Close but no trophy

The Barclays English Premier concluded this past Sunday with Manchester City claiming their second title in 3 years. It was a 2 horse race till the last day but it was obvious with City having the advantage that they would do the business. For my team Liverpool, at the onset there was always doubt by others on whether achieving a top four finish was possible but they proved everyone wrong, surpassing their target and challenging for the title till the very last day. 

Although disappointed, after the games were over I was damn proud of what they achieved in the season, they didn't get the trophy but they got the respect they deserved and made it known that Liverpool were back and they mean business. Brendan Rodgers and his troops brought back the old Liverpool, the one that sent shivers down opponents when playing against us, we were ruthless against teams, the fast style passing caught many off guard and most of the games were sealed within the first 25 minutes. The passing, the flow and the dedication of the players needs to be commended but what let us down was our defence.

Even though we scored 101 goals, just 1 behind champions City, we conceded 50 goals which is not champion quality. Hopefully over the summer break, the manager and his scouts will find the necessary players needed to strengthen the squad in that particular area. It's difficult to pin point players because they all had good and bad performances, Martin Skrtel for example, he was always in the spot light for tugging on players shirts during set pieces, also he had a habit of tracking back instead of going for the attacker, he also scored 4 goals in the wrong net but on the other hand he made countless goal saving tackles and blocks not to mention the 7 goals he scored in the right net which was a record for a defender. 

Other positives to come out of this season was the transformation of the younger players, Sterling, Henderson, Allen and Flanagan all who relatively young proved the doubters wrong. By the end of the season all of them were good as any of the first team choices, the maturity they showed in their game play, passing, thinking and vision only means that they have a bright future ahead for them. Henderson and Sterling have been rewarded with call ups to the England World Cup squad with Flanagan on standby.

I'll touch on it again, it hurts us the fans for coming so close to that elusive 19th title but imagine how the players feel. We saw the raw emotion come out the night after the Crystal Palace draw, as much as we are gutted they were even more so. Many mocked them but at the end of the day, it's them who are snapping up all the prizes now. Luis Suarez has been named Player of the season by many organisations as well as getting the golden boot for most goals scored in the league, the other night, Brendan Rodgers was name Manager of the season by the League Managers Association, so all was not lost.

But to quote the great Bill Shankly, "If you're first, you're first. If you're second, you're nothing" which is a very strong sentence but I believe we were not entirely nothing, with some tweaking this summer and the players keeping the belief we could be a force to be reckon with come the start of the 2014/15 league. We'll come back stronger, hungrier and with bigger challenges in store in terms of Europe, with our long standing captain, he'll rally the players as he always does for the challenge, WE GO AGAIN!

A year that was...

Looking back at the year that was, 2013, it was pretty good which is why I suppose I can't understand why so many are wishing it away. Yes, for most of them it must have been a pretty horrible year especially if you're a Western Province supporter hence they're wanting to start off 2014 in a fresh mindset knowing that it is a brand new year. That's the thing though, its all in the mindset, at the end of the day it is you and how you react, how you control your mindset that can change the course of how things happen. Why does one have to wait for the turn of the year when you can do it now? Well, that's my two cents on the matter, I'm no motivational speaker neither do I want to be a preacher but that is how I see things from my perspective. 

For me the year kicked off to a tragic start, many heard about the sudden death of South African model Reeva Steenkamp. It made shock waves in the news and media all over the world but for me and many of her close friends it was for all the wrong reasons as the attention was only focused on the person who committed the crime and not on the beautiful soul that was Reeva. Not many know this but she inspired me to put more effort into this blog, she was just meant to be another model I featured on here but instead of just being that, she got me to take this blog more seriously as she corresponded via email, sharing ideas, suggestions and other things I can do to enhance viewer ship on here. So from the success I've had with this blog, I owe a lot of it to her. Thank you Reevs.

For my online presence, the years keep on getting better as I was fortunate enough to be invited to some amazing events. Definitely a highlight for me was the BMW Electro Mobility Summit where I was flown to George to partake in a days discussion with others in the industry on the future of the motor vehicle as well as see and drive future products from the BMW stable, this in turn gave birth to a new feature on the blog, the Bucket Seat which I must thank you guys out there for keeping the views coming is as its turning out to be one of the popular ones on here. We're looking at expanding the brands in the new year so keep a look out for them!

Other major events included Microsoft TechEd Africa 2013, going in as a novice and not knowing too much about system development, it was a tad bit intimidating but after spending a week learning and meeting people it was a real eye opener into the industry and to see what Microsoft has up its sleeves for the future makes me wanting to attend next years TechEd as well! Be sure to check out the other new segment that launched as a result of this, Bucket Tech, where we and with the help of some guest writers will be reviewing the latest gadgets that are on the market.

This year also saw me make my stage début as I was invited to be part of a bloggers panel at the first ever Durban Digital Day. The turnout was fantastic and my time on stage was nerve wrecking to say the least but again, very fortunate and privileged to be given the opportunity and to be recognised as one of the Durban based bloggers to be looked to.

