PICTURES OF SHEER ECSTASY!

 
Can I have some ice-cream, please?
 
Yummy, it's good!
 
Nothing beats good ice-cream!
 
Do you think I can have some more, please?
 

THE DUBAI TENNIS CHAMPIOSNHIPS 2006

 
Justine Henin Hardenne of Belgium has beaten Maria Sharapova of Russia, 7-5, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships 2006. 

13th ASIAN SENIOR SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2006

 
Nicol David won her 5th consecutive Asian title, beating Rebecca Chiu 9-7, 9-3, 9-4 in 29 minutes and Ong Beng Hee won his 4th consecutive Asian title beating Azlan, 9-2, 9-4, 10-8, in 35 minutes. 

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN?

 
Because the guardians of our morals deem it, Brokeback Mountain is banned and Malaysians will not get to see it, legally any way, although the DVD version is easily available by the roadside at RM4 a copy. The film that won Ang Lee the Golden Globe award for the best Director is about 2 bisexuals who lead perfectly happy married lives with their wives and children but who meet up once in a blue moon to have a kinky relationship in the beautiful mountains of Wyoming. In my opinion Brokeback Mountain is better classified as a travelogue and the Golden Globe award should have been given for Best Cinematography. I think a lot of people would enjoy the breathtaking vistas of the beautiful Wyoming mountains more than the occasional frolicking of two grown men. I find it ridiculous that anybody should think that Brokeback Mountain would have adverse influence on the morals of Malaysians! God forbid that Malaysians should live not knowing that there are heterosexuals, homosexuals and bisexuals and the difference between them. 

NICOL IN FINAL OF KL OPEN

 
Nicol David showed her tenacity in coming from behind in the final stages of the rubber set to overcome Natalie Grinham (Aus). In winning the semi-final, 4/9, 3/9, 9/2, 9/2, 10/9, she will now face Venessa Atkinson (Ned) in the final today. 

PINANG PERANAKAN MANSION, CHURCH STREET, PENANG

   Photos from top left clockwise show, Pinang Peranakan Mansion at Church Street, Penang, the side courtyard of the Mansion, restoration work at the Mansion and the side entrance to the Mansion.
If you appreciate heritage buildings or if you are a fan of anything "peranakan" you should pay a visit to this Mansion which respresents the "typical home of a rich Baba of more than a century ago." According to the brochure, "more than 1000 pieces of antiques and collectibles are on display in this Mansion." This Mansion was once the residence and office of Kapitan China, Chung Keng Kwee. The Mansion is open from Monday-Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. The entrance fee is RM10 per person, children in school uniforms pay RM5 and children below 12 years old can enter free.

IS SAMY VELLU NYANYUK?

 
TV3's Midnight Nightline this morning featured Datuk Samy Vellu at the site of the MRR2 with foreign consultants who will be responsible for making the MRR2 safe for public use. Apart from blaming the Malaysian weather for the deteriorating condition of the MRR2, which makes one wonder why the same thing doesn't happen to the other similar structures in the country, the Minister also said something which made him look as though he was "nyanyuk". When asked by one of the reporters how long the MRR2 would last after the repair, he brazenly declared, "Bridges are built to last 100 years." Then he continued, "The MRR2 is now 5 or 6 years, so 96 years more, lah! 

HINGIS LOSES TO DIMENTIEVA IN THE PAN PACIFIC FINAL

 
Martina Hingis has lost to Elena Dimentieva in the final of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, 2-6, 0-6. What a great disappointment, especially after Hingis had managed to eliminate the defending champion, Maria Sharapova, in the semi-final! I have always looked upon Elena Dimentieva as a player who cannot serve to save her own life, even though she has quite solid ground strokes, and I had thought that Hingis would have no trouble knocking her out. (Photo from the Pan Pacific Open website)

MARTINA OVERWHELMS SHARAPOVA!

 
Martina Hingis overwhelms Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinal of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo today. In her comeback to competitive tennis after an absence of 3 years, Martina Hingis outclassed Maria Sharapova, the defending champion in every department to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open. Hingis will face Elena Dementieva, the second seed, or Anastasia Myskina, the fourth seed, in the final on Sunday. (Photo is from the website of the Pan Pacific Open) 

POLICE IN THE NEWS!

 
Today's Star, front page headline, "OCPDs On Course", states that "all 147 OCPDs in Malaysia will attend a mandatory human rights training seminar at the end of the month. The move is part of the police response to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission to improve the force." As though to justify the Royal Commission's recommendation that the Police Force in our country needs to be whipped into shape, in the same edition of the Star under the headline "A Bald Experience" by Andrew Sagayam, it was reported that eleven friends who were having a Chinese New Year reunion mahjong session were rounded up in Kajang, taken to the District Police Headquarters, put in the lock-up, shaven bald and only released at 6.30 pm the following day. The Kajang OCPD, ACP Mohd Noor Hakim maintained that it was "normal lock-up procedure", adding that the Police would continue with this procedure. Was it also standard Police procedure to have "detainees" caught "gambling" with plastic chips "bound in chains"?