Monthly Archives: January 2011

Dare to Climb Mt Kinabalu

Posted on January 22, 2011 by cintaduapuluh

Mount Kinabalu is located on the island of Borneo and is protected as Kinabalu National Park. It is the 4th tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago and is one of the largest biologically diverse sites in the world.

On Mt Kinabalu, you can find 4500 species of plant, 326 species of birds, and over 100 mammals. Besides the largest plant in the world, the Rafflesia, there are many other interesting and rare plants to be found such as dwarf shrubs, mosses, lichens, liverworts, ferns and many different orchids. One of the reasons why there so many distinctive species here is that most of the soil is low in phosphates and high in iron and metals. This is poisonous to many plants, so plants either become different or they die. When it comes to animals, you can find birds like Mountain Serpent-eagle, Dulit Frogmouth, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, and mammals like: The Orangutan, Malayan Weasel, Oriental Small-clawed Otter, Leopard Cat and Borneon Ferret-Badger.

People mostly come here so they can try to climb the mountain. This can be a great experience but is also very hard. It is not enough just to decide and go, you have to be prepared even though this is one of the easiest peaks in the world to conquer. It is also a long way, taking two days to reach the top. Even though equipment is not required, it is highly recommended so you won’t have to worry about anything. You will need clothes for different weather conditions, water and food, sunscreen cream, first aid kit, head-mounted torch and a camera. You are probably wondering where to put all that, but don’t worry even if you forget something, it won’t be a disaster.

Before you go, you must purchase a climbing permit and pay an insurance fee. You will probably know if you are capable and fit enough for this adventure. More than 95% people succeed. You don’t have to be in super physical shape to do it. During the first part of the climb, you’ll be going through rainforest which is the easiest part. After passing Layang-Layang, you are going to climb Laban Rata which is more difficult. You’ll able to rest along the way. At the end of the day, climbers spend the night in one of the guesthouses so they can continue later. Climbers must wake up in the middle of the night in order to continue and finish the trip on time. Climbers will be heading to Sayat-Sayat and then on to Low’s Peak. The view you are going to have there is hard to explain. It is beautiful and unforgettable. Most of the climbers reach the top at around 6am, leaving enough time to get back.

Climbing Mt Kinabalu will be for sure a journey of a lifetime. You’ll get to know nature better and you’ll feel like a real winner once you reach the top. This is just one of the things you can do in Borneo.

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Cheap Table Tennis Table: Price Is Relative and Durability Is Key

Posted on January 21, 2011 by cintaduapuluh

How do you define a cheap table tennis table? Is it based solely on the price range among brand names? A cheap table for you may not be cheap to somebody else. A branded professional table which you bought for $1,600, inclusive of a 30% discount and free shipping may be cheap from your perspective. For an ordinary table tennis sport enthusiast, that amount will be quite expensive for him. It is difficult to define in specifics the meaning of cheap equipment because the subject is relative.

It is safe to say that a cheap table tennis table is one which is durable, sturdy, safe, enjoyable, and always ready to serve and be with you for many years. In your journey to become an excellent ping pong hobbyist, player or motivator to yourself, your family and friends in promoting the sport, your table tennis table is always there at your side. In this case, you can rightfully and truthfully claim that it is cheap because the short and long term tangible and intangible benefits you get far outweigh your investment. On the other hand, how can you claim honestly that you got a good deal when you were able to bargain a used professional model worth $1500 for only $500 when you use it only occasionally? If you will just store it in your garage and basement and allow it to warp, it is not a cheap buy.

From a simple point of view, one example of a good deal is when you are able to buy a branded model of a table tennis table at the lowest price and with some extras after canvassing several stores selling the same brand and model, you can say that you bought it cheaply. Another example is when you participate in an online auction for a table tennis table owned by a former world champion, you can still claim that it is cheap compared to its future worth as a collector’s item even if you paid several thousand dollars for it. Another example from a collector’s item perspective is if you were able to buy one which was used to be owned by a popular Hollywood celebrity. Based on the premise of relativity, there are lots of illustrations to validate this point.

However, from an average person’s point of view, a cheap buy is always based on your budget and what type of equipment it is going to be. Would you prefer an outdoor or indoor table for recreation or for training? Are you planning to buy a beginner’s recreational model or a professional brand? Would you be open to a used one or a conversion table top to start with? The motive, taste, goals, preferences and budget play the key roles in your project. How often do you intend to use the ping pong table? One thing for sure is that it is not only the price or acquisition cost which determines whether or not the table tennis table you bought is relatively cheap.

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Glow in the Dark Badminton – What A Rush

Posted on January 12, 2011 by cintaduapuluh

I just happened to see a YouTube video featuring glow-in-the-dark badminton. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The badminton birdie had LED lights on it, and as you hit it, it lit up and started to dim within a few seconds, as it was time for the next player to hit it again. Almost like a firefly. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen, and these players were playing in the dark. I was amazed at how good they were. In fact, it reminded me of a great way to improve one’s badminton game, and a great way to practice. After all if you are practicing in the dark, you have to have full control of everything else.

Now then, the net also had a small LED white light which was also dim, and a small strip on the floor for the boundaries of the court. The players had a “T” of reflective stripe, a glow-in-the-dark strip, on the front of their uniforms. You couldn’t tell exactly what the player was doing, but you could see them move and the “T” would bend and contort as they went after the birdie. It seems to me that glow-in-the-dark badminton could be a very fun sport here the United States, and it should be taken up, and also used to train our US Olympic badminton team.

