World Badminton No.1 Men's Single- Chong Wei Lee

Datuk Lee Chong Wei

credit to www.internationalbadminton.org

Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Malaysian's very own no.1 ranking Badminton Player was born on October 21 1982 in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. During his career, he clinched many world titles since his debut such as his first All England Championship title in March 2010 and he was also the first Malaysian person to reach the Olympic Men's final event since 1996 Olympic games. His achievements in the badminton career was so great that our very own Malaysian Prime Minister had even acknowleged him as a national hero.

Below are the men's single ranking from Badminton World Federation:

Year 2010, Week 9

Rank Country Player Member ID Points Tournaments

1 MAS [MAS] Chong Wei LEE 50152 83171.06 15
2 CHN [CHN] Dan LIN 50906 71344.58 8
3 INA [INA] Taufik HIDAYAT 10337 67211.7 14
4 CHN [CHN] Jin CHEN 51592 66600 12
5 DEN [DEN] Peter Hoeg GADE 6926 62055.18 13
6 CHN [CHN] Chunlai Bao 51274 57700 13
7 VIE [VIE] Tien Minh NGUYEN 14107 56304.794 15
8 THA [THA] Boonsak PONSANA 11959 55291.75 15
9 DEN [DEN] Jan O Jorgensen 54431 55114.5072 17
10 CHN [CHN] Long CHEN 75787 52540 14

Long Neck Women : A Unique Culture

credit: Google Images, peoplesoftheworld

Women who wear these brass rings on their neck belong to a sub group of the Karen tribe known as Padaung. They are said to wear this as it symbolises beauty and richness and also to look for a potential husband. But there are some who said that women are ordered to wear these brass rings to make them look unappealing to avoid being captured by slaves and some even go as far as to said it is to prevent tigers from biting their heads off.

It is also said that if the women are caught having affairs during marriage, the rings will be taken off but once taken off they have to lie down all the time as the neck muscles had been severely damaged by wearing the rings for a very long time.

This culture has long fascinated everyone and it had even been publicized on televisions and newspapers. It never ceased to make me wonder how these women can survive wearing these rings on their necks. Wouldn't it be too uncomfortable for them to move around with weighing them down? Well, it is one of their famous cultures and I hope they will contonue to preserve it as it is very rare to find this kind of unique culture anymore.

People Actually Eat This!!

Durian

credit: Wikipedia

To many Westerners, there are certain food in Asia that might seem strange to them. One of it is the ever famous durian which is known to Asians as The King of Fruit.

Durian grows throughout southeast Asia, which includes Indonesia and Malaysia. This fruit has a distinguished smell that has been compared to a strong smell of cheese or almonds. Due to this strong smell, a few of public transportation systems in Asia have forbidden passengers to carry the durian on board.

The soft flesh of the durian is cover in a hard, thorny shield, and if one of these fruits was to fall on your head, you will definitely need to be send to the hospital. Even though durian can be delicious it can also be very deadly if consumed with alcohol. According to researchers at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, durian contains a sulphur-like composite and when it is ingested, it will make it harder for the liver to break down the alcohol substance.

So becareful when you consume durian with alcohol. But from my point of view, I definitely enjoy durian. So give it a try too!

Meritus bidding to be first Asian F1 team – in 2016

credit: Google Images

Meritus Racing is bidding to become the first Asian team ever to join the Formula 1 grid in 2016.

The Malaysian team has garnered a total of 32 Asian motorsport titles in the past twelve years, and has successfully competed in Formula BMW Asia and Formula V6 Asia, as well as competing in the first two editions of the GP2 Asia Series in 2008 and 2008/09 under the Qi-Meritus Mahara banner.

The objective now is to step up a notch to the main summer GP2 Series by 2011 and then F1 five years later, with one of the key goals being to develop motorsport engineering technology and promote and encourage a sustainable motorsport industry in Malaysia.

Redang Island Malaysia

Redang Island

credit: myoutdoor.com

Redang Island is a beautfiul beach located at 45km offshore of Terengganu which is famous for its crystal clear blue sea and white sand. This beach is surrounded by unique marine fishes, turtles and coral reefs which allows visitor to do a bit of snorkelling and scuba-diving activities. Redang Island is the largest island in the Marine Park measuring 7km in length and 6km in width. There are 500 species of live corals, more than a thousand species of invertebrates and almost 3000 species of fishes in this pretty beach. It is definitely a must visit place for everyone as it is truly a heaven on earth.

