Hey Loh, really hope you enjoyed... Your pics are sooo nice!!! Thanks a bunch!!! Ha, I still think that shirt looks great on Boonsak
Mr. Loh!! Thanks for you pics!! You were using a good camera to get so beautiful photos You got a guest pass to watch for free?? So nice! I used student ID card to get 50% discount, which is RM10 for semifinal RM20 is too expensive consider the distance is so near!!...... I don't like to take those taxis as well....
I went to the stadium on the semifinal day, but Chandra didn't show up as he's out already.. I like Sony because he came to the stadium also although he's also out already
OMG, this is Hendrawan??!!! I can't recognize him!! I saw him walking around the player's seat, I thought he's a Japanese.. too bad, I miss the chance to talk to him....!! What's the names of the Japanese WD?
Yes, they're friendly, Yap Kim Hock and Rexy are very friendly as well. Rexy was all smiles all the day especially after both Malaysian MD pairs go into final.. The families kept taking photo with him, esp the Malays.
yes, she's from fu jian, china. not quite sure about when. but i know she had participated in the 9th chinese national championship.
Wow... you must be Ah Yet's friend... good pics also Weeyet, you posted the pics without his permission ah?
Yes, it was quite a change from the more subdued environment of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, except when there were Malaysian and Singaporean students in the midst to support their respective countries' badminton stars. In badminton crazy JB, as with many other Malaysian states, the noise level was at a fantastic decible with mainly the banging of the balloon clappers by the enthusiastic spectators. Although there was sporadic shouts of excitement, especially when a smash was imminent, little was heard of the famous slogan "Malaysia Boleh", when Malaysian players faced opponents from other countries. Here, there was no need to use this vocal weapon as the fans were pretty sure that their Malaysian stars would win, and indeed they obliged with Chong Wei beating Park in singles and the two Malaysian doubles pairs of young Hoon Thien How & Tan Boon Heong and not-so-young Choong Tan Fook & Lee Wan Wah, also disposing of their opponents, though the latter had a much harder time against Indonesians, Alven and Luluk. As we all know, the young world junior 2004 doubles champion pair had the distinction of beating former world champions, Candra and Sigit in straight games in the quarter-finals. Actually, because of the excitement and movement all around me in rather congested space, I could not hold my camera steady for long periods of time and I did not use a tripod, so it was very difficult to take really good pictures. Additionally, I was seated near the far-corner near to the stringing station and the lights were a bit dim. But I'm happy that you and Weeyet still found the pics ok. I tried to take more off-court pictures to give readers an idea of what was going on away from the courts. I chose to focus a little more on the coaches and the electrifying atmosphere. I was just as surprised as Weeyet to see Park Joo Bong, together with a lady coach (or translator/coach?) spending a great deal of time to prepare T Mori. In the background too, I could not even recognize the balding Hendrawan at first until my young friend (ex-Vietnam national player now studying in NUS who got me the pass from his Singaporean national player friend) pointed him out to me! Mori had improved so much under these two legendary players that Mori was able to defeat her younger Chinese player L Chen and stretched title-holder, Wang Chen, to a rubber in the Finals. Hendrawan must have been coaching Mori for only a very short while after leaving the Indonesian Badminton Assn and who knows how much more he could do with this relatively short but obviously very determined Japanese lady if given a much longer time! Park is basically a doubles-specialist unlike Hendrawan Of course Rexy was a familiar sight as he too was in Melbourne with his boys. But soft-spoken Thai coach Sompol (a very good singles player during his prime) remained close to Boonsak as he did in Manila during the SE Asian Games last December. Li Mao was there for Chong Wei too, but he was too far away to be captured properly on camera.
How nice to get compliments from my young friend from faraway! I hope you are keeping well too and are now ready to resume your 'first love' and give good friend, Kim and his gang, a good run for their money. No doubt they'll find you a very difficult nut to crack!
Hey Loh! Yeah, it's very wellwritten and thanks a lot for telling us about your experience. Of course, I love the pics!!!
