Congrats Marat..

I've learnt to be more gracious in defeat this time round. Even my idol admitted that Marat was the better player on that day. Just before the finals began, I decided that I would support Marat as anyone who can beat Rog should be a worthy champion. So I sat down in front of the tv starting from the 1st point. Marat kept blasting shots way out of court or into the net, and his 1st serve percentage was pathetic. Before I knew it, it was 6-1 to Hewitt. Am I the jinx or what?? For all the matches that did not involve Rog, the person whom I supported all lost. Hewitt vs Nalbandian, Hewitt vs Roddick, Molik vs Davenport. So, I decided to switch off the tv and check the scores online instead. It worked perfectly. I only dared to watch when Marat was serving for the match. He didn't show much expression when he won. I expected him to fall onto the ground or throw his racket into the air. But he did none of it. So, congratulations, Marat, on winning the Australian Open at your 3rd attempt in the finals. But I just want to add that Rog would have blown Hewitt off the court in straight sets at a much shorter time.

Federer Dethroned..

I'm in a state of depression now. The title speaks for itself. Federer was 2 points away from the match and he blew it away. I attribute it to the Barbara jinx. Of all the times, she had to sit in front of the tv when Safin was serving at 5-6 down in the 4th set. When Federer couldn't break him, I knew that was it. I can't help being superstitious but Federer hasn't won a match whenever Barbara sits there and watch him play. Today is no exception. I had to shoo her away from the tv in the 5th set but it was too late.

Anyway, Federer did put up a fight. He didn't go down meekly. But seriously, no one remembers such things. People only remember who wins the match. So, as Dad puts in, all good things must come to an end. I realise that but I can't swallow the fact that of all people, he had to lose to Marat Safin, whose coach is Federer's ex-coach. Federer should get rid of his current coach. He doesn't need one in my opinion.

I just knew today was not my day when Man U lost to Chelsea by a freak goal. That's not all. Just when I decided that I shall be a good student and not skip lecture, I received the news that the lecture was cancelled and I was already in school at that time. Doesn't he have the basic courtesy to inform us earlier? Not sure if it's his fault actually. Might be the stupid and inefficient people from the department.

For the 1st time ever, I'll be joining forces with Mrs Roddick to support her husband. That's because I dislike Safin and Hewitt. Hewitt runs round the court like a dog and lacks sportsmanship. I hope Roddick blasts them away with his aces.

Enough of tennis. It's time to get back to my life. Not sure if I even have one now.

Not Fated..

A dominating performance by Federer today against Agassi and he's through into the semi-finals. I didn't even manage to catch a single minute of the match. Not even the interview. That's because I was having a lecture from 3-6pm. And I still thought I was in luck today when the lecturer finished the lecture notes at 4.40pm. Rewind..

4.40pm: Sms from Duckass. Match has started. At the same time, the lecturer finished the last slide. I packed my file into my bag, ready to go the moment he dismissed us. But, he had to seek our opinion in scheduling the make-up lectures. Ok, I told myself to be patient. Seriously, it didn't matter to me when the make-up was. I didn't even care if he wanted to go ahead with the class on CNY eve. I just wanted to go home immediately.

4.55pm: The class finally had an agreement on when to have the make-up. At last! But, he dropped the bombshell. "Let's have a 10minute break. We shall continue with blah blah blah after that." What?? I felt like crying. Called Duckass when I left the classroom. 2 break points for Federer. He failed to convert both. Break point yet again. Overrule by umpire. Enough, I decided I was the jinx. Ended the call. One minute later, Federer broke when Agassi double faulted. Haha.

Before 5.30pm: Could listen to the lecturer in peace when I received Duckass' SMS that Federer was a set up with a break.

6pm sharp: Lecture FINALLY ended. Practically ran out of the class. Called Duckass to update me while I made my way to the car. Long queue at the gantry. Damn it. Stupid woman right in front couldn't insert her cashcard. Her car was so far away that she had to open the car door. Ok, I forgive her. Old woman. When it was my turn, I thought I just needed to drive through. But I had to pay. No escaping. Alright, I shall pay.

