Nicol Retains Hong Kong Open Title For Fifth Consecutive Time

National squash queen and world number one Datuk Nicol Ann David retained the Hong Kong Open for the fifth successive time after defeating arch rival Jenny Duncalf of England in the final Sunday.

In the final held at Plaza Hollywood Shopping Mall, Hong Kong, Nicol, the top seed, beat Duncalf in straight sets 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 in 40 minutes.

"I didn't want to let it go in this match and won it 3-0 against Jenny Duncalf in the finals. It was a great tournament overall for me," said the 27-year-old Penang lass in her social website, Facebook.

Nicol pulled away from 5-all in the first game but from positions of 9-all in the second and 10-7 in the third Duncalf would have felt she deserved a game, at least.

Duncalf was in contention in all three games but at the end it was the Malaysian who was stronger, taking the second 11-9 and reeling off five points in a row, aided by some unforced errors by Duncalf, to clinch the title.

They had played each other 23 times since meeting in the British Junior Open in 1997.

Nicol has won 21 of those matches but Duncalf's both wins came at the end of last year, and she was the last player to have beaten Nicol.

The win was Nicol's sixth title in the Women's International Squash Players Association (Wispa) competition this year, after the Chennai Open, Kuala Lumpur Open, Cayman Island Open, 2010 CIMB Malaysian Open and Singapore Master Open last month.

After having won here, Nicol will be vying to add the Women's 2010 World Open at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from Sept 15-22.

Meanwhile, Ramy Ashour of Egypt beat Gregory Gaultier of France 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11 and 11-9 in 90 minutes to claim the Men's title.

This is the best. Way to go Nicol...consistent, humble, great champion !!!

Pedrosa grabs commanding win at Indianapolis

Dani Pedrosa narrowed the gap on Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to 68 points with seven rounds of the 2010 season remaining by winning the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on Sunday. It was the Repsol Honda rider’s third win of the campaign, the first time he has achieved three wins in a season in the premier class.

Starting from the second row Pedrosa was on the pace early on and a fastest lap on lap two lifted him into second position, as he set his sights on pole holder Ben Spies. On the end of the seventh lap the Spaniard overtook the rookie on the start/finish straight and never relinquished the lead, eventually crossing the line 3.575 seconds clear of Spies.

For the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider second place marked his best result to date and a second podium in what has already been a fantastic debut season. Spies started from pole – the first of his MotoGP career – and his race result capped off a great weekend which also saw him confirmed as a factory Yamaha rider for 2011.

Completing the podium was Championship leader Lorenzo who had started from second on the grid but dropped to fifth at the start of the race. That failed to affect his concentration however and he battled his way past Andrea Dovizioso and into third just before the midway point of the race, finishing just over three seconds off Spies as his phenomenal record of having placed in the top two in every race this season was finally broken.

A complicated weekend for Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) ended with the reigning World Champion placing fourth in the race, as he won the battle of the Italians with Repsol Honda rider Dovizioso who took fifth. Nicky Hayden was sixth having started from the front row for the first time in his Ducati career.

Rookies Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) impressed with seventh and eight places respectively, with Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) completing the top ten. Loris Capirossi, Hiroshi Aoyama – on his return from injury – and Randy de Puniet were the final three riders to finish the race.

Suffering the disappointment of DNFs were Marco Melandri (lap two) on his 200th Grand Prix start, Casey Stoner who lost the front end of his Ducati Desmosedici GP10 (lap eight), Colin Edwards who was forced to retire with rear tyre issues (lap 17) and Mika Kallio who crashed in turn ten when he hit a bump.

Lorenzo moves onto 251 points with Pedrosa now on 183 in second in the standings. Dovizioso is third on 126, with Stoner now seven points behind in fourth. Rossi remains in fifth while Spies moves up to sixth.

Happy 53rd Merdeka !!!

