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Say it with heartfelt dedications
Hundreds of entries trickled in to proclaim the senders’ love and appreciation for their significant other or loved ones in the form of dedications called Lovelines, printed in The New Paper Classified and Lianhe Zaobao Classified.
These dedications will be published with a fee on Valentine’s Day.
A total of 192 entries will be printed in The New Paper Classified and 152 in Lianhe Zaobao Classified. Out of these, two entries stood out, showcasing the beauty of love in its many forms.
SWEET MEMORIES
For 41-year-old sales manager Andy Ng, Feb 14 calls for a double celebration – it also happens to be his birthday.
Mr Ng has been submitting Valentine’s Day dedications for his significant other – 38-year-old finance manager Minz Law – since the early 2000s.
He learnt about Lovelines when putting up manpower recruitment advertisements with SPH’s publications.
He feels that such dedications are a memorable and sentimental avenue to make this day extra blissful for his wife.
On Feb 14, 2005, Mr Ng sent in an entry to Lovelines to propose to Ms Law.
Mr Ng said: “I remember being so excited on that day and telephoning her to take a look at the page.
“She was overjoyed when she saw it and said ‘yes’ to my proposal. It was a wonderful day that I will never forget.”
They got hitched on July 4 the same year. Their son Jordan was born the year after and daughter Joelle in 2008.
Such dedications also commemorate life’s milestones and progression from one life stage to another.
Now, Mr Ng uses Lovelines to express his thanks to his spouse for her devotion to the family.
Mr Ng said: “Not only is she my life partner, she is also a terrific mother to our children.
“Publishing love messages yearly is a sincere and creative way to demonstrate how much she means to us.”
Eleven-year-old Jordan said: “I think my mother will be very happy when she sees the dedication.
“I look forward to it being published in the papers. I am going to show it to my classmates, and keep it as a memento.”
His nine-year-old sister Joelle quipped: “I love mummy and wish her a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Valentine’s Day Lovelines dedications can help to extend other creative gestures too.
LOVE, HOPE AND FUN
Mr Benedict Lim, 49, the director of a business consultancy company, laced a Lovelines dedication for his 47-year-old teacher wife Veronica Tan. The couple has been married for about 20 years.
Although he has not wanted children for the past 10 years, Mr Lim placed a dedication to surprise his wife – after having changed his mind about the issue.
He is looking forward to seeing his wife’s reaction when she reads the dedication. Ever since Ms Tan’s close friend, who lives in California, gave birth to a healthy baby at the age of 49, Ms Tan has been hopeful about having her own child one day.
Mr Lim has been placing Valentine’s Day dedications for his wife for more than 10 years. Similar to Mr Ng, Mr Lim also learnt about this dedication avenue when putting up advertisements with SPH’s publications.
When Mr Lim makes anonymous dedications, the staff at his company will make a guess to see which dedication belongs to him.
He chuckles: “This element of fun and suspense adds extra excitement to Valentine’s Day.”
Say it with heartfelt dedications
Hundreds of entries trickled in to proclaim the senders’ love and appreciation for their significant other or loved ones in the form of dedications called Lovelines, printed in The New Paper Classified and Lianhe Zaobao Classified.
These dedications will be published with a fee on Valentine’s Day.
A total of 192 entries will be printed in The New Paper Classified and 152 in Lianhe Zaobao Classified. Out of these, two entries stood out, showcasing the beauty of love in its many forms.
SWEET MEMORIES
For 41-year-old sales manager Andy Ng, Feb 14 calls for a double celebration – it also happens to be his birthday.
Mr Ng has been submitting Valentine’s Day dedications for his significant other – 38-year-old finance manager Minz Law – since the early 2000s.
He learnt about Lovelines when putting up manpower recruitment advertisements with SPH’s publications.
He feels that such dedications are a memorable and sentimental avenue to make this day extra blissful for his wife.
On Feb 14, 2005, Mr Ng sent in an entry to Lovelines to propose to Ms Law.
Mr Ng said: “I remember being so excited on that day and telephoning her to take a look at the page.
“She was overjoyed when she saw it and said ‘yes’ to my proposal. It was a wonderful day that I will never forget.”
They got hitched on July 4 the same year. Their son Jordan was born the year after and daughter Joelle in 2008.
Such dedications also commemorate life’s milestones and progression from one life stage to another.
Now, Mr Ng uses Lovelines to express his thanks to his spouse for her devotion to the family.
Mr Ng said: “Not only is she my life partner, she is also a terrific mother to our children.
