Lifestyle>>Want your jewellery to draw attention? Go for chic rocks like malachite and quartz >>A doctor advises howto tighten excess skin following a slim-down>>Check out the cleverBeat DJ cellphone >PAGES 8,9

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Beating the flu bluesBy Ampairat ‘B’ Techapoowapat

MTV VJ

Sneezing pigs have taken overfrom spluttering pigeons in

the latest flu scare – and it’s no good tellingthem to cover their snouts with their trotters.Instead, here are a few simple steps to ensureyou stay safe. First, keep updated with thelatest news of the disease (that way youwon’t be tempted by a cut-price holiday toMexico). Second, stay fit so you can fight offany infection you do get. Third, if you get flu-like symptoms, see a doctor straightaway.(And, obviously, look out for sneezing pigs.)

GOOD MORNINGBANGKOK!

SEEDS OF LUCK

XPRESSDA

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FREE COPYTuesday, May 12, 2009 VOL 2, NO 331 dailyxpress.net

LOOKING FORA JOB?

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As the Royal Ploughing Ceremony ends,thousands rush into Sanam Luang to gather or purchase sacred objectsin the hope that they will bring happiness and good fortune >PAGE 2

CATCHTHAILAND’STOP COMICPetchtai‘MumJokmok’at his largest variety show to date >PAGE 6

By Wannapa PhetdeeD A I L Y X P R E S S

Thousand of people stam-peded into Bangkok’s

Sanam Luang yesterday, strip-ping the scene bare after theannual Royal PloughingCeremony.

Many were gathering sou-venirs of the rite for the firsttime, but 43-year-old companyemployee Satit Bunmi had seenit all before. He has been wit-nessing the ceremony and gath-ering the sacred rice grains af-terwards for at least 10 years.

Seeds to sow at home “This year I took a day off

work to collect grains and a

plant used at the ceremony,which I’ll grow at home as agood-luck charm,” he said,clutching the bag of rice and aflowerpot.

Despite the muddy groundcaused by heavy rain onSunday, the crowd sifted theearth for the sacred grainssown as part of the ceremonyand also took away sugarcane,banana trees and other shrubsthat decorated the event.

After last year’s burningsun, the weather was cooler,enabling people to remain collecting more than two hours after the rites wereover.

For those not lucky enough

to find any, enterprising crowdmembers were selling the ricefor a baht or two per grain.Some even tried to get Bt5.Many believe the rice is luckyand will make their own fieldsflourish.

HRH Crown Prince MahaVajiralongkorn, accompaniedby his royal consort HRHPrincess Srirasmi, HRHPrincess Bajra Kitiyabha andHRH Princess SirivannavariNariratana, represented HisMajesty the King in presidingover the rites.

Positive prediction confirmed

From the variety of seeds of-fered them, the Royal Oxen ategrass and sesame, bringing theprediction of plentiful crops,healthy livestock and the rightamount of rainfall for the yearahead.

In his role as Lord of thePlough, Agriculture Ministrypermanent secretaryJarunthada Karnasuta pickedout a piece of cloth that meas-uring five palms, and the pre-diction of plenty was con-firmed.

The grand spectacle alsodrew foreign tourists.

Tw e n t y - o n e - y e a r - o l dFrenchwoman Kimi Collod ar-rived to witness the ceremonywith her parents, having jettedin on Sunday for their first vis-it to Thailand.

“We came because we wanted to see His Majesty and other members of theRoyal Family,” said Collod.“We caught a glimpse of the car of the Crown Prince,but nothing more because ofthe crowds. I know the cere-mony is very important forThais.”

2 TODAY Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

THE CITYPast-livesfilm winsD A I L Y X P R E S S

“A Letter to UncleBoonmee”, a short

film by ApichatpongWeerasethakul, won twoprizes at the 55thInternational Short FilmFestival Oberhausen heldin Germany last week.

The 17-and-a-half-minute short beat 50 filmsfrom 30 countries to winthe grand prize and ¤7,500(Bt352,000) as well as thejury prize, worth ¤5,000.

Meet Uncle Boonmee“Uncle Boonmee” is part

of Apichatpong’s multime-dia project “Primitive”,fruit of the film-maker’swork in the northeasternvillage of Nabua that fo-cuses on the “concept ofremembrance and extinc-tion”.

A huge, multi-platforminstallation that includesanother short film –“Phantoms of Nabua”,“Primitive” is on display at the film museum Hausder Kunst in Munich untilMay 24. You can watch “Phantoms” atwww.AnimateProjects.org

“The film ranges be-tween a biographical story,a reflection of cinemato-graphic narratives, rightto the representation ofpolitical and historicalcontexts, reads the Ober-hausen jury’s verdict on“Uncle Boonmee”.

RICH PICKINGSCrowds scour Sanam Luang for sacredgrains after the Royal Oxen beginploughing a year of plenty

>>DAILY XPRESS is edited by Tulsathit Taptim and published by NMG News Co Ltd, at 1854, Bang Na-Trat Road, Bangkok 10260, and printed by WPS (Thailand) Co Ltd, Tel (02) 338 3000, Fax (02) 338 3334. EDITORIAL: Tel (02) 338 3333. ON THE WEB: DAILYXPRESS.NET>>DAILY XPRESS is a supplement to subscriber copies of THE NATION with bonus distribution in selected areas of Bangkok and its environs every Monday to Friday. Subscription rates for THE NATION: one year Bt4,900 within regular delivery areas; please contact Customer Service on (02) 338 3000. For bulk copy subscription rates please call (02) 338 3532.

FOR DISPLAY ADVERTISING, PLEASE CALL (02) 338 3000 # 1

1987THE YEAR THAILAND’S FIRST E-MAILwas sent – between the Prince of Songkla

University and the Asian Institute of Technology.

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Editor: Tulsathit Taptim / Managing Editor: Thanong Khanthong / Deputy Managing Editors: Kumar Krishnan, Jintana Panyaarvudh / Design Editor: Leroy A SylkWeb Co-editors: Marisa Chimprabha, Paisal Chuenprasaeng / The City Editor: Chularat Saengpassa / The Fun Editor: Veena Thoopkrajae / Sport Editor: Preechachan Wiriyanupappong / Group Editor in Chief: Suthichai Yoon XPRESSD

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People race to collect sacreditems after the Royal PloughingCeremony yesterday.Above: A man collects blessed grains of rice.

The setting for Apichatpong’s‘A letter to Uncle Boonmee’.

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brieflyBoy with toy gunshot by policemanA boy playing “cops and robbers” with a toy handgunwas shot and wounded onSunday by a Los AngelesCounty sheriff’s deputy.

The boy was hospitalisedand is expected to survive.

Deputies were respondingto reports that someone wasriding a bicycle and brandishinga handgun. They spotted therider and ordered him to dropthe weapon but he pointed itat the deputies. One deputyfired a shot and hit the boy inthe upper body.

Bizarre murderThe bizarre murder of a four-year-old girl has gone to trialin an Israeli court.

The defendants are aFrench woman and her lover,who is also the father of thewoman’s ex-husband. Thatmakes him her murdereddaughter’s grandfather.

