Asia Supersports Group seals FIM Asia Supermoto Championships deal with Newcastle City Council

Asia Supersports Group (ASG) recently secured a three-year deal with the Newcastle City Council to host the first round of FIM Asia Supermoto Championships in the second most populous area of New South Wales, Australia. Satheswaran Mayachandran, chief executive officer of ASG, disclosed that the group has selected Australia as the first round which will be held on September 3 and 4, 2016.

[L-R] Graeme Boyd, CEO of Boyd Events Pty Ltd; Satheswaran M, 

CEO of Asia Supersports Group; and Nuatali Nelmes, Lord Mayor of 

Newcastle City at the launch of FIM Asia Supermoto Championship 

2016’s first round at Foreshore Park, Newcastle.

ASG, the exclusive rights holder of the FIM Asia Supermoto Championships sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme of Asia (FIM Asia), has embarked on a journey to promote supermoto as a major motorsport event in the region. The first series of championship held in 2015 featured over 18 top international riders from 12 countries including Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Kingdom.

“Supermoto is an emerging sport in the Asia Pacific region, with surging interest towards the profession. This deal with Newcastle will further expand the sport’s reach in the Oceania region, creating a rapidly growing platform that will engage and entertain two-wheel motorsport enthusiasts for years to come,” said Mayachandran.

                                                                   

He added that Newcastle is an ideal ground to kick start the 2016 series with its quality infrastructure, amenities, and sizable fan base. “Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok will also be selected to host the championship. Dates for these cities will be announced soon.”

[Left] Satheswaran M, CEO of Asia Supersports Group; presenting a memento to 

(center) Stuart Ayers, NSW Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Major Events and 

Minister of Sports; and (right) Graeme Boyd, CEO of Boyd Events Pty Ltd.

Supermoto, a race that combines various exciting elements of motocross, dirt track, and road racing in one discipline. Courses feature jumps, tight hairpin turns, and high-speed straights on both dirt and asphalt surfaces. Tracks and venues can vary considerably, allowing races to be held at racing circuits, sports stadiums, on open car parks, and on closed-course city streets. This unique sport offers pure excitement and adrenaline-filled fun for the spectators, who can be as close to the race as a few meters.

NSW Tourism, Major Events and Sports Minister Stuart Ayres mentioned that the race in Newcastle expects to draw more than 3,300 international overnight visitors over three years with an estimated visitor expenditure of AU$1.9-million (RM5.62-million), in addition to a sizable number of  local Australians. “We are pleased that ASG has selected Newcastle as the opening round of the championship series, driving a stronghold amount of visitors, tourists, and global supermoto enthusiasts to our city.”

The FIM Asia Supermoto Championships 2016 is organised by Asia Supersports Group, Bikenation Motorsports Sdn Bhd, CW Media Sdn Bhd, and E-Plus Entertainment Productions (M) Sdn Bhd, supported by Destination NSW, Tourism Hunter, and Newcastle City Council.

My Caliraya Adventure (Day 1)

I was invited by a marketing executive of a leading pipe maker Atlanta Industries Inc., owner of Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort, to attend a bloggers' event courtesy of the resort. As part of the resort's marketing campaign, the objective of the event was to increase awareness about Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort using the Internet as a medium of information dissemination. The former name of the resort is Caliraya Springs Golf & Marina Resort Complex, now the resort owner would like to repackage the resort brand into making it more sporty and adventurous. The resort would like to expand their customer base by targeting groups of individuals and corporate clients, positioning the resort as a perfect place to conduct their team-building activities.

The event I was attending to is actually the third of a series of bloggers' events. Of course, as part of my due diligence, I made some online researches to arm myself with some basic knowledge about the resort before going there. I just saw a couple of blogs and browse the resort's website. I was just wondering at that juncture that if the event was already on its third batch how come there is not much online hype about the resort. Uh-ohh, maybe the bloggers ahead of us have not yet posted their write-ups, I just assumed.  

Accessibility    

Caliraya Lake is situated in the towns of Lumban, Cavinti, and Kalayaan in Laguna. Its tranquil blue waters and the cold mountain breeze that blows from the Sierra Madre mountain and Mount Banahaw make Caliraya Lake a perfect place to relax away from the bustling metropolis. 

Caliraya could be reach by public or private transport. But, as always, whenever I would like to write a blog about an out-of-town place, I would always choose to commute going there. Because first in my agenda is the place's accessibility. So, I took public transport when I went to Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort in Cavinti, Laguna on September 27 to attend the overnight bloggers' event. Actually, it was originally scheduled on September 21, but due to Typhoon Mario, it was moved to another week.   

