Comments (0) 2003年4月1日那天是香港最黑暗的一天﹐還記得當天有謠傳宣佈香港成為SARS疫區﹐當然這不是真的﹐但我最愛的哥哥Leslie卻選擇了那天離開了我們。
從那天起就改變了我對很多事情的看法﹐再也不像從前年少般的任性和狂妄﹐對以後的人和事都看開了不少。。。
有時真希望有些事是可以扭轉的。。。
在同年底我的婚禮上﹐我特別安排了“為你鍾情”這首歌獻比太太做為我倆對哥哥的懷念﹐我們的相識其實全因為他﹐因為太太也是個哥哥的超級Fans。
為你鍾情
作曲：王正宇 作詞：黃霑 編曲：奧金寶
為你鍾情，傾我至誠
請你珍藏這份情
從未對人，傾訴秘密
一生首次盡吐心聲
望你應承，給我證明
此際心弦，有共鳴
然后對人，公開心情
用那金指環作證
*對我講一聲，終于肯接受
以后同用我的姓
對我講一聲“I DO！ I DO！”
愿意一世讓我高興
為你鍾情，傾我至誠
請你珍藏這份情
然后百年，終你一生
用那真心痴愛來作證*
Some say Coated Poly (aka Luxilon) has changed the way how modern tennis game plays. I being one of the most loyal classic racket followers never actually paid attention to how string technologies evolved over the year to a point that it can actually affect ones game now.
In my teenage days, we only have two type of strings, A. Natural Gut which Babolat established it’s legendary status through 80s/90s and continue into the new century. B. The alternative is Synthetic Gut (most famous is Prince’s Synthetic Gut, with Spin or with Duraflex), I still remember clearly that no one uses the 3rd, C. Nylon (was it the pre-generation of Poly?).
After I started to play tennis seriously since March 2009, I heard many praise regarding how good Coated Poly (or simply refers as Poly) is, so I finally decided to give it a try on two of my old-daddy Prince Original Graphite (Oversize) yesterday. I went to a pro-shop (MRX) and asked Hill to recommend two different modern strings for me, still haven’t got time to hit it though.
Luxilon Big Banger ACE TOUCH hybrid, Ace 18 (Main), Supersense 16L (Cross)
GAMMA Professional Spin 16L
Finally, I’ve also got a chance to hit Natural Gut yesterday during my normal practicing session with CHing. And the feel is incrediblely good! I can hit a big in-side out to the right corner without going out anymore…strange, as I always believe it’s the skill, instead of string that helps, anyway, I found Natural Gut is still quite expensive and I am not ready to put on those “Ferrari” until I improved my game, or it’s going to be a complete waste.
PS. Enclosed also find an article I found on the net regarding how strings can help you to improve your game.
Which Tennis Strings Will Take Your Tennis Game to the Next Level
Tennis Strings have been one of the hottest topics of discussion on the pro tour in recent years. Most specifically how the Luxilon tennis strings have become such powerful method of improving player performance. Darren Cahill, the long time coach of Andre Agassi, recently commented that by converting his racquet to a Luxilon blend, Andre was able to improve his spin and control dramatically in the later part of his career, extending his playing days until eventually his back gave way.
This new tennis string technology will also improve the performance of developing and social players.
Natural Gut – For decades Natural Gut string was the preferred string for top professionals. Babolat VS Natural Gut had achieved legendry status as the choice of legends such as Pete Sampras. Natural Gut delivered great “feel” and comfort for the best players. It did however have drawbacks; it wasn’t very durable and would lose tension relatively quickly. For social tennis players it was out of reach due to high prices so it was only the privileged few who were able to use it.
Luxilon Poly - More recently players have however turned to the Luxilon tennis strings in great numbers. Luxilon is a “coated poly”; it is durable, maintains its tension and delivers incredible spin and control to its users. Most of the top players from Federer to Nadal to Henin use Luxilon in their string bed. Other companies have attempted to create string with similar qualities to Luxilon, not quite reaching the magic formula but providing cheaper alternatives as a result.
Hybrid String Patterns – A popular practice with top players is to “blend” their string pattern, using a different string on the mains and the crosses. Federer, for example, uses a blend of Luxilon and Natural Gut. The aim is to get the best of both world’s, the feel of Gut and the durability and spin of Luxilon. This method is highly recommended for players looking to improve their game.
A major hurdle for the developing and social player is the cost of both Luxilon and Natural Gut string. Fortunately cheaper alternatives are available which offer similar characteristics; if not quite the same performance.
All companies will have their own version of Synthetic Gut, which is designed to have similar characteristics of Natural Gut thus providing power and a “soft feel.” By spending a little extra you may experience even better performance by stringing with a “multi filament” string. “Head Rip Control”, “Prince Syn Gut Multifilament”, “Wilson NXT” and “Klip Excellerator” are examples of multifilament strings which deliver Natural Gut like characteristics without the cost.
