My Journey of Life...

Ramadhan 2011

2011-08-02T15:05:00.000+08:00

It has been a long time since my last notes in this this blog...being a mom to 3 cute child and working as a government officer give me less leisure time to write.

Only one and half month left before my family and I go to Southampton, UK to pursue my study in PhD. There are still lots of thing to do and I started to get worries. My ATAS Certificate already approved but I still not receive CAS no. from Uni in order to apply for Visa. Will take a long holiday this Raya because my sister in law will get married. It will be a big 'kenduri' since she is the last child in the family together with 'doa selamat' for us before leaving this country for 3-4 years.

Olympic Day 15 : Olympics Heads For London, Goodbye Beijing

2008-08-24T23:51:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- In another fireworks-hailed spectacular, London officially took over the reins of the next Olympics from China, which will continue to celebrate in the days and months ahead their euphoric achievement of 51 gold to dislodge the United States for the first time to top the Games.

London Mayor Boris Johnson received the Olympic flag carrying the familiar five interlocking rings from International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge in a symbolic handover.

In his customary speech, Rogge declared: "These were truly exceptional Games."

Amid the celebrations, the IOC chief began with a note of next month's Paralympics and extended his wishes to the disabled athletes, saying "they also inspire us.

"In another special for the night, Kenyan pride soared and so did their national flag for the victory of Samuel Wansiru in the men's marathon. He received his gold medal from Rogge in an unprecedented honour at an Olympics closing.

Thousands of athletes poured into the stadium from four directions and partied on the blue tarpaulin covered field to the beat of drums, songs and dances after 17 days of high pressure competition, tears and joy.

In the carnival air and the flags of the 204 contesting nations, even China's basketball 'giant' Yao Ming was hard to spot and the crowd roared when he was picked up by television cameras.

The greatest moment of the Games was a superb 9.69s world 100m record from Jamaica's Usain Bolt, which eclipsed even the scourge of doping that the Games still could not shake off.

For the first time, Malaysia had a woman flag bearer in the Olympic, young diver Elizabeth Jimie was given the honour.

So did China who passed the flag Yao Ming carried in the opening to 33-year-old Zhang Ning, who defended her badminton women's singles title, for the closing.

In a brief slot for the next Olympics host, London's famous street sight, the red double decker bus with a plate registration "LONDON 2012" rolled into the national Bird's Nest stadium and came to a stop in front of the VIP bus.

The top of the bus the unfolded into a mobile stage for a pulsating performance by singer Leona Lewis and guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame.

They were joined by England's most famous soccer face, David Beckham, who wasn't even born yet when London last hosted the Games in 1948 after its first time in 1908.

At a press conference earlier today, Rogge said London would be challenged by the "very high bar" set by China.

"So it's going to be a challenge for London and also all subsequent Games. My hope will be that London can even put the bar higher so we have this constant evolution and improvement of the Olympic Games," he said.

The icing on the cake for China was topping the medals table for the first time with 51 gold although the much hoped for gold from hurdler Liu Xiang went awry after he withdrew due to injury.
The United States ended with 36, the same as in Athens. Russia was third with 23 gold and the 2012 hosts were fourth with 19.

Also getting a roll call during Sunday night's ceremony were the four new members of the IOC Athletes Commission, who were elected by the 11,000 athletes here.

They were South Korea's Moon Dae Sung (taekwondo), Russia's Alexander Popov (swimming), Germany's Claudia Bokel (fencing) and Cuba's Yumilka Ruiz-luares (volleyball).

The commission is now headed by Namibia's former sprinting great Frankie Fredericks.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 15 : Taekwondo - No Last Gasp Medal From Taekwondo For Malaysia

2008-08-24T23:49:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's last gasp of hope for an Olympic medal from taekwondo through Che Chew Chan fizzled out after she was first ousted in the quarterfinals and lost another opportunity in the bronze repechage.

"I was worried about too many things at a time and that perhaps added to the pressure and affected my own performance," said Chew Chan who was unable to hide her disappointment at losing 1-5 to Egypt's Noha Abd Rabo in the repechage.

"I had beaten her before in the Korea Open in 2006. But today, I could not judge the distance in making my attacks in the last two matches," said the national exponent who also scored only one point against Nina Solheim in the quarterfinals in the afternoon.

Chew Chan said there was little separating the standards of the contestants.

"It goes down to who performs better during the fight and when I got the chance to go into the repechage, it was like God giving me a second chance," she said.

Her defeat closes the chapter on Malaysia's outing in the Beijing Games with one silver to show from shuttler Lee Chong Wei.

In the morning, the 25-year-old Chew Chan beat Uzbekistan's Evgeniya Karimova 5-4 to become the first national exponent to advance into the Olympics last eight at the Beijing University of Science and Technology.

But in her next bout, the Malaysian could not land any of her kicks.

Although Solheim tumbled five times to the ground, she made good from the few opportunities she came close to the Malaysian.

"I tried to attack her head but also missed. I misjudged the distance and whenever I kicked, she kicked back. I did my best but I am not satisfied because I tried and lost," Chew Chan said.

National coach R.Dhanaraj said Chew Chan's biggest mistake was not following on her attacks.

Malaysia's other taekwondo challenger, Elaine Teo also lost in bronze repechage in the below 57kg category.

Malaysia have been participating in the Olympics taekwondo competition since it was introduced in the 2000 Sydney Games but have yet to get a rostrum finish.

When the Korean martial art was a demonstration sports, M. Vasugi and Hii King Hung returned with bronze medals from the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Games respectively.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 14 : Taekwondo - Chew Chan Makes Taekwondo Quarter-finals

2008-08-24T23:47:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- Che Chew Chan is keeping Malaysia's medal hopes alive after beating Uzbekistan's Evgeniya Karimova 5-4 this morning, to make it into the Olympics women's taekwondo above 67kg class quarter-finals.

She will meet Nina Solheim of Norway in the last eight scheduled this afternoon. Solheim is currently Europe's third-ranked middleweight champion.

If she wins, the Malaysian will be in the semis against Carmen Marton of Australia or Natalia Falavigna of Brazil. The final will also be completed today.

Chew Chan, who has beaten Karimova in the Asian qualifying round for the Olympics in December, trailed by a point in the first round but came back in the second to reel off four points against the Uzbek to lead 4-1.

"This is the first win for Malaysia in taekwondo in the first round of the Olympics. I have to win the next two matches if I want to get the gold, so I told myself, I cannot lose this match," said the 25-year-old Universiti Putra Malaysia student.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 14 : Wushu - Malaysia Pick Up Third Medal From Beijing 2008 Wushu Meet

2008-08-24T23:45:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- Woman exponent Chai Fong Ying added a silver in a third medal for Malaysia at the Wushu tournament Beijing 2008 this morning.

She pipped Japanese Ai Miyoka by four-hundreth of a point for second place behind China's Cui Wenjuan in the taijiquan and taijijian combined event at the Olympics Sports Centre gymnasium.

Fong Ying scored a 9.70 in the taijijian this morning to add to her overnight 9.64 in the taijiquan for a total of 19.34, while the Chinese gold medallist was ahead with 19.69 points.

For the tournament here, the taijiquan, a soft and slow fluent movement martial art, is combined with the taijijian, which involves taijiquan and swordplay, as one event.

Yesterday, Malaysia gained two bronzes from Pui Fook Chien and Diana Bong.

The three-day wushu tournament is held in conjunction with the Olympic Games. The medals are not counted in the Olympic tally.

A total of 10 gold medals are at stake in the tournament which is split into floor disciplines called "taolu" and combat fighting known as "sanshou". China has won five golds, so far.Malaysia's seven competitors here are Ang Eng Chong (men's changquan), Lee Yang (men's taijiquan and taijijian combined), Lim Yew Fai (men's jianshu and qiangshu combined), Pui Fook Chien (men's nanquan and nangun combined), Diana Bong (women's nanquan and nandao combined), Chai Fong Wei (women's daoshu and gunshu combined) and Chai Fong Ying (women's taijiquan and taijijuan combined).

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 13 : Wushu - Malaysia's World Bronze Medallist Disappoints In Men's Changquan

2008-08-24T23:43:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's world bronze medallist Ang Eng Chong finished a disappointing eighth with 9.25 points in the men's changquan on the second day of the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008.

China's world champion Yuan Xiachao was near flawless as he delighted the home crowd in the long fist discipline to grab the gold with 9.83 points while Semen Udelov of Russia and Ehsan Pewyghambari of Iran took the silver and bronze this morning.

Watching on was China's Jet Li, himself a child wushu star who punched and kicked his way to film stardom and Hollywood. He made a quick exit soon after he was caught by television cameras inside the venue at the Olympic Sports Centre gymnasium.

Malaysia's reigning world champion Chai Fong Ying is lagging behind in the taijiquan. She will have to step up in the next routine, the taijijian, Saturday night to improve her medal contention.

In the taijiquan this morning, the 21-year-old Malaysian was in third spot with 9.64 points. China's Cui Wenjuan is leading with 9.85 points, Japan's Ai Miyaoka is second with 9.66 points and Taiwan's Fan Man Yun is lurking in fourth place with 9.62 points.

For the tournament here, the taijiquan, a soft and slow fluent movement martial art, is combined with the taijijian, which involves taijiquan and swordplay, as one event.

Tonight, national pugilist Pui Fook Chien will complete the nangun, a southern China cudgel displine, in the men's nanquan and nangun combined event and if he produces another solid performance, he will go home with a medal.

Fook Chien was joint second in the nanquan, the southern China style of fist boxing, yesterday, with Kok Nakata of Japan on 9.72 points, just two hundreth of a point behind leader Willy Wang of the Philippines.Another Malaysian, Diana Bong, will be in the women's nanquan tonight after her seventh placing in the nandao, an element of nanquan but which uses a short broad sword, yesterday. The medals are awarded for the nanquan and nandao combined event in the women's competition.

Lee Yang, Malaysia's world bronze medallist in 2005, will start off tonight in the men's taijijian and in the taijiquan tomorrow night.

A total of 10 gold medals are at stake in the tournament, which is split into floor disciplines called "tao lu" and combat fighting known as "sanshou", held alongside the Olympic Games.China have grabbed three gold already in the men's changquan, men's daoshu and gunshu combined event and women's jiangshu and qiangshu combined event. The women's changquan gold was lifted by Iran's Daria Tarasova.

Malaysia's seven competitors here are Ang Eng Chong (men's changquan), Lee Yang (men's taijiquan and taijijian combined), Lim Yew Fai (men's jianshu and qiangshu combined), Pui Fook Chien (men's nanquan and nangun combined), Diana Bong (women's nanquan and nandao combined), Chai Fong Wei (women's daoshu and gunshu combined) and Chai Fong Ying (women's taijiquan and taijijuan combined).

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 13 : Diving - Bryan Misses Semifinals Boat Again

2008-08-24T23:41:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's Bryan Nickson Lomas was outclassed in his bid to enter the Olympics semifinals for the first time when he finished 26th out of a field of 30 in the men's 10m platform dive Friday night.

The Malaysian teenager who has not upped the difficulty of his dives paid costly for his inconsistency in the qualifying round where China's Zhou Luxin set a scorching pace with 539.80 points from six dives.

Bryan totalled 384.45 points, very distant from the 18th spot, the last semifinal ticket, that was clinched by Colombia's Juan Geullermo Uran with 418 points.

It was a disappointing outing for the 18-year-old national diver who missed the cut in Athens four years ago with a 19th finishing.

Friday night, he was clustered in joint 19th with four others after the first round with identical 72 points. He slipped two rungs after getting 68.85 for his second dive, a reverse two-and-a-half somersault.

But he plunged himself into jeopardy in the next two attempts. His body arched into the waters for a costly low of 44.80 in his third dive and he did little better with the fourth to post a 49.50 and was relegated to 27th spot.

He came back with 74.40 and 74.80 in the last two dives and it was all over.At the top, Zhou gave a clear hands off warning to the rest with his leading margin of 30 points and a stunning 99 point score in his fourth jump, a back three-and-an-half somersault.

Also in the top group were Australia's Matthew Mitchum who qualified second best with 509.60 and Russian world champion Gleb Galperin who is making a comeback from a spinal injury last year.

The semifinals and final are scheduled Saturday.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 12 : Walking - Ice Water Knocks Out Yu Fang

2008-08-24T23:39:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- While rain could not stop Russia's Olga Kaniskina from carving the Olympics record in the women's 20km walk Thursday, Malaysia's Yuan Yu Fang did not get to see the finish line.The veteran walker dropped out after 12km due to stomach pains which hit her soon after the start.

"I took some ice water this morning, maybe it was because of that. It got so uncomfortable that I couldn't continue any more," said the 32-year-old of her dismal exit from her third Olympics.

In Athens, she was 35th and was aiming for at least 15th spot this time in a field of 48 entries.

After the first two kilometres, Yu Fang was in 21st place and a distant 35th after four kilometres. She passed the sixth kilometre mark in 40th position and by the middle of the race, she was trailing 46th in the last group.

Kaniskina only let her emotions show as she strode to the finish to celebrate a Games record of 1:26:31s, surpassing the previous mark of 1:29:05s set by Wang Liping of China in Sydney in 2000.

The rain and the sodden track had left questions as to whether the Russian champion could demolish the three-year-old world record of 1:25:41s belonging to compatriot Olimpiada Ivanova.

Yu Fang had qualified for the Olympics with her season's best of 1:32:48s, outside her national record of 1:32:25s.

The 15th place in the race today went to Germany's Sabine Zimmer who clocked 1:30:19s.

Yu Fang was the last of three field athletes entered by Malaysia. Both woman pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu and man high jumper Lee Hup Wei failed to advance from the qualifying rounds.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 12 : Taekwondo - Elaine Out, Only Chew Chan Left In Taekwondo

2008-08-24T23:37:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 21 (Bernama) - Malaysia's taekwondo challenge in the Olympics has whittled down to Che Chew Chan after Elaine Teo was beaten in the repechage of the below 57kg class Thursday where a bronze medal was at stake.

Teo's exit leaves Chew Chan as the only and final glimmer of hope left for the Malaysian contingent which has produced a silver medal from shuttler Lee Chong Wei thus far.Chew Chan is in the above 67kg contest that will be determined on Saturday, also at the Beijing Science and Technology University gymnasium.

Teo was shown the door in the first round in the morning, outscored 7-4 by former European champion Azize Tanrikulu of Turkey.Thanks to Azize who made her way into the final, the Malaysian gained a second chance, after waiting for seven hours, to fight in the repechage where two bronze medals were at stake.

Losers to the finalists from all stages make it into the repechage.But former world champion Diana Lopez of the United States, who is a head taller and with longer reach, beat Teo 3-0 in the first round of the repechage. Lopez was ousted 5-3 by Azize in the semifinals.

"I was satisfied despite losing in the bout in the morning but not in the repechage because I could not strike back at Lopez. I was waiting for her to attack me but she used the same strategy," said Teo.

"If I move in first, she will attack me easily," said the Malaysian who could not land any kicks on the American who had beaten her 5-0 in their previous meeting during the Olympic test event at the same venue.

If she had won, Teo would have made it into the bronze medal match against Italy's Veronica Calabrese.

Her second Olympics bid was a mismatch from the start.Due to a mistake in her entry form for the Asian qualifying tournament, Teo was marked for the higher class and she had to put on four more kilogrammes to go into her contest here.

"I am fighting two classes above my usual. After this, I will have to reduce weight to get back to the 51kg class," said Teo who lost in the first round of the 47kg category in Athens.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 12 : Malaysia's Pui Off To Good Start In Beijing 2008 Wushu TournamentMalaysia's Pui Off To Good Start In Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament

2008-08-24T23:34:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 21 (Bernama) - National pugilist Pui Fook Chien opened strongly in the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008, which started Thursday to coincide with the Olympic Games.

