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!

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:

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!                                            

 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)

We Are On The McDonald's Traymats!

Yay! Finally, the picture of the three MCKs of Singapore is on the traymats in McDonald's Restaurants here in Singapore! Today, when I went to the McDonald's outlet at Ang Mo Kio Park, I peered onto one of the neighbours' table; I saw very familiar faces staring back at me! It was US! Megan, Vicknes and I! I was elated!

Everyone who went to McDonald's to eat would see our faces! Frankly, I think three of us look much prettier than we really do in real person; much thanks to digital touch-up, I believe...no offence to Megan and Vicknes, though!

I was a little uncomfortable about one thing...that diners would start splattering their sauces on our faces! Agh...Too bad, that's what traymats are for! I'll just have to bear with seeing people squeeeeeeze ketchup onto my face! Oh gosh!

Story: Women's Artistic Gymnastics Individual All-Around Finals

Focus: Shawn Johnson (American Gymnast!)

Shawn Johnson. My Idol. Second in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Women's Individual all around finals. I feel so bad for her. I'm really gonna tell you what's deep down in my heart.

I thought Johnson was the best in the world - no one could beat her. But Nastia Liukin did today. During the finals, Johnson did a great bar routine, followed by an almost-perfect vault, and then the beam, which in my opinion she could have done a little better, minus those little wobbles, and lastly, a perfect floor routine, whose score ended up the same as Liukin's. I don't know why, but getting a second was probably quite disheartening for Johnson herself, but also a little for me.

At the end of the competition, Johnson said something that I would definitely always remember, "I gave my heart and soul to the competition today, but Nastia, she deserves that gold today." Wow, I thought, that was a really good sport of Johnson when she said that! Not only that, but she also made one more significant statement, "I think everything happens for a reason, and I was destined to get the silver. I got what I deserved." Shawn, I really respect you for what you had said and done. I will try to learn from you in all ways!

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Johnson performing on the balance beam.

Photo: Courtesy of Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

Liukin and Johnson embracing after the competition.

Photo: Courtesy of Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

The flight home on Aug 10, 2008

The MCKs  have had a very memorable 4 days in Beijing. I am sure the experience will stay fresh in my mind for a very, very long time!

We went to the Beijing International Airport at 12.30 p.m., more than three hours before our departure time. That was the result of the kind consideration of our chaperone who wanted to make sure we had enough time to check-in. After exchanging hugs and good-byes, we finally parted ways with them. Then, we queued for about half an hour before we finally checked in.

We ate a scrumptious lunch, compliments from generous Linda, while waiting for the gate to open. The 3 girls could not resist the temptation of shopping at the duty-free Beijing Olympic Souvenir shop. While in the shop, we were behaving like typical ladies...shopped till we dropped! We were forced to abandon the shopping spree when it was half an hour more to take off.  We had to board the plane. So, we had everything paid for and started queuing up to get onto the plane.

On the plane, we found out that there was a group of 200 Americans who were going home after watching the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games sponsored by a credit card company! All they had to do was to make a purchase using the credit card and they had a chance to go to Beijing to watch the Olympic Games! Cool, isn't it?

 
What marred the otherwise enjoyable flight back to Singapore was the fact that we were seated right at the last row of the plane. It was quite uncomfortable there, as we could not incline the seat backward.

When we touched down Singapore, it was already 10 p.m. and  I was dead tired. Once I got into the taxi, I "collapsed". I only woke up when we reached home, of course. I was still thinking of amazing Beijing in my little dreamland that night. Beijing, Beijing, I shall be back to visit soon, perhaps during my next school vacation.

Ms Sarah Liu, our lovely and patient chaperone.



Ms Wang, our first-class local guide!

McDonald's Dinner At The Olympic Green

After walking for about half an hour, we had finally reached the Olympic Green McDonald's Restaurant. We marched straight to the upper level that was booked fully for us, the McDonald's Champion Kids to have our dinner. While walking up the stairs, I saw a poster of SHAWN JOHNSON! Woo-hoo! I immediately whipped out my camera and snapped a picture of the poster. It was T-E-R-R-I-F-F-I-C!

The next part was even better! We were served wiht a great selection of food and the one I picked was Premium Chicken Salad, Chicken McNuggets, Medium Fries and an Iced Tea. We all sat down together, munched on our delicious food while discussing what we would be buying at the souvenir shop downstairs, next to the McDonald's.

The "Big Departmental Store of Beijing 2008" stuff  were all quite reasonably priced, so I bought a handful of gifts for friends and family. We had only 15 minutes as it was getting late for us to get back to the hotel by coach.

Ahhh! We are leaving today!  Watch out for my next blog when I get back to Singapore!

Day Two In Beijing, Aug 8, 2008

Today is our second day in Beijing. We visited three VERY special places: The Great Wall Of China, The Temple Of Heaven and the Family Bai Restaurant for dinner. We took a cable car up and down The Great Wall. And I bought some souvenirs from the stalls there!

I even met a girl from the USA who was in gymnastics and was here to support my idol, Shawn Johnson!

At The Temple Of Heaven, we had a McDonald's picnic, our all-time favourite meal eaten in a park! We all had plenty of choices such as a Big Mac or a Fillet-O-Fish and a Sweet Taro Pie, Corn Cup, Medium Fries and Spicy McWings. And my favourite was the Corn Cup! As we had a really late lunch at 3pm, we were all famished so we indulged in the great food provided to us. 

After picnic, we went to an open space to learn Tai Chi, China's famous martial-arts. All the McDonald's Champion Kids were led by two Tai-Chi masters. We  were told to do exactly whatever they did-and we did! It was a really awesome experience! I'll never forget the fun we had laughing about how hilarious we had looked, and my mom even had all of that on video! Tired after a session of Tai-Chi plus laughing, we were asked to take a group photo with the masters. The two of them also chatted with me a little!

The six kids other than the ones from Singapore-us, were from the Phillippines and Lebanon. You definintely can see how many friends we have already made!  

For dinner, we ate at the Family Bai Restaurant, where all the McDonald's Champion Kids in this wave gathered and dined. Some of the MCKs from China even put up performances to entertain us during dinner! We were being served like the princesses and princes, so much so that I felt a bit awkward!

Watch out for my new posts the next day! See ya!

The Flight To Beijijng on Aug 7, 2008

We were ecstatic about getting onto SQ802- an A380 airbus! I was so very pleasantly surprised when I heard that we were going to the Beijing 2008 Olympics on an A380 airbus!

At 6.30am, at Terminal 3, Changi Airport, the three Singapore McDonald's Champion Kids did a "LIVE" commentary on our feelings about the trip to Beijing.  Also, there were many VIPs sending us off. Mr Kenneth Chan,  managing Director, McDonald's Restaurant Singapore, and of course, Ronald McDonlad!

8.00am-it was time to board the plane. We were on the same flight as Jing Jun Hong, Singapore's ex-Table Tennis Olympian !

On board the A380, we were being pampered by the air stewardess; we were treated like princesses on board. The service, the entertainment and the spaciousness were like heaven to me. Megan, Vicknes and I were watching all sorts of movies and