6-6.50pm: As usual, traffic was crawling on the AYE and ECP. I thought I would be safe after Bedok. But, here goes the traffic update on 90.5 : "Fallen tree after bayshore exit in the direction of changi airport on ECP" You've got to be kidding! I couldn't believe my luck. So, I exited at bayshore. All the traffic lights were against me. Not the traffic lights' fault. I was stuck behind this yellow Hyundai Getz all the way. Stupid lady driver. Finally reached home at 6.50pm. Sprinted into the house. Granny thought I was having a stomachache and needed to use the toilet immediately. Haha. The moment I stepped into the house, Barbara exclaimed: "Federer ying2 liao." Hiaz. I was happy yet disappointed. After rushing home in the hope of catching a glimpse of my idol, I was not rewarded. Never mind, I shan't be greedy. I'm happy as long as he wins :)

Thursday Evening - Federer vs Safin. Guess what? I've to depend on Duckass yet again. Have to rush home at exactly the same time yet again. Hope its' a good sign. I'll do anything to secure a Federer victory.

4th Round..

Another straight sets victory today for Roger Federer. The unfortunate victim this time: Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus. That guy put up a spirited fight in the 3rd set pushing the defending champion to a tie break with his blistering crosscourt forehands that caught Federer offguard numerous times. However, with my support and Federer's experience, Federer managed to finish off the match quickly.

As predicted, Andre Agassi will meet him in the quarter-final. It will definitely be played on Tuesday night. I really hope there will be a ladies' match first as Swiss Miss has a lecture from 3-6pm. If the match starts at 4.30pm, even if I fly home from school, I think I can be prepared to catch the last bits of the match. Urghh! I hate this. And the same lecturer has to schedule a makeup lecture on Thursday evening as well. If Federer makes it through to the semi-finals, he would be playing at that time slot yet again. Freaking lecturer. Doesn't he watch tennis? Ok, I shan't be too forward looking here. Being complacent will lead to one's downfall. One match at a time first.

Anyway, I was rather annoyed with the Sunday Times on publishing wrong information. Firstly, they mistook Daniela Hantuchova as Elena Dementieva. They published a picture of Hantuchova and labelled her as Dementieva. Secondly, they termed Dementieva a crybaby. Since when did Dementieva cry? I watched her lose in 2 grand slam finals and that girl didn't even shed a single tear. The crybaby is Vera Zvonareva, who has a habit of crying halfway through matches when playing her Russian compatriats. Also, for soccer, they mentioned something like Paul Scholes 'bundled' the ball into the net. Hello, were we watching the same match? I think I can do a much better job than the people in the sports editorial team of the Straits Times/Sunday Times. It's a real embarrassement to make such glaring mistakes on our national newspaper.

Smooth Sailing..

Federer breezed through the 3rd round of the Australian Open when his opponent retired with an abdominal muscle strain towards the end of the 2nd set. Federer was nowhere near his best, perhaps the heat playing a big factor. I had mixed feelings when the match ended so abruptly. On one hand, I was glad that he didn't have to suffer under the heat. On the other hand, I still haven't watched enough of him. Haha. His next opponent is a total surprise package. I was expecting it to be Tommy Robredo, but the Spanish was comprehensively beaten by a guy named Marcos Baghdatis. Anyway, I guess it shall be another late morning or early afternoon match then.

I realise I find it hard to communicate with a lot of people. My brain seems to be on a different wavelength as most people. When people start talking about things that I can't relate to, I'll get totally bored and my mind starts wandering to something else. I make no attempt to even pretend to be listening. And I realise I can't stand a certain kind of female. They try to sound sophisticated or hip when they are actually not. Something that they think it's so exciting sounds like a total bore to me. Anyway, I find that I have more common interests with guys than girls. I don't understand the mentality of most females. Maybe that's because I was surrounded by male playmates during my childhood.

Enough of crapping. Bedtime.

Takao Suzuki..

