Remembering "Thrilla in Manila"

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I've been to the Philippines for work a couple of times over the past year. I usually go to Metro Manila. Recently I got to thinking about one of the most exciting sporting events that happened there back in the 1970s. How many of you remember the spectacle that the media called "Thrilla in Manila"?

Yes indeed, this was the World Heavyweight Championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier on 1st October 1975. It was fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

I went pass Araneta Coliseum on one of my recent visits. It's still looking good and hosting big shows. In fact in February and March, Taylor Swift and Don McLean are performing there. I believe Araneta Coliseum is still one of the largest indoor facilities in South-East Asia.

Anyway, back to the World Heavyweight Championship match ... The bout is often regarded as one of the greatest fights of 20th century boxing. It was the climax to the long-standing rivalry between Ali and Frazier over who was the legitimate Heavyweight Champion.  What happened before was that Ali (or Cassius Clay as he was previously known) had been stripped of the title in 1967 for his refusal to join the Army when drafted during the Vietnam War. Some years later, Frazier petitioned President Nixon to restore Ali's right to box, thereby bringing about a classic Trilogy of Fights between two undisputed heavyweight champions.


Fight #1 (Madison Square Garden, NY, 8 March 1971)




Both men were offered USD 2.5 million each, the biggest payout up to that time in boxing history. Anyone who was anyone was there. Even Frank Sinatra was ringside taking photos.

The bout was very brutal and ended with Frazier winning on points. Both men had to be taken to hospital but Frazier spent a little longer in hospital which allowed Ali to boast bout how much damage he had done, even as the left side of his own face was swollen.



Fight #2 (Madison Square Garden, NY, January 1974)

Although the rematch was a non-title fight, Ali put on one of his best performances and almost stopped Frazier in Round 2, but the referee Tony Perez stepped in thinking the round had ended. Ali won by a unanimous decision, thus earning himself the right to challenge George Foreman (who had beaten Frazier in 1973) to try to regain the Heavyweight title.

Ali did beat Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire in the so-called "Rumble in the Jungle" in Oct 1974. The bout ended in a very convincing 8th round knockout.

Fight #3 (Araneta Coliseum, Metro Manila, 1 October 1975)


This time Ali got USD 4.5 million and Frazier USD 2 million. In his taunting usual way, Ali promised that it would be"a killa and thrilla and a chilla when he got the gorilla in Manila". About 28,000 people packed the area, and 700 million more watched the match on TV worldwide.

Ali started attacking Frazier for the first 3 rounds.  In Round 5, there was a change in momentum when Frazier backed Ali into a corner and began pounding him. Ali rallied in the 11th, 12th and 13th Rounds and Frazier's eyes and cheeks began to puff up.Ali kept up the pressure in Round 14, trying his best to put Frazier away. Both men were exhausted but Frazier was clearly the worse off. His trainer, fearing a fatality as Joe had been taking countless punches in the head, decided not to allow Joe to come out for Round 15. It was all over.

Ali sensing the fight was done stood up to celebrate but almost collapsed in exhaustion. He later said of Joe Frazier, "He's the greatest fighter of all time ... next to me".

Here's a video clip of the last rounds of the fight ... enjoy.

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The Year of the Rabbit

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Next week, millions will celebrate the Lunar New Year. It marks the end of the Year of the Tiger and the start of the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac. As usual, the Lunar New Year celebrations will involve much feasting, merry-making and visiting of family and friends.

I thought it might be interesting to take a cursory look at where the RABBIT features in popular culture around the world. I have recorded whatever I can think of ... I'm certain it isn't complete so please do jump in (no pun intended) with what you think I might have missed.


The Easter Bunny

The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season.

Studies suggest the bunny as an Easter symbol originated in Germany, where it was first mentioned in local writings from the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany in the early 1800s.The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s.

In legend, the Easter Bunny brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and even toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. The creature will either put the baskets in a designated place of hide them somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning.

Lucky Rabbit's Foot

In some cultures, the foot of a rabbit, carried as an amulet, is believed to bring good luck. This belief is held by individuals in many parts of the world including Europe, China, Africa, and the Americas.


In Western Europe, prior to 600 BC, rabbits were considered to be sacred, as spirits were thought to inhabit the bodies of animals, and since rabbits spent a lot of their time in underground burrows, it was further believed that the rabbits' bodies were inhabited by numina, underground spirits with whom they communicated at very close proximity! The Celts also held the rabbit to be sacred because of their prowess in reproduction. They believed that the numina intended for rabbits should be put upon pedestals and revered as symbols of rapid procreation, health and prosperity.


