Thursday 31 December 2009

Roll out 2009: Bring on 2010



2009. It's been a tumultuous year- some good, some rotten. With all the
deaths this year too? Yeah, I'm over 2009.

Here's wishing for a prosperous, happy and healthy 2010 for everyone!


Friday 18 December 2009

Spinning Bird Kick: Ninja Monkey Style

Taekwondo monkeys attack trainer

See, this is the problem with teaching a monkey taekwondo. They might just decide one day, it's YOU trainer-man who ought to take a drop kick in the face and be the star of the show for once.

And so another intrepid entrepreneur found this the case with his touring monkey troupe dancing for yuan outside a shopping mall in eastern China's Hubei province. Lo Wung (above) looks kinda surprised here- no crap, Sherlock! That said, awesome action shot from the photographer; I have to say.

In the Telegraph article, the best thing was the amused photographer's comment. Talk about street entertainment!

Hu Luang, 32, a bystander who photographed the incident, said: "I saw one punch him in the eye - he grabbed another by the ear and it responded by grabbing his nose. They were leaping and jumping all over the place. It was better than a Bruce Lee film."

Friday 4 December 2009

World Cup 2010 Draw or Eurovision National Lotto?


I watched the long awaited presentation of the group draw for the World Cup 2010, taking place in South Africa. Charlize Theron acted as co-host, but this was no Oscars. The South African influence played out with a lively pre- music show. Unfortunately this was a FIFA run affair from then on in: no fun skits to be found, no spontaneity allowed to seep out. Considering they had an Oscar winning actress on hand, they really made no use of Theron at all.


I always feel like Fifa gigs come across as a mix between a Eurovision song contest and the National Lottery weekly draw. There's no audio, but the pic above sets the scene- DRY.


As it turns out, Theron added unscripted comedic relief to the dry-as-toast French co-host who led the 30 minute proceedings. Signor Pain Rassis [stale bread] kept interrupting Theron's charm offensive with the draw 'assistants' that included Haile Gebrselassi ("Haile, you need to smile more- Smiley Haile!" owing to the Ethiopian running legends' infectious, ever present smile), David Beckham ("Are you sure that's the best ball?" more coquettish flirting with David) and other South African elite athletes. He also had an odd professorial manner about him; his grammatically perfect English lacking the conversational subtleties that someone with lesser English would have used. Consequently, his linking comments came off as blunt, useless pieces of football trivia about which team played another team delivered by ear piece seemed random. All the while ItalicCharlize made me chuckle with her rolling eyes, barely disguised annoyance with Signor Pain Rassis and sly put downs ("Wow, you're like a little Facts Machine!"- elbow to the ribs).


The funniest skit- you gotta make you're own entertainment when watching a Fifa fiesta- was when SPR asked Theron about some match in the 1950's, to which she retorted "Wait a minute, how old do you think I am?! You're asking me about something in the '50's?" shock thinly veiled in her voice.


One thing to be thankful for- the draw didn't last long, and England's group isn't half bad!
Group G, however- ouch. Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal and North Korea: Group of DEATH


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