Quick Update
Hey guys, just wanted to drop by and leave a quick blog entry. I am currently taking a small vacation for the holiday season here at my mother's house in Laredo, TX. Sadly, I don't know any people here in Laredo that play TT, or even where I can find a table to play on at all!
I am hoping that this little break will be more beneficial than detrimental for my game. A lot of the time I find myself getting so bogged down in tiny little details that I begin to lose sight of the bigger picture. Sometimes taking a break lets me clear my mind and come back to the game with a renewed mentality. Hopefully this is the case after my vacation!
In other news, being home has put my mother in an incredibly giving mood. She offered to buy pay for new rubbers for my racket! She doesn't mind the price tag so I think I know what I am getting for Christmas...I can finally get the Tenergy 05s that I have wanted for so long but couldn't get due to college budgeting. Bless her beautiful soul! Anybody know where would be a good place to order from? Is megaspin alright?
Goodnight (It is 2:44 am here in Texas)!
Comments
Tenergy 05
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I can recommend Tenergy 05 as it seems to give some pretty good topspin. On the downside it is a bit tricky to block with, as the oppontent's spin really bites and often over-shoots the table.
Is TX Texas? If so you have a promising player in Ariel Hsing. I like watching her progress.
Tenergy 05
It will definitely take some adjustment and time before I can get completely used to the new rubbers, but I am very excited to finally have the opportunity to own my own tenergy rubbers. TX is indeed Texas. Do you know what area or city Ariel plays in? I live in the Rio Grande Valley bordering Mexico in South Texas. Sadly, the TT community down here is not very strong. You need to travel up north a bit if you want to find any of the bigger clubs or competition.
megaspin & off topic sorry
I link to megaspin above as you may have noticed - I have a lot of correspondance with them about equipment and have bought quite a few thiings in the past from them - I do recommend them totally, as any small problems I had they actually made me glad there was a problem ie I got more than I paid for...
I have always wondered about that area... Is there any drug trafficking or gangs wars going on around that area? I have heard the border on the Mexican side has lots of drug related killings... maybe a picture of your town?
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Texas Mexican Border
I lived in Laredo for 16 years of my life before I went out to college in a nearby town and, to be completely honest, there is not an incredibly high crime rate, especially compared to other large cities in the U.S. The reality of living in a border town is that you can very easily find trouble and get involved in crime and drug related activity if you go out and look for it. There are, on the other hand, HUGE drug and violence problems in the neighboring city of Nuevo Laredo. It is not uncommon to hear about murders and drug cartel violence right across the border. People here in Laredo rarely like to cross the border, which is probably a 5 minute drive from my parent's home here. There have been kidnapping incidents involving high school students going across the border to the clubs over there (the drinking age is 18 in Mexico compared to the 21 in the U.S.). Rarely do serious problems flow over from Mexico into the United States. I live here and can say that I have never had any issues.
Here are some pictures of downtown Laredo, the closest area to the bridge (walking distance).
This area is the oldest part of town. The rest of Laredo is much newer than downtown because of the huge amount of growth we have seen.
If you want to see more pictures I would be happy to post more, but I think it is time for me to go to bed. It is very late here! Goodnight!
Enthusiansm
Hi Marcelo, I like your enthusiasm for the sport. Since I discovered Table Tennis it has also become a good route to finding new friends. Most people that play seem to be pretty cool.
Your choice of favourite player, Timo Boll, is a good one. He's got a fantastic all-round game and is just a super blocker. A good sport too and always shows appreciation for the victor when he loses. The Chinese could learn something from him here.
I checked out Ariel Hsing on Google and she is from California. She's only 16 so she can still improve a lot. The trouble is that the Chinese girls are top class by that age so not sure if she will make it to the very top. Are there any promising American men coming up?
Back to favourite players and I like Michael Maze, Adrien Mattinet and Liam Pitchford. Pitchford is Englands big prospect. Check these guys out on youtube, they never have a dull match.
I played for four hours today and hardly won a game. Still enjoyed it though and hit the odd decent shot. I desperately want to get better.
quick holiday
Thanks for the insight, felt like I just took a trip to a random place in the world.
I used to dream about holidaying in Mexico, but my ideas of it were wrong. I imagined big fat guys drinking tequilla playing those big guitars and big horns, some where near an arid looking beach town.
Then I researched mmmm got scared.
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Mexico
Mexico is a beautiful country that I can call my birthplace. The country is filled with the most amazing places to visit, beautiful beaches, amazing cities and mountains, and gorgeous forests and ancient ruins. Sadly the country is in a bad state right now because of these drug cartels. The people in Mexico are a beautiful people with a lot of culture and love for their country. If you ever go to a game with the national soccer team in Mexico city, you can feel the pride that these people have in their country. Sadly, they live in constant fear nowadays. 20 years ago this would have been a completely different story. Now, all we can do is hope and wait that Mexico manages to figure out all the problems that it is having and can eliminate the drug cartels. Maybe someday you will be able to visit the Mexico that you imagined.
