US Open 2006

Women's Singles
Defending Champion: Kim Clijsters

Quarter I
Let's start with the most brutal part of the draw - top seed and two-time Grand Slam winner this year alone, Amelie is out to a Roger(05)/Martina (97), win everything but Roland Garros in a calendar year. She has the most difficult part of the draw, but didn't we say that for Roger last Wimbledon and he lost just a set en route to Slam Number 8?

Challengers that may rise to the occassion include Montreal and US Open Series winner Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina, showing he steely nerve on the hardcourts of North America; but more importantly on this year's comeback kids Serena and Martina. It's a good mix of past and present, of guile and power, of fitness and patience. All I'm asking for now is that the order of play fit my schedule appropriately.

QF Match: Amelie vs Martina

Quarter II
Maria Sharapova may have a difficult match against the other little sister in the opening round, but from then on, it should be smooth sailing - her draw is littered with injured players that it's almost going to be a forfeit: Mary, Nadia, Anna, plus Anastasia who, other than her claycourt final in hardcourt season, hasn't been playing well of late. But, I'm more likely to pick a player who can play badly over a player who might not be playing at all.

QF Match: Maria vs Anastasia

Quarter III
In contrast to QI, which featured great players that drew in the buzz, this section is gifted with players of the same talent, but of less stellar power. Of Svetlana, Jelena, Samantha, Anna-Lena and Elena, i truly doubt that a good deal of them will be station at the Arthur Ashe anytime. However, that will be no excuse for fantastic plays, if only they could all be consistent. The only player who has been consistent is Venus, who recently withdrew due to a wrist injury.

Do watch out for the opener with Chanda and Nicole, it would be nice to see Rubin play again.

QF Match: Nicole vs Elena

Quarter IV
It makes you wonder if how long will Lindsay still go on - I do hope that she still believes that that last Slam will come to her - pity that there are two relatively easy quarters, and she got the one that'll meet Justine in the QF. I'm sure that the schedulers will give her extra time to rest after New Haven, but she'd probably need more to get past the number two seed who hasn't missed a Grand Slam final appearance all year.

QF match: Lindsay vs Justine

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Men's Singles
Defending Champion: Roger Federer

Quarter I
The Fed is fast approaching Pistol Pete's Slam record and looking forward to number 9, and that loss in Cincinnati just made him hungrier to win. No problems, until he meets Ferrero who finally got his game back on by reaching the Cincy Masters final (about darned rotten time!).

Four qualifiers are fitted in the bottom part, with James Blake, who started the year on high, but recently has been stifling through tournaments. Im expecting a Berdych-Blake matchup in R16, and Blake will win just to appease the crowd.

Do watch out for the all Brit-affair of Henman vs Rusedski. Winner gets tea time with Roger in 2R.

QF Match: Federer vs Blake

Quarter II
Perhaps my favorite part of the draw - it will always be drama considering Safin and Coria back in the mix, Nalbandian and Davydenko trying to salvage a good follow-up year, and this season's US Open Series standouts Andy Murray ang Fernando Gonzalez.

Gonzo has had his breakthrough in Flushing Meadows 02, but hasn't really gone all the way; Murray on the other hand gets a boost for defeating Fed and joins the company of Nadal as a member of the "I've beaten Roger"-class of 2006. Too bad though, they're slated to meet in 3R.

Haas has been quietly going working through the year with minimal fanfare, and perhaps with the draw opening up, this could be his time to shine.

QF Match: Haas vs Murray

Quarter III
Given the draw, the Andre Agassi farewell tour will not have the same pretty fairytale ending as the Pete Sampras Written Off-Resurrection gig of 2002. His first major task would be Pavel, then Melbourne runner-up Baghdatis. Expect a delightful match right there, and a tribute.

Life will go on with the rest of the draw though, a rejuvinated Roddick (thank you, Jimmy Connors) will find his footing after crashing out in Day One last year, Gasquet will rebound from a horrid first half 2006, Hewitt will outplay Fish in 3R, but it will be Ljubicic that will get on board the last 8.

