Following the overwhelming success of the opening of its very first store in Malaysia, Japan’s No.1 fashion brand and worldwide leader in casual wear was set to open its second store in the country during the second quarter of 2011 at the most iconic landmark in the city center, Suria KLCC.

Uniqlo will be in a prominent location on the Ground Floor of KLCC and the one-storey, standard-format store will occupy 7,862 sq ft and offer shoppers and fans of the brand, over 300 items of stylish, high quality and affordable clothing.  Fans would also be pleased to know that the KLCC store would be the very first in the world to carry out a new concept which incorporates visual monitors at the entrance of the store displaying the latest Uniqlo commercials and quirky digital content such as the UNIQLOCK* and UNIQLO Calendar which are synonymous to the fun nature of Uniqlo.

“Having just launched South East Asia’s largest Uniqlo store in November 2010 at Fahrenheit 88 to a crowd of 2500 people who queued for our opening, we are very pleased and excited to bring Uniqlo to such a strategic location and internationally recognised iconic structure,” commented Mr. Satoshi Onoguchi, Managing Director of Uniqlo (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and Uniqlo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

“With over 970 stores worldwide and our goal to open five stores in Malaysia by end 2012, we believe the KLCC store will further demonstrate to our fans, our commitment to the country and to them, to continue bringing the latest in Japanese clothing technology and styles to Malaysia,” added Mr. Onoguchi.

Also, check out Uniqlo’s latest +J Spring/Summer 2011 Collection here.

Source: Clive World

Behind The Scenes

by Josiah Ng

With my in-laws outside Suria KLCC.

The green room.

Smile!

The models.

FI driver Alex Yoong, Miss Malaysia World / Universe Deborah Henry and myself.

Dennis Lau.

Daren Lee and Ken Yeoh who helped to make it possible.

Malaysia’s first Astronaut, Datuk Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.

Malaysia’s international supermodel Angie Ng. No we’re not related, well not that I know of anyway.

Violinist-Dennis Lau, MTV VJ-Greg Uttsada Panichkul and I

Ken, Ella and Jaclyn.

My runway partner, Yasmin Hani! She’s a lovely gal, full of life and fun!

The UniQlo setup.

VJ Utt.

I was really enjoying it on stage.

Mr. Satoshi Onoguchi, Managing Director of Uniqlo (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and Uniqlo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

My supporter, my mother in-law.

With Eleen, thank you for your support.

Faradino Omar, TV personality / buddy.

With Joyce The Fairy, Fashion Blogger.

Petronas KLCC Twin Towers.

Check out some videos here:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y8Gjis2v8sM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

This is my first attempt at runway modelling. Fun fun fun!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/8hE5MZc3YkY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Walking out with Yasmin Hani, actress.

I felt honoured to be a part of this. It was really fun. Quite different to cycling for sure.

Thank you God. Thank you Malaysia.

Josiah has done consistently throughout the years, but the nature of the sport is that sometimes it’s a good day and at times, not so good. Errors on track can be made and all track cyclists have had their fair share of experience in that department if not injure themselves through crashes.

Today, I felt very strongly about Josiah’s win. I kept chanting JOSIAH WILL WIN and he really did win eventually. I prayed really hard and focused all my energy positively into him winning. I had a really good feeling about this which was indescribable and so did my boss. We knew it. We just really, really knew he would win a medal. A silver would have been good, but a gold is great!

Here’s an excerpt from The Star by Lim Teik Huat:

NEW DELHI (AP): Malaysia’s Josiah Ng broke Australia’s grip on the cycling gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, winning a dramatic keirin final Wednesday that actually cost his country a medal.

Australia won the first three golds on day two of the competition, lifting the tally at the track to six, before Ng’s controversial win.

Another Malaysian, Azizul Hasni Awang, crossed the line first but was later relegated to last place for aggressive racing.

Ng was promoted from second-place. The silver went to England’s David Daniell and bronze to New Zealand’s Simon van Velthooven.

“Finally I can sing the Negaraku,” the 30-year-old Ng said, referring to the Malaysian national anthem. “It was the craziest roller coaster ride in the final turn.”