Since the rabbit itself was considered lucky, it follows that any of its body parts would also be lucky. People selected the rabbit's foot to tote around for good luck, because of its capacity to dry quickly, its small size, and perhaps the fact that it makes a nice key chain!


Note: Just because this blog is reporting on the lucky rabbit's foot does NOT mean that this blogger is supportive of the practice.


Bugs Bunny

This one needs hardly any introduction. Many of us grew up reading comics or watching TV shows featuring the rascally rabbit, whose catch phrase is "Eh ... what's up doc?".


This highly popular cartoon character first appeared in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which became Warner Bros Cartoons in 1944. Mel Blanc voiced the original Bugs Bunny, and continued to do so for 49 years till he passed on. Contrary to popular belief, Mel Blanc's last words, while on his death bed, were not "That's all folks!" .


Other cartoon characters that Bugs Bunny is often seen with are Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.


Watership Down
How many of you remember the book and later movie from the 70s, entitled "Watership Down" ? Written by English author Richard Adams, it was the story of a group of rabbits living in a warren, when one of the younger rabbits named Fiver, who is a seer, receives a frightening vision of the imminent destruction of their precious warren. Fiver and his brother Hazel then try to persuade the chief rabbit of the danger, but are ignored. They then set out on a journey to find a new home, facing various trials and tribulations along the way. 


The movie was an impressive work of animation, and featured the beautiful theme song "Bright Eyes" sung by Art Garfunkel. Here is a videoclip so that you can enjoy the scenes and song.

"Watership Down" was one of my favourite animated movies of the 70s. I believe this seemingly simple story can be appreciated at different levels. At the most basic level, it is simply a story of a bunch of animals and their struggles. However many people have offered different shades of interpretation of this tale, which has elements of exile, survival, bravery, political responsibility and "the making of a hero and a community". Some have even compared it to the epic Greek poem "The Odyssey".


Energizer Bunny
Remember the television ads for Energizer batteries? There was this cute, pink bunny who could go on and on and on and on ..... :-)

White Rabbit sweets
This is a popular brand of candy manufactured in China, that many of us have enjoyed in our younger days (maybe even now!). It is white in colour, has a chewy, sticky texture and is wrapped by an edible rice paper wrapping.

Playboy Bunny
Finally, we have the famous Playboy Bunny, symbol of quality reading for discerning gentlemen over generations ...  LOL .... 'Nuff said.

Well, look at this recent news snippet I found ...


London Playboy casino set for 2011
The iconic brand is due to return to London with a massive club and casino.

Playboy Enterprises Inc. announced plans to open a new Playboy branded club and casino in London in early 2011. The planned venture will sit in the exclusive Mayfair neighbourhood of the capital and feature a restaurant, lounge, table games area and high-limit private casino gaming rooms. It's not the first time Playboy have set up such a casino in the UK, having run venues in London, Manchester and Portsmouth in the 60s.

The iconic brand currently owns only one club and casino, situated in Las Vegas, and the new Mayfair premises will certainly have a touch of the Las Vegas glamour to it. With private gaming rooms and casino table games such as roulette, blackjack and poker, as well as the lounge and restaurant, the club will certainly attract high rollers and casino fans.

The Playboy casino and club in Las Vegas is situated in the Palms complex, which houses ten restaurants and six bars and nightclubs, as well as a 95,000 square foot casino. The Playboy casino itself has nine blackjack tables and one roulette table inside the club.

Certainly well timed for the Year of the Rabbit  ... 


Well, a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS LUNAR NEW YEAR to all who celebrate it, and for all others HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY.

Julian Assange and WikiLeaks - Before the Current Hoohah

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There's been a lot of global attention on WikiLeaks these days. Various authorities are positioning Julian Assange as a villain and a threat to national interests. I am not sure that this is a complete assessment of the man and what he has done.

Let me state clearly that at this point I am neither for nor against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. I'm just an observer who believes that every story has two sides, and I for one would like to hear both sides so that I can make up my own mind.

Here's a series of videoclips from a Security conference held in KL in 2009 ... way before the Dec 2010 revelation of US diplomatic cables. I believe this talk gives us a better sense of the man and his thinking.  Take a look and judge for yourself ...

