Kudos To Dr Vivian Balakishnan!

All thanks to Dr Vivian Balakishnan, the two-week long table-tennis saga has been resolved!

What's past is past...just look ahead for medals haul at the forthcoming  Volkswagen Women's World Cup in Kuala Lumpur which is starting next Saturday.

Thank you Dr Vivian - thank you very much for handling this national squabble so tactfully! For this, I salute you!

Dr Balakrishnan exchanging shots at IMM mall.

Go Team Singapore Paralympians!

Singapore has medal-hopefuls - again! And this time, they are our Paralympic swimmers. Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu are THE ones!

At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, our women paddlers won a long-awaited silver medal for the country. And now, we will be gunning for Singapore's first Paralympic medal, with a high chance of getting a gold!

The 13th Paralympic Games, will be held in Beijing, China from Sept 6 to 17.

Over 4,000 top disabled athletes from 148 countries are expected to compete in this Games.

During the Team Singapore Well-Wishes Event at IMM on 8 June 2008, I had the honour of interviewing both Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu.

Theresa Goh, who is my local sports idol, (you are encouraged to visit: http://nofearsingapore.blogspot.com/2006/08/hail-theresa-goh-my-heroine.html )

was really friendly - it was my first time meeting her, and she was already warm towards me!

My second encounter with Theresa was at the Flag Presentation Ceremony at Plaza Singapura; she even signed  an autograph for me! I could see that there was much thought put in before she penned the message for me, I felt very privileged!

Read more about Theresa's great achievements here:

See how sincere Theresa looked when she posed for a picture with me!

Looking at Theresa's handwriting, one can conclude that she is very positive about what she does.

When I first met Yip Pin Xiu, before I started my interview with her, I thought she was a really shy girl and I felt she talked too little. Along the way, as I "warmed up" with her in the course of the interview, I realized she was quite outgoing and fun to be with!

Get to know Pin Xiu by reading this:

Re-visiting Beijing

Before travelling to Beijing for the MCK programme, I read in the papers that the air in Beijing was bad because of pollution caused by the very heavy traffic flow there; I also read reports from many sources about the bad habit of spitting in public places being common amongst the Beijing locals.

However, when I arrived in Beijing, to my pleasant surprise, everything was better than I expected; much better! In fact, until the day I departed from the city, I did not come across a single incident of anyone spitting within my sight! Although at first I thought I felt like choking due to the "bad" air, I realized over the four days there that the condition was already improved with much effort put in by the people there.

Look how the scenic view of the Great Wall of China was marred by the polluted air!

Also, I never got to experience the perpetual traffic jam that I was anticipating! The bus which we took was issued with a special pass which allowed it usage of the "Olympic Lane". That meant that we got to travel from point to point in a breeze! Even the traffic flow on the "non-Olympic" lanes was very smooth! I understood from our chaperone, Sarah, that the whole wonderful traffic condition that we were in did not "just happen" overnight...that was the result of a lot of effort put in by the people in Beijing!

The special "Olympic Lane" that our bus was allowed to use.

Next year, after my PSLE, I promised myself that I shall re-visit the so-mighty Beijing again. This time, together with my whole family! I yearn to show my folks all the interesting places I have been to and even explore new ones with them! BUT, I hope, really, the place will still be as clean and beautiful as during the Olympic Games! I so much look forward to going to Beijing again! Keep up the good work, Beijing!

I read an article on Zao Bao last Sunday, which I would like to share with all of you. It's several quotes from an outstanding athelete who is also the global ambassador of the programme that I have really, really enjoyed, the MCK programme. Here are some of the quotes:

" If I didn't swim my best, I'd think about it at school, at dinner, with my friends.  It would drive me crazy."

" I've always been fortunate in that I've been able to put myself in my own zone and relax.  It comes naturally.  I'm lucky to be that way."

" You can't put a limit on anything.  The more you dream, the farther you get."

