Nike Trainer 1

Age really catches up and does a super hyperspace jump when you're near the age of 40. Metabolism drops, testosterone levels drop, muscles droop. The only thing that goes up is FAT! In my younger days, my metabolism was so high, I used to eat 4-5 meals a day like a lion and not gain a single ounce of fat. Those were the days.........

Anyway, I recently started on a 9 week program to get lean and fit again. Lotsa gym work involved and I needed some proper cross trainers. My Adidas Boost runners weren't gonna cut it in the gym. So I went out and got a pair of all black Nike Trainer 1s. I got home, unwrapped them and took some pictures before using them. Here's how it looks like.






Nike recently revived it's cross trainer series. It reminds me of the first Nike cross trainers I had when I was a teenager. It was during the days of the legendary Bo Jackson-The Ultimate Athlete. People from my generation will remember him. He was Superman, no less. Bo was a top player in the NFL and he also played in the MLB. Nike developed cross trainers for him and the whole cross training phenomenon took off. Nike cross trainers were selling like hot cakes. I also owned a pair of Andre Agassi cross trainers. I was so excited to see that NIke had revived the cross trainer series of shoes.

Anyway, let's get on with my new TR1. It's got Nike Free, Nike Air and Nike Flywire technology built into it. Nike Free is in the outsole and the technology and design allows the outsole to flex more freely in all directions like as if we're barefoot. This is the Nike Free outsole.







This is where the Flywire technology is. More stability at the side while weighing next to nothing I guess.









Here's the legendary Nike Air cushioning. I've tried many types of shoes and have come full cirlce and back to Nike Air. Nothing does the job better for me. Air is truly the best.








Nicely padded collar for supreme comfort. It's a mid height shoe so the collar is pretty important.








Manufactured to the exact specifications of championship athletes. Okaaaaaaaaaay, I guess it should be good enough for a mere mortal like me. Haha








Here's a few more shots from different angles.








It's a fantastic shoe for crosstraining. The stability is excellent for gym work and the cushioning is superb for running too. I bought it for only rm399(USD130) and nothing can beat it at this price in my opinion. There's a newer model called TR1.2 which looks the same but has an additional velcro strap over the front of the foot. Check that out too. I decided on the TR1 coz I liked the all black look better. They're both sold at rm399(USD130) so the choice depends on which fits you better or which color you like more.

GUN GUN GUN

Don't know why I never wrote about this. It's one of my favorite things on earth. What is it? Shooting. I went to Phuket for a holiday with my wife in May 2008 and this was one of the things that was right on top of the to do list. I had seen the Phuket Shooting Club on a trip in 1992 but couldn't stop for some shooting coz I was on a tour bus. I promised myself that I would go back there on the next trip. Well, it' took me 16 long years to get back to Phuket. Haha.

There are two licensed gun clubs in Phuket. Phuket Shooting Club is the established one and most people will know or have seen it. It's between the Phuket airport and most buses or taxis will pass by the club on the way to Patong beach. The second club is a new club and was newly opened just before I arrived in Phuket for the 2008 trip. This new club is on the road that leads up the mountain that takes you to the other side of Phuket Island.

Let's get on with the pictures.

The gun rack at Phuket Shooting Club.











Howzabout a big mama?








The instructor giving me a quick refresher course. He asked if I had any experience with guns and I told him the last time I handled a gun was when I was in the college shooting team which was something like 20 years ago. So I needed a bit of help to get back in touch with the guns.








Some 45cal lovin.















Not bad for an old man who last shot 20 years ago eh? The first shot was pretty far out from the center at about the 5 mark. Was still getting a feel for the gun. After that, all the shots were tightly grouped in the black zone.







Hunting rifle with scope.










94% score with the hunting rifle. Hehehe. I was slowly getting back the feel.








The infamous terrorist gun. AK47!









My wife wanted to be a "terrorist" too. Lucky for me, guns are illegal in Malaysia and possession is punishable by death. Or else this is what my wife would do to me when I buy too many toys or gadgets. Haha






Moving on to the shotgun










I forgot just how hard a shotgun kicks and didn't hold the butt nice and tight. Look what happened to my right arm. See that big bruise? That's from the recoil of the shotgun. I'm loading the 9mm bullets into the magazine in this picture.








Cocking the gun and getting ready to unleash hell upon the targets.






This is the view of the targets from where I'm standing with the 9mm pistol. Look at how incredibly small the targets are!







Time to blast off a series of quick 9mm rounds Die Hard style. YippieKayYay Mother Fuckerrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!! If only they had Hans Gruber standing there as the target. Hahaha.









I thought I had enough of guns for the day after spending a ridiculous amount at the Phuket Shooting Club. How wrong........ I hopped on the bike with my wife to head on to the next activity for the day, bungy jumping.On the way there, I saw a newly opened gun club and I just had to stop and visit it.

Some guns at the cashier counter before paying for my time with the M16.







When I finally got my hands on the M16.







Unleashing some nice hot lead from the M16.







2 shots in the body to get the calibration right and then a full on assault on the "terrorist's' head. Can you say "BOOM Headshot! BOOM Headshot! BOOM Headshot! Haha






And............... to finish off the day, I finally got to the Phuket Jungle Bungy Jump.

I believe I can fly...................................






Here's the Youtube video of my time in the sky. Haha. I was supposed to do a tandem jump with my wife but she had a massive headache after being in the sun all day and decided against it at the last minute.




Here's the kicker. I actually had heart surgery just 2 months before. My surgeon advised me to refrain from any strenuous or sporting activities but I totally forgot about it and did the bungy jump on top of all that excitement with the guns! I'm lucky I didn't die of a heart attack while jumping. Haha. I came back to Malaysia for my scheduled check up with my heart surgeon and told him about how much fun I had in Phuket. He almost fainted when I told him about the bungy jump. Anyway, he laughed about it after the initial shock. He said I had just given my heart the ultimate post operation test. He said "If you survived the bungy jump then I can now certify that your heart surgery was a 100% success". However, he gave me a stern warning not to do such things again for the next 1 to 2 years to allow my heart to heal properly.

Gadgets of the year 2010

Wow!! Time really flies. I didn't even realise the last time I wrote was in December 2010. This is now my first post for 2011 so........ Happy New Year! Hahaha

Anyway, I just thought I'd kick off my 2011 posting with my favorite gadgets which were bought in 2010.

Here's my favorite gadgets of the year 2010.




They are the Apple MacBook Air 11", iPad and iPhone 4. I use these gadgets on a daily basis and just cannot imagine life without them. With them, Life is Good! Without them, life would just SUCK! Haha