Fook Chien is lying joint second in the men's nanquan and nangun combined category, which brings together the southern China fist boxing style and cudgel disciplines respectively, at the Olympic Sports Centre gymnasium .

Fook Chien and Koki Nakata of Japan both scored 9.72 points in the nanquan, just two hundredth of a point behind leader Willy Wang of the Philippines, as the contest heads in the nangun discipline Friday night for the medal decider.

In the women's nandao, the southern China broadsword event, Diana Bong is in seventh spot with 9.44 points after the first part of the nandao and nanquan combined contest. The nanquan is also scheduled Friday night.

The wushu tournament comprising the 'taolu' and 'sanshou' competitions has over 100 exponents from 43 countries participating in 15 events.

Malaysia have sent seven exponents to take part in the 'taolu' floor discipline competition, featuring a series of attack and defense movements using bare hands or the use of weapons like the cudgel, spear and broadsword.The 'sanshou' is a combative contest with each bout consisting of three two-minute rounds.

The Malaysian competitors here are Ang Eng Chong (men's changquan), Lee Yang (men's taijiquan and taijijian combined), Lim Yew Fai (men's jianshu and qiangshu combined), Pui Fook Chien (men's nanquan and nangun combined), Diana Bong (women's nanquan and nandao combined), Chai Fong Wei (women's daoshu and gunshu combined) and Chai Fong Ying (women's taijiquan and taijijuan combined).

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge is scheduled among the medal presenters for the wushu winners Friday. The medals, however, are not counted in the Olympics tally.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 11 : Diving - Malaysia's Pandelela Placed 27th In Women's Platform Dive

2008-08-24T01:21:00.002+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Young Pandelela Rinong, out to gain experience, was a bundle of nerves in making her Olympics debut in the women's 10m platform and finished 27th out of 29 contestants with 249.20 points.

The Malaysian, the youngest on the platform, got off to a wobbly start with a low of 36.45 points and was placed 29th after the first dive.

She recovered six rungs to 23th in her second dive with 53.65 points and in her third -- despite posting her best show of the night with 67.50 from a forward three an a half somersault -- she slid to 26th spot.

By the fourth she was in 25th place after marking 57.60s. In the fifth and last jump of the qualifying round, a nervous Pandelela could not hold herself together as she flailed into the waters with her worst of 34 points.

Behind the Malaysian were Natalia Goncharova of Russia who had 240.45 points and Annett Gamm of France with 234.20.

China's Chen Ruolin stunned with a 96.90 in the fifth round with a back two and one half somersault with one and a half twists to lead the field of 18 into the semifinals with a total of 428.80 points.

China have already grabbed six golds from the diving board and are tipped to wrest both the men's and women's 10m platform for a clean sweep.

Malaysia's platform ace, Bryan Nickson Lomas, hits the dive board on Friday, with hopes of making the last 18 to qualify for the semifinal.

He was placed 19th in Athens and was ranked seventh in the World Diving Championships last year.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 11 : Taekwondo - Taekwondo Girls In Final Kick For Medals

2008-08-24T01:16:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 20 (Bernama) - They passed each other at the weighing-in Wednesday but no words were exchanged.

Surprise could play the decider when Malaysia's Elaine Teo faces former European number one Azizi Tanrikulu of Turkey in their opening bout of the Olympics taekwondo below 57kg class Thursday.

Teo and teammate, Che Chew Chan, are Malaysia's last chance of a medal in the Games after shuttler Lee Chong Wei returned with the men's singles silver medal.

Che is in the above 67kg contest that will be determined on Saturday, also at the Beijing Science and Technology University gymnasium.

Teo is shorter and lighter than her Turkish opponent but she is counting on the fact that neither knows much of the other.

"We don't know each other, so there may be a surprise. Much will depend on tomorrow... if my feeling is good, everything will be good," said Teo who made her debut in the Athens Olympics in the light flyweight category of below 49kg and exited after the first round.

A mistake in her entry for the Asian qualifying tournament marked her for the higher class and since the SEA Games in December, the 27-year-old who is ranked fifth in Asia has had to pile on four more kilogrammes to tip the scales at 54kg.

Putting on weight was the easy part, turning the extra into muscle meant more weight training, she said.

Tanrikulu, younger by five years, was fifth in the European Championships this year. She stands at 1.72m, as compared to her 1.65m Malaysian rival and weighs closer to 57kg.Melaka-born Teo said Athens had been a good experience.

"I can control my feelings better, and better handle tension and nervousness. I am not thinking ahead but one bout at a time," she said.

If she wins, she will move into a quarterfinals bout against Diana Lopez of the United States or Chonnapas Premwaew of Thailand.

Lopez was the 2005 featherweight world champion and number three in the same tournament last year. The Thai girl was number two in the Asian championships, two years ago.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 10 : Cycling - Azizulhasni Finishes 8th In Men's Sprint

2008-08-24T01:14:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 19 (Bernama) - National cyclist Azizulhasni Awang placed 8th in the men's sprint today after he was beaten in the quarterfinals yesterday by world champion Chris Hoy of Great Britain.

The 20-year-old national was shut out by Dutch duo, former world champion Theo Bos and Teun Mulder, with Kevin Sireau of France leading the pack in the 5th to 8th placing race-off at the Laoshan Velodrome.

Sireau crossed first in 10.719s for 5th spot followed by Mulder, Bos and the Malaysian, a first timer in the Games.

Azziulhasni has said he will take a break back in his kampong in Dungun, Terengganu, to celebrate Hari Raya before resuming training in Melbourne.'

The national team had been training in Melbourne and spent several weeks in Spain before coming to Beijing.-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 9 : Only Six Malaysians Left In Olympics Contest

2008-08-24T01:10:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Only six Malaysian athletes are left as the doors to another medal for Malaysia from the Beijing Olympics are closed to allow merely a peek, after Lee Chong Wei's silver from badminton.

Tuesday, cyclist Azizulhasni Awang races for fifth to eighth placing in the men's sprint. His rivals are former wold champion Theo Bos of the Netherlands, Kein Sireau of France and another Dutch rider, Tuen Mulder.

On Wednesday, diver Pandelela Rinong, the 'baby' of the 33-athlete contingent, will take to the 10m platform only to glean experience. The 15-year-old, who was plucked as a young talent at nine, is the youngest diver to win a gold medal in the SEA Games last year, in the synchronised event.

Teammate, Bryan Nickson Lomas, hits the dive board on Friday, with hopes of making the last 18 to qualify for the semifinal. He was placed 19th in Athens and was ranked seventh in the World Diving Championships last year.

Walking mum Yuan Yu Fang's 20km event is on Thursday morning. The former Chinese national who became a Malaysian citizen in 1997 timed 1:32.48s at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Japan this year.

Also on Thursday, taekwondo exponent Elaine Teo will square off against Azize Tanrikulu of Turkey in the featherweight (below 57kg ). If she wins, she will move into a quarterfinal bout against Diana Lopez of the United States or Chonnapas Premwaew of Thailand.

Tanrikulu was fifth in the European Championships this year.

Che Chew Chan, the other taekwondo pugilist, who upset China's reigning Olympic champion Luo Wei in the Asian Championships in April this year enroute to a silver medal, is the last Malaysian to take the competition in the middleweight contest on Saturday, the eve of the Games closing.

Che opens her Olympics debut against Evgeniya Karimova of Uzbekistan who was fifth place in heavyweight category in the Asian tournament this year.

Chong Wei's runner-up place to China's Lin Dan for the badminton men's singles crown, the only podium achievement by Malaysia in the outing here, raises Malaysia's overall medals in Olympics history to two silver and two bronze medals.-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 9 - Athletic - Malaysian High Jumper Heads For Exit

2008-08-18T12:35:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's presence in the Olympics track and field contest has shrivelled to only woman walker Yuan Yu Fang.

After pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu's exit Saturday, high jumper Lee Hup Wei followed suit Sunday.

Hup Wei managed only 2.20m and was placed 32nd out of 39.

Only the top 12 qualified for the final with the cutoff at 2.25m.

The Malaysian, making his Olympics debut, struggled with his jumps. He cleared 2.15m only after a second try and 2.20m in his third attempt before faltering at 2.25m.

Yu Fang's 20km walk is scheduled on Aug 21.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 9 : Badminton - Olympics Gold Eludes Malaysia, Chong Wei Gets Silver

2008-08-18T12:34:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- The much-coveted Olympics gold eluded Malaysia's reach again after Lee Choong Wei was left clutching the silver from a sound thrashing by China's Lin Dan in the showdown for the badminton men's singles crown.

The entire nation was riveted on the match waiting to celebrate finally a gold but the 41-minute bout was such an anti-climax.

Chong Wei was outclassed by the reigning two-time world champion who was in superb control all the way and led from start to finish to wrap the gold medal for his first time at 21-12, 21-8.

Lin Dan is the first world champion to be crowned Olympic champion.

Chong Wei conceded that it was his easiest defeat ever to Lin Dan after more than a dozen meetings.

"I felt some pressure but that was not a factor. I lost and I have no excuses. Lin Dan played very well tonight," said the 26-year-old Chong Wei, who is the first Malaysian singles to enter the Olympics final.

"I could not match his speed and I could not get around him no matter how. Coach asked to me speed up the game but I just couldn't," he said when asked what instructions he got from coach Misbun Sidek during the break.

Chong Wei's second finishing raises Malaysia's Olympic medal tally to two silvers and two bronzes.

In 1992, brothers Razif and Jalani Sidek clinched a bronze. In 1996, Cheah Soon Kit and partner, Yap Kim Hock -- now national head coach, got a silver, and Rashid Sidek added a single's bronze.

Asked if he will stay on for a third Olympics, Chong Wei said he will look to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou for now.

"Though we didn't win gold, national badminton has achieved the pinnacle at this prestigious games. We will try again at London Olympics," said Badminton Association of Malaysia president Datuk Nadzmi Salleh.

Lin Dan delighted the home crowd with his sharp smashes that sent Chong Wei diving to the left and right and he was preening with confidence from easily reeling off point after point to stretch the gap from 7-1 to 13-5 to reach game point in the first at 20-10.

In the second, Lin Dan whipped up an 8-0 lead before he sent a hasty backhand into the net to break the duck for Chong Wei but he never lost his domination one bit and cried as he hugged his coaches and saluted the crowds after the victory.

The only thing he lost tonight were his shoes which he threw joyfully to the home fans.

"It was the best match I have played in my career," said Lin Dan, adding that he was mentally prepared to be satisfied with a silver because his Malaysian rival was currently among the world's best.

His win marks the second time China lifted the men's singles crown after Ji Xinpeng in Sydney in 2000 and erases Lin Dan's embarrassing first round exit from the Athens Games four years ago where he was also the favourites.

The victory also gave China a repeat of their three gold haul from Athens. Besides the men's singles, China won the women's singles and women's doubles.

Indonesia took the men's doubles title and South Korea the mixed double gold.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 9 : Sailing - Kevin Lim Remains In Tail Of Laser Event

2008-08-18T12:33:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Kevin Lim struggled to find a second wind to lift him from the bottom of the pool in the Olympics laser competition when he again trailed in the sixth race Sunday, to stay at an overall 36th in Qingdao.

The 32-year-old, who is in his fourth Olympics, finished 36th Sunday with four races left to the medal round.

Lim has already given up on his initial target of a top 20 finish. His best achievement in the Olympics was a 22nd place in Sydney in 2000.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 9 : Cycling - Cyclist Azizulhasni Makes It To Sprint Quarterfinals

2008-08-18T12:32:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- National cyclist Azizulhasni Awang survived tough competition Sunday to sneak into the quarterfinals of the Olympics men's sprint, in his last event.

But the pint-sized 20-year-old faces a formidable opponent in the last eight scheduled for Monday evening. He will race against Chris Hoy, gold winner in a 1-2 finish by Great Britain in the Keirin event Saturday.

Unless Azizulhasni upsets Hoy, he will find himself racing for fifth to eighth place on Tuesday.

Azizulhasni timed the seventh fastest of 10.272s in the qualifying round to pick 18 riders from 21 contenders for the first round.

"His seventh ranking is already a good result and Malaysia should be proud that he made the quarterfinals. He will have a tough race tomorrow but it will not be based on power alone; strategy will play a role and riders can make mistakes," said team manager Abu Samah Wahab.

In the first round, Azizulhasni was beaten by defending champion Ryan Bayley of Australia but the Malaysian was back in business in staving off Tsubasa Kitatsuru of Japan and Lukasz Kwiatkowski of Poland in the repechage with a time of 10.959s.

In the second round, British rider Kenny Jason outpowered Azizulhasni, forcing the Malaysian back into a repechage.

Despite being stretched over four races, he hung on grittily to edge Stefan Nimke of Germany and Roberto Chiappa of Italy to win in 11.010s.

Saturday, Azizulhasni, the Asian sprint and Keirin champion, was ousted from the second round of the Keirin after a tactical blunder.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 : Cycling - Azizulhasni, Josiah Flop In Keirin Challenge

2008-08-18T12:31:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 16 (Bernama) - National cyclist Azizulhasni Awang and Josiah Ng made promising starts but ended in a cloud of disappointment after both failed to qualify for the Olympics keirin final at the Laoshan Velodrome Saturday.

Azizul, the Asian keirin and sprint champion, finished 10th while Ng was ninth.

"I rode my heart out," said Ng who had finished sixth in Athens. The 28-year-old reckons he still has another two Olympics in him.

Azizulhasni had only three rivals in his second round heat but the pint-sized Terengganu rider bungled when he found himself trapped behind the group coming into the last corner.

His desperate attempt to cut out was blocked by Edgar Ross of Great Britain, Kiyofumi Nagai of Japan and Carsten Bergemann of Germany, who all qualified into the final from the heat.

Team manager Abu Samah Abdul Wahab said Azizulhasni's bid was wrecked by a wrong tactic because he did not follow coach John Beasley's order to stay in front.

The heat was depleted after Polish rider Kamil Kuczynski's bicycle flipped soon after the start and Dutch former world champion Theo Bos went smack into him.

Ng has tough company in current world champion and eventual gold winner Chris Hoy of Great Britain and Australians, Ryan Bayley and Kelly Shane in his second round heat.

Bayley, the gold winner for the individual sprit and keirin in Athens, played sacrifical hare for Shane to get upfront and ended up second, sandwiched between Hoy and Frenchman Arnaud Tournant to enter the final.

In the first round, Azizulhasni had Shane breathing down on him to the finish line in Heat 2 but the Malaysian held on stubbornly to arrive first.

Ng, initially placed third in Heat 3, was moved up to second to advance into the next round after second-placed Italian, Roberto Chiappa was relegated for pushing Nagai.

The Japanese came back from the repechage to make it into the second round and he took the bronze behind the 1-2 finish by Great Britain, with Ross Edgar taking the silver.

Of the three events entered by Malaysia, the national cyclists had high hopes of making the keirin six-man final.

Azizulhasni has a final event Sunday. He is the sole Malaysian rider in the 200m sprint.

Friday, he had teamed up with Ng and Rizal Tisin in the team sprint and the trio smashed the national record in finishing seventh fastest in the qualifying round, although they did not make headway after that.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 - Sailing - Sailor Kevin Lim In 35th Spot Midway Of Laser Race

2008-08-18T12:29:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Kevin Lim finished 22nd in race five of the Olympics laser sailing event in Qingdao to improve his overall position to 35th, two better from overnight, as the competition reached its halfway point Saturday.

