Life's So Beautiful

Archive for the ‘Life Is Such A Wonder!’ Category

The world will witness a marriage of Olympic-sized proportions tomorrow when China’s 2010 gold medal pair skaters Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue get married in front of thousands of fans — on ice.

Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue

The glittering wedding, scheduled to take place at Beijing’s Capital Gymnasium that has been decked out in sweeping red ribbons and spotlights, has been an affair three years in the making. Zhao proposed to Shen after a gold medal-winning performance at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships.  Zhao shocked Shen by dropping to one knee at the centre of the rink in Tokyo and popping a marriage proposal. Misunderstanding at first, Shen got down on her knees too, in perplexed solidarity. When it finally dawned that Zhao had just asked her to marry him, Shen squeaked a yes, the crowd roared.

Though they had legally registered their marriage in China on May 28 2007, they have yet to go through a formal ceremony with their families and friends. Most Chinese do not consider a couple formally married until they have undergone a wedding ceremony.

They have been skating together since 1992, and fell in love between practices and competitions around the world. Through all those years they skated together, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were not allowed to so much as kiss. The couple was under intense and overt scrutiny, living and training full-time for 15 years at their country’s figure skating incubator in distant, freezing Harbin, where romantic fraternization was strictly forbidden.

Shen and Zhao were the first Chinese pair team to win a medal at an International Skating Union event and at the World Figure Skating Championships. In 2002, they became the first Chinese pair skating team to win a World Championship.  In February 2010 in Vancouver, they became the first Chinese skaters to win the gold medal at a Winter Olympic Games in any figure skating category, ending almost half a century of Russian and Soviet pair skating dominance.

They are considered by many critics of the sport to be one of the best pair skating teams of all time. They are the world record holders for pairs’ score in the short program and in the combined total under the ISU Judging System.

It won’t be just any ordinary friends in attendance on Saturday evening. Taking part in the couple’s wedding will be some of the world’s best skating stars who have flown into Beijing to perform as their gift to the couple. 2006 Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia will skate to “Sex Bomb” while Japan’s 2010 Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada will perform a tango-inspired program.

The men’s 2002 Olympic champion Alexei Yagudin of Russia and two-time World Champion Stephane Lambiel of Canada will also hit the ice with Zhao and Shen.

The newlyweds will conclude their wedding celebration with the classic “Turandot.”

Perhaps the only program that might outshine Zhao and Shen will be American Johnny Weir’s performance to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” which is slated to immediately follow the wedding vows.

“So many of my fans want me to perform ‘Poker Face’ in China,” Weir told CNN. “Yes, I am a little nervous that I am going right after because Poker Face is a little bit dirty… but I am excited by the challenge.”

The bride and groom’s Olympic friends are tight-lipped about what they will give Zhao and Shen. “We have all been discussing what we will do but I can’t tell you what the gift it. It’s still a secret,” said 2010 Olympic bronze medalist Joannie Rochette of Canada.

“I have prepared a traditional Japanese gift for them,” Asada said.

China and the world are awaiting tomorrow night with bated breath to the wedding on ice.

When it comes to memorable goal celebrations, Roger Milla’s corner flag hip-shaking immediately comes to mind. But the effort from Icelandic side Stjarnan blows Roger’s feat out of the water. Taken hook, line and sinker – there’s no doubt that this is the best goal celebration we’ve ever seen.

During a match between Stjarnan and Fylkir in Iceland at the end of last month, the goal celebration after a game-winning kick ended up being better than the actual winning goal. After striker Halldor Orri Bjornsson scored on a penalty kick in extra time to take a 2-1 lead, he pulled out an imaginary fishing rod and casted his line out.  Then he proceeded to reel in a huge catch – defender Johann Laxdal. Displaying wonderful technique the ‘catch’ flapped his way across the turf and was hauled up by Bjornsson and a number of his team mates. The players then posed with their big catch for a photo take.

Millions have watched the YouTube video of the Icelandic “The Angler” goal celebration and the Stjarnan FC has achieved a newfound stardom. But the club now admits that they are now under pressure to make fans laugh.  They have to keep trying to stay fresh and brainstorm for more novel goal celebration routines. It was hard to do better than “The Angler” but since then the team has come up with “The Bicycle” and “The Birth”.  “The Angler” was the brainchild of Bjornsson who thought that one up when he was on a fishing trip with his father. Watch the video and be amused  at the Icelanders’ fishing routine.

The bar has now been set very high just before the start of the new season for professional footballers everywhere.  No longer will the one arm held aloft, or shirt over head routines suffice. Creativity is the name of the game now and it will be hard to beat this elaborate Icelandic fishy routine.