Marie-Charlotte Renaultand Roni Ron were chargedwith killing Rose Pizem lastyear. According to the indict-ment, they stuffed her bodyinto a suitcase and threw itinto a river in Tel Aviv, where itwas found.

The little girl was allegedlyabused or neglected by thecouple. – AP

Grenade giftCambodian police arrested a37-year-old high schoolteacher after he allegedly senta homemade hand grenade asan anonymous wedding pres-ent to a former student.

Police said Moung Chhavryadmitted to sending thegrenade to the bride, who heclaimed to have had a rela-tionship with when he was hergrade 10 teacher.

But the 21-year-old bridetold police she had rejected hisadvances and was shocked tosee her former teacher after hewas arrested. – DPA

4 GLOBETROT Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

Top flight

AP

Suspended jailterm for popicon Komuro Disgraced Japanese music produ-cer Tetsuya Komuro received a suspended three-year jail termyesterday for cheating an investorout of 500 million yen (Bt193 mil-lion) in a copyright scam.

Komuro, 50, was once amongAsia’s richest men,having producedsongs that sold millions of albums forJ-Pop sensations such

as TRF and Globe, but he fell onhard times following a divorceand failed business ventures.

“I apologise from the bottomof my heart,” Komuro said afterthe Osaka district court handeddown the prison term, which wassuspended for five years. “I,Tetsuya Komuro, made a big mistake and committed a gravecrime.”

Presiding judge MunehisaSugita found that Komuro had“employed a very sly scheme oftaking advantage of the copyrighttrading system”.A F P

A watch made forKing Ludwig II ofBavaria in the1800s sold for

200,000Swiss francs (Bt6.2 million)THE WORLD

A P , New York

Some quick thinking at theend won US$1 million

(Bt34.5 million) for a Chinese-American brother-sister teamon round-the-world competi-tion “Amazing Race”.

But it was a heartbreakingfinish for the competition’sfirst deaf contestant.

The winner, Victor Jih, 35,and his sister Tammy, 26, ex-plored a sometimes con-tentious relationship duringtheir journey. The 14th editionof the game concluded inMaui, Hawaii.

“I just tried to enjoy the race

for what it was and just be trueto my emotions, the highs andlows,” Victor Jih said after thevictory. They’re both practi-cing lawyers in California.

From Beijing to HawaiiThree teams travelled from

Beijing to Hawaii for thegame’s final set of competi-tions, which involved prepar-ing pigs for luaus and racingon personal watercraft to findclues floating on the water.

Luke Adams, 22, just gradu-ated as the valedictorian of theColorado School for the Deafand the Blind, and raced with

his mother Margie, 50. Theywere in the lead heading intothe last competition, which in-volved picking out surfboardswith insignias representingevery leg of their trip. Lukestarted fast but could not getthe last one right. As he wasfrustrated, Victor Jih comple-ted his task and headed into ataxi for the finish line.

Cara Rosenthal, 26, ofFlorida and pal Jaime Ed-mondson, 29, of Fort Lauder-dale, finished second.

Margie Adams tried to con-sole her son during the finalcab ride to the finish line after64,000 kilometres. “I’m verylucky to have you as my mom,”Luke said to her in the short-hand sign language they haddeveloped together.

Touching finishto Amazing RaceDeaf contestant leads in last leg – onlyto be frustrated by Chinese-Americanteam who win 64,000-km contest

French pilot Nicolas Ivanoff goesthrough the start/finish gate on hisway to winning the Red Bull Air RaceWorld Championship in San Diego,California, on Sunday.

By Pawit MahasarinandS P E C I A L T O D A I L Y X P R E S S

He’s a member of Talok Cafe and a talk show host, as well as a movie actor, di-rector and producer and, of course, a TV comedian, best known for outra-

geous stunts he pulls off on Channel 7’s varietygame show “Ching Roi Ching Lan”.In fact, 46-year-old Petchtai “Mum Jokmok”

Wongkamlao has done just about everything, includ-ing trying to speak English in the Tony Jaa action film

“Tom Yum Goong”, to become one of Thailand’s most suc-cessful comedians. This weekend, the presi-

dent of the National ComedyAssociation of Thailand is taking

time off from simultaneously di-recting two films – “Wongkamlao”

and “Yam Yasothon 2” – for hislargest variety show to date.

“Mum on Stage” is subtitled,“Mum looks up to the planes”.But it has nothing to do withthe Thai saying “A dog [mha]looks up to the planes”

Mum explains, “When I wasyoung, I liked looking up at the

bangfai [the rockets launched inthe Northeast as part of a merit-making ceremony]. I reallythought they were planes! Even

today, when I travel by plane, Iimagine I’m on a bangfai.”

One of the show’s highlights isindeed the bangfai, which is alsothe name of his production compa-ny. “I’m very proud of this northeastern tradition, so I’m showing theaudience a very spectacular version of it.”

Joining Mum are longtime collaborators Teng Terdterng and NongChachacha and veteran comedian Thep Pho-ngam, as well as musicians

Sayan Sanya and Ad Carabao, plus teen idols Tattoo Color and Nat from“Academy Fantasia”.And because this is what he calls “an important show in my life”, Mum

says, “I just can’t leave out my wife: I’m a family man, after all.“There are more guests, but I’ll keep ‘mum’ about them for now. Some

[celebrity friends] say they’ll come to watch my show; they won’t be able tojust sit back, watch, and laugh.”

Our guess is that the “Saranae” team – Willy, Ple and Hoy – may show up topay their dues.

RON HOWARD, DIRECTOR, ON SHOOTINGHIS LATEST FILM “ANGELS AND DEMONS”UNDER PROTEST BY THE VATICAN.

“Every time we asked to be able to filmaround or inside the Catholic church itwas always rejected. As far as the guer-rilla shooting, we didn’t break any laws

but we didn’t always ask permission.”

6 ENTERTAINMENT Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

Thailand’s top comic promises that his showat the Thunder Dome will be a real blast

XTRA

>> Tickets are from Bt 500to Bt 2,000 fromThaiticketmajor.

R E A D Y F O R L A U G H T E R>> “Mum Live on Stage” runsFriday to Sunday at the ThunderDome at Impact in Muang ThongThani.

>> Shows are at 7.30 nightlywith 2pm matinees on Saturdayand Sunday.

I’M VERY PROUD OFTHIS NORTHEASTERNTRADITION, SO I’MSHOWING THEAUDIENCE A VERYSPECTACULARVERSION OF IT.Mum Jokmok, who will havea bangfai rocket in his show.

,,

THE FUNCOMEDY PREV IEW

ROCKETMUM

Rapping with OzomatliGRAMMY-WINNING American group Ozomatli will be performingon Saturday at CentralWorld before moving on Sunday to Pattayafor a private concert at an orphanage.

The group has collaborated with superstar Carlos Santana andits music has been featured in more two dozen Hollywood moviesand on numerous television shows.

Brought to Thailand by the US embassy, this Latin hip-hop bandfrom Los Angeles represents American multiculturalism and diversi-ty while incorporating musical traditions from around the world.