“Publishing love messages yearly is a sincere and creative way to demonstrate how much she means to us.”
Eleven-year-old Jordan said: “I think my mother will be very happy when she sees the dedication.
“I look forward to it being published in the papers. I am going to show it to my classmates, and keep it as a memento.”
His nine-year-old sister Joelle quipped: “I love mummy and wish her a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Valentine’s Day Lovelines dedications can help to extend other creative gestures too.
LOVE, HOPE AND FUN
Mr Benedict Lim, 49, the director of a business consultancy company, laced a Lovelines dedication for his 47-year-old teacher wife Veronica Tan. The couple has been married for about 20 years.
Although he has not wanted children for the past 10 years, Mr Lim placed a dedication to surprise his wife – after having changed his mind about the issue.
He is looking forward to seeing his wife’s reaction when she reads the dedication. Ever since Ms Tan’s close friend, who lives in California, gave birth to a healthy baby at the age of 49, Ms Tan has been hopeful about having her own child one day.
Mr Lim has been placing Valentine’s Day dedications for his wife for more than 10 years. Similar to Mr Ng, Mr Lim also learnt about this dedication avenue when putting up advertisements with SPH’s publications.
When Mr Lim makes anonymous dedications, the staff at his company will make a guess to see which dedication belongs to him.
He chuckles: “This element of fun and suspense adds extra excitement to Valentine’s Day.”
SINGAPORE: A total of 4,056 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats were launched in Punggol, Clementi and Tampines on Tuesday (Feb 14), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced.
This is the first tranche of 17,000 flats to be launched in 2017, it said.
Flats offered in this BTO launch range from 2-room Flexi to Three-Generation (3Gen) flats. The price range for these flats range from S$81,000 for a 2-room Flexi at Punggol’s Waterway Sunrise II and Northshore Cove to S$571,000 for a 5-room flat at Clementi NorthArc and Clementi Peaks, excluding grants.
Eligible first-timer families can enjoy up to S$80,000 in housing grants, comprising
up to S$40,000 under the Additional Central Provident Fund (CPF) Housing Grant and up to another S$40,000 under the Special CPF Housing Grant, the agency said.
(Source: HDB)
A project in Woodlands, originally planned for launch in February 2017, has been deferred. Due to the site conditions, further review is needed to better integrate it with surrounding developments before it can be launched, HDB said in its press release.
Interested applicants for the current exercise may submit an application online at HDB’s InfoWEB from Tuesday to next Monday. They can also apply at HDB Hub or any of HDB’s branches.
In the next exercise in May, HDB will offer about 4,600 flats in Bidadari, Geylang, Woodlands and Yishun. Concurrently, it will also offer 3,000 sale of balance flats.
FAMILIES CAN LOOK FORWARD TO FRESH START
In the February exercise, families under the Fresh Start Housing Scheme will also be able to apply for 2-room Flexi flats for the first time since the scheme’s launch in December last year.
The Fresh Start scheme is intended to help second-timer families staying in public rental flats with young children own their own flats again.
Eligible families will be able to buy a 2-room Flexi flat, with lease options ranging from 45 to 65 years, within one year of being placed on the scheme.
They will enjoy priority allocation of up to 10 per cent of the 2-room Flexi units on offer, according to HDB.
Mandopop star Jay Chou is expecting a baby boy with his wife, model Hannah Quinlivan.
Chou announced this on Facebook early this morning (Feb 14) – a minute into Valentine’s Day – with a photo of himself on a boat with Quinlivan, posing with her pregnant belly.
In the cryptic post, Chou alluded to the Chinese saying that a daughter is her father’s lover in a previous life.
“It’s time for mummy’s past-life lover to arrive,” the 38-year-old wrote, before wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s Day.
Chou and Quinlivan have a year-old daughter, Hathaway.
Read also: It’s a girl for Jay Chou & Hannah Quinlivan!
Quinlivan, 23, previously revealed on a talk show that the couple were planning to have “two to three children”.
Before he settled down, Chou famously said that he wanted five kids. But he has given up this bubble after seeing how tired Quinlivan was when she was pregnant with Hathaway.
“We will just have enough children,” he was quoted by China Times as saying.
At least he will get to fulfil his other dream of playing basketball with a son, in years to come.
huizhen@sph.com.sg
SINGAPORE – Shares in Noble Group Ltd leapt as much as 17 per cent on Tuesday to the highest in eight months after the commodities trader confirmed it was holding talks on a possible strategic investment in the firm.
China’s state-owned Sinochem is in early talks with Noble to buy an equity stake, a move that would help it gain access to the Singapore-listed trader’s global supply chain, Reuters reported on Monday.