QF Match: Roddick vs Ljubicic

Quarter IV
Honestly, there isn't much to choose from this quarter, save for Nadal. Ferrer would have been a good choice and would probably live up to his seeding, but the latest results don't bode well. Robredo has yet to prove himself on American soil, and Monfils' debut party hasn't exactly happened yet.

I'd love to put my money on Nieminen the Finn, he's much improved over the last year, but a pass to the final 8 is blocked by Nadal.

QF Match: Ferrer vs Nadal

Ears Covered In Snow

Similar to what I wrote in my music blog - which is just more of a list, rather than an actual narrative - a warm cool breeze just swept into my CD collection, and it was all covered in snow.

No, I haven't seen the finale of Grey's Anatomy, but from what I've heard, it rocked. All I know was, they played this song by Snow Patrol - upon officemate Mau's suggestion, I decided to download it and pay attention. She was looking for somber, dramatic alternative bands, and, well I was just welcome to new music. Voila - fresh music off Eyes Open was just what I needed.

Have I actually mentioned on how I test music if it's good? In my books, there are two criteria in checking it: the driving test, and the earphones test. The driving test is pretty obvious, it's got to sound good in the car, either while you're going for a spin, or just in stasis due to the traffic jam. The earphones test means loading the songs into your portable music player (iPod, MP3 player, or whatever gadget you have), then taking it for a walk, a commute, or a simple sit.

This may sound a little too sensitive, but music has got to make you feel something. Listening to "Open Your Eyes" while riding an escalator has got to do more than take you to the second floor, but emotionally make you feel that your drifting - at least it works that way for me. The driving test compares the adrenaline rush of driving fast, with the energy and pace of the song; in traffic it juxtaposes the slow pace of emotions unravelling against the no-go flow of traffic.

Weird they might say, but it works for me.

ps. Best places to do the experience-music acid test? Airport. Trust me on this one.

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Eyes Open by Snow Patrol is awesome, and definitely ranks up there with the best buys of the year. Apart from the hits "You're All I Have", "Hands Open" and "Chasing Cars", other worthwhile tracks include "Shut Your Eyes", "You Could Be Happy" and "Open Your Eyes".

The lyrics are brilliantly written, the music delicately played. The duet was unique, as Matha Wainwright sang every line in unison with Gary Lightbody. One of my favorite songs, would be this one:

Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine
We'll walk from this dark room for the last time
I want so much to open your eyes
Cause I need you to look into mine

They are not the new Coldplay - they're much different. The sound plays between Keane and Switchfoot, but distinctly different. Now I'm really contemplating on getting Hopes and Fears.

Pictures, More Of Them!

Finally, the pictures are here! Do take some time out to check out my travel partner's Flick account, compare them with mine - then it will be obvious which one of us works for a multimedia outfit. Hehe.


monsterboy's photos
Joanne's photos

I've replaced the links. Do drop a line if they still don't work. =)

CD Shopping, Again

I did the semi-annual CD inventory last week, and I was somehow disappointed to know that I do not have 250 CDs. Not even close.

I'll be posting all of them, with a mini-review, or to add more traffic in my music blog, I'll probably just post it there. So, in order to add to CD drawer collection, I picked up the following over the weekend:

As The Music Plays by Bamboo
Why Try Harder by Fatboy Slim
Live 2003 by Coldplay
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
Bleed Like Me by Garbage

I think it boosted my CD stash to somewhere around 170.

Goodbye Singapore, Hello Kuala Lumpur!

I wish I had known that there was a direct flight from SIN to REP, otherwise, I wouldn't have ventured to KL to stay the night in. No regrets though, chalk this up to experience - besides, the panorama crossing Johor Bahru to KL was worth it.

So I said goodbye to my genial host, walked the perimeters of Ban San Terminal, picked up my ticket, and prepared to board. I met an English Couple, Rob and Natalie, who seem to be following the Coldplay World Tour, without ever catching them. While waiting for the bus to leave, Rob, Natalie and I picked up some food for th 6-hour bus ride. I got myself some dried mangoes and bottled water, while Rob got some cashews, and Natalie some dried apricots, which she decidedly called 'earlobes'.