Pasaya passionsA HIGH-END TEXTILE BRAND recently expanded the name of allits branches to “Fabrics Outlet by Pasaya” and is selling premium-grade fabric at prices that start at Bt177 for a 90-centimetre length.

The outlets can be found at HomePro and offer more than 1,000fabric designs.

Pasaya president Narong Lertkitsiri advises customers who arefeeling stressed out to choose a dark shade for curtains as the deep-er colours help “wash away worries”. He adds that home decoratingis a great way of indulging your creative ideas and encouraging mix-ing and matching different decorative items with textile products.

A F P , Tokyo

Tom Hanks says he wants toact in more movies based

on Dan Brown’s religious con-spiracy thrillers.

Hanks plays Harvard profes-sor and symbologist RobertLangdon in “Angels andDemons”, the prequel to 2006’s“The Da Vinci Code”, whichwas based on another best-sell-ing novel by Brown.

“[Langdon] is a timeless char-acter like Sherlock Holmes ... anintellectual Indiana Jones with-out the whip, and I hope I get achance to play him five times,”Hanks told reporters last weekin Tokyo, where he was promot-ing “Angels and Demons”.

In the film, Langdon tries toprevent a secret brotherhoodfrom killing four candidates forthe papacy, and to stop themfrom blowing up the Vatican.

“The Da Vinci Code” drewfire from the Catholic churchbecause it was based on the

idea that Jesus married MaryMagdalene and fathered off-spring.

Hanks says “Angels andDemons” raises importantquestions about faith and sci-ence in the modern age.“Controversy that is merelymeant to be salacious or edito-rial is not worth making amovie about. It’s only when Ithink the theme can actuallywithstand the attention of hav-ing the movie made about it.”

Spooky timesWe’ve got a ghost war goingon, as two different stage com-panies vie for media attentionfor their upcoming shows.

Scenario’s “Mae Nak PhraKhanong the Musical” opens onMay 20, and Dreambox’s “MaeNak the Musical” on July 3.

It was a scary momentwhen Scenario’s third pressconference was scheduled atexactly at the same time asDreambox’s first, and withboth of them relying heavilyon red and black, things gotconfusing.

Meanwhile, a distant thirdbut making fast headway is theNew Theatre Society’s “MaeNak the Museum” (yes, muse-um), which opens in mid-June.

And Pichet Klunchuen isthinking he ought to produceanother “Mae Nak”, this timewith a pun on the word nak. “It’sabout gay monks,” he giggles.

O could use GPSDon’t accept aride from singer-actor Iresoon“O” Vatayanont:He was bornwith no sense ofdirection.

“He can getlost likenobody’s busi-ness,” warns one of his pals.“He once promised to pick meup and it was taking ages, andour houses are on oppositesois off Inthamara.

“I ended up picking himup!”

O

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS ENTERTAINMENT 7

“STAR TREK” wasthe top movie in NorthAmerica over theweekend. It earnedUS$76.5 million, arecord opening for anyof the films in the“Trek” franchise.

CELEBR IT Y

Symbolic gestureTom Hanks says he’s ready to play thesleuthing Robert Langdon in more films ofDan Brown’s best-selling thriller novels

“The Head”, a four-metre-high sculptureby artist RavinderReddy, specially cre-ated for Thailand bythe Indian artist tomark the 62ndanniversary of diplo-matic relationsbetween Thailandand India, is on dis-play in front ofCentralWorld. Madeof golden bronzematerial andpainstakingly deco-rated with acrylicpaint, “The Head”took six months and30 people to com-plete.

Prettywoman soopsip

Contact Soopsip atveenxpress@gmail.com.

XTRA

>> “Angels and Demons”opens in cinemas onThursday.

M O R E I N T R I G U E>> Dan Brown is wrapping up athird Langdon novel, “The LostSymbol”, which goes on sale onSeptember 15.

million1.172

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WAS RAISED at aBelgian auction ofitems associatedwith Herge, creatorof “Tintin”.

¤

Duelling Naks: The ghosts ofDreambox, left, and Scenario.

By Melissa MagsaysayL O S A N G E L E S T I M E S

The jewellery getting the mostattention this spring leaves

the flashy carats behind anddraws its inspiration from themineral samples in a sciencemuseum gift shop. Agate,malachite, moonlightcrystal, quartz andshimmering drusiesare set in gold,wrapped in wire,strung as pendantsor faceted as cocktailrings in ways that show-case the best of what na-ture has to offer.

“Authentic, more natural stonesare the ‘new bling’,” says JulieGilhart, senior vice president andfashion director of Barneys NewYork. “There is a handmade craftand artisanal feel to them, whichfeels fresh and new.”

Pieces that feelspecial butwithout over-the-top glitzmake sense rightnow, says LosAngeles-based jewellerydesigner Devon Leigh. “Peopleare reaching back to the Earthand to things that happen natural-ly,” she explains. “There are a lotof negative things happening in

the world, and ideas found in na-ture are balancing and comfort-ing.”

Leigh uses geodes – plain onthe outside, glittery crystal on theinside – in her work, slicing themfor one-of-a-kind earrings andnecklace pendants.

Yves Saint Laurent'sspring collection

of rings andnecklaces has asimilar hand-

crafted aes-thetic, in-

corporatingstones such asturquoise andagate. Erickson

Beamon tempers thehippie vibe by using ex-

tra-large stones and settingthem at random angles, making amulti-strand necklace look like aneclectic statement piece. JessicaKagan Cushman strings dozens ofstones over four tiers to make aneye-catching conversation starterof a necklace. And Etro clearly

showcases each stone,faceted on a gold armcuff to reveal varyinggrains and gradationsof colour.

The bohemian feel ofthis jewellery lends a re-

laxed and romantic vibe to anyensemble. Play up the art nou-veau elements by pairing pieces

with something soft, pale andflowing. Or use them to soften anoutfit that's crisp and stark. Thelook is distinctive – and decidedlydown to Earth.

SKIN DEEP8 FASHION / BEAUTY Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

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Bling fromthe Earth

Jewellery made with minerals like malachite and quartz is distinctive and refreshingly chic

Weight lost – now toomuch skin!

Last year I lost 10 kilograms intwo and half months. My exerciseworkout was extreme, and my eat-ing habits were poor. Now I’mcursed with excess skin around mystomach and waist. Is there anything I can do to help shrink orremove it?

That’s quite a lot of weight tolose in a short time, and you maynot have given your skin time toadjust to the loss.

As you lose body fat and buildmuscle, you should look better. At acertain point, if you have saggingskin, you may want to look into anon-invasive treatment such asthermage.

Thermage is one of the latestinnovations, using radio-frequencytechnology to tighten loose skinwith the convenience of no timelost to recovery.

It will help firm sagging skin andreduce unwanted bulges that diet-ing and exercise alone cannot seemto change.

In most cases, some improve-ment is immediately visible, andincreasingly so for up to six months.The results are long lasting, butdepend on your skin condition andhow well you age.

Thanisorn Thamlikitkul,MD, is a member of theAmerican Society of CosmeticDermatology and AestheticSurgery and certified in dermatological laser surgery. Send your questions for her to info@romrawin.com.