Source: The Star Online

The following photos are taken by Mark Kolbe of Getty Images AsiaPac.

(Front to back) Jason Niblett of Australia, Josiah Ng from Malaysia, Barry Ricardo Forde of Barbados, Bernard Pierre Esterhuizen of South Africa and Jamaal Haseem Mc Lean of Trinidad & Tobago compete in the Men’s Keirin qualifier during the Track Cycling event at the IG Sports Complex during day three of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games on on October 6, 2010 in Delhi, India.

(L-R) David Daniell of England (silver), Josiah Ng of Malaysia (gold) and Simon van Velthooven of New Zealand (bronze) receive their medals for the Men’s Keirin at the medal ceremony for the Track Cycling event at the IG Sports Complex during day three of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games on on October 6, 2010 in Delhi, India.

Oh man, now I have to give this a wash, not able to wear the scarf right away!

Josiah won gold medal. Really amazing. How did he do it? How did we do it?

Above: Two hours before Josiah left for India.

He was totally in the right frame of mind. We have been going about our lives as we should like cooking healthily and indulging moderately in sweets. Oh yes, I cooked him a few Indian curry meals as well to prepare his tummy for Delhi belly.

Josiah wasn’t stressed about what was going to happen in India. He just wanted to go there; race to get a medal, win and return to Melbourne. He was ready. He was consistent during track trainings. John Beasley’s coaching and the Malaysian team (psychologist, therapist, sports massage therapist etc.), Datuk Naim, team-mates and group really helped as well.

The night he left for India, he picked me up at 5.30pm at work in his scooter. We quickly went to Shinssi Hwaro Korean Restaurant at Little Londsdale St (photo above) to have a quick one-hour dinner before he fetched me home. When we went home, the house was spotlessly-clean. He had vacuumed, done the dishes, cleaned the bathroom and done the laundry as well. He was really meticulous and all he needed to do then was to zip his bag and he was ready to leave for India. Oh, and changed into his yellow uniform too, then. How absolutely calm! There was this positive vibe!

Alright, I am absolutely overwhelmed about his gold medal, I am going to try to sleep. I am really elated, and I am sure everyone else is too. Thank you all for your support in the different ways you’ve contributed; through comments, feedbacks, messages and etc. Without you, we would not have made it.

Let us not let this get into our heads too much because this is just the beginning to a whole series of awesome-ness we have to be humble for. There is the Asian Games next month, World Cup in December and major races beginning of next year besides the ultimate goal; London Olympics 2012.

May I invite you to get your hands on these awesome gloves, Josiah Ng’s brand 5bling.

For more PR enquiries, kindly e-mail Josiah Ng’s PR Manager.

This has to be my ultimate birthday present ever! I’ll be wearing the gold medal around town this weekend!

Josiah posted these photos up recently so I’d like to share them here. I guess the media probably over-reacted about the inadequacy in India. It looks pretty decent actually. It’s pretty dusty, not all classy and 5-star, but it’s sufficient. I think it’s pretty good in fact. I’m glad Josiah shared these photos so we know what it’s really like. Check them out.

Credit for the photos below belong to Josiah Ng.

At the airport.

Airport deco.

Josiah’s accreditation.

The Malaysian team checking in.

Josiah in his uniform, thumbs up.

Security guys everywhere.

His weapons look pretty heavy!

They look quite photo-ready in their uniforms.

Josiah seeking protection.

This is the view out of the window. Looks quite dusty.

John Beasley, Josiah’s Australian coach for Malaysian team looks so happy here being checked. Hahaha!

Are those sheets souvenir for me? Fits my Malaysian room. (*hints*).

Not bad right? Pretty adequate!

The food den.

Different cuisine available for all Commonwealth Games athletes.

Not bad honestly. Let’s all pray for Josiah and team to win! We have to send positive vibes to India, alright! Stop your negativity!

Written by Kim Ong, wife of Josiah. (Josiah is busy cycling!)

Remember my blog entry last year entitled Josiah: Keirin Series?

