Monthly Archives: January 2009

Standard Bank Pro20 Series 2009

The 2008 Standard Bank Pro 20 series is almost upon us.This year promises to be a cracker with more Kaboom. I have been asked to blog at the games in Durban again, and can’t wait to get there.

The first game kicks off in a weeks time, on the 21st of January, at St Georges Oval, with the Chevrolet Warriors up against defending champs from 2007, the Nashua Titans.

I am really excited, as 20/20 cricket is brilliant. Its fast paced, loads of atmosphere, and of course, we won’t forget the Pro20 Dancers :)

If anyone comes down to the Durban games, be sure to come say howzit :)

For more info and to join in the Standard Bank Pro 20 Fantasy league, be sure to check out: http://www.standardbankcricket.com/

The full schedule looks like this:

January 2009
Date	Time	Home Team	Away Team	Stadium	Venue
Wed 21	6pm	Chevrolet Warriors	Nashua Titans	Sahara Oval St Georges	Port Elizabeth
Fri 23	6pm	Nashua Cape Cobras	Chevrolet Warriors	Sahara Park Newlands	Cape Town
Fri 23	6pm	Gestetner Diamond Eagles	Nashua Dolphins	OUTsurance Oval	Bloemfontein
Sun 25	2pm	Bizhub Highveld Lions	Gestetner Diamond Eagles	Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium	Johannesburg
Sun 25	2pm	Nashua Titans	Nashua Dolphins	SuperSport Park	Centurion
Wed 28	6pm	Gestetner Diamond Eagles	Nashua Cape Cobras	De Beers Diamond Oval	Kimberley
Fri 30	6pm	Nashua Dolphins	Nashua Cape Cobras	Sahara Stadium Kingsmead	Durban
Fri 30	6pm	Bizhub Highveld Lions	Nashua Titans	Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium	Johannesburg
February 2009
Sun 1	2pm	Nashua Cape Cobras	Nashua Titans	Sahara Park Newlands	Cape Town
Sun 1	2pm	Chevrolet Warriors	Nashua Dolphins	Buffalo Park	East London
Wed 4	6pm	Bizhub Highveld Lions	Nashua Cape Cobras	Senwes Park	Potchefstroom
Fri 6	6pm	Chevrolet Warriors	Bizhub Highveld Lions	Sahara Oval St Georges	Port Elizabeth
Fri 6	6pm	Nashua Titans	Gestetner Diamond Eagles	SuperSport Park	Centurion
Sun 8	2pm	Nashua Dolphins	Bizhub Highveld Lions	Sahara Stadium Kingsmead	Durban
Sun 8	2pm	Gestetner Diamond Eagles	Chevrolet Warriors	OUTsurance Oval	Bloemfontein
Fri 13	6pm	Semi Finals 1st Round
Sat 14	2pm	Reserve Day (If Necessary)
Sun 15	2pm	Semi Finals 2nd Round
Mon 16	6pm	Reserve Day (If Necessary)
Wed 18	6pm	Semi Finals 3rd Round (If Required)
Thur 19	6pm	Reserve Day (If Necessary)
Fri 20	6pm	Final
Sat 21	2pm	Reserve Day (If Necessary)

Fake Tilt Shift Photography – DIY

A couple of months ago I wrote a post on how to create your own Fake Tilt Shift photography in Photoshop. Now a website – TiltShiftmaker.com has come up with a SIMPLE way to do it for you. Simply upload your photo that you would like to transform, and choose your settings, and it does the rest of the work…easy kapeese :)

Here is a cool example of a pic that was made with TiltShiftMaker.com from their Flickr Group

Powerplates Workout

Recently the Gateway Virgin Active recived 4 new PowerPlate machines. What is a PowerPlate ?

From the PowerPlate.com Website:

Power Plate® equipment is the premium vibration device powering a new dimension in wellness solutions for all ages, lifestyles and physical abilities. It uses the principles of Acceleration Training™ to stimulate the body’s natural response to vibration. These vibrations transmit waves of energy throughout the body, activating muscle contractions between 25 and 50 times per second, enhancing overall performance in sessions as short as 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week.