An Yves Saint Laurentnecklace and ring

Erickson Beamon necklaces

Devon Leigh earrings

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS IT / GAMES 9

By Smiley ByteD A I L Y X P R E S S

Wanna be a DJ but can’tafford the gear? Well,

while you’re saving up for thebig time, lay out Bt12,500 forthe Samsung Beat DJ(M7600) and have fun prac-tising with this fun touchphone that allows you toscratch and mix tunes to yourheart’s content.

This clever phone has a fea-ture that lets you to load yourfavourite tune, mix it withpreset effects and then record

it into a new mixed tune.During the recording, you

can also create scratch effectsby scratching the virtual discon the screen.

It may take time to learn tomaster the feature but thelearning is well worth the ef-fort. And it’s easy too, and thetutorial is provided on thephone!

The Beat DJ plays good-quality music even withoutheadphones and comes with apair of stereo speakers.

Bang & Olufsen's patented

ICEpower technology uses adedicated amplifier that sig-nificantly improves musicquality without draining bat-teries

The phone’s music has aunique interface with a largecircle in the centre of the dis-play. Just use your finger torun through the song list.Going to next track couldn’tbe simpler – just shake thephone once.

The Beat DJ has roundededges like discs on both sidesand a bright blue trim. Buttonsfor making calls, hanging upand going back one step areplaced along the round edgeat the bottom.

Beat DJ also comes with aradio tuner, and a three-megapixel camera with videorecording.

It also support stereoBluetooth headphones andprovides a 3.5mm headset jackfor connecting to premiumheadphones.

Its 2.8-inch AMOLED dis-play is bright and clear and its

intuitive set of touch user in-terface makes the phone easyto use.

Beat DJ has 50 megabytesinternal memory. The memo-ry can be expanded with amicroSD card up to 16GB.

KEY SPECS

Network: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps; EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900Mhz)Display: 2.8-inch 16M Full Touch WQVGA AMOLED (240 x 400)Camera: 3 Megapixel CMOSMusic files supported: MP3 / AAC / AAC+ / eAAC+ / WMAVideo files supported: MPEG4 / H.263 / H.264 / DivX / XviDVideo Recording: VGA 15fpsMemory: 50MB expandable with microSD (up to 16GB)Size: 112 x 51 x 13.9 mmBattery: 960 mAh

The Beat goes onSamsung comes up with a music phone targetting the DJ crowd

THE BEAT DJ PLAYSGOOD-QUALITYMUSIC EVEN WITH-OUT HEADPHONESAND COMES WITH APAIR OF STEREOSPEAKERS.

WHAT’S UP10 EVENTS Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

see it!

Sax on Samui Koh Samui hosts its first major jazz event on Saturday with Koh

Mr Saxman headlining a show that starts at 7.30 at Singha Sports

Bar on Samui Park Avenue. The concert, which is being organised

by Amsiam Travel, in association with Bangkok Airways and sever-

al of the island’s hotels and resorts, also features Lookpud

Chollanut, Lim Thai and many young bands. Tickets are priced at

Bt1,000 and available from Amsiam Travel, Tongsai Bay, Samui

Paradise Chaweng Beach Resort & Spa, Shasa Hotel and

Kandaburi Resort & Spa. Visit www.SamuiJazz.com.

Double the funGroups of four diners pay for just two in a promotion by the Landmark Bangkok’sAtrium restaurant. The daily international buffet features Chef Robert’s dessertsand a chocolate fountain. Wine lovers will want to check out the grand interna-tional buffet on May 29 and 30 when the hotel will be pairing Australian wines tocomplement dinner at only Bt2,200 net. Call (02) 254 0404 extension 7777.

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In love with

LilibethFilipina singer Lilibeth Antonio is back in

Bangkok to entertain diners at Angelini, the

Italian restaurant at the Shangri-La Hotel.

Antonio and her band perform soulful ballads,

jazz and hits from 6.30 to 10.35 Monday to

Saturday. Call 02 236 7777.

Sinful cutsThe Chanapatana International

Design Institute is hosting “Seven

Sins”, a thesis exhibition by fashion

and interior-design students. Held in

cooperation with Singha, Siam Centre

and Siam Discovery, the exhibition

showcases more than 80 costumes

and runs until May 21 in Atrium 1 on

the first floor of Siam Centre. On

Thursday there will be a fashion show

at 2pm at Grand Hall on the first floor

of Siam Discovery. Visit

www.Chanapatana.com.

Making musicAs part of the “Songs ofMemory” exhibition, the JimThompson Art Centre andYim La Mai Group will co-hosta workshop on making musi-cal instruments on Sundayfrom 2 to 5 in the WilliamWarren Library. Participantswill create instruments fromrecycled and natural materi-als and learn how to playthem. The session is open tochildren and adults. Thecourse fee is Bt300 per per-son or Bt500 per family ofthree. Call SomsudaPiamsumrit at (02) 612 6741or e-mail education@jimthompsonhouse.com.

Indy atCenterpointEvery Friday from 4,CentralWorld hopes to attracthordes of teenage shoppersto its “Indy Shop” space onthe seventh floor. Under theconcept “Centerpoint isComing to Town”, more than100 market stalls are set upto cater to young spenders.Apart from shopping, teenscan also help underprivilegedchildren at Baan Homhug inYasothon province by con-tributing old clothes, toys andmoney through theSuthasinee Foundation. Visitwww.Centerpoint108.comor call (02) 252 1754-6.

A ghostly taleThe ghost from the populartale “Mae Nak Prakhanong”breaks into song with NatMyria Benedetti taking thelead in the musical at MuangRachadalai Theatre from May20 to June 7. Tickets costingfrom Bt500 to Bt2,800 arenow on sale atThaiticketmajor.

Baby, let’s dance!Do you have the dance movesof a Korean or Japanese star?If so, enter the Mall J-K CoverDance Contest 2009 andshow off those steps. To qual-ify for the competition, youmust be between 13 and 22years old and be in a team ofthree people. There are alsocosplay costume competi-tions. The heats take place onSaturday and Sunday andagain on May 23 at The MallBang Kapi. Call (02) 1731643.

Heartbreak LibraryIn this Korean drama, a librariancatches a man tearing out apage from a book and accuseshim of vandalism, only to dis-cover the complex story behindhis actions. At SF Cinemas.

Mor 3 Pee 4Rao Rak NaiChatting on the Internet, aBangkok boy strikes up aromance a Phuket girl. WithEnglish subtitles at some cin-emas.

Thick as ThievesA veteran thief (MorganFreeman) enters into a partner-

ship with a brash young burglar(Antonio Banderas) to steal thelast two original Faberge eggs.At SFX Emporium and SFWCentralWorld.

Where in the WorldIs Osama bin Laden?“Super Size Me” documentarianMorgan Spurlock treks to theMiddle East, Afghanistan andPakistan in search of the elusiveal-Qaeda leader. At House.

X Men Origins:WolverineThe steel-clawed superhero’sepic life story is revealed. HughJackman stars.