Kudos to the club for taking the art of goal celebration to a whole new level.

Jackie Evancho

Jackie Evancho, a cute 10-year-old young blond girl from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, gave an amazing performance on America’s Got Talent, singing the aria “O Mio Babbino Caro” (Oh my dear papa) from the opera Gianni Schicchi. The judges loved her and she got a standing ovation. Jackie said that she wanted to prove to America that the best things come in small packages. And she has done just that!

I am a fan of  Charlotte Church and watching Jackie Evancho sing immediately reminds me of Charlotte Church. Jackie said that she started singing when she was  eight years old. Seriously, this little girl has immense talent.

The August 10 show featured acts that auditioned on You Tube for the opportunity to perform on the America’s Got Talent show with a chance to advance to the semi-finals. In fact, Jackie was the contestant who actually received the most votes on the You Tube competition, winning a trip to Orlando for her family. She was truly the gem of the show.

She may look like an average kid, but she has an amazing set of pipes. She is one of those weird children who sound like they’re 40 years old. Watching Jackie sing felt surreal. How could such an amazing, deep opera voice come out of a 10-year-old.

Will she win America’s Got Talent? Is she the next Charlotte Church? Hmmm….I think she’s got a good chance.  Enjoy her rendition of “O Mio Babbino Caro.”

I listen to a wide range of music ranging from rock, jazz, pop, new age, easy-listening, alternative music, gospel to some classical. But in my teens and early adult, my favorite music was rock and I was hooked on to music by Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, The Who, Rolling Stones, Queen, Eagles, Deep Purple, Scorpions, Rod Stewart,  AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Styx,  Supertramp, Heart, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Jackson Browne and a whole lot of others.

Rock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1950s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music. The sound of rock often revolves around the electric guitar, a back beat  laid down by a rhythm section of electric bass guitar and drums, and keyboard instruments such as Hammond organ, piano, or since the 1970s, synthesizers. Along with the guitar or keyboards,  saxophone and blues-style harmonica  are sometimes used as soloing instruments. In its “purest form”, it “has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody.”

Rock music

It is not easy to pick my favorite top 10 greatest rock songs but after a couple of hours’ search on the internet to refresh my memory, the following 10 songs are my choices:

“Stairway to Heaven” is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band’s untitled fourth studio album (dubbed Led Zeppelin IV). The song, which runs almost eight minutes, is composed of several sections, which increase in tempo and volume as the song progresses. One of the highlights  of the song is the intricate guitar solo by Jimmy Page. This song is about a woman who accumulates money, but finds out the hard way her life had no meaning and will not get her into heaven.

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The number is noted for Richards’Bohemian  three-note guitar riff which opens and drives the song, and for the lyrics, which include references to sexual intercourse and a theme of anti-commercialism. The latter in particular caused the song to be “perceived as an attack on the status quo”. Mick Jagger wrote all the lyrics except the line “Can’t get no satisfaction.” The lyrics deal with what Jagger saw as the two sides of America, the real and phony. He sang about a man looking for authenticity but not being able to find it. Jagger experienced the vast commercialism of America in a big way on their tours, and later learned to exploit it, as The Rolling Stones made truckloads of money through sponsorships and merchandising in the US.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band’s 1975 album A Night At The Opera. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare that has an unusual song structure, more akin to a classical rhapsody than popular music. The song has no chorus, instead consisting of three main parts – a ballad segment ending with a guitar solo, an operatic passage, and a heavy rock section. Because of its ambiguous style and arrangement, the song is rarely classified by the band or critics under a particular genre of music. It is usually described as a rock opera piece. When it was released as a single, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became a huge commercial success, staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and selling more than a million copies by the end of January 1976. It reached number one again in 1991 for five weeks following Mercury’s death, eventually becoming the UK’s third best selling single of all time.

“Imagine” is a song written and performed by English rock musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971. It was also Lennon’s only post-Beatle Australian Number one single, spending five weeks at the summit. When asked about the song in one of his last interviews, Lennon declared “Imagine” to be as good as anything he had written with the Beatles. The song is one of three Lennon solo songs, along with “Instant Karma” and “Give Peace A Chance”, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Rolling Stone ranked “Imagine” the 3rd greatest song of all time in their editorial The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. John Lennon’ s widow, Yoko Ono, indicated that the lyrical content of “Imagine” was “just what John believed — that we are all one country, one world, one people. He wanted to get that idea out.

“Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a song by the rock band The Who. Written by Pete Townshend, it combines guitar power chords with heavily processed organ and synthesizer sounds to create a textured, atmospheric introduction that explodes into the verse. It is based upon the idea of revolution, somewhat cynically portraying the hope surrounding the concept – “I tip my hat to the new constitution/Take a bow for the new revolution” – and the disappointment that the new regime is the same as the old one – “Meet the new boss/Same as the old boss”. Pete Townshend wrote this song about a revolution. In the first verse, there is an uprising. In the middle, they overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one (“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”). Townshend felt revolution was pointless because whoever takes over is destined to become corrupt. Roger Daltrey’s scream is considered one of the best on any rock song.

“Hotel California” is the title song from the Eagles’album of the same name and was released as a single in early 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the album-orientated rock era. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. The song’s lyrics describe the title establishment as a luxury resort where “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” On the surface, the song tells the tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish luxury hotel that at first appeared inviting and tempting. The song is an allegory about hedonism and self-destruction in the Southern California music industry of the late 1970s; Don Henley called it “our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles” and later reiterated “it’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about.”

“American Pie” is a folk rock song by singer-songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was a number-one U.S. hit for four weeks in 1972. The song is a recounting of “The Day the Music Died” – the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. The importance of “American Pie” to America’s musical and cultural heritage was recognized by the Songs of the Century education project which listed the song as the number five song of the twentieth century. The song is well known for its cryptic lyrics that have long been the subject of curiosity and speculation.

“Hey Jude” is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Credited to John Lennon/Paul McCartney, the ballad evolved from “Hey Jules,” a song Paul McCartney wrote to comfort John’s son Julian during his parents’ divorce. The change to “Jude” was inspired by the character “Jud” in the musical Oklahoma This was the Beatles longest single, running 7:11, and at the time was the longest song ever released as a single.

“A Whiter Shade of Pale” is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967, and stayed there for six weeks. With its haunting Bach-flavored instrumental melody, soulful vocals, and unusual lyrics—by the song’s co-authors Matthew Fisher, Gary Brooker, and Keith –”A Whiter Shade of Pale” reached #1 in several countries when released in 1967. In the years since, it has become an enduring classic. It was the most played song in the last 75 years in public places in the UK (as of 2009), and the United Kingdom performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited in 2004 recognized it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone placed “A Whiter Shade of Pale” #57 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.

“Smoke on the Water” is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and in March 2005, Q Magazine placed “Smoke on the Water” at number twelve in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The song  is about a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland. The band was going to record Machine Head there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling which set the place on fire. The band was relocated to another hotel and recorded the album in the Rolling Stones mobile studio.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul. It  is also an international language. Dancing is the ability to speak volumes to hundreds of people without using any words. To dance takes strength, artistry and passion. You can express any emotion possible in the most beautiful form. Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It’s the rhythm of your life. Its the expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy.

The genius of Alvin Ailey changed forever the perception of American dance. Over 50 years later, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has come to be known as a cultural ambassador to the world.  Do visit their website at www.alvinailey.org.

Alvin Ailey ((January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989), an African-American from a small rural town in Texas, founded the all-black company in 1958. He wanted to give voice to a population all-too-often unheard from, and to reflect the joy – and sadness – of the American black community. Until his death in 1989, not only did he choreograph 79 ballets and run an incredibly successful international dance company, he worked tirelessly to include the public – to “break the wall between performer and public”, for, as he put it, “dance is for everybody.”  Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance.

Alvin Ailey

Ailey’s choreographic masterpiece “Revelations,”  a stylized, elegant combination of ballet and modern dance set to the music of Negro spirituals, is believed to be the best-known and most often seen modern dance performance. For this signature work, Ailey drew upon his “blood memories” of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel, resulting in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work.

Though Ailey created 79 works for his dancers, he maintained that his company was not merely a showcase for his own work. Today, the company continues Ailey’s vision by performing important works from the past and commissioning new additions to the repertoire. In all, more than 200 works by over 70 choreographers have been performed by the company.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performer

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performer

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performers

Ailey was proud that his company was multi-racial. While he wanted to give opportunities to black dancers, who were frequently excluded from performances by racist attitudes at the time, he also wanted to rise above issues of negritude. His company always employed artists based solely on artistic talent and integrity regardless of their race

Cry (1971), was one of Ailey’s greatest successes. He dedicated it to his mother and black women everywhere. It became a signature piece for Judith Jamison who has been leading the company as its Artistic Director since Ailey’s death.

Jamison  says she wants audiences to be “touched in their hearts, in their spirits, and in their minds – I want them to feel lifted when they leave the theatre, to feel changed – and to feel as if the experience belongs to them – and that they want to share it”.