“Keirin” is a track cycling event originated in Japan, where cyclists sprint for victory. There will be a motorbike pacing the riders for about five laps before they sprint in the final round. During the 5-lap pacing, they will position themselves and identify their tactics. There are rules and regulations to adhere to. The event was founded in 1948 and became an Olympic sport in 2000. It remains as a betting sport in Japan (just like horse-racing)!

Josiah is one of the many international riders (he’s the only Asian invited) to join the rest of the keirin locals in Japan,  based in Shizuoka. He is riding in his second-year contract. This year, he races (raced – past tense) for 4 months in total from early April till end July. Last year, he raced for five months and went back to Malaysia for a few days in between to get married to me and returned the day after we got married while I moved to Australia on my own. He will be returning in five days time, I’m beyond excited!

I thought it would be great to share his photos and story with you all and since Josiah doesn’t have the avenue to blog, as his Public Relations Manager, I’ll try my very best to relate to you his story. I really think it’s worth sharing. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Left-Right: Michael D’Almeida (FRA), Andrii Vynokurov (UKR), , Francois Pervis (FRA), Teun Mulder (NED),  Shane Alan Perkins (AUS), Josiah Ng (MAS), Jason Niblett (AUS), Simon Van Velthooven (NZ) and missing from photo are Matthew Crampton (GB) and Ross Edgar (GB).

The official launch of the programme 2010.

Putting their bikes together.

Getting their first medical check-up done.

Their home for the first week before they checked into Shizuoka. All the guys live under one roof.

Being briefed for the first time. Translator Maeda San relates back.

The riders’ hectic schedule. It’s like a real bootcamp. Not a leisure one!

This is how their bikes travel by air.

Everyone has their own locker.

You really can’t blame me for wanting a superhero husband!

Teletubby, ooo yeah!

The guys training.

Or, the bunch of homies dress up and take macho photos, chillin’ away.

Gorgeous and romantic. I hope when Josiah took this photo, he was thinking about me?

And wished we could experience Sakura together?

Because they were absolutely gorgeous.

This is the Keirin school gym building.

The workings of a keirin ergo machine.

Who wants an ergo session?

Seriously, I don’t know what my man was thinking when he took this photo, HAHAHAHAAHHAHA!

This is apparently called the PAIN MACHINE.

You see, Keirin is a popular sport in Japan, people enroll to study for it. Imagine dancers enrolling in dance schools for a dance career. Same thing.

Cyclists are smart people. They know their physics well. It’s all about velocity, momentum, bla bla… (insert scientific jargon here)

Keirin school garage. Look at the number of bikes! Wow.

They have their very own cafeteria. You can only imagine looking at them like school students or jailbirds. How?

This is the very famous Nagasawa Senior (left) and Junior (right).

Opposition team for the day. Japanese keirin riders. Wow, they all have their hair dyed!

Together, they view their own performance for the day and were being told what they did wrong and how they could improve.

After about a week or so, the guys went for their first keirin race at Nara. They will race all around Japan. Almost every city has their own velodrome. This is the first train they take to the main station where we connect with the super fast Shinkansen. It’s a small, old and slow train.

They have to dress smart in suits and this is how they look at 6am. Poor guys.

This is the Nara Mascot. Nara is celebrating it’s 1300 year old birthday. It used to be the capitol of Japan.

This is where they will be staying on the left, dormitory. The velodrome is on the right.

Hihara san from Japan Keirin Association. He accompanies the foreign riders to make sure everything goes smoothly. A true good guy who has a passion for cycling and keirin.

Josiah’s old friend, Akihiro Izesaki. He did his first international race back in 2000 (Asian Championships) which he won and Josiah got 5th. He’s now a multi millionaire and owns a Ferrari, and 4 Mercedes Benzs! What a baller!

Josiah’s being interviewed by the press. They ask his condition, how he likes being in Japan for the 4th time and plans for the race the next day. He is obligated to tell them his tactics. So funny how in Japan, anyone who has the slightest flu wears a mask.

Josiah’s waiting in line to have his bike inspected. They are particular about every single bike part. Very strict sport!

Getting his bike inspected. Like some kind of CSI of some sort!