Saranae Haao PengPranks are pulled on celebritiesincluding Mum Jokmok, AdCarabao, Kotee Aramboy andKorean girl group Baby Vox Rev.With English subtitles atsome cinemas.

K-20: Legendof the MaskAn acrobatic crimefighter(Takeshi Kaneshiro) hunts amasked Robin Hood-like figure.In Japanese with English andThai subtitles at the Lido.

The InternationalAn Interpol agent (Clive Owen)and a lawyer (Naomi Watts) fol-

low a trail of money and murderinto the heart of a conspiracy. AtSFX Lat Phrao.

The Haunting inConnecticutA family moves into an oldhouse and experiences violentsupernatural phenomena.Based on actual events.

What JustHappenedA has-been Hollywood producer(Robert De Niro) is having arough time trying to get his newpicture made. Based on theautobiography of producer ArtLinson. At the Lido.

TO SEETuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS THE SCREEN 11

on tv

The Assassinationof Jesse JamesBrad Pitt plays the charismaticand unpredictable outlaw ofthe old American west – JesseJames. He’s planning his nextgreat robbery while his follow-ers plot their own moves. Alsostars Casey Affleck.HBO (TrueVisions), 8pm

Channel linkswww.NationChannel.comChannel 3 – www.ThaiTV3.comChannel 5 – www.TV5.co.thChannel 7 – www.CH7.comModernine – www.MCOT.netNBT – TV11.prd.go.thTV Thai – www.ThaiPBS.or.thTrue – www.TrueVisionsTV.com

Big StanRob Schneider plays a nerdy con man about to go to prison.Scared of being raped while in jail, he hires a martial artsguru (David Carradine) to teach him some moves. AtParagon Cineplex.

The Horsemen

Dennis Quaid stars as a detective on the trail of grisly serial

killings that are apparently rooted in biblical prophecy.

Zhang Ziyi also stars.

ApexLido: (02) 252 6498Siam: (02) 251 3508Scala: (02) 251 2861

Century – The Movie Plaza(02) 247 9940

House(02) 641 5913-4

Major Cineplex/EGVBangkok: (02) 515 5555

Major HollywoodBangkok: (02) 718 7999

Paragon CineplexBangkok: (02) 129 4635IMAX: (02) 129 4631

SF CinemasBangkok: (02) 268 8888Pattaya: (038) 361 500

VistaChiang Mai: (053) 894 415

REGION 3

on dvd

Criminal MindsSeason 3This dark crime series focuseson the FBI’s BehaviouralAnalysis Unit. New to the seriesis David Rossi (Joe Mantegna),replacing Jason Gideon (MandyPatinkin). This season has 20episodes, most of them caseswhere the victims are women.Extras include a making-of fea-turette, an introduction to thenew character and gag reels.Audio language is English withsubtitles adding Thai, Bahasa,Chinese, Malay, Spanish,Portuguese and Korean. Theprice is around Bt1,000. –DAILY XPRESS

Star TrekDirector JJ Abrams reimagines the classic sci-fi TV series, focusing on the early careers of James T Kirk(Chris Pine), Mr Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of crew of the starship Enterprise. John Cho alsostars.

12L

EIS

UR

ET

uesday, May 12, 2009 D

AILY

XP

RE

SS

Close to HomeBy John McPherson

AdamBy Bryan Basset

Calvin and HobbesBy Bill Watterson

The BucketsBy Scott Stantis

Pooch CafeBy Paul Gilligan

Red and RoverBy Brian Basset

Co

mics&

Ga

mes

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS LEISURE 13

Games&YourStars

ASTROLOGYSUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Complete the grid so that every row,column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

The last word in

By Eugenia Last

Today’s Birthday: Stop worrying, it’s holding you back.Nothing is as bad as you imagine, so move forward and seethere are plenty of possibilities. You can learn something newand incorporate that into something with the potential to makemoney. Do the work yourself and take full credit.

ARIES ***** March 21-April 19You can accomplish far more if you are a little re-served about what you are up to. It’s better to hiteveryone with a finished product. Youngsters willgive you the best feedback.

TAURUS *** April 20-May 20A change in your financial situation will take youby surprise. Don’t promise someone the impossi-ble. Get serious about the rules you set for yourselfand your family.

GEMINI *** May 21-June 20An ingenious idea you have regarding money andgetting contracts signed will make you the hero ofthe day. Your insight into what others want willhelp you land a new position.

CANCER *** June 21-July 22You’ll feel the urge to say something you will live to regret. Before you make a ghastly mistake,find out where you stand. A temptation will costyou. Now is not the time to run to someone’s aid.

LEO *** July 23-Aug. 22Rise to the occasion and you will gather newfriends along the way. Your astute observationswill enable you to choose wisely when asking forhelp or inviting someone to enjoy an event withyou.

VIRGO ***** Aug. 23-Sept. 22It’s time to put on the pressure and fulfil yourdreams. Taking part in activities that involve fami-ly, friends or children will be informative and willgive you some great ideas.

LIBRA ** Sept. 23-Oct. 22Don’t get messed up because you can’t get youremotions to cooperate. You may be at a loss if yougive in to someone’s pressure. Love issues will causepersonal and professional partnership problems.

SCORPIO **** Oct. 23-Nov. 21You can change your professional direction or addsomething to the mix you are already workingwith. Now is a great time to define who you areand what you do. You’ll get the response youneed.

SAGITTARIUS *** Nov. 22-Dec. 21You’ll be caught up in the moment and may missout on something important because your emo-tions are overworking. You could discover thatsomething or someone is missing from your life.

CAPRICORN *** Dec. 22-Jan. 19Someone may be toying with your emotions.Before you forget things you have to get done,take a second look at the situation. Focus on yourown success and sweet revenge will be yours. 3stars

AQUARIUS **** Jan. 20-Feb. 18The more involved you are, the better your life willbecome. You will come up with a spectacular ideato bring in cash. Someone who has been in yourcorner forever will be there to help you yet again.

PISCES ** Feb. 19-March 20You won’t be the only one questioning your future.Maybe it’s time for a change. Consider your optionsand what you might like to learn. It’s never too lateto change direction or to pick up new skills.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY

Composer Burt Bacharach is 81.Singer Steve Winwood is 61.Actress Lindsay Crouse is 61.Actor Gabriel Byrne is 59.Actor Ving Rhames is 50.Guitarist Billy Duffy of The Cult is 48.Actor Emilio Estevez is 47.Keyboardist Eddie Kilgallon (Ricochet) is 44.Actor Stephen Baldwin is 43.Actress Kim Fields is 40.Actor Mackenzie Astin is 36.Actor Jason Biggs is 31.Actor Malcolm David Kelley is 17.Actors Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten is 14.