Judith Jamison - Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

A rhythm begins in your soul

Your body moves

The music flows

Into your veins

A throbbing pulse of

A drumbeat primeval

Voices hypnotizing

Melody and rhyme

Beat of bass and drummer

Feet that move in time to

Guitar, sax and keyboards

The wail of clarinet

A song’s intoxication

Lovers’ silhouette

Senses play the music

Feet and hearts and hands

Romance and dreams transforming

In the alchemy of dance

~ Winsome

Are you touched? Shall we dance?

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ – Acts 20:35

As for the rich in the present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. – 1 Timothy 6:17, 18

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind - Luke 14:13

Warren Buffet - The Oracle of Omaha

Warren Edward Buffet is one of my most admired persons. Born on 30^th August 1930,  he is one of the most successful investors in the world. The legendary investor, often called the “Oracle of Omaha” or the “Sage of Omaha”, is one of the richest persons in the world. He is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Despite his immense wealth, he is known for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality.

Warren Buffet's modest house

On June 26, 2006, Buffet announced that he would give away eighty-five percent of his Berkshire Hathaway stock – worth $37 billion at that time – to a group of foundations over a number of years. No gift of this size had ever been made in the history of philanthropy. Five out of every six shares would go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, already the largest charity in the world, in a historic marriage of two fortunes for the betterment of the world.

Buffet With Bill & Melinda Gates

Buffet would establish no Buffet hospital, no college or university endowment or building with his name on it. By donating the money without naming something after himself, without controlling personally how it would be spent – to put money in the coffers of another foundation that he had selected for its competence and efficiency, rather than creating a whole new empire – upended every convention of giving. Such a thing had never been done by any major donor before. “It was a historic moment in the field of philanthropy globally,” said Doug Bauer of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  “It ‘s set a bar, a touchstone, for others.”

The Gates Foundation adhered to a basic creed that Buffet shared: Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, it worked to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world in the areas of global health and education.

More than 99% of his wealth will go to philanthropy during his lifetime or at death. He and his family will give up nothing they need or want by just retaining 1% of his wealth. But fulfilling this 99% pledge will have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others.

The effects of Buffet’s pledge were sizable. Jackie Chan announced that he would give away half his wealth. Li Ka-Shing, Asia’s richest man, pledged a third of his wealth to his own charitable foundation.  Carlos Slim, the Mexican communications monopolist, ridiculed Buffet and Gates for their philanthropy but  did a turnabout a few months later and announced that he, too, would be giving money away.

Buffet said 70 to 80 people on the Forbes magazine list of the world’s richest were contacted as part of his drive to boost giving. Forty individuals or families signed on, leaving about half that need convincing.  Buffet said he’ll keep pressing the billionaires who rebuffed his request that they pledge at least half of their fortunes to charity.

“We don’t give up on them,” Buffet said. “Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future, so we’ll keep working.”

In a landmark moment for philanthropy, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are advocating that all billionaires commit to giving at least half of their wealth to charitable groups within their lifetimes or after their deaths.

Dubbed The Giving Pledge, the initiative is the result of a series of dinners the two men held over the past year to discuss the effects of the recession on philanthropy with some of the nation’s richest people, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Revlon owner Ronald Perelman and David Rockefeller, his family’s patriarch.

Michael Bloomberg, New York City Mayor

Ronald Perelman - Revlon Owner

David Rockefeller is the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family

The Giving Pledge does not accept money or tell people how to donate their money, but asks billionaires to make a moral commitment to give their fortunes to charity and to publicly state their intention with a letter explaining their decision.  The Giving Pledge aims to reverse the recession’s trend of declining donations. In all, (if successful) the initiative would transfer $600 billion — a figure calculated by dividing the amount of wealth represented in Forbes magazine’s billionaires list in half — to charitable causes.

The Giving Pledge

Bill & Melinda Gates & Warren Buffet - The Giving Pledge

The initiative could place pressure on prominent families like the Duncans of Houston to dispense more of the family’s trust. Duncan gifted more than $250 million to Baylor College of Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and other Houston institutions during his life.

Gates and Buffets’ goal is to instill the expectation that the rich should give away their wealth while creating a peer group of wealthy people that can offer advice on philanthropy, said Melinda Gates,  Bill’s wife and the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mr. Rockefeller has pledged to give at his death more than $1 billion to charitable causes, including gifts of more than $100 million to the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller University, Harvard University and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

For his part, Bloomberg said he gave $254 million to nearly 1,400 nonprofit organizations in 2009, adding, “I am a big believer in giving it all away and have always said that the best financial planning ends with bouncing the check to the undertaker.”