And this is my favourite:

" You can't doubt.  If you doubt, then that's it.  The biggest thing is staying positive and imagining anything is possible.  Because it really is."

I am sure you'd have guessed who he is, he's none other than  Michael Phelps !!!

Did you try out the quiz? Here are the answers!

Q1. When was the first time females got to compete in the Olympic Games?

Females competed for the first time in the Second Olympic Games in Paris. There were 11 of them. Looking at the many wonderful moments that ladies have generated in Beijing, I can't imagine an Olympic Games without them. Well, Tao Li, Li Jia Wei, Feng Tian Wei and Wang Yue Gu are all ladies! 

Q2. When and where was the first anti-smoking Olympic Games?

It was at the 25th Olympic Games in Barcelona that smoking was forbidden within the Olympic venues, for everyone including spectators, officials, athletes, etc. Personally, I can't imagine athletes who smoke....

Q3. Which are the cities which have held the Olympic Games twice?

In the history of the Olympic Games, these are the cities that have held the summer Olympic Games at least twice: Paris in France, Los Angeles in USA, London in United Kingdom. For the winter Olympic Games: Innsbruck in Austria, St. Moritz in Switzerland, Salt Lake City in USA.   

Q4. Was there ever an Olympic Amusement Park?

Yes, the 26th Olympic Games in 1996 was a special one because it was the 100th year anniversary of the Olympic Games. It was held in Atlanta, USA and there was a big Centennial Olympic Park that was filled with booths, amusement park rides, and concerts

Bonus Question: Which is the Olympic Games that lasts forever?

OK, this is a little like a trick question. I read in a book that, during the closing ceremony for the 1952 Olympic Games held in Helsinki, Finland, the phrase that declared the game closed was apparently never mentioned. So theoretically, the game was never closed ! Hee Hee.

I hope you had as much fun answering them as I had researching them. So, how do you score on the Olympic-O-Meter?

The Olympic-O-Meter

1/5 You do watch the Olympic Games, don't you?

2/5 You are a certified Olympic Games-watcher.

3/5 You must have been the referee, umpire or judge!

4/5 You must be an Olympic Athlete! Can I have your autograph?

5/5 WOW! Are you an ex-olympian turned IOC Member?

Proud To Be A Singaporean!

I feel exceptionally proud to be a Singaporean; the feeling is even more intense today!

The Team Singapore Athletes who ended our 48 years of long wait for an Olympic medal, returned home today to a boisterous welcome in the afternoon! They are Li Jiawei, Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu. They are Singapore's heroes (heroines, if you wish)! They competed in the Team event for Women's table tennis and brought back an Olympic Silver! Woo-hoo!

At Changi Airport, crowds of supporters took time off from their regular schedule to welcome these three special people. Some even brought lovely flowers to present to the three paddlers! Mr Teo Chee Hean, President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, came to welcome them back to Singapore! After the warm welcome at the airport, there were more exciting things in store for them!

The trio, along with Ms Lee Bee Hwa, President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association, and Chef de Mission to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Dr Tan Eng Liang, hopped onto a Hippo Tour Bus (an open top bus) specially prepared to bring them through the heartlands, and passed by Clarke Quay and Orchard Road, while waving to those along the streets, before ending at Raffles City Shopping Centre to carry on with more celebrations!

At Raffles City, Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei received the wonderful news from Minister Vivian Balakrishnan that the Singapore government has decided to award them the Meritorious Service Medal!

Here lies a much-debated issue: some countrymen (Singaporeans) are saying that there should not be a Foreign Sports Talent Scheme; we should only send locals (true blue Singaporeans) out for competitions! Now, these "imports" have helped bring Singapore fame and glory...all thanks to them!

If you have any comments or ideas, please post to my blog here! Should we, or should we not, have a Foreign Sports Talent Scheme?

Footnote:

Henry Cejudo of the United States is another amazing athlete who has a story to tell. After watching the last episode of Today in Beijing where Mark Richmond did a short segment on this gold winning wrestler, it made me curious to read more about Henry Cejudo. 