Ving Rhames

Established since 1961, is currently one of the leading importers, distributors and marketers of healthcare and related products inThailand. Based in Bangkok, Pacific Healthcare has over 300 full-time employees and an annual turnover of approximately USD35 million. The company is solid and reliable, with a well-established reputation and a quality of service that is second to none. To cope withour rapid expansion and diversification, we need talented candidates who are creative, energetic, and hardworking to join out team in thefollowing positions:-

Medical Representative(Bangkok and Up-country)Key ResponsibilitiesResponsible for opening the new product entry, regular visit customers in responsiblearea, maintain and demonstrate scientific knowledge potential or existing customers. Handle sales target and promote the company’s sales growth. Qualifications:-• Bachelor’s Degree in Science or related field• At least 3 years experience in sales: hospital, clinic,

modern trade or any other related business • Positive attitude, energetic and able to work independently• Results oriented and keen to learn a new things• Good personality, communication and negotiation skills• Fair command of written and spoken English• Computer literacy • Have own transportation and driving license

Product Manager: PharmaKey Responsibilities:-Responsible for products, which requires more tactful marketing skills. Developmarketing plans and programs for the specific products, review, evaluate andadjust plans to cater for changes marketing strategy. Continuously assess anddevelop new channels to broaden the company’s market share and profit in thespecific products. Product training and coaching Med. Rep. to deliver correct messages. Collaborate with SM to drive business and broaden client base.Qualifications:-• Male or Female, age 25-35 years old (Only Thai Nationality)• Bachelor’s Degree in Science or Nurse would be preferable• Minimum 3 years experience in marketing of Pharmaceutical Products• Positive attitude, energetic, team player, service minded • Able to work independently with result-oriented• Strong leadership with interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills• Good command of English• Computer literacy• Have own transportation and driver license

We know opportunity is out there, PHC is looking for a great confident candidate who has a passion to join a winning team. We offer a competitive remuneration package forthe right candidate. If you believe you are qualified for the above positions, please send a detailed resume in English stating the position you are interested in and your currentand expected salary, together with your transcript and a recent photograph to

Pacific Healthcare (Thailand) Co., Ltd.Human Resources Department

1011 Supalai Grand Tower, Room No. 01, 29th Fl., Rama 3 Rd., Chongnonsee, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120 E-mail: recruit@phc.co.th Website: www.phc.co.thOnly successful applications will be contacted! We accept resume in MS Word only.

We are a multinational company engaged in the exploration, developmentand production of onshore oil and natural gas in Thailand. We urgentlyrequire outstanding individuals to assist in our finance and accounting team.

Upcountry AccountantThe Upcountry Accountant will report to the Foreign Field Manager,Upcountry and the Financial Controller in Bangkok. The position will bebased at the Company’s Wichian Buri Office.

Key Responsibilities:• Responsible for establishing and implementing new accounting

policies and procedures at the upcountry office.• Control petty cash at the upcountry office.• Liaise with all upcountry personnel, expatriate management,

and all other upcountry based expatriates on all accounting aspects.• Coordinate with other finance, purchasing, store and operations

personnel in Bangkok to ensure integrity of upcountry financial data and sufficient control over upcountry payments.

• Act as the focal point for all production, support operations and other upcountry cost information.

Qualifications required:1. Degree in accounting, a CPA is a plus.2. At least 2 years experience in similar positions/responsibilities.3. Background in petroleum industry is an advantage. 4. Familiar with computerized accounting systems and MS Office.5. Good interpersonal skill and good command of spoken & written English.6. Ability to work independently with minimum supervision and

against tight deadlines.

We invite qualified Thai nationals only to submit your resume in confidence,stating your present and expected salary to: hr@panorientthailand.com

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24 GAMES Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

AFP, Barcelona, Spain

Defending world championBriton Lewis Hamilton

clearly blamed his McLarenMercecdes team for his poor re-sults on Sunday, but refused toconcede his title hopes.

After finishing out of thepoints in ninth place in theSpanish Grand Prix, won bycompatriot Jenson Button forBrawn GP, the 24-year-oldEnglishman said it was “ashame” his team had not givenhim a competitive car.

Hamilton said: “It’s just that

the car is no good, no grip. I hadnothing. It’s just a shame they[the team] have not given me acar to defend my champi-onship. The car is that bad. I amdriving the socks off it andthere is just no hope.”

But he added that he was stillimpressed with the efforts ofthe team to improve the car andrefused to concede his title de-fence was over.

“I am not going even to startthinking like that,” he said.

“We’re not even halfwaythrough the season and the caris just really hardcore.

“At the moment, for sure, wedon’t have the car to win thechampionship, but the team

have done a fantastic job andevery weekend they do a fan-tastic job.

“We have great reliability andthe morale in the team is high.It’s just a shame.”

Massa: bid is overAnother disappointing race

has all but ended Ferrari’s bidfor the Formula One champi-onship, Felipe Massa said.

“I don’t think this year,”Massa replied when asked ifFerrari could fight for thechampionship over the final 12GPs. “Maybe next year, we haveso many problems to solve.After five races, Brawn’s wonfour – how can you fight?”

HAVE MERCY, MERCEDES!Hamilton blameshis machine butrefuses to give up

4-1Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler,Darren Helm and HenrikZetterberg gave theDetroit Red Wings a 4-1win over the AnaheimDucks for a 3-2 series lead.

EPA

Red Bull threatento quit Formula 1Red Bull yesterday said theycould pull out of the FormulaOne world championship at theend of the season as the revoltover a proposed budget capgrows even more militant.“If the proposed rules for 2010stay unchanged, we will not takepart in the 2010 championship,”Dietrich Mateschitz, the ownerof the drinks company whichbacks the team, said. – AFP

SAfrica ‘bluffing’ on Super 14 threatSouth Africa’s threat to quit theSuper 14 series and play innorthern hemisphere competi-tions is a bluff, Australian RugbyUnion chief executive JohnO’Neill said. The three SANZARnations – South Africa, NewZealand and Australia – aredeadlocked in their negotiationsahead of a June 30 deadline topresent a proposal to broadcast-ers for an expanded Super 15competition to start in 2011. –AFP

King ‘went too far’in nightclub fracasEngland and TottenhamHotspur star Ledley King onSunday apologised for a nightclub incident which led to himbeing questioned over an

alleged assault. In a statementon the club’s website, the 28-year-old defender said: “I sin-cerely regret that a night outwith friends went too far. As aprofessional footballer, I have aduty to behave in a responsiblemanner.” – AFP

Delhi beat Kolkataby 7 wickets in IPLAB de Villiers hit 40 not out andDavidWarneradded 36 toguide theDelhiDaredevilsto a com-fortableseven-wick-et victoryover theKolkataKnight Riders and claim top spotin the Indian Premier League.Delhi reached 125-3 to condemnKolkata to their sixth straightdefeat. Delhi were set on coursefor victory by their bowlers, wholimited Kolkata to 123-8. – AP

Porto claim 4th Portuguese titleFC Porto clinched a fourth suc-cessive Portuguese league titleon Sunday when they defeatedNacional Madere 1-0. It wasPorto’s 24th championship tri-umph. – AFP

brieflyGasquet suspended after positive testThe ITF suspended French tennis playerRichard Gasquet yesterday following his posi-tive test for cocaine, pending a hearing.The International Tennis Federation said ananti-doping tribunal should be assembledwithin 60 days to hear the case. Gasquet sayshe is gathering evidence to prove his inno-cence, despite both his “A” and “B” samplescoming back positive for cocaine. Traces ofthe drug were found in his urine sample. – APRichard Gasquet

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes and his girlfriend, singer Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls.