What a holiday today...a super tired day, much more tired than normal working day...Happy Merdeka Malaysia...I will sure hope to have a good rest and sleep tonight...

World Championship 2010: China 5 Rest of World 0

China won all five titles at the YONEX-BWF World Championships at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium in Paris, a feat they have achieved only once at the World Championships in 1987 in Beijing.

China won the first of today’s finals at the Yonex World Badminton Championships when Zheng Bo-Ma Jin defeated their counterparts He Hanbin-Yu Yang in straight games at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium in Paris.

And Chen Jin made it two out of two for China when he defeated Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat 21-13, 21-15 to lift the men’s singles title.

Chen Jin’s aggression proved too much for the Indonesian super star as the Chinese, who was seeded fourth, went one better than the last edition in 2009 when he had lost the final to Chinese teammate Lin Dan in Hyderabad.

For Taufik, the former Olympic and World Champion, it was the end of a brilliant run here in Paris.

In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, Taufik, who won the 2004 Olympics, had shown glimpses of his class and brilliant skills to have his supporter’s dream of a repeat of 2005 when Taufik had won the World Championships.

But here at the Stade Coubertin on Sunday, in front of tennis superstar Martina Hingis, Chen Jin was the better and stronger player as he controlled the match right from the start.

Right from the beginning, Chen Jin kept a healthy lead and Taufik had to play catch-up for most of the match. What tilted the balance in favour of the Chinese were the seven consecutive points won in the first game and the five consecutive points won in the second game.

Taufik’s normally reliable net play was error-ridden and his wrong judgments at the baseline didn’t help his cause at crucial stages in both the games.

After the final Chen Jin, said, “It’s good to win a title. Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei have been winning all the while and to win the World Championships is always good.”

Chen also said that he had analysed Taufik’s play in the last two games and was able to predict most of the Indonesian’s moves in the final. “I think everyone had an equal chance to win in this world championship and I am happy that I have finally won the world title.”

“I committed too many mistakes,” said Taufik. “He was the better player and it was Chen Jin’s day.”

It was a memorable return for Zheng Bo-Ma Jin as they won 21-14, 21-10 and cemented their reputation as a pair to be feared going into the Asian Games this November.

“It is always good to win and we are happy to have landed the world title,” said Zheng Bo.

“We peaked at the right time and that helped us. After this it is back to the grind as we want the Asian Games title.”

In the women’s singles, Wang Lin beat Wang Xin 21-11, 19-21, 21-13 while Du Jing-Yu Yang beat top seeds Ma Jin-Wang Xiaoli 21-9, 21-17 to take the women’s doubles title.

In the last match of the day, Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng made it a perfect day for China when they beat Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in three games.

The 18-21, 21-18, 21-14 win also meant that Cai-Fu successfully defended the title they won in Hyderabad last year.

“We tried our best and are sad that we failed to deliver the medal for Malaysia,” said Boon Heong.

“They were very strong in defence and try as we did to break them, we were unable to do it.

“We were also too eager in the second game and attacked without any tactical discipline and that cost us dearly.”

Cai Yun, credited the Malaysians for their fighting display but emphasized that their winning attitude was a major factor in their win.

“We were not thinking about five gold medals. Each time we go on court, we go with the aim to win and it was no different here,” said Cai.

What can I say...China simply superb....our men's double had only themselve to blame for the bad rubber game...

Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix to reclaim Championship lead

Lewis Hamilton overcame a late scare to win the Belgian Grand Prix and take the overall lead of the Formula One championship on Sunday.

Hamilton ran off the track with nine laps to race but recovered to keep the lead and edge second-place Mark Webber of Red Bull.

"I locked my wheel and went wide," Hamilton said. "I just clipped (the wall). But I was able to get away with it."

Webber dropped to second in the overall standings after failing to defend his pole position with a clutch problem giving him a poor start off the line.

Jenson Button's championship hopes took a hit after the defending F1 champion was knocked out of the race when Sebastian Vettel crashed into him during a failed overtaking maneuver.

