Ok, that's another lookalike then. U should have watched 1st set, maybe Cai/Fu would have fought better with their top supporter around .... No wonder they were harder to kill in 2nd set.
Heads Turned at Every Blast! This is the new Yonex contraption that can turn a hundred heads! A miniature plastic horn with just one note - B L A S T! It cost S$2. Yonex might have got the idea from the Malaysian cheerleaders. I remembered blowing a bigger version of this that was given to me by one of their cheerleaders as I unintentionally moved to sit with them during one of the Malaysian Opens in KL some years back. It was made from a modified Coke can and was covered with a thin skin of balloon rubber at one end. But it could produce more notes much louder depending on the skill of the blower.
Last But Not Least It was the last match of the evening but it proved to be the most exciting and enabled fans of both teams to vent their last energies in support of their heroes. The Men's Doubles final between top seed WR1 Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China and 6th seed Malaysians, Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook delighted the crowd with their speed, aggression, drama and antics on court. Sometimes it looked as though they were doing a gig, demonstrating a martial arts move with a sabre (their racket), a dance... In the end the Malaysians were unable to repeat their recent victory at the Asian Badminton Championships in Johor Baru although they ought to. Having won the first game convincely 21-16, they squandered two match points to allow the younger Chinese pair to take the second 24-22 and the final game and match 21-18. But it also demonstrated that the Malaysian veteran pair can measure up to the best in the world. They will be difficult to beat if they continue to work hard not only on their skills but also on their physical.
In the last pic, our two young heroes had to remain sitting down for about 20-30 mins to sign autographs and have their pics taken with their admirers. hFang tried to have a pic taken but the long queue made it impossible. No doubt every big sweep of the Chinese flag by the ardent nationalist standing in the front row caused a ripple of excitement in the crowd and the much smaller Malaysian flag held by two supporters was of no match. If only the Chinese anthem could accompany the waving of the flag ..."Chi lai, chi lai ............ That would have added not only colour - the Chinese flag of golden stars on a background of energetic red - but also a melodic rousing rhythm to the proceedings. It would have been a more lively and carnival-like atmosphere!
Oh that's news. Who did you see? Are you sure it was us? Could you really recognize our faces? Or you're just pulling our legs!
Kallang Riverside Park Not far from the SIS is the popular watersports venue that takes advantage of the Kallang River - Kallang Riverside Park. This area used to be quite poluted in the past but with the government's campaign to clean up our wateways many years back, including the Singapore River where Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay are located, Kallang River has since been available for watersports and recreation. Now another recent initiative by the government to allow other kinds of water bodies to be used for recreation like the reservoirs and big canals, has opened up more venues for residents to enjoy kayaking, canoeing, fishing (without live baits) sailing, water skiing, etc. Those that are not as active can enjoy the pleasant surroundings that will be garden-like with greenery and facilities for BBQ and physical fitness, like those found in many other parks in Singapore. The coastline will be ringed and connected up at appropriate venues with boardwalks like those at Changi Beach to enable residents to enjoy the sea scenery, sunrise and sunset, apart from fishing.
Women's Singles Final - Zhang's Happy Hunting Ground The two China top seeds justified their ranking by sweeping away all opposition to face each other in this final. Although Zhang Ning was ranked second to Xie Xingfang she managed to beat Xie to regain her SO crown sh last won in 2005. But it was not an easy win despite the lopsided score in the third game 21-3, during which Zhang completely mastered Xie who must have lost all motivation by then to keep up with Zhang's continued fast pace. It all ended in exactly an hour. The first game went to Zhang 21-18 but Xie turned the tables in the second 21-19. The effort must have taken a toll on Xie who had two earlier matches which went to the rubber. In R1, Xie was extended 21-16, 18-21, 21-8 (52 mins) by Finn, Anu Nieminen and during the quarter-final, Tine Rasmussen of Denmark pushed Xie all the way in another 52 mins, 21-12, 18-21, 21-11. On the other hand Zhang had almost an unobstructed passage to the final. Only Bulgaria's top player, Petya Nedeltcheva, gave her a hard first game in R1 before losing 21-19, 21-11 in 30 mins. Japan's Kaori Mori was no match in R2, being defeated in just 25 mins, 21-4, 21-9. During the QF, even 6th seed, Pi Hongyan of France failed to put up much opposition when she went down 21-11, 21-14 in 31 mins. Another Japanese, Eriko Hirose, did no better in the SF and lost 21-11, 21-12 in 33 mins. So history repeated itself for Zhang. Singapore proved to be a happy hunting ground for her many times since 2001. She won the SO crown 4 times before in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 to make this the 5th. Zhang was runner-up in 2002 and did not participate last year. Will we see Zhang taking her 6th SO title next year? Time will tell.
Hail Zhang Ning the Queen! Some more pictures on the WS Final between Zhang Ning and compatriot Xie Xingfang.
LMAO!! That pic of Lin Dan... He was so embarassed and shocked that his face suddenly appear in the screen... So cute!!
Making Heads Turn Though the Taiwanese pair may not be as stunning in their play, their hairdo was outrageous! Especially Cheng Wen-Hsing's meticulous close crop put KKK's very mild crew-cut to shame! Her partner's, the taller Chien Yu Chin, pony-tail was flirtatious. But their combined heads might be a bit too much for their Malaysian opponents in R1, Lim Pek Siah and Joanne Quay, whom they beat 13-21, 22-20, 21-15.