De Villiers

Ratchapol with the Asian titlehe won in China.

Ratchapol takes Asian titleThai veteran Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm made history in the Chinese cityof Tangshan on Sunday by becoming the first player to win the AsianChampionship three times.

Ratchapol, known internationally as James Wattana, played like amaestro to beat the hosts’ 27-year-old Mei Xiwen 7-3 in the title show-down. Ratchapol’s previous wins in the Asian Championship had comein the years 1986 and 1988, both in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

The illustrious Thai, who has three world professional ranking tourna-ment titles under his belt, was handed a shocker in his very first matchof the tournament by little-known Chinese Shi Yanqing, who won theclash 4-0. He then recovered and improved to move into the final, hisfourth at the Asian Championships in as many appearances.

THE SPORT

AFP, London

Chelsea manager GuusHiddink delivered a damn-

ing verdict on the gap betweenArsenal and the rest of the “big-four” after his side handed theGunners their heaviest homeleague defeat for 32 years.

Hiddink believes Chelsea’simpressive response to theagony of their ChampionsLeague defeat against Barcelonawas in stark contrast toArsenal’s faltering effort follow-ing their European exit toManchester United.

The Dutch coach is not thekind of man to gloat unneces-sarily and his words carried nohint of glee but his message fol-lowing Sunday’s 4-1 rout mustbe worrying for Arsenal bossArsene Wenger.

Just five days after Arsenalwere brushed aside with con-temptuous ease by United, itwas Chelsea’s turn to empha-sise just how far the northLondon team have fallen behindtheir rivals at the top of thePremier League.

Alex opened the scoring witha header from Didier Drogba’sfree-kick, then former Arsenalstriker Nicolas Anelka lashedhome a stunning second.

Kolo Toure’s own goal put theresult beyond doubt and, al-though Nicklas Bendtner gotone back, Florent Malouda con-firmed Chelsea’s biggest win atArsenal since 1960 and theGunners’ biggest home leaguedefeat since Ipswich won 4-1 atHighbury in 1977.

Hiddink made it clear

Chelsea’s battle-hardened play-ers have much more characterthan the Arsenal’s fragile youngtalents, who are now 15 pointsbehind leaders United.

“I think it [the score] is agood reflection on the gap be-tween the teams. We are a teamthat likes to react. We have hadsome set-backs but we are realmen who like a challenge,” hesaid.

“When you have big playersyou must discover if they wantto work for each other.Everyone has ego but it is im-portant that they help each oth-er with the dirty work no matterthe name of the player.”

Although Chelsea’s Europeanchallenge ended in disappoint-ment, Hiddink can still takepride in his efforts when he re-

turns to manage Russia on apermanent basis in June.

The Blues are now guaran-teed a top-three finish in thePremier League and havesealed their place in theChampions League groupstages next season – an achieve-ment which was far from cer-tain when Hiddink replacedLuiz Felipe Scolari in February.

“It gives me great satisfactionconsidering where we were inFebruary,” he said.

Hiddink was also pleasedwith Drogba’s performance.“We do not live with headlines,whether they are right or not,that is not the big issue. Drogbahas always fought for the team.”

While Chelsea are back onthe up, Arsenal face an uncer-tain future.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS THE SPORT 25

FOOTBALL

GUNNERS POUNDEDChelsea’s Hiddinkgives Arsenalanother kicking

I THINK THE SCORE ISA REFLECTION OF THEGAP BETWEEN THETEAMS ... WE AREREAL MEN WHO LIKEA CHALLENGE.Guus Hiddink

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, centre, looks on as Arsenal’s Kolo Toure scores an own goal in Chelsea’s 4-1 win.,,

Under fire, Wenger backs young guns

Fergie staysmum overTevez futureManchester United man-ager Alex Fergusonrefused to discuss thefuture of Carlos Tevezafter the Argentina strikerscored to leave his clubon the brink of the title.

Tevez has grownincreasingly frustrated atfailing to secure a regularstarting place inFerguson’s plans and hasindicated he could leaveOld Trafford.

The South Americancelebrated his goal in the2-0 derby win overManchester City by run-ning to the main stand,close to where Fergusonwas seated, and cuppinghis ears as the crowdchanted: “Fergie, Fergiesign him up.”

Yet the United man-ager refused to go intodetail about the future ofthe player, who has nowscored 14 times this sea-son. He insisted he hadno problem with the wayTevez celebrated butwhen asked when therewould be clarificationabout Tevez’s future,Ferguson snapped: “I’mnot going into that at all.”

Later he added:“Nothing has changed.He’s a Manchester Unitedplayer. The fans love himbecause they love triers.

“When players trythen fans will alwaystake to that. As long ashe keeps scoring, I’ll haveno problems with that.”

Also Ferguson refusedto criticise CristianoRonaldo for his publicdisplay of petulance.

“You know what he’slike – he wanted to stayon,” added Ferguson.

AP, London

Arsenal manager ArseneWenger defiantly defended

the potential of his young teamafter two crushing home de-feats, and expressed indiffer-ence to fans’ mounting frustra-tions.

Wenger is the club’s mostsuccessful manager and has en-joyed an overwhelming periodof support from fans, even dur-ing the past four years whenArsenal haven’t won a trophy.

But the tension has beenmounting over the course of theseason and was compounded byheavy home losses toManchester United andChelsea this past week.

Arsenal supporters streamedout of Emirates Stadium in thethousands with 30 minutes leftto play in the ChampionsLeague semi-final second legTuesday after ManchesterUnited went ahead 3-0 andeventually knocked the

Gunners out of the tournament4-1 on aggregate.

The fans again had seenenough on Sunday during the 4-1 league defeat to Chelsea, withthousands of empty seats wellbefore the final whistle andwidespread booing.

Wenger’s response was curtand dismissive when asked af-ter Sunday’s loss what his mes-sage was to the fans, when itwas suggested that their massexodus Wednesday and Sunday

meant they were hurting.“Everybody is free to leave thestadium when he wants,” hesaid.

Wenger said he didn’t thinkArsenal “had a bad perform-ance” and that it shouldn’t havebeen a 4-1 game because of thenumber of chances Arsenal cre-ated – an opinion not shared bymany fans and observers whowitnessed shocking defensiveerrors and a continual succes-sion of mis-hit shots.

AP

AP

Chelsea’s Florent Malouda celebrates scoring.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS THE SPORT 27

Kerr wings tovictory witha birdieCristie Kerr emerged from afour-way tie for the lead witha tap-in birdie on the par-515th hole and held on to winher second Michelob UltraOpen.

Kerr, who also won in2005, went from one shotbehind to the lead when KimSong-hee of South Koreamade a double bogey on thepar-4 16th and Kerr made herbirdie moments later a holebehind.

The putt gave her a 16-under total, and when otherchallengers Kim In-kyung andthird-round co-leader LindseyWright also made bogeys,Kerr led by two shots withtwo holes left. Kerr finished at16-under 268 for her 12thcareer victory. – A P

DPA, Los Angeles

Playing without injuredChinese superstar Yao

Ming, the Houston Rocketsweren’t given much of a chanceto beat the mighty Los AngelesLakers, but they never receivedthe message.

