The Drop Shot One of My Favourite Tennis Shots - Here is how it is done!

Drop Shot
Check out this video on how to play the drop shot. I really love playing this shot against taller and/or older people. I love this shot because you need soft hands to play it and that is me in a nutshell! I would probably have it as one of my top five shots. The forehand cross court passing shot would be number one, the smash number two and it would just beat the two handed backhand volley and the serve as my favourite shot. I probably prefer the backhand drop shot to the forehand one.

I just thought since I stumbled across this, that it is worth sharing for all you tennis fans out there.

Tui Billboards For The Chop, Will It Work?

The Government (Law Commission) will be swinging the axe if proposed changes to stop glamourising alcohol through clever marketing takes place. It seems that the days of Tui Girls will be gone as adverts which supposedly encourage excessive drinking are quashed. Adverts would still be allowed to show basic product information, they just wouldn't be allowed to have fun and clever ads. I think the alcohol industry is where heaps of the best ads are. Just look at the Speights ads, Stella Artois, Carlsberg and Tui ads. They are cool!

I guess they think it will slip alcohol into the background more and give it less publicity. This will drastically affect the industry as we know it. The Government probably wants to return it to the good old days, but that wouldn't be such a bad thing, if it means people cut back on consumption. Everything in moderation.

What do you think? Will cutting these marketing campaigns really reduce binge and excessive drinking in this country? Will drinking lose appeal if Tui Girls aren't promoting it? I think it is great that they are looking to do something about the drinking culture in this country, but I wonder if banning such advertising will achieve the desired results?

What do you think?




http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/7115438/tui-billboards-headed-for-the-axe/

The Weekend Rollercoaster

The weekend had its moments. After eventually overcoming the fatigue which had plagued me throughout last week, I perked up on Friday in time to go to Jane Chuang's leaving drinks at the Southern Cross. It was good to see some familiar faces and it will be sad to see Jane go. Then dinner with my flatmate for his birthday. He also shaved his head and eye brows for a cure that same night. He is the guy on the right in the photo. I then ended up at Boogie Wonderland again despite swearing I would get an early night. It is always warm there and it always takes a while to wind down and rehydrate afterwards.

Saturday was all about my football. I hardly slept in anticipation of playing football where I lasted 90 minutes in warm weather despite marking someone 6 foot 6. We won 3-1, but it really took it out of me, as did the night before. Most people were doing random stuff, so I had a quiet night. With SKY and comfort at home, sometimes it is good to have a quiet one anyway.

Saturday was all about ginger beer. New World had two for one, four packs and I went around to the Loveshack afterwards and caught up with Mandreth who is back in town, while it was good catching up with the Loveshackers again.

Once midnight struck, I no longer had to abstain from speaking my mind at the flat. The hassle free week which was self imposed but saw me put $19 in the Dave Lim jar finished. It is good to keep Lim on his toes again without the financial hardship. The money will go to the same cause his haircut funds will go to!

Ross sisters - Solid Potato Salad (VHS -quality) - We need more entertainers like this these days!

Check out the Ross sisters with this routine. I was left wondering what tricks they used to film this initially. We need more entertainment like this, these women are amazing! I wonder how they do that?

Reality Television Is Rigged!

I have a theory about reality television shows and that is that they are all rigged to improve ratings. I have been following Masterchef and Apprentice (both New Zealand versions) and reckon that the judges keep on their favourites in order to boost ratings. The Apprentice has a few girls who tend to rub people up the wrong way despite lacking the overall talent of some of the other contestants, they have stayed on the show. Last night on Masterchef, I was disappointed to see the best one there Steve, voted out. He has won several challenges and seemed to be the most talented one there. One of the finalists was actually eliminated, but conveniently returned via the "Black" team, as did the other eliminated semi finalist who was actually unlucky to be voted off in the first place. The two in the final have often survived by the skin of their teeth in earlier challenges. Call me sceptical, but I just thought I would put it out there!
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/7096540/can-t-take-the-heat-tracey-gunn-and-steve-juergens-on-exiting-masterchef/

Which Game Is In More Trouble?