In response to the story, Noble told the Singapore exchange on Tuesday that it was in talks but did not give details.
“The board wishes to advise that Noble Group is currently engaged in discussions regarding a possible strategic investment in Noble Group,” it said.
“However, no binding arrangements have as yet been entered into with respect to this possible transaction and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that this transaction will be concluded.”
India’s highest court Monday (Feb 13) barred hundreds of students from becoming doctors after they were caught paying bribes and cheating on exams to gain admission into prestigious medical schools.
Around 630 students from central Madhya Pradesh state were found to have copied answers, had proxies sit their exams or just outright paid to gain entry to selective medical colleges between 2008 and 2013.
An investigation into the so-called “Vyapam scandal” – named after the state’s admissions board – recommended the students be struck from the medical fraternity, but they appealed that ruling in court.
The Supreme Court first delivered a split verdict, with one judge suggesting the students serve time in the army as punishment.
But a new bench empanelled to hear the case rejected their appeals, ruling they obtained their admissions illegally and were therefore ineligible to hold degrees or practice medicine.
Paying bribes to secure an exam paper early or get bumped up the admissions ladder is not uncommon in India, but the brazen nature of this scam caused particular outrage.
Students were found to have manipulated their photographs so proxies could sit their exams, with officials paid kickbacks to keep quiet.
More than 2000 people linked to the scandal have been arrested since 2013 as a result of state investigations.
Federal investigators joined the probe two years later after a local TV journalist covering the lucrative scheme mysteriously wound up dead.
Corruption is rife across India, and paying to secure government jobs or fake credentials is not uncommon.
This Valentine’s Day, consider a stranger to treat a meal.
The Association of Special Needs (APSN) will launch its first social enterprise, “The Mystery Café of All Mankind,” tomorrow.
The APSN Adult Center in the Kembangan-Chai Chee Community Center offers nasi lemak and fusion foods such as Spaghetti A La Melayu – spaghetti and buckwheat noodles – for $ 4 to $ 6.
The café will be equipped with five ASPN trainees and a coach.
It has a pay-it-forward initiative where customers buy meal vouchers for others. Profits will be used to maintain the cafe.
“The main goal is to create an inclusive and caring society,” said Rick Lim, corporate director of ASPN.
Three years ago, the cafe’s idea was that APSN received negative feedback from food and beverage employers.
“They are reluctant to hire our students because they feel they have no relevant experience or the trainees are facing rejection when they work outside,” said Victor Tay, APSN chairman.
“Why not set up a coffee shop to help students gain experience and learn skills, such as customer service and kitchen technology, which will make their portfolios look good either.
A server is a 29-year-old Chen, who suffers from Down’s syndrome. His father Chen Jinhao 69 years old, eager to his son on-the-job training.
“I’ve always treated Kenny like a normal person, and I think it’s encouraging for parents,” he said.
“Kenny is quite timid, but I think (this experience) will make him more confident.
This article was first published on Feb 14, 2017.
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Malaysia was treated to a spectacle Friday night, as six homegrown mixed martial arts talents emerged victorious in their respective bouts at ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS.
The Stadium Negara, site of many epic ONE Championship cards in the past, once again roared with excitement as modern-day warriors took to the ONE Championship cage.
Like we do for every ONE Championship card, we now take a look at some of the movers and shakers after such a memorable event. Let’s check out what could be next for some of the winners of ONE: THRONE OF TIGERS.
Ev “E.T.” Ting
Now 2-0 at lightweight, Ev Ting is slowly but surely carving a niche out in his new division. The 27-year-old Malaysian-Kiwi sensation, who lives and trains out of Auckland, New Zealand, has now strung together four straight wins since his first round loss to ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in 2015.
He stepped into the cage Friday night and took care of business against a tough, world-class competitor in Kamal Shalorus, however, scoring perhaps his biggest victory yet. Riding a wave of momentum, he used his time in the post-fight interview wisely and called out reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines.
Folayang won the title in a scintillating knockout performance last November, dethroning Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki to take the title. He is scheduled to make the first defense of his belt at home in Manila this April, but an opponent has yet to be announced.
There is a strong inclination towards Ting now moving on to face Folayang for the title in Manila, and Malaysian fans couldn’t be more excited.
“Eduard Folayang, April 21st, you already know I’m coming to get your belt,” said Ting in the cage.
Folayang, who watched the card from back home in Baguio City, welcomed the challenge and offered a simple counter rhetoric: “That’s where he’s wrong.”