Aaron Brooks poured in a ca-reer-play-off-high 34 points,Shane Battier added 23 withfive three-pointers and theRockets blasted the Lakers 99-87 on Sunday to level theirWestern Conference semi-finalplay-off series at two gamesapiece.

“I think everyone but us gotthe memo that we weren’t sup-posed to show up today,”Battier said. “But we’re a re-silient group. We’ve never quit,

we’ve never stopped believingand we put together a prettygood game.”

The Rockets received a hugeblow on Saturday after learningYao would miss the play-offsbecause of a hairline fracture tohis left foot suffered in GameThree on Friday night.

Despite losing their 7-foot-6All-Star centre, the underdogRockets played with passion,pride and purpose to dominatethe Lakers in the wire-to-wirewin in front of 18,313 deliriousfans at the sold out ToyotaCentre. “I can’t say enoughabout our guys,” Rockets coachRick Adelman said. “With thenews we heard yesterday aboutYao, and coming out to play theway they did in the first three

quarters was incredible. “Tonight, just shows they

came out to win the game. Now,its 2-2, and a three-game series”

Swing Game Five of the best-of-seven series is Tuesdaynight in Los Angeles before re-turning to Houston onThursday for Game Six. KyleLowry scored 12, ArgentineLuis Scola contributed 11 with14 rebounds for the Rockets,who led by 29 after three quar-ters.

“I knew we could win, but Iknew we would have to playthe way we did,” Scola said. “Ilike my team. I like Yao a lot,too, but we have pretty goodplayers.”

Elsewhere it was BostonCeltics 95, Orlando Magic 94.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis hit thebig-time shot that saved theCeltics from the brink of elimi-nation.

Davis drilled a 21-foot buzzerbeater to give the Celtics a dra-matic road victory over theMagic and square their EasternConference semi-final play-offseries at two games apiece.

After trailing most of the sec-ond half, Orlando took a short-lived lead on two free throwsby Rashard Lewis with 11.3 sec-onds left. On the final play ofthe game, the Celtics wanted togo to Ray Allen or Paul Pierce.But with both bottled up,Pierce, sent a pass over to Davison the left wing for the game-winner to silence the AmwayArena crowd.

NBA PLAY-OFFS

HOUSTONHAVE NOPROBLEMYao-less Rockets blast Los AngelesLakers, Davis’ buzzer-beater lifts NBAchampions Boston Celtics over resolute Orlando Magic

I KNEW WE COULDWIN, BUT I KNEW WEWOULD HAVE TO PLAYTHE WAY WE DID. ILIKE MY TEAM. I LIKEYAO BUT WE HAVEGOOD PLAYERS.Luis Scola

The Rockets’ Aaron Brooks, centre, drives through Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher of the Lakers.

Stenson shoots 66 to blow away the fieldA P , Florida

Henrik Stenson has wonThe Players

Championship with a flawlessfinal round on the treacherousTPC Sawgrass, playing with-out a bogey for a 6-under 66and a four-shot victory.

The 33-year-old Swedestarted the day five shots be-hind Alex Cejka, in a six-waytie for second that includedTiger Woods.

But as Cejka collapsed witha 42 on the front nine, Stensonsurged ahead and never let offuntil he tapped in for par forhis second PGA Tour victory,and the biggest win of his ca-reer.

Stenson, , who won for the10th time in his career world-wide, finished at 12-under 276to finish four shots clear of

Ryder Cup team-mate IanPoulter. He earned $1.71 mil-lion and moves to No 5 in theworld.

Woods played in the finalgroup and was never a factor.

He was part of the six-waytie that included Stenson, andeven as Cejka faltered to a 42on the front nine, Woodscouldn’t take advantage. Hefinished with a 1-over 73 to

finish alone in eighth. It washis first top 10 at The PlayersChampionship since he wonin 2001.

Stenson, a Swede whoshows little emotion evenwhen playing in his skivvies,never gave anyone muchhope.

Stenson, playing in thethird-to-last group, matchedthe lowest round of the day,nearly 7.5 strokes better thanthe field average.

He missed only one fairway. The only times he came re-

motely close to a bogey, heholed par putts of 8 feet on thefront nine.

The way Stenson was play-ing, it didn’t matter what any-one was doing. “I could affordto go bogey-bogey and stillwin it,” Stenson said.

Henrik Stenson with the trophy as previous champion Sergio Garcialooks on.

,, EPA

AFP

FOOTBALL

Wenger defiant asGunners blastedArsenal manager Arsene Wenger defiantlydefended the potential of his young teamafter two crushing home defeats, andexpressed indifference to fans’ mountingfrustrations. Until recently Wenger enjoyedoverwhelming support from Arsenal fans,despite having not added to the Gunners’trophy cabinet in the past four years.

MURRAY MOVES UPAndy Murray is proud of his new world No 3 ranking – but the 21-year-old isn’t satisfied with a British best and is hoping for more to come.THE SPORT

>PAGE 24

Swede Henrik Stenson used precision offthe tee to set up a commanding four-strokevictory at the world’s richest tournament,the Players Championship. Stenson, whostarted the day five strokes behind, parredthe first six holes before storming homewith six birdies to card a bogey-free six-under-par 66. >PAGE 27

28 BANGKOK Tuesday, May 12, 2009 DAILY XPRESS

Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final hero Andres Iniesta says he stillhopes to play in the final againstManchester United on May 27 despitesuffering a thigh injury at the week-end.

“I will be in Rome. It’s a small tear.It’s not so serious, I suppose it’s causedby stress linked to the end of the sea-son,” the Spanish international mid-fielder said on Monday after leaving aBarcelona hospital where he under-went tests on his leg.

“The desire I have to play in thefinal of the Champions League willhelp me a lot in recovering quickly.”

The club said “doctors are workingto ensure that he can be in the final inRome”.

Iniesta’s injury-time strike againstChelsea in London last week tookBarcelona through to the final on theaway goals rule.

The injury to his right thigh, sus-tained in a 3-3 league draw againstVillarreal on Sunday, has ruled him outof the final of the Spanish Cup tomor-row against Athletic Bilbao.

Another key player for Barca,French striker Thierry Henry, has alsobeen ruled out of the Spanish Cupfinal through injury, but could alsorecover in time to face ManchesterUnited in Rome.

Meanwhile, Barcelona must waitanother week to clinch the Spanishtitle after Jose Llorente scored a dra-matic 90th-minute equaliser asVillarreal gatecrashed the party with a3-3 draw at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Barcelona were on course to wintheir 19th title in front of their fanswhen they held a 3-1 lead, butVillarreal scored twice in the final 12minutes to put the celebrations onhold.

“It is a real shame we couldn’t cele-brate the title with all the people whocame to the stadium today,” admittedBarca coach Pep Guardiola. – A F P

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniestatunes up his hamstrings ahead ofthe Spanish League match againstVillarreal.

READYFOR ROME

GOLF

Storming Swedetakes honours