Roger Federer, Marcos Baghdatis, the great sport of tennis

The past two years, as I've gotten more into sports, one element that I've been confident in possessing was a different type of mental will. I felt that I could outperform, outlast and defeat opponents because of a mental will that would not let me down. This is what has brought me up 10 mountains, has made me (me?!? me!) join adventure races, and even make a fool of myself (just a little) on international cable tv.

so it's a joy to behold, someone, who is the epitome of a person who controls and disciplines his mind in such a superior fashion. This I saw in tonight's grand slam final between the great mental man in person, Roger Federer, against the refreshing presence of Marcos Bagdatis --- who in more ways than one, is a true twenty year old, but I'll get to that portion later.

The score doesn't tell you much, so if you hope to be able to analyze the match by looking at a 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2, you won't even get a shadow of what really occured.

5-7 and 5-5, we had Marcos relentlessly testing Federer. Federer was struggling to hold serve at times, and I wondered what the hell was with the easy errors Fed was committing. Baghdatis played many brilliant points, and at a certain point could have even been up two breaks on that very set. But this is when the turning point came where Roger staves off a forceful attack on his serve and managed to hold to 6-5. He then wins the next 10 games.

Baghdatis goes off the boil, loses momentum in the 3rd set. That much is evident with the 6-0 score. It's a 6-2 score in the final set, but there was a lot of drama here. 3-0 we see Marcos falling from a cramp. Dang he's got a friggin cramp. I was hoping he'd come back.

The cramp doesn't visibly show in the next games, but it's obvious that Marcos doesn't move as well. His ability to return the impossible balls starts to wane. This is a spent Baghdatis, mentally and physically drained. There was valiant stand at 4-2 though. Very close he could have broken Fed, which would have put him on serve. Doesn't happen. The precocious kid from Cyprus, the most fun thing from the last 2 weeks, has run out of gas. Later, during the awarding ceremony, he recovers his usual persona: smiling, goofy, loving life. For now, it's the pain of impending defeat.

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Always always always watch the awarding ceremonies of Grand Slam Finals. This is where all the drama occurs, and where you fall in love (or in hate, e.g. Hingis' occasionally icky speeches) with your tennis players. Baghdatis comes up and is happy to be there. This is a big win for him, for his family, for friggin cyprus. His heart shines through. All through the two weeks he's wore his heart on his sleeve and he has been pounding his chest. Yeah, all heart. Like a typical young person, he forgets to say a few things. Only later, with the help of the commentator, does he make amends when the MC says that Marcos wants to insert that he also congratulates Federer for his win (he forgot that), and also that he much appreciates the presence of his girlfriend Camille, for the last two weeks. YOU FORGOT TO GREET YOUR GIRL YOU DORK!!!! Bwahahahaha. Ok, lang. Ha ha. He's 20! But man, did you see that beard? These Cypriots really. . .wait, I digress.

Back to the Drama. Oh, yes. Roger Federer. All the while, all these two weeks, he's been MR COOL. Tennis Australia head calls him a King, and I think, well, Federer is awfully used to all these compliments. I wonder what it means to him all now? Does the dam ever break? IT DOES. He's given his trophy by the great Rod Laver. Rod Laver, non-Tennis fans, is the ONLY person to have completed a grandslam (win Australian, French, Wimbledon and US), twice. This was 1962 and 1969. After receiving his trophy from Rod, he goes to the mic and is speechless. "I don't know what to say," Roger says. A few more seconds pass and he starts crying.

He finally let's his guard down, and it "all is coming out now", he admits to the entire crowd. He thanks Marcos, Marcos' team, his team, the audience, tennis australia, the sponsors, everybody who watches. And finally he thanks the great Rod Laver. Thanking Rod Laver brings him to tears again. He can't help but give Rod a hug after stepping down from the microphone.



Photo courtesy of Getty Images, taken from AustralianOpen.com website.
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I thought the glistening eyes of Mauresmo last night as she finally won her first grandslam was gonna be the most poignant image stuck for me from this year's Aussie Open. Turns out it's a far second to Roger Federer's emotionality. With three in a row now, he'll be gunning for the French. Baghdatis is the new fun face of Men's tennis. Tennis in 2006 looks promising.

am actually enjoying my part-time job, mostly due to the interaction that i get with French people. Occasionally, I even have to employ my French language skills to get something productive done. I'd say that the language environment here is 10-15% French and 85-90% English. That small percentage is more stimulation in this language than i've had in a long time.

What I didn't expect though is that I'd be dealing with people who would talk about other topics like economics, finance and art, so I find myself boning up also on these issues (in both languages). The dreariest part (and thankfull shortest) is evaluating language levels of leaners, but after that is done with, I find myself engaging in intelligent conversations. If I happen get to a low-level learner, then I get to do translation work and also occasionally speak in French.

As with all office environments, there are a few things to get peevish about. But why grouse about that? Actually, office grousing and griping CAN be fun. Just don't do it with your co-workers. Ha ha. I find it hilarious when I see people getting political. . .ooh, oh so early, I hear office tsismis.

