GRIP IT! Babolat Babol XL Overgrip Review.

Whether it's choosing a new racquet, testing new strings or experimenting with lead tape, everybody has a different approach to it. Most will look at what their favourite pro use. Die-hard tennis fans will do whatever it takes to have the exact equipment pros have. But does it really work? Can you achieve that desired pro effect you want?
Take me for an example. I use to think Wilson's Pro Overgrip is the best OG there is because Federer and other top pros use. The thing is I have very sweaty palms so the thing loses its grip in 2 hours but I kept on buying them because Federer uses it. See the problem?
Then I started using other grips of similar type. I experimented with different brands and stuck to the Babolat Pro Tour grip (I don't remember the exact name) for some time. I even bought a 10-pack Tourna Grip because I heard its the best tacky grip on the market. I was wrong. None of them worked for me. Until I found this: Babol XL.
It has to be the most underrated OG ever. It's so cheap but it's extremely good. I bought this about 2 months ago and I still haven't regripped any of my racquets. So let's begin the review.

The XL is probably the cheapest Babolat OG I've seen in the Malaysian market. But I had my doubts when buying it bulk so I bought the 3 pack. Upon installing it I was sceptical about the way it feels. Turns out I was wrong as always. This thing has plenty of grip despite having that cheap plastic feel to it. Sweaty palms? No issues at all. During those intense moments I was still able to hold my racquet the way I wanted to hold it. With those 'pro' OG my racquets end up slipping all the time. Speaking of tremendous amount of grip brings me to its downside, there's so much grip it gave my palm and fingers blisters. You wouldn't want to shake hands with me after a match. Another bad point is the perforations on the OG surface. It's not a bad thing for some,  though but I dislike sweat getting into the base grip. Other than that I think I've found the perfect overgrip for me and won't be changing for a very, very long time.

**Yes I know the introduction is longer than the actual review. That's so me.**

MMT. Lang Buana Camp Site, Kuala Kangsar, Perak

Day 2

Boring. I'm of course referring to the traditional ice breaking we have during the first night. I don't blame the committee and it's not their fault. The participants are the ones to blame. Everything's the same 'ol boring stuff they say and those who tried their best to be funny failed miserably. Thanks to us seniors to spice things up.
Okay, moving on. Day 2 began with a heavy breakfast (so much for the 'camping' feel) and me being me, I ate a can of baked beans =)
The next agenda would be a jungle trekking session across the river. We seniors were tasked to 'torture' them juniors. We did pretty well although it was slightly cruel. What bugged us was the lack of respect from the freshmen. Their leader (which by then obviously didn't deserve being one) not only stressed us but his team as well. An immature leader is immature. Period.
Camp site's extremely hot today and the fact that hot water is pouring out from unheated pipes didn't really help.
Theatre night's tonight followed by grilled dinner and Night Walk which I'm definitely looking forward to. That's it for now. The heat is causing me to suffer from migrain. Till next time, peeps.

MMT. Lang Buana Camp Site, Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Day 1
Let's do a short diary on what has happened today. Woke up early to pack 'cuz I'm not the type who packs the night before a trip. Things didn't go so well with the participants from my batch of students and the organizers. We got lost midway and it annoyed us, the lecturers and our freshmen juniors.
The place isn't what I expect it would be but I love being outdoors so it didn't bother me that much. But boy am I starving. What was initially planned as a three-day stock became two. I've went through an entire loaf of bread even before midnight. I should definitely learn to be conservative during jungle trips. Dinner's almost ready so that's my cue to leave. Stay tuned for updates.

**NOTE: my internet line is incredibly slow if non-existent. It's a jungle anyway so you can't expect much.

2 + 2 = SMART READING

Another day, another blog.
A few days ago a friend of mine came up with a brilliant question: How do you act smart in front of people smarter than you? The question was addressed to a lawyer during a one-day seminar last week. The answer she gave was expected. You have to read a lot. I asked the same question to my Professor and he answered the same thing but he added: You have to know the person and engage him by showing an interest in his 'field'.
Good that's settled.