Now I for one would tell you right away that I am not very active, sure I go to the gym 2 times a week, maybe 3 though  I'm a far stretch from being an athlete but when Mr Price Sport came knocking on my door asking me to participate in their inaugural Blog Olympics, I couldn't turn the offer down. Spending the day, hanging around with some of the best in the local online world was a blast and even though I was totally useless in most off the challenges which probably caused my team to come last, I never regret taking part.  

For me working with brands is important and as much as there is many to chose from, I can't work with them all, for one there is very little time to juggle my paying job with this part time hobby. Also I feel that I need to give whomever I work with the respect and time they deserve, hence I've been picky with ones I have chosen and more importantly I chose them because I genuinely like them and like working with them. One of the major ones being Tsogo Sun, despite them being one of the largest hotel groups in Southern Africa, their on line presence is second to none, with the team being on the ball to deal with PR matters. I have visited 5 of their establishments this year and I can honestly say that my experiences at all of them were brilliant. I look forward to keeping this partnership in the years ahead and also bring you reviews on the hotels I've stayed at.

Whats a year without parties? From the most recent @iLuvDBN launch party to seeing the number 1 DJ in the world, there's been tons of them but by far the most memorable one was the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Cape Town which involved a pain staking but fun road trip with mates from Durban to Cape Town. It tested all of our patience but at the same time gave us time to bond.... well mostly annoy each other but it was an unforgettable trip and one for the record books.

As the year started off on a sad note, it also ended on a sad note with the passing of former President Nelson Mandela. Like I said in my post about him, we must learn from him and practice what he has taught us, be able to forgive and move on because most of the time it is you who has to be the bigger person and most importantly be thankful for everyday that you live and don't wish them away. It's been a great year for me despite the losses and obstacles but without them life would just be boring. Make the most of it and don't wait for tomorrow to make the change, do it now. 

Have a safe New Years Eve and hope 2014 brings everyone much joy and happiness. 

#BlogO13

"If you are first, you are first. If you are second, you are a nothing" - Bill Shankly

I live my life by that quote, simply because everyone remembers who came first, never who came second. Last week I partook in the inaugural Mr Price Sport Blog Olympics, which saw 24 of the countries top lifestyle and sport bloggers compete in teams based on the city they're from, namely #TeamDurbs, #TeamJozi, #TeamCT. 3 teams, 8 events, 1 city to claim bragging rights as the first ever winners of the Mr Price Sport Blog Olympics. The challenge was clearly on from the get go as there was much fighting talk leading up to the event by the various competitors, I mean whats a competition without any banter? 

the Bloggers

When the day finally arrived and the competitors were flown in from various corners of the country, everyone had a chance to eye out the competition. It became very apparent that #TeamJozi were the ones to beat as their team included the likes of Mr Price Sport ambassador @NonhleNdala and SA hockey player @WadePaton. That didn't deter us though, it just made us want to win even more!... okay I lie, we were shit scared! After a signing our life away and changing into the sleek sporting gear that was provided for us, we made our way out to the hallowed turf of the @MMStadium. For many of the out of town bloggers, it was their first visit to the stadium and they were blown away by it. Who can blame them, besides being an architectural masterpiece it has a freaken arch dude! 

Moses in all its glory

Back to the Olympics, it was time for the first event, the Hula Hoop. Now unlike Shakira, my hips do lie...a lot. I couldn't hula to save my life as a child and nothing much has changed to this day, as I was eliminated within 10 seconds. Chia from @thesocialite however kept Durban's flag flying strong as she kept up with the others but only managed 4th place.

 Kate Nokwe claiming victory in the hula hoops

On to the next one, which was ring toss. You've seen it being played in movies and you automatically think "piece of cake, I can do that!", yeah but actually playing it is another story altogether. We were given 5 chances and there were 5 cones of which we could score points, another one of my favourite sayings is "Go big or go home", so I chose to aim for the high scoring cones further back. Suffice to say I lived up to that saying, I went big.... but I went home with nothing.

Kevin Robarts in action at the ring toss

I gathered whatever pride I had left and made my way to the next event. Now they should have have given points to people who could pronounce the name first time round. "The Waboba Ball" its a ball that can bounce on water! For this challenge we had to bounce/ skip the ball on the various levels of the fountain leading down to peoples park. The more levels it landed on, the more points you got. My aim has gotten a bit off since I stopped playing cricket a while back, so I'd just like to apologise to the cameraman I hit.

Matthew Savides winds one up for the Waboba Ball challenge

After a fun filled morning it was time to break for lunch, if only this could have counted as an event, myself and @matthewsavides would have gotten Team Durbs some much needed points! As you may have gathered things weren't looking good for us, so we had to put on our game faces for the rest of the challenges. 

Look at that level of concentration!