"We had a long day out for seven hours but only one race was held. We were ready for the next but somehow the race committee didn't call for the start and we came back after three to four hours of waiting," said Lim when contacted.

The competition with 43 sailors was to have finished all 10 races today before the medal round but low winds have scuttled the schedule.

Lim who had aimed to finish in the top 20 has also scaled back on his hopes.

"I pushed too hard in the first few races and took too many risks. Now I will just sail my usual and see how best it will take me," said Lim, who is at his fourth Olympics.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 - Athletic - Pole Vaulter Roslinda Misses Cut For Final

2008-08-18T12:28:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu missed the Olympic finals when she failed all three attempts to match her national record of 4.40m which was the cutoff mark for the 12 qualifiers today.

The 26-year-old cleared 4.30m, which she had consistently done this season but was off her national mark set two years ago in Spain.

She started her opening height of 4m and proceeded to 4.15m and 4.30m, all cleared in first tries.

Roslinda is one of only two field athletes for the athletics programme here.

With her ouster, only the men's high jumper Lee Hup Wei is left and his qualifying round is scheduled for tomorrow night.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 - Sailing - Malaysian Sailor Down Two Rungs In 39th Spot

2008-08-18T12:27:00.002+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Kevin Lim dropped another two rungs to 39th place after the fourth race of the Olympics laser sailing event in Qingdao Friday.

Once again, low wind held up the competition which has fallen behind schedule.

"We were sitting in our boats for an hour today for the start before we were recalled," said Lim when contacted before the fourth race.

Lim, taking part in his fourth Olympics, is aiming for a top 20 finish among the 43 competitors.

The laser contest started Tuesday with two races planned daily but so far only four of eight races could be completed.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 - Shooting - Shooter Hasli Izwan In 16th Spot After First Stage

2008-08-18T12:27:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, AUG 15 (Bernama) -- Hasli Izwan Amir Hasan, the sole national shooter in the Olympics, is lying 16th after the first stage of the men's 25m rapid fire pistol with a score of 279 Friday.

The second stage, also over 30 shots, is scheduled Saturday.

Hasli Izwan, who holds the national record of 581, fired 96 and 95 before slipping with an 88 to end the first stage.

In the lead was Russia's Leonid Ekimov with 291, just two ahead of Oleksandr Petriv of Ukraine, Keith Sanderson of the United States and Christian Reitz of Germany who were all on 289.

Only the top six shooters from the two stages qualify for the final.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 : Archery - Archer Chu Sian Outshoots Olympic Record Holder

2008-08-18T12:25:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Bernama) – Malaysia's Cheng Chu Sian upset Olympic record holder Lee Chang Hwan to qualify for the archery individual quarterfinals where his advance was halted by Russia's Bair Badenov at 109-104 Friday.

Cheng's performance was a first for Malaysian archery history in a sport that is still relatively unpopular back home. Malaysian archers are in the Olympics for only the second time and Cheng is making his debut.

The 22-year-old from Penang was level against his Russian rival after the first three arrows but he dropped back with two sevens during the rest of the way.

By the 12th and final arrow, the very consistent Badenov needed just four points to claim victory and he struck an eight to wrap it up.

"I made a mistake and ended up with the sevens, it is too technical to explain," said Cheng who had surprised the field in the morning by beating Lee in a two-arrow shoot-off after they tied 105-105 after the regular contest.

In the ensuing nail-biting drama, both scored a nine with their first arrow and in the second, Lee, aimed first and again struck a nine.

Cheng saw his chance. He stepped up and displaying nerves of steel, he hit the bull's eye for the second time in the third round bout.

The arena erupted into resounding applause to the dismay of a large crowd of Korean fans who had come to cheer for the much-experienced Lee.

"I wanted to make up for the team event, I told myself that I must do my best. I went to sleep early last night," said Cheng.

"I have beaten him before but I cannot recall when. Lee has also lost to Wan Khalmizam before and possibly because of this, he is under a lot of pressure when he faces opposition from Malaysia," he added.

Lee, who is a part of the South Korea gold winning team, scored an Olympic record of 117 only two days ago in the first round.

Cheng, who is the highest ranked Malaysian in the world standing at number 13, had fared the worst during the team quarterfinals in teaming up with Wan Khalmizam Abd Aziz and Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman.

RESULT:

THIRD ROUND;

Cheng Chu Sian (MAS): 9-8-8-9-9-9-9-9-8-8-10-9 = 105

Lee Chang Hwan (KOR): 9-9-7-8-8-9-9-10-9-9-9-9 = 105

SHOOTOFF:

Cheng Chu Sian (MAS) 9-10

Lee Chang Hwan (KOR) 9-9

QUARTERFINALS:

Cheng Chu Sian (MAS): 8-10-9-7-9-9-8-9-9-7-10-9 = 104

Bair Badenov (RUS): 9-10-8-9-10-9-9-9-9-10-9-8 = 109

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 8 : Cycling - Cyclists Break National Record, 7th In Team Sprint

2008-08-18T12:12:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The cycling trio of Azizul Hasni Awang, Josiah Ng and Rizal Tisin set a national record during the team sprint qualifying round at the Laoshan Velodrome Friday.

The team posted 44.725s to eclipse the previous mark of 45.511s in coming out seventh fastest among the eight qualifers for the first round.

But they were beaten in the first round by France who were the second fastest in qualifying. The Malaysians clocked 44.822s while France, the eventual silver medalist, timed 43.656s.

Great Britain sprinted to the gold in 43.128s, edging France by five-tenths of a second.

Azizul had said before the race, the fast track in Laoshan was ideal for the team to break the national record.

He and Josiah will be at the velodrome again Saturday for the keirin event in which the latter finished in sixth spot in the Athens games.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 7 : Archery - Malaysian Cheng Chu Sian Moves On To Archery Quarterfinals

2008-08-18T12:11:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Cheng Chu Sian beat Olympic record holder Lee Chang Hwan of Korea in a tie-breaker to qualify for the Beijing Olympics men's individual archery quarterfinals.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 7 : Swimming - Malaysian Girls Share 21st Spot In 3m Spring Board

2008-08-18T12:10:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Leong Mun Yee and Elizabeth Jimie failed to advance into the semifinals of the women's 3m springboard.

They shared 21st spot after the preliminary five rounds on 253.50 points in a field of 30 divers dominated by Chinese dive queen Guo Jingjing who scored 373.90s.

Only the top 18 qualify for the semifinals.

Mun Yee was marked 54 points in her opening dive for 17th position. She was overall 18th and 20th in the second and third round respectively.

But she lost her composure to slip to 30th in the fourth dive scoring only 33 points.

It was too big a gap to close although she finished strongly with an inward two and a half somersault in the fifth and final jump for 64 points.

"I was not confident in the third and fourth," said the 24-year-old in wrapping up her third Olympics.

Elizabeth scored 48, 54, 42, 52 and 57 in her dives to move from 25th spot to finish four rungs up

Malaysia's two other divers, Bryan Lomas and Pandelela Rinong will take to the men's and women's 10m platform on Wednesday.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 7 : Badminton - Chong Wei Makes History, Fourth Olympic Medal For Malaysia

2008-08-18T08:36:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Bernama) - Shuttler Lee Chong Wei delivered Malaysia it's fourth Olympics medal when he rose above intense pressure to book himself into the men's singles final with a 21-18, 13-21, 21-13 victory over South Korea's Lee Hyun il Friday night.

The 26-year-old Lee sank down on the court with relief and rolled onto his back before sprinting up on his feet to hug coach Misbun Sidek as he broke a 12-year Olympic medal drought Malaysia has been facing.

"The final match is to fight for Malaysia. This win is for me and my coach who has worked so hard to train me," said Chong Wei after the hour-long duel at the Beijing University of Technology gymnasium.

The Malaysian, the number two seed, will meet either favourite Lin Dan or another Chinese rival, Chen Jin in the showdown for the gold on Sunday night.

Chong Wei, who is the first Malaysian singles shuttler to qualify for the final, can earn the biggest accolade in the nation's sports history if he captures the gold, the first ever for the country, which has a silver and two bronze from the Games, all from badminton.

Not to mention the RM1 million carrot that was announced by the government for the country's first Olympic gold.

"The win tonight has lifted the pressure off me finally because I have got a medal now. This is my biggest match win because it is the Olympics and for the final, I will stay focused," he said.

He confessed that he had less than six hours of sleep worried about Friday night's encounter in which he had an easy 21-18 first game against Lee who was making a lot of unforced errors.

"In the second game, I just could not catch up with his speed," said Chong Wei who lost 10 points in a row for Lee to surge ahead 16-6 and take it at 21-13 to force a decider.

The turning point in the third game came for Chong Wei was when he pulled away to a 15-10 lead.

"I was confident at that juncture and just took one point after another. We were both going for the net and he made many mistakes," said Chong Wei who delivered two smashes for match point and home.

The unranked Lee is considered one of the hardest players to beat currently. He broke China's Bao Chunlai, the third seed, in the quarterfinal to set up a date with Chong Wei.

Malaysia last returned from the Olympics with honours in 1996 with a silver from the doubles pair of Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock and a bronze from singles, Rashid Sidek.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 6 : Badminton - Chong Wei Advances Into Semis, A Match Away From Medal

2008-08-14T17:20:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei breezed into the Olympics men's singles semifinals with an easy 21-9, 21-11 win over Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro Thursday, placing himself just a match away from a medal.

Chong Wei, the second seed behind China's world champion Lin Dan, will face either Bao Chunlai, also of China, or Lee Hyunil of South Korea in the last four scheduled for Friday evening at the Beijing University of Technology gymnasium.

"Bao and Lee are two very tough players. I will not spend time thinking about them, how good they are. All I want is to focus and prepare the best I can," said the 26-year-old who is rated Malaysia's best medal hope from the onset.

Chong Wei admitted that being the sole shuttler left in contention has racheted up the pressure on him as he becomes Malaysia's second singles player to qualify for the Olympic semifinals after Rashid Sidek who returned with a bronze medal from Atlanta in 1996.

"I am not thinking of any medal now but to take one match at a time. I will take a rest and watch the television this evening when Bao and Lee play instead of coming to the stadium," he added.

China confirmed a semifinal berth this morning with fourth seed Chen Jing ousting Taiwan's Hsieh Yu Hsing 21-8, 21-14.

Favourite Lin Dan plays his quarterfinal bout against aging Danish star Peter Gade and the winner will meet Chen.

Chong Wei had a tensed start against Sony, the Athens bronze medallist, but when he reached 11-8, the Malaysian played with better confidence and when he got into stride, his Indonesian rival buckled under the quick attacks and rapid pace.

"I didn't expect it to be an easy victory but today was not too good a performance from me. I chased every ball and my game strategy was to be quicker at the net," he said of the 32-minute encounter.

He is the only shuttler left after last night saw the exits of women's singles Wong Mew Choo and men's pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong at the quarterfinal stage.

Malaysia is counting on the badminton team to get a rostrum finish. Since its inclusion in the 1992 Barcelona Games, it is the only sport to deliver one silver and two bronze medals but after the 1996 Atlanta Games, Malaysia had returned empty handed from Sydney and Athens.

To whet the appetite of the athletes to break the drought, the government announced before the departure to Beijing a RM1 million bounty for the first gold and RM300,000 and RM100,000 for the silver and bronze respectively.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Swimming - Swimmer Yi Ting Goes Home With National Record

2008-08-14T13:15:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Siow Yi Ting is going home from the Olympics with a national record for the women's 200m breaststroke.

She won her heat in 2:27.80s Wednesday night to shatter her own national mark of 2:29.21s, becoming the second record-breaker in the swimming squad after Daniel Bego in the men's 200m freestyle.

Her time was the 19th fastest of the 40 swimmers in the event. The last to make it into the semifinals was Jeong Darae of South Korea with 2:27.28s.

Yi Ting splashed to a season best of 2:17.11s in the 200m individual medley two days ago. She holds the national record of 2:16.92s.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Badminton - Mew Choo Bows Out In Spate Of Mistakes

2008-08-14T13:13:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo ended her Olympics debut in a spate of mistakes against third seed, Lu Lan of China, who claimed a place in the women's singles semifinals with a 21-7, 29-27 victory Wednesday night.

Mew Choo squandered nine game points in the second bout after a tame fight in the first.

"Lu Lan was very well prepared and I could not find a chink in her during the first game. I tried to the left and to the right but she was always there," said Mew Choo, very subdued in her defeat.

The 25-year-old is Malaysia's first woman shuttler in the Olympics and before this match, she had beaten Lu Lan twice in five enounters.

Lu Lan did not have a difficult time in the first game, she sent Mew Choo scampering all over the court.

In the second, they fought evenly and Mew Choo regained her confidence after pulling away to 14-9. But at 20-14, the Malaysian struck a bad patch, coming away the loser in most of the rallies either hitting out or into the net.

"It was like my hand was disobeying me. Lu Lan became more confident with every point she gained and I became so nervous and made many mistakes," said Mew Choo.

The second game was the highest scoring so far in the Olympics here.

In a quarterfinal match in the morning, Indonesia's Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia was stretched to 28-26 in the first game with India's Saina Nehwal before the Indonesian booked herself into the semifinals against defending champion Zhang Ning of China.

Malaysia's men doubles pair, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, are also playing in the quarterfinals later tonight against top seeds and world champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Sailing - Sailor Kevin In 37th Spot After Three Races

2008-08-14T13:12:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysian sailor Kevin Lim is lying in 37th place after three races in the Olympics laser category after the fourth race was rescheduled to Thursday due to lack of wind.

Lim was placed 28th in the third race after bungling the start yesterday and was disqualified. He came back to finish 24th in the second race out of a field of 43.

He had said that he would discard the opening race as competitors are allowed to drop their worst score of their 10 races.

The 32-year-old is aiming for a top 20 finish in his fourth Olympics.

The sailing event is being held in the port city of Qingdao and two laser races are scheduled daily.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Archery - Archer Chu Sian Enters Last 16 In Individual Contest

2008-08-14T13:10:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Bernama) - National top archer Cheng Chu Sian bounced back from a dismal performance in the team running to enter the last 16 of the Olympics men's individual competition Wednesday.

Teammates Wan Khalmizam Abd Aziz and Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman were both beaten by a point in the first round.

Chu Sian opened with a 109-101 win over Australia's Matthew Gray and proceeded to beat Matti Hatava of Finland 110-103 in the second round of the individual tussle which is decided over 12 arrows.

But Friday, Chu Sian faces a tough hurdle in Lee Chang Hwan, a member of the South Korean team that retained the gold medal with an Olympic record.

The outcome will advance the winner into the quarterfinals.

Lee was in shattering form, scoring a near perfect 117 out of 120 for an Olympic record in beating Yusuf Goktug of Turkey to enter round three.

The Games' previous 115 mark set in Atlanta was also broken by Polish challenger, Jacek Proc, who scored 116.

Wan Khalmizam lost 105-106 to Alexandru Bodnar of Romania while Muhd Marbawi was edged out by Taiwan's Chen Szu Yuan 107-106.

Wan Khalmizam, a 22-year-old mass communications student, was the best of the trio in coming out fifth in the rankings. He smashed his own national record over 72 arrows with a 674 as the team set a Malaysian record of 1,993 here.

Coach Lee Jae Hyung said earlier that it would be an achievement if any of the archers reached the last 16 because of the world class field.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Badminton - Big Day For Mew Choo, Doubles Pair To Fight For Olympics Semis

2008-08-13T10:53:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- A big day awaits Malaysian woman shuttler Wong Mew Choo and men's pair Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong Wednesday to battle for a place in the Olympic semifinals.