Hamilton's 14th career win means the Briton has 182 points - three more than Webber - as the top two opened up a gap over the other title favorites.

"It was a pretty mixed up race (so) I'm happy with second in the end," Webber said.

Vettel stayed third with 151 points, Button is fourth with 147 and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari abandoned the race after spinning out to remain fifth on 141.

Six races remain with the Italian GP next on Sept. 12.

Robert Kubica of Renault was third in the race ahead of Felipe Massa of Ferrari, while Force India's Adrian Sutil completed the top five.

Hamilton's victory means nine of 13 races have been won by drivers not on pole. Red Bull has taken pole for 12 of the 13 races.

"When you have a weekend and a race like that, when it can be a lottery, and you can come out on top - I'm really, really happy," said Hamilton, who finally picked up a victory at Spa after having it taken away in 2008 for cutting a chicane.

Hamilton jumped into the lead as Webber started slowly to sit fifth behind Kubica, Button, Vettel and Massa.

Button overtook Kubica to put McLaren in the driver's seat while Alonso dropped into 18th after surviving Rubens Barrichello's crash into him on the second lap, with the safety car deployed and rain falling.

Barrichello didn't return to complete his record 300th GP.

Vettel pushed ahead of Kubica into third behind the McLarens and Webber got past Massa for fourth when the safety car came in and the sun came out.

But the circuit was still slick and Vettel skidded into the side of Button.

"It's a massive blow, a massive blow," Button told the BBC. "It was looking really good. I don't know what happened with Sebastian."

After knocking Button out of the race, Vettel's drive-through penalty knocked him into 13th and a punctured tire lap eventually saw him drop out of the points to finish 15th.

Rain fell over the close of the race with Hamilton losing the line and going into the gravel at Rivage. But the 2008 F1 champion, who picked up his first win here, avoided the wall and his 12-second lead allowed him to stay in front.

Webber jumped ahead of Kubica following a poor pit stop by the Polish driver and Hamilton hung on in the rain after the safety car was deployed with five laps to go after Alonso lost control after coming out Les Combes.

Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished sixth and seventh. Schumacher, with six career wins at the Ardennes circuit, had started 21st. - AP

Frankly speaking, till now McLaren's Hamilton looks to be the best bet to win the world championship this year, but then again it's really too close to call :)

Kwong Wah Yit Poh Round Island Cycling : 26 Sept 2010

Date: 26 September 2010 (Sunday)

Time: 7:00am

Venue: Taman Belia, Penang

Website: www.baikbike.com

On the 26th Sep, we celebrate Kwong Wah Yit Poh’s 100th anniversary!

In conjunction with World Car Free day strongly promoted by the island’s local authorities, the ride is born to encourage sustainable living and promoting the tourism industry of Penang – to be launched on 26th September 2010 (Sunday).

This ride is one of the serial events organized by your daily bread – Kwong Wah Yit Poh, in conjunction with the celebration of its 100th anniversary. General Manager of KWYP – Dato’ Lee Hin Chan expresses his vision for a better future with everybody working towards the same direction, hand in hand.

“The government’s campaign to go green has been reflected by KWYP, as we instill environmental-friendly cultures and lead healthy lifestyles.” says Dato’ Lee. He also expresses his gratitude towards KWYP’s readers for their loyal support in promotion of the local tourism field.

The 100 KWYP Round Island Ride kicks off as early as 7 in the morning – on 26th September, at Youth Park, Penang. Event organizers include Majlis Sukan Negeri Pulau Pinang, Penang Cycling Lifestyle Society and KOTRT. KWYP takes the lead in responding to the green campaign – together they cycle ’round the town, admiring the scenic views. Cyclists from different states are also expected to be present.