The next 4 events included bouncing a ball, kicking a sack, throwing darts and flinging a frisbee, sounds like child's play but when you're up against hardcore athletes its safe to say "shit got real". The mile high challenge required us to bounce a rubber ball over a series of ropes which was pretty straight forward. Hacky sack on the other hand proved to be a challenge for many as we ended up kicking each other more than the sack itself. The dart throw or Zooper Trooper as its known would have been up my alley, if I had known how to play darts but the super frisbee was pretty cool. Its a pimped out frisbee that can fly 4 to 5 times the distance to your normal one. Put it this way, if you had a dog, it would make you fetch it yourself. 

Dylan Moore in action at the hackey sack

The last event for the day was a relay challenge which only 4 people from each team could take part in, I decided to sit this one out as I didn't want to embarrasses myself  the rest of the competition. It was a tight race for the first two places with @MrCPTBlog just pipping Joburg for first place right at the end. Whilst the judges tallied the scores, the bloggers were whisked away for a ride on the skycar to the top of the arch. It is the best viewing platform the city has to offer and the views on a clear day are unmatched. 

Team Cape Town

Prize giving provided many surprises as Tyrone Woods scooped first place with Andrew Berry coming second and Uno de Waal in 3rd. The competition for winning city was close but ultimately Team Cape Town came out tops and took a well deserved win as the first ever champions of Mr Price Sport Blog Olympics.

Sun Square Hotel at night

Now that the competition was over and we all were sweaty and smelly it, we were transported to the Suncoast Sun Square hotel where we freshened up and were treated to sundowners and snacks at the pool side. A perfect way to spend the afternoon after a heavy day in the sun, the party continued to the famous Spiga D'oro where we travelled in style with Uber and were treated to Italian cuisine at its best, there may have been a bottle of patron mixed in among the celebrations. For some the night was over but for the brave, (including myself) made our way back to the hotels casino for more fun.

Kirsty Bisset aka The Patron Princess

It was a surely a day I wont forget and will be eagerly awaiting my invite for the 2014 event *hint*, it was great to meet the bloggers from other cities and spend a day socializing and having fun. All the activities were made up by using items that can be bought from Mr Price Sport new recreational range and would make the perfect Christmas gift for many, I know I got a few in mind that I want to purchase! In the end, Team Durban took bronze but Bill didn't mention anything about the team who finishes 3rd ;-)

Team Durban

A big thanks to Mr Price Sport for making this all possible and to the team at Paton Tupper for organising such an amazing event. Thanks also to the team at Moses Mabhida Stadium for providing the iconic venue and the trip up the arch, Tsogo Sun, Sun Sqaure Hotel for our accommodation, Uber for transporting us in style and Spiga D'oro for some great chow! 

Mr Price Sports BlogOlympics 2013

I'm no athlete but when Mr Price Sport invited me to take part in the inaugural BlogOlympics I immediately envisaged myself like Usain Bolt, standing on the top of the podium receiving a gold medal with the crowd cheering and the camera's flashing... okay maybe not quite Usain but you get the point right?  

What is the BlogOlympics you may ask? Well Mr Price Sport have created an event where they've selected 24 bloggers from the three major cities namely, Joburg, Cape Town and Durban and asked them to compete in eight different events for the pride of their city! The event will be be held on the 13th of November at Durban's iconic Moses Mabhida stadium and will make use of Mr Price Sports new ProMaster Range which consist of Afrisack, the Waboba Ball, the Zooper Ball and Super Frisbee. 

The organisers tell us these events are designed to be "fun" but who are they kidding? With regional show boating on the line we aren't here for "fun", we come to kick some ass! Being part of #TeamDurbs we have home ground advantage and we intend to make full use of it! Heck, we don't have to look far to draw inspiration as just across the road from the venue is the home of the current Currie Cup Champions, The Sharks! 

Others from Team Durbs include:

• Matthew Savides - The Sunday Times
• Sandile Nene  - weblogforlove.com
• Nadia van der Mescht - nadiavdmescht.co.za
• Chia Kougianos - thesocialite.co.za
• Dimi Ingle - stylescoop.co.za
• Fathima Kathradra - happinessisat.blogspot.com
• Kevin Robarts - outrightrugby.com
• Abi Ray - East Coast Radio

Now my fitness levels might not be up there with some the competitors from the other cities but you can be guaranteed one thing, I will give it my all during the challenges.... or come up with a suitable excuse for my poor performance. One thing's for sure, it is going to be an epic day filled with laughs and fun, also everyone is welcomed to be a spectator...so you can laugh at us. If you can't make it to the stadium, follow the the hashtag #BlogO13 to keep up to speed on what's going down. Local radio station East Coast Radio will be broadcasting live from the stadium between 12pm and 3pm, wonder if they'd let me dedicate a song to the rest of Team Durbs? 

For more info, check out the Official Media Release: http://www.mrpricesport.com/What-s-New/Blog-Olympics-2013.aspx