Remember the above name. Before today, I never knew who he was. But today, he gave me a fright of my life when he broke Federer's serve in the 5th game of the opening set. He has the honour of being the first person this year to break the Federer serve. I thought that was it. Federer looked in danger of being outclassed. But Federer never fails to disappoint me. With his 'do no panic' philosophy, he responded in style by breaking Suzuki twice and wrapped up the first set in 29 minutes.

The match was highly entertaining but the scoreline did nothing to suggest that. Suzuki was hitting bullets with his serve and did not hesitate to serve and volley or chip and charge when the opportunity arose. Federer gave tennis fans wonderful lessons with his wide repertoire of shots today. You name it, he produced it. He hit numerous backhand crosscourt and running forehand winners. Many times, Suzuki looked as though he had won the point but alas, Federer proved why he is the number one player in the world, hitting unbelievable winners from the back of the court. However, the only thing that Federer needs to improve on is his lob. He only had 1 forehand lob winner. Also, Suzuki made him look ridiculous at times when he lobbed the ball over his backhand side and reduced him to a mere spectator. Besides that, everything was perfect. The last point of the 2nd set was simply awesome. Suzuki hit a sublime backhand volley which hit the sideline and spun way out of the court. Mr Federer ran all the way from the baseline to the front of the court and hit an outright winner round the net that left Suzuki totally stranded. It would definitely be the play of the tournament. Federer claimed that he had been practicing that shot for the past 2 weeks with his new coach. Haha. He's so funny. I not only admire his tennis skills but I love his sense of humour too.

Unexpectedly, Paradon lost, which means Federer's next opponent would be Nieminen from Finland. It should be played this Friday afternoon as the Friday night match would be Agassi vs Dent. Tomorrow night would be Roddick vs Rusedski. It should prove to be a serving competition. Only Mrs Roddick would be supporting her husband as Roddick's matches are always a bore to me. I wonder what she sees in him :) Anyway, I won't be around as there's a damn make up lecture (I still thought my only day of sch this week was yesterday) and I'll be conducting a mini-celebration with my other no lifer Federer fan after that. Nothing elaborate, just a simple dinner at some Italian restaurant, haha.

Flying Start..

As expected, the Federer Express steamrolled into the 2nd round of the Australian Open. 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. He was in total control. Santora looked like he was on the brink of collapse anytime. That was the only thing that kept the match entertaining. His lack of reach due to his short limbs and hands, his double-handed forehand and backhand and his scrambling were the things that made him look pathetic. According to my fellow no-lifer Federer supporter, Santora was having a tummyache. No wonder he kept squatting in between points throughout the match. Haha. Next up for Federer: another double handed forehand player, Jan-Michael Gambill or a certain Japanese named Takao Suzuki.

I know my bestest friend must be thinking I'm suffering from a severe attitude problem. Everytime he calls me out for lunch/dinner one hour before the meal, he will get these standard replies from me:
1) Sorry, I'm outside with my friend, will be eating with her.
2) Sorry, you give me such a short notice. My maid has cooked my share already.
3) Sorry, I'm watching tennis.

I'm not being 'dao' or unfriendly but I'm really not lying. If you still want your free treat at fish and co, please book an appointment with me at least half a day before that, otherwise, you are bound to get any 1 of those replies above since we are so not fated. But judging from your character, the sun would rise from the west if you were to do so. Anyway, thanks for helping me save money then :)

Sudden urge to play tennis. Must be the influence of Federer, haha. Off to eating lunch and watching tennis now.

Australian Open..

The sporting results this weekend have all went my way. Firstly was Federer's victory against Roddick, and secondly, Man U's narrow escape against Liverpool despite being 10 men down for the last 25 minutes. Chelsea won as usual but the real surprise was Arsenal's loss against Bolton. Man U is now only 1 point behind Arsenal which makes things really interesting. The encounter between the 2 teams next fortnight will kind of determine who qualifies automatically for Champion's League next season.