Different tennis companies have also begun producing Luxilon type “coated poly” strings providing extra spin and durability. “Klip K-Boom”, “Head Sonic Pro” and “Kirschbaum Super Smash” are strings which imitate the qualities of Luxilon at a lower price.
Customising your racquet and string – When considering your string specifications it is also important to consider the type of racquet you use. Although technology is always improving, generally speaking racquets, like strings, are usually designed for power; or control. Using an entirely “poly” string bed in a racquet with a tight string pattern (18 mains, 95 sq inch frame) may result in a dead feeling. Conversely using a soft synthetic gut string in a wide string pattern (16 mains, 110 sq inch frame) may adversely affect your control.
Conclusion – Using a Luxilon type “poly” string in the mains and a softer “Gut” string in the crosses is a great way to get the best stringing results. Stringing entirely with a softer “gut” type string can result in broken strings and losing tension quickly. Only stringing with a “poly” can make the racquet feel stiff and uncomfortable.
If you have the budget, string your mains with Luxilon and cross with Natural Gut in a blend. You can still get great results using the cheaper options recommended in this article. This will work in all types of racquet frames and deliver the all round improvement everyone is seeking.
You may however decide you need particular upgrading in certain aspects of your game – more spin, or durability, or comfort or power. In this case you may use exclusively “poly” (more spin and durability) or “gut” (power and comfort). The most important thing is taking advantage of this revolution in tennis strings; they can and will improve your tennis game!
以前一直不太留意﹐也不太喜歡McLaren GTR的超級跑車﹐自從慢慢地增加了對這間英國的超級跑車了解後﹐就越發感到它是90年代一間可以和法拉利/林寶基尼匹敵的勁旅。
碰巧遇見香港朋友在香港雅虎拍賣區放好車﹐這黃和綠的配搭來的特別精神﹐再加上英國寄來的Octane雜誌也剛到了﹐其中的一個封面主題就是今天的主角。
這是我的第二台McLaren GTR﹐當年UT的做工還真的對得起它當時優惠的價格﹐這車現在eBay的市場價已經去到瘋狂的地步﹐幸虧這次沒太多人跟我爭這塊肥豬肉﹐令我得可以用合理價格收到了它﹐這台也是我最喜歡McLaren GTR的顏色之一。
1/18 UT McLaren GTR Harrods #51
UK Octane Magazines
I am still using Asus P2B-D with Dual Slot 1 850Mhz, going strong for the 11th year! I still remember clearly I brought it in April 1999 in Wai Chai Computer City and I’ve upgraded it many time over the years with minimal cost. (Mostly bought second hand from Go2HK & Yahoo HK)
Seemed to me the previous generation of Asus MB is so stable, I use for Internet/Email/Photoshop mostly, I can also play MKV, HD RMVB without any problem, so it’s really more than enough.
I will post this again in 2014 where it will be its 15 years.
I have two of these P2B-D, one is running as Desktop, the other running as Network File Server with iSCSI support.
The Configuration:
After 11 years, I am still totally satisfied with this DIY combo, no complain at all, no harddisk failure (so strange, giving the HD life is only 5 years).
It seemed to me that I really don’t need to upgrade for a long time to come.
最近聽到兩位師兄因打波造成腿部肌肉拉傷/撕裂﹐主要原因是現在天氣冷﹐在沒有做足夠熱身就開Set﹐追球而拉傷腿部肌肉﹔或者是之前一天已經打了很多個鐘頭﹐今天又繼續不停地劇烈運動﹐身體在沒有得到適當的休息情況下﹐各部位的反應已經沒有正常敏捷﹐一但身體反應遲鈍了就很容易出事。
還有就是如果出現肌肉抽筋的現象﹐就一定要馬上停止運動﹐因為這是身體發出的最後警告訊息﹐如果不理會繼續的話﹐就會很大機會造成嚴重的傷害。
自己而言﹐是打一天(最多3個小時)﹐休息1至2天再打﹐這樣才能令身體保持一個良好的機能去充分享受打球的樂趣。
還有就是打波一定要放松全身肌肉﹐而不是大力擊球﹐等感覺到了球﹐包多些時間才送出拍面﹐這些都是最近在師兄指導下,我一直在研究﹕無論是底線抽擊或者是發球﹐怎樣可以用小力打多些旋轉(Spin)球和多些角度(Angle)球才是贏球的竅門。
This Limited Designer Series (Continental) box set contains three beautifully detailed 1/43 scale model cars made by Minichamps. Limited to only 500 sets and individually numbered, it contains the latest Speed versions of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, the Continental GT and the Continental GTC finished in silver with contrasting Hotspur interior and Burr Walnut woodwork.
£ 127.65 ex. VAT
Autoart is going to re-produce The King of Japanese’s Ferrari – Toyota 2000 GT Coupe with upgraded parts and engines, Oh No! What about my existing 2000 GT then?
