Athletes of the Year

Sprinters Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Sanya Richards of the United States were named as the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) Athletes of the Year as announced during the World Athletics Gala held at Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco on Sunday.

Powell, 23, twice equalled the world 100m record of 9.77 he set last year. He won 16 races and a share of the US$1mil IAAF Golden League Jackpot after winning all six races in Golden League competitions.
Sanya Richards, 21, was undefeated over 400m outdoors and also captured a US$250,000 share of the Golden League Jackpot. She won 13 races, including the year’s five fastest performances capped by an American record of 48.70 at the World Cup in Athens in September. The previous record of 48.83 was set by Valerie Brisco at the 1984 Olympic Games, six months before Richards was born. Her performance was the fastest in the world since the 1996 Olympic Games.

Two world record breakers were given awards for Performances of the Year. Liu Xiang of China clocked 12.88 in the 110m hurdles in Lausanne and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia ran 14:24.53 over 5,000m in New York City.
Tags: Sports, Athletics, IAAF, Golden League, Asafa Powell, Sanya Richards, Liu Xiang, Meserat Defar, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Salle des Etoiles

Tiger & Ernie Venture Into Bahamas

Golfers Tiger Woods and Ernie Els partnered with Tavistock Group to create the world's finest resort community in the Bahamas. The resort will be named Albany Golf & Beach Club, a 565 acres on western end of New Providence Island, The Bahamas.
A family-oriented resort community offering something for everyone, Albany will be highlighted by an array of family amenities including an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Ernie Els; an exotic family swimming complex; a state-of-the-art marina for boats and mega-yachts up to 240 feet in length; a beach club overlooking the beautiful Bahamian waters; a tennis and racquet center; a variety of water sports and activities; an exquisite boutique spa; a world-class fitness center with adult pool, and an equestrian center.

Noted architect and planner, Andres Duany, co-founder of Duany Plater-Zyberk, was retained by the partners to design the land plan and initial architectural code for Albany club.

Tags: Travel, Luxury, Golf, New Providence Island, Bahamas, Caribbean, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Tavistock

Rare Implant

I blogged about 20-yr-old Yvonne Foong on 20 Aug 2006 about her rare form of neurofibromatosis illness. The Star has reported that Yvonne has raised her own funds (up to RM230,000) to treat her genetically incurable disease and became the first Malaysian to have an auditory brainstem implant (ABI). The surgery was led by Dr. Rick A. Friedman, a medical specialist in this field.

Her 4 Nov surgery in Los Angeles was the fourth major one she had undergone since she was diagnosed with NF2 at the age of 13. However, instead of giving up on life or asking for handouts, she has worked hard to raise money for her operation by selling T-shirts, organising rock concerts, giving motivational talks and writing a book about living with NF titled I Am Not Sick, Just A Bit Unwell.

True grit won her the Asian Youth Ambassadors’ Most Outstanding Youth of the Year award in 2005.

Meanwhile, her townsfolk in Subang Jaya have started a fund-raising campaign for Yvonne and will hold their third charity golf tournament in her aid. They have collected RM16,000 so far which would help meet Yvonne’s surgery expenses and also follow-up treatment in Los Angeles.
As I always said and will say again & again; A Person With A Dream Can Never Be Denied!
Tags: Health, Yvonne Foong, Neurofibromatosis, Auditory Brainstem Implant, Asian Youth Ambassador, Rick Friedman, Dream

Dinner at Mo'men

Had my dinner at Mo'men fast food restaurant near the Khartoum International Airport and came back to office to finish off some work. The Mo'men restaurant is one of the only 2 overseas fast food restaurant that has opened up in Khartoum. Mo'men restaurant originated from Egypt itself where it has established 14 restaurants there.
Tags: Journal, Diary, Life, Fast Food, Mo'men, Egypt, Khartoum

Lamborghini LP 640 Versace

Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 revised by the famous Versace design house, which is distinguished by an interior covered entirely with the best Nappa leather, featuring the distinctive Versace emblem.

On top of that are black wheel rims of a specific design (Hermera), a more elaborate carbon finish, an engine hood with transparent glass ribbing and an automatic gearbox with sequential control. Not forgetting a set of luggage specially designed for the occasion: two suitcases and a suit carrier in matt black calfskin, also decorated with the Versace Greek frieze.
Output has been improved thanks to an increase in engine capacity (increased bore, longer stroke), going from 6.2 to 6.5 litres and gaining 60 hp.

The Murcielago LP 640 now covers 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) sprint in an astounding 3.4 seconds, whilst the top speed is announced at 340 kph (211 mph). Priced at €230,000 (approximately £155,000) in UK or US$388,000 in USA.

Tags: Lamborghini, Murcielago, Versace, Car, Motor Car

Ocean Dome in Japan

Imagine a beach where the sky is always blue, it's never too hot or cold, the water isn't filled with salt and pollution, and the surf is always perfect - welcome to Ocean Dome, the world's largest and only indoor beach. Ocean Dome has its own flame-spitting volcano, crushed white marble sand", and it also boasts the world's largest retractable roof, providing a permanently blue sky.
Atmosphere temperature (kept at 30 C degrees), water (kept at 28 C degrees) wind and humidity are closely controlled to provide an ultra-safe "sea-side" experience. Every hour, the volcano erupts and the hi-tech wave machines start up, starting a few minutes of sanitized surfing. Entrance cost is US$50 per person, which seems especially expensive given that there is a free, natural beach only 300 meters away.
The Ocean Dome is part of the Phoenix Segaia Resort located at Miyazaki on the island of Kyushu.

Tags: Recreation, Beach, Ocean, Water Park, Resort, Travel, Miyazaki, Japan

Sony Playstation 3

Sony has released its latest games gadget called "Playstation 3" in Japan yesterday. Only 100,000 units so far and more will be produced by March 2007. Electronics stores in Japan have sold out of PlayStation 3 consoles after thousands of gamers queued for hours in the cold to buy them.

400,000 units will be available for the US launch on 17 November 2006. The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is being sold in two configurations. The more expensive version has a 60GB hard drive and wi-fi on board and costs, in Japan, 60,000 yen (£270). The cheaper version has a 20GB hard drive, lacks the wi-fi and will cost 49,980 yen (£222). European prices are expected to be higher than direct comparisons suggest.

Tags: Sony, Playstation 3, PS3, Japan