A rule of thumb when travelling sans a private vehicle is to "travel lightly". So, I and my companion didn't bring too much clothes and unnecessary stuffs with us. The write-up is meant for a blog, anyway; hence, instead of bringing a DSLR camera, I just brought my mobile phone and iPad mini with me. Their five-megapixel graphic resolution is hi-res enough for publication online. I didn't bring any jewelries as well just my water resistant Mossimo with red straps. I didn't bring maong pants as well for they are heavy in the bag. Just a couple of light fabric walking shorts, a pair of ultra-lightweight Voit sneakers, a denim jacket as insulation for cold temperature, a pair of rubber slippers, and my Eastpak travelling bag.      

Going back, there are several ways to reach Caliraya. But since I'd be coming from Manila, this was the route I've taken: I rode a Greenstar Liner bus in Buendia Avenue, Pasay City, going to Sta. Cruz, Laguna via South Luzon Expressway. The bus fare was Php140. Travel time was approximately two hours from the Buendia terminal going to Sta. Cruz.  

I got off the bus a few meters away from its Sta. Cruz terminal. There I asked some folks about going to Caliraya. The most convenient way, I was told, was to ride a tricycle, but the fare is Php300. I thought it was a rip-off; thus, I opted to take the other option--two jeepney rides. One was taking me to the terminal where all the trips were going to Caliraya. The fare was just the minimum Php8.50. At the terminal, I have to ride another jeepney that would take me to my destination. There were several other jeepneys plying to Caliraya, but I was told to take the one with the Caliraya (Lumot) signage, not Caliraya (Junction). I paid Php28 for the ride. I told the driver to inform me when we arrived at Caliraya. Travel time was about an hour.  

I didn't get bored during the trip because I enjoyed watching the rural scenery--seeing cows and carabaos, "bahay-kubo", mountain ranges, tall trees and vast greenery, among others--as the jeepney drove uphill.     

At long last, the driver told me to alight for it's already CRC, the term they've used to call Caliraya, which actually means Caliraya Resorts Club. but when I called up the event organizer to inform him about my presence in the vicinity, I was told that it wasn't the right place for I was in their competitor's lair. I was told that Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort was far ahead and would take about a 20-minute ride. Oh, well! The trip was getting more exciting, I psyched myself. The trip alone was already an adventure on its own. 

As I talked to some folks there, I've learned that whenever one mentions Caliraya to jeepney drivers they would assume that one would be going to CRC. But in my case, I should have told them "golf course". So, lessons learned. "Caliraya" is for CRC or Caliraya Resorts Club; "golf course" is the local name recall for Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort.

After a quick rest with matching merienda at the CRC canteen, I looked for any public transport that would drive me there at my destination. I was worried that time for I was late by almost three hours. Suddenly, there was a tricycle and the trike driver was offering to bring me to Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort in the resort's clubhouse for a fare of Php300. Whoa! That's truly a rip-off. The fare of the trike driver in Sta. cruz was actually a bargain! So, I haggled and the fare went down to Php200 but it would be just at the gate of Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort.    

But, wait, how about this old trike driver, whom my companion was dealing with, who was willing to take us to the gate of Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort for only Php80. Okay, that's reasonable, so I turned down the younger trike driver. As we are about to close the deal with the old trike driver, suddenly, a jeepney was fast approaching. It stopped right there on where we stood to allow some passengers to get off. Without wasting any time, we hurriedly boarded the jeepney. The fare was only Php8.50 from CRC to the "golf course".  

Arrival 

After an hour, we finally reached our true destination. There I saw a billboard at the center island showcasing the water sports and adventure one could experience in Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort. Then, on the left side, there is a "Caliraya Springs" engraving. "So, this is it!", I exclaimed.

I immediately called the event organizer and he dispatched a van to fetch me and my companion. The sight of a sprawling landscape and rolling hills and the smell of weeds and grasses have brought a calming effects to my numb legs and asses. 

The Hyundai van carried us to the Marina or activity center of the resort. There I saw the majestic appeal of the serene waters snaking through the lake and the bluish water in the infinity pool. I took some snapshots of the mountain ranges and the vast landscape. After all, our "adventurous" rides were all worth the while.

We were given a bottled water each as our welcome drinks, but it would be more refreshing, I told myself, if we were offered the Basil with Tarragon in Lime Tea--the chosen welcome drink for that day as stated in the event's itinerary. It is customary for me to taste cuisines and drinks native or special to the place I visited. 

After a brief talk with the event organizer, I was led to my Amihan Villa by a member of the resort staff. The villa is on the other side of the lake, so we crossed a zigzag wooden bridge. While crossing the bridge, I saw some white ducks wading in the waters, a couple quietly paddling their kayak, and the sun beginning to fade.  

