I was there to support my friends (Amelia, Mohan, Frank etc) who will be running the night time marathon - Sundown in Singapore on May 31. Also met Carboman who came to do some night shoot with his new Canon SLR. :)
I did Sundown last year and I am not going back any soon. Night running is not for me. Beauty sleep is more important! Heheh!
Anyway, I will be heading north on the same weekend for the Penang KOMTAR Tower Run.
To all my runner friends who will be going to Sundown, GOOD NIGHT!..erm, I mean GOOD LUCK! :)
What? A Date With PowerRoot Premium Gold Alicafe Ambassador
Where? Sunway Pyramid Mall
When? 18 April 2009, 2:00pm
Who? Raymond Lam Fung, a HK TVB Chinese Series actor.
Whoa..check out the crowd. Mainly of screaming teenage girls and also aunties...LOL!
I think by PowerRoot made a good decision to introduce "Tongkat Ali" and "Kacip Fatimah" enhanced coffee to the Chinese market by signing up Raymond Lam. Great marketing strategy I must say.
I wonder if the "Tongkat Ali" worked for Raymond Lam. ;)
Work or not work, I bet he is laughing his way to the bank. :)
Want an autograph? The catch was to buy two packs of PowerRoot products and get a poster for autograph! Products were seen flying off the shelves.
Too many autographs, Raymond? Pout! Pout! LOL!
Personally, I don't really like PowerRoot products. The smell is too strong. Not sure what they put in the coffee that makes your piss smell like coffee too. LOL!
I'm a die-hard Nescafe drinker anyway. :)
Smile!
Drink more PowerRoot coffee. Instant power for stay longer and stronger in bed..I mean, autograph signing session. :)
Check out the video below.
You can see in the video that he was sitting right directly under the hot sun. Although the event was held indoor, Raymond get plenty of Malaysian sunshine from the sun roof at the Orange Concourse. But that didn't stop him from smiling.
It was my first time watching an American Idol contestant in flesh. Chris Daughtry was in Malaysia last year but we have to buy a friggin' phone just to get entry to the show. So, I didn't get to rock with Daughtry. I missed Elliot Yamin show too in "Live and Loud".
I got an entry pass to the Archuleta showcase by purchasing his eponymous debut CD. Not too bad. It was still far more affordable than buying a phone!
David Archuleta is simply cute, a little bashful but he loves to jump! Hop he went around the stage! Hop! Hop! Hop! :)
He opened his show with "A Little Too Not Over You", followed by "Touch My Hand", "Don't Let Go" and "Crush".
Anyway, I didn't get many good pictures of him as I was standing like miles away from the stage. Moreover, I was blocked by a huge mist spraying fan. It was the best spot I could find as the theater was already packed to the brim when I arrived around 1pm.
The show was scheduled to start at 3pm. There were people who came at 8am!
The smile that melts thousands of Malaysian girls! :)
David Archuleta came back after Crush to perform stripped down versions of A Thousand Miles (originally by Vanessa Carlton) and Angel (originally by Robbie Williams). Just him and the piano. Brilliant!
I was struggling with the white balance setting of my camera. How come David Archuleta looked so YELLOW! Stupid yellow spotlight! (Insert curses to the light technician ala Christian Bale! LOL!)
Then it dawned upon me.....
Damn! They turned David Archuleta into these Yellow Coverage Fellows! LOL! Well, it was a DiGi event after all.....
He will follow you....(You wish! LOL!)
Finally a video presentation from the show. Check out the "warm-up" sing along before the show, a cute little girl singing "Crush" and a full length David's cover of Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles.
The Orange Run has been a RUNaway success (ehem...pun intended) since it made its debut 4 years ago in the local running scene. It's FREE but filled with goodies - Orange Reclycle Bag, mineral water, nasi lemak, teh tarik, BHP vouchers (not for Petrol though...) and many food and drinks for sampling.
Like they say,the best things in life are FREE. I did enjoy the run very much.
