An Inspirational Movie! Invictus

Here is the trailer for Invictus the movie starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman which tells the story of South Africa during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. We all know they won it, but it shows the background to it and should be an interesting watch when it eventually comes out. I wonder how the All Blacks are portrayed? If Suzie is mentioned? If some of the Springboks are correctly portrayed as absolute hot heads (James Small especially)?

Sports Camp

Where do you think the ball is in that volleyball photo?
Thanks to Samantha and Penny for the photos!

We came, we saw, we got third.

Riverbend Sports Camp is over and we ended up finishing a creditable third place which was encouraging. There were seven teams competing and plenty of them were regulars while only a few of us had attended before. The other teams had plenty of chants and even uniforms for the weekend, but we didn't.

The standard of some sports was higher than El Rancho, while the refereeing and general vibe of sportsmanship was far greater. We won kayaking, cycling, women's basketball and soccer in a penalty shootout (this was a highlight as I was our goalie). We also made finals but lost in men's hockey, touch, men's basketball, draughts, darts, petanque (my puppy) and got close in the cross country.

The camp was over the full weekend and I think that this spread the sports out a bit to ease the load on the body. I got through unscathed without injury for a change. It makes it more enjoyable. The weather was hot and this helped, making warming up much easier.

There were some top level athletes in attendance, so I was proud of our Street team. We also got second in sportsmanship and big Calum the gentle giant (7ft 1) got a special sportsmanship award.

The accommodation we got was crowded, and noisy, but maybe we have to attend a few more times before we get a promotion. Being crowded did make you get to know your room mates assuming you weren't tripping up on them! The ratio of campers to bathrooms was ridiculously high!

We need to work on our swimming for next year so we can beat Togs McGee (the guy wearing speedos who strutted his stuff all camp), our chants (we didn't really know what to expect here) and get some massive Pacific Island dudes somehow at the Street.

The guy who spoke was easy to listen to and the singing was great although my voice was shot from relatively early on!

If you get the opportunity to come next year, it is well worth it. I am tempted to take the Friday before off work!

One of the Busiest Days of My Life

About a month ago I had one of the busiest days of my life as we shot an entire short film and then went to a 1950s party. Here are some photos courtesy of Matt Landreth.

The T Birds jackets were winners at the 1950s party, while the wig used for both got a bit windswept to the point that I had to get big Calum to be my groomer. It was fun times all round, especially with the glasses which became tinted outdoors and Gav the 6ft 6 inch guy in lycra doing stretches in the kitchen. Optimus Prime and Aquaman look on!

They were the best of times!

Stags! Stags! Stags! Stags!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/sport/2992128/Historic-Shield-win-for-Stags

I have to pinch myself everytime I think of the Stags skipper Whoppa lifting the Ranfurly Shield above his head as we won the Ranfurly Shield for the first time in 50 years and qualified for the semi finals. The Stags have been whipping boys until recently and growing up you always knew the Ranfurly Shield was just a dream and until last season, if you suggested making the semi finals you would be sent packing to the mental ward at Kew Hospital. The Stags won a brutally ugly game with hooker/Number Eight David Hall typifying the Stags guts as he walked with one crutch to join the celebration after the match. Sure, Canterbury didn't have their All Blacks, but it is so satisfying beating Canterbury ever since they stole our Justin Marshall in 1995.

Southland rugby has always had such an awesome following as it is a traditional province where you follow the rugby from a young age as that is just what you do in Invers (what else is there to do). We used to be lucky to even get one win in a season as our team is usually the lowly side everyone thrashes. We have always played an ugly style up the guts because of both the weather conditions and the lack of the Pacific Island flair in the backs.

Tonight will go down in history as one of those where were you when it happened situations, rivalling Princess Diana's, JFK's and Michael Jackson's deaths. It did actually make my eyes start to leak and I kissed the S on my Stags shirt. It was funny seeing these big ugly Southland brutes get emotional after the match. It is a rare thing that Southland males shed tears and share emotions in such an abundant supply.

I have and still love the Stags! This will go down as one of the best nights of my life! My phone has been going berserk so if I haven't responded yet, I apologise. This result makes those years of torment more satisfying!

Tim Shadbolt is on holiday in Mongolia but has said that there will be a ticker tape parade in Invers like they used to do for the Steel.