The earlobes were all right, but the dried mangoes were terrible - they tasted as sweet as the Subway plastic that wrapped my lunch this morning, with the texture of styrofoam that wrapped my congee snack 2 days ago. I sure hope that Natalie wasn't being polite when she said that she loved them. Rob on the other hand almost choked on his handful of cashew when I told them they weren't cooked. There goes my quota for spreading food terror on my first bus ride.



Fast forward to dinner, met up with Eu and Kat, who treated me to posh Bangsar, just off the KL city grid. Loved the banana leaf dinner, but not the papadums, sorry! After dinner was a bunch of drinks down the Bukit Bintang area, where we stood witness to some sort of robbery/break-in at a local pawnshop of sorts. My, their police works pretty fast out there, more fanfare though, but looks like they do a thorough investigation, so it was a bit worth it.





I had really wanted to get some sleep in before my early flight the following morning, but two British people were chatting loudly in our dorm room - one of them wasn't even from our room! Let's call them Judi Dench the dorm-room-trespasser, who was busy talking with Monkey Boy. Their story was a bit a warning for travellers - Monkey Boy here was slipped some sort of date-rape drug while touring the Batu Caves. All he remembers was that he was fumbling at the police station, then lying back in the dorm room. Insert Judi Dench horrified face here.



Been to the caves last year, and all I can say is that 'Dem monkeys did it!'. Seriously, if those monkeys can pull down skirts, snatch your water bottles, and pose for cameras, they sure can slip drugs into your drink. Really.

Intermission: The Two-Week Soundtrack

Similar to what I did for Shanghai, I compiled a list of the music I listened to on the trip. I believe one way to enforce your memories is not only by preserving images and sounds, but attaching them to songs you can play over and over again. I still think of sharks and a moving walkway whenever I hear "Don't Panic".

Yellow by Coldplay - Bright yellow balloons dancing in the concert, and riding a hot air balloon

Damaged by Plumb - first heard at Han's house, went on to give walking around the Bayon a mystic ambiance

Stunt by Raindrops and Push The Limits (ATB Remix) by Enigma - nothing better than club music to add adrenaline to walking city tours

Love On The Run by Chicane - gunning highways and chasing sunsets around Thailand

In My Place by Coldplay - Sunset at Hat Rin

Life Is Beautiful by Jason Mraz - catching my breath from city walking

Song For A Friend by Jason Mraz and Say Goodnight by Click Five - my goodnight songs

Porcelain by Moby, 24/7 by Artful Dodger/Melanie Blatt and No More Tears by Modjo - standard sunbathing songs

Colorblind by Counting Crows, Remember To Breathe by Dashboard Confessional and Listen To Your Heart (Unplugged Edit) by DHT - music to play during downtime

Just some of my personal tips on creating a playlist for a trip include: Also choose songs you're not familiar with - this would create a totally new perspective on what you hear and see on a first time basis.

I Wet My Pants Sitting Next To The French Models

It's not what you think it is,but that really sounds interesting, doesn't it? But the roadtrip to Aranyaprathet, wasn't as amusing as you'd think it is. Let's see.

Let's start with "I'm a planner". Everything that I needed, I placed in a hardcover orange notebook. Hardcover, because I anticipated writing immigration cards, journal entries and incurred costs without the need for a table. It had photocopies of all my plane reservations, hostel accommodations, locality maps and preferred guesthouses. This little wonder was my best friend during the trip.



So, my trip to Bangkok from Siam Reap was very nice. The roads were non-existent, dusty, I felt that the the cramped minivan we rode in on was like a giant 8-ball being shaken by a kid waiting for a "Yes!", when all of us were shouting a thunderous "NO!!!!" everytime we landed on a pothole. Now you're asking, where is the nice in that?