Among the rich joining The Giving Pledge campaign are New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, media moguls Barry Diller and Ted Turner, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, “Star Wars” movie maker George Lucas, energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens, Revlon owner Ronald Perelman, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison,  former CEO & Chairman 0f Citigroup Inc. Sanford Weill,  real estate and construction billionaire Eli Broad, venture capitalist , media entrepreneur Gerry Lenfest and former Cisco Systems Chairman John Morgridge. The full list of billionaires and their letters can be seen at www.thegivingpledge.org.

“We took about 70 to 80 names, a fair number were people I didn’t know at all,” Buffet said. “We had reason to believe in most cases that the people already had an interest in philanthropy.”

Larry Ellison - CEO of Oracle

Sanford Weill - Former CEO & Chairman 0f Citigroup, Inc.

Media mogul Barry Diller

Media mogul Ted Turner

Star Wars movie maker George Lucas

Energy tycoon T.Boone Pickens

Real estate & construction billionaire Eli Broad

Venture capitalist John Doerr

Media entrepreneur Gerry Lenfest

Former Cisco Systems Chairman John Morgridge

Buffet said he will hold more dinners in the U.S. to encourage additional promises. Buffet and Gates  are due to meet with some of the wealthiest people in China in September and India in March.

The world has become a much better place because of Buffet, Bill Gates and the billionaires who have made their commitments to The Giving Pledge. The Giving Pledge is really an awesome idea and based on Forbes magazine’s estimates of the billionaires’ wealth, at least $150 billion could be given away. I salute these billionaires!

Little babies and kids can be so adorable and funny. Their innocence can be so endearing that you can’t help breaking out in laughter. Even when they are angry, they can still bring a smile to your face.

I am in a foul mood so keep your distance, ok?

Grrrrrrrrr! Don't piss me off!

When life is getting you down and you feel disheartened, just watch the following videos. I love these kids!

Do you wanna fight? This baby is ready to take you on!

I say “Don’t touch me!”.

Ouch! Charlie bit me!

This is a baby version of ROFL!

Oh boy, blood!

Kids say the darnest things. C’mon, say truck!

International Man of Mystery Low Taek Jho, who parties with Hollywood celebrities and is now Malaysia’s most famous socialite, has aroused so much worldwide curiosity that there has been a lot of online searches about him.  He recently granted an exclusive interview to The Star, the leading English daily in Malaysia, to shed some light into his background, his life, his career and a whole range of other points.

The Star...The People's Paper

Jho Low, aged 28, was born in Penang where he lived till he was 16. At 16, his parents sent him to Harrow School in England. He is the third and youngest child in the family of Datuk Larry Low, the founder of the engineering company MWE. He can speak English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Hokkien, Teo Chew and Basic Arabic.

Low attributed his success to being in the right place at the right time and going to the right schools – Harrow School in England (A-Levels) and The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, in the United States (Bachelor of Science in Economics majoring in Finance). Harrow had lots of children of prominent European, Asian and Middle Eastern families, enabling him to build the core foundation of contacts for the future. At Wharton, he expanded his network , further cementing his relationships with Arab royalty and well-connected Middle East friends especially those from Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

Harrow School

Wharton School of Business

Jho Low made his first million – in US dollars – when he was barely 20 years old when he took a semester off from The Wharton School of Business to set up an investment fund called The Wynton Group with US$25mil from family and nine South-East Asian and Middle Eastern friends. The company started out by dealing mainly in portfolio investments around the world. It later moved from just buying and selling public shares to private equity. The company, in which he owns a stake, now has offices in Malaysia, Singapore and headquarters in British Virgin Island and is now worth in excess of US$1bil.

Wynton is planning to launch a new US$1 billion real estate and hospitality fund sometime in October, mainly for investing in real estate, hotels and hospitality projects around the world.

A US$250 million entertainment fund is also in the pipeline because Wynton believes there is some synergy between real estate and entertainment. This fund covers the whole spectrum from fashion to movies and so forth. Shooting Hollywood movies in Malaysia is a vital part of Jho Low’s plans to help attract investments to the country. He has been trying to convince his Hollywood friends like Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Leonardo di Caprio to use Malaysia as a location for movies.

The third fund will be a US$250 million general fund.

All these fund sizes are the initial first phase equity commitment that the company is securing which means that actual fund sizes and purchasing power could be much larger. An equity of US$1 billion could have a potential purchasing power in excess of US$2 billion or more after leverage. The new headquarters will be a 20,000sq ft office in Sowwah Island in Abu Dhabi.