自己是個標準的賓利迷﹐但很少接觸Le Mans賽事﹐直至有一天在MC論壇看到了其它前輩刊登了這台罕見的EXP Speed 8﹐就馬上被它的流線型外表深深地吸引了。原來EXP Speed 8是賓利離開了Le Mans賽事73年後再次重新回歸的首台賽車﹐其歷史意義對賓利來說極之重大﹐EXP Speed 8的引擎是和AUDI一齊開發的﹐後來更用在AUDI之後推出的超級跑車R8身上。
雖然說這款由Autoart製造的賓利是個大龜殼﹐但其精密的還原度還是對得起它的價格。細比一下真車就知道﹐無論是從外形或車身的標貼來說﹐這車都是AA中上之作﹐總共出了3款﹐兩款8號﹐一款7號。
今天有幸朋友以合理價錢出讓﹐後來才知道原來大部份EXP Speed 8已經在市面上絕版﹐而自己就最喜歡這台的外形加上典型的英國綠﹐漂亮﹗
1/18 Autoart Bentley EXP Speed 8 L.M. 24HR 2002 A.WALLACE / B.LEITZINGER / VAN DE POELE #8
![Bentley-EXP_Speed_8_2002_1280x960_wallpaper_02[1]](http://www.modelcar.hk/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Bentley-EXP_Speed_8_2002_1280x960_wallpaper_021.jpg "Bentley-EXP_Speed_8_2002_1280x960_wallpaper_02[1]")
這台是一位在拍賣網站認識的朋友慷慨送給我的見面禮物﹐我真的很感謝他﹗
Exoto出的一系列Sauber-Mercedes C9都代表了其精湛的工藝早在很久以前已經遠遠超越了Autoart,Minichamps, Kyosho層面的車模製造商﹐如果用其水準跟CMC相比的話﹐也一點不過份。
先後收了3個Exoto Le Mans拉力賽的車模﹐是一個比一個令我讚嘆不已﹐如果你有機會﹐就一定要收藏這些Exoto的代表作﹐因為它正正代表了現今高端水準的車模收藏。
1/18 Sauber-Mercedes C9 Le Mans Race Car #62
另附上今早樓下鄰居的買給自己的新年禮物BMW M3
This news brought lights to my gloomy morning.
Nice nice!!! 70/80’s big name Sergio Tacchini is finally back onto the court especially with stars like Djokovic!!!
It’s one of my favourite brand as well, weared by so many big names in the 80s’ like Sampras, Mcenroe, Ivanisevic, etc and even carry the glory to the 90s’ by Hingis…
and just in case you don’t know.
Sergio Tacchini is technically a Hong Kong company now! Yeah!
See the news from FT:
Hembly boss buys Sergio Tacchini
By Robin Kwong in Hong KongPublished: June 6 2008 06:00 | Last updated: June 6 2008 06:00
A Hong Kong businessman has bought Sergio Tacchini, the Italian tennis-wear brand that in its prime sponsored top players John McEnroe and Pete Sampras but has since fallen on hard times.
The purchase by Billy Ngok, who is also chairman of Hembly, a distributor and supply-chain services company, marks the first Chinese acquisition of a major European sportswear brand.
The deal also adds to the growing number of recent foreign brand acquisitions by Chinese manufacturers and so-called “middlemen” companies seeking to move up the value chain.Xinyu Hengdeli, the biggest luxury watch retailer in China, bought a 90 per cent stake in Italian hand-crafted pen brand Omas from LVMH last October.
Sergio Tacchini, an Italian tennis player, founded the eponymous brand in 1966. It claims to have introduced colour into professional tennis apparel that had previously been white-only. The brand enjoyed success in Italy and France, enlisting top-seeded tennis stars including Jimmy Connors, Martina Hingis, and more recently Goran Ivanisevic when he won the Wimbledon title as a wild-card in 2001.
But intense competition from global sportswear brands such as Nike and Adidas, a lack of expansion beyond its core European market and an overall decline in the tennis wear market has resulted in heavy losses in the past few years for the family-owned business.
There were other problems, such as an acrimonious break-up with Ms Hingis in 1999 that led to her suing the brand in 2002 for giving her shoes that she claimed had hurt her feet.
Sergio Tacchini filed for bankruptcy in Italy early last year, which created an opportunity for Mr Ngok to buy the brand, as Hembly was already a supplier for Sergio Tacchini.
Mr Ngok closed the deal in late April to buy Sergio Tacchini’s assets for €27m ($42m) and inject an extra €33m into the business, and revealed the details to the Financial Times yesterday. Mr Ngok, who made the acquisition as a private investment, has granted Hembly an option to purchase Sergio Tacchini within the next three years.
“Instead of producing just for the manufacturer’s [profit] margin, we are moving into the brand management margin,” Mr Ngok said. “Why, today, am I only working for other people?”
Under a lease agreement, a team assembled by Mr Ngok has already been managing Sergio Tacchini for the past year. During that time, the company had sales of €60m and a modest profit.
Mr Ngok plans to introduce the Sergio Tacchini brand into mainland China next year and open 200 stores there in the following three years. By 2012, China should account for up to 30 per cent of the brand’s global sales, Mr Ngok said. “China will be the engine of growth [for Sergio Tacchini]”, he added.