The Stags have a realistic shot at actually winning the Air New Zealand Cup since all of the All Blacks are out. This depletes the other teams more than Southland, although there is a tendency for a team to suffer a hangover after winning the Shield. The good news is that the Stags will hold the Shield until next season. The only problem is that I am a member of the Facebook group called - "If the Stags win the Air New Zealand Cup I will call my first born Stag".

I am using this win as motivation for Sports Camp which starts tomorrow.

Stags! Stags! Stags! Stags!

Jeans and Sneakers - Fashion Faux Pas or Podiatrists Best Friend?

In recent years I have encountered some foot problems which have left me contemplating the unthinkable and wearing jeans and sneakers or sneans. These were made famous by Jerry Seinfeld in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but I often see people in their 40s wearing jeans and sneakers.

Initially I thought this was just them clinging onto the fashion from their glory days, but I have started to question this. Am I giving them too much credit and suggesting that foot problems (like the ones I have encountered) mean that jeans and sneakers are more of a practical necessity to help ease the aches and pains of plantar fasciitis or other overuse injuries.

So why do you think people wear jeans and sneakers? Sore feet? Reliving the glory days of fashion?

This Crazy World

Liverpool lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the weekend. Above you can hear Darren Bent who scored the goal's view on it all. It is funny that a Liverpool boy's ball could actually cost his team the match! It didn't go down too well, no doubt. Most You Tube videos are being deleted.



The family whos boy was supposedly in a hot air balloon when it took off in the States, is actually believed to be trying out for a reality tv show. They have already appeared on the show Wife Swap and met in Drama school. They have got plenty of publicity out of this stunt.

In other news,

I tested out my foot in the mud playing touch on Saturday and although it initially hurt, it feels better for the experience. Tonight I played tennis knowing full well that I hadn't had the chance to practice singles and was going to be rusty, but I was playing guys who are S5 and S6 and could easily play Regional tennis if they wanted to. So I would've probably lost anyway, but I lost worse because I hadn't played in two weeks. Still, a loss is a loss no matter which way you fill in the scoresheet, although one guy in their team was getting incredibly anal about it! Just chill buddy. The toe feels better thanks to Voltaren. My agility around the court left plenty to be desired, and so did my consistency. It was good for the fitness and I avoided the dreaded 6-0 6-0 result, but only just. I have an appointment with the sports doctor in two weeks. Hopefully a steroid injection will be magic on toe as I feel like my balance is slightly out!

One Opera, Two Films and a DVD.

It has been all happening in the life of blogger extraordinaire Scotty Donaldson. On Thursday night some of us went to the opera Eugene Onegin. We got a special deal as the person who bought the tickets was under 25, so we got our tickets for $25 to the stalls (ground level gold seats usually around $100). This left us hanging with the elite. People around us were generally middle aged and spoke with a plum in their mouths. It is a different cultural experience. I must say that the first act in Eugene Onegin was slow, especially with a solo which lasted a long time, but once my mate Matty and the chorus brought dance and some more colour to it in Acts 2 and 3, it got better. I guess it would've helped if I knew the storyline better. It was all in Russian and the only problem with watching Matty cut some shapes on stage was that there were other guys singing and surtitles because it was in Russian to follow. Opera was definitely full of middle aged people who sipped wine and examined the art during the two intervals, it was the place to be seen. I even saw the trolley boy from Thorndon New World dressed in a suit. You wonder where most opera goers live and if it is the place to "be seen".

I went to the movies on Tuesday and Thursday. I man dated it and saw the political parody In The Loop. It was much like the Office with its dry nature, but it was entertaining for a few twenty minute parts, but boring and hard to follow the rest of the time. Very dry, and because I am not really into politics I only thought it was ok.

Tonight I went to the more light hearted Year One. I actually really enjoyed it. There were heaps of well known actors from Jack Black, to plenty of the cast from movies like Superbad and Arrested Development. It even had Hank Azaria from the Simpsons. There were plenty of inneundo jokes, but you know I am all over those!

Friday night and Life Group all over again saw us watch Reservoir Dogs. It is an oldy but a goody and I had forgotten what happened after seeing it years ago.

In other news,

I paid money to be told in five minutes that I don't have any brakes or dislocations in my foot. I am awaiting the bill. It is apparently an inflamed joint so antiinflammatories and steroid injections should do the job.