So here's the thing. Today's blog will be about how to read articles smartly. I came across a great book touching on this very topic itself. It's called Why Do Positive Thinkers Win by Ken Bossone.
An interesting part of the book mentioned that 'smart' people DO NOT read newspapers and magazines. Before you start flaming me, understand that the author meant NOT reading an entire article in those printed media (is there such a term?). What they do is they'll read the first few paragraphs, skip the body and head straight for the conclusion. Intriguing, no?
I immediately sought out for a newspaper and read the front page article. instantly, I knew why.
Most articles posted online or in print begin with the main point. The first two paragraphs always contain the issue and who did it and when.
The body will either mention past events or something that doesn't give much of an impact to the article itself. Somehow it makes me wonder why the body existed in the first place. It's an unnecessary filler that will either create another problem or contradictions. What smart people like you and I should do is ignore the body and continue on to the last few paragraphs. There is an 80% chance you can guess what the body will talk about.
The topic resumes at the closer. What action has been taken? What will happen next? They're all in the conclusion. Don't believe me? Go grab a newspaper right now. Even an online article would suffice.

This can be applied to a majority of articles out there. Unless it's a scholarly article or something related to national security, I can guarantee that that'll be the case.

Thanks for reading and if you have any ideas you would like to share, feel free to comment below.

Randomousity Part 2

Ah, October is here! I'm back after a long hiatus from both blog- and vlogging. This would be my last semester here in UiTM Shah Alam and what and important semester this is. Part of me wanted to focus on my thesis paper tonight. Another says I should relax and continue playing my favourite MMORPG. The other 1/3 says I should finish all the books I bought last week. Well, screw them. I feel like writing tonight. I know, I'm THAT bored.

To be honest, I have a confession to make. During my 2 months break I had my internship/industrial training or practical training, however you want to call it. I had a blast but that's not the point. Someone I grown to like in THAT company has said I'm not how other 21 year olds are. And I accept that. I don't mind people telling me that I'm way over my head or overconfident. I KNOW I AM. Thing is, she has inadvertently challenged me to be someone else in 6 months time (when I see her next, PROBABLY). Whoever knows me will know that I'm not the type that give in to what others say about me. I like who I am eventhough it's way off the norm. But somehow what she said kept me thinking: should I continue being like this?

It's insane how people around you can influence your behaviour obliviously. One minute I'm the usual me pretending I'm the King of the World and the next I feel like an massive idiot in front of them. Last weekend I attended a module called 'Finishing School' whereby final semester students are required to attend a one-day course on what to expect once we're done with our degree (job hunting, interview etiquettes, etc). It's strange how someone with a high degree of self-esteem like me can be so nervous about something so simple such as introducing myself to others. I had this amazingly hot coordinator and we were tasked to conduct a mock-interview. While everyone was thinking on their strengths and weaknesses I was busy trying to figure out how to attract her. Everyone did the typical greetings and stuff but I opened in a different way. Compliments. Without going into too much details let's just say I got what I wanted. I wasn't aiming on hitting on her. I just needed her attention so that she remembers me. The topic she wanted didn't matter anymore. Where am I going with this? I'm way off topic, if there's even one to begin with.

Back to the task on being 'mature'. I have thrown away a lot of my past attitudes and I'm gradually developing a new me. It's not an easy task to abolish that 'happy-go-lucky' me. It was me who took up the challenge so I can't blame anyone if I fail myself. I like it that way. 6 months from now I expect a different me. The one thing that's holding me back is creativity. I lack that skill. I'm also an extremely schematic person and I love following the rules and stuff. Big task ahead of me.

Also, I've been working on a novel. Yeap, my own novel. The framework part is done so I definitely know what I'll be writing about except for the genre. Frankly, I'm thinking of doing a non-fiction story because it's real that way. I'm a big fan of fantasy books but the way my story is constructed isn't suitable for that genre. Besides, my vocabulary and language isn't that good enough to create flowery bombastic sentences. Nevertheless, I'll do my best and hopefully I'm done with it next year.

It is now 11.49pm so it's time for me to go. I have a meeting with my thesis supervisor in the morning and a good night rest is what I desperately need right now.

Till then. Cherio =)

NIC

P/s Current readings (Amazon Associate links): I Can Read You Like a Book, A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3),The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists,The Mortal Instruments

Babolat Pro Hurricane/ N.Vy Hybrid Tennis String Review

Babolat Pro Hurricane/ N.Vy Hybrid String. Image retrieved from http://www.tennis-warehouse.com 6/7/2012 

I was in search for a new tennis string to replace my 2-year old setup. I've been using the Babolat Pro Hurricane (not Tour) for more than 2 years (plus) now and it was time for a change. I didn't agree with that decision at first. The PH has been an absolute wonder but I needed to experiment with other strings just for the fun of it. Before the PH, I used a couple of other strings like Ashaway Crossfire (Kevlar/poly hybrid), Wilson Stamina, Wilson Sensation and the Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour. I toyed around with them but somehow they never suited my playing style. So I picked up the PH and immediately it was love at first sight.
So I stuck with it for 2 years, varying in tensions and gauges until the last one broke. And so my search began...

