Malaysia International Fireworks Competition (MIFC) 2008 is held in the month of August in conjunction with the independence day celebration.
I was planning to go for a show on Wednesday, but the weather was not permitting; will try my luck again on Sunday. Meanwhile, catch a video below, produced by an official media partner of MIFC with the Malaysian team performing on August 12.
Besides the Malaysian team, other teams that are competing in the event this year are from China, Spain, Canada and Australia.
American shooter Matthew Emmons is going to be one of the most memorable characters in Olympic history…
Matthew and Katerina Emmons
In Athens 2004, Matthew was just a shot away from winning a gold in the three positions competition… but he shot on the wrong target, a mistake that sounds almost impossible in professional shooting. He finished eighth.
It’s not all bad for Matthew though… later that night, he went to a pub and met Czech shooter Kateřina Kůrková who offered him consolation. The couple fell in love and got married in 2007.
If the name Kateřina Emmons sounds familiar to you, that’s because she is the winner of the first gold medal in Beijing Olympics 2008.
Matthew was trying to emulate his wife’s success, and he was pretty close at the three positions competition, again needing just an average score at his final shot to secure the gold.
Somehow, it’s deja vu… he didn’t fire the wrong target this time, but pulled the trigger at a wrong timing and got a bad score. He finished fourth.
Make no mistake though, Matthew is an excellent shooter. He won a gold in Athens in other shooting event and also a silver in Beijing. It’s just the bizarreness of how he missed those two golds that is going to make him a folklore of the Games.
Matthew has already expressed his ambition for London 2012… wish him luck.
Korean actor Lee Eon died in a road accident early this morning (August 21).
Lee was on his way home on motorbike after attending the wrap party for drama “Strongest Chilwoo” and crashed into a guardrail. It’s reported that he was already pulse-less when he was sent to the hospital. He was just 27.
The model turned actor was most memorable with his role in drama “Coffee Prince”.
Rest in peace Lee Eon. My condolences to his family.
Malaysian authority is barring Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne from performing at a scheduled concert on August 29 in Kuala Lumpur, stating that the concert is unsuitable for Malaysian culture, particularly not when the country is celebrating independence day on August 31. [via Malaysianinsider]
Canadian singer Avril Lavigne
Earlier last week, an Islamic opposition party called for the show to be scrapped, claiming that the show is considered too sexy for Malaysians and would promote the wrong values as Malaysia’s independence day is looming near.
The concert promoter, the Galaxy Productions, has yet to obtain a permit for the show, and it’s apparent that they won’t be getting it.
I don’t think it would be a problem to get a refund for those who have purchased their tickets… I can imagine the trouble and disappointment though.
The spokesman for the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry Ministry said that the concert promoter can request a new date for the concert… but I wonder if Galaxy would bother trying.
Besides, it’s deja vu for Malaysians… the authority had barred Indonesian singer Inul Daratista from performing in late July 2008 following protest that her performance was ‘too erotic’. Whether it’s independence day or not… it doesn’t matter obviously.
Do mind that Malaysians in general are not that conservative; in fact lots of the Muslims are quite liberal in these kind of matters. Unfortunately the men that make the decision are not quite as open minded.
Update - the concert organiser is making an appeal to the decision; we’ll see if it works.
Water puppet show (múa rối nước) is a famous traditional Vietnamese art with more than 800 years of history. The art is a unique heritage from the Red River region in northern Vietnam.
A video of BASE jumping from KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during the KL International Tower Jump (KLITJ) in August 2006…
BASE is the acronym for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth… the categories of fixed objects that are usual jumping platforms for this extreme sport. [more on Wiki]
KLITJ is becoming a popular event for BASE jumpers around the world; the annual event is moving into its seventh edition in 2008. Besides the 421m KL Tower, the jumping sessions are now extended to a few other locations across the country.
World and Olympic champion Liu Xiang has withdrew from the 110m hurdle event following a right foot injury.
Liu’s appearance was in doubt when it was reported last weekend that he was suffering from a sore Achilles tendon, but he showed up for the qualifying heat anyway.
The 90,000 crowd at the Beijing National Stadium didn’t manage to catch Liu Xiang in real action though, as he quit after a false start (by another hurdler), limping out of the race track into the tunnel. The Chinese are generally disappointed, but showing plenty of support for the iconic athlete.
Liu Xiang was China’s best (and probably the only) hope for a gold medal at the track and field event.