Mew Choo, making history as the first Malaysian woman singles to qualify for the Olympics, squares off against China's third seed Lu Lan whom she has beaten twice and lost thrice to.

It is also the first major test for both who had two easy rounds enroute to the last eight, along with top seed Xie Xingfang and defending champion Zhang Ning, both from China.

To advance into the semis, Kien Keat and Boon Heong must upstage Indonesian world champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan Wednesday night.

Lee Chong Wei, the number two seed for the men's singles crown, takes a day's rest to scheme against Athens bronze medallist Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia.

After a heart-breaking debut in the team's event, the archery trio of Wan Khalmizam Abd Aziz, Cheng Chu Sian and Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman resumed training for the individual contest tomorrow but the odds are against them in the high-class field.

Wan Khalmizam, who outdid his own expectations with an individual fifth ranking here, faces off with Alexandru Bodnar of Romania in the first round of the 64-field knockout competition decided over 12 arrows.

Chu Sian confronts Mathew Gray of Australia while Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman is matched against Chen Szu Yuan of Taiwan.

Swimmer Siow Yi Ting takes to the pool again for her second and last event, the 200m breastroke in which she holds the national record of 2:29.21s. She warmed up yesterday with a season best of 2:171.11s in the 200m individual medley in her third Olympics.

In Qingdao, Kevin Lim continues in the third and fourth race of the one-man Laser in Qingdao port city.

He suffered a setback for overshooting the starting line and was disqualified in race one today.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Badminton - Kien Keat And Boon Heong Back On Roll

2008-08-12T23:29:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Bernama) - They stepped into court fearing the worst but after 34 minutes, Malaysia's Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong came off winners over their opening rivals in the Olympics badminton men's doubles in clear jubilance.

"It is unbelieveable that we got our rhythm going again," said an elated Kien Keat after a display of their long-missed brilliance in whipping Japan's Ikeda Shintaro and Shuichi Sakamoto 21-12, 21-16 to clinch a quarterfinals' berth.

It was a signal of a return to form for the young pair who have been lagging behind this year after taking the badminton world by storm in pocketing nine major internationals in 2006 and 2007, including the Doha Asian Games and last year's All-England title.

"We have regained our combination. Initially, we were rather afraid but this win has boosted our confidence," said Boon Heong.

They were expected to have a tough fight as they had lost their last two encounters against the Japanese, but from the start, the Malaysians went on a rampage, attacking and defending with such swiftness to wrap up the first game in just 13 minutes.

In the second game, Shintaro and Sakamoto tried to slow down the pace and saved match point five times but the Malaysians could not be thrown off track and Boon Heong finished it off with a smash.

The quarterfinals will be an acid test for the Malaysians to prove that they have finally regained their act together and if they pass, they cannot ask for a more timely comeback than in their Olympics debut.

They will be meeting world champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, the favourites, who were given a stiff run by China's Guo Zhendong and Xie Zhongbo before edging them 22-20, 10-21, 21-17 Tuesday night.

"We will be the underdogs going up against the Indonesians but the win tonight has boosted our confidence," said Boon Heong although they have never been defeated by Marko and Hendra before.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Sailing - Kevin Sails Into Trouble In Opening Race

2008-08-12T23:27:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Sailor Kevin Lim got off to a foul start when he was disqualified from the opening race for going over the starting line when the laser event got underway in Qingdao today. He came back in the second race to finish 24th with 2.58 penalty points.

But all is not lost for the 32-year-old, the sole Malaysian athlete in sailing, as competitors can discard one result from the 10 races.

"Presumably this is the race I will have to discard but this puts me in a difficult position because I will have to be quite cautious for the rest of the week," he said when contacted in the port city.

"I am quite upset. I thought I was behind the line. It left me very cautious in the second race," said Lim who is aiming for a top-0 finish in his fourth Olympics in the field of 43.

Only two sailors cleared the course without trouble, Argentina's Julio Alsogaray who was ahead after the first race and Frenchman Jean Baptiste Bernaz who was first in the second.

Australia-based Lim said sailing conditions would be variable tomorrow because winds were forecast from the north instead of usually from the southeast.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 : Archery - Wan Khalmizam Fights Inexperience In Individual Contest

2008-08-12T23:03:00.002+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Bernama) - Wan Khalmizam Abd Aziz, the strongest of the three-man archery squad for the Olympics here, will have to overcome his own inexperience in tomorrow's individual championship even though he goes in as the fifth ranked.

He confessed that he was surprised by his own form here, shattering the national record over 72 arrows when he finished fifth in the rankings with a score of 674, and firing a 75 out of 80 in yesterday's team quarterfinals where Malaysia were beaten by eventual silver medallist, Italy.

Alongside Cheng Chu Sian and Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman, the team made their Olympics debut by smashing the national record with a new high of 1993 during the rankings contest, surpassing their own previous record of 1980 set last year.

"I have never shot like this. I hope I can continue to do my best and my target for tomorrow is 110," said the 21-year-old Universiti Putra Malaysia mass communications student from Kelantan, who took up the sport six years ago.

"But I have no experience in individual contests, all this while we were strong as a team. In yesterday's competition, I was too nervous and shivered in the arena," he said.

National coach Lee Jae Hyung had said Malaysia had only a slim chance in the individual because of the high-standard and it would be an achievement if any of the archers made the last 16 out of a field of 64 in the knockout competition decided over 12 arrows.

In the first round, Wan Khalmizam faces Alexandru Bodnar of Romania.

Chu Sian squares off against Mathew Gray of Australia while Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman will vie against Chen Szu Yuan of Taiwan

.-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 5 - Badminton - Chong Wei, Sony Kuncoro In Badminton Quarterfinal Clash

2008-08-12T14:11:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's best Olympic medal prospect, Lee Chong Wei, and Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro have confirmed a quarterfinal clash in the Olympics badminton men's singles on Thursday.

Chong Wei, the second seed here behind China's reigning world champion Lin Dan, as expected, booked himself into the last eight with an effortless 21-5, 21-7 win over Lithuania's Kestutis Navickas in the third round this morning.

Sony, the only Indonesian left in the tussle after defending champion Taufik Hidayat's ouster yesterday, made his way in with a 21-13, 21-18 win over Vladyslav Druzchenko of Ukraine.

Sony made last year's world championship a nightmare for Chong Wei by beating the Malaysian in the second round in Kuala Lumpur. But Chong Wei avenged himself in the ensuing Denmark Open and China Open.

"Past records won't count now. Sony is a very tough attacking player. I know his game well but this may change for the Olympics here, so I have to make sure I am in the best condition to face him," said Chong Wei.

The 26-year-old Chong Wei is getting used to playing in the centre court and the draft inside the Beijing University of Technology gymnasium.

"I have played my two matches (so far) on the same court and I am getting used to the draft, and playing more consistently and making less mistakes," he said.

Sony said Taufik's loss will pressure him to salvage Indonesia's pride in winning the gold medal first won by Allan Budi Kusuma in Barcelona in 1992 and Taufik in Athens four years ago.

"I don't think of anything else except my own game. Chong Wei is seen to be in good form here but I am confident, I have my own strength," the Indonesian said.

The winner of the tie will head for the semifinal in the bottom half of the draw, either against China's third seed Bao Chunlai or the unranked but dangerous South Korean challenger, Lee Hyunil.

Olympic : Medal Standing

2008-08-12T09:19:00.001+08:00

Overall Medal Standing -
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 8-24, 2008

Surf at :

* Medal Standing *

Olympic Day 4 : Badminton - Shuttlers Stay On Course For Quarterfinals On Day 4

2008-08-12T08:59:00.002+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- While woman shuttler Wong Mew Choo takes a well deserved rest Tuesday to prepare for her quarterfinal battle, men's singles, Lee Chong Wei and Wong Choon Hann, will take to the third round of the Olympic men's singles.

For Chong Wei, it should be no more than a stroll over Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania to book himself into the last eight against Athens bronze medallist, Sony Dwi Kuncoro, the only Indonesian singles left after the ouster of defending champion Taufik Hidayat.

Choon Hann, who beat Taufik in straight sets Monday night, next meets either Nguyen Tienh Minh of Vietnam or Hsieh Yu Ching of Taiwan.

The men's doubles tussle opens Tuesday with all 16 pairs just a match away from the quarterfinals.

Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah are set to cruise through as they have only minnows, Chris Dednam and Roelor Dednam to beat.

But Malaysia's other pair, Koo Kien keat and Tan Boon Heong will have to be on their guard against the much-improved Shintaro Ikeda and Shuichi Sakamoto.

Sole sailor Kevin Lim will cast off Tuesday in the Laser race in Qingdao, with hopes of a top 20 finish in the single man dinghy event.

"It is going to be tricky because light winds are expected Tuesday and the current keeps changing. There is no other way except to watch how the others fare," said Lim when contacted in Qingdao.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 4 : Swimming - Swimmers Off Best In Olympics Heats

2008-08-12T08:59:00.001+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) - After shaving the national 200m freestyle record Sunday, Daniel Bego did not improve on his pet 200m butterfly when he completed his Olympic heats outside two minutes Monday evening.

The 18-year-old, who holds the national mark of 1:59.40s, clocked 2:01.28s in placing seventh at the National "Water Cube" Aquatics Centre.

He still has the 100m butterfly to race on Thursday. Daniel holds the national record for all three events.

Woman swimmer Siow Yi Ting swam her fastest 200m individual medley for the year, timing 2:17.11s for seventh spot in her heat, bettering her season's best of 2:18.52s.

Daniel and Yi Ting are among five swimmers who had qualified for the Games here.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 4 - Badminton - Chong Wei, Choon Hann Advance, Mew Choo In Quarterfinals

2008-08-12T08:57:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia's top bet for a medal in the Olympics, and veteran Wong Choon Hann overcame tough openers to advance into the third round of the Olympics men's singles Monday.

National top women's singles Wong Mew Choo also stayed on course, booking herself a quarterfinal date with China's second seeded Lu Lan.

Chong Wei stamped his class over Ronald Susilo of Singapore 21-13, 21-14 while Choon Hann stopped defending champion Taufik Hidayat 21-19, 21-16.

"I recovered from dengue fever only recently but it is not why I lost. Choon Hann played well today and I didn't," said the Indonesian who turned 27 Sunday, adding that he does not see a fourth Olympics for himself.

"I will not retire yet but this is likely the last Olympics. There are many players back home who can take over," said Taufik on who he picked as the next Indonesian star.

Chong Wei, who is seeded number two behind two-time reigning world champion Lin Dan of China, took just 38 minutes to shatter any hope Ronald may have had of repeating his upset of Lin Dan in the Athens Olympics four years ago.

"I was feeling a little stiff since this was the first match. But after taking the lead, from 9-9 to 13-9, I cooled down and was more relaxed," said Chong Wei, who is now poised to breeze into the quarterfinals against Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro.

Sony dumped Chong Wei out of the second round at last year's World Championships in Kuala Lumpur. The Indonesian who was also the bronze medallist in Athens beat Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana 21-16, 21-14 in the second round.

Both Chong Wei and Sony have easy opponents in the third round scheduled Tuesday night and will have a day's rest on Wednesday before an expected stormy quarterfinals.

The win over his good friend Taufik left Choon Hann grinning from ear to ear. The Malaysian reached the last eight in his debut at the 2000 Sydney Games and in Athens, it was Taufik who bundled him out in the pre-quarterfinal round.

"The Olympics is always full of surprises. Everytime I play Taufik, the games are very close," said Choon Hann who refused to be carried away by the win and will focus one match at a time.

He said his next rival is either Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh or Hsieh Yu Hsing of Taiwan.

Favourite Lin Dan of China ousted Hong Kong's Ng Wei 21-16, 21-13 and faces tough fighting South Korean Park Sung hwan in the third round.

"I know many Chinese expect me to win the gold medal but as of now, I am not the defending champion. I will try my best," said the reigning two-time world champion.

Mew Choo appeared more relaxed after winning her second match although she overwhelmed Bulgaria's Petya Nedelcheva 21-16, 21-8.

"As this is my first Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals is good for my confidence. I have my own target of what I want to achieve here but I am not revealing it," she said.

Mew Choo meets China's second seed Lu Lan in the last eight Wednesday night. The two have clashed five times before with the Malaysian winning twice.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic : China Stuns With Dazzling Opener For 29th Olympiad

2008-08-11T15:48:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 9 (Bernama) -- Dazzling fireworks soared above the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium and the rest of Beijing stretching to the Great Wall on its northwest as China stunned with a spectacular show under sweltering heat to raise the curtains on the 29th Olympic Games.

In the most tightly guarded secret of the ceremony, China's former gymnastics all-great Li Ning, a triple gold medallist in the 1984 Olympics, was hoisted up to the roof of the stadium and tipped the Games torch to a wire linked to the roof-high cauldron to light up the flames that will burn throughout the Games until Aug 24.

But not before he "ran" a lap around the canopy, the crowd below watched in awe at the former athlete who was voted the best athletes of the 20th century.

If at all, the well-choreographed show underscored determination of the host in gearing themselves up for the next stage, the battle for as many pieces of the 302 gold at stake and threaten the long-held top spot by the United States.

In Athens, China overtook Russia, scooping 32 gold just four short behind the U.S.

A burst of firecrackers raced around the rim of the canopy of the steel lattice-wrapped stadium to set off the start of the nearly hour-long extravaganzas that started at 8pm, reflecting the Chinese reverence of eight as an auspicious numeral.

Acrobats defied gravity with the aid of high wires dressed as divine fairies to gently coax the five rings of the Olympic movement into the heavens in hailing the presence of the Olympics returning to Asia after two decades for the third time in history.

In an impressive fusion of high-tech effect and history, a giant scroll was unfurled in a centrepiece canvas to showcase China's inventions for mankind including paper and printing blocks, and the stage for china's renowned pianist Lang Lang to woo the crowds.

Spectators were treated to the familiar touches of ancient Chinese warriors witnessed in blockbuster films made by award-winning director Zhang Yimou, the artistic maestro of the opening ceremony, who directed his biggest cast ever of 14,000, surpassing the 12,000 athletes vying for the 302 gold medals at stake.

China's army provided two-thirds of the performers who also staged a mass "tai chi" display and pounded 2,008 ancient Chinese drums to pump up the mood of audiences.

"I have never led such a huge team... you may not be able to see their faces clearly in this grand stadium but I know how hard they have worked for tonight," Zhang said.

British opera diva Sarah Brightman paired vocals with local singer, Liu Huan, to belt out the Games theme song entitled "You and Me" on top of a globe that rose from the floor of the stadium.

The athletes parade by the 204 participating countries was led by previous hosts, Greece, with China bringing up the tail with towering NBA star Yao Ming carrying the home flag accompanied by a child victim of the devastating earthquake that killed 69,000 in southwestern Sichuan province in May and triggered an outpouring of relief from around the world.

President Hu Jintao and top communist leaders stood up to wave at the homesters against thunderous applause and a sea of waving red flags from the stands with incessant chants of "Jiayou" , the battle cry of "Go China, Go".

An excited national cycling sprint king Azizul Hasni Awang led the Malaysian contingent around the track, with the men dressed in yellow and black 'baju Melayu' and women in 'baju kurung'.

Watching from the stands was Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin who was seated among an array of world leaders including U.S. President George W Bush and also International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge and his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch who presided over the awarding of the Games to China seven years ago.

The VIP box was aflutter with waving yellow fans as guests sought some respite from the stuffy air. Many athletes stripped off their blazers, their shirts soaked with sweat.