Well, the day before, I was eyeing some very beautiful tourists at Bantay Srei. Bantay Srei is one of the out-of-the-way ruins from the temple and took about an hour to get to. The ruins maybe small, but what they lack in size, they make up in the beauty of its details. Anyway, there were four beautiful women roaming around the grounds, and from their accent, figured they were French.



There were four of them, the twins, with dark hair, Miss Nose Ring, and Miss Blonde. Miss Blonde was the prettiest of them all, pity that I wasn't able to a picture of her. Anyway, they sat beside me in the minivan - and changed seats everytime we had a stopover. In short, I got to sit beside all of them - hooray! I also had the chance of offering Miss France Blonde a wafer stick: "We alzo haf zees on Frawns" she says.



The only sustenance I had for that day was that pack of wafer sticks and a bottle of water. Since the ladies were busy playing musical chairs to get to sit beside me (haha), and I was furiously anticipating the results, I shoved the water bottle in my bag placed on my lap. Next thing I know, my pants were wet. Now, imagine me trying to dry myself beside those ladies. Not too embarrassing, because I don't think they noticed, but orange-notebook-that-holds-everything felt the deluge inside my bag . My journal entries that were barely legible scribbles were reduced to unreadable smears, and Lonely Planet Bangkok was soaking like Thailand during monsoon season.

Other than that, I followed the English couple that started the day wearing white shirts that now had the color of Cambodian clay stamped on their clothes,face and hair, to D and D Inn along the Khao San, backpacker ground zero for Southeast Asia.

I Guess That's How It Works, Huh?

Bangkok was pure fun, really. Thank goodness I was done with the temples on my last visit, and it was time to party. I haven't been to a danceclub in a very long time, so figures that hanging out in Bed Supperclub would be a nice idea. It was. No shopping, no Buddha-hopping, no elephant riding; just streetfood-swiping, late-night dancing, and cocktail-sipping. Whee.

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Met a bunch of people in Siam Reap, staying at the same guesthouse as I was, and about 48 hours later, met them in Bangkok! I was snapping some pictures along Khao San Road, turn around then find 2 familiar faces. The feeling was strange, they're not your friends, you've chat with them for a couple of minutes, but the relief of finding familiar faces after traveling for more than a week alone was priceless. Strange. To quote Laura, I guess that's how it works.

A 24-hour Journey, With Smelly Feet

19 July

For 1350 Baht, I managed to score taxi-boat-bus-minivan-bus transfer from Hat Rin to Kuala Lumpur - if calculated correctly, that would be some 1000km by land. The travel time was 24 hours that started at 6am.

While the boat was a real sleep-in, the bus to Surat Thani was not - my stomach acted up. Was it all the chicken sandwich at Hat Rin? Or was it an over dose of last night bucket of vodka-Red Bull-orange juice? Either way, my tummy was feeling a revolution that would put the Vietnam War to shame.

That aside, I felt like I (along with a dozen other travellers) felt like we were being hustled by the locals, as we were all transferred by bus, tuktuk, motorbike from one travel agent to another. Everyone had at least two travel-agent-interchange, while I said the whole hello-goodbye-where-the-fuck-are-you-taking-me-now thrice. There was no scam involved, but it was their own way of getting to know tourist and agitating them at the same time. Apparently, with so many tourists in Thailand, they've done this one to perfection.

So finally, minivan to Hat Yai arrived, only to stop 15 minutes in the roadtrip. Our driver spoke no word of English, but he managed to tell us that the van stank of smelly feet. Let's see, 11 persons travelling for 2 weeks, from the beach, 8 hours late in the day...that would lead to the conclusion that WE ALL FRIGGING STANK! The only solution was to douse the whole van with air freshener. At least we all felt Meadow Spring-fresh almost instantly.

We arrived in Hat Yai at 6pm, then transferred to another minivan that will drop us off at Butterworth. Arrived in Butterworth at 11pm to catch the bus to KL. Arrived in KL at 6am. After this bit, the 6-hour bus ride to Baguio should be easy as pie.