What I learned was inspiring.  Henry Cejudo was an illegal immigrant whose mother raised him and his 6 siblings alone working two jobs to make ends meet.  Their father spent most of his life in and out of prison and Nelly Rico, Henry's mother, refused to let her children grow up in a negative environment and uprooted her children away from him.

Due to their illegal status, they moved over 50 times while Henry was growing up.  No matter how disadvantaged the family might have seemed, Nelly never let her children fall wayward. Instead, she constantly encouraged her children to be anything they wanted to be! So instead of fighting on the streets, Henry took to fighting for medals.  

He is a four time State Wrestling Champion and the only high schooler to win the US Nationals. Last year he was ranked 31^st and having only wrestled in only one world-level senior tournament before Beijing, he was the underdog who now lives the American Dream because he worked hard and won the gold medal Tuesday at the Olympic freestyle 55-kilogram wrestling.

Personally, I've never been much interested in wrestling and I would never have watched any of the matches, but after Mark Richmond singled Henry out, I was so impressed that now I've gained an interest in this sport because of Henry Cejudo's inspiring story.  In fact, it was funny to hear that the Cejudo party of nine cheered so loudly during the Olympic match, Security almost threw them out of the China Agricultural University (CAU) Gymnasium! That's how proud they were! Where was Henry's mother? The excuse was given she was back at home taking care of her grandchildren, but later one of the brothers explained their mother gets so nervous at the matches she spends most of the time in the bathroom throwing up. And yes, at the time of Henry's match, it was reported that she was in the restroom at home.  An inspirational story for an inspirational gold medal!

I've Got Mail. (From the Olympic Village!)

Look...this is a postcard I mailed out from the Olympic Village, addressed to myself, at my home address, when the McDonald's Champion Kids went there to visit on Aug 9, 2008.

From left: Front and back of the lovely postcard originating from The People's Republic of China, mailed out to myself, all the way from the Olympic Village mailbox!                                            

Yesterday, I watched the women's high jump finals. It was a close fight between Blanka Vlasic from Crotia, Anna Chicherova from Russia and Tia Hellebout from Belgium. What caught my attention was their toned bodies and lanky figures, and how beautifully they soared over the pole, contorting their bodies elegantly.

Amongst them, Tia Hellebout stood out as the oldest contestant ( she is 30 ) and she wears spectacles! And who is the eventual winnner? Tia cleared 2.05m on her first attempt and is the proud owner of the gold medal. 

I did the high jump with the straddle technique during PE in school. Having long legs is an advantage but being a 四眼田鸡(bespectacled person) does make me a little more cautious. Now, Tia cleared 2.05m using the 'Fosbury Flop' technique with a pair of spectacles on!

It must really have been a disadvantage for her, but still, she won! You should have seen the look of determination in her eyes before her jump. This teaches us that no matter what disadvantages you have, so long as you try your best you will succeed!  I think that one thing I learnt from not only this sport, but also all the sports, is that we must keep focused with our eyes on the goal. Moreover, never be complacent. This is something that applies to not only sports, but to our daily lives as well.

I feel that it is important that we must never give up. Giving up makes one a loser. At least, if you don't give up, but still lost, you can think "it's okay, I've tried my best". We must also learn to accept that it is okay to lose. Quote Carl Lewis, famous track and field star,"You gotta win some, you gotta lose some, and at the end of it all, go get some ice-cream." I just had my ice-cream in McDonald's! 

I came across an interesting article in The Straits Times Urban Section on Friday, August 22^nd entitled "Hostess with the Mostest".  The article focused on the fashionable dresses which were designed by three designers and were painstakingly designed.  Usually, when I think of Chinese dresses, I think of red, but interestingly, the ceremonies director decided against red because the spotlight belonged to the athletes and not the hostesses. Instead, designers merged tradition with modern touches. There are several different types of dresses which are worn for the different events.  Basically one of the dresses which caught my eye and was featured in "Urban" was the white cheongsam dress which had a modern jacket yet was designed after the Chinese porcelain vases. What a fabulous idea! It is traditional, yet spiced up with a modern touch!