Enthusiasm
Table tennis is something that I can truly say that I love to do. I have made so many new and good friends through it that I may have never had the opportunity to meet otherwise. I am glad that there are so many people that are passionate about the sport as well, and I am even happier that I have the opportunity to talk to people that love the sport from all around the world!
Timo Boll is my favorite athlete, hands down. I love watching him play and even if he wins or loses, he always gives it his best and it is always exciting. Like you said, he is a very good sportsman. There is always a smile on Timo's face, even if he loses the game. When he wins, he is never cocky or disrespectful. Not only that, but he is an incredible athlete. His ability to play is astounding! I love seeing his incredible offensive loops! At the same time, Timo has excellent all around play and can block shots coming from the best in the world. He is one of the few non-Chinese players that can consistently play at a high level with the Chinese.
I know how it feels to go and play for a few hours and not win all to well. We just have to keep going and continue to get better! There is no way we are ever going to improve if we don't continue to practice and enjoy the game! I too want to become better, I just need to keep trying!
Merry Christmas America and Thailand
I say that to those two countries as they are the main guys that will read this comment. :)
I hope so, I have met a large group of Mexicans that were my students in Australia, all I can say is that they were great fun. Fun loving people, down to earth with great sense of friendship or common good.
They are good people I know for certain. It is the an abstract line drawn geographically that causes economic power differences that kind of create a similar weather pattern that can be seen in Florida or the Rockies.
That make sense?
sorry
Merry Christmas
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Merry Christmas!
I hope that everyone has a very merry Christmas wherever you are on our beautiful Earth! I truly wish that everyone gets the opportunity to experience yet another awesome Christmas whether it is with family or friends. I know I just met you guys here on this forum, but it has still been a pleasure speaking to you guys for the last few weeks!
I know exactly what you are talking about. It is crazy to see how Laredo is so safe, where just across the border there are people being hurt and often times killed. I truly hope that the problems in Mexico are resolved because, like you said, the people of Mexico are a kind and beautiful people. I pray that everything in Mexico returns to normal soon and that everyone is safe tonight for Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
As a Gringo I can't understand
Why there is so much violence in Mexico. The Mexican police or our FBI, if they could cross the border, could wipe them out in no time. It isn't like we don't know who they are or where they are. The Mexican police can be bought. If our FBI could cross the border to eradicate the drug lords there the problem would be greatly reduced.
I lived in San Diego for a few months yet I never wanted to go to Mexico. However, I have been to Canada many times and lived there for over a year. Actually, Canada is our best customers per capita.
I have been to Canada and stayed there so much that the when I was at a trade show in NZ the Canadians were willing to make me a temporary honorary citizen and let me hand out with them while in NZ.
There is a world of difference between going north to Canada and south to Mexico.
Just so you Ozzies know that is what the Mexicans call us.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gringo
I don't really don't take offense at the term Gringo. I just wish they would keep there troubles on their side of the border.
Hey Gringo!
No I have watched as most of us have lots of USA tv and movies and we have heard the hey gringo a million times.
back on topic TT brings us together. And welcome to a new year 2012!!!!!!!
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Last note
It would be awesome if the FBI got involved with the situation, but it is not going to happen. The Mexican government is completely overrun by these drug lords and the police and army are completely infiltrated. I wish you could see the actual situation in Mexico right now. In reality, we don't know where they are or who is involved exactly. Everyone is afraid to step up. No one wants to lead a military campaign against them in Mexico because every time that some one steps up to lead, the person is almost immediately killed. Would you like to step into the shoes of the the guy that was just killed? The people are scared, no one wants to step up out of fear for their lives, and the cartels are running around doing whatever they want. The Mexican people are a good, honest, and proud country that is being destroyed by greedy people with no regard for life. The US government won't help, especially not with the FBI. The trouble is on their side of the border, I can attest to that myself. I have lived in a border town for my entire life and I have never experienced and violence relating to that here in the US. The real cause of the problem is here in the US. There would not be such a huge amount of drug related violence and trafficing if the US was not the largest consumer of said drugs. They are just following the demand.It wasn't always like this. A few years back this was not a problem. I remember always going to Mexico to visit my family, we never had a problem. Now it is just a waiting game, waiting for something or someone to change.
Quick side note, gringo is not an offensive term. It is a distinctive term that they use to talk about Americans. You could ask why not just translate Americans to Spanish? "Estadounidenses" is kind of a mouthful. Nothing derogatory about it. I am actually considered a Gringo, just because I grew up here even though I am full blooded Mexican. Straight from the Wiki article you linked. "For Latin Americans the word is simply a more accurate term to describe someone specifically from the U.S. The other two options would be either "Estadounidense" (Unitedstatesan), which becomes too long, or "Americano," which Latin Americans generally begrudge (Spanish geography nominates all nations in North and South America, not as two separate continents, but as one American Continent with its northern, central and southern sections. For this reason, the term "Americano" seems incorrect to those who live in Mexico, Central, and South America)."
Either way, I am kind of done talking about this. I don't mind answering questions about Mexico or life here on the border but it bothers me when people don't really know what is going on down in Mexico. I would rather talk about TT.