Physical check-up on the race day itself, part of Zenken.

I know, at some point I have to let someone else touch Josiah’s chest – it can only be the doctor!

TV interview yet again!

Here’s where all the bikes are stored.

Josiah’s bike is awesome! By Nagasawa. *muahhhhh!* Work of art!

During the 3-day races, Josiah and his members are locked up in this room with only this view. No telecommunication devices are allowed during this whole time just in case anyone rigs the competition as Keirin is a betting sport. This means, I don’t get to talk to him for 4 days every fortnight. This is when I can almost go crazy! Not hearing his voice? You kidding me?

At the roller room before the actual race.

1st waiting room before the race.

Bikes of the riders in the next race. Wow, how pretty!

This is the second waiting room transferred from the first room.

This is 5 minutes before the race!

Shane Perkins in his 5bling gloves.

I’m telling ya, these gloves look great! They come in black too *winks*.

If you’re wondering why this number 1 dude look so bulky, those are the protection pads on his body because keirin is quite a rough sport, quite abit different in its rules as compared to World-level or Olympic-level Keirin.

These guys look like cannibals, seriously. Like in prison, and they start to go crazy and all! Lol!

Finally, the guys get released from the tracks.

When the guys are not racing, they do hang out in Tokyo a little (perhaps do some shopping for their wives AHEM and their girlfriends).

Josiah visits some of his friends in Tokyo. This is Yuki’s family.

Or they would hang out at a local bike shop.

And even check out other funky bikes!

Or go for outdoor festivals.

Josiah’s making his favourite, Mochi!

And he had to pay for the Mochi he made too!

How awesome. So much to shop! (FOR ME!???)

Or even take random photos of guys not wearing pants? (oh my goodness!)

Japan is so colourful! Wish I could go there again! But it’s not like he could hang out everyday like this you see. Most of the time he’s with the guys and I can’t invade their privacy by staying over with the rest of the boys or anything.

Nice bike huh?

Mmmm.. yummy! Oh wait. The shape is a little distracting.

Baja Hitam? Power Rangers? I don’t know. Hillarious!

So many people!

Some fashion.

Or, when they want to get out of cycling, they go for golf instead! Bizarre.

This is my Josiah, tiger in the woods!

With Keirin school teacher and friend, Tsuji Sensei.

My hungry vulture.

With Tomity and Kalavinka.

This is an interesting one!

This ends my report on Josiah’s race in 2010. Thank you for reading.

Four months is almost over and he is going to return into my arms in 5 more days. I’m more than happy!

It is a real dream to be on the front cover of a magazine. It is definitely a double-bonus (triple, quadruple and multiply it in manifold, if you must) if the magazine is world-renowned for its high fashion and endless tips and stylish must-have’s or must-be’s. In fact, the smell of the glossy texture of the magazine almost gives one a sense of high feeling if not for the smooth texture of things on the page looking so beautiful. All things made perfect in the magazine put together by the hardworking ACP team have a story to tell. Moreover, behind the story, is yet another story to tell.

In this space I will share with you what went through “behind the scenes” of Josiah’s covershoot with Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia April 2010 issue in January early this year.

It was a week into my trip in Malaysia early this year and I received an e-mail from Sunitha Thayaparan, the Deputy Editor of Harper’s Bazaar about wanting to feature Josiah as the coverboy of the men’s issue (back portion of the monthly ladies’ Harper’s Bazaar, called “Bazaar Man”.

Together, both easy-going, go-getter and peace-maker Librans Sunitha and I put together our resources to make it possible for a photoshoot in less than 24 hours. It was not just about getting Josiah to the photoshoot because in actual fact, he was supposed to go to Terengganu the day after I was notified, for some kind of official launch of some cycling event. Thankfully it was cancelled and Josiah could make it in time. I also rushed then to get information about Josiah over to Sunitha, being the PR manager for my husband now for three years and also rushed to get him measured.