The 100km-route is as follows:-

This ride is open to all above 21 years old, whereas participants under 21 will require guardian’s approval. Participants who can finish the ride within 5 hours are entitled to a Limited Edition Medal, certificate and door gifts, at the same time with winning chances in a lucky draw.

For more information, check this out; or call Mr Leong at 04-2612312 ext 330.

Click here to download application form. Submission latest on 3rd Sep – 3.30pm.

No Helmet, No Ride; Prepare own drinks and bikes.

I'm sure all those cyclists in Penang would love to hear and participate in this event :)

Tiger Painting Exhibition : 27th Aug - 4th Sept 2010

Tiger Exhibition
Venue: 29, China Street, George Town
Date: 27th Aug to 4th Sept 2010
FREE Admission

Local and Expat artists in Penang are exhibiting their work in 'The Gallery' 29 China Street in George Town for 1 week only from 27th Aug to 4th Sept. The theme of the exhibiiton is - The Year of the Tiger.

Please note there is no obligation to bid on any painting, just come along to see what your local artists are getting up to and enjoy a fun week and 2 exciting evenings.

--> Closing night is on Saturday the 4th of September at 7pm - 9pm when you will be able to to make a final bid on any of the paintngs.

A silent auction will be run during the whole week of the exhibition starting on Opening night. You may phone or text your bids throughout the week of the exhibition to the contact stated above. Last minuite bids will be taken on the closing night and the highest bid at the end of closing night will win the painting.

15% of any sales during the exhibition will go to the Art club charity, 15% will go to the gallery and the remainder will go to the artists to cover their cost.

visitpenang.gov

Nice works !!! Must visit...

Merdeka Parade @ Esplanade : 31st Aug 2010

Merdeka Parade
Date: 31st Aug 2010
Time: 8am to 11.30am
Venue: Esplanade

The National Day of our beloved motherland, Malaysia, is celebrated every 31st August since the year 1957 and this year we are proud to be of 53 years of independence. Independence, or Merdeka, as we call it is a united occasion celebrated by all Malaysians of our multi-cultural national races by displaying the flag of Malaysia at our homes, public monuments, corporate buildings and vehicles as a gesture of love and support for our country.

For this National Day the place to be is at Esplanade where rows of soldiers in their majestic uniforms stand at attention for a formal inspection by the honorary guests.

There will be a Flag ceremony and follow by school brass bands, the armed forces, government offices, NGOs and private corporations parade in their rich and colourful attires.

visitpenang.gov

Feeling free this coming Merdeka morning? Have the energy and wanted to show some national patriotic? Then you should head on to Esplanade for the Parade with your friends, family or kids...I'm wondering when was the last time I attended a parade...hmm...

Keep up with EPF on Facebook and Twitter

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is now on Facebook and Twitter.

The pension fund became the latest business organisation to join the social networking media to provide information updates to members.

Members can get regular updates on the EPF by joining its Facebook fan page under the name "Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja" and KWSPBuzz on Twitter.

But queries must be done through dedicated channels like service counters, says an EPF official.

Now everything and everyone must follow the trend...You can see signboards everywhere with the logo of Facebook and Twitter at the corner :)

BPL Gameweek2 Ars Results : Arsenal 6 - 0 Blackpool

Last week (1st gw), Arsenal was saved by a last minute deflection to earned the 1-1 draw with Liverpool. They didn't manage to break down Liverpool even with an extra man advantages. This week however, it was a completely different story.

Arsenal were back to their best, passing and dribbling through the park without much problem. Walcott scored a hat trick and produced Man of the Match performance. And the result? 6-0 to the Gunners !!!

My comment on the match...Walcott and Arshavin are so good in terrorising the Blackpool defence, Chamakh was a constant treat and Rosicky, Wilshere together with Diaby was pulling all the strings from the midfield. The defence were solid and Song looks comfortable at the central defender slot in a rather untroubled defence.