The villas are actually "bahay-kubo" or nipa huts. These spacious villas can each accommodate up to eight persons. they have no windows, just doors made of strong fabric and a see-through curtain. But what is interesting is the pillars that support the bamboo structure for they are made of PVC pipes. "How innovative," I wondered. The resort owner Atlanta Industries Inc. has incorporated their products in the design of the villas.

The villas are all lined up along the lake shore where the obstacle course is also set up. On the back of the villas is a phalanx of trees and mountain ranges, serving as natural fences.

Since I was late, I wasn't able to join any activities lined up for that day. I just to a short nap. Then, we were called to gather in the clubhouse for our dinner. The van took us, bloggers, to the site.  

We proceeded to the View Deck. I've seen some more event participants there, but there were no familiar faces. No introduction was made by the event organizer to introduce one another for familiarity sake. A moment of silence, and finally, dinner was served: yang chow fried rice, hainanese chicken, inihaw na dory, chop suey, and the special Caliraya Spring bulalo were the main course. The dessert was pandan salad. The food was great!

Nightcap

After dinner, I was toured in the clubhouse by the marketing executive who invited me to the event. He showed me the entertainment facilities (billiards and videoke rooms), accommodation (hotel rooms), locker rooms (made of wood), and the sauna and massage area. I heard him offering me to try the spa and have a relaxing massage, but when I was about to nod he immediately turned about by saying there was already a group going to use it. Oh, well. Such would supposedly serve as a perfect compliment for a tired body. I just took a sigh.    

After taking some snapshots of the place, we went back the Marina. We gathered there to have a bonfire activity. Then, we headed back to our respective villas. We would start our activities at 7:00am tomorrow, so we better have an early good night sleep. 

At the Amihan Villa, I took a half bath, brushed my teeth, and put on Off Lotion to my arms and legs (to repel insects and mosquitoes). I drank the bottled water given to me earlier as my welcome drink bottoms up to cap the night.    

  

The cool breeze that kept wafting through my hair while I was lying on one of the mattresses made me feel sleepy. Suddenly, my eyes closed gradually 'til I went into a deep slumber. The chirping of nocturnal birds and rustling of leaves served as my sweet lullaby. Surely, I would feel rejuvenated the moment I wake up. The fresh air, cool temperature, and serene atmosphere made me feel like sleeping in a hotel suite with acoustic walls cooled by a 2-hp air-conditioner. But the only thing is, when I'm "lucky", I will end up snuggling some creepy crawlers. Because I saw earlier before going to sleep two fireflies, a moth, a giant bug, and three big ants roaming about on the villa's bamboo floors and mattresses. I just shooed them away before turning off the lights. And that's the wonder of nature within reach at Caliraya Springs Mountain Lake Resort.

Watch out for the next blog, My Caliraya Adventure (Day 2), to be posted soon.

Elasto Painters' holiday treat for their fans

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters won over San Mig Coffee Mixers in the Game 4 of their Best of 7 semifinal duel for a 3-1 lead in the series. The Elasto Painters led from start to finish, but they had to quell a bunch of rallies from the desperate Coffee Mixers. The final score was 83-74. 

Followers of Rain or Shine couldn't contain their happiness when the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game. All of them were optimistic that the Elasto Painters would make it to the Finals.

The world's biggest McDonald's albeit temporarily

The world's biggest McDonald's will be built in the Olympic Park in London, expecting to serve some two million customers over the period of the games. Once the London 2012 Olympics has been concluded (on August 12, 2012), the two-storey chalet-style building will be dismantled and 75 percent of its furniture and fittings will be re-used or recycled in other McDonald's restaurants.

Inconsistency in Referees' Calls damaging to UAAP

My writer-friend, Pete Adapon, asked me a favor to publish his observation regarding the basketball game between the Ateneo de Manila University's Blue Eagles and University of the East's Red Warriors last October 4. Perhaps, due to his hard-hitting comment about the game and the UAAP referees in particular, sports publishers might have refused to publish this write-up lest they too might run into trouble.

Nonetheless, I decided to publish his piece for the sake of upholding the writer's freedom of speech and expression.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UE- Ateneo game on Channel 23 last Sunday was disgusting. UE played tough and aggressively. Ateneo could have done the same. But the Ateneo players were constraint by frequent foul calls. The referees were inconsistent with the way they enforce rules, too harsh on Ateneo, too lenient on UE. Under the circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for the Eagles to play regular basketball, much less to win it. 