Loud cheers also greeted the Iraqi team which were reinstated at the last minute into the Games. Louder still were the reception for the United States and Hong Kong, the former British colony reverted to China's rule as a special administration region.

Woman table tennis star Zhang Yining took the oath on behalf of the athletes.

President Hu who described the Games as a historic moment for China and a century-old dream of the world's most populous nation officially declared the Games open to yet another burst of fireworks that constantly lit the night.

The IOC chief in his customary speech congratulated Beijing and urged athletes to reject doping and cheating which had plagued the Olympics, and be role models for the youths of the world.

"Athletes, the Games were created for you by our founder Pierre de Coubertin, These Games belong to you. These Games belong to you. Let them be the athletes' games, have fun," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 4 : Archery - Malaysian Archers Stumble In Olympics Team Quarterfinals

2008-08-11T15:46:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Disappointment was written all over the faces of the Malaysian archery trio which failed to advance to the Olympics men's team semifinal after losing by five points to Italy today in their Olympics debut.

What stood out in their 213-218 loss to the Italians was their lack of exposure in the highly-charged atmosphere of the Olympic Archery Field where the Olympic record was broken twice before the semifinals, said national coach Lee Jae Hyung.

"We had expected to go into the semifinals. The team event was our best bet. The individual championship is of a very high standard and, frankly, our chances are much slimmer and it will be an achievement if any of them make it to the last 16," said Lee, a Korean national, who has been coaching in Malaysia since 2001.

In the 24-arrow team knockout shoot divided into four bouts, Malaysia scored 54-55-51-54 while Italy had 54-55-55-54.

Cheng Chu Sian, normally the strongest of the trio, succumbed to nerves and shot a low 67 while Wan Khalmizam Abd Aziz posted 75 and Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman returned 71.

"He is normally the strongest but in Beijing, Wan Khalmizam was the best of the three," Lee said.

Wan Khalmizam, who broke his own national 72-arrow record during the rankings contest, said: "I think I shot well, my teammates could have done better."

Cheng and Wan Khalmizam are ranked 13th and 81st, respectively, in the world standings while Muhd Marbawi is in 100th spot.

"In the third end, I shot a six. It was too far to the right. So, I adjusted direction to the left but it was too much to the left and then I shot a seven. I was so nervous I didn't adjust well," Cheng said.

Malaysia had booked themselves into the last eight as one of the top four teams in the rankings contest and, this morning, they waited for the outcome of the Italy-Canada match.

"The Italians gained some advantage from having played one match but the main reason for our failure is experience. This is the team's first Olympics, the top teams here have archers who have been competing ever since the 1996 Atlanta Games," he said.

Lee remained optimistic of the team's future, saying it needed more experience of playing in high-level tournaments.

"Top teams take part in eight to 10 meets in a year. Malaysia does about four times at the most. That has to be changed," he said.

Poland set an Olympic record of 223 in beating Australia enroute to the quarterfinals where they were beaten by formidable South Korea who stretched the mark to 224.

The men's individual competition is scheduled for Wednesday.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 4 - Badminton - Shuttler Chong Wei Whips Ronald Susilo, Poised For Quarterfinals

2008-08-11T15:44:00.003+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia's top bet for a medal in the Olympics, stamped his class over Ronald Susilo of Singapore 21-13, 21-14 in his opening second-round match today as all badminton seeds took to the courts Monday.

Chong Wei, who is seeded number two behind two-time reigning world champion Lin Dan of China, took just 38 minutes to shatter any hope Ronald may have had of repeating his upset of Lin Dan in the Athens Olympics four years ago.

"I was feeling a little stiff since this was the first match. But after taking the lead, from 9-9 to 13-9, I cooled down and was more relaxed," said Chong Wei, who is now poised to breeze into the quarterfinals.

His third-round opponent is either Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania or Stanislav Pukhov of Russia and a win will see him into the last eight.

"No matter who (it's going to be), I will not underestimate my opponent," said Chong Wei of his next round tie.

Ronald was the biggest opening hurdle for Chong Wei but the 29-year-old former Indonesian national was no match for the more skilful and fitter Malaysian.

After an overly eager start, Chong Wei settled down to exert his control, making good his overhead smashes to attack Ronald to his right.

"I was also trying to make use of the draft in the second game. I am still adjusting to the wind," he said.

Lin Dan, under pressure to deliver the gold, meets Hong Kong's Ng Wei in the evening. Malaysia's other men's singles player, Wong Choon Hann, faces defending champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 3 : Badminton - Mew Choo Strives To Stay Cool Under Olympic Pressure

2008-08-11T15:41:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Wong Mew Choo may have scalped several of the sport's biggest names but the Malaysian shuttler says she is getting the jitters in her Olympics debut and boyfriend, Lee Chong Wei, has been a tower of strength.

"He had one Olympic experience before and he keeps telling me not to be worried. I feel pressured here because the Olympics comes around once every four years, not like the world championships or other tournaments which are held every year," said the 25-year-old after an easy opening match Sunday night.

She took the opportunity instead to size up the arena at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium (BTG) in taking just 18 minutes to overwhelm South African minnow Kerry Lee Harrington 21-4, 21-4 in the second round.

Mew Choo said she was still trying to adjust to the draft inside the 7,500- capacity venue where all five badminton golds will be decided.

Asked if she was affected by camera flash from the stands despite repeated advice from the tournament organisers, the Malaysian said she did not notice the problem because she was more focused on the match and the overhead lights.

Asked by local newsmen about her target here, she replied: "My aim is not to think of any target at all but only the next match. I don't want to cause more anxiety to myself."

She is among the most watched outsider by China after denying Xie Xingfang the China Open crown in Guangzhou last year and beating Lu Lan in two of five encounters.

Xie and Lu are the first and third seeds while Mew Choo was given eighth billing. All three are in the upper half of the draw.

Mew Choo and Lu Lan are headed for a quarter-final clash. The Chinese cleared the second round, overpowering Karen Kune Foo of Mauritius who retired with cramps in the second game.

The Malaysian is again in for an easy third round as she is unlikely to be troubled by Bulgaria's Perva Nedelcheva or Egypt's Hadia Hosny.

"I have no idea of who they are but I will not write off any opponent," said Mew Choo.

She is the sole Malaysian women shuttler left after doubles pair, Chin Ee Hui and Wong Pei Tty, were ousted in their opening match earlier Sunday by fourth seeded Lee Hyojung and Lee Kyungwon of South Korea.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 3 : Swimming - Daniel Bego Splashes To 200m Freestyle National Record

2008-08-11T15:40:00.000+08:00

BEIJING, Aug 10 (Bernama) - Daniel Bego broke his own national 200m freestyle record in the Olympic heats Sunday night, clocking 1:50.92s to better his previous mark of 1:51.05s at the national 'Water Cube' aquatics centre.

He finished sixth out of seven in the race which was dominated by American swimmer Michael Phelps.

Daniel, who is from Sarawak, holds two other national marks for the 100m butterfly and the 200m butterfly, his remaining events in his Olympics debut.

He is down to race in the 200m butterfly Monday night with hopes of making the semi-finals. He has a best of 1:59.40s.

In the women's 400m freestyle, Khoo Cai Lin faded out, finishing sixth in her heat in 4:23.37s, off her season best of 4:18.20s.

She still has one more event, the 800m freestyle.

-- BERNAMA

Olympic Day 3 : Highlight - US NBA stars roll past China

2008-08-11T01:35:00.001+08:00

BEIJING (AFP) — The US team of National Basketball Association stars began its quest for Olympic redemption Sunday with a 101-70 victory over a China team that gave glances of a challenge.

Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, LeBron James added 18 and Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard each added 13 for the Americans but China was impressive early, battling the US stars even for the first 14 minutes of the Group B contest.

US Olympic teams went 109-2 and won 12 gold medals through 2000 but were humbled in 2004 when NBA stars lost three times and settled for Athens bronze, sparking the new bid to reclaim the throne by the self-styled "Redeem Team".

China played surprisingly competitive with the Americans through most of the first half, the US pulling away only with a 20-7 run late in the second quarter on the way to a 49-37 half-time lead.

With an up-tempo style of their own, China showed vast progress over past meetings with NBA squads, showing aggressive defense and deadly 3-point shooting at times.

The much-awaited US-China showdown was expected to reach a global television audience approaching one billion people given the heavy interest in China and the worldwide appeal of the US NBA stars.

US President George W. Bush, his wife Laura and his father, former US president George Bush, plus former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were among the famous faces in the sellout crowd of 18,000 at Wukesong Arena.

China could reach the quarter-finals on home hardwood and improve upon the team's eighth-place Olympic showings in 1996 and 2004, China's best finishes in global competition.

Americans had dominated all nine prior games with China in world and Olympic competition with the most lopsided verdict a 133-70 US win at the 1996 Olympics. China's narrowest defeat was an 84-65 drubbing from the 2002 worlds.

The Americans started James, Bryant, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony and Howard against a Chinese lineup featuring three NBA talents, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian plus former NBA player Wang ZhiZhi.

Had China upset the US NBA stars, it would have been among the great sport shockers of all time. And for a while, it wasn't such a far-fetched notion.

Chinese fans were treated to the trademark high-leaping slam dunks of the fast-paced US squad plus a China team that sparkled early.

Chinese 2.26m giant Yao hit a rare 3-pointer to open the scoring, pumping his fist after the feat, and Sun Yue, who has agreed to an NBA deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, added another to give China a 6-2 edge.

A 3-point play by James gave the US its first lead at 7-6 but Sun hit another 3-pointer and a fast-break basket to put China ahead 11-7. Yao was blocking shots and teammates were making steals to excite the sellout crowd.

Dwyane Wade and James each made spectacular dunks to spark a US run but China stayed close, equalizing at 29-29 on Sun's 3-pointer six minutes before half-time.

That's when the US stars took charge, Bryant nailing back-to-back slam dunks and lobbing a picture-perfect alley-oop pass to James for a slam dunk in a 20-8 run to pull ahead 49-37 at half-time and pull away for good.

The second half saw US speed and depth overwhelm China, which had a brief injury scare for hero Yao. He went down with 2:17 to play in the third quarter and grimaced when he rose before being taken out of the game.

Yao had suffered a broken left foot during the past NBA season that at one time put his Olympic status in doubt, so re-injury fears had some roots. But Yao returned and played well before being pulled to big cheers with 4:45 to go.

Olympic Day 2 : Badminton - Goodbye to Pei Tty-Eei Hui

2008-08-11T01:32:00.000+08:00

IT finally poured in hazy Beijing today but that was just about the only piece of good news for badminton pair Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui as they crashed out rather tamely from the women's doubles.

Expected to give South Koreans Lee Hyo Jung-Lee Kyung Won a run for their money, the Malaysians instead let the occassion get to them as they crashed 21-14, 21-19 in 37 minutes.

"We put ourselves under pressure as we were too determined to perform well," was Pei Tty's explanation.

The pair now join swimmer Lew Yih Wey as Malaysians who have completed their Beijing Olympics outing.

Olympic Day 2 : Archery - Archers set sight on Olympics medal, in confident mood

2008-08-11T01:29:00.002+08:00

Tham Choy Lin, BERNAMA

Malaysia’s world-ranked archery trio was back at training after securing a spot in the Olympics quarterfinals as a sense of confidence bubbles in camp after yesterday’s ranking contest.

“Everything is going according to plan. We have avoided the Koreans in the draw. The mood in camp is very good and they are confident,” said team manager Tan Sri Abdul Halil Mutalif.

Cheng Chu Sian, Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman and Wan Khalmizam Abdul Aziz set a new national mark of 1,993 in finishing third best in the ranking contest to earn a first-round bye for tomorrow’s team medal battle.

They shattered their own previous national best of 1,980 set last year. Wan Khalmizam also rewrote his national individual record to a new high of 674, two better than the previous total.

If they make the rostrum, they would enter the annals of Malaysian sports history because until now, only badminton has earned Malaysia glory in the Olympics with one silver and two bronze medals. South Korea, gold medallist at the previous two Olympics, are the fancied favourites.

They topped yesterday’s rankings over 72 arrows with Athens bronze medallist Ukraine in second place, just four points ahead of Malaysia.

The men’s team knockout battle is a day-long affair, culminating in the final in the evening. Losing semifinalists will vie for the bronze.

The number of arrows for the 12-country team competition is only 24, changed from 27 from the last Games in Athens. Each team member takes turns to shoot one arrow at a time.

Russia was the fourth team to secure a quarterfinal berth. Fighting for the remaining four slots in the last eight are Australia against Poland, Great Britain against China, Canada against Italy, and the United States against Taiwan.

The draw pits the Malaysians in the same half as the Ukranians and they will clash in the semifinals if they advance from the last eight.

In the quarterfinals, to begin shortly before noon, Malaysia will meet either Italy or Canada, whom they have not faced before.

“The archers are now used to top-level competition. They are prepared to take on any opponent,” said Abdul Halil.

South Korea are the world’s reigning record holder for the 24-arrow match with a score of 231. Two members of the record-breaking team — Lee Chang Hwan and Im Dong Hyun — are here.

The Olympics competition uses only the classic bow, otherwise known as the recurve bow with the limbs of the bow curved away from the archer.

Olympic Day 2 : Badminton - Women's pair fall to South Korean fourth seeds

2008-08-11T01:28:00.001+08:00

Tham Choy Lin, BERNAMA

National top doubles pair Chin Ee Hui and Wong Pei Tty were shown the exit by South Korean fourth seeds Lee Hyojung and Lee Kyungwon in the pre-quarterfinals round of the Olympics today.

Despite putting up a brave fight, the Malaysians were beaten 21-14, 21-19 at the Beijing University of Technology gymnasium, the battling ground for the sport’s five gold medals.

Ee Hui and Pei Tty have never won over the Korean pair which had whipped them in straight games in their last previous meeting before the Olympics, at the Korean Open quarterfinals.

In the second game, the Malaysians tied at 10-10 and closed the gap from 13-18 to 18-18 before they succumbed.

The Olympics doubles competition are confined to 16 pairs only. Ee Hui and Pei Tty were the sole Malaysian challenge.

Olympic Day 1 : Triple eight delight as curtain goes up on Beijing Games

2008-08-11T01:24:00.002+08:00

BEIJING: The 29th Olympic Games, costing an estimated US$40 billion (RM132 billion) and shrouded by political controversies, burst into life yesterday with a spectacular opening ceremony.

President Hu Jintao officially declared the Games open at the “Bird’s Nest” stadium in front of 90,000 spectators and a worldwide television audience of up to four billion.

The Olympic cauldron was lit by Li Ning, the Chinese gymnast who captured three gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

The opening ceremony, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Zhang Yimou, saw 5,000 competitors from 204 nations parade in a lavish event, lit up by 35,000 fireworks.

Many heads of state were attending the opening ceremony.

They included US President George W. Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

The extravaganza, cramming 5,000 years of history into just one evening, avoided many of the cliched images of China — no pandas, no red lanterns and no dragon dances.

China was taking no astrological chances — opening the Games at the auspicious moment of eight o’clock on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008. It paid dividends. The rain held off. The world’s greatest show is on.

Sejarah kecemerlangan Malaysia di Olimpik

2008-08-11T01:20:00.000+08:00

MELBOURNE 1956
Pasukan hoki pertama kali menyertai sukan Olimpik serta atlet olahraga, renang, angkat berat dan menembak. Pasukan hoki negara beraksi cemerlang pada peringkat kelayakan, tewas sekali tetapi hanya menamatkan kejohanan di tempat kesembilan dari 12 pasukan.

