The Return of Our Badminton Jedi!!

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away......". the Jedi , Tony O was a force to be reckoned with. (Not Obiwan Kenobi but Ong!) The force was with him!!. But the dark side won a few battles & he has not been seen for weeks. He gradually reappeared this week & today we saw him, a little battle weary with aching arms & legs. But he was still able to win over the darker forces & prevail. He looks a bit tired, perspiring after a few fierce battles. I think he's on the way back!! May the Force be with You Again Tony O!!














Along with the Jedi came Two New Muskeeteers to join our Elaine. They might become the Three Muskeeteers!! They have great potential to rise among the ranks & we are sure to see more of them in action at Greenhearts!!
From left to right: Yu Lian, Betty & Elaine.


















(Pics curtesy of Tony Tan's new digital camera.)

Daylight Saving's Here Next Weekend!! Barbeque Time!!

Some of our Greenhearts badminton players had a barbeque at Jells Park some years ago! Time for us to plan for such pleasant outdoor activities in the warmer days ahead. Recognise these champs? From memory they are Eddie, Coleman, John(Wu Soh John), Tony & ??. Any sugestions for such activities are welcome. We encourage people who are willing to volunteer organising these activities!! They are great fun!!













Do you recognise the young man below standing next to Coleman? He was an integral part of our Greenhearts Badminton Group. He has ventured back to Malaysia & was one of our top badminton players! Yes, he's Mok How of course!! Hope to see him here in Melbourne sometime!




















And these are the "Awesome Foursome" ladies badminton players who were part of our group. Some are still playing with us at times, whereas some have moved on elsewhere. They joined us at the barbeque as well!! Do you recognise any of them?

Christmas & New Year Just Around The Corner!

Did you know that we are just 2 months away from Christmas & then it's 2006 around the corner? Phew! Time really flies!! Time to slow down, look forward to the holidays & festivities!! A short break from badminton, maybe attend parties, karaoke, potluck etc. What about taking the family for evening walks to feast your eyes on those wonderful bright lights below? These premises are really quite near around Burwood, Wantirna Sth etc. The kids would love it! I will be posting addresses for those interested, in coming weeks. They generally start from 2 weeks prior to Christmas till mid-Jan. I took these pics below last year & they are really fabulous sights!!

Our Future Badminton Champs?

"I believe that children are our future !". These are the words from a very popular song & they indeed have great meaning. These two young ladies below, could indeed be possible future badminton champs!! They start to show interest young & learn rapidly!!














A close-up shot of the two possible future badminton champs, Melissa & Natalie. They regularly watch the cream of Greenhearts play on Saturdays. Imagine the skills they would be picking up!! Just give them a few years & you'll see be surprised!!














For those not having played badminton...this shot gives you an idea of what it would look like standing in a badminton court playing a real game! This is what's called a "back-side" view as opposed to a "bird's eye" view. You really can't see much unless you are 6 foot plus!! Ha ha!! Just joking lah! Of course you can play even if you're a dwarf!!

Badminton Veterans & Newcomers

We feature one of Greenheart's favourite veterans: Edward! Seated right at the top of the gallery after a game of badminton. Just came back from a nice break overseas! Phew!! Need a few weeks to get back to peak fitness I reckon!!. On his day, Edward is albeit like our Thomas(The Tank-almost impenetratable!!) who plays on Saturdays!! You have difficulty "killing" him off as he keeps returning your shots!! Say hello to him the next time you see him!! KK & Simon, another two of our pioneers & loyal members, are seated below to his right & left.














At Nunawading, we are all really friendly!! We have friendly "over the shoulder" chats and discuss anything...the weather, politics or even how we play the game. Philip, one of our more recent members , has a nice friendly chat with our most senior veterans. I wonder what's it all about? Could it be about Paul's cheeky on court antics? No! Definitely not!! Paul's a nice guy ..always with a smile & a wry sense of humour!














There's Philip again! Giving our new members some tips on how to serve better! Very helpful & friendly people at Greenhearts!















There's Paul again! Partnering Wendy at a game of mixed doubles! Paul's the envy of everyone here. We all say how wonderful it'd be if we could be half as fit as he is now when we get to his age!! Wonder what he eats? Must be the "flied lies" he eats!














There's Paul & Wendy playing mixed doubles against Mary & Louis! Looks like an intriguing game especially with Louis' often incisive strokes! Catchs alot of us off guard!!