An impression of Sowwah Island

Jho Low was appointed to the board of UBG Bhd as group adviser and non-independent & non-executive director in 2008. He is also group adviser to several international corporations involved in global private equity, M&A and buyouts.

He lives a globe-trotting life covering Los Angeles, New York, London, St Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur. He parties with Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan and Usher but claims that news reports about the parties are exaggerated. His Arab childhood friends and investors are actually the spenders, not him. He is the person who calls to make the reservations on behalf of his Arab friends and investors.  His name is thus all over the place, putting him under the global spotlight.

On that particular occasion when the New York Post ran the article about him and his lavish spending, it was in reference to a party that was thrown for a friend’s engagement. He was just helping to coordinate the party arrangements as usual. Even his lavish 28^th birthday party in Las Vegas was a surprise party thrown by a group of his close friends.

He is not going out with Paris Hilton but they have been to several parties together because he is a friend of her parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton. Things had been blown out of proportions by the media according to Jho Low.

Low vehemently dismissed talk that he was “wasting a lot of money partying”.

“For me, we all work very hard. Of course, we have a disadvantage where at our age, people may perceive it differently. At the end of the day, I handle the investors’ money prudently. I generate returns for them.

“I am not an excessive person. Excessiveness with alcohol is just not me.”

On the home front, Jho Low dispelled talk that he is involved in the controversial redevelopment of the TUDM Sungai Besi airbase. He denied the allegations that he had received a RM500 million contract for the project. He stressed that he has no involvement whatsoever.

Jho Low thinks Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had great vision when he was Prime Minister with big spending in Malaysian infrastructure which resulted in Malaysian-based construction companies becoming leaders in the global construction arena. Many Malaysian companies are now doing sophisticated construction work in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and all over the Middle East.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

He talked about his superstar friend – Usher – who wants to help him start a charity programme for children here to learn the business part of the entertainment industry. He has known Usher for a long time. He met Usher in New York when he was working with Usher on Usher’s New Look Foundation, a charity assisting children who want careers in the business side of the entertainment industry. He mentored these kids, advising them on writing business plans.

Usher

Usher's New Look Foundation

With this interview by The Star, we get a glimpse into the life of this international man of mystery and Jho Low achieved his objective of de-mystifying himself. No more “Jho Who?”. He is Low, Jho Low….licensed to kill invest your money.  May the force be with Jho!

Tomorrow will see former first daughter Chelsea Clinton tying the knots with investment banker Marc Mezvinsky. For the past couple of weeks, US media hype over the nuptials is verging on hysteria. America being America, the internet has been abuzz with questions and rumors about Chelsea’s upcoming nuptials, a ceremony that is shaping up to be a potent combination of D.C. power and Hollywood glitz.

Chelsea Clinton with Marc Mezvinsky

Who’s this lucky groom Marc Mezvinsky? He is a 32-year old Goldman Sachs banker and has known Chelsea since their teens. The two first met as teenagers in Hilton Head, S.C., during a Renaissance Weekend, the annual intellectual and spiritual fest popularized by the Clintons. Both attended Stanford University, though their romance did not bloom until a few years ago. And both know firsthand the price of political loss and scandal.  Chelsea is an only child, but Marc is one of 11, some adopted. Mezvinsky is Jewish and Clinton is Christian. Stolberg said it’s likely both a minister and a rabbi will preside at the nuptials, but it’s unlikely Chelsea will convert to Judaism after the marriage.

Mezvinsky’s mother, former Representative Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania, is a one-time television journalist who was elected in 1992 on President Clinton’s coattails. She lost her seat two years later after voting for the president’s budget.  She currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, where her spring 2010 course offerings included “Dealing With the Media.” She is divorced from the bridegroom’s father, former Representative Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa.

Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky

Ed Mezvinsky’s nickname among pool reporters in the 1970s was “Fast Talkin’ Eddie.” The former star athlete turned politician spent four years in the U.S. House of Representatives before going into business for himself, hatching a string of fraudulent activity the FBI later said infiltratated nearly every one of his business deals between 1980 and 2000. After pleading guilty to 31 of 69 charges of bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud in 2001, Mezvinsky went on to serve federal prison time and was released April 11, 2008. He is now living in western New York, and working as a health advocate for low-income people and refugees.

