TV hunk Tay Ping Hui admits he was once a very chubby kid.

Yahoo! Singapore

Tay Ping Hui, leading man and resident MediaCorp hunk – fat?

Looking at him now, he doesn’t look it one bit, but yes, the 1.86m actor was once so unfit and fat, he tipped the scales at almost 100 kilograms.

The star of the upcoming Channel 8 series “New Beginnings” said of his pre-acting days: “After I graduated from National University of Singapore, I worked really hard for about four years. It was a start-up company and I worked very hard and put in very long hours. I had no exercise at all and I was on a constant diet of beer, fast food, pizza, cookies.”

“I committed adultery with food of any kind,” the 38-year-old actor admits sheepishly. “At my ‘peak,’ I was 98 kilos. I shot from 81 to 98 kilos within one and a half years.”

So what was the turning point?

“One day, I looked in the mirror and told myself I looked like I was 50 when I was just 26, ” said Ping Hui, who now weighs a trim 85 kilos.

“I told myself, ‘This cannot go on, that’s just not right.’”

And so Ping Hui gradually nursed himself into shape. But those early days of exercise were rough.

“It was tough at first, because I ran alone. Running is a solitary exercise, a lonely pursuit. Initially I was very lazy and I kept giving myself excuses. But very slowly, I gradually built up my mileage, from 2km to 5km to 7.5km to 10km… it took me about 6 months, but I lost weight and I didn’t get injured.”

“Now I firmly believe in the ’Trinity of Health’ – exercise, diet and rest. I believe all three are inter-linked.”

But even now, the star of hit series like “The Reunion” (2001), “Destiny” (2005) and “Baby Bonus” (2009) admits that keeping in shape is a constant battle.

“I’m unhealthy all the time,” he says, before laughing heartily.

“I was really fat before I hit puberty. I was 12 years old, about 1.59m and my waist then was 28. I was very, very chubby. My parents then allowed me to eat anything and everything. We weren’t choosy about what we wanted to eat,” the former Catholic High and Catholic JC student said without a hint of regret.

The problem, he says, is his love for good food – anything that’s “good for the mouth but bad for the waist.”

“I love to eat good food,” he said.

“And my love for food is really in conflict with my occupation because my job requires me to look a certain way. Running has definitely helped in my career because it helps me to maintain my shape, which helps in my TV roles.”

Ping Hui takes a backseat as he watches the camera crew at the Nike+ Human Race 10K photo shoot.

The avid golf (handicap: 21) and basketball fan now says running is part and parcel of his exercise regime — whenever time permits.

“When I need to think things through, I run at the stadium. Before it was at NUS or Toa Payoh, but lately it’s the CPE campus at Bukit Timah. I run quite late about 9pm or 10pm, after I finish my work. Or sometimes I run very early in the morning because the air is so fresh,” said Ping Hui.

With running so close to his heart, it’s no wonder the actor has been handpicked to captain the Guys team in the 2009 Nike+ Human Race 10k “Guys v Girls Challenge”. Hype Records’ singer/actress Rui En will captain the Girls team.

This year’s race will take place on Saturday, 24th October and will be hosted by 24 cities, including Singapore. But thanks to the wonders of technology, (www.nikeplus.com.sg), runners the world over can be part of the race, either physically or virtually.

Prior to the race, a “Guys vs Girls” challenge will be held via the website to raise funds for charities, the World Wildlife Fund and ST Pocket Money Fund. 

Tay Ping Hui will captain the Guys team while Rui En will lead the charge for the Girls.

“I think the idea behind this race is fantastic,” said Ping Hui. 

“You get to have a sense of identity, meet new people, lose calories and train all at the same time. Plus it’s all for a good cause.”

So what kind of timing is he aiming for at next month’s race?

“I’m not going to kid you and aim for a sub-40 minute race. That’s crazy. Anything less than an hour and I’ll be satisfied,” Ping Hui chuckles.