I played some touch today in the mud. You forget how different the fitness is and how the mud really shows up the difference in footwear and handling skills between people. Still, it was a great blowout and I should be fine to play tennis again on Monday night. The only problem is we are playing the top team in our grade.

It all bodes well for Sports Camp, although I have a slightly sore groin/hip, so will now have to aide that.

Global Hand Washing Day - This Is Why You Shouldn't Bite Your Nails!

One out of three guys don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, while one in three women don't. This is rather alarming given the number of handshakes I make on your average day. I fear for Chris Dodds, the king of the mind the wart or McDonalds soft serve (two and a half twists). I often come across "the fakers" who pretend to wash. The other alarming thing in a survey is that people may well lie about their handwashing so they are not perceived as dirty by the surveyer and my other issue is the number of people who just do the token five second rinse and shake. This means that easily more than 30% of guys are guilty. It makes you think really when you see people sucking or biting on their fingers!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/2967566/Toilet-habits-highlighted-on-hand-washing-day

Happy Global Hand Washing Day!

www.globalhandwashingday.org

My Sporting Ambitions on a Knife's Edge

The next two days shape in defining my sporting ambitions for the next few months. I have done my research on the Lisfranc's dislocation/fracture to my toes and I head to the physio tomorrow for the first time since I got x-rays done. On Thursday I head to the specialist "sports doctor" who will hold my ambitions of conquering the tennis and touch worlds over the next few months and the Sports Camp title hopes in his hands. I love playing sports like soccer, volleyball and beach volleyball at sports camp and depending on what happens over the next few days, I may be relegated to leisure sports like petanque and croquet.

My immediate future rests on a "knife's edge" literally if they decide to operate. In undertaking research it seems that I could be in for a lengthy stint on the sidelines which could include some screws being inserted in an operation and/or the wearing of a lower leg cast for several weeks. Why didn't I seek help sooner? I was battling other injuries at the time and it seemed to be low on the list of priorites when I did it about a month ago playing indoor soccer. The small window of an offseason (about four days) mean't that I just kept playing on it with some discomfort.

The other pain is that I am organising heaps of different sports teams and so it makes it more painful that I can't play. Look at tennis last night where my team took a towelling. I should've been there to fight the Khandallah Mens A Monday Night team.

Time will tell what they decide to do. I will keep you posted!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisfranc_fracture

Our Short Film - People Who Live In Houses

Here is the Traction Film we made recently. Hopefully this one shows it at full speed not like when it was shown at the Traction Film Awards. Surely there should've been a prize for having the most people over six foot in lycra. We didn't win any awards but by George it was fun to make. Thanks to Landreth for editing and the transitional lenses I was wearing.

We were given a theme (Miraculous Powers), genre (Reality tv), line "It goes all tingly when that happens" and a prop (can of spaghetti).

Anyone for spaghetti and sardines?

There should be some extra deleted scenes in this version too for those real keen people featuring John Rowles and Fred Dagg, but alas they never got added.

Wedding Photographer Gets Sued - Cross Dressing Cage Fighters Deal to Yobbos

There is never a dull moment in the UK and these two brilliant stories emphasise this point. Wedding photographers who made a hash of a wedding, got sued for 15,000 pounds. Check out their photos at the link. It is a crack up. There were heads chopped off, people in really poor light so you couldn't tell who they are and they even took video camera footage but it was mainly of the footpath. Go to the link to enjoy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218248/Newlyweds-win-court-battle-1-500-wedding-photographer-shoddy-pictures-include-missing-heads-car-close-ups.html

The other article of interest takes place outside a club. Two drunken yobbos try to pick a fight with two guys in drag. It ends up the guys in drag were on a stag party and are actually cage fighters so the drunken fools end up with more than they bargained on.



http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Cross-Dressing-Cage-Fighter-Video-Yobs-Floored-After-Attacking-Hard-Men-In-Drag/Article/200910115401084

The Away Goals Rule

I am really looking forward to the All Whites trying to claim a spot at the FIFA World Cup finals. The nostalgia of the halcyon days (I have recently realised this term is used because of the old halcyon light bulbs used in the past) of 1982. I even have a 1982 Biscuit tin signed by the guys who saw us make the World Cup.