A case in point was when Pari Llagas shoved Rabeh Al-Hussaini hard that caused the latter to fall face down on the floor. This happened in full view of the referees. It was shown and replayed clearly on television. But the referees did not call Llagas for foul.

At another point, Paul Lee, ran into the right side of the goal where Kirk Long was standing. Whether by accident or by intent, he pushed himself into Kirk Long. This resulted to contact between them. Long was fouled when in fact, it was Lee who caused the incursion. This was replayed on TV too. Even sports commentator TJ Manotoc wondered why Long was fouled for it. “You be the judge”, he said. 

There were many bad calls on Ateneo all throughout the game even if it was obvious that the Ateneo players were too careful not to commit violations. They could hardly play with confidence. A review of Channel 23’s coverage of the game would confirm this. Towards the end of the UE-Ateneo game, the referees began to call fouls on UE but it was too late. Their inconsistent foul calls already caused Ateneo irreversible damage. It was as if the referees only called fouls on UE to pretend to be fair. It was as if too, that the referees were determined to make Ateneo lose at all cost. The scheme was obvious right from the start but even more so towards the end. 

What’s disturbing with this seemingly intentional inconsistency in referees’ foul calls were their frequency. The Ateneo-UE incident was not an isolated case. Throughout the season, the referees have been consistent in their inconsistency. In the FEU- UE game, FEU’s Glenn Capacio mentioned about a foul that was called on them and another foul ( by Elmer Espiritu ) that was not called on UE at a crucial time. Granting that the UE players played better and therefore, with higher chances of winning than FEU, the referees inconsistency contributed significantly to FEU’s defeat. 

In the UP-UST game, a UST player who reacted to UP’s Alvin Padilla’s provocation was thrown out of the court but Padilla was not reprimanded. In the UST-Ateneo game, the referees were practically encouraging the UST players to harass Ateneo players by continuously ignoring their violations. Ateneo’s coach, Norman Black, and his assistant coaches felt so helpless, they just sat down and waited until it ended. Ateneo, La Salle, FEU , NU, etc. went through similar experience with the same referees but they will not file protests. They do not want to be labeled as “sour losers”. That is the sad thing. Who would correct a wrongdoing? Who would bring it to the attention of those concerned? The cycle continues. 

This writer is not in anyway connected with Ateneo. He is a DLSU alumnus, a plain citizen. He has been watching UAAP games for years but this is the first time that he has seen such a glaring show of dishonesty and bias on the part of so-called professional referees. There is need to speak up, to call a spade a spade because this can happen again, to anyone, to any school or university. It will start a trend. It would discourage many aspiring honest players in college basketball especially in UAAP. 

The referees have no right to make or unmake champions. Their authority to administer games must not be abused. Otherwise, it would reduce an otherwise prestigious competition among university leagues into a sham where the only factor for winning is provoking the referees’ deep-seated prejudice or perhaps, providing them with financial incentives. 

Let the players, Blue Eagles or Red Warriors, play under normal and fair circumstances, free from the manipulation of the referees. It would be easier for a losing team to accept defeat out of an honest failure instead of being harassed by referees while their contenders are favored. On the other hand, it would be sweeter for a winning team to achieve victory out of their own honest endeavor, without the assistance of or connivance with referees and without resorting to foul means. 

It would be expedient for UE’s Lawrence Chongson too to disallow his players from resorting to foul means even if the so-called professional referees allow them. It would be a tough act to follow. But winning through intimidating or by inflicting physical injury on contenders is like cheating. It would not do well for an academic institution like UE or Ateneo to create the image of a cheater even if only in basketball. 

Let us not allow the forces of deceit, disguised as professional referees to maneuver the game to suit their own agenda. Let us not allow them to snatch victory from the real victors.

Sunday's One-Two Punch

At last, I finally had a good time to relax and enjoy my weekend after taking up a month-long review for a series of exams (i.e., Series 7 and 63). And what a pleasant Sunday to start the week!

First, our very own Pambansang Kamao Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao had won a title bout over the British boxing pride Ricky “Hitman” Hatton via a knock out on the second round. I've just watched the fight on television as I've ran out of tickets to view the fight on some theaters or sporting venues which would telecast it on real-time mode. Nonetheless, I still had a really good time watching the ring duel while munching peanuts and popcorn.

However, I just find it too short for a classic match. Although, I had a hunch that the Pacman would win the bout, but I never thought that it would be that fast and easy. Well, it only shows that Pacquiao's victory over Oscar Dela Hoya is no fluke!

With that very impressive win, no doubt that our Manny is the best pound-for-pound boxer in this era. In fact, boxing promoter Bob Arum had said in one of his interviews that he thinks that the Pacman is the greatest fighter of all time.