I measured around Josiah’s right thigh. I was stunned to find that Josiah’s one thigh measures 26 inches, that means an inch bigger than my waist! Oh golly. Yes, that was possibly the most important part about preparation besides getting Josiah’s bicycle into the studio because the clothes were getting shipped in from Hong Kong and no way Josiah cannot fit into a single pair of pants. Well for brands like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, their stretchable top quality and with Andrea Wong’s efficiency in handling Josiah’s style for the day did make Josiah feel like a superstar. Jason Lim helped with the wardrobe and Aaron Lee had an eye to capture the suave and sexy side of Josiah after his past covershoots were all smiley-faced in Men’s Health and Ezyhealth & Beauty. On this day, Josiah was two tones darker than he already was with Cindy Hor’s superb air-brushing make-up technique.

Above: Cindy Hor styling Josiah’s hair while Josiah was being interviewed by Sunitha spontaneously.

Above: Jason Lim, the styling assistant checking on the steam iron.

Above: Cindy Hor working on Josiah’s facial (battle) scars.

Above: Ahh, the wonders of today’s technology. If you have not seen a make-up airbrush before, here it is.

Above: Josiah’s Look bike, equivalent to a Ferrari car in the cycling world.

Above: Josiah’s working his magic onscreen in his full Prada outfit.

Above: Josiah in Gucci outfit.

Above: Josiah and .

Above: This is Josiah’s real bling from Louis Vuitton (wedding ring is model’s own).

Above: Trying out Josiah’s photo for the front cover.

Above: The little excerpt written by Natasha Kraal, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar.

Here’s a jist of it:

He’s the superhero; the multimilionaire; the man in the headlines (for better or bad)l has the brain to match the brawn, and the sensitive soul borne of field vulnerability. Forget those suits, sports make better men. (Kim: Oh yes indeed, Natasha! *grins*)

After the bestselling October ‘09 issue that had Khairy Jamaluddin on the Man cover, we needed an equal but different match – and somehow Josiah Ng sprung from my lips, two random words that had the team intrigued. Olympian, Malaysian raised in America, married a model, rides a Vespa, loves his labels – now how BAZAAR is that? But more than face value, Ng represents the new breed of Malaysian sportsmen that are daring to turn their passion into profession, without the fanfare or sense of entitlement. Like Ng, they prove themselves first in the international arena, against the big boys, without any expectation of hero worship back home. Tough if we do.

…etc.

Natasha Kraal

Above: Page 26 & 27.

Above: Page 27 & 28.

And now, thanks to the team at ACP Harper’s Bazaar Man Malaysia, we present to you our April 2010 Bazaar Man, Josiah Ng Onn Lam. How awesome, Josiah gets to grace the cover of Harper’s Bazaar! Jealous, yes I am!

The article unveils the real Josiah off and on track and a little more about his taste in fashion too. The way Sunitha relates it, is just meticulous – we know Josiah better now! Read it and you’ll see what I mean. And this is the difference made in a high-fashion magazine, they do live up to their standards. Hello, it’s Harper’s Bazaar!

Click on the following PDF files to read Josiah’s article page by page:

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 – Page 26

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 – Page 27

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 - Page 28

Josiah Ng: Harper’s Bazaar Man April 2010 – Page 29

Yes, we have a new baby! Now we’re ready to announce our humble online business. We’ll start really small, simple and eventually grow it. It’s an online business, a brand by Josiah Ng featuring new gloves to start and we will eventually branch out into the creation of other cycling gear.

Josiah came up with the designs of the gloves as he respected the needs of cyclists; road and track alike to cater for different weather for people from all around the world.

He identified that Keirinjo (it means “cycling track” in Japan, not really Keirin Josiah, lolz!) is suitable for those in the Keirin event because of the nature of the sport, where cyclists are slightly more prone to crash. These gloves would protect hands with the carbon fibre bit on the knuckles.

Streamline are both lighter in weight but also provide grip for cyclists. If you’re thinking of losing those callouses off your hands, this is the time to consider those gloves.