QIMM Celebrates Another GP2 Asia Victory

credit: automobilsport.com

The only Asian team in the 2010 GP2 Asia Series, Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara celebrated its huge success this week, as Italian team member Luca Filippi took pole position in both qualifying and the first race on Friday, 12 March and Saturday, 13 March respectively. Such an achievement was a first in the team’s history. As the 2010 GP2 Asia Series started on Sunday, 14 March at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), the team also secured a 4th place overall in the Series, achieving another success with this victory.

“I congratulate and am proud of our homegrown Malaysian team on its success in GP2, the F1 development series,” said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Meritus GP and its Malaysian sponsors QuestNet’s win at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the GP2 Asia Championships is proof of the team’s professionalism and the technical ability of our engineers,” the Premier added.

It’s the team’s first win after three years of participation in GP2 Asia and it has rightly been described as a sweet victory for the Team Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara.com.

Three Inches Golden Lotus Foot

credit: dismalaesthetics.com

1000 years ago tiny feet were considered to be beautiful.

The "perfect" woman's foot was called the "Golden Lotus" and it was only 3 or 4 inches long! In the past, Chinese women’s feet were bound with meters of cloth to stop them from growing so that they would resemble a “three-inch golden lotus” at a time when normal big feet were considered ugly. The culture started in the era of the last king of the Latter Tang Dynasty (923-936 AD) and continued to be practice even when it was banned by the Manchuria during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

To create the prefect Golden Lotus feet, a mother began to bind her little daughter's feet tightly with cloth bandages. By the time she turned three, all her toes except the first will break, and her feet will be tightly bound with cloth strips to keep her feet from growing more than 10 cm, which is about 3.9 inches. This practice would cause the soles of the feet to bend them in an extreme manner.

Foot binding practice then started to cease during the 20th century.

New Music Releases~~

Tohoshinki Video Clip Collection -The One- (Japan dvd)

1. Stay With Me Tonight
2. Somebody To Love
3. My Destiny
4. Asu wa Kurukara
5. Rising Sun
6. Begin
7. Sky
8. Miss You
9. O Sei Han Go
10. Step By Step
11. Choosey Lover
12. Lovin' You
13. Summer Dream
14. Shine
15. Forever Love
16. Together
17. Purple Line
18. Beautiful You
19. Y I End Up Falling For U?
20. Mirotic
21. Bolero
22. Kiss The Baby Sky
23. Survivor
24. Share The World
25. Stand By U
26. Break Out
    
    
    
    
    
    

After School 3rd Single Bang (korean)

1. Let's Do It! (intro)

2. Bang

3. Without U

4. Bang (instrumental)

credit: yesasia & soompi

Super Junior put on a rocking show in Malaysia!

SUPER JUNIOR SUPER SHOW 2 LIVE IN MALAYSIA (20/3/2010)

credit : imagegoogle, cherylveenc, kpop world

Last Saturday was an unforgettable day for 15 000 fans who thronged to Stadium Bukit Jalil for Super Junior Super Show 2 concert. It was the group first ever big concert in Malaysia and they definitely did not disappoint the fans who snapped all the tickets right after the tickets were released. Super Junior performed 35 songs in a 3 hours showcase which included songs from all their albums and other artists as well as solo songs for each members. It was a spectacular concert full with a RM6million stage and pyrotechnics effects as well as superb dancing and vocal skills from all the members even though with only 10 members performing. Super Junior ended the night with a heartfell thank you greeting to Malaysian fans by promising them they will be back here as well as their next album will be out soon. Alltogether, Super Junior fans from all kinds of races and other countries left the stadium with satisfaction and happiness evident on their faces. Super Junior, your Malaysian fans will be waiting for your next concert and album!

4th Asian Film Awards

The 4th Asian Film Awards (AFA) was held on 22nd March 2010 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This award ceremony is presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to commend the excellent efforts of film professionals in the Asian film industries. This year, 14 awards and three special awards were presented and South Korea lead the winning streak.

South Korea took home six awards, including Best Film, Best Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenwriter, and Best Visual Effects.