TOKYO 1964
Datuk Dr. M. Jegathesan (gambar) menjadi atlet Malaysia yang pertama layak ke pusingan separuh akhir acara 200 meter. Dalam saringan kelima di pusingan pertama, dia mencatat masa 20.92 saat dan masih merupakan rekod Malaysia sehingga kini.

MUNICH 1972
Buat pertama kali dalam sejarah pasukan bola sepak Malaysia yang dibarisi oleh M. Chandran, Soh Chin Aun, Wong Kam Fook, Shaharuddin Abdullah, Wong Choon Wah, Namat Abdullah, Lim Fung Kee, Ali Bakar, pasukan bola sepak kebangsaan layak ke Sukan Olimpik buat kali kedua di Moscow 1980, tetapi tidak mengambil bahagian kerana Malaysia memulau sukan tersebut.

BARCELONA 1992
Adik-beradik Sidek, Razif dan Jalani mencipta sejarah menjadi pemenang pingat Olimpik pertama selepas memenangi pingat gangsa.

ATLANTA 1996
Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock memastikan pingat gangsa untuk negara selepas mara ke perlawanan separuh akhir acara badminton.

SYDNEY 2000
Lee Wan Yuen menjadi atlet taekwondo pertama negara layak di sukan Olimpik apabila ia pertama kali diperkenalkan di Sydney tetapi tewas kepada atlet Perancis, Myriam Baverel 4-8 di pusingan pertama kategori 67 kilogram wanita.

ATHENS 2004
Lim Keng Liat menjadi perenang pertama negara mara ke peringkat separuh akhir dengan mencatat masa kelapan terpantas 55.22 saat dalam acara kuak lentang lelaki. Pelumba basikal acara trek Josiah Ng turut layak ke akhir tetapi menduduki tempat kelima.

Kinabalu Park

2008-06-06T22:00:00.003+08:00

The Kinabalu Park covers an area of 754 sq km and is made up of Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tambayukon and the foothills. It was gazetted to preserve this valuable natural environment. The mountains have a fascinating geological history, taking 'just' a million years to form. The mighty Mount Kinabalu is actually a granite massif that was later thrust upwards through the crust of the surface.

Subsequent erosion removed thousands of feet of the overlying sand and mud stone, exposing this massif. During the Ice Age, glaciers running across the summit smoothed it out, but the jagged peaks that stood out above the ice surface remained unaffected, retaining the extremely ragged surfaces. This rugged mountain is the focal point of the National Park.

For more information : http://travel.tourism.gov.my/

Pulau Perhentian

2008-06-06T21:52:00.003+08:00

Located at the north-eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. About 21 km off shores the remote town of Kuala Besut. There are two lovely unspoiled island lie amidst exquisitely clear waters. Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian) and Perhentian Besar (Big Perhentian) comprise the Perhentian Island, aptly named after "henti"(stop) as fishermen from mainland Kelantan and Terengganu have, for centuries, stopped over at the island for a rest or to shelter during a major storm. A rocky virgin jungle provides hour of adventures for trekkers who may chance upon flying fox, long-tailed macaques and monitor lizards, while the underneath marine life shows off a splendid garden of coral.

For more information : http://www.pulauperhentian.com.my/

Taman Negara Pahang

2008-06-05T22:26:00.003+08:00

Taman Negara National park spread out over 4343 sq. km of the formidable Titiwangsa Mountain Range ,one of the world’s oldest tropical rainforest. A sanctuary to hundreds of species of birds, butterflies, insects, fish and plants. Home to Malaysia’s friendly aborigines, the Orang Asli. A shy yet gentle race, they continue to live the nomadic way they’ve lived for centuries although fully aware of the country’s fastest-paced progress.

Come discover the living treasure Mother Nature has to offer. Whether it’s shooting thrilling rapids, exploring spectacular caves, tackling a 20-pound fish, scaling up Peninsular Malaysia’s highest mountain, trekking through dense, tricky forest pathways or swimming in crystal clear pools, Malaysia’s National Park is a nature paradise you must experience. An adventure of a lifetime awaits you.

To experience the full glory of the tropical rainforest there is perhaps no better place on earth than Taman Negara (National Park). Legally declared an area for conservation in 1938, the 135 million year old Taman Negara is a haven for the nation’s flora and fauna.

Jungle tracks, campsites and the Taman Negara Resort have all being constructed to blend with the natural surroundings, to be in harmony with the forest. Many structured have been built strictly for the observation and appreciation of the grandeur of the towering forest and its inhabitants.

Having enjoyed protection for almost 60 years a wealth of undisturbed habitats exists for the intrepid explorers to discover. You can take day or night time jungle walks or stay in a hide and maybe catch a glimpse of some of the 250 or so species of fauna that exists within the parks boundaries, from hornbills, pheasants and kingfishers monkeys, gibbons, wildboar, deer, tapir, and maybe even an elephant or tiger. Six observation points have seen set up specifically overlooking salt licks and grassy clearings for the observation of wild, often shy animals. These hides allow the visitor to spend a night away from the resort to observe the nocturnal activities of the animals of the forest. Activities within the Park are primarily nature based, taking full advantage of the many streams, rivers, caves hills and the forest itself. Enjoy a bracing swim in cool waters, a full day’s trek, a boat ride and even a spot of angling should you so desire.

A visit to Taman Negara, however, is not complete until you have done the canopy walk. The world’s longest such walk, it winds over 400 meters in the forest canopy allowing you to view the rich and diverse flora and fauna at the very summit of the forest, 25 meters above the ground.

Orang Asli guides can be engaged for excursions to specific areas in the Park, such as the various caves. A visit to the orang Asli settlement is also worthwhile here.

Accommodation in the Park is at the jungle lodge, chalets and a hostel, all with basic facilities. Superior rooms at Taman Negara Resort are air-conditioned and have private bathrooms.

Campsites and camping equipment are available for hire and restaurants in the Park serve an international cuisine.

More information please visit : http://www.tahan.com.my/tamannegara/tamannegara.asp

Computer forensics as a career option

2008-01-29T09:55:00.000+08:00

LOCAL information and communications technology graduates who have yet to decide on their area of specialty may want to consider computer forensics as a career.

Looking at the increasing number of cybercrime activities that are taking place locally and the fact that many companies are ill prepared to address the issue as well as the number of experts available in this field, computer forensic-related jobs certainly have a bright future.

Computer forensics experts here refer to people who have the skills to use scientific methods and computer technology to collect evidence by way of the digital media to counter any criminal act.

Based on feedback from local computer forensic communities, there are currently not many experts in this field yet as the subject is still new to a lot of people. For companies, the awareness on how to face this computer-age crime is also low.

Currently, there are no major cases of cybercrime involving large amount of losses in Malaysia, but given the expertise developed by cybercriminals, such incidents may just happen any time soon on our shore.

According to a computer forensic expert Mohd Khairuddin Abdullah from HeiTech Padu Berhad, almost 85 per cent of businesses and government agencies worldwide are experiencing increased cybercrime activities ranging from hacking, information theft, industrial espionage, Web page defacement, and intellectual property loss.

What’s surprising is that 71 per cent of the cybercrime activities come from inside the organisation. This shows that the staff themselves are misusing the computers to steal valuable data or help outsiders get access to inside information.

Normally, these cybercriminals get away undetected because companies don’t have the means or expertise to track or trace these people. This would certainly be a job for computer forensics experts.

Demand for such experts is increasing in more advanced countries like Europe and the US where many companies are facing real-time cybercrime activities.

In the UK, for example, computer forensics graduates have been in high demand for jobs with law enforcement since the field first appeared, but that demand is growing even larger as private firms begin recruiting cyber investigators.

Having computer forensics experts in a company is important in handling cybercrime cases because the digital evidence need to be guarded and preserved carefully as it is volatile and can easily be destroyed. Only those trained in computer forensics would have the skills in gathering, analysing, and presenting the needed data in court.

For those interested to venture into this new career option, locally, a number of institutes are starting to offer courses on computer forensics; and perhaps, as companies begin to understand the need for computer forensics experts, the demand for such profession will go up. It’s worth checking out.

Get set for wireless@kl

2007-12-18T11:26:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Good news for KLites: limited wireless broadband access will be a thing of the past this time next year.

By September, they will be able to enjoy wireless broadband Internet access anytime, anywhere in the city without having to be near a hotspot; and for free, too, thanks to the KL Wireless Metropolitan Project, or "wireless@kl".

It will operate on WiMax technology operating on the 2.3GHz spectrum at a speed of 512 kilobytes per second.

"The project is one of the pioneer projects under the 'Klang Valley Broadband Push' (KVB90) to transform Kuala Lumpur into a wireless city with WiMax-based broadband," said Datuk Bandar Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony yesterday.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Packet One Networks (M) Bhd signed the deal yesterday.
"It is also in line with our Kuala Lumpur Structural Plan 2020 to make Kuala Lumpur a world-class city by then," said Hakim.

Packet One Networks (formerly known as MIBCOMM Sdn Bhd) will from next month begin installing 1,500 Wi-Fi stations around the city in commercial areas, offices, residential areas, community centres and other public areas.

By September, the service will be available to 80 per cent of Kuala Lumpur, and it will be available for free for the first two years. In the following two phases, 2,000 more stations will be installed.

"We will be the first in the country to deploy WiMax on the 2.3GHz spectrum," said Packet One chief executive officer Michael Lai.

"The first phase will cost RM60 million. RM10 million will come from City Hall and MCMC, while the rest will be borne by Packet One," said Hakim.

He added that the project would open up business opportunities and give the tourism industry a boost. It would also help close the digital divide by making the technology accessible to the middle- and low-income groups.

MCMC manages KVB90, which is aimed at increasing broadband usage in homes in the Klang Valley to 90 per cent by 2010.

Broadband penetration was measured at 36.1 per cent last June. In contrast, it was 86 per cent in Taipei, 75 per cent in Hong Kong and 73 per cent in Singapore.

45 Diet Tips

2007-11-09T12:38:00.000+08:00

There a lot of diet tips you can choose to follow...But here is one of it that you can try. But the only way to make it succeed is your determination to strictly doing it. Good Luck!!

1) Resolve to never supersize your food portions-unless you want to supersize your clothes.

2) Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

3) Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.

4) When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.

5) Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups. Eat meats and starches last, by the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

6) Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lb in a year. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.

7) Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages.

8) Slow Down! Eating at a slower pace allows your mind to register the food that is in your stomach, and can prevent overeating.

9) Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

10) Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."

11) Use mustard instead of mayo.

12) Eat more soup, the noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.

13) Cut back or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.

14) Limit alcohol to weekends.

15) Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3 pm.

16) At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there's less chance of overeating.

17) Dance to music with your family in your home. One dietitian reported that when she asks her patients to do this, initially they just smile, but once they've done it, they say it is one of the easiest ways to involve the whole family in exercise.

18) Next time you're feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate, and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can't match, as well as some vital nutrients.

19) If you haven't eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.

20) Drink more water! Water will not only prevent your body from becoming dehydrated, it will also help your body to continue to work efficiently throughout the day. Any type of calorie free beverages (ex. diet soda) can be consumed throughout the day as well. We often think that we are 'hungry' when we are actually just 'thirsty' so drink a glass of water before you head for the fridge!

21) Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn't have a raging sweet tooth.

22) Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

23) Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.

24) If you're eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what's going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.

25) Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: No more food.

26) Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity. No reading, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.

27) Eating late at night won't cause weight gain. It's how many calories--not when you eat them--that counts.

28) Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.

29) Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.

30) Fat-free isn't always your best bet. Research has found that none of the lycopene or alpha- or beta-carotene that fight cancer and heart disease is absorbed from salads with fat-free dressing. Only slightly more is absorbed with reduced-fat dressing; the most is absorbed with full-fat dressing. But remember, use your dressing in moderate amounts.

31) Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning.

32) If you're famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts--The same goes if your only choices are what's available in the hotel minibar.

33) Research suggests that you're more likely to lose weight if you monitor what and how much you eat by writing it down.

34) Tune in to an audio book while you walk. It'll keep you going longer and looking forward to the next walk--and the next chapter! Check your local library for a great selection. Look for a whodunit; you might walk so far you'll need to take a cab home!

35) Think yoga's too serene to burn calories? Think again. You can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class (that's as much as you'd burn from an hour of walking)! Plus, you'll improve muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.

36) Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

37) Try 2 weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.

38) Use smaller plates or bowls during meal times to keep portion sizes in check and to avoid the temptation to "fill" the plate.

39) Watch out for "fat-free" products. With some products, the fat is often replaced with sugar, and it may contain just as many - if not more - calories! So it is always important to read food labels and exert calorie control!

40) Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.

41) Be careful of "empty calorie" beverages such as juice, soda, iced tea, and other "fruit" drinks. They provide you with a lot of calories, without a lot of good nutrition. They also fail to fill your stomach and satisfy your hunger.

42) Soups give you very good value for the calories. They are filling; a bowl of soup can be an entire meal. They are satisfying, for many people, they are more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables).

43) On your next trip to the grocery store, load up on fruits and veggies and skip the candy and cookie aisles. Fool yourself by eating from dessert rather than dinner plates. Those two small steps added up to a huge but painless calorie reduction in a Pennsylvania State University study of 24 women.

44) Drinking water is a significant diet benefit, because the calorie-content of water is zero. Drinking water instead of milk, fruit juices or regular sodas helps to lower the calorie content of your diet and thus helps weight reduction.

45) An average 8 hours sleep burns about 450 calories, so your body NEEDS fuel at breakfast time. Not eating breakfast can cause your blood sugar levels to fall too low during the morning. A low blood sugar level may cause you to get a craving for high-calorie food. Also, going too long without food can cause your metabolism to slow down. Most surveys show that people who don't eat breakfast are more likely to be overweight.

Menara Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-06T11:04:00.000+08:00

Received an invitation for Jamuan Hari Raya host by MMCSB at Menara Kuala Lumpur. The dinner take place at Mega View Banquet Deck at the highest floor - TH003! Wow...

Brief introduction.....

Amidst the city of Kuala Lumpur stands the Menara Kuala Lumpur at 515m above sea level. Majestically poised at a breathtaking height of 421 metres, the Tower doubles as Kuala Lumpur's best known ambassador.

Situated atop Bukit Nanas at 94m above sea level, it is on higher ground than the Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur. Menara Kuala Lumpur was constructed as a telecommunications tower to upgrade the quality of telecommunications and the clarity of broadcast transmissions.Menara Kuala Lumpur is one of the tallest concrete towers in the world, standing at 421m and built with 45,000 cubic metres of sturdy concrete.

Menara Kuala Lumpur ranks fourth amongst the tallest telecommunications towers in the world and was constructed over a period of four years and completed in May 1996. Menara Kuala Lumpur is designed to withstand wind pressures
of up to 90mph. Menara Kuala Lumpur is a member of the prestigious World Federation of Great Towers.

The four tallest towers in the world are CN Tower in Canada at 553m, Ostankino Tower in Russia at 537m, Shanghai Tower in China at 468m followed by Menara Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at 421m - by 2007.

5 Ways to get motivated to lose weight

2007-10-24T15:15:00.000+08:00

1. Keep on saying "So That"

Ask yourself "Why do I want to lose weight" and after you come up with a reason why... Just keep on saying SO THAT.

For example - Why Do you want to lose weight...

I want to lose weight to look better SO THAT...
I can feel more confident about myself SO THAT...
I can be the best looking person at my high school reunion SO THAT...
I can see the surprised looks on the faces of my classmates SO THAT...
I may be able to go on a date with the person I had a crush on in high school

Can you see what's happening here?

The more times you say SO THAT the more and more motivated you'll become to lose weight.

2. Set deadlines and then reward yourself

For example... If your big weight loss goal is to lose 100 pounds in 10 months... Then you can set 10 deadlines where you have to lose 10 pounds every month for the next 10 months so...