After reading this article, I did a little research on the internet about these lovely ladies who are the medal presenters, tray bearers and athlete escorts. At first I thought it was a simple job to be a hostess, after all, just smile and put on a medal, right? Boy, was I wrong. It seems, these hostesses worked almost as hard as the athletes themselves!  I read about how these pretty presenters were chosen.  First each candidate had to meet certain criteria.  Candidates had to have a University degree as well as meet a height requirement and an age requirement in addition to an "eye requirement" which said, "eyes are three-tenths the length of their faces."  After being selected, they had 2 months of intensive training.  As I did my research through the internet, I read where the girls had to stand with a book on their head in high heels and a piece of paper between their knees and at the same time they had to have a natural eight teeth smile! If they couldn't smile, a chopstick was placed in their mouth for an hour. As one model explained, after the chopstick training, a natural smile came out easy!

It is amazing how every little detail, no matter how big or small was carefully planned for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

There are 4 mountain bikes parked outside my house. Every weekend, my dad, my younger sister, Claris and I will cycle in the morning.  There are many different routes we can take. From home, we can cycle along Singapore River, either towards East Coast Parkway passing by the Esplanade (and enjoy the view of the Singapore Flyer and the Merlion), or towards Queenstown passing by many playgrounds and schools. However, the most challenging to me is towards Dempsey Hill where there are quite a fair number of slopes.

When I watched the Olympic Cross Country Mountain Biking event today, I was totally overwhelmed by the way the competitiors got to manoeuvre through the demanding mountain trail, looking really gruelling, characterised by stairs, steep slopes and rocks, just to name a few of the obstacles. When I cycle, it is very relaxing, with the wind in my hair, beautiful scenery, cycling at a leisurely pace. However, today, I saw a different kind of sports altogether, a completely different ball game during competition. Doing a sport for interest , for passion, or to win can be totally different, requiring different levels of commitment. Well, does this change my view about cycling? Of course it does. in the future, I might change my mind, but meanwhile, I will stick to my leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery and with the wind in my hair!

By the way, did you know that there are 4 different types of cycling event in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games? First, the Urban cycling road course, which began south of downtown Beijing and ended at the Great Wall....now, that's REAL SLOPES! Secondly, there's the Laoshan mountain bike course, which was what I watched today. And then, there's the Laoshan velodrome track racing. And the Laoshan bicycle BMX motorcross race took place for the first time at the Olympic Games. That event got even the spectators adrenaline rushing.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is the first time I've really understood what the Games are all about.  The last Olympic Games in 2004, I was only 7 years old and it was pretty hard for me to comprehend all the hard work and what the gold, silver and bronze medals meant.  Now that I am more aware of the world around me, I am really amazed at the stories about these amazing athletes. Each one of them has an amazing story to tell. 

Oksana Chusovitina is just one of numerous athletes who has an astounding story to tell.  She's one of the oldest athletes in gymnastics to win a medal. This Olympic Games participant at the age of 33 and a mother of one child, won a silver medal on Vault. The first time she competed, she represented the Soviet Union, then Uzbekistan and currently Germany. But her story doesn't end here at being one of the few to have competed under three different flags.  Her son was diagnoised with luekemia in October 2002, and that's when she sought medical help in Cologne, Germany. Through donations and her prize winnings, she was able to help pay for her son's treatments and he has since recovered and he is now in training to be a gymnist.  I read an interview where she was asked if it was difficult for her to have competed for 3 different countries. I think her answer was interesting. To her, gymnastics had no flag. Her love for gymnastics is why she competed. 