Last week, I gave them a run for a full hour session. And the next day I was sore. So sore I could hardly walk. Even after 3 days, my one thigh muscle was sore.

Below is the training programme I used for the hour session I did. Each set must be done twice before moving onto the next one. The vibration intensity should be set to LOW for the workout, and can be set to HIGH for the massage session at the end.

Geometric Theme from Woothemes

Last week Adii & his boys from WooThemes.com released their newest theme called Geometric.
Adii ran a mini TweetCompo that the first 3 people that re-tweeted his tweet of the new release, would get a free copy of the theme.
Luckily I saw this just in time, and tried my luck. And to my surprise I was number 3.
Thanks Adii & the chaps from woothemes, hopefully I should be able to put it to good use soon :)

10 Things for 2009

2009 crept up very quickly. 2008 was quiet a roller coaster year for me, where I started a new job, after working at Storm for the last 9 years.
Making a decision to move was really tough, but I knew I was making the right choice. The new job has been going fantastically, and I am loving it. Every minute of it. It has been a place where I have always wanted to work, and the knowledge gained by working there has been unbelievable. You never know enough, and learn something every minute.

I am looking forward to 2009. I know I have neglected this blog over the last year. That said, I still get loads of hits, and with more than 50000 hits over the last year, I think its ok. I got my first ever adsense cheque this year, which was fantastic, as I have not put any effort into making money.

I have a few goals for this year, one is to try and make more out of the internet. Both money-wise and knowledge wise. There is so much out there, and the internet can offer us so much.

I have decided to put a random list of 10 things that will hopefully get me through 2-double o – mine:

1. PopUrls – I have always loved PopUrls, but recently have rediscovered this awesome site. All the tops sites are aggregated onto 1 page, so you get to see the best of the web on 1 page. You can also share links on facebook and twitter, and it will also customize the best links for you. Check it out at PopUrls.com

2. My iPhone – My iPhone continues to amaze me every day. I am loving it. It has become a habit now, and I think the wife is starting to feel “iPhone un-love”. Currently i have about 70 apps on my phone. Half of them are hardly ever used, but some of them are just fantastic, and used everyday. More on that later

3.Twitter – Even though I don’t “tweet” enough, I am still lurking in the shadows. There are some really interesting people out there, and everyday I learn something new from someone on twitter. I really think Twitter may become the next big thing after facebook.

4. Namedrive – Slowly but surely, I have been making some cash using Namedrive. I have a couple of domains on there and am raking in about $20 a month. Nothing major, but its fun to watch none the less. Need to try and put more effort into this as well. Huge potential.

5. My Macbook – The other best thing (next to the MyPhone), was the mac I got earlier this year. The Mac OS is definitely one of the easiest and most user friendly OS’s I have ever used. Even my wife loves it, and we now have to fight to use the Macbook. I think it’s high time I get a new one and she can have this one :)

6. Geocaching – I really wish I had more time to do this. It really is such a fun hobby, but just need time. I still follow all new caches that are published, and try find the ones close to me. Hopefully this year, I can find  a few more caches, and enjoy the game as much as what I used to….*sigh*

7. My Family – 2008 added yet another addition to my family, and 3 kids is really fun. No really. :) Les has been awesome with all 3 kids, and looking after our house, and me with all my needs, yet we always find time for each other. By the end of 2009 I will have 3 toddlers, almost ready to move into thier own place :) (Just kiddin)

8.Life – 2009 is time for big changes. Back to gym at least 3-4 times per week. Healthy eating, minimised drinking, and more time with my friends & family. 43Things is such an awesome website that allows you to list your goals and keep track of them. By the end of 2009, I need to have been able to accomplish those 43 things.

9. Work – Learn more, and move up. Plain and simple goals, that I know I can achive in 2009 at my awesome work.

10.Photography – I went on a 6 week course last year to learn more about photography, so hpefully in 2009, I can take loads more photos and share them on this blog

Hope 2009 is an awesome year for everyone !!!