The news that Melbourne Storm has lost two Premiership titles and are losing all of their points for this season while getting fined $500,000 AUS for keeping two sets of books. It ends up the Storm have been about $2 million over the salary cap which is created to keep the competition even. The problem is that league has been highly touted as being more exciting than the boring rugby this season as it has simpler rules. They have struggled with off the field incidents, but you now wonder who knew about this and why they weren't detected earlier. Another disturbing fact is that News Media have a major share in rights for league and own the Melbourne Storm. Their continued success has probably been boosting TV ratings. They also have a lot of State of Origin stars and you also wonder if any other clubs have been doing the same. The head of the Storm has now gone to the Melbourne Rebels Super 15 side and switched codes.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/storm-stripped-of-two-nrl-premierships-20100422-tf07.html

The dwindling Super 14 and All Black crowds and poor financial performance of the NZRU (see article below) also point to the game of Rugby Union being in trouble in this country anyway. League is more exciting than the overly complicated rugby rules and it seems that this and the poor performing New Zealand teams mean that ticket sales have been down. They also have pumped money into the World Cup next year. The only good thing is that they have signed a deal for the Super 15 and tests from next year (see article below), but it is hard to know if that deal just papers over the cracks.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/sport/2010/04/22/1247fe862baa

So which sport is in a worse position? I think the revival of football and the World Cup in June will see people change the shape of the ball and go for football over rugby league and union. What do you think? Is league or union in worse shape?

New Zealand Football: All Whites fans called to ‘Stand Up and be counted’

New Zealand Football: All Whites fans called to ‘Stand Up and be counted’

New Zealand Football: Chatham Cup gathers momentum

New Zealand Football: Chatham Cup gathers momentum

Check Out These True Fans!

These guys are true fans and this is an effect way of heckling the opposition. It worked in this game as the Canucks defeated the LA Kings 3-2. The green men in one piece lycra suits are a credit to their team. Our fans really need to learn a thing or two off these guys. I love it!

Kick Ass - Something A Bit Different

Not being a huge comic book fan I didn't know what to make of Kick Ass the movie. It was an R18 violent movie, although it was better than I thought it would be. The hero is either an 11 year old girl or a dorky teenage boy with absolutely no superpowers. That is what was so refreshing about the film. This boy was still pathetic even with the super hero costume on. There was a bit of comedy in it and it wasn't as dark as Watchmen. The funny thing was the big names weren't the main characters, like Nicholas Cage. The guy provided hope for heaps of nerdy comic book readers worldwide as he gained popularity and the girl simply by wearing a wet suit style super hero costume, so there is hope for us all. The entire thing held my interest until the end, so that is a good sign, but it was different to anything I have ever seen.

Doug The Rug!

I saw a snippet on the news of arrogant Australian fast bowler Doug "Eagle" Bollinger almost getting his rug ripped off playing for the Chennai Super Kings recently. I just thought it was a joke, but it appears that he did used to be bald before getting the help of the Advanced Hair Studios and former Aussie cricketer Greg Matthews. He joins top level sportsmen like Shane Warne, Graham Gooch, Martin Crowe and Warrick Capper getting their rugs and actually looking ten years younger a year later! I am glad he didn't lose his rug in this latest incident and have to become Doug the Bald Eagle like he was originally, rather than the Hairy Eagle like he has become. Here are a couple of interesting articles about it.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/bollinger-survives-hair-raiser/story-e6frg7rx-1225853820090

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/contract-for-doug-yeah-yeah/story-e6freye0-1111116018998

Watch This Man Bark!

This has become an Internet hit after airing on the news in Australia. This guy does a scary impression of the neighbourhood dogs!

New Zealand Worst For Workplace Bullying

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/3583645/Kiwis-worst-in-the-world-for-bullying
This article is news to me that 20 percent of New Zealanders are bullied at their workplace. I wonder what counts as bullying? Are some of the people who are bullied also the bullies? Maybe I am oblivious to all of this, but I am thinking this would probably more likely be the case in jobs like at McDonalds or on the building site? Maybe it is more part of the earning of stripes where the newbies potentially get bullied through the humiliation of things like when they make coffee for their boss. White, one sugar thanks.