NB. The buses are very comfortable though - I personally think that the buses had seats that were wider and reclined more than PAL's Mabuhay class. In all honesty, my bus rides were more comfortable than my plane ride back home.

Notes from Backpacking - Part One

I fully intend to create a long winding series of how my travel around SEA came to be, but readers might actually be knitting their eyebrows at the mere mention of the word trip. I promise this to be painless. Really.

First, congratulations are in order to me: For watching Coldplay (WOOHOO!), being on budget (after major shuffling, reallocation and passing on costs), finding CDs that has been on my must-buy list for more than 6 years already (Version 2.0, Walking Wounded) or 6 months (Garden State OST, No Name Face), and most of all, having a wonderful time.

Much thanks must be handed out to Jam for lending me her backpack - backpacking wouldn't have the same impact had I brought luggage. Thanks to Eu and Kat for ekeing out time from their busy schedules to show me the better side of KL. Thanks to Han for being my host in Singapore - man, that song by Plumb has really stuck to me.

There. End credits muna. I'll try to recall more when I get back. Work karma is definitely a bitch. But I'll leave some pics to share for the meantime.

Things I Never Got Used To On My Trip

1. Right-hand drive roads. I've already lost count the number of times I've been almost hit because I was looking on the other side of the road for vehicles. I mean, which way do they come from, really?

2. Squat toilets. My dear fellow Filipinos, we are lucky not to have prevalent squat toilets - instead, we have been blessed with porcelain thrones. Even the swanky KLCC in Malaysia has a 1 to 1 allocation of squat toilets. This is a disadvatange for me, since my aim is not that good. And my legs/thighs hurt. Thank goodness I'm home, it's always the best seat in the house, all the time. Whew!

3. How do the floors go anyway? One thing I'm on the ground floor, then on the first floor. Do you start from floor zero? And what is a concourse floor anyway?

The Almost-Home Recap

I'm almost home, and passing time around my last stop in Singapore. Ironically, I'm spending the last few minutes of my budget-backpacking trip in a swish airport lounge.

Just a run-down of the things that happened in the last two weeks:

1. Singapore is bloody expensive.
2. Coldplay is the best band on earth/universe.
3. Angkor Wat (and all its sister temple ruins) is truly a world heritage, and much much larger than you think they would be.
4. Bangkok definitely is the ground zero for the backpackers of the world.
5. Believe it or not, I spent less on the Thai beaches than I did in Puerto Galera.
6. IKEA has got to put a store in the Philippines.
7. Over budget? Definitely, but I think I can shuffle some costs and reallocate them for CAPEX/OPEX uses.

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Pictures must wait, work backlog of 2 weeks has been waiting, plus a bunch more waiting for pasalubong.

Greetings From Angkor Wat

Hello everyone! I'm logging in Siam Reap right now, so can't blog much long, but this backpacking bit is truly fun. Cheap hostel, great sights, and different cultures.

The Angkor Wat is just absolutely massive, and will take me about 2 days tro explore the whole temple complex. Am actually half-expecting to see Lara Croft here. Haha.

Will definitely post pictures once I get back. Until then!

Coldplay Is Now One OF My Favorite Bands Ever

They used to be one of my favorite bands, but only for a certain era. Wala pang concert yan. :p

Speed of Sound, Talk and Swallowed In The Sea are my picks for best tracks in their best album yet, X and Y.

Estop and Go

Coming from a personal Code Red last Friday, I fumbled out of my car at 1 am, while it rolled out of the garage with the door open. The door hit the garage post, and effectively ripped the door from the car. My poor Carbert. it was as painful as watching your car slam to a wall at slow motion.

I failed to complete an estop (Ha! Look at a dictionary, it's a legal term) and my car failed to stop. Tsk, when it rains, it pours.

Wimbledon 2006 - Quarterfinals

Amelie Vs Anastasia
Inasmuch as I'd like to see Anastasia win this one, Amelie's trademark power game, aided by a capacity to serve-and-volley no the lawns, there's no way I can bet against the World Number 1. Amelie in straight sets.