Thus, I am rarin' to see the match between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., which may be staged this coming October as per some ring insiders.

Right after watching Manny Pacquiao in action, I proceeded to the PICC Plenary Hall to attend the coronation night of the Slimmers World Miss Bikini Philippines 2009 (thanks to Emilou of Slimmers World for the tickets).

The girls were all stunning in their swimsuits and evening gowns. And all of my bets had won an award.

The lovely Contestant No. 17, Kim De Guzman, had bagged the title of Miss Bikini Philippines World and the top prize worth around Php2-million, and the right to represent the Philippines in the Miss Bikini World contest which will be held in Europe. My other bet, Contestant No. 1 Kimberly Brandon, a tall and gorgeous mestiza, had won the Miss Bikini International and the right to represent the country in the Miss Bikini International to be held in China this coming October.

On the other hand, black beauty Contestant No. 8 Mariella Castillo won the 1st Runner-Up, while the 2nd Runner-Up went to Contestant No. 20 Jocel Kusain.

The event was hosted by Paolo Bediones with guest singer Richard Poon, serenading the lovely candidates during the latter part of the show prior to the question-and-answer portion. Much like the Pacquiao-Hatton fight where several celebrities were spotted in like Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson, sultry singer Miriah Carey, local showbiz couple Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres-Gomez, ex-Ilocos Sur governor Chaviy Singson, etc., there were also guest celebrities posing as judges in the bikini pageant. They were former beauty queen Miriam Quiambao, dramatic actress Eula Valdes, showbiz talkshow host Butch Francisco, and showbiz columnist Ricky Lo.

Miss Bikini Philippines 2008 titleholder Elena Lopena, on the other hand, graced the awards night for the turn-over ceremony. Likewise, Slimmers World bigwigs like Joseph Roy, Maureen Roy, Helen Camacho, Angeli Chua, to name a few, were in attendance to provide full support to their big event.

By the way, you may watch for the TV telecast of Miss Bikini Philippines 2009 on May 9 at around 10:30 p.m. at Channel 23.

The Lakers acquires Sun

The Los Angeles Lakers' decision to signed in China's basketball point guard Sun Yue to a multi-year contract is more of a business strategy than a team strengthening plan.

The so-called "Magic Johnson of China" has helped his country to an 8th place finish at the Beijing Olympics. He was averaging 6.8 points and 2.5 assists a game. The statistics are not so impressive in general, what more if we are talking about NBA standards.

The only consolation is that he's standing 6' 8" or 2.06 meters, which is quite tall for a point guard; but, still it would not be enough considering his lanky frame. How can he much physically with shorter but muscled guys like Dwane Wayde, Tony Parker, and even, Allen Iverson?

I guess the Lakers management is just after his millions, if not billions, of fans in China who would be watching every game of his ball club and patronizing almost any items pertaining to Lakers. Thus, expect Sun Yue to be fielded in every game by Coach Phil Jackson lest the huge viewership would be disappointed and dumped the TV rating of the NBA.

World records broken prior to start of Olympic games

According to international estimates, the 2008 Beijing Olympics is the most expensive Olympics to date in history. Its total cost has reached between US$35-billion and US$40-billion - more than double the cost of the previous Athens Olympics which posted US$14-billion.

In Philippine peso, the cost of the grand sporting event in Beijing, China could be somewhere between Php1.54-trillion and Php1.76-trillion at Php44.00 to US$1.00 exchange rate - bigger than the Philippines' budget of about Php1.23-trillion for this year.

Moreover, the event in Beijing is said to be luring a world record telecast viewership of one billion people with a vast majority is expected to come from China.

The "Bird's Nest" stadium, which is the main venue of this year's Olympic games, could hold a record-breaking capacity of 90,000 spectators.During the opening day, about 70,000 tickets were put on sales, and about 20,000 were made complimentary for Olympic officials and international delegates. A handful of premium tickets were cornered by scrupulous scalpers, which were resold at a very staggering rate. As per some reports, a 500-yuan ticket could be fetched at least 8,500-yuan. Well, that's for the record.

American flag unfurls behind US Olympic swimmer's "no fur" ad campaign

Due to the unabated killing of animals by some garment firms, US Olympic swimming star Amanda Beard poses for a promo campaign against the use of fur. She bares all in a revealing ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The two-time Olympic gold medalist unveiled the ad last Aug. 6, or two days before the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. It shows the toned swimmer posing in knee-deep water before an American flag, next to the tagline: "Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin. Don't Wear Fur."

When asked by media if she has reservations about posing nude, she gave a resounding "No!"

"I'd much rather go naked than ever put a dead animal on my body", she quipped.