With budget in mind I wanted a string provides me excess spin without the need to spend a lot of money. Sure there are strings like Technifibre Black Code, Babolat RPM Blast (next review, perhaps?), Gamma's polygon strings and so forth but they're all expensive. NOTE: Malaysian tennis scene isn't that big so the stuffs here are generally very expensive - a full Natural Gut bed costs RM250 average (that's like US$80).

Surveying a lot of tennis shops (retail and discount) landed me with this string: the Babolat Pro Hurricane/ N.Vy Hybrid. It was on sale and it wasn't far from my previous set up so I decided to give it a shot (cost around RM30 I believe). After 2 months of playtesting this, I was ready to write a review.

The Review
I didn't expect much from a budget string, to be honest. I never heard of this string nor did I check any reviews online before buying it (helps eliminate biasses). The setup is simple: buy 2 packs for both my racquets (Wilson K6.1 95 and Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex) and string them with equal tensions. I'm no expert in string setups so cut me some slacks, okay? =)
I strung the mains with the PH at 50lbs and crosses with the N. Vy (which is Nylon by the way) at similar tensions.

Initially the power provided was excellent. I liked the way it feels though the I immediately noticed the lack of spin potential off the string bed. I kept a positive mind: I knew it wasn't a full fledge spin-friendly string so I kept going. It didn't take long before I notice that this wasn't the string for me. Here's why:

1) Power
Fresh off the stringing machine, this string has tremendous amount of power. Based on online reviews, it wasn't hard to see why juniors and people with strict budget chose this particular string. After 2 hours or so you'll definitely notice a difference in tension and a drop in power. Ball bite isn't really there either. If you're that type who loves being aggressive and enjoys playing with flat shots, this isn't the string for you.

2) Spin Potential
The PH and nylon's textures really helped in this department. For the first 30 minutes the string provides enough spin to (almost) always keep the ball in. It isn't as explosive as other spin-friendly strings but it's adequate for people who blend both flat and top spin shots together.

3) Durability
When it comes to budget strings, durability can play a huge role in deciding what to get for your tennis racquet. Whilst this string is average in power and spin, its long-lastingness isn't that great. My gripe about this string is that top spin shots can be abrasive to the nylon's texture and after a week or so I noticed some of the threads have snapped. I immediately changed my play style to flat shots (which I'm terrible at. I love top spin). I'm not a string breaker so it lasted almost 2 months before the entire thing snapped (and broke my K 95 in the process). My advice: Buy bulk and string often if you're planning to get this.

4) Feel
Another big issue about tennis strings is the way it feels off the racquet. Simply put it I didn't like how this one feels. It was rough and sounds horribly without a dampener (even worse on the APDC). If you're a fan of that 'stiff' feeling then this might be for you.

All in all, this string is for people who don't feel like spending that much on strings or tennis beginners feeling unsure what to buy. It's definitely not long lasting and the tension drops after 2 hours of play. The nylon's quality is atrocious and snaps after being abused to much. Over 5, I rate this at 3.5.

A closer look at the hybrid. Pro Hurricane in blue and N. Vy in white  

DEATH! Don't mind the dampener. Cheapest solution out there and it never comes off.  

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Randomousity Part 1

Do I really have to start with how long have I been absent from the blogging world? Meh, I don't care. Ever since I started Vlogging (youtube.com/meisternicshow) I rarely think about writing anymore.

Thing is I have a lot thing to spit out. Good things, bad things, rants and raves, oh you know, the usual stuff from me. I’m in the middle of a 3 weeks long exam and so far I’m doing alright. I know my limitations. I won’t have any trouble with questions involving maths but when it comes to reading and memorizing stuff – oh, the pain! – I suck big time! I’ll just have to deal with that; and my neater-than-a-woman’s handwriting. That’s another thing that holds me back. I take a longer time to write than most guys and girls in the exam hall. Changing my handwriting for the better good? No way. I love my penmanship. It’s better than yours.

Tennis is a big part of my life; everyone around me agrees. I’m addicted to it. I think about it all the time; in the showers, during study sessions, eating, lectures, you name it. Tennis is always in my mind. Anyway, I just got back from an average session today. Yesterday was worse. I couldn’t hit anything. I broke my main racquet (which has serviced me for 2 years) and now I’m back to my previous racquet which is (how do I put it?) TERRIBLE. Adapting to change can sometimes be bad. Now I know why tennis professionals hardly change their gears. I can’t wait to get a new racquet once the new semester starts. No point buying it now because I’m almost done.