I haven't gone swimming in a week, partially due to an allergy. Dang.

weekend richness

my weekends are always good, coz i don't do any work (even if i have to). i think i've been this way since forever. my dad's birthday is tomorrow, so we did our celebrating today already. we ended up eating rich food at banana leaf in podium, and then headed to cafe breton afterwards. now i feel like getting up at 5 in the morning tomorrow to meditate and do yoga before a breakfast of gemeincha green tea and porridge. yeah, that bad.

i've brought in an arm-chair sofa into my room coz we had a superfluous one in my dad's room. now it's my favorite place to read and take phone calls. i don't know why i didn't think of this sooner. this surge of practicality came about 'coz of the progress the house construction has taken so far. we visited the site and the top floor has been primed white. the doors are on! unvarnished and all, but on nevertheless. we're waiting for the windows now. little by little, as the weeks go by, im beginning to absorb the spatial sensibility of this place. the outside world sure comes in. there's gonna be light everywhere -- only concern is all the chi getting out.

tomorrow is the beginning of the week.

resembling my photo

am actually beginning to resemble my b&w high contrast photo these days. I feel so pale as a result of going to part-time work in a refrigerator environment (the later in the afternoon it gets, the colder i become) and the bleaching that comes from being dipped in chlorinated water 3x a week. the last straw will be my hair getting even more white hair strands.

i'm changing yet again. i find myself becoming so conventional. is this what 20 somethings inevitably become?

I skipped my swim tonight at MSC because I've had enough of Makati for one day. It was the odd bureaucracy of a firm that would not give me an offer and yet is already having me fill out forms for the BIR and for opening a bank account. Well, that's a little presumptuous of them I think.

The retarded road logic of that city is appalling. Whoever heard of a major avenue suddenly becoming oneway at the daytime? AND w/ warning roadsigns at very poor locations (i.e. right at the point where the one way system begins)! Yes, I'm talking about Makati avenue, and having to turn into P. Burgos. All that Makati avenue traffic has to enter little P. Burgos.

I imagine all the Makati denizens snickering because of my naivete about the city. The city is relatively progressive, but it's psycho. I've told myself that when I move out, I'm not going to locate in Makati. I'm gonna get something at the Fort. I need a place that'll rejuvenate me, and not some place that'll piss me off. If one lives in a state where logic and sensibility are absent, you end up becoming semi-psycho yourself.

some so-called intelligent people quickly turn into irrational beings once their egos have been pricked. i've had the misfortune of being blasted by (imo) an insecure twat. please give it a rest. u bring out ur guns, i call your bluff.

i asked (coach) Ria who was the new addition to the swim class yesterday. There were only three of us in the pool, so it was easy to spot that someone new had come. I heard Via, but was later corrected that it was actually Pia, and not just any Pia, but our Senator Pia Pia Pia Cayetano. Yeehaw. She was consulting with Ria about her training and the way she felt in the pool. One thing I notice is that she "cerebralizes" sports, too! Thinking out feelings and intuition, etc. :) I have a celeb classmate.

im doing work errands: medical certificate, getting my diploma, and getting NBI Clearance. I was supposed to get the latter this afternoon, but I saw the gross line at City Hall. I'm not gonna stand in that packed and stifling heat. Ugh. I'll come back one morning and try to get it. Am I maarte? A little.

Started reading Annie Proulx's short stories book: Wyoming Stories. Pretty good stuff.

one week into the new year, and things aren't looking that bad. i just came from another one of those time-pressure tests that corporations like to give you to gauge your abilities. am a little pissed off coz i didn't finish the quantitative portion of the test (w/c i normally do). i will be placing a call at around 330 for the results. hope it works out.

ive gone swimming this first week. that's the main constant thing for me this 2006. i've got a swim coach that makes me swim laps and corrects my technique. it's pretty empowering to get your body to do things that you never do. i'm trying to get my technique perfect, so that i feel the most comfortable and relaxed in the water. i feel that what im going through actually is more of a transition phase 'coz doing the right things still don't feel completely natural. am trying to get to natural .

i've nothing else left to do today. i've got a book here that needs finishing. i can also always try to do some marketing that im supposed to do for a concert. but am just not into it just right now. for one thing, i'd need a ready phone. i'm here at an internet cafe, in a nice mall yes, but w/ no dedicated phone line. im not gonna waste my credits making cold calls. yeah, im cheap.

hmmm. why is "I'll never love this way again" piping in from outside. I thought this was a posh mall.

it's an incoherent post, so shut up

My brother and sister are groaning that the holiday season is ending. Schools starts for them this Wednesday, Jan 4, which also happens to be my bro's birthday. (Poor him, his celebration always comes when people are stopping the celebrating).

I'm not sorry that the holiday season is ending.

This isn't Ebeneezer Scrooge talking. I actually really enjoyed this holiday season. So far, I've had great parties and dinners with friends and had also taken a good trip to Ilocos in between Xmas and New Year. I got some cool Xmas gifts (jackpot Gica on the annie proulx!)

So why am I glad that it's ending? Coz there's a joy and energy that comes from getting back to work. I'm looking forward to not eating fatty meats and cheese, nor ensaimadas and hot chocolate, to glasses of wine and champagne. Come on. They're tasty but do you want them all the time? And the wreckage that is your body afterwards. Those bastards who talk about holiday will power -- I already am showing will power! Could you imagine though if ur the prick who won't toast in the new year with your alcohol? And of course, once you get started, well the ball keeps on rolling.

I'm looking forward to my gym being open again, to my swimming lessons restarting, to my job applications again being processed. I'm looking forward to semi-normal traffic, and people temporarily halting the spending and returning to producing. An economy needs consumption, but also investment and production. I wonder what percentage of our spending is bunched up during the 4th Quarter and how this affects things.

So I don't dread Jan 2. I'm thinking, thank God. No more holidays ok until Holy Week.

Maf!! My new layout! I think I'm gonna have to pay you, even though you say you don't charge.

There will be no problem looking for material to update my blog with the next few weeks. I've got enough stuff from Ilocos and books over Xmas. What I need now is to go on a climb! :) There's a clean up climb in Maculot on the 7th of Jan. God, this reminds me that I'm gonna have to fix my sports calendar of sorts.

more later. hope 2006 is cool for all of you.

it's world cup time again!!!!!