A Folayang vs Ting bout in Manila would be huge, given the two fighters’ rabid following. Ting is undoubtedly the biggest star in Malaysia right now, and a bout against Folayang would be a battle between two national heroes. If the fight gets made, it would also be a great first defense for Folayang, who sits at the top of a deep lightweight division.
However, if a bout against Folayang cannot be made, there are other lightweight contenders waiting patiently in the wings. Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton immediately comes to mind, as well as Australian battler Adrian Pang and Japanese grappler Tetsuya Yamada.
And of course, you can never count out former champion Shinya Aoki, who would love nothing more than to claw his way back to having his hands around the title.
Agilan “Alligator” Thani
21-year-old Agilan “Alligator” Thani made a huge statement last Friday night, putting the entire welterweight division on notice with a tremendous performance against Chinese Taipei’s Jeff “The Machine” Huang. The young Malaysian prospect impressed with his wrestling and grappling skills, stifling Huang with effortless transitions and overpowering him in the clinch.
The victory earned Thani his seventh straight finish in as many professional fights, and has really placed the spotlight on his blossoming career. Undoubtedly one of Malaysia’s top MMA representatives at the moment, Thani’s achievements in the ONE Championship cage are undeniable. Many fans, including Thani himself, have brought up the idea of a title shot.
Malaysian fans believe Thani has earned a shot at the ONE Welterweight World Championship, currently held by undefeated American wrestler Ben “Funky” Askren. Thani’s performances have certainly built towards to that potential bout, but Askren himself feels the fight would not be competitive.
“That Alligator ain’t got no teeth,” Tweeted Askren, in response to a possible bout against Thani.
Askren stated in his post-fight interview that if the fight was offered to him, he would accept without question as he is not one to turn down any fights. Askren is currently scheduled to return to the ONE Championship cage this April in Manila, but no opponent has been announced. Thani is willing to step in and give the champion a fight if the promotion goes down that route.
However, although Thani is a tremendous wrestler and grappler, there is a world of difference between going to the mat with Jeff Huang and going to the mat with a world-class wrestler the likes of Askren.
If ONE Championship matchmakers feel Thani isn’t ready for a shot at the title just yet, there are other welterweights who should be willing to push the youngster further. Top contenders Bakhtiyar Abbasov and the hulkish Luis Santos would be great litmus tests for Thani before a potential title shot.
Ann “Athena” Osman
Ann Osman has made good on her promise so far to win all of her fights in 2017, beginning with a comprehensive TKO victory over Cambodia’s Vy Srey Khouch.
The 30-year-old Osman is 5-3 inside the ONE Championship cage, and has captivated the Malaysian audience since her professional debut in 2013. Although Osman has experienced a mixed bag of results so far in her career, there is no doubt that her work ethic and skill level are definitely among the top of the talent pool.
The women’s strawweight division is still in development, with a lot of competitors honing their skills as they go along. With a total of eight bouts in professional fight experience, Osman is a senior talent, and is leading the charge with her unparalleled charisma and undying will to win.
One of the most important factors of Osman’s success is her focus on improving herself after each and every fight, and it shows. Whether it is wrestling, striking, or BJJ, Osman has shown stark improvement in each area as her career goes along.
The victory over Vy Srey was crucial, as it brings Osman back to the win column with another highlight-reel finish. Her last bout didn’t go exactly as planned as she was submitted by April Osenio at home.
Now with the win, Osman will look for another big victory in her next bout, most likely in Kuala Lumpur once more.
Keanu Subba
It was an inspirational victory for 22-year-old Malaysian featherweight Keanu Subba, one that signified his departure from prospect status to contender. Subba is one of the most talented young warriors to come out of Kuala Lumpur, but his career didn’t start off exactly as he had hoped.
He kicked off his professional MMA stint with a loss to compatriot AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor, a loss in which many wrote the kid off. After building a solid fan base in MIMMA as an amateur champion, the loss to Lias Mansor came as a complete shock. But in his next bout, a second-round submission over Donald Tong, it became evident that Subba had the potential to become a star.
Once inside the ONE Championship cage, Subba made his presence quickly known, railing off two straight first-round stoppages.
Against Ahmed Mujtaba last Friday night, a fellow top Asian MMA prospect who came into the bout with an unblemished record, Subba signified his arrival to the big leagues. Subba completely outclassed Mujtaba in every aspect, getting the better of the Pakistani fighter in striking exchanges while besting him in the grappling department.
By the middle of the first, Mujtaba was already ripe for the picking and Subba authored one of the most exciting submission finishes of his young career — a guillotine choke that literally took Mujtaba’s breath away.