I still hear people complained about the so-called "shrinking" goodies bag. My guess is that they were comparing this year's goodies with the stuff that we got in 2007 - which include a Santa Barbara back pack. (Check out 2007 goodies bag in the report below)....
Gee...runners, please be thankful that we still have the Orange Run. Furthermore, it was FREE of charge. I hear rumours that other local runs (with paid registration) might not see the light of days during these so called economic downturn. So, count your blessings! Not your the goodies bag content! :P
I took some videos along the route. As you can see here, the response was incredibly good. I think they have to find a bigger area next year!
It was an overall well organised event. In my opinion, improvements could be done in two areas:-
1) Water station, Volunteers were having difficulties in coping with the surge of runners. As seen in the video, runners had to pour their own isotonic drinks at the first table! LOL!
2) Traffic control - at the road leading to Tropicana. Cars were driving so close to the runners from behind. Might pose serious hazards.
What? Jackie Chan & Daniel Wu Meet The Fans Session
Where? Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
When? 31 March 2009 (Tuesday)
Why? Promotion for SHINJUKU INCIDENT movie, Opening on April 2 Nationwide.
I braved the Federal Highway traffic and went home to get my camera when I found out about this event from the Net. It was too good to let go. Superstar Jackie Chan and heartthrob, Daniel Wu were in town to promote their latest movie – Shinjuku Incident.
I arrived at Pavilion around 6:30pm, where there was a crowd slowly building up. The weather was fantastic.
While waiting for the appearance of the superstars, I used the beautiful emcee as target practice. Turned out ok, right?
How about this one?
It started to pour when they were playing some primitive (re:brainless) marketing game on stage. Then suddenly, they announced the arrival of Jackie and Daniel. I guess the rain had forced the organizer to speed up the program; otherwise we would be bored silly by more marketing games.
I had to bring out my umbrella. One hand holding the umbrella and the other my camera. It was tough taking pictures like this. Moreover, the other fans were also pushing and shoving trying to get a better glimpse of their idols.
Jackie was very upbeat despite the gloomy sky. He said the dragon must have brought the rain as a joke. Initially, Daniel was a bit stiff and chilly like the rain. Maybe he was trying to maintain his cool.
Suddenly, I heard loud glass breaking sound followed by “mini blackout” on stage. I think some of the spotlight had busted due to the rain.
Jackie was very concerned and asked if everyone was ok. How sweet! Jackie is undeniable the most pleasant superstar I have ever encountered. Not that I have seen many. LOL!
Jackie and Daniel’s presence of stage was less than 15 minutes total. Well, I hope the organizer learn from their mistake and never organized such promo event outdoor. The rain stopped almost immediately after the stars went down the stage. Hmmm.....Somebody didn't shower izzit? LOL!
I only managed to get these "crap-tastic” pictures of Daniel Wu which I think “better than nothing” to be published.
Eeyer...Why his face liddat one?
Charming or not?
That's Jackie Chan's hand, holding the mic.
A close-up shot. Sorry a bit blur. Blame it to the rain!
Smile! (Insert fainting females fans here)
My pictures of Jackie Chan didn’t pass my strict quality control for publishing. He moved around too much, hence his image was mostly a blur whoosh! Heheh! Not bad for a 55 years old man, eh?
For those of you who missed this wet wet wet event, here’s a YouTube presentation from me. You will see Daniel Wu professes his love for Malaysia. (Insert screaming girls here).
Enjoy!
Read about my previous encounter with Jackie Chan here.
In supporting WWF in its global climate change initiative, Earth Hour, I have signed up for this run immediately when I got to know about it from the Net.
Earth Hour 2009 was a initiative involved individuals, businesses, governments and communities whereby they were invited to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8.30pm to show their support for action on climate change.
In KL itself there were several major landmarks that supported Earth Hour. KL Tower (below) was one of them.
I arrived at CapSquare around 3:30pm after lunch with Marianne at SPCA. The sky was gloomy. I feared that I would rain.