It's a real fun game, Badminton!! People bending over, laughing & smiling, forgetting all their cares & worries for a couple of hours!! That's how we should live our lives...playing badminton!! Keeping healthy! Laughing! Smiling! Joking! Taking things easy! Highly recommended for those wanting a healthy & happy life and making lots of nice friends too. But we have got to be careful too at times, not to get too serious! After all it's only a game!! Here we see Tony pairing with a new member Betty, playing against young Chong & another new member, Yu Lian. Aren't they having a hillarious time!!














While having a break in between games, it's an opportunity to discuss topics of the day, exchange views etc!! It really is an enriching experience at Nunawading! Some of our members sometimes turn up just to say hello & have a chat eventhough they may not want to play badminton that day!














Here's what we mean when we say we might get too serious! But then it makes the game much more interesting. With intense concentration and dedicated effort, winning can sometimes be so satisfying!! Coleman serves to Joshua while Allan is in full concentration. Philip , with his back to us seems to have a "Tidak apa." stance. Maybe he feels it's "kachang" beating those two.

Spring Is In The Air : Wednesday badminton gets Serious!

Yes! It's Spring Time! Roses blooming! Sun shinning! Birds singing! Bees humming! Love is in the air. Notice how our friends are enjoying badminton together below! There's the great lunch following too! Isn't life GREAT!! If not for the blooming Hayfever!















Everyone's eagerly waiting to get into the court. Just 2 minutes to go. See how Spring makes everyone smile! (From left: Joshua, Lumy, David, Simon, Andy, Allan, Paul & Eileen(far back), Coleman & Steven.)















Look at that!! We are at Lucky Yu Restaurant. Eileen & Mei were good enough to allow me 2 seconds to take this pic before they sink their teeth in! Makes your mouth water doesn't it? Won Ton soup beehoon & fish fillet beehoon soup!




















There he is! Patrick ,the boss of Lucky Yu himself! Might just see Evyonne the madame boss peeping thru at the middle of the counter, if you click on this pic to enlarge it! Great place for lunch & dinner too! William, Coleman, KK, Mei & Eileen enjoying a much deserved lunch!














Look at that Ngau Lam Mee!! Looks so good!! Hang on!! What's Coleman thinking? "Not sure if this is enough for my lunch? Looks too little. Maybe I should order something else to top up?".

Badminton on Monday again - Looks like "Days of our Lives"

Here we are once again early on Monday morn! There's young Chong partnering Glenn. These 2 young guys must be giving the oldies curry!! Sorry for the blurry pics. They just won't keep still! You know these young people lah!! Always itchy. Sorry I meant fidgitty!!















Having a bit of a break while the others kill themselves!! The regulars are joined by our new friend Sunny. Funny how the ladies seem to dress to match!! Must be some sixth sense or whatever! These 2 ladies are our top Monday ladies.(Of course you know that they are the only 2 ladies anyway..but top just the same!) (From left: Elaine, Tony, Coleman, Sunny, William & Jenny.)















Nearing the end of the morning's play. Even Paul has left for his sauna & massage(that's why he's not here.) He really fancies those lady masseurs in the bathroom. Keeps his body young & fit! You notice he's always the first into the showers!
Been a tough day!! So tired!! Even my partner, Capt Coleman's asleep while taking this photo. He had to cover me all over the court today. (From left: Sunny, Elaine, Geoff, Tony, William(good), Jenny, Glenn & Capt Coleman.)















To lunch after a good Monday morn workout! Guess who's first at the lunch table ready to devour anything on the table? "Remember what I had last week? I'm having something even better today! I'm famished. Could eat a horse! Never mind. I'll go on diet tomorrow!"















Lopk at all those yummy dishes!! Guess who's fingers just ready to pounce? Better keep an eye on your food. Those fingers are threatening!!















Other players enjoying a great lunch at the same place as last week. Still want to know where it is? Just ask Elaine. She acts as if she owns the place when she orders the waitresses around. No idea what she says. It all sounds foreign to us. (It's Vietnamese!)















Coleman, Geoff, Elaine, Sunny & William enjoying a casual relaxing lunch at the Indochine Restaurant at Box Hill. It's good to take time off to share a meal, chit-chat, gossip, etc. Makes life more interesting!!

Badmintonfest in Oct05 - Champs in Action & Close Up

Some of our Saturday Champs in Action! These will give you a good feel of what Saturday is about!! There's more to come!















We have a glimpse of what to expect in real tough games! These 4 will give you a run for your money. Want to get a good look? Just be patient & you'll get close up shots!!















Everyone looks quite spent! See how Richard sprays his legs across the seat? And young Tim & Allan seem ruffled? Looking tired & jaded!