We ship locally (Australia) and internationally. For the pricing of the gloves and full details on how you can purchase them, click on the logo image below:

5bling.com is a collaborative husband and wife effort by Mr. & Mrs. Josiah Ng. Josiah does the sourcing, sales and promotion, I do the groundwork of public relations, putting the site together, administrative, marketing and getting the orders out. It’s fun and exciting. Something we start together and we’ll let our business ideas flow, who knows if it might develop into something bigger. For now, we want everyone to have fun. Enjoy wearing the gloves, start cycling or maybe buy it for a friend of yours who cycles. Prices are affordable.

Why 5bling? Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote on the website:

Maybe 5 is a lucky number for Josiah, not just because his surname is “5″ in Cantonese – Ng, but because 5 means alot to us; 5 fingers on each hand, 5 toes on each foot, 5-spoked wheels, anything else 5 – you name it. Bling, there is a star in every one of us.

Follow Josiah Ng on twitter @5bling by clicking on this button below.

Thank you readers for supporting us.

Above: Australian Olympic and World Champion track cyclist Anna Meares showing us how she blings it at the recent Revolution 6 at Joe Ciavola Velodrome, Darebin International Centre.

Above: Junior stars part of the National Talent Identification Program (NTID) that is responsible for the development and implementation of talent identification and development initiatives in a number of sports, including cycling.

The Star newspapers forgot to credit Arthur Chen, photographer, make-up by Taisu and wardrobe by Melvin Lam. They also chopped me out of the photo, boohoo. They should have also asked me for a hi-res one. 

Josiah turned 30 on Feb 2 and his unflagging commitment to national duties has been rewarded with a spot in the Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) pro trade team. 

Josiah is among seven elite squad riders who will be fielded by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) for the 2010-2011 World Cup series. The others are Azizul Hasni Awang, Rizal Tisin, Junaidi Nasir, Mohd Edrus Yunos and Hafiz Sufian with Fatehah Mustapa as the sole Malaysian women’s rider. 

It will be the country’s first pro trade team to be registered with the International Cycling Union (UCI), thanks to a recent RM2mil injection in funds from YSD. 

And Josiah sees it as a boost to the efforts to further raise the profile of Malaysian cycling as the presence of a pro trade team will open up opportunities to compete at the world level. 

Pro trade teams are separate from national sides. The top cycling countries, among them France, Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan and even China, have their trade teams in the World Cup series. 

“I can hardly believe that I have done 10 years of cycling for Malaysia,” said Josiah. 

“A lot has changed in track cycling. Where it was myself chasing the honours previously, we now have a group of cyclists training together. 

“It’s fun and I’m more motivated than ever. Everyone is training hard and the competition is pushing us to improve ourselves. It’s going to be a big year for us as we are aiming to do well at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.” 

Josiah is a two-time silver medallist in the Asian Games – in 2002 (Busan) and 2006 (Doha). 

Josiah, who got married last year, has no plans to return home for the Chinese New Year with his in-laws due to his commitment to training. 

“The world championships are coming up next month and training has already started,” said Josiah, who together with Azizul will be the only Malaysian representatives in the meet in Copenhagen from March 24-28. 

Both will compete in the keirin and 200m sprint events. 

Josiah did well to bag a keirin bronze medal behind Azizul in the World Cup leg in Melbourne last November. He also made the keirin final, which was eventually won by Azizul. 

And it is not beyond him to pull off a surprise in Copenhagen. 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/2/11/sports/5655120&sec=sports

So much has happened since my last blog entry and this is officially my first entry of the year. Was in Beijing last month, it was a pretty good race. Went back to Malaysia briefly, caught up with family, friends and the media.

Caught up with Astro Awani, a Malaysian TV channel and we recorded at the rock-climbing centre at One Utama.

Date: 9 February 2010 Tuesday
Time: 1130.pm
Channel: Channel 501 Astro Awani

Interviewed by Dino Omar.

He greeted me with a bunch of flowers at my workplace tonight just half an hour ago, 11pm after winning the keirin at the Cyclingsport Victoria – Victorian Senior / Elite Track Championships 2009 at the Darbin International Sports Centre earlier just now. I didn’t go support him for this one.

He has a few more events to last till Sunday. *fingers crossed*

Go for gold! Oh yeahhhhhhhh, oh yeahhhhh~