Australian Open commences tomorrow. My next few entries would mostly be about tennis and Federer then :) Federer is scheduled to play the 2nd match behind Serena Williams. This effectively means I have to get up by 9am. No more late nights for me and I'll be in bed by 11pm for the next fortnight. This year's Australian Open will be shown on channel 24 instead of channel 22, which means it would be catered for the Asian viewers. If Federer plays at the same time as Paradon Srichipan, the Thai would have priority over Federer. And we'll be seeing the likes of Sugiyama, Asagoe and Zheng Jie in the 1st few rounds instead of the Russian babes. Seriously, I don't know what those tv producers are thinking. Who in the world would be interested to watch their matches? Don't they want to increase the viewership? The bad news for me is that Paradon and Federer are on the same side of the draw yet again. Both of them would somehow play at almost the same time but different courts. I'll have to be content to watching the Thai while checking live scores on the internet of Federer's match. Sickening. But Federer and Paradon are scheduled to play each other in the 3rd round. Channel 24 would definitely be showing that if both progress that far. Actually, I'm hoping that Paradon gets knocked out before that as Paradon is quite skilful. People with one-handed backhands won't be too bad.

Had dinner with 2nd aunt and uncle yesterday at a Japanese restaurant at Laguna. I've lost count of the number of Japanese restaurants that I've eaten for the past 2 months. I'm not really complaining. It's not as though I chose to eat in them. Somehow, those people that I went out with all like Japanese food, so I'll end up eating that. Just remembered that I promised someone I would eat with her at a particular Japanese restaurant at Suntec, but somehow, it hasn't been fulfilled yet. Hopefully, we'll do so when a particular someone wins the tournament. Haha.

Ok, end of my break and back to searching for Health journals.

Weird People..

Some people are just weird. I can vomit blood talking to them. I know I was asking a bit too much in return for something(not really actually, the present wasn't cheap) but I thought he would do a proper job. I mean, I never expect anyone to even dare to give me something which is incomplete without him telling me. I only found out upon checking hours after we left. When I questioned him after that, he gave me this reply, "You never ask me. You cannot assume everything." My answer, "I told you to do something so of course I thought you would do it properly. What's there to ask?" His reply, "You never ask, so I never say." I'm speechless. It's just like someone told you to buy chicken rice but you bought duck rice instead, and you just keep quiet when you pass it to that person. Anyway, I think that's the result of me being frank and hurting him. I don't know whether his response was a deliberate petty act or maybe it's just something simple called irresponsibility, or perhaps, no sense of pride in what he does.

Dream Partnership..

Dream Partnership

I can't believe I spent the whole afternoon writing a complaint letter while listening to my new CD repeatedly at least 4 times (Finally got hold of the aeroplane theme song in Cantonese through illegal means, haha). The complaint letter was 4 pages long. Was trying to write it in such a way that I didn't sound bias or childish. Really pleased with my conclusion. Was supposed to read some economics notes. I'll start tonight.

Above are my 2 favourite tennis players. Roger Federer and Martina Hingis (the original Swiss Miss), both from Switzerland. Really hope that Hingis will make a comeback. Just hope that she doesn't get blown off the court by the likes of Sharapova and co.

Finnish Hunk..

My travelling companion and the cutest Finnish guy that we came across, in her opinion. (Just look at her grin!)

Freezing Weather..

Braving the cold winds

Two 'Jins'

Senior 'Jin' and 'Jin' Junior

Rovaniemi Airport..

Outside Rovaniemi Airport

Close Shave..

Finally finished the aeroplane show. A record of 7 episodes today. Practically went blind. Anyway, I really felt for Suyi. Everyone found her irritating except me. She's the youngest character in the show, yet she gives the most sensible advice and comments all the time. New nick for her: Sunshine Bear. That's because she's always smiling and so optimistic. I hate Yishan. Always can't make up her mind and worrying for nothing. Her favourite phrase "wo bu zhi dao". I'm always tempted to fastforward her scenes but can't do that as I'm not watching alone.