A close up shot of some regular Champs & newcomers in the gallery. And there's the war horse Tony with his up & coming champ of a daughter, Su Ching. Tony's still nursing his bad arm. Just as well for the others, he would have spanked them all!! Not sure if that's true! He might get spanked by the Fab 4 instead! What Fab 4?? Just wait!! Be patient!! (From left back : Allan, Eng Lye second row: Sanjay, Capt Coleman, Tony & Su Ching, Ronnie, Helen & Kim.)
















Another shot of the other Champs present. How come Tony Ong's there again? So vain lah! Wants to get in the act everytime. Cheelaka!! His arms itch so bad to get a hold of a racket! Maybe next week lah. And look at B. William(not the good one)! He's got his legs all spread ..so sexy!(He thinks.)
(From left side : Joe, Tony, Albert, Kili, Richard, Tony , David & B. William in front.)














Well here they are!! The FAB 4!! You haven't played badminton until you play with these guys! If you don't have a near new Merc engine in your body... forget it!! They'll just run you over. You'll need an engine overhaul after a game with these guys!! Serious!! If you don't believe me just ask Mok How!! But he's back in Malaysia. Sorry lah!! (From left : Vincent, Michael, Thomas & Gene.) (In case you're wondering whose Mok How...he was one of Greenheart's champs before he went back to Malaysia!!. What a loss to us!!)

Friday Action! Tired legs but Happy Faces!

Friday starts with a blurred flurry! Sumiyo & Allan kick off to a fast blurry start! So fast that we can't even see their faces clearly!














Then along came Geoff, just landed in Australia from furlough in Malaysia, with an even more blurry Gary. Geoff's just about to land a thunderous smash!! In case you're wondering who Geoff is..he's a real good sportsman...plays golf, squash, badminton etc. Real nice guy!! You might want to take him up with a golf game one day. Just have a small wager to see how you compare!!














Well well!! What have we here.!! Strangulation of Coleman at Nunawading? "C'mon Adrian..it was only a joke! Paul's sexy legs are not as good as yours...we all know that!". (From left: Tony, Adrian the strangler, Coleman the stranglee, sexy Paul.) Tony's one of our star players too. Saturday status!! Aggressive, tough, competitive & left handed. Never says "die"! And grows his own vegies & fruits!! Real man for all seasons!!














Feeling a bit pale after a tough game.! Time to relax. (Left to right : Coleman, Your's Truly & Geoff.)















Simon, Tony, Coleman, Carol, Geoff & Sumiyo deserve a rest! Played very well...all of them! But Geoff indicates he only got 2 points?















KK & Leung join Joshua & the rest for a friendly pose. Have we got a team here! These could take on any veterans team in Melb!! We even have a rose among the worn out torns. (Left to right : KK, Simon, Leung, Adrian, Tony, Carol, Allan, Coleman, Geoff & Joshua.)















Same here! Actually we are ask for donations after a fine preformances! (Ha ha !! Just joking lah!!)See the green ice cream container in front?

Back to the Badminton - Wednesday Action!

New comer, Lucy(David's wife) partners Tony against Eliza & Andy. Both ladies are pretty good too & will give our Gold Medalist Elaine, a fight for the top spot!!















David & Simon in complete concentration waitng for Kevin's service, while Steven stays back. David's a top flight player from Taiwan! Very "paang" as the Taiwanese put it!















David shows his skills with perfect footwork & racket handling. Even Allan, sitting with racket ready to play the next game, is envious!! Real nice guys these two!! In fact we haven't come across any nasty people at Greenhearts! Maybe all badminton players are nice guys?? Hang on! Not too sure. We might have a self professed bad egg in our group..B. William! No! Even he's quite a nice guy inside really. You just don't get a chance to see inside.!! Seriously!! He's real nice! He offers all kinds of nuts for bites during breaks. Readily shares his nuts with us!! Good guy!!















Kevin's taking his time with shoe laces while his partner Steven, opponents Paul & Allan wait patiently. How come so many people have laces problems?















Andy shows us how his "back hand" is executed. Simon & Tony waiting eager for the return. Wonder how the back hand went?















The shuttle must be "sky high!" . Tony needs to crank his neck & wait for it to drop. Albert, his partner is wondering what's so interesting up there?















William & Eileen taking on the guys. No problem lah! William looks ready to pounce.















"Kersian lah Tony!!" So sad. Still cannot play! Put on the shoes already but have to be patient. While Paul, Steven & Allan look on gleefully.















Tony's very upset! Hand itchy but aching! Cannot play today. Cheelaka!! He's so upset, even his picture's getting blurred from the steam around him. Better not say anything to him. Never mind lah! Try again next week. Hope your hand feels better soon.