There is one thing that annoys me though with this Home and Away omnibus between the All Whites and Bahrain and that is the much talked about away goals rule that I am also confused about. Ben Sigmund was unsure when he was asked about it during the week.

Here is a link to Wikipedia to help try and sort it out!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Away_goals_rule

Could all you football fans out there please help me understand it? The confusion reigns if the results are like this

Game 1 in Manama (Bahrain) - Bahrain 2 New Zealand 2
Game 2 in Wellington (NZ) - New Zealand 0 Bahrain 1

Who would qualify in this scenario? Bahrain, wouldn't they because they won a game.

Isn't the away goal rule kind of like a tie breaker? It means that away goals count as two, but doesn't this only happen if there are two draws or if both teams win a game each? This needs to be sorted out asap please.

Round 11 - The Holistic Nature

It is funny how the competition is starting reshape into what everyone thought it would be at the beginning. Teams like Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Auckland, Waikato and of course leaders Canterbury were all favoured to finish in the top half of the competition and despite many early setbacks, they should. Battling sides like Southland and Bay of Plenty showed from the start that they would be hard to beat, but in recent weeks the lopsided nature of the draw (especially in Southland's case) and their lack of X Factor to make the top sides pay have been exposed. It takes until the very end of the competition to realise who really is in the hunt and it will be interesting to see who ends up making the semi finals which in a 14 team league is an achievement in itself.

There will be some lopsided matches this weekend with the Southland vs Tasman and Taranaki vs Auckland the most important with the losers of these two games almost completely out of the equation.

I feel for my boys the Stags who were being hyped up after an early run of victories at home and then faced the big boys Wellington and Auckland away (with their All Blacks back). Both of these losses without bonus points have cost the Stags. I must also say that the lack of finishing power also has cost the Southern men as usual!

My upset of the round is North Harbour beating Bay of Plenty.


Air New Zealand Cup

Teams: Hawke's Bay vs Counties Manukau
Time: 08/10/2009 19:35
Venue: Napier
Pick: Home team by 13 & above

Teams: Canterbury vs Manawatu
Time: 09/10/2009 19:35
Venue: Christchurch
Pick: Home team by 13 & above

Teams: Taranaki vs Auckland
Time: 09/10/2009 19:35
Venue: New Plymouth
Pick: Home team by 12 & under

Teams: Otago vs Waikato
Time: 10/10/2009 14:35
Venue: Dunedin
Pick: Away team by 12 & under

Teams: Southland vs Tasman
Time: 10/10/2009 17:30
Venue: Invercargill
Pick: Home team by 12 & under

Teams: North Harbour vs Bay of Plenty
Time: 10/10/2009 19:35
Venue: Albany
Pick: Home team by 12 & under

Teams: Northland vs Wellington
Time: 11/10/2009 14:35
Venue: Whangarei
Pick: Away team by 13 & above

Pakistan Threw Their Game Against New Zealand

The Blackcaps have made the final of the Champions Trophy after what has come to light that Pakistan threw their semi final match. It isn't the first time that Pakistan have been in trouble for helping bookies fix results of games with it prevalent in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. I must say that the odds of New Zealand making the final probably made it worthwhile for them, but I saw that simple catch that Younis Khan dropped against Grant Elliot and there were also plenty of convenient no balls at remarkably inconvenient times for Pakistan. I remember watching Wasim Akram no ball, wide and full toss his way to defeat against New Zealand when Gavin Larsen spanked about 13 off an over conveniently easily. Sure, there is no Hansie Cronje or Salim Malik around these days, but I am sceptical given the increasing amount of money in cricket. This sounds all too familiar and is not too dissimilar to the boxing fiasco with David Tua defeating Shane Cameron conveniently early in the second round.

http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article/-/6143749/claims-corrupt-play-raised-pakistan-media

Overindulgent Times

Being a Christian is all about food and fellowship and it seems that I have been making the most of this in recent times. Above are some photos from the 1950s Party at Rochelle's last weekend. It was great times and another great advertisement for showing up fashionably late and my new policy that Christian's need a glass or two of alcohol to liven things up! There were heaps of 1950s candies in special classy glass jars and milkshakes.

Fast forward to Tuessday night Life Group and there was plenty of food on offer as lanky Gav made some amazing cookies. We watched the film we made and it was funny.