Ed Mezvinsky

Americans are eternally fascinated with presidential children, and perhaps none more so than Chelsea, who arrived at the White House as a gawky 12-year-old with frizzy hair and braces, and grew up before the nation’s eyes, under a cone of silence that she has broken only rarely, to campaign for her mother, for instance, when Mrs. Clinton’s bid for the presidency was in jeopardy. Today, she is a chic strawberry-blonde, with experience working at a hedge fund, a deep interest in public policy and, as of January, a master’s degree from Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Yet for Americans of a certain age, the enduring image of Chelsea Clinton is that of the 18-year-old college girl walking on the White House lawn, her back to the camera, holding one hand of each parent — literally the glue binding her family together after her father’s painful confession of marital infidelities. Even then, she seemed to exude a combination of dignity and distance.

Chelsea holding one hand of each parent after her father's confession of marital infidelilities

Always extremely private, Chelsea Clinton was 12 years old when her family moved into the White House. When Bill Clinton was revealed to have been unfaithful, it was Chelsea who seemed to keep the family together. A doting father, Bill Clinton once postponed an overseas presidential trip to help her study for exams.

Asked why there is such fascination with Chelsea’s wedding, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times told Today: “We don’t have royalty in this country. We’re particularly fascinated with Chelsea, because she was such a gawky teenager. She grew up obviously into a lovely young woman.”

Because the Clintons are keeping even the most mundane details of their daughter’s wedding private, the whole affair has been shrouded in secrecy. However, within the tight-knit circle of New York wedding coordinators, some tidbits are beginning to leak.

While the public has demonstrated a voracious appetite for details about the wedding, no factor has gotten more attention than its projected cost. It is rumored that the lavish wedding will cost anywhere between $2 to $5 million. As far as recent presidential weddings go, Chelsea Clinton’s will take the cake.

It is now almost certain that the wedding will take place at Astor Courts, the former 50-acre estate of John Jacob Astor IV in the picturesque town of Rhinebeck, N.Y. The Astor Courts is a 13,000-foot Beaux Arts pavilion built between 1902 and 1904 for John Jacob Astor IV and designed by Stanford White to evoke the Grand Trianon at Versailles.The mansion boasts an indoor tennis court and white marble swimming pool. The property is now owned by Kathleen Hammer, a contributor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential and Senate bids.

Astor Courts

Inside the mansion

The postcard-pretty Rhinebeck, a little town of upscale boutiques and pricey homes 90 miles north of New York City, has witnessed an avalanche of security personnel, reporters and rubber-neckers. Signs congratulating the 30-year-old former first daughter are posted on shop windows in the Hudson Valley town.  Rhinebeck, population less than 8,000, is laying out the welcome mat.

Rhinebeck at dusk

Best wishes from the residents of Rhinebeck

“It’s like having the Olympics in your town,” exclaimed Alex Batkin, manager of the up-market Wing and Clover arts-and-craft boutique. Batkin’s store revealed at least one success: a painting bought as a gift for the betrothed. The picture is emblazoned “Chelsea and Marc” over a naive-style depiction of a wedding cake surrounded by trees, squirrels and a fish-filled river.

Painting by Diana Huff depicting Chelsea Clinton's wedding in Rhinebeck

Another entrepreneur seeking wedding joy is Rhinebeck Deli, where the menu features the Hillary Clinton-themed “Secretary of Steak.”

Even the Hudson Valley Renegades, a minor league baseball team, wants to get in on the act. Their mascot, a man dressed as a raccoon, stood at Rhinebeck’s main crossroads Tuesday with a sign reading: “Chelsea Will U Marry Me?” Locals and bemused tourists grinned at the sight.

Mascot of the Hudson Valley Renegades getting in on the act

The wedding planner is Bryan Rafanelli of Boston, who has worked for Hillary Rodham Clinton and produced inaugural balls for Mr. Obama. Rafanelli’s reputation for orchestrating sumptuous parties has won him high-profile admirers from Boston to Washington to Palm Beach.

Bryan Rafanelli

“Bryan is the Chanel of party-planning,’’ says Boston socialite Lisa Pierpont, a friend and occasional client of Rafanelli’s. “He can talk to the prince and the pauper, and he has an impeccable eye. When people hear it’s a Rafanelli event, it’s like, ‘OK, we’re going.’ ’’

The wedding gown, expected to cost about $25,000, will either be a creation by Oscar de la Renta or Vera Wang.  The New York Times is certain it will be de la Renta.  But a lot are now saying it will be a Vera Wang.

Vera Wang

Some of Vera Wang's creations

Oscar de la Renta

Some of Oscar de la Renta's wedding gowns

Both Boston-based Winston Flowers and Four Seasons George V Hotel’s artistic director Jeff Leatham will be handling the flowers. The flowers alone could cost $250,000.