Sub-hour? Not bad for someone who once survived on junk food, late nights, no exercise and weighed over 200 pounds. 

There is hope for us all, after all.

Ping Hui and Rui En are both naturals as they shoot a video for Yahoo! SEA.

Tay Ping Hui on:

His passion for running

“It started when I was very young. When I was in Sec 1, I was trying out for the basketball team and for me, running is the basic foundation for any athlete to build up their cardiovascular strength and endurance. It started from there. I was also in athletics and we used to do interval training. I used to puke all over the court.

“Now, of course, my aims are a little bit different. I run to maintain my fitness so if I feel a little unfit, I go for a quick run. I also know it sounds weird but when I run, I actually think about things and at the end, you solve things, so it’s very therapeutic for me.  I think about my work, on my new role or characters, or solutions to problems I might have.”

His current mileage

“I’ve been busy for the last two months but I try to clock about 10 kms every two weeks. If I don’t run as much, then I try not to eat too much junk food, chocolates, snacks.”

The music he listens to when he runs

“I used to run without music but now, it’s a big part of my run. Please don’t laugh but I actually like the Bee Gees (laughs heartily). I know, that is so not cool, right?  I also like hard-pumping stuff like FatBoy Slim or fast music when I’m doing interval training.”

Objectives for the Human Race

“I will be traveling a lot over the next month so I don’t have much time for training but I’ll be happy with a sub-hour race.”

It's all business between Nike+ Human Race ambassadors Ping Hui and Rui En.

Yahoo! SEA speaks to Tay Ping Hui and Rui En @ Yahoo! Video

National team captain Noh Alam Shah is optimistic about the future of local football.

Ion Danker

Yahoo! Singapore

Love him or hate him, footballer Noh Alam Shah is one player who knows how to grab headlines.

Last week, the 29-year-old Lions striker shocked the local football community by slamming the S-League for its poor refereeing, dismal attendances and lousy management.

His criticisms hit a raw nerve among fans and officials alike, who are split down the middle in their support for one of the S-League’s marquee names (Your Say on Y! Answers).

Capped 72 times and with 32 international goals to his credit, Alam Shah heads to Indonesia today as he embarks on the next chapter in his career after signing a year-long contract with Indonesian Super League Arema Malang.

But before he left, I caught up with the fiery striker near his recently-sold flat in Chua Chu Kang, which he shares with his wife and three kids.

Expecting the worst from the reputed ”bad boy” of Singapore football, I found instead a refreshingly honest and frank player whose passion for the Beautiful Game burns as bright as ever.

In-demand star

I started by asking him about his decision to further his career in Indonesia.

“I bleed every time I go out and play for my team,” admits Alam Shah, who says he’s leaving local football with a heavy heart.

“I’ve had several offers to play in the US, Australia and Vietnam since 2005, but I declined all of them because of my family and the fact that my club needed me,” said the striker, who joined Tampines Rovers in 2003.

“My chairman is the best in Singapore. He is always supporting me in every aspect of my career and he is one of the reasons why I am leaving to play in Indonesia.”

It is this close, father-son relationship with Stags chairman Teo Hock Seng that, ironically, was pivotal in  his decision to move abroad.

Last month, when Teo was found guilty by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for approaching an assistant referee aggressively in a league match against Singapore Armed Forces FC (SAFFC) — it was an incident which Alam Shah describes as “the final straw”.

“My chairman was furious when I was sent off in that game and he stood up for me by speaking to the assistant referee,” he says. “When they [FAS] banned him after that, I knew this was it. I spoke to my chairman and he fully supported my decision to play abroad.”

He also admits his frustration with the poor refereeing standards in the S-League had led to his increasing disillusionment with local football.

‘Bad boy’?

By his own admission, Alam Shah says he belongs to a “dying breed” of footballers, those who play with their heart on their sleeve, whether for club or country.

His aggressive and take-no-prisoners style has made him one of the region’s most feared marksmen — he once scored seven goals against Laos as Singapore went on to win the 2007 ASEAN Championship. He was eventually named the tournament’s “Most Valuable Player”.