Christian Singer Comes Out

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/3580489/Christian-music-singer-comes-out


Christian singer Jennifer Knapp has come out with both a new album and out of the closet as being gay. It is an interesting one given the traditional viewpoint the church has on gay people. Does it matter? Is it somehow not an issue if she decides to target the secular music scene rather than the Christian scene? What do you think?

I still sit a bit uneasy at the thought of someone being homosexual and having a leadership role in a church or something like that. What if thousands of people come to Christ through Jennifer Knapp's music? Does it really matter which team she bats for? But at the same time I don't necessarily approve of it as it adds fuel to the fire that Christians are so contradictory, saying to love everyone, but not approving of homosexuals.

For the record, she does have a girlfriend!

In summary, I feel uneasy with this, but at the same time is it my job to judge as it surely must be something she should deal with between herself and God.

The Weekend of Birthdays - Image Gallery

Here is an image gallery from this last weekend. It was great because some people took photos for Boogie Wonderland website, so it will be interesting to see if we show up on their website next.

I got a certificate for looking like Rhys Darby (surprise, surprise) the brown suit probably didn't help!

I think the birthday/party season usually takes an hiatus over winter for a while, but hopefully we can fight that trend.

Dunedin Marketing Campaign

I got this off a friend. My favourite is Dunedin: Looking forward to global warming.

Southern style

You may have heard "I am Dunedin" is to be dropped as Dunedin's slogan and a nationwide search is on for a new one. Naturally, the local Twitter community has a few ideas. These are some of the best ...

Dunedin: You can afford to buy a house here!
Dunedin: Parents, can you please come and pick up your kids?
Dunedin: A nice place to chill.
Dunedin: I can see Antarctica from my house.
Dunedin: You'll have a rioting good time.
Dunedin: Looking forward to global warming.
Dunedin: More carparks than people.
Dunedin: 98,000 and still shrinking.
Dunedin: Hang a left at the burning couch.
Dunedin: Just the way you left it.
Dunedin: Riviera of the Antarctic.
Dunedin: Down there.

My Week of Not Hassling My Flatmate

From a week next Monday I will not hassle, bait, fire up or stitch up my Asian flatmate Dave Kerr Ming Lim no matter how easy it is given his propensity to dig his own social grave. This idea came to me at my most vulnerable moment last Saturday as I was sleeping off a stomach bug on the holiday that Lim had busted his gut (pardon the pun) to organise.

Each time I make one of these cheap shots either verbally, via text, email or online, I will put $1 into a jar and the money will go to an as yet undecided cause. This will be a challenge given the number of gift horse in the mouth opportunities which daily spring up in the daily life of flatting with Dave Lim.

Any ideas of a good cause? Should our other flatmate Chris McDonald get in on the act? Does anyone else want to take this vow of discipline? I know David Lim is looking forward to this!

My Rollercoaster Easter Break

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!

We set off on Thursday before Easter for Waihi Beach. The long road trip was broken by a delicious kebab at Jabies Kebab in Bulls and a night at the pleasant Rainbow Backpackers in Taupo. It was a slow trip because of traffic, but eventually on the Friday afternoon we arrived at Waihi Beach. The house we stayed at was a kilometre from the beach, in a new Lockwood house.

Unfortunately my holiday was ruined by a mystery tummy bug which saw me miss two of the highlights of the weekend. I had bought 12 rugby tickets to the Highlanders vs Chiefs game in Mount Maunganui, but alas was unable to collect them and attend the game, but the others did. I missed the Highlanders grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory yet again, so it wasn't a bad thing to miss. The highly popular Easter Egg Hunt at Emma Trail's house was also off limits to me as I was still feeling vulnerable. Fortunately the others in my group went and brought me back some goodies thanks to the Trails too who cook amazing muffins and highly rated brownie (which I enjoyed several days later). The Monday dawned hot and I was feeling more comfortable so we went on a brief walk and swim to a picturesque beach off the beaten track. We then went walked to a waterfall for lunch. This was a bit short of water and this was confirmed when my flatmate climbed a decent way up and then lost his footing on the way down, landing on his feet but damaging his sole and pride.