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I hope you made it through some if not all of those videos. These and more like them are readily available on YouTube.  I certainly learnt a lot from watching them. I feel it helps me to think through what the whole controversy is about. Is what Wikileaks did right or wrong? Is it legal or illegal? Why did Julian Assange do it? What are the implications on political reform and public sector reform? What are the implications for Asian governments?
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The Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2010

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The Norwegian Nobel committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese political activist who is currently serving a 11-year prison sentence in China for trying to push for human rights for the Chinese. There was an angry reaction from the Chinese government when this award was announced.. They went on to boycott the award presentation held on 10th Dec in Oslo and pressured some other countries to do the same. China hinted at souring diplomatic relations with Norway and even launched their own alternative prize to the Nobel. You can see some of the details in the videoclip below.

I for one think it is rather sad how this whole thing unfolded. Being of Chinese origin, I am proud of what China has achieved in the past decades in economic and social development. The rise of China clearly reflects the ascent of the East to balance the dominance of the West. Which is exactly why I think the Chinese leadership needn't have taken such an extreme position. If they had simply stated that they disagreed with the Nobel Peace Prize this year and stayed away, the whole thing would have blown over very quickly. But their reaction actually called more attention to the award.

Of course, I also believe the Norwegian Nobel Committee is fully entitled to choose whichever recipient they like. And I must say they have been rather good at picking controversial candidates ... like in 2009, they chose Barack Obama as the Peace Prize recipient - a thinly veiled rebuke of George W Bush's regime.

But let me hasten to add that this blog is not meant to be a political commentary. What I really wanted to highlight here was the musical extravaganza of the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Cisco has been a global sponsor to this event for the past decade, and in conjunction with our Public Services Summit, we invite senior level customers to attend this.

The hosts for the 2010 Concert, held on the evening of 11th Dec at the Spektrum arena in Oslo, were Denzel Washington and Anne Hathaway. And the artistes performing included: Sivert Hoyem, Florence + the Machine, Colbie Caillat, India Arie, Jamiroquai, Robyn, A R Rahman, Herbie Hancock and Barry Manilow.

Here I was just before the concert started ...

Other shots of the audience before the concert  ...

The Norwegian royalty arrive, together with the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Then came the two superstar hosts, Denzel and Anne ... let the show begin !

Here are a few videoclips showing a few of the performances I liked ...


First ROBYN ...



Next we had FLORENCE + THE MACHINE ...

Then we had JAMIROQUAI ...

Then A. R. RAHMAN with his "Slumdog Millionaire suite" ... I love the energy of " Jai Ho" !




Finally the highlight by BARRY MANILOW ...

and another one by Barry ...

Well, hope you liked those as much as I did.

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Scenes from Hanoi, Vietnam

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This week I've been back in Hanoi for meetings. Thought I'd just post some random shots from this charming capital city of Vietnam. The photos have been taken over the space of many trips.

Mind you, June and July aren't the best months to visit Hanoi. The temperature can go up to 45 degrees C. Fortunately I have been going between one air-con building and another, so I haven't had to bear the full brunt of the heat.

On 10th Oct 2010, the city (Thang Long-Hanoi) will be celebrating its 1000th year history as the key capital. It was founded in 1010 as a city called Thang Long (Flying Dragon).  In fact, throughout its dramatic history, Hanoi has borne many names: Giao Chi (Remote Land), Tong Binh (Proper Home), An Nam (Pacified South), Dai La (Great Belt, as in the dyke surrounding the city), Dong Do and Dong Quan (both meaning Capital), Dong Kinh (Eastern Capital) - which the French priests later interpreted as Tongkin. The name Hanoi, or more strictly Ha Noi, only appeared after the Nguyen Dynasty attained power in 1802, shifted the capital to Hue and renamed the city in 1831. Ha Noi literally translates to City in the River, City Surrounded by Rivers, City in the Bend of the River, or more romantically City in the Embrace of the Rivers. Despite the name change, even well into the 20th century, people still like to call the city Thang Long.

Sunset scene on Hoan Kiem lake in the centre of Hanoi

The Opera House, Hanoi
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Art in the streets of Hanoi

Want a "Mona Lisa" or "Sunflowers" painting in your living room? Want yourself standing next to the Mona Lisa? All can be done through the talents of these copy artists in the streets of Hanoi.