The Best Newcomer award was won by our very own Ng Meng Hui. She became the first Malaysian to win in this particular award which is a feat itself considering she was up against a few strong nominees.

Below are the list of winners of the 4th AFA:

BEST FILM

• Mother (South Korea)

BEST DIRECTOR

• LU Chuan / City of Life and Death (China)

BEST ACTOR

• WANG Xueqi / Bodyguards and Assassins (Hong Kong / China)

BEST ACTRESS

• KIM Hye-ja / Mother (South Korea)

BEST NEWCOMER

• NG Meng Hui / At the End of Daybreak (Malaysia / Hong Kong / South Korea)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Nicholas TSE / Bodyguards and Assassins (Hong Kong / China)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• WAI Ying-hung / At the End of Daybreak (Malaysia / Hong Kong / South Korea)

BEST SCREENWRITER

• PARK Eun-kyo / BONG Joon-ho / Mother (South Korea)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

• CAO Yu / City of Life and Death (China)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGNER

• Alain-Pascal HOUSIAUX / Patrick DECHESNE/ LEE Tian-Jue / Face (Taiwan)

BEST COMPOSER

• LO Ta-Yu / Vengeance (Hong Kong)

BEST EDITOR

• Lee CHATAMETIKOOL / Karaoke (Malaysia)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• YI Zeon-hyoung / Thirst (South Korea)

BEST COSTUME DESIGNER

• Christian LACROIX / Anne DUNSFORD/ WANG Chia-Hui / Face (Taiwan)

The recipients of the special awards of the 4th AFA are:

The Asian Film Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema

• ZHANG Yimou

The Asian Film Award for Lifetime Achievement Award

• Amitabh BACHCHAN

The Asian Film Award for 2009’s Top-Grossing Film Director

• John WOO

Best Film - Mother (South Korea)

Best Supporting Actor - Nicholas TSE / Bodyguards and Assassins (Hong Kong / China)

Best Supporting Atress - WAI Ying-hung / At the End of Daybreak (Malaysia / Hong Kong / South Korea)

The Asian Film Award for Lifetime Achievement Award - Amitabh BACHCHAN

The Asian Film Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema - Zhang Yimou

Best Newcomer - Ng Meng Hui / At the End of Daybreak (Malaysia / Hong Kong / South Korea)

credit: Sina Entertainment

Ip Man 2

Trailer for Ip Man 2

credit: urasiansourceCpop


Ip Man is a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and was also the first person to teach the Wing Chun disciple openly. One of his students was the late famous Hollywood Asian artist, Bruce Lee.

In year 2008, a famous Hong Kong film producer named Raymond Wong Pak-Ming released the movie Ip Man which received many critical acclaim from many movie critics as well as the cinemagoers. This movie was not only released in Asian countries, but also in North America and most of the European countries. It was nominated for 12 awards in Hong Kong Film Awards which the movie won in the awards for Best Film as well as Best Action Choreography.

Due to the good receptions for the movie, Raymond Wong immediately announced plans to develop a sequel to the film. Ip Man 2 will be released in this coming April and everyone who had watched Ip Man will definitely be waiting for its release.

The official trailer above has garnered many views from the users which shows that everyone is definitely looking forward for it, including me! =) So,enjoy the trailer!

Taiwan Snacks

One of the main reasons tourists love travelling to Taiwan is because of the delicious food, whether it snacks or beverage or heavy food. Once you are in Taiwan, you can find many night markets such as in Shilin, Raohe and Huaxicwhich provide many varieties of pure and delicious food.

Here are some of the most famous snacks that you must try in Taiwan:

Pearl Milk Tea, also known as Bubble Tea, which is a mixture of black tea, milk and sago tea. Nowadays, you can find this beverage not only in Taiwan, but also in Chinatown as well.

For Stinky Tofu lovers, the greater the smell, the tastier the the tofu are. Its deep fried crispy on the outside and soft on the inside is what makes the dish so charming. However, there are still many people who still cannot stand the awful smell of the Stinky Tofu.

Another snack that you must try in Taiwan is Salt Pepper Chicken. If you ever tried to walk along the night markets in Malaysia, I'm sure that you will not feel unfamiliar with this snack. Its crispiness and a bit of spicy taste is what really make many people become the fan of this dish.