It did while I was in the queue to collect my Earth Hour T-Shirt and recycle bag for the Walk of Hope. (Insert scream here!)
Designer bag by Melinda Looi. It contained a pack of Tetrapack drink, some discount vouchers and slimming vouchers. Hrrrmph! As if I need slimming. LOL!
Think Recycle! Didn't win the game though.
Since I have a couple of hours to kill, I went around CapSquare, checking out the Earth Hour bazaars, design/ art exhibitions and then some....
See Charm All Stars Cheerleaders action-packed performance here.
I also caught Malaysian Idol, Jaclyn Victor and 8TV's Rina Omar practising "Here in my Home" for Earh Hour. They seemed to be having lots of fun on stage!
There was a marching band with bagpipes and drums! Check out their little dance routine in their skirts....erm, I mean kilts. :)
And I saw this clueless broadcaster! :) She thought that there was a candlelight run (larian berlilin). Didn't she saw the HUGE banner with "WALK of HOPE" on it at the start point? :P
The finalists for One in a Million made an appearance at the Earth Hour. I'm rooting for the girl with a big voice - Esther. :)
Local alternative rock band - Loudspeaker, singing "Walau" their first single. "Walau" is nice. They boys butchered my one of my favourite songs I'll Be, originally by Edward McCain later. I had to stop recording halway...:P
At around 7:30pm, the Walk for Hope participants were set off in front of CapSquare. Joining us were local TV personalities like Belinda, Prem etc.
Check out the video I made. They initially targetted 500 walkers for the event but thousands turned up. We took the roads of KL while cheering and waving to the crowd. It was AWESOME!!!
The song, Ever Wondered by Altered Frequency for the video above was lifted from a CD called Earth Hour featuring some local indie bands. Thank you to Kevin and Amelia for getting this CD for me. They were giving away this CD free at Sunway Pyramid - another mall that participated in Earth Hour Malaysia.
And finally the moment we were waiting for.......
Before the coundown, Joey G interviewed Yasmin Ahmad, a talented filmmaker and also the ambassador for Earth Hour Malaysia. She brought along her actors from her recent movie - Talentime - Mahesh Jugal Kishore and Hon KaHoe. The fearless, Sharifah Amani (Sepet, Gubra, Muallaf) also present to make a stand for the environment.
We countdown-ed to 8:30pm with Joey G. The light at Kl Tower was switched off to mak the start of Earth Hour. The absence of lights were replaced by the screams and cheers from the people at CapSquare. We were treated to an all girls Drum performance.
I almost fell flat on the floor after I tripped on the uneven pavement while walking around looking for a good spot to video the fire-eating stunts. Hmmmmm....Thank God, they switched the light off for an hour only.
I left CapSquare during the tap dancing show by Jojo Struys. Not that I didn't enjoy the show but I had to get home to rest and prepare for an outing on the next day. Sorry Jojo!
It was an unforgettable event. I was really proud to be part of the Earth Hour. Together, we can make a difference for out world.
I hope they have the "Larian Berlilin" next year.(Insert ROTFLOL here!)
I don't feel much write up is necessary for this post. Let YouTube show you what a fun night we had celebrating PACM 25th Anniversary. Enjoy!
The Dances
Note: The dancers were not Pacesetters members. The MC kept warning the audience not to drop their chopsticks while eating and watching the show at the same time. I could understand why. :)
The Song
What is Shanghai Night without the theme song from classic TVB Series, The Bund by Frances Yip? A sharp dressed Jacky took the stage with his very own rendition of that famous song. You can see some snippets of the rehearsal too, featuring Phyllis.
Wendy's daughther, Jessie then took the stage belting a karaoke favourite, Top of The World and a Chinese duet with a chubby dude. Sorry, didn't get his name. :)
Ong Duan Tun performed two songs - a Malay number called Cinta Hampa (not in the video) and a Japanese one. I don't know the title of the Japanese number but it matches Ong's vibrato voice.