But his physical and muscular approach to the game is also his curse, his double-edged sword.

11 red cards in 12 seasons in the S-League bear testimony to his rugged style.

In 2007, Alam Shah was banned for seven months from all football for assaulting fellow Lion and SAF-FC defender Daniel Bennett on the pitch.

Having undergone an anger management course and having seen a therapist has done nothing to dull his ferocious edge.

But following that incident, Alam Shah feels he was never treated the same by referees. In his own words, he feels he was ”black-listed” by some referees.

“Although it happened quite a while ago, referees have been giving me a hard time because of that incident. I was once booked by a referee in the first minute of play, and he told me that it was to warn me for the rest of the 89 minutes! If you look at the standard of refereeing, it has dropped a lot,” he says.

Alam Shah says his family is one of the reasons behind his rise in football.

Is this deep-seated frustration with referees the cause of his outburst last week?

Better S-League, more fans, good youth development system

Alam Shah, who’s been asked by the FAS to explain his recent remarks, says he would now rather look to the future than the past.

But, one thing’s for sure, he has not given up on Singapore football.

“I think our local league can only get better if it is marketed well to the public,” said Alam Shah, with a glimmer of hope.

“I hope more fans will come and support the league and make it livelier because every footballer wants to play in front of huge crowds. We also need to produce more quality youth players and start thinking of the next generation of footballers. I don’t see it happening now but if we could have a strong academy, then we are on the right track for the future,” he said.

No regrets

Despite recent criticisms of him “biting the hand that feeds”, I quickly realise the two-time S-League champion is no fool and that he is under no illusion as to what football has given him.

“It really feels good being able to play abroad. Football has given me this life. I am a secondary school dropout and I could have been in prison, on the streets or doing odd jobs now. But football has brought me to where I am today and I will not take it for granted,”  says Alam Shah.

After all, it was roughly 12 years ago that a young, starry-eyed Alam Shah made his debut for Sembawang Rangers at the tender age of 17.

“I remember watching Fandi Ahmad play when I was a kid and wanted to be like him. I guess I’m following his career path as Fandi also went to Indonesia to further his career,” he continued.

“When I first signed for Sembawang and got my jersey, I was so excited that I went around my neighbourhood boasting to my friends that I am going to play football in the S-league. Now, after signing for Arema Malang, that same excitement is back.”

As I begin to wrap up my interview, I ask Alam Shah what was his proudest moment as a footballer.

Alam Shah shares his thoughts with Yahoo! Singapore Producer, Ion Danker in an exclusive interview before leaving for Indonesia

He reveals it came just a few weeks back on 26 July, 2009 .

“(Lions coach) Raddy called me in the morning, and said I will be leading the team out against Liverpool,” said Alam Shah.

“I was stunned, I thought he was joking because I supported Liverpool as a kid and being given this opportunity to captain the Lions against Liverpool was a dream come true.”

Despite losing to the Reds 5-0, Alam Shah hopes to skipper the team more regularly but recognises it is not his decision to make.

“It was unfortunate that Indra Shahdan was recovering from injury as he is our regular captain but if I’m given the chance to lead the boys, I will give my all as it is every footballer’s dream to lead his country,” he added.

As I walk away from the almost 2-hour-long interview, I began to appreciate Alam Shah for his honesty and down-to-earth nature — he tells it like it is, straight and simple.

But even more than that, I fear his fiery, passionate style will be greatly missed in the S-League, which will be shorn of another of its leading stars.

I remember, the likes of Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundramoorthy once left our shores years ago for greener pastures.

While much has been done to recruit foreign footballers into Singapore, it now seems like we are heading in the opposite direction; our local talent is moving out. Baihakki Khaizan, Precious Emujeraye and Mustafic Fahrudin are also following in the footsteps of Alam Shah.

Will the S-League ‘hear’ the call for change to improve the standard of football before we lose more local players?