This walk was also where I must've cut my small toe on my left foot on some coarse sand/gravel. This has since become infected and is unable to fit comfortably in my shoes without pain. Later on the Monday night we went to Hot Water Beach where heaps of tourists were searching for a way to dig holes after the tide came in and have a spa pool like effect as under the water is really hot with the thermal activity. Unfortunately we were there when the tide was coming in. Talk about the blind leading the blind as no one really knew what or where they were looking apart from a heavily pregnant woman in a bikini who was rolling around in the hot stuff with the help of her husband.

The hot weather disappeared the next day, but the flies continued to annoy. Everyone left, while I spent the next three days with my big brother and we went around a different range of hot pools including a free hidden gem in Reporoa and pools at different accommodation we stayed at in Papamoa, Rotorua and Taupo. I can't believe as a geographer how much development there is in the Bay of Plenty (near Tauranga). It was quality bonding while we looked around some tourist sites including the Craters of the Moon (above) near Taupo. There are so many mini golf places around these tourist destinations, but I didn't really partake since my brother is the musical one rather than the sporty competitive types that the rest of my family are.

It was funny seeing the varying demographics of provincial North Island cities. I am not used to the large Maori populations for example. It was school holidays though. We also went to the movies in Tauranga and Taupo. I saw two highly recommended movies, the Hurt Locker and Boy and loved them both for different reasons. Boy was especially classic and brought back memories from Goodnight Kiwi down to the posters at the store and school. In Taupo they even had a full range of cone ice creams from a local store, but the theatre seemed very 1990s multiplex.

I returned home via the Overlander train (from the National Park)which was rather full. There was heaps of great scenery on offer with the range of viaducts that saw the mainly tourist passengers reaching for their cameras at regular intervals. My MP3 player battery had run out after I must've accidentially turned it on during an earlier part of my holiday. After six hours, I was over it.

I got straight back into the social scene I had been yearning for. Two girls from Life Group had cocktails at Beach Babylon and I got to wear the stunning brown suit 1970s styles that I had borrowed for an earlier gig. I had a Tropical Hurricane before some of us went to town hitting sub hot spots. It was a great mixed crew at both Beach Babylon and town. There is a photo above, thanks Amy!

On Saturday I came to the conclusion that my infected toe will need further attention as I can hardly get my shoes on without pain of touching the sensitive toe. This was annoying as I had also returned from holiday to play in the Kilbirnie Club Tennis Champs (which I had a great shot at doing well in given my career high end of season ratings) and playing for Marist Skins vs Olympic in Capital Div 8. I ended up only watching football as the Skins won 3-2 in the heat at MacAlister Park. While the Club Tennis Champs would've been a great chance to get into the limelight, it would've been too sore with my sensitive toe.

Instead, I went to brunch at Priscilla guys flat and watched the football on the way home, followed by the Highlanders. The evening saw me wear the same 1970s suit to a classy tea party. It was a younger crew since it was a 20th birthday. Some of us then went into town to the engagement party of the Street's Posh and Becks, Johnny and Halina. That was a great chance to see some of my usual older crew who I haven't seen in a while since I have been away on my various holidays. We then rejoined the birthday crew at Alice, then did Boogie Wonderland and Temperance. I rarely hit the town, but nothing beats the thrill of getting asked for ID at the age of 31! Seriously though, I can't see myself becoming a regular around the nightspots of Wellington, this was a two off. It is more of a once a year thing, rather than a twice a weekend thing!

As you can see, it was a real double edged holiday. Time will tell what happens with the toe. It will be a struggle getting back into work tomorrow, but it is always good to share exotic stories of holiday adventures with my colleagues!