Korean Lee Hyun Il, who sent defeated former champion Peter Gade of Denmark to a 3-15, 15-8, 15-1, defeat, for the title today.

As for And Chong Wei, he has to wait for another year for a shot at the title. But the memory of yesterday’s heart-breaking loss will linger for a long time.

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* I watched the match between Chong Wei and Lin Dan, the starting wasn't good for Chong Wei, but as he got to accumulate more points in the second game, I had more hope. Unfortunately although he was ahead of Lin Dan by 8 points in the beginning, Lin Dan gradually picked up his pace and finally won the match. A prove that he is the No.1 player. In the end Lin Dan was the Champion of All-England Championship 2006. Hmmm... good looks, good play. *

Charity for Birthday

January 15th 2006, which fell on a Sunday, was Ken Chu's birthday. I think there wasn't much of a celebration for him, but he celebrated the special day by doing charity. The day before, he collected many children's books from his fans to be donated to the orphanage.




Very meaning way to spend your Birthday...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEN!

Guys guys...

I got this forwarded mail.... have seen it many times, but it never bores me...hehee...

Strange human... guys...
If u TREAT him nicely, he says u are IN LOVE with him;
If u Don't, he says u are PROUD.
If u DRESS Nicely, he says u are trying to LURE him;
If u Don't, he says u are from KAMPUNG.
If u ARGUE with him, he says u are STUBBORN;
If u keep QUIET, he says u have no BRAINS.
If u are SMARTER than him, he'll lose FACE;
If he's Smarter than u, he is GREAT.
If u don't Love him, he tries to POSSESS u;
If u Love him, he will try to LEAVE u.(very true huh?)
If u don't make love with him., he says u don't Love him;
If u do he says u are CHEAP.
If u tell him your PROBLEM, he says u are TROBLESOME;
If u don't, he says that u don't TRUST him.
If u SCOLD him, u are like a NANNY to him;
If he SCOLDS u, it is because he CARES for u. (Bullshit)
If u BREAK your PROMISE, u Cannot be TRUSTED;
If he BREAKS his, he is FORCED to do so.
If u SMOKE, u are BAD girl;
If he SMOKES, he is GENTLEMAN.
If u do WELL in your exams, he says it's LUCK;
If he does WELL, it's BRAINS.
If u HURT him, u are CRUEL;
If he HURTS u, u are too SENSITIVE!!
& sooo hard to please!!!!!
If u send this to guys, they will swear that it's not true.......
but if u don't, they say u are selfish.....
The moral of the story is.......SEND THIS TO GUYS OUT THERE ANYWAY...

Safest Place To Hide

Yeah, yeah
It seems like yesterday when I said "I do"
And after all this time my heart still burns for you
If you don't know by now that you're my only one
Take a look inside me and watch my heartstrings come undone

I know I promised you forever
Is there no stronger word I can use
To reassure you when the storm is raging outside
You're my safest place to hide

Can you see me, here I am
I need you like I needed you then
When I feel like giving up
I climb inside your heart I still find
You're my safest place to hide

You see colors no one else can see
In every breath you hear a symphony
You understand me like nobody can
I feel like my soul unfolding like a flower blooming

When this whole world gets too crazy
And there's nowhere left to go
I know you give me sanctuary
You're the only truth I know
You're the road back home

Can you see me, here I am
Standing here where I've always been
And when words are not enough
I climb inside your heart I'd still find
You're my safest place to hide
My safest place to hide

I know I promised you forever
There's no stronger word I can use
To reassure when the storm is raging outside
You're my safest place to hide

Oh! Can you see me, here I am
Standing here where I've always been
When I feel like giving up
I climb inside your heart I'd still find
Yeah, yeah
You're my safest place to hide, oh yeah
You're my safest place to hide


Credit to lyricsandsongs.com

*This is a song from backstreet Boys' latest album, <>. I love it very much, the lyrics are so touching, and along with the beautiful melody, the song is just perfect.*

Gathering for the ex-Beijing Diplomats

Such a tiring day today. Right after coming home from the Undang-undang test and the Theory lesson for motorcar, I was to get ready to go to a gathering held in my father's "boss" -- the ambassodor Datuk Majid's house in PJ. When we got there, it was raining cats and dogs.