The Cake
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Pacesetters Athletic Club, Malaysia. For two and a half decades, the club has been actively promoting healthy lifestyle through running in Malaysia. Watch the cake cutting and candle blowing ceremony. The cake was later distributed to all members present at the dinner. It was simply delicious!
The Best Dressed Contestants
The Best Dressed Contestants with a Gender Twist
Watch this...you will never see them do this in a road race! Heheh!
The Winner
From 10 contestants to 4. The four were regrouped as two couples. The pairing was like a match made in heaven. LOL!
Watch as they danced their way into the audiences’ hearts. Check out their reactions when they heard the music the moment they were about to ball room dance.
Who are the winners? Watch it till the end to find out. :)
The Longest Breath
Do you think runners have powerful lungs? Five of our veteran runners took the test...with hilarious results. Watch out for Bruce. Pardon the camera shake. I was rolling on the floor laughing!
Hope you enjoyed the videos. :)
HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY PACESETTERS ATHLETIC CLUB MALAYSIA!
Note: Hi-resolution presentation and original files are available for a nominal fee. Please send me an email request. Thank you.
Who? Organised by Malaysian Sport Aviation Federation (MSAF) and AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd.
I was quite excited about this event when I heard it from Jamie Pang a week ago. I got even more excited when I saw the various beautiful pictures of the multi-shapd balloons on some photography forums. So, on a mighty fine last Saturday morning, I took the ERL transit and then the NadiPutra bus to Monumen Alaf Baru, Putrajaya.
I smiled when I saw this sign on the NadiPutra Bus. Belon Panas = Hot Balloon! The balloons are literally HOT! :)
But.....
I went all the way to Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and all I saw was ONE miserable balloon!!!!
I was told that the featured balloons would only make two flights a day - one in the morning (7am) and one late evening 5pm. What?
Hmmmm...How silly of me to think that the hot air balloons were going to be tied to the fiesta ground for exhibition. Anyway, how do I supposed to know right? That was my first time going for such fiesta.
So what do I do then? Maybe I could take a balloon ride.....
Double damn! It was blazing hot and I really hated the annoying kids and their equally annoying parents who ran around the fiesta ground. So, I decided not to hang around and headed home. (Insert Arnold Schwarzenegger's "I'll Be Back" here)
I went to Putrajaya again on the next day. The sun was blazing hot but I did not complain as the blue sky was amazing for photoshoot!
I found a spot among the SLR firing squad at the far end of the field and waited. The scheduled flight at 5:30pm didn't happen due to some wind conditions.
Finally at around 6:15pm the technical crew started to pump the balloons up.
I was very annoyed by a bunch of SLR carrying selfish pigs (I wouldn't even want to call them photographers) who DISMANTLED the barricades so that they could move into the field and get close to the balloons.
Like a bunch of flies on a piece of shit, they hovered around the balloons, blocking the views of the people outside the field. It was so (insert beep here) hard to compose a photo without having one of them fly into the shot!
Come on, people! The barricades were there for a reason. The organiser should have tighten up the security and chase them out. Now that I got that out of my system, let's move on....
I squealed with excitement like little kid when I saw, one by one, the balloons were inflated from floppy nylon patches on the ground into huge peacock, elephant, clowns etc. It was awesome!
I fired away, alternating between video and photo mode. I love my Fujifilm S100FS. :)
Pump it up!
It's getting hot in here....
Peacock cocking its head.
The only way is up!
Shake ya tail feather!
Wow.......!
I like this shot. Looks like the tiny hot air balloon going to land on the clown's nose. :)
Is that a teapot in the sky?
No....It's Nelly B the elephant! :)
Clown getting pumped up!
Clowns....How come one of the clown comes with a frown?
It's because all the balloons have flown away......
Traffic jam on the way back to KL. The trip back to Putrajaya on the next day was worth it. I smiled as I "chimped" away in the bus. What a day!
I have pasted together some clips I took from the fiesta over a mashup soundtrack. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did shooting it.