Subba is certainly ready for some big fights, and the featherweight division is teeming with talent. A long-overdue showdown with Singapore’s Christian Lee remains on the cards, as does a rematch with China’s Li Kai Wen. Guys like Kotetsu Boku and Australia’s Jordan Lucas are also great matchups for the Malaysian star.
Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo
27-year-old female Singaporean star Tiffany Teo continues to impress in the promotion with her second victory inside the ONE Championship cage.
Nicknamed “Soul Crusher”, Teo sheds her girl-next-door persona whenever she goes to battle. Inside the cage she’s a woman possessed, showcasing skills she has crafted at Juggernaut Fight Club under the watchful eye of veteran coach Arwin Lalwani.
Teo took on the debuting Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol, a former wushu sanda champion from Indonesia, and she once again delivered a captivating performance, stifling Gaol with her complete skill set for three whole rounds.
The ceiling is definitely high for Teo, who has now won her fifth straight. Just a year ago, Teo was competing in local promotions and had not yet faced the bright lights of ONE Championship. Now, she is rapidly growing to become Singapore’s next star, behind ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee.
If Teo can continue to win in exciting fashion, her fan following will continue to grow as her star rises. The talent level is certainly there and the work ethic is evident.
Ultimately a showdown with Ann Osman to reprise the Singapore-Malaysia rivalry could be further up the road for Teo. A few more victories over some solid opponents should bring Teo up to the level of Osman very soon, and what a matchup that would be.
Lausanne – Olympic leader Thomas Bach does not like losers and that is why Paris and Los Angeles could this year both win the right to host the world’s biggest and most complicated sporting event.
The French and US mega cities are currently locked in battle to stage the 2024 Olympics, along with outsider Budapest.
There is mounting speculation however that an International Olympic Committee meeting in September could give one of the frontrunners the 2024 Games and at the same time award 2028 to the other.
The double gold medal event could take some twiddling of the Olympic machinery, but Bach said in December: “We have to take into consideration that the procedure as it is now produces too many losers.” The International Olympic Committee is worried that if Paris or Los Angeles miss out on 2024, they may give up on hosting at all. And in times of economic uncertainty, the IOC cannot afford to lose such quality candidates.
“You can be happy about a strong field in quantity for one day but you start to regret it the next day because then the procedure starts to produce losers and it is not the purpose of an Olympic candidature procedure to produce losers,” Bach said to support his call for change.
The IOC is refusing to say whether reform will be ready for the September 13 vote in Lima. “We are staying with the 2024 process, we are very clear about that,” Christophe Dubi, the IOC executive director for the Olympics, told AFP.
Paris and Los Angeles have both said they are only interested in 2024. However Casey Wasserman, chairman of the Los Angeles 2024 bid committee, said last month that the idea of awarding two Games at the same time was “an interesting concept”.
Sources close to the IOC says a double vote has many advantages.
If Paris loses again after being beaten for 1992 (by Barcelona), 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London) it would almost certainly withdraw humiliated and not take part again.
Los Angeles, with its heavyweight US media backers, would almost certainly take the same view.
“I know that the idea of a double vote is on the table,” one source close to the IOC told AFP.
“There is a clear procedure for 2024, that for 2028 is not yet set,” added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of discussions.
“The candidates will have to show that they agree this double campaign. If they say no it will be difficult to impose it on them.” If Paris, Los Angeles and Budapest agree to the vote change then the IOC will need the back of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and to talk to countries that have expressed an interest in 2028. Madrid has already said it could be a candidate.
An IOC executive meeting in July could formally propose the move. Then the Olympic charter will also need to be changed, another source close to the Olympic movement said.
“It’s quite clever of Bach,” said Patrick Nally, a sports marketing specialist who was one of the creators of the IOC’s The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsorship programme.
“Bach is aware the IOC is facing difficulties,” he added. “One of the biggest concerns is what happens if LA doesn’t win.” The IOC cannot afford to alienate the United States which was “the saviour of the Olympic movement” when it risked financial troubles in the 1980s. Los Angeles held a landmark Games in 1984, NBC stepped in with a major television deal and Coca Cola was a huge sponsor.
Nally said “Paris is a great city, Paris lost a few times before, but it s not commercially so important for the structure of IOC.” Bach “cannot afford to risk upsetting and destroying the one market IOC is totally dependent on.” Nally said the IOC president has support among key Olympic members for a double vote. “It is a very practical suggestion; let’s make everybody winners and the Olympic movement a winner.”