School's starting on Monday. I feel that this holiday is so short. Haven't even enjoyed myself yet. I know of many people who have already photocopied notes for this semester. I just can't bring myself to go to school. Especially after last semester's experience, I learnt that for level 4 modules, readings are actually not that important. Understanding concepts is the most crucial.

Almost met with an accident yesterday while driving. Thank god I was crusing at 80km/h on the fastest lane, which is really rare in my case. Not that I could go any faster because there was a road hogger in front of me. A taxi as usual. I was extremely cautious anyway as I haven't driven for more than 3 weeks. The taxi in front of me suddenly swerved to the right. I knew I could break in time but I was more concerned with the other taxi right behind me. I kept looking into the rear view mirror. If I slammed the breaks immediately, my car was a goner, and probably me as well. Was really relieved when no accident happened to my car. I was more concerned about my car than my life. Thoughts of the damage that could happen to my car flashed throught my mind when I was breaking. Anyway, I managed to change lane pretty fast after the accident. The taxi driver hit a motorcyclist. Saw him trying to get back to his feet. Almost ran over his Pepsi bottle. Accelerated immediately after that. I was the last car to escape from that mayhem. Was really shaken after that. Never came so close to an accident in my life.

Listening to the theme song of the aeroplane show now. Going to improvise the song on the piano tomorrow. A pity its in Mandarin. I'm determined to get hold of the Cantonese version.

Finland Update..

Home sweet home. After 10 days in snowy Finland, I'm finally back in rainy Singapore. Has been raining practically every day since my return. Not a bad thing considering that I've been experiencing temperatures ranging from minus 10 to 5 degree celcius. I would be sweating like hell now should it be sunny and hot. I'm not looking forward to seeing sunlight. I love winters. Damn, I miss the snow and the cold weather.

The trip was fulfilling despite us having an irresponsible tour guide. Travelling gives you a chance to experience and see the different cultures, sceneries, architecture, sense of fashion, living styles etc. More importantly, it opens one mind. You realise how vast the world is and how tiny you are. The problems that we are facing are so insignificant compared to other less fortunate, it's as though we have been making a mountain out of a mole. Ok, I'm making it sound as though I've just came back from a third world country. Finland is certainly not. Must have been watching too many CNN and BBC reports on the tsunami and earthquake that struck the Indian Ocean.

Anyway, back to Finland. The Finnish are not exactly friendly people. Most are cold and aloof. Not sure if it can be attributed to the weather. The air stewardess don't bother helping you put your luggage on the overhead compartment. Ask them for plain water? They will point to the back of the plane and tell you to get it yourself even if it's at 4am. At the hotel, few hotel staff would greet you. Of course there are bound to be exceptions. There were instances when we were greeted by strangers on the street. A group of men who walked past us asked "Koreans?". I guess they seldom see yellow skin people around in their country. Generally, the country is just like any other developed country. I was there to experience a white Christmas and to see Santa Claus. Alright, I know I'm childish. Paid 15 euro just to have a picture with Santa Claus. Money suckers.

As I was saying, the tour guide sucks. Shan't go into details regarding his irresponsible acts and his lack of common sense at times. Shall instead give examples of his atrocious English.

1) He pronounced Tornio as Torino despite passing the road sign at least 20times. Torino is in Italy while Tornio is in Finland.

2) After staying 1 night in Rauma, he proudly declared to us that we were staying in Somalia.

3) "Boy, don't play in the bus. Wait you FRY out of the bus."

4) "We will reachES Helsinki soon."

5) "Ladies Gentlemen, so sorry. The family of 9 are still in the Chinese restaurant. They ordered their food but their food still not here yet. They can't cancel their order because they pay up already. They are SURRENDERED there now."

6) Helsinki Tour Guide asked " You come from Singapore?" His reply, "No, we come from Rovaneimi."

There are many more examples but I just can't remember all of them now. His terrible English became a source of entertainment for me as the days went by. Anyway, he will be losing his job as soon as I've drafted out the complain letter. I don't blame his lousy English. His work attitude really pisses me off. I've never seen such a lousy tour guide in my life. I think I'll make a better tour guide than that asshole.