World No 1 faces tricky task amid field of stars

23.02.12

The Taiwanese world No 1, who started last season with a hat-trick of wins in Australia, Thailand and Singapore, failed to keep her crown in Melbourne last week where she finished tied for eighth. In a bid to redeem lost pride in Thailand, she sought a spiritual boost at the Erawan Shrine after arriving in Bangkok.

"It's great to be back. I went to visit the shrine again. It's a routine I do every year. I pray and wish for a great year. I worked hard during the offseason and last week in Australia was a good warm up for me,'' said the five-time Majorwinner who tees off with world No 3 Na Yeonchoi of South Korea today at 12.23pm.

Na skipped the season-opener last week in Australia to extend her offseason training in Florida. She launches her 2012 campaign in Pattaya, where she finished in 15th

Source: The Nation

Ties that bind

23.02.12

Do you remember when you were 4 or 5 years old and the top of any stairs looked like they might be as high as Mt. Everest?

Dressed in my first-ever double-breasted white sport coat, black pants, shiny black shoes and a black clip-on bow tie for my cousin’s wedding, I can remember being that young and looking at the steps of my hometown church, a stone’s throw from the Montana and Canadian borders, like they might lead to a mountain top, a throne or Heaven itself.

The first step alone might have come up to my knees. The third step was probably taller than I was and by the time you added eight or 10 more steps to the trek, you were King Kong climbing the Empire State Building, at least in my young mind.

This was on the occasion of my debut as a ring bearer, when I partnered with a lovely flower girl who was a little older, 2 or 3 inches taller, more mature and probably rolled her eyes at plenty of my antics. Nevertheless, although I might not have put on an Academy Award-winning performance, I apparently did well enough to make most of my family proud. Or else my mother would not have kept the pillow that carried the two wedding rings and the little white sport coat until now, still stored and in as good a shape as the day it made for its one and only appearance.

Source: Dickinson Press

Gender-bending model pushes limits of the runway

23.02.12

NEW YORK (AP) — On a chilly winter afternoon, Andrej Pejic settles into a Manhattan cafe with a cup of Earl Grey tea, sitting gracefully, long legs crossed. The blue-eyed fashion model gazes out a window, unaware that almost every man sitting at surrounding tables is transfixed.

A man in a black leather jacket walks up to the window, presses his face against the glass and kisses it. Pejic giggles and admits: "I find it flattering."

The admirers are likely unaware that the beautiful blonde is actually a man.

As Fashion Week gets under way in New York City, Pejic is one of the most recognizable — and controversial — faces in the industry. He's the only top-tier fashion model who can walk down the runway as either a man or a woman. And his androgynous beauty has turned him into a trendsetter in an industry that's always seeking to push the envelope.

"He's just this beautiful thing that everyone wants a piece of," says stylist Kyle Anderson,

Source: Foster's Daily Democrat