Discovered this site a few days ago. Brought back many memories of my badminton days in S'pore. Found the site to be interesting and informative. Particularly enjoyed reading Mr. Loh's postings. Re-learning badminton all over again. I am a fan and not a good player. Have played for school though which sounds so lame here. Anyways, will root for S'pore players from this part of the world. Lastly, great site!!!!
HELLO and WELCOME !! you do still play badminton, don't you? anyway, look forward to seeing more of you around.
Hi Littlestream, I'm glad that some of my postings have brought back hopefully some happy memories of your days in Singapore. Yes, this is a great site for Badminton and I need not venture any further once I got hooked on to Kwun's website. Your name is so special. It reminds me of the names given to the Red Indians of North America, the most popular I remembered being 'Chief Sitting Bull'. Is there any significance to it? To an extent, it bears some resemblance to 'tiny' Singapore. Hope to see you more often and do tell us more of yourself.
Thanks for the welcome, Anatolli, Mr. Loh and Wood 22 Chuck. Have sort of lost touch with the badminton world so it's been a longggg time since I handled a racket (no wonder I am viewing the guide on grip, thanks Kwun). How does an excuse that the long winter months in TO kept me indoors sounds? And yet, I have the audacity to declare that badminton is my first love (tsk...tsk...). Anyways, living in this great city for over a decade, got to admit ice hockey has taken precedent but with the NHL on strike, time to seek out old flame. I will be giving away my generation if I add that I grew up creating news clippings of Ah Ngo, rubbed shoulders with the likes of Shoon Keat and hung out with the F&N schemers. The icing on the cake was I had the honour to sit in on one session at Changkat Changi....can't remember if it was the great Ong Poh Lin or the great Wong Peng Soon coaching that night. Anyways, whatever I have learnt that night had been "returned". Inspite of all these "credentials", I was a lousy player. So I became a fan. I remembered thronging into the SBA Hall and filled it with lung bursting shouts of "tambak sama dia" or "kill". Okay, maybe a bit of exaggeration here or was I at Kallang Stadium cheering on Dollah Kassim and Quah Kim Song? Well.....ummm (with eyes shut)........memories........pleasing. Yes, Loh, my nickname is special. In fact, there is a sweet and romantic tale attached to it but I will spare you the goose pimples and the tears. The significance is not Chief Sitting Bull but Wounded Knee. Not sure if that answers your question, if not then, okay, I am 100% "Hokkien lang". Going off-track, I noticed on one of your posts where you had pix of some tourney, was Yeo Ah Seng in one of them? Is he still playing? I am aware Ah Ngo lost in the semis during the last Cheers. Well, he would have won if he had partnered me.......LOL..........sshhhh........keep it a secret! . I am glad Kelly is coaching at SSC. Is he still coaching at Hwa Chong though? To Wood 22 Chuck : chapter 3 of my personal history book saw me in Richmond, BC. Was there for a short stint. Never knew there are so many badmintonians. My most vivid memory was my landlady took me to Fisherman's Wharf (Steveston) and she bought a one whole salmon for C$5!!!! We had salmon this and that for THREE FULL DAYS!!! (yeah, it was room and board). Now that BF has rekindled my passion, I will be checking out the "bad bad" world. Great "place" to know whose who and what's what. I am getting virtually acquainted already. Alright, now where are those pom poms? To reiterate my first message, I will be doing the cheering from this end (here). Well, that's about the reader's digest of Littlestream! Cheers.
Hi Littlestream Now that you have returned to badminton must be an indication of better times for you and I'm sure you'll find more excitement and joy playing with our Vancouver BFers. You must have been away for quite a while now but your memory of the Singapore badminton scene and its personalities seems to be not too distant. Quah Kim Song is now with the Football Association of Spore Council and is doing great work as Director of Tournaments (?). Dollah Kassim may be coaching kids. I personally know Ah Seng, Ah Ngo and Shoon Keat, having attended a course with the latter two last Nov. Both Ah Seng and Shoon Keat have their own sports shops (specialising in badminton) at the Spore Swimming Club, where Ah Seng also coaches and SBA at Guillemard Rd rspectively. All three are coaching full-time and Shoon Keat seems to be the more successful in monetary terms. Kelly I got acquianted when I visited the Sports School where I believe he is a full time coach. But I read of Kelly's name when he was a national player. Ah Ngo I have known for quite some time since he started coaching at my club, Warren, many years ago and he is still there. As you may have seen from my postings, Singapore badminton is getting hotter with greater involvement from the government and commercial sponsors. And this revival has much to do with the revamped SBA with an enthusiastic Minister in charge. The willingness of the SBA to infuse foreign talent to help in developing its own talent pool has seen a surge in the participation of the schools due to the success at international competitions that such imported talent has brought to Spore. The one-year old Sports School will be another source to tap from in due course. Do keep in touch.
Cooler, Somebody turned back to badminton because of the problems with the NHL. Maybe there are more out there
Hi Loh: Ahhhh.....so (pause).......... we ARE "related"...........by common friend(s). Well, then please send my best regards to your dear friend at Warren. There's been a vacuum since we last connected. And the last I know, he is not exactly internet savvy, well unless you have managed to convert him. To your last para, your buddy at Warren must be the happiest guy. He has been such an advocate for local badminton to take flight or higher flight (if at all) for a long time coming. I think for all his past efforts and contributions, he has been under-rated or under-appreciated. Hopefully, he is making his influence felt now. Way to go.....good man! And Loh, please convey my sincere birthday wishes to him. It should be some time early next week and I guess you do meet weekly (a night of beer with braised duck's feet ring a bell?). Being the computer-literacy challenged as he is (pardon me if I've been wrong), better to go through your channel. But no sweat, it's in the thoughts........always! Thanks, Loh. Just a thought, with the increased influx of Chinese nationals from China calling Canada home, we may see Canada on the badminton map. Last summer, there was an exhibition event by the Chinese players at one of the local clubs (not sure if it was the Mandarin Badminton Club) but sadly, I didn't pick up enough motivation to attend. Too bad eh? Perhaps another chance. But first of all, I've got to go back to the courts....badminton courts, that is! Stay well and keep in touch too.
Yes but unfortunately it's not the majority of hockey fans. You see, littlestream has roots in badminton (to put it mildly) so it's easy to merge back into it. I would say 99% of native canadian youth start off with hockey and this will be their root. I know lacrosse, curling, minor hockeys have taken up the NHL TV slack. Yes, there are hockey on tv, network tv just move down a notch of the hockey empire. Btw, welcome to BC Littlestream. Canada can do its best but for badminton to raise its profile it has to start from the US. Many things, celebrities, practices were originated from canada but became famous only when they were popularized in the US. For ex., most american still think they invented basketball.
Thanks for the welcome, Cooler. So true regarding your last para. Even our doctors are moving down south. I understand you are a Calgary Flamers. Well, hi.....I am a Maple Leafer!!! So, did you missed NHL at all? In fact, judging from what's been heavily televised these days and the recent news, TO is bitten by the poker bug!!!