A candid shot into an alley way

Outside a souvenir shop near the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Evening in the Old Quarters of Hanoi

The above photo by Jemima Yong (jemimayong@hotmail.com) really captures the community feeling among the residents of the Old Quarters. I'd encourage you to click to enlarge the picture and try to tell the story yourself. I am firmly of the opinion that in transitioning to "modern" city living, we have lost much of this community feeling.

A roadside fruit seller arranges her ware

The unique art form of Water Puppetry in Hanoi

Ok, more on Hanoi later. I now have a plane to catch ...
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On Top of Singapore

Recently we decided to explore the newly opened Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (IR) facilities in Singapore. This was the second IR to open on the island state, the first one being the Resorts World Sentosa, which opened its doors on the Lunar New Year.

The MBS buildings are certainly impressive structures, and for the past year we had been observing the three towers growing higher and higher, and finally the horizontal boat-shaped structure was put on top. I have no doubt it was quite an engineering challenge.

Well, here are some photos from that day ...

The above was on Level 1 of the mall & casino building, where a canal had been constructed to give short rides to the visitors.

Next we bought tickets to take the elevator to the Sky Park, as they call it. It cost S$20 per adult, with discounts for children and senior citizens.

The picture above shows the two orbs making up the Esplanade theatres, while on the right, you can see the seating and performing areas that will be used for the annual National Day celebrations.

I must admit the view from the Sky Park was much better than from the Singapore Flyer, the big wheel that I visited about 1.5 years ago. You can get a sense of the relative size of the Flyer as compared to the MBS tower in the photo above.

This view above is overlooking Clifford Pier and the Financial district. The thingie around my neck is the audio guide they provide visitors with such that when you press the number corresponding to different view stations, you get a narrative of what you are viewing. Quite useful.

And this one shows the Marina Barrage in the background.

The other section which was interesting was the swimming pool.  As you can see, the pool goes almost to the edge of the building, and gives the impression that if one is not careful, it's a long drop down to earth. Looks scary but it doesn't seem to bother the swimmers and sunbathers.

Anyway, enjoy the scenery ...
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World Fairs and the Shanghai Expo 2010

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Let's begin with a bit of history ... The names "World's Fair", "World Fair", "Universal Exposition", and "Expo" have all been used to refer to the various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom in 1851 under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations".

Photo (1) : Crystal Palace, London in 1851

It was supposedly the brainchild of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, and was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. As such, it influenced the development of several aspects of society including art and design education, international trade and relations, and even tourism. It became the precedent for the many international exhibitions, later called "World's Fairs", which were subsequently held to the present day.

The second World's Fair, held in 1855, was in Paris. The third went back to London in 1862. Subsequently it was Paris (1867), Vienna (1873), Philadelphia (1876), Paris (1878), Sydney (1879), Melbourne (1880), etc. In 1970, it was held in Osaka, Japan. I remember because I was there as a child with my parents. The last few Expos have been held in Hannover, Germany (2000), Aichi, Japan (2005) and Zaragosa, Spain (2008).

Last month I had the opportunity to spend a day at the Shanghai Expo 2010. We got there just as it opened at 10am. Most of the expo is on the Pudong side, with a smaller section on the Puxi side (Pudong and Puxi represent respectively the areas to the east and west of the Huangpu, the river that cuts through Shanghai).

Photo (2) : Map of Shanghai Expo 2010

Overall a very impressive showcase, with throngs of people visiting.  I reckon this could become the most visited Expo ever! Here's a selection of photos from our day at the Expo ...
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Photo (3) : At the China pavilion (I didn't go in as the queue was about 4 hours long)

Photo (4) : I love the architectural designs !

Photo (5) : At the Malaysian pavilion. Negara ku .......

Photo (6) : Some shots with the Malaysian dancers performing outside

Photo (7) : This is the Singapore pavilion, supposedly shaped like a music box

Photo (8a) : This realistic looking tree roots lie within the Cambodia pavilion.

Photo (8b) : The Kingdom of Cambodia pavilion

Photo (9) : G'day mate, here's the Aussie pavilion

Photo (10) : With colleagues in the Estonia pavilion

Photo (11) : In front of the Latvia pavilion

Photo (12) : UK Pavilion

Photo (13) : With a colleague outside the Cisco pavilion

Well, there are obviously many, many more pavilions and sights that I won't be able to show ... so if you do have a chance, go visit it yourself. The Shanghai Expo 2010 is open until the end of September 2010.

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