Having my practical (WORK OMG) after this. I’ve never done part time jobs in my life so this would be an (read: INTERESTING) experience for me. Nervous? Definitely. But I’m no quitter.

Today I read an article on Zerotohundred about Aston Martin releasing the new V12 Vantage Roadster. It’s amazing how AML (Aston Martin – Lagonda) is releasing new models in a short period of time. They’re turning into a mainstream production company now and it kind of bugs me. I love Aston. I love their heritage, the beauty of their cars and I definitely love how they sound. It would be a dream to own one. Honestly, I’m working my way to owning an Aston (preferably the DB9 but any model would do). DB9’s the cheapest: about RM400k+ for a second hand. Sounds achievable? That’s before considering the road tax: RM18, 000 annually. My hopes should be shattered, don’t you agree? I’m a positive thinker. I know I can own one. I didn’t say I have to get one at a specific age, right? So what if I get to buy one at 50? The goal is to attain an Aston Martin supercar.

If you’re thinking I’m jumping topics too fast and it’s annoying I suggest you read the title of this blog. There’s a reason why I call is Randomousity.

Over lunch, the people I went out with were constantly talking about marriage. I for one dislike the topic and they know it but I’ve no rights to complain. I prefer getting married at the age of 30 (I’m 22 this year) but not them. They wanted it ASAP. I don’t give in to this whole start a family idea. I want to marry (yes, I totally do) but only after I think my single life becomes ultimately boring. You may say I’m afraid of responsibility. I say I enjoy being free from obligations. Spouses will hold you back, believe me. I hate kids, by the way :P

I think about my future but not in a typical fashion: I dream BIG. I’m not sure what would make my life complete but I know this: I want my own tennis court, I want my wife and kid(s) to love tennis and I want an Aston Martin. There are other things in between but let’s keep that for another time, shall we? By not achieving these it doesn’t mean my life would suck. I learn how to appreciate.

That brings me to the final topic: Appreciating. I have had to deal with this word since God knows when. People around me need some drilling in their heads so that they would start appreciating others. I don’t say much to them because it’s in their nature to be like that. Are other people around the world different? I hardly think so and that is why I’m able to adapt. If I don’t like them I just say it. I curse a lot and I’m not ashamed of people looking at me in another way.

Oh! Hold…

(Went to eat my chocolate lava cake)

Okay I’m back. Thing is people in Selangor (that’s where I’m at) and Kuala Lumpur (the place I always hang out at) are not the appreciative kind. Saying thank you and giving them a smile seems to be a big deal for them to do. How hard is it to look in someone’s face, smile and say thank you? How hard? I was once in Giant (hypermarket) and this Indian cashier looks like she was about to give up life (no, seriously I’m not kidding). The woman before me was giving her a lot of pressure and after all the trouble the cashier got into, not a single sign of thank you was given to her. My principle is to say thank you first without waiting for the other to do it. When I praise someone for being pretty I do expect a “Thank you” or “I’m flattered” but I what I usually get is “I know” and “Tell me something I don’t know”. Sigh.

That will be all for now. I need to continue studying the most boring subject ever. Before I end this I would like to say that I’m not specifically pin-pointing anyone in this blog. I’m speaking in general terms so don’t take heart. I love you all and I mean it. Except to the ones I dislike; that’s like less than 5 people.

Until then, hobey-ho! Let’s go!
MeisterNic

Professor Layton and the Last Spectre Part 8

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Professor Layton and the Last Spectre Part 7

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Professor Layton and the Last Spectre Part 6

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Professor Layton and the Last Spectre Part 5

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Professor Layton and the Last Spectre Part 4

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Professor Layton and the Last Spectre Part 3

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Professor Layton and the Last Specter Part 2

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New Playthrough! Professor Layton and the Last Specter

I intentionally edited the clips to look like that. If you don't agree with me then I'm sure that there are other playthroughs out there that suits your viewing experience. I made it like this so that the screens are bigger. Thanks for watching and don't forger to rate =)

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Album Review: Imaginaerum by Nightwish

Hey there! It's been a long time coming, really. I've been meaning to do this review after I first heard it but that would be biased. After listening to Nightwish's latest studio album for at least 100 hours I think I'm ready to write this review =)

Donation

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dailyNIC #10: Starcraft II Analysis

PART 1


PART 2


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dailyNIC #9: Starcraft II Analysis

PART 1

PART 2

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dialyNic #8: Amnesia Justine Part 2

dailyNic #7: New Year's Resolution - Do You Really Need It?