I think Oksana Chusovitina has a very inspiring story to tell. She beat the odds of age and showed the world that age doesn't matter in a sporting world that is dominated by youngsters. In addition, she showed the world that being a mother and an athlete is possible.  And the time when her son was sick, she still pursued her goals and was still a caring mother at the same time.  I hope I can be as strong a person as Oksana! Way to go!

In today's edition of The Straits Times, World Section, page 35C, you can find 3 articles and 3 photos from all three of us MCKs! It was really exciting to see our photos and articles published in the newspaper.  In my article, I wrote about visiting the Athlete's Olympic Village.  Megan wrote about the Medal Ceremony where  McDonalds' honoured the winning MCKs from Sinagpore and other countries.  Codee wrote about the badminton match we were able to attend. 

When we were first asked to write the articles, we were in Beijing and given our jounalist "assignments". It was exciting to take notes and plan out what we would write.  McDonald's has been more than supportive and before we went to Beijing, McDonald's helped us prepare for our Journalist Adventures through a workshop at SPH. It was through the workshop where we learned pointers on how to interview, take notes and write articles.  It was a very useful workshop.  In addition, McDonald's helped to inspire us by giving us many "reporter" type notebooks, bags and opportunities, such as this blog. 

When I went on my "assignment", I felt it was very challenging and it was so exciting to meet these athletes, that in my excitement, I almost forgot that I was a journalist! After the initial excitment and nervousness was over, I remembered my "assignment" and started taking notes and trying to "interview" the athletes. Thank goodness McDonald's provided me with a digitial recorder which helped me "remember" my trip into the Athlete Village. It's exciting to have my article printed in the paper and now my family has bought a whole load of newspapers to share with our friends and relatives.  My parents are really proud and I'm really estatic to have my article printed together with Codee's and Megan's! And most of all, I want to thank The Straits Times for believing in us, MCKs. 

It was a heartbreaking moment when the American Men's Relay team dropped the baton in last night's race.  It caught everyone off guard.  At home, my parents were shouting at the TV in disbelief.  No one could believe the American men's team didn't qualify for the finals.  But little did we know that more bad news was to follow! The American Women's Relay team made the same blunder! It was mind boggling to watch! At the same leg which the men's made the mistake, the women did it too.  Just watching it was so painful, that I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be the athletes. They must be running that moment over and over in their minds, wishing they could turn back time. But the bad news doesn't stop there, the Jamaican women's relay team was favored to win, but they too, succumbed to the dropping the baton, too!  It's hard to imagine a mistake being recorded in history, replayed repeatedly all over the world and making front page news.

I really feel for these athletes as they worked for 4 years to get to the Olympic Games and to miss the finals must have been like a nightmare.  Instead of being critical and blaming each other, I hope they show lots of sportsmanship and encourage each other and try again in London in 2012.  We still salute you America and Jamaica for all your hard work, courage and dedication. 

For those of you who have been following my blogs.  Here are some interesting facts about the Olympic Games:

Did You Know...

* That the Olympic Games symbolise peace?

* That  欢欢 is actually the Olympic Flame?

* That for sports involving horses, both horse and rider will be disqualified if either is tested positive for drugs?

And here's more treats for you - an Olympic Quiz! Think you know it all?  Think again. 

Q1. When was the first time females got to compete in the Olympic Games?

Q2. When and where was the first anti-smoking Olympic Games?

Q3. Which are the cities which have held the Olympic Games twice?

Q4. Was there ever an Olympic Amusement Park?

Bonus Question: Which is the Olympic Games that lasts forever?

Want to know the answers? Look out for my next blog and you will find out!

Yesterday was the FIRST time BMX (Bicycle Moto Cross) was included as an Olympic Sport. I had no idea about this Olympic Sport, until I spotted it on the encore edition of "Today in Beijing".  Thanks to my mom for recording the highlights which are normally shown at 11pm on Channel 5 for the highlights of the day. A repeat telecast is the following day at 1 pm which my mother records for me to watch when I return home from school. 