Thursday night and the Traction Film Awards night saw another smorgasbord of food. Our film didn't play properly and it ruined the quality as it became very jerky and sluggish. This was a shame and I should've stood up and gave a gripping speech and told them to stop torturing people, but we sat through it. We didn't get any awards, but it was a great night as all six entries were good. Instead Life Group went out to Expressoholic for a bowl of hot chocolate.

Friday night saw some of us go to Up 3D. It was really good, but there wasn't much in this movie that wearing dorky 3D glasses enhanced. I do know the best way to avoid paying high costs on Friday night at Reading Courtenay. To avoid $2 glasses hire and $15 entry fee, I bought a book of ten tickets and sold them to my mates for $12. You don't have to pay glasses hire.




Saturday morning was all about brunch at the flat in Kingston. The usual main host was away, but there were actually ironically more people there than usual. We hang around and played Spoons. There were some broken spoons and skin abrasions by the end.

I returned home to watch the Stags frustrated themselves and struggle to put away Auckland who won comfortably in the end. The semi finals are slowly slipping from our grasp.

My usual season pass rugby ticket would've got me into a corporate box at the Stadium as they tried to butter up the ticket holders in order to trade up their passes to more expensive ones. I declined the invite and played my team mate at tennis. It gave me a chance to work off the food and get some fresh air. It was windy and I beat my team mate easily, although I have my latest foot/toe knuckle strain on my left foot aggravated by tennis serving I believe. Tennis and indoor soccer at least once a week will hopefully help my fitness for Labour Weekend Sports Camp. Then we went to a Flatwarming. I ended up knowing another one of the flatmates other than the person who goes to my Life Group. Christian circles are small when you have your finger in heaps of pies like I do! It was really fun having good conversations and yet another case for overindulgence as it is an all female flat of amazing cooks and bakers! The Borat mankini ginger bread man was yum.

I then went and watched the over hyped boxing fight. I believe there was a conspiracy theory taking the fight into the second round for monetary purposes. The referee was potentially in on it too. He must've been wearing a wig. Shane Cameron was out of his league against Tua. It was the best result for Tua and for Samoa after the recent tragedy. I raise the issue of conspiracy as there is no way he should've gone out to fight in the second round and why did the referee stop the first round as he thought he heard a bell. It is a dodgy sport.

I had my first BBQ of summer today at the EBay flat. It was a great time of fellowship and some of the same people pop up at some of the other events in a mildly amusing "four weddings and a funeral" type scenario. These are always great spreads and it was also fun to see a few people like Muzza Dugga who I haven't seen in a while.

The final curtain comes down on the weekend after a greasy feed of Satay Kingdom lamb curry after night church. What lies ahead this week? Plenty of great times no doubt including indoor soccer, the first run around of touch, tennis, my sister is in town, maybe a movie, continuing organisation of sports camp and an awesome Life Group trip to Wairarapa. What are you getting up to? Will my injury ravaged body last the first run around of touch? All will be revealed!

The Rigged World Of Boxing?

We all know that boxing is a sport for thugs and there is so much unnecessary hype by a large number of people wearing bling, but I think the decision to send Shane Cameron out to lose in the second round after he had already been knocked down in the first round makes me wonder if the Cameron camp got money for him lasting one whole round.

The oddity of this evening was that the strange looking referee who was wearing a wig and his pants pulled up wrongly thought he heard the bell for the end of the first round and sent the fighters back to their corners when the bell hadn't been sounded. Cameron looked terrible as he was shown up by Tua who showed he still had his power and that Cameron was out of his league. Cameron was then sent out to fight again in the second round lasting only seven seconds. It smacked of WWF rigged wrestling and I think someone had money riding on Cameron lasting at least one round. It is such a dodgy world of boxing that nothing surprises me.

David Tua was in better shape than when he lost to Lennox Lewis, but unfortunately hasn't fought in ages. What has Tua been doing when he could potentially have been rising up the ranks. He is 37 now.

It was funny seeing the nation follow boxing for the first time in years. The fight saw people yelling at their televisions (if they had spent money on Sky) and I actually started feeling so sorry for Shane Cameron who had been thrown into the ring like Daniel into the Lions den. He was on a hiding to nothing, but I reckon he got some kind of money for lasting one round. Just seeing another human being getting his face re-arranged isn't cool really and I don't know how the rough folk who frequent fighting sleep at night!