Leaving China since more than five years ago, I admit that I had trouble recalling some of the people whom I knew before. Of course, I rememebr Datuk Majid and Datin Maliha. Their 2nd daughter had grown a lot taller, and also their youngest son, who was only a cute little boy when we saw him in Beijing. The little kids who were in Beijing had also grown bigger, looking more and more alike their elder siblings. The aunties and uncles haven't much changed, only that more than half of them I don't recognise, I guess they are those who went to Beijing after we left.

The whole session is more about food, yes... LOTS of food, from catering to pot-luck. It reminded me af the times when we were in Beijing, where once in a while during occasions like Hari Raya, there would be many open-houses and it would be like food feast! I ate so much today, I guess the jog yesterday is doing no good! In the end there was a lot of food left, and the aunties (including my mom) got some plastic bags to take away the left over food. Oh god, this will be a day or two all about left-over food as meals!!

Anyway, I it is quite a nice gathering, as we got to see some 'old' people again. Though, I a good friend of mine didn't come...


Saturday, Jan 14 2006 (10.38pm)

Pics of X'mas dinner with Daniel

Christmas Dinner with Daniel in myKTV at Mid Valley.


Daniel came in to the Karaoke room where the winners are waiting.


That's the friendly Daniel greeting the fans.


Looks like he is quite attracted to the MTV on screen... his own MTV of . Wonder if it's his first time seeing it.


The Q&A session. That's Aunty Paris chatting with him.


He answered our questions, and told us more stuff.


Flashing a smile... SOOO CUTE!!!


See how he holds his microphone... ^^


Cool sitting posture.


It's time for some Karaoke. If I'm not wrong, this was him singing <>. It was like he was performaing on stage, with the similar movement. Cool actions. =D


Singing... notice that there are not many people on the seats. Almost all of them (including me) were in front taking photos, haha..


Group photo with Daniel taken at the end of the session. Everyone tried to get as close to Daniel as possible!

Screencaps of the news on 8 E-news





Credit to Daniel Fan Club.

A Year of Ups and Downs

Year 2005, a year with many mixed feelings, full of happiness, excitement, sadness, disappointment, worries…

January
The first moment of the year was spent in the Buddhist Vihara in Brickfields. There was a blessings ceremony and a donation event for the tsunami victims. A few weeks later, my family also attended another blessings ceremony in Stadium Negara, along with many other Buddhist from around the country.

The start of my Form 5 school year was… not too amazing. Well, we were appointed some teachers whom we ‘fear’ greatly e.g. Ms Lee. Anyway, she turned out quite good, we did enjoy her periods often, I found her changed to a more humourous and open-minded person.

One very important thing—Ken’s album was released on the 15th. This album that I’ve been waiting for so long, was finally out. The songs, hmm… with some rock elements, but gradually I enjoyed listening and singing to the songs.


February
The Chinese New Year was the main attraction this month. The same BBQ dinner for the ‘tuan yuan fan’, and of course the angpau money!

Our class won a prize, for what I forgot. We got a hamper, so our class monitor B Yung asked everyone to bring something the next day to have a party to share out the hamper. That day was the day before our first monthly test. Haha! Crazy people, having party when we are supposed to be serious and studying.


March
On the 19th of March, I went to David Tao’s showcase in Sunway Lagoon. Of course, it was great! For this, I missed the birthday party of B Yung.

On my birthday, my buddies Wei, Jane, Theng and Juen gave me a very expensive present. It was Ken Chu’s CD! I was asking Jane to help me buy, but they bought for me instead! So thankful to them. The class sang a birthday song for me, which was actually my first one from my friends. I was so so happy…


April
Nothing much happened… I guess. Well, Pope John Paul II passed away, a sad news for the whole world.

Me over here, preparing for the Diagnostic Exam, blowing my head off.


May
It was the Diagnostic examination. Such exhausting 3 weeks of papers. This was our first exam following the format of SPM. Of course, it’s tough, real tough.

Got to know that Liverpool won the UEFA Cup. Wow, I couldn’t believe it because I thought Liverpool was quite bad in its performance this year. Way to go!

And after the exam, the Malaysian Idol craze started again. This time I didn’t want to miss out anything, though I did, but thank goodness it wasn’t the Penang Audition… haha!