Oyster Omelet is made of small oysters and vegetable mixed in starch and egg batter. A sweet and sour sauce adds further to already addictively delicious taste. This snack is also very popular in Guangdong (China), Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

credit: Google Images

SNSD Gee vs Super Junior Sorry Sorry

SNSD GEE

credit : blackspot888

SUPER JUNIOR SORRY SORRY

credit: syupeojoonieo

Which dance do you think is the best among these 2 groups? Is it the crab dance or the hand rubbing dance? What with so many versions of these 2 dances by so many people, it is hard to determine who will prevail. Personally, I think both are great dances techniques which are executed perfectly by 2 of Korea's most popular idol groups. So, what do you think? Gee gee gee gee baby baby or sorry sorry? You decide yourself. In the meantime, enjoy the music videos!

N Seoul Tower

Love Message Tiles.

N Grill, a revolving restaurant in the tower.

Namsan Oreumi, an elevator service to get to the tower.

Locks Of Love, a place reserved for couples to declare their undying love for each other.

N Seoul Tower

credit: image google, wikipedia, nseoultower.net

Imagine if you get the chance to view the whole of Seoul from the top of a tower? Wouldn't it be breathtaking? If you do not want to miss this once in a lifetime chance, then come visit N Seoul Tower, one of Korea's most treasured landmarks. Measuring 777 in height and built over 1574 feet above sea level, this tower is definitely the place to be if you want to witness the picturesque view of Korea especially during the night time. This tower which was constructed in the year 1969 was only opened to the public in 1980 and has since become one of Korea's most popular tourist destinations.

Besides just being an observation tower, it also features a few restaurants, a gift shop, a lovers' haven and excellent toilets facilities as well. During night time, many spectacular light shows has also been organized to attract more people to visit the tower. With so many things to do in this tower, you wouldn't want to miss this chance to visit N Seoul Tower. All you need to do is just to take a cab from Insa-dong to the Namsan cable car and from there you only need to walk a short distance to walk or you can also take the elevator service known as Namsan Omeuri to reach the tower.

Hokkaido Lavender (Japan)

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island with an only 5% of population living in the island.

Hokkaido is most well known for its famous sightseeing of the beautiful and unique lavender view. Many people whether they are local or tourists love to visit Hokkaido just to view the wonderful lavender.

For your information lavender can also come in other pretty colors such as yellow and green other than the usual purple color.

Tourists can also make their own dessert and ice-cream using their new special flavor which is the beautiful lavender.

credit: news.xinhuanet.com

Come Visit Boracay Island in Philippines!

Boracay Island is an island located 350km south of the capital in Philippines, Manila. It is considered as one of the world's most beautiful beaches and had garnered the most number of votes among the tourists as The Most Popular Beaches in the World in year 2010.

Many Malaysians did not know about the existence of this island until our very own local female singer, Fish Leong, decided to hold her wedding ceremony there on 1st February 2010.

There are many activities tourists can do there regardless of their gender and age. Some of the popular activities are massage, boat trips, horseback riding, diving, sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing and tennis. With these activities, Boracay Island is a heavenly place for the tourists to relax themselves and enjoy their holiday.

Boracay's White Beach

Scuba diving in Boracay

Sunset view of Willy's Rock at Boracay

The most popular leisure activity among tourists - sunset sailing

credit: Wikepedia & Google Images

Here is a promo video for Boracay Island, enjoy~~ ^^

Credit: manilagal

The Ice Skating Princess Who Captures The Heart of All

KIM YU NA

credit: image google, soompi, wikipedia

Korea's very own ice skating princess, Kim Yu Na was born on 5th September 1991 in Bucheon, Gyeonnggi. She began skating at the tender age of 7 and won her first international title for the prestigious Triglay Trophy. She was also the youngest skater to win a medal at the South Korean Figure Skating Championship at the age of 12.

From then on, she became one of Korea's most prominent sports figure to have won many world titles and also the first female skater to exceed the 200 points ISU grading system. She is the 2010 Winter Olympics champion and also manage to grab the number one spot for the world ice skating ranking, proving once again why she is the best among her peers.

Her performance is a wonder to watch due to her elegant and creative maneuvers and perfect jumping skills. Due to her massive popularity, she is highly sort for commercials in South Korea and she was also named as the ambassador for the 2010-2012 Visit Korea Year.