Let's say on the way to your big goal to lose 100 pounds in 10 months you actual lose 12 pounds in your 1st month... You can reward yourself by buying yourself a new dress or going out to a movie and please... DO NOT reward yourself by sabotaging your weight loss plan or diet by eating stuff that's going to put weight back on and remember this...

The greater the reward is you have planned for yourself the higher your motivation will be to lose weight

3. Set deadlines and then punish yourself

If you don't meet your deadlines you have to punish yourself - so for example...

Let's say you miss your deadline to lose 10 pounds a month by losing only 9 pounds... You have to punish yourself by not watching TV for a week or by not going shopping for a month and...

Along with the reward and the punishment for meeting and not meeting your deadlines...

You can be sure you'll stay highly motivated to lose weight or whatever else you set your mind to.

4. Change Your Attitude

Don't say "I want to lose 25 pounds"... Say "I have to lose 25 pounds or I'll lose my job" or Say "I have to lose 25 pounds so my spouse won't leave me"

When you're thinking like this... You make your weight loss goals more like LIFE or DEATH scenarios where you have a gun to your head where You HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT OR ELSE!

5. Post a Picture Everywhere

Post of picture of what you want to look like when you lose weight everywhere you can.

If you were skinny in high school... Post your old high pictures everywhere and if you always had a weight problem then...

Cut out a picture of a person from a magazine, book, or even comic book that you want to look like and post that picture everywhere.

Posting pictures like this everywhere helps you "keep your eye on the prize"

Source : nowloss.com

7 Golden Rules to Look & Feel Good

2007-10-24T14:44:00.000+08:00

1 . Exercise regularly for at least 20-30 minutes each time, 2-3 times a week.

2. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. Water is important to hydrate your body.

3. Eat a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight.

4. Avoid eating foods that are high in sugar content, saturated fat and calories.

5. Eat in small portions. Stop eating when you are not hungry anymore.

6. If you do feel like snacking, try healthier alternatives such as a cereal bar, whole wheat crackers or a cereal.

7. Make sure you have enough sleep to make you feel better.

Source: milo.com

Cholesterol and Women

2007-09-08T22:27:00.000+08:00

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of American women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). As with men, elevated cholesterol levels signal danger for a woman’s health, putting her at risk for both heart disease and stroke.

Women usually have higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels prior to menopause because estrogen (the female sex hormone) raises this level. Therefore, women are particularly at risk after menopause, when their estrogen levels drop along with their HDL levels, and their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels increase. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) found that over half of postmenopausal women needed to reduce their total cholesterol levels.

Men and women are also advised to maintain different levels of HDL cholesterol. Whereas men are considered to have low HDL cholesterol at less than 40 mg/dL, women have low HDL cholesterol at less than 50 mg/dL. Both men and women are advised to strive for HDL levels above 60 mg/dL.

Post-menopausal women are advised to be particularly aware of the relationship between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and cardiovascular disease. It was previously thought that replacing lost sex hormones in post-menopausal women would provide the same cardio-protective benefits experienced by women with normal levels of estrogen. However, several major studies have since found that estrogen/progestin therapy increases the risks of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, blood clots and overall cardiovascular disease.

Be aware and do exercise regularly!!

Healthy Juices...Try it!!

2007-09-07T14:27:00.000+08:00

HEALTHY JUICES

Carrot + Ginger + Apple - Boost and cleanse our system.

Apple + Cucumber + Celery - Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and improve stomach upset and headache.

Tomato + Carrot + Apple - Improve skin complexion and bad breath.

Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk - Avoid bad breath and reduce internal body heat.

Orange + Ginger + Cucumber - Improve Skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.

Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon - To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney.

Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi - To improve skin complexion.

Pear & Banana - regulates sugar content.

Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango - Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidization .

Honeydew + Grape + Watermelon + Milk - Rich in vitamin C + Vitamin B2 that increase cell activity and strengthen body immunity.

Papaya + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin C, E, Iron. Improve skin complexion and metabolism.

Banana + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin with nutritious and prevent constipation.

6 Natural Weight Loss Tips

2007-09-04T12:41:00.000+08:00

Author: Kenneth Edwards

Commonly, and first of all, people who want to lose weight naturally think about reducing the amount of food they eat.

This is only part of the solution, but not exactly the best there is. In fact, depending on the amount you reduce in your diet, it may even be dangerous to your health. So, how do you lose weight naturally, effectively and safely?

Here are some points one should consider when trying to lose weight naturally:

Beware of the Crash Diets

If you are thinking of trimming down, you probably think that dropping the calories can alone shed off your unwanted excess of fat. Probably, this is because of the current fad in advertising about low-calorie food products and beverages. What you may not know is that this could be dangerous because when you decrease your calorie intake below the required levels, the body begins to digest the fats.

Sounds good, but it isn't, in actuality. Burning fat requires a lot of energy. Since there is not much energy in the body to facilitate metabolism of fat, it will run at a very slow pace resulting in fatigue, illness and a weak immune system. And you'll still have the fat. Fat is not the only place where the body gets it's energy from.

A low-calorie diet is also compensated for by the body by burning muscle. People on this type of diet, who revert back to their old eating habits, end up gaining back most of their weight, if not all the weight they have shed off. This would consist mainly of fats.

And since fats have more volume per mass than muscle, this person ends up having the same weight as before, but will be bulkier. When losing weight, one should keep in mind that they should lose excess body fats only. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't reduce your calories. Just make sure that you've met the body's minimum requirement for calories to survive, energize, and repair.

4 Tips for Lower Cholesterol Fast

2007-09-04T12:20:00.000+08:00

By R. Morgan Griffin
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Deepening smile lines and silver locks may be inevitable features of growing older, but rising cholesterol doesn't have to be.

And while higher cholesterol is often a consequence of aging, young people can have it too. But no matter your age, it poses a big health risk. That's because unhealthy cholesterol levels can boost your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other problems.

Fortunately, you can do something about it.

Lower Cholesterol: 4 Ways to Fast Results

According to experts, there are four basic ways to get your cholesterol where you want it:

Eating a healthy diet.
Exercising
Losing weight
Taking medicine (in some cases)

While each of these works, some people have more success with one than another. Many need a combination of approaches.

No matter what your age or the state of your health, you can reduce your risks of serious problems by controlling your cholesterol and it's not as hard as you think.

The Best Nutrition To Lower Cholesterol

2007-09-04T12:13:00.000+08:00

by: Stewart Levison

There is a saying that goes. "We are what we eat." This is so true as the food being consumed may affect the cholesterol levels inside the person’s system. This makes this makes the person prone to high blood pressure or heart disease through age, which could leave the patient, paralyzed or dead.

The only thing to do before it is too late is to make some changes in the individual's diet. While many of the good stuff that people love to eat have high concentrations of LDL better known as bad cholesterol, this can all change by consuming those that have HDL or good cholesterol. Here are a few examples.

A good way to start a healthy diet is to have a breakfast. Instead of eating bread, the individual can consume oatmeal instead. Studies have shown this can lower the cholesterol in the body by more than 20. This can be purchased at the supermarket and eaten during anytime of the day such as dessert after a light meal or as a snack.

During lunch or dinner, the person must have some vegetables in the meal. Those who order can have fish or poultry instead of eating red meat. Such dishes are not high in saturated fats, which are healthier.

Those who love to cook at home can try mixing some healthy things ingredients in the meal. One example is garlic that has natural properties that can declog the arteries and again lower the odds of succumbing to heart disease.

People are often told that fats are not good for the diet. This isn’t entirely true because this comes in many forms. There are fats that are healthy such as unsaturated ones and omega 3 fatty acids.

Monosaturated and Polysaturated ones are also effective since these are usually found in cooking oils. This means food preparation also plays a big factor in reducing lowering one’s cholesterol levels.

The individual should read the label at the supermarket and read the ingredients to find out if this is healthy for cooking.

Being a bit overweight or noticing a lot of bulges in the body is one way of knowing that the person is potentially at risk for succumbing to disease to high levels of cholesterol in the system.

If the individual is unable to make a proper dietary plan, a specialist can help make one so all the person has to do is follow it.

Do You Have A Pregnancy Calendar?

2007-08-14T14:21:00.000+08:00

by: Shalene Chamings

Have you ever heard of a pregnancy calendar? A pregnancy calendar is simply a record of all the changes a woman and her baby will go through during the 40 weeks of pregnancy. Many expectant parents spend countless hours going over the pregnancy calendar so they can monitor what is going on inside the mother's body at any given moment. While the changes the mother is going through are very evident by the changes in her body outwardly, the changes the baby is going inside the mother's womb are not evident. That is why having a pregnancy calendar is so useful. Expectant parents can look at a pregnancy calendar to know what stage of development their unborn baby is in at any given week. Here is a general rundown on what you find on a pregnancy calendar.

Week 1-4 :

Conception occurs and the egg is fertilized.

Week 5-8 :

Your baby's heart has begun to beat by the 6th week. You baby has arms and legs have started to develop by week 8.

Week 9-12 :

By the 10th week your baby will be moving around inside of your womb. You probably do not feel it, but he or she is moving.

Week 13-16 :

During the 13-14th week a doctor may be able to determine the sex of your baby through an ultrasound. Your baby's heartbeat can also be heard during this time. Your baby's bones begin to harden during this time and you may begin to notice it when he or she moves around in your womb. Babies at this age can suck his or her thumb.

Week 17-20 :

Your baby's organs are developing and the sex of your baby can positively be identified. Your baby's body starts to be covered with fine hair.

Week 21-24 :

Your baby will start to deposit fat on his or her body so that he or she can deal with changes in temperature during and after birth.

Week 24-28 :

Your baby is able to hear sounds and can sense darkness and lightness. This is the time when the baby's movements start to lesson because the uterus is becoming crowded.

Week 29-32 :

Your baby's eyes begin to move. The size of your baby's head is starting to catch up with the size of his or her body. Your baby's brain is growing very fast. All major organs are developed by the 32nd week, except the lungs.

Week 33-36 :

Your baby starts to open and close his or her eyes during this stage. Your baby's fingernails start to grow long.

Week 37-40 :

Your baby's lungs start to get ready for birth. You can go into labor at anytime during this stage.

These are just the highlights of what you would see on a pregnancy calendar. If you are pregnant, you are encouraged to get a pregnancy calendar of your own to chart your baby's development. These calendars can be as simple or as detailed as you would like them to be. You can even locate pregnancy calendars that have room for you to write important details down for each week. This is a great way for you to monitor yourself and your baby. Pregnancy calendars are a great thing to have for a keepsake that you can give to your child when he or she is grown along with their baby book.

Tips On Buying Products For A New Born Baby

2007-08-08T16:34:00.000+08:00

by: Phil Wheatley

We all want the best for our babies, and if you are having your first child, you will probably be even more prone to buying the most expensive items, which you may never use. A classic example of this is a special airlock diaper bin you can buy for around $100/£50. At first glance this may seem like an essential purchase when in fact, for a mere 16 cents/32p, you can buy a pack of 100 diaper bags which can then be easily disposed of.

Another consideration is when you are buying essentials like diapers, tissues and the like, do you go for the cheaper products or is that false economy. Well, as for tissues, we can tell you that if you are using them for wiping/drying after changing the baby, it's better to use the cheap supermarket tissues as they are tougher and less likely to tear if wet. The more expensive tissues are softer and more suitable for wiping the nose.

Concerning diapers, it's a bit more complicated. Yes, the cheaper ones will ultimately do the same job, but because the system for keeping the wetness away from the baby's skin isn't as good, you may find the baby will be more prone to rashes, which means using more cream…and spending more money. Another problem is the cheaper diapers can leak during the night which will result in more sleepless nights. In our opinion, if you can afford it, go for one of the leading brands.

Another example where you may want to avoid the cheapest route is bottle sterilizers. At first we used a container where you soaked the bottles in a solution of water and purifying tablets. We found that it could cause the bottles to smell like chlorine and also, after a while, it could affect your hands and make them dry, even bleed. Using a steamer type sterilizer was quicker, easier and kinder to your hands. It does cost a bit more but you will be using it every day for months and months to come.

Talking of essentials, the kind of items mentioned above would be ideal gifts to give at a baby shower (a party where gifts are given to a parent or baby). Sometimes people spend lots of money on elaborate gifts which may never get used.

If you know anybody who has recently had a child then it is really worth asking about their experiences with various products, your parents may also be a good source of information. You will find that you may get many different options, they may not all be right for you, including some of them in this article but you will at least have a range of options and you can make the decision you feel is best for you and your baby.

Using baby sign language to help encourage your baby's speech

2007-08-06T16:31:00.000+08:00

by: Jackie Durnin

Baby sign language has been shown to very beneficial to a baby’s language development. So much so, that the typical language parameters of children are changing thanks to a child’s ability to express themselves through baby sign from as early as 6 months of age.

So how can a parent know if their child’s language, listening and speech skills are developing normally? All children develop their language, listening and speech skills at different rates. Below you will find a chart based on a non-signing child’s typical language development but this does not take into consideration the use of baby sign language with children. Please note that this table is a guide only.

Your Child’s Age

Typical Language Development:-

By Age One:

* Turns head toward the source of the sound.

* Watches your face when you speak.

* Responds to familiar sounds such as the car in the driveway, the dog barking, the door bell ringing, the telephone ringing etc.

* Responds to their name.

* Understands simple instructions such as “no”.

* Tries to repeat your sounds or familiar sounds from their environment.

* Uses one or more word with meaning.

* Babbles (says "ba-ba" or "ma-ma").

____________________________________________

By 17 Months:

* Points to objects, pictures & people.

* Most vocabulary is mainly nouns ie. People, place, animal or thing.

* Tries to imitate easy words.

* By The Age of Two Points and says the name to simple body parts such as “nose”.

* Starts to combine words such as “more milk”.

* Can name a number of objects in their environment.

* Can use some pronouns such as “He”, “My” or “I”. However “My” & “I” often get confused.

* Understands simple sentences such as "show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair)".

____________________________________________

By Age Three:

* Speech is more accurate and they can be understood by familiar adults.

* Uses three to four word sentences.

* Is using some past tense such as “jumped”.

* Uses pronouns I, you, me correctly.

* Recognises their own needs such as hunger or thirst.

* Have favourite books and television shows.

* Knows around three prepositions such as “in”, “on” or “under”.

* Is using some plurals such as “socks” or “shoes”.

So how does baby sign language change the above milestones?

The main difference is your baby’s ability to begin communicating through sign earlier than their vocal skills will allow them. By the age of two, while non-signing babies are combining words such as “more milk”, parents of signing babies have experienced two-word communication through baby sign language as early as 14 months of age. This is a 10-month gap in communication. Dr Acredolo & Dr Goodwyn further highlighted these benefits in a study where three-year-old signing children had developed the language and vocabulary skills to a four-year-old.

This does not mean that a signing baby will necessarily speak earlier than a non signing baby but that they will have the ability to communicate their thoughts, wants and needs through sign while being pre-verbal.

This ability for children to communicate their needs and wants causes children to be less frustrated and research has shown that it has great language development and vocabulary building benefits.

Give your child a head start in language development with baby sign language.

Toddlers – Planning a Vacation with Kids

2007-07-30T11:57:00.000+08:00

by: Spiffy Baby

Got Toddlers? Got Chaos! Planning any kind of trip with toddlers can be complicated. There are certain things to keep in mind that might help preserve your sanity and possibly even let you have a little bit of fun together as a family.