My overall comment going forward...Arsenal needs to build on from this game, we will have Fabregas and Van Persie back to the starting line up, the midfield needs to cover the defenders nicely while both wings need to continue to supply the attackers for goals. I'm backing you all....!!! Gunners go go go !!!

Penang Merdeka Fun Run 30th Aug 2010

Penang Merdeka Fun Run 2010

Date: 30 August 2010 (Monday)

Venue: Lebuh Lintang, GeorgeTown, Penang

Reporting/Starting: 7pm ~ 9:30am

Contact: 012-4401396/016-9389395

Distance: 5km

Website: penangmerdekafunrun.blogspot.com

This is another interesting activity in case you are free on Merdeka eve. I'm sure a lot will be taking leaves to rest and spend time with families and friends...Not sure how many will turn up, but it's a healthy activity after all, correct?

Click on the form for bigger and clearer picture. Register fast so that you won't miss out :)

Komtar to be revitalised as Penang lookout point ???

A ride in a bubble lift up to the 65th floor of Komtar to view the scenery from one of Southeast Asia's highest buildings will soon be among the attractions the 35-year-old tower will offer visitors as the state government attempts to revive one of Penang's most prominent landmarks.

The state government has called for a request for proposal (RFP) for the revival of the 59th, 60th, 64th and 65th floors with a floor space of 52,000 sq ft, and also the 205,674 sq ft space on the rooftop of the fifth floor, which now house a food court, geodesic dome and open space.

The 65-storey tower — completed in 1985 — is a 12-sided geometric block that is 760 ft (232m) tall and sits atop a four-storey podium.

Komtar occupies an 11-hectare site, and was the single most ambitious urban renewal project undertaken by Penang Development Corporation (PDC), the development arm of the Penang state government.

Over the past two years, the state government and PDC have undertaken a revitalisation process aimed at bringing back the glory of Komtar — which over the years had fallen into a state of despair — as a socio-civic and business hub of the people.

To date, efforts by the state government have borne fruit with two major anchor tenants — Pacific Hypermarket and Departmental Store — and an IT mall taking up several floors at the complex.

The ground floor of the podium block has also been revived, with Komtar Walk — a sheltered mall with several upmarket food and beverage outlets taking up space — making Komtar almost 95% occupied.

At a press conference attended by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, PDC general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar said the revitalisation and upgrading efforts would complement the state's aspirations to promote Komtar as a centre of tourist attractions both internationally and locally.

At the present moment, certain sections of the 64th floor have been rented by telecommunications companies to install their equipment, while the deck on the 65th floor was originally planned as a landing spot for airlift evacuation.

Lim said the scenery from those levels were spectacular, giving a panoramic view of the city that includes George Town's world heritage precinct.

"The state government and PDC want to fully utilise these strategic areas by creating new activities to attract more people here while at the same time unlocking the value of our assets.

"By the same token, on the 59th and 60th floors, plans include turning the premises into an international class restaurant, which can serve as a major tourist attraction. To complement this, the 64th and 65th floors can be incorporated as part of a plan for a restaurant cum viewing deck.

"We feel that these uppermost floors of Komtar have immense potential as they offer a bird eye view of the city and the mainland," Lim added.

He said PDC was also studying a proposal for an outdoor sky lift connecting the fifth floor to the 65th floor, which would improve the mobility for tourists to visit the top of Komtar in a spectacular ride.

"It is a known fact that many cities create attractions using their high rise buildings including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Taipei 101 and Shanghai World Financial Centre. They have been success stories, and Komtar will be no exception," Lim added.

The fifth floor podium block rooftop, meanwhile, has a huge potential to be an income source for prospective food operators, leisure and entertainment outlets, he added.

Documents for collection have been out since Monday, and the last date of submission for the RFP is by Nov 15.