What do you think? Share with us how you feel about the state of our local football league and what you think can be done to improve it.

NBA Legends (left to right): Dominique Wilkins, Tim Hardaway, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rory White, Robert Horry, Vlade Divac

By Charley Bautista-Braga
Yahoo! Philippines
Five of the greatest  players in NBA history are in Manila for an exhibition game against the PBA All-Stars, for the NBA Asia Challenge 2009 on Friday, September 11 at the Araneta Coliseum.  These NBA Legends include Kareem  Abdul Jabbar, Tim Hardaway, Vlade Divac, Dominique Wilkins and Robert Horry, who are pitting themselves up in an event, dubbed as the most ambitious and largest ever basketball event in the country.

The NBA Asia Challenge features the NBA Generations team, made up of the NBA Legends and the NBA Development League players in an exhibition game against the PBA All-Stars which include Alvin Patrimonio, Allan Caidic, Ronnie Magsanoc, Benjie Paras, and Kenneth Duremdes, to name a few.  Also accompanying the NBA Legends are The Dunking Divas, the dance troupe of the New Jersey Nets who’ll be on hand to provide on-ground entertainment, and Sly the Silver Fox, the team’s mascot.

NBA greats Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry and Vlade Divac

Yahoo! Philippines chatted with NBA greats Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry, and Vlade Divac, and this is what they had to share to basketball fans:

On the Philippines:

Divac:  I’m very excited to be here. I heard that the Philippines is definitely a basketball country, and people really love the game here. This country has had an impact on my career. When I was 10 years old, my national team won the World Championship title in Manila in 1978, so that’s when I started playing basketball. I started when I was 10, and was drafted by the NBA when I was 21, 11 years later.

Horry: I unfortunately haven’t been able to watch any PBA, but I’m thrilled at how popular the game is here. We were just in Korea, and the thing about Asian basketball players is that they’re great guys, very skilled. I would say the one thing they have against them is size, and unfortunately you can’t teach size. They’re very skilled players though.

On basketball, and being a clutch player

Horry: It’s been fun playing with those guys, because those guys are the megastars of the team. Sometimes you’re not considered in the same breath, but you know those guys, they also value what you could do on the floor with them.  These are the guys who are going to get talked about when the game ends, and they trust you to get those shots nailed down.

On the U.S. and playing pro basketball

Divac: I played four years professionally in my country, and the Lakers drafted me for the NBA. It was tough for a couple of years, playing with a different style of game. I also didn’t speak any English, but on the other hand I was lucky to end up with an organization like the Lakers, so they helped me to make the transition much easier. My advice to other imports is to spread the feeling of really loving the game. When you do that, everything else is easy.  Also, do the mental work because everyone can shoot hoops, everyone can jump around, but it’s those little things that are difficult which can help distinguish you from the rest.

On luck, and career

Horry: I don’t think my career was about luck. It was about joining a team at the right time, like any kind of match or relationship, it was about finding the right match. So when you find the right kind of match, anything can happen. When I first joined the league, I thought Houston was the best match for my skills and from then on it just went on to better things. When I look at every team I’ve played, it was a great match for my talent and it was a great match for the team. Of course, there’s always going to be superstars in the team, but they’re not going to be superstars without adding that one “link,” and I always felt that I was that missing link that would make the team stronger.

Divac: I always believe in doing better, always moving forward. Everyday is a new day.

Words for people wishing to enter professional basketball

Divac: Maybe in your dream you can’t be the best basketball player, you can’t play in the NBA but you can find a way to be attached to the game in some different way where you can make a difference.

Horry: You know, you have to learn how to play the game the correct way. You have to go out and do everything, whatever it takes–walk, crawl or run – just practice the skills, the game know-how.  Practice a great amount of time, and maybe you’ll get better.  Also, you need to pit yourself against a team or other people who’ll help you stretch your talent.  When you stretch your talent, you’ll have that experience to make yourself better.

