We have all stood there, at the start of something new, with the adventure beckoning and the excitement literally pounding in our chest. But there are only a few of us who have placed their feet behind the starting line at an Olympic event - and even fewer who have made it past the finish line. Image: The Olympic Park, Copyright CIO - Lydie Nesvadba Home of the Olympians Every fourth year, 205 Olympic Committees send their athletes to the most sought-after sports event in the

When you think of the stereotype of the fitness junkie and that of the tech geek, they're hardly a pair that go hand in hand. Yet the two have long been interlinked, with technology playing a much bigger role in sports than some people might initially think. Sure, the varsity jock and AV nerd depicted in most high school coming-of-age movies would certainly suggest the opposite - that the two worlds are more like chalk and cheese - but in real life, they form a pretty damn be

Growing up in the UAE, big brand names from the Western world were among the most coveted items anyone could own. I'd eagerly flip through the pages of Tiger Beat magazine (yes, no shame here - I was a tween growing up in the 90's, what did you expect?) and among all of the pages of pictures of celebrities like Jonathan Taylor Thomas, I'd lust over items as simple as Lip Smackers chapstick, Hard Candy nail polish, and Con Air hair crimpers. "They had them in America where all

When it comes to the good life - living in boardies and bikinis by the beach, chilling out with an acoustic guitar, enjoying a cold beverage and a hearty meal after a day spent splashing around in the ocean, feeling at one with nature, being happy with the simpler things in life, and seeing the sunrise or sunset every day - surfers have got the formula down pat, according to many stereotypes anyway. And while to a certain extent, the subculture that surrounds this awesome spo

Back when I was a kid, I'd never have believed you if you told me that when I was 31 years old, I'd spend 3 months intensely training for, and then fighting in, some boxing matches in a ring in front of hundreds of people. But that's exactly what I did, when I took part in Fighting Fit DXB, a boxing competition that was being filmed for a reality TV show under that same name, no less (that's a Big Deal for someone who isn't a big fan of reality TV, whether that be watching it