Jeff Leatham

Jeff Leatham's floral arrangement

A stylish floral arrangement by Winston Flowers

The catering job will be shared by Blue Ribbon Restaurants, St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, and Olivier Cheng Catering and Events. Chelsea is a vegan. The food will include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes, but there will also be grass-fed organic beef on the menu. It’ll reportedly be gluten-free complete with a vegan wedding cake.

A creation by Olivier Cheng Catering And Events

Jimmy Vali, whose Web site boasts that his clients include Glenn Close, is coordinating the music.

Jimmy Vali

Unlike everyone else on the planet, Chelsea Clinton’s wedding guests won’t need gas masks to do their business in a porta-potty — because Bill’s daughter is renting the swankiest outhouses in town. The portable latrines have actual porcelain toilets, stereo music and hot running water — oh yeah, and they’re HUGE. Rental for these porta-potties is estimated to be $15,000.

A luxury porta-potty trailer

Interior of Porta-Potties Trailer

Americans are also intrigued about who are included in the ultra-exclusive guest list. With the invite list limited to 500 names, Chelsea has apparently instituted a strict no-strangers policy: She must personally know every invitee. It’s an intimate gathering for a family that knows the most famous people in nearly every walk of life on the planet.

Knowing the former president or the secretary of state isn’t good enough to get in. To make the cut, guests must have had a personal connection to Chelsea, 30, and her groom, 32, and not just to her famous parents.

President Obama — Hillary Clinton’s boss — is on the list, but the White House says he won’t go. It is rumored that the Obamas were invited but declined, in an effort to help keep the press corps from swamping the proceedings. But don’t count them out.  Though the public has been led to believe that the President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama won’t be attending, security plans are still being developed for such a possibility.

The big question: Will the Obamas be attending the wedding?

Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, and Ted Turner are among the 500 guests. Also attending will be various members of the Clinton “inner circle,” including former British Prime Minister John Major, former deputy chief of staff Harold Ickes, DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Democratic donor Denise Rich.

As secretary of state, the mother of the bride, or MOTB, as she has taken to referring to herself, is accustomed to keeping secrets, and this one is no different.

In an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell in Pakistan, Hillary Clinton said, “My lips are sealed. I am under very strict orders not to talk about it, and I think for the right reasons, because it is hers, and it is a family wedding. The people coming are her friends and people who have been meaningful in her life, as it should be.”

When CNN’s Crowley asked her which was harder — negotiating Middle East peace or planning this wedding — Hillary replied with a smile, “Well, I’d probably call it a draw.”

Former President Bill Clinton, the father of the bride, had previously told TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager that his role is to pay for the wedding. At Chelsea’s request, he’s taken off 15 pounds so he looks his best walking her down the aisle.

Chelsea Clinton with her parents

Stolberg said the mother of the bride has been minutely involved in Chelsea’s wedding.

“She’s been absolutely hands-on. She’s been viewing flower arrangements by e-mail. She said that she’s been squeezing in tastings and dress selections. She’s obviously very excited about this, as is her husband,” Stolberg said.

Is Bill helping mastermind the nuptials? Yes, to a limited degree. Though he had said that his role was limited to walking Chelsea down the aisle and paying the bills, he told NBC that his daughter had opted to tap his world-leader expertise: “Chelsea has been good enough to include me in the decisions…so I love that.” Still, Bill is making sure to keep the focus on the bride. “I am going to try not to cry because this isn’t about me, it’s about her. And if I am crying then it becomes partly about me and I don’t even want to be mentioned in the story except that I didn’t stumble walking down the aisle. So I am going to try but I may not be able to do it,” he said at June’s Fortune/Time/CNN global forum.

“My daughter is happy. I like and admire my future son-in-law, so I couldn’t be happier about it,” he told CNN’s Candy Crowley in a January interview when asked about what he thought of his future son-in-law.

Should any wedding, even a Clinton wedding, really cost that much? Between the $15,000 deluxe portable toilets, several hundred thousand dollars worth of flowers, glass-walled tents, and premium security the bill for the nuptials is being estimated at between $2 and $5 million. Should we expect no less for the daughter of political royalty?

Malaysia, truly Asia. This little phrase is Tourism Malaysia’s slogan. Over the past many years, we have all been bombarded with this slogan from Tourism Malaysia’s billboard, radio and TV ad to the point that some people are finding it annoying. And in the past two years or so, we have been bombarded by the 1Malaysia campaign. Malaysians are a funny lot. I propose another slogan for Malaysia. 1FunnyMalaysia, truly Lat Lah!

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