The documents of the proposal are available from the PDC office in Bayan Baru, while enquiries can be forwarded to enquiry@pdc.com.my

Good idea! I will sure go...next time can bring my family as well :)

Savour The Asian Heritage Culturan Dance by South East Dance Troupe 20th Aug 2010

The Christian Dance Federation of Malaysia (CDFM) is organising a ‘Savour the Asian Heritage’ tour dance performance to raise funds for several charitable organisations.

The performance by the Hong Kong and Indonesia South East Asia Dance Troupe will be held this Friday at 8pm at Dewan Sri Pinang in George Town.

The troupe of 34 dancers from Hong Kong and Jakarta is led by Surianty Liu Chun Wai, a well-known figure in the Asian performing arts scene. The other choreographers are Becky Lau and Wong Lam.

The event is hosted by the Penang First Assembly of God church with support from the Penang Government.

The troupe is performing in Kuala Lumpur today before coming to Penang on Friday, then to Taiping on Saturday and Ipoh on Sunday.

All proceeds from ticket sales for the show in Penang will go to Charis Hospice, Shalom House and Happy Retirement Home.

Youth Jam 10 Super Merdeka Celebration 29th-30th Aug 2010

Date: 29th August 2010
Venue: Penang Times Square
Time: 10am - 10pm

Date: 30th August 2010
Venue: Penang Times Square
Time: 6pm-12midnight(Countdown)

Penang Largest Merdeka Youth Carnival! A super Merdeka celebration with 15 different happenings for 20,000 youths in Penang!

Mark your calendar for Youth Jam at 29th-30th August in Penang Times Squere. Get ready for loads of fun and bring your friends along!

Select the event you would want to participate (CLICK ON IT) :

Global Youth Voices

1 Green Malaysia - Recycling Competition

Merdeka Drinking Competition

Merdeka Youth Talent Search

Merdeka Dance For Your Country

Merdeka SlamDunk Competition

Merdeka Youth Photographer Gathering

SpongeBob Speaker Square

Merdeka DJ Workshop

Merdeka Treasure Hunt

Merdeka Supermarket Hunt

CHEERLEADING WORKSHOP

Merdeka Drawing Competition

Merdeka Young Entrepreneur Bazaar

Are you youth enough? If yes, then do join the fun!!!

Rossi finds new home in Ducati for 2011

It was a public secret but was confirmed on Sunday evening: Valentino Rossi will join the Ducati team from 2011. After seven years at Yamaha the Italian multiple world champion will join the 'Rossa' next season. Ducati and Rossi signed a two-year agreement.

“Firstly, Valentino is a great fan of motorcycles and so it has always been a pleasure for me to listen his opinions,” said Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Director. “Until the Valencia GP he will remain a competitor, one so great that he has always given a special value to our victories, but as soon as he rides the Ducati for the first time, we will work together on every single detail that will develop a bike capable of showing his huge talent.

“Working with Valentino is one of the most exciting things for every Engineer and it’s good to know we will have this great opportunity next season.”

After weeks of speculation in the MotoGP paddock official confirmation came from Yamaha, Ducati and Valentino Rossi on Sunday at Brno that the reigning World Champion would make the switch from the Japanese to the Italian factory for the 2011 season.

Speaking about his decision to seek a new challenge in the next instalment of his illustrious career Rossi, who has won four MotoGP World Championships in his time with Yamaha, explained the motivation for his change following a seven-year relationship with the manufacturer.

“I think that here in Yamaha my work is finished,” said Rossi. “The situation within Yamaha has changed a lot since 2004. Now the M1 is maybe the best bike in MotoGP, Yamaha have great riders, so it looks like they don’t need me any more.”

Rossi has penned a two-year deal with Ducati and is extremely excited at the prospect of linking up with the Bologna factory. “I’m very curious and very motivated for this new challenge and I think it will be very interesting,” he stated.

“I think an Italian rider on an Italian bike will be great for all Italian fans. I think we’ll have a lot of fans cheering for us.”

I really hope this is not a move down a career for him as I still wish to see Rossi winning a couple more of World Championship :)