What caught my eye was the BMX racing. It was amazing! At the start of the buzzer, the bikers take off, FAST! They cycle through a series of hills at top speed.  They take curves at high speed and one wrong move can send the cyclists tumbling which was seen in the second heats of the quarter finals where an American BMX rider crashed and all those behind him, crashed right into him. That left only three riders who were able to coast to the finish line because they came in first, second, and third. I'm looking forward to more BMX racing, especially the women's races.  Watching the BMX races makes me want to go out and jump on my bike!  What an exciting sport, I wonder why they didn't add this as an Olympic sport, sooner?

Right now most Singaporean Primary School Students are in the middle of their CA2 exams.  It's been really tough studying when the Olympic Games are on! While studying, I can't help but occasionally peek at the TV to see what's happening! It's nearly impossible to watch every event or even watch an entire event, however, thank goodness for the Internet and Olympic Highlights. This gives me a chance to catch up in between studying!

One of the great moments today was the Russian Duo who won GOLD in Synchronized Swimming.  Anastasia Davydova and Anasasia Ermakova won their third Olympic medal in this event. They truly are the masters of this event.  It's so mesmerizing to watch their routine and the way they perform, you would think they were walking on water! I love dancing, but I just can't imagine how they stay afloat in water! They truly are magnificent and deserve the nearly perfect scores which they received. 

All the costumes were vibrant and every team looked energetic. It must have been hard to be a judge in such an amazing sport! Two more days of exams and then we will have the time to really sit down and enjoy the Olympics and watch history in the making!

 Gold For Shawn!

This blog is especially dedicated to Shawn Johnson, my sports idol. Finally! Here's GOLD for Shawn Johnson, world's best women's artistic gymnast! She competed in the beam finals in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and brought back a GOLD medal for her country. The fierce competition between the 8 world's best's in beam was really tight - you should know what I mean. First up was Cheng Fei, China's Gymnastics star. Running through her routine, she made a few major wobbles and quite many little shakes and then ended the routine with an excellent dismount though she moved one step. 16.750 points for Cheng Fei. Then, came the next four gymnasts, one from Romania, two from Russia and one more from China.

Shawn Johnson was up next. I was already praying she would beat the current highest score then, 16.750, which was what Cheng Fei got. Tough and steady as usual, the world's number 1 gymnast flipped perfectly through her routine and dismounted with the hardest stunt ever seen. It was awesome...really cool! But, she still had to take a tiny step forward. It was alright, though, after what she had already achieved on the beam.

Next was Nastia Liukin. She was the one I was worried would beat Shawn to her amazing score of 16.225. Quite unbeatable eh? But Nastia could, that's why I was afraid. Yes-she DID flow elegantly through her dance as well as her flips, but did not have as many stunts that were as difficult as Johnson's! And it was true! Her marks were high, but not high enough to beat Shawn Johnson! Her score was 16.025.

The last to compete was a Japanese girl named Koko. She fell...you can predict the score already, right? It was 14.450. But good effort!

During the victory ceremony, I could tell Shawn Johnson was soon going to shed tears of joy. But she held them back, for now. My heartiest congratulations to you, Shawn!

Shawn Johnson on the beam. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Shawn Johnson (C), Nastia Liukin (L), and Cheng Fei (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Yesterday, August 18th Michael Phelps won his 8th gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games! It was amazing to watch Phelps achieve his goal.  Now he will forever be etched in Olympic history and I will always remember this monumental achievement because it was exciting to root for him and watch his excitement and joyous screams and smiles as he won medal after medal.

Winning 8 gold medals and being at the top of the world, wasn't all that he accomplished.  He even managed to break World Record after World Record in his races.  Michael Phelps "rules" the pool! Watching Phelps break record after record and win medal after medal has inspired me to work harder in ever in everything that I do.  Michael Phelps never gave up and he worked harder and harder and never let himself get tired.  Sometimes when I go through my day, I feel tired, but I think the lesson learnt from Michael is to keep on striving for more.  Work hard and just maybe you can reach the top, too! Go fo