June
The MI craze continued. Yeah, and I spotted Daniel Lee. Not because he was cute, but I was attracted to his voice, soothing and special.

Then, the AP issue came up. I wasn’t really interested, don’t quite understand the issue anyway. But it got huge attention from the whole country.

July
If I’m not wrong, the Scrabble Competition held by ELS was during this month. I was in Category C, for Form 5 and Form 6. I played 2 games only, and came out as winner! Heehee… it was a close call, I nearly lost.

Lee Choong Wei won the Malaysian Open. Such surprise, yet good news.


August
The most suffering month of the year – physically. The haze caused by the burning forests in Sumatra and some places in Selangor, disturbed the daily lives of amost the whole society living on the west coast. There were 2 days of replacing holidays given to many schools (including mine), and some places were announced Darurat (emergency).

After that, The Katrina hurricane hit the US. This incident revealed many other things, like the status if the black in US, …


September
Time for the trial examination. It was another month of torture again.

Meanwhile, the dengue fever blasted in many high-populated areas such as Penang and Selangor. It was a ‘fragile’ time, as there are often mosquitoes around my area. This fever has caused many deaths, it was especially serious in Penang. I heard that even some of Daniel’s family members got the fever.

Then, there was the case of a primary school teacher who fell to death in the school. He was the brother of my auntie. It was a tragic case, a lesson to the government.

There was the MI Finale, my elder sister and I along with her friend’s family went to Genting Arena of Stars to join in the excitement. It was really fun, watching Daniel’s performance live, and being able to see Victor and Andrew too.


October
A little boy, Jing Ren, caught fire and was burnt of his skin. His case was critical, but he managed to strive through it, which was a miracle. As the family couldn’t cope with the medical expenses, many donation activities were held to lighten the burden, including one by Sin Chew Jit Poh (f I’m not wrong) which Daniel joined. When Jerry Yen was in Malaysia to promote Oral-B, he paid a visit to Jing Ren and wrote him a card.

China had its rocket launched on the 22nd. Another achievement for the country.

On the 8th, a major earthquake occurred in Pakistan. The situation could be as bad as that of the tsunami in year 2004. There were many deaths, and the victims who are alive are facing a lot of problems.

Just before the exam, our class had some conflicts with some teachers, which was caused by the misbehaviour of a classmate. Then, the graduation of the Form 5 and Form 6 students was on the 21st, almost evergirl friends of mine shed tears, since it was gonna be some tough and long time till the next gathering of the class.


November
This was the month. THE month for SPM. All the way, I was really frightened and nervous. I am even shivering now when recalling that particular time. Sometimes I even dream of preparing and sitting for the exam even though I have finished it now. Just imagine how scary it was…

Daniel’s album was released on the 22nd (I think) and his first showcase on the 27th. I couldn’t attend the showcase, but managed to catch a few moments of Daniel singing through the phone.

Another national issue, regarding the Chinese women, was spread through out the country. This is another issue which revealed the negative side of the police force.


December
With the SPM over, it was time to relax. My class went to Penang for a tour, which included a day out in Payar Island. It was a great time spent with the best of friends. I will always miss those days. I managed to catch up the Starwalk Carnival Charity Concert on Dec 9, where Daniel, Victor, Vick, Jac and Eric Lim were among the performers.

One important issue was the lost of gunfire machines such as guns and bullets in Kelantan. Thankfully, the things were recovered in a short time.

Daniel held some autograph sessions in a few places, and my younger sister and I went to that held in Tower Records in Mid Valley. It was the first time I attended his showcase and let him sign the album.

On Christmas day, my sister and I was to have dinner with Daniel along with the other winners and fans. We didn’t really eat, because we were busy asking him questions and singing Karaoke with him *Since it was in myKTV.* It was the best and most memorable Christmas day I ever had.

For a close-up for the country, Nicole David won the World Squash 2005, winning herself the No.1 title and raising the country’s identity. Bravo Nicole!

The last day of the year was spent in Kedah, my hometown, with not much excitement, just watching TV, the countdown concert in KLCC which was shown live on 8TV.


Done with the more memorable incidents which happened in this year. I wish for a better and brighter year and years ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


Tuesday, January 03, 2006 (3.15pm)