Arrive Leisurely

Traveling with a toddler can take a toll on even the most patient parent. If you are flying, the experience can be exciting and will keep them occupied for about ten minutes before your little one is ready to start a full-scale exploration effort. In an airplane you do have the opportunity to get up and move around – take a trip to the restroom or, pilot willing, consider a trip to the cockpit.

Car rides can be complicated as well. Fortunately, toddlers are great at napping in the car, so you might consider leaving right before naptime and letting your enthusiastic one sleep the first couple of hours. A lot of parents also drive in the evening in hopes of a sleepy car ride for longer than a few hours.

While your toddler is awake, consider a favorite video, toys (http://www.spiffybaby.com/Toys-Playtime-p-1-c-5.html), books, coloring, action figures, snacks and anything else you can think of to keep them entertained. Plan on plenty of stops along the way to get out, change diapers and stretch legs. Rushing to get anywhere just makes things more stressful, so don’t get in a hurry.

Maintain a Routine

Your toddler probably has a nice nap routine at home, and vacation is not a time to wing it. If your little one naps at noon every day, move mountains to help them nap at noon on the road. Take a break in the hotel room or alternate separate parent activities so someone is there to help even the most reluctant toddler take a break in a busy day. Try to keep bedtime reasonably close to normal, too – a tired toddler is not a toddler that travels well.

Keep it Loose

If you are a scheduling fanatic when it comes to travel, toddler travel may not be for you. Plan activities with plenty of cushion time in between. Toddlers aren’t able to appreciate fine architecture, but they love a good fountain or the local zoo. Find activities that have a little bit of something for everyone – zoos, parks, beaches, hikes, wildlife, etc…

Mix “grown-up” activities in with toddler activities to give everyone something to look forward to. You might also want to pick a few of the most important landmarks to see and leave the rest for when your child has an attention span longer than fifteen minutes. Above all, just remember that this should be fun for everyone – even if you never leave the hotel pool!

4th week of July : PARENTING

2007-07-28T00:57:00.000+08:00

Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting
There Is A Science To Raising Children

Are you constantly searching the latest on parenting to make sure you are doing everything exactly right? It's time to relax. Temple University psychologist, Laurence Steinberg, says that perfect parents just don’t exist.

“Most parents are pretty good parents,” says Steinberg, “But I’ve never met a parent who is perfect 100 percent of the time. We all can improve our batting average.”

Here is a quick overview of the Ten Basic Principles:

1. What you do matters.
“Tell yourself that every day. How you treat and respond to your child should come from a knowledgeable, deliberate sense of what you want to accomplish. Always ask yourself: What effect will my decision have on my child?”

2. You cannot be too loving.
“When it comes to genuine expressions of warmth and affection, you cannot love your child too much. It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love. What we often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never the result of showing a child too much love. It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of love—things like leniency, lowered expectations or material possessions.”

3. Be involved in your child’s life.
"Being an involved parent takes time and is hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities. It frequently means sacrificing what you want to do for what your child needs you to do. Be there mentally as well as physically.”

4. Adapt your parenting to fit your child.
“Make sure your parenting keeps pace with your child’s development. You may wish you could slow down or freeze-frame your child’s life, but this is the last thing he wants. You may be fighting getting older, but all he wants is to grow up. The same drive for independence that is making your three-year-old say ‘no’ all the time is what’s motivating him to be toilet trained. The same intellectual growth spurt that is making your 13-year-old curious and inquisitive in the classroom also is making her argumentative at the dinner table.”

5. Establish and set rules.
“If you don’t manage your child’s behavior when he is young, he will have a hard time learning how to manage himself when he is older and you aren’t around. Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is with my child? What is my child doing? The rules your child has learned from you are going to shape the rules he applies to himself.”

6. Foster your child’s independence.
“Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self-control. Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of self-direction. To be successful in life, she’s going to need both. Accepting that it is normal for children to push for autonomy is absolutely key to effective parenting. Many parents mistakenly equate their child’s independence with rebelliousness or disobedience. Children push for independence because it is part of human nature to want to feel in control rather than to feel controlled by someone else.”

7. Be consistent.
“If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion, or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child’s misbehavior is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency. Identify your non-negotiables. The more your authority is based on wisdom and not on power, the less your child will challenge it.”

8. Avoid harsh discipline.
“Of all the forms of punishment that parents use, the one with the worst side effects is physical punishment. Children who are spanked, hit or slapped are more prone to fighting with other children. They are more likely to be bullies and more likely to use aggression to solve disputes with others.”

9. Explain your rules and decisions.
“Good parents have expectations they want their child to live up to. Generally, parents overexplain to young children and underexplain to adolescents. What is obvious to you may not be evident to a 12-year-old. He doesn’t have the priorities, judgment or experience that you have.”

10. Treat your child with respect.
“The best way to get respectful treatment from your child is to treat him respectfully. You should give your child the same courtesies you would give to anyone else. Speak to him politely. Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he is speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Try to please him when you can. Children treat others the way their parents treat them. Your relationship with your child is the foundation for her relationships with others.”

There is no guarantee that following these guidelines will result in perfect parents... remember, there is no such thing!

Good parenting, says Steinberg, is “parenting that fosters psychological adjustment—elements like honesty, empathy, self-reliance, kindness, cooperation, self-control and cheerfulness.

“Good parenting is parenting that helps children succeed in school,” he continues. “It promotes the development of intellectual curiosity, motivation to learn and desire to achieve. It deters children from anti-social behavior, delinquency, and drug and alcohol use. And good parenting is parenting that helps protect children against the development of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other types of psychological distress.”

“There is no more important job in any society than raising children, and there is no more important influence on how children develop than their parents.”

by Steinberg's

More income???

2007-07-20T11:54:00.000+08:00

Buy an e-book and start to generate income automatically.....There is more than 45 e-book where you can download to read....Just pay RM50 and the income will grow while you spend your time reading all those book...

****click here****

Don't waste your time and take your move now!!!

Adsense

2007-07-18T23:14:00.000+08:00

Want to know about adsense? How about some tips about how to make more money with adsense?

More information about adsense at http://sbm979.blogspot.com/

2007-07-12T08:21:00.000+08:00

10 Julai 2007 : My husband and his friend went to watch the AFC Games where Malaysia meets China....mula games agak menarik di mana team Malaysia banyak buat serangan yang menarik dan hampir2 menyumbat gol pembukaan....Tapi yang score hanya lah China.....satu..dua..tiga...dan empat....Selepas empat goal.....kebanyakkan seat di Stadium Bukit Jalil telah mula kosong di mana penyokong tidak sanggup lagi melihat team Malaysia dimalukan dengan begitu teruk oleh China...Walaupun Indra Putra berjaya menyumbat satu goal (kata pengulas perlawanan sebagai gol bagi merapatkan jurang dengan China..4 - 1 dah masa tu....aparaaa)..Penyokong Malaysia dah tak de mood nak tengok...What a dissapointment!! Game yang memalukan...pemain Malaysia macam baru belajar main bola....Gol2 China semua mudah-mudah.....Tak de pemain Malaysia yang jaga pemain China yang score tu ....Macam mana ni?? Ingat ke gol tamat setakat 4 tapi 5 rupanya......satu2nya negara tuan rumah yang kalah dalam perlawanan pembukaan.....Apa masalah nya nie?? Nak kata program sukan negara tak aktif...macam2 program ada....insentif pun banyak....mana-mana tempat pun boleh berlatih tak ada yang nak kacau....except ada yang amik gambar la......tengok contoh Iraq.....negara bermasalah....nak berlatih bola pun susah takut terkena peluru sesat.....tapi boleh plak seri....

p/s: Teringat bola sepak dulu2 yang meriah dengan 'star'....

Set your sites higher: 5 tips to update your website for success

2007-07-10T23:36:00.000+08:00

When it comes to the internet, your website is your front door, your waiting room, your store and your office. The impression you make with a clean, professional-looking and functional website will carry over to your business dealings with customers and clients. A little common sense and care can go a long way. Try to view your site from a user's perspective, and don't be afraid to get feedback on improving the web experience. Here are some tips to help you spruce up your site design.

1) Mind the basics.

A visitor should be able to tell what your business does right from your main web page. Most web suffers don't have much patience, so you have only a few seconds to make a good impression. Keep your site updated regularly with new content, products or information, and your customers will have a reason to stick around as well as come back later. Proofread your entire website to catch spelling and grammatical errors before your customers do. Make sure your contact information is easily accessible.

2) Keep your site structure well-organized.

Be sure your website navigation is clear, simple and consistent from page to page. Overall, page sizes should be reasonably compact and blocks of text streamlined to a manageable size. Try to place the most important information toward the top of the page so that you minimize the amount of scrolling your customer needs to do to view important content or product information. In particular, watch your graphics placement, and avoid horizontal scrolling--it's an annoyance that does not generally sit well with suffers. A site map or search function can also be a handy tool to help visitors Locate the exact content they're Looking for, especially for large, elaborate websites. Good site structure translates into ease of use and satisfied customers who will want to return to your website.

3) Flashy websites with tots of spinning video, animated splash pages and automatic music may be appropriate for some businesses, but not most.

Elaborate web design can stow down the user experience and be a turnoff for potential customers. Keep the took of your website clean, and always consider the impression you're making on a first-time visitor. Do you really want them waiting around for a page to Load or frantically reaching to turn down their speakers? On a more basic level, be aware of the size of your graphics files. Keep them slimmed down so they will load fast.

4) Pay attention to the impact of different colors.

If you wouldn't print a business card with hot pink text on a black background, you shouldn't have a website that looks like that, either. Be sure to check that all text is easily readable and that your overall use of color is easy on the eyes. Businesses that already have a color scheme associated with their branding can carry that over to their websites for a consistent experience both online and off.

5) Go to a professional when you need to.

Most busy entrepreneurs don't have the time or expertise to build and maintain an elaborate website. For simpler sites, web design templates like those Network Solutions offers to its customers can be a quick and painless way to get up and running on the web. If your needs are more complex, it may be a good time to check in with a designer who can specifically tailor a site to fit your business and your budget. Network Solutions, for example, has professional web designers on staff to build your business site to meet your specific needs. A service like that is not only affordable, but can also get your site up quickly while providing the added benefit of monthly maintenance. Busy entrepreneurs will appreciate the one-stop shopping that Network Solutions offers for hosting, design and e-mail

For more information on growing your business online, go to www.entrepreneur.com/etips.

Trip to Sabah

2007-07-06T08:05:00.000+08:00

Recently I went to Sabah with my family....in order to support 'Cuti-cuti Malaysia'.....(actually i manage to get free ticket from airasia....just pay the airport tax..RM130.00 per person...) depart on 9.35 and arrive at K.Kinabalu at 12.15...RM20.00 per taxi from airport to the city centre... I stay in promenade apartment..for 2 room apartment plus kitchen, 2 bathroom, tv and etc cost me about RM230.00 per night...ok huh? for 6 people it is quite comfortable....promenade is quite popular for tourist bcoz it is strategic iin the middle of the city...near philipine market, centre point shopping complex, evening market and of course along the sea side.... We rent Toyota Avanza for RM180.00 per day...for Toyota Unser RM200.00 per day....

Manukan Island ...where you can do snorkelling.....where u dont have to chase for fish b'coz fish will totally chase u.. it cost RM24.00 per person for one island, RM33.00 for two island and RM43.00 for 3 island...discount RM3.00 for student card...this charge is for Malaysian...They charge additional RM10.00 for non-Malaysian...I went to Manukan Island and Sapi Island because it is the best place to do snorkelling... 20 minutes boat ride to Manukan Island....10 minutes boat ride from Manukan to Sapi Island....

My son also eager to get down......experience it urself.... To enter the island..we have to pay RM3.00 once and you can use the same ticket to every island in the same day...lunch at Sapi Island is much cheaper than Manukan Island....Just pay RM20.00++ to eat everything they serve....sea food of course!! What a nice view u can see here...white sand....Time to relax!!!

"We are ready mummy"....With his cousin...Snorkell equipment for RM10.00 per pc.

Kota Kinabalu city from view deck at Bukit Bendera..(I thought only in Penang got Bukit Bendera)....somewhere near stadium Likas...Got Motor Grand Prix that day....you can see the whole city from here..
To have a nice seafood meal....I suggest Gayang Seafood restaurant...somewhere near the road way to Kundasang..Near Kampung Nelayan....fresh and yummy!!! Dont forget Timpohon at Kundasang *gate for Mount Kinabalu climbers to enter* to get a close view to Mount Kinabalu and Hot Spring at Ranau if you need a hot water bath....

Blog

2007-07-05T12:15:00.000+08:00

Never thought to use blog to publish anything that i want to share....usually i just email but today is the first time i use blog...and the first time i have my own blog....wakakakkak...eventhough i am a multimedia person and my job is to maintain and update my company website...wakakakakak..

may be i'm not that creative to create all those thing i.e website ...... :)

CSS

2007-07-05T11:41:00.000+08:00

In computing, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language. Its most common application is to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but the language can be applied to any kind of XML document, including SVG and XUL. The CSS specifications are maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

CSS has various levels and profiles. Each level of CSS builds upon the last, typically adding new features and are typically denoted as CSS1, CSS2, and CSS3. Profiles are typically a subset of one or more levels of CSS built for a particular device or user interface. Currently there are profiles for mobile devices, printers, and television sets. Profiles should not be confused with media types which were added in CSS2.

The use of CSS to position the content of a web page is sometimes referred to as CSS-P or CSS Positioning.

Overview

CSS is used by both the authors and readers of web pages to define colors, fonts, layout, and other aspects of document presentation. It is designed primarily to enable the separation of document content (written in HTML or a similar markup language) from document presentation (written in CSS). This separation can improve content accessibility, provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentational characteristics, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content. CSS can also allow the same markup page to be presented in different styles for different rendering methods, such as on-screen, in print, by voice (when read out by a speech-based browser or screen reader) and on braille-based, tactile HTML or XML markup can be displayed in a variety of styles, liveries or color schemes by using different CSS. devices. Similarly, identical

CSS information can be provided by various sources:

Author styles (style information provided by the web page author), in the form of
- external stylesheets, i.e. a separate CSS-file referenced from the document
- embedded style, blocks of CSS information inside the HTML document itself
- inline styles, inside the HTML document, style information on a single element, specified using the "style" attribute.
User style
- a local CSS-file specified by the user using options in the web browser, and acting as an override, to be applied to all documents.
User agent style
- the default style sheet applied by the user agent, e.g. the browser's default presentation of elements.

CSS specifies a priority scheme to determine which style rules apply if more than one rule matches against a particular element. In this so-called cascade, priorities or weights are calculated and assigned to rules, so that the results are predictable.

Advantages

Advantages of using CSS include:

Presentation information for an entire website or collection of pages can be held in one CSS file, allowing sweeping changes to be propagated with quick changes to this one file.
Web browser software can store a copy of the CSS file in the computers cache, so that it doesn't have to be downloaded each time the user views a web page that references it.
Different users can have different style sheets: for example a large text alternative for visually-impaired users, or a layout optimized for small displays for mobile phones.
The document code is reduced in size and complexity, since it does not need to contain any presentational markup.

Use of CSS

Prior to CSS, nearly all of the presentational attributes of HTML documents were contained within the HTML markup; all font colors, background styles, element alignments, borders and sizes had to be explicitly described, often repeatedly, within the HTML. CSS allows authors to move much of that information to a separate stylesheet resulting in considerably simpler HTML markup.

Headings (h1 elements), sub-headings (h2), sub-sub-headings (h3) etc. are defined structurally using HTML. In print and on the screen, choice of font, size, color and emphasis for these elements is presentational.

Hi

2007-07-05T11:04:00.000+08:00

Anybody want to share any multimedia note are welcome...