I can’t wait to play it at night myself because it looks so cool. Of course, you have to make sure your eyes had adjusted before you start playing, and it might take a few games to get the hang of, but eventually I believe you could master the sport, and learn quite a bit about your badminton tactics and your personal style by doing this. Not only that, but since you are playing in the dark all the distractions are gone, so you can give it your full attention. And you wouldn’t be able to tell whom you are playing with, which brings up another good point.

As you probably realize there are now badminton robots, and if you played in the dark with a robot, you might forget that you are playing against a machine, and you could play until your heart’s content, for hours on end without the robot getting tired. What an awesome workout, just imagine the amount of calories you could burn off, the weight you could lose, and the agility you could attain. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

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The All-Africa Games

Posted on January 7, 2011 by cintaduapuluh

The All Africa Games were conceived by the founder of the modern Olympic Games in the 1920s, but it would be 1965 before the first games were actually held. The first games took place in Congo and more than 2500 athletes from 30 countries participated. United Arab Emirates took the most medals home from those first games in Brazzaville.

The second round of games was canceled due to a military coup in the country it was set to be held in. The next games were held in 1973, in Lagos. After a few false starts before the 1987 All-Africa Games, the games have been held every four years to present day. The 2011 games will be held in September, in Maputo, Mozambique.

Since the first games, Egypt has taken home top medals from the games four times. South Africa won top honors twice. Overall Egypt has won 1079 medals at the Games. Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia round out the rest of the top five overall medal winners. The lowest awarded medal count belongs to Guinea-Bissau, who won a solitary bronze in 1999.

There have been 32 sports played at the Games. This year, 26 are planned for play including football, squash, swimming, badminton, basketball, hockey and boxing. A new addition for this year is chess. Rowing is planned to be held at the Mindolo Dam.

This year, Nigeria has qualified for the games after beating Ghana at football. Egypt and Madagascar have also qualified, and Mozambique was automatically qualified as host country. Qualifications for football, arguably the most popular sport represented at the Games, are still underway.

The buildings for the games have been under construction for more than three years now, since Mozambique was given the honor of hosting the All-Africa Games. Portugal has donated 150 million dollars toward construction of the game village. The Chinese built the stadium for the games. The stadium will hold 42,000 people and is the biggest sports stadium built in Mozambique.

The Young Warriors of Zimbabwe play for their late coach, Fabisch, after losing him to cancer in 2008, and for their earlier losses at the All-Africa Games. They are said to play as a family, and look as strong as the earlier team of 1991.

One remarkable feature of the All-Africa Games is that it incorporates the Paralympic athletes as well. Anita Foudjour won medals for wheelchair track in 2007. Like many other African para-athletes, she was crippled by polio.

The top chess qualifiers for 2011 are Olamide Ajibowo and Nsisong Bassey of Lagos. Chess may seem an unlikely addition to the sports event, but avid fans are eager to see how an African competition will level up to the world stage.

In September 2011 the All-Africa Games will be held in Mozambique. Qualifying trials are presently underway, with athletes in more than 30 countries striving for the honor of representing their nation at the Games this year. The new stadium and athlete’s village promise smooth accommodations for the competitors and attendees alike. Fans and press from around the world will flock to see the Games and record this year’s glorious moments of athleticism.

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F1 Team Orders: Are They Back or Even Still Around?

Posted on January 7, 2011 by cintaduapuluh

Go back to Austria in 2001, final lap of the race as Jean Tadt tells Rubens Barrichello to let Schumacher pass. Barrichello was instructed by Ferrari to cede 2nd position to Schumacher to gain points to defend the driver’s title. Barrichello did not comply until the last corner of the last lap, stirring up many emotions after the race. A similar situation happened at the next year’s race resulting in a huge fine for the Ferrari team in addition to the FIA banning “team orders” period. 10 years have gone by and most outspoken persons against team orders, Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, has done a reversal on the matter. In an interview with Speed TV in 2010 Horner said, “You can’t manipulate the outcome of a race by introducing team orders and there does need to be a clarification on it. And rightly or wrongly Red Bull have allowed our driver’s to race.” However during the British Grand Prix in 2011, none other than Red Bull asked Mark Weber, who was making a move on championship leading driver, Sebastian Vettel, to maintain the gap with Vettel and not attempt a point losing pass.

So it seems team orders are back. And yes, they are allowed this season. Mark Weber did note that team orders have always been a part of how Red Bull strategize their movements. Nico Rosberg stated after the German Grand Prix. “In the end we are an employee of the team. So the team has the priority, that’s the way it is in racing. We musn’t forget that. We are paid by the team to represent the team and to do well for the team. That pretty much summarizes it up doesn’t it. But of course we drivers’, the ego side of us always comes out and we want to race; we want to win races, but that’s always a compromise and you have to find out for yourself on how best to handle it.”

Horner backed his statements by saying he did not want a repeat of Turkey in the 2010 season, when Weber and Vettel eliminated each other out of the race. He also noted that with three laps remaining he wanted the team to bank the points. As a competitive driver, the team mentality has to be a difficult mental block. These drivers are born competitors at heart and team orders or not, all desire to win and deserve to win if they are in the position. In the mortal words of the late, great, Ayrton Senna: “By being a race driver, means you are racing with other people, and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver, because we are competing, we are competing to win, and the main motivation to all of us is to compete for victory, not to come second, third, fourth… I race to win, as long as I feel it is possible.” Indeed.

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