***

About Robert Horry:  Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry’s career highlights include playing with the Houston Rockets and winning  back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, and again with the LA Lakers from 2000 to 2002.  Horry is only one of nine players to win seven or more NBA championships, and only one of three players to win NBA Championships with two different teams in consecutive seasons.

About Vlade Divac:  A Serbian national, Divac played for the Yugoslavian National Team and led his team to win an Olympic Silver Medal in Seoul, Korea, until he was pirated by the LA Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, and the Sacramento Kings.  He ranks fourth in Lakers history with 830 blocked shots, and joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to amass 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocked shots.

Tickets for the first-ever NBA Asia Challenge are now on sale at Ticketnet outlets at SM Malls, or online at www.ticketnet.com.ph.  Ticket prices are at P2,640 (Patron), P2112 (Lower Box), P1320 (Upper Box A), P792 (Upper Box B) and P264 (General Admission).  For more information, please log onto www.nba.com/asiachallenge2009.

Will fans pay more to watch from left; Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Samir Nasri and Wayne Rooney, play on TV? (AP, AFP Photos)

Ion Danker

Yahoo! Singapore

The English Premier League football season is just hours away from kick-off but fans are already facing a mini ”off-the-pitch” crisis.

I am, of course, talking about the sky-rocketing costs of watching your Rooneys and Gerrards play week in, week out.

This exact debate raged on in coffee-shops all across the island during the off-season – should fans have to pay extra on top of what they are already paying to watch their heroes perform?

You see, from this season onwards, fans will have to fork out even more to watch football’s elite clash in the Champions League on SingTel mio TV. That’s on top of the usual Sports Group package to watch the English Premier League (EPL) on Starhub.

It will cost more for fans to watch EPL and Champions League football on TV (AP Photo).

How much more?

I remember shelling out a monthly subscription of $15 for the Sports Group in 2007 to watch both the EPL and Champions League matches on Starhub.  Soon after, that was increased to $26.75 per month.

Now, with SingTel grabbing a huge slice of the football pie, watching the Champions League on mio TV will cost an additional $15.90 a month. Not to mention the inconvenience of an extra set-top box and more wiring than my living room can handle.

Will Liverpool fans pay more to watch the Reds play on TV?

I find myself wondering when enough is enough.

As a hard-core Liverpool and football addict, I’m dying to see if the likes of Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard can prevent Man U winning their 19th league title on Starhub. But is it worth an extra $15.90 per month to watch them play in Europe as well? If  so, I’d have to pay a total of $42.65 each month. Or $511.80 over 12 months, at the very least.

With the EPL broadcast rights up for another bidding exercise at the end of the season, who’s to say prices won’t increase even more next season?

And with 2010 being a World Cup year, I’m pretty sure a World Cup “package” is already being planned. And that’s just the EPL and the World Cup. Will it be a matter of time before I have to pay more to watch the Ronaldos and Alonsos play in La Liga? And what about the Serie A?

A good friend of mine, Wesley Lewis, 31, a communications manager,  summed it up aptly: “Football has become a money-generating industry. It’s a business now. Everyone wants to have a piece of the pie, and at the end of the day, it’s the fans who suffer.”

Are fans contributing to the huge transfer fees paid for players like Cristiano Ronaldo? (AP Photo)

So I’ve drawn the line and decided to make a stand.

Despite being a Red through and through, I’ve opted not to take up SingTel mioTV and pay more to watch my team play in the Champions League. It just doesn’t make economical sense. I’ll probably have to catch highlights of the matches on the news or rely on other sources for match updates.

I know many fans have also opted to make a stand by not paying more to watch the Champions League, preferring instead to spend the wee hours of the morning at a friend’s place or  at the nearest pub or coffee shop.

What about you? Tell us how you feel about the rising costs of watching football, and whether you will pay more to watch your team play in the Champions League.

Sir Alex Ferguson delighted with having Michael Owen by his side. Will fans be smiling with additional charges expected for the World Cup next year? (AP photo)