Elena vs Maria
I don't know if I've become picky or what, but Maria's game is all power and no brains. Bagay kayo ni Andy. Pennetta showed a dazzling display of ball-retrieving last night, and it was on sheer power that Maria won. Elena, now is more unpredictable than London Rain. I'll take a gamble here and hope that Elena see through Maria's weaknesses. The lower-seeded Russian will cause an upset, by varying the pace of the game. 3 long sets.

Justine vs Severine
Ooh, a new comer - but don't expect Justine to take this lightly. Straight sets.

Kim vs Na
Hooray, and a Chinese player has finally reached the quarters of a Slam. Honestly, I haven't seen Kim play, but I do hope she squeaks out of this one in straight sets.


Semifinals and Final
A replay of Melbourne will be on the way, but this time, Justine will be in full force. Hey, that's a career slam, just in case we're forgetting.




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Federer vs Ancic
Marquee match of the round, considering the history. One would think that this would be Federer's big test on his way to his 4th Wimbledon crown, but after Ancic flip-flopped last night, this should be a comprehensive win for the defending champion. Having tough opponents in the early round tested Federer's dedication to the game, and passed in flying colours. Straight sets.

Stepanek vs Bjorkman
Ah, a wildcard section of the draw. I'm favoring doubles specialist, and grass lover Bjorkman in 4, to make up for Johanssons's semifinal appearance last year.

Hewitt vs Baghdatis
Fightin' Lleyton needs to follow up a rather lackluster year, but with another win on grass. We're going to see how he stacks up against Oz Open finalist Marcos. Expect long rallies reaching deep in the 5th, and perhaps an upset. Still, rooting for the Aussie in 4.

Niemenen vs Nadal
Nadal has probably shown us that he can compete on grass, and made the transition look so effortless. That win over Agassi further strengthened his belief on grass, and should not stop him in a semifinal run. Straight sets.

Semifinals and Final
Grand Slam number 8 for Roger Federer, to be contested by Lleyton Hewitt. While Roger's road to the final was easy, Hewitt will recover his olden days of glory by ekeing out a win over Rafael Nadal.

Bryan Singer, I Forgive You

1. I forgive you for dumping the X-Men franchise for Superman Returns. The former had the setup perfect: a good script, fancy new mutants, a strong cast, and a director with a respectable resume. Alas, the result was a tepid, underwhelming movie - it was fairly decent, but X-Men United set the bar really high. Tsk.

2. I forgive you for starring in a Star Trek movie. I'm not a Trekkie, nor have I seen any of its movies. However, your photo floats over the net like a chugging Enterprise. No.

Why?

Superman Returns is easily the best summer movie I've seen, well, all summer. Kate Bosworth is absolutely luscious as Lois Lane (she could've used more spunk though); Brandon Routh is a refreshing face to a well-known franchise (but I still see the late Christopher Reeve) and Kevin Spacey is just a thrill to watch as Lex Luthor (but a bit too sassy for my taste. Neurotic, but too sassy.)

Interestingly enough, it also was the funniest movie I've seen all summer. There was slapstick-funny (Kitty), witty-funny (It's a bird, plane/Looking for me? bit), even Naked Gun funny (Kevin Spacey asking "Are you sure?"). Bit of a warning though, there's a limit to the humor, unless you're really doing comedy.

As expected, the graphics were fantastic, I particularly loved thte rising crystals, and the shattering buildings. A little close to The Day After Tomorrow, but definitely better.

All in all, I'd give it an 8.5. In comparison, MI3 is an 8 (3 points were contributed by Maggie Q), X3 was a 6, and The Da Vinci Code was a 3. Bonus points to be awarded when I see the IMAX version.

Almost Ready To Board!

Between doing work, doing sideline, covering Wimbledon for the blog and its corollary Fantasy League, I am still planning a backpacking trip (see previous post). It's great that I am almost done. Lest I forget, I must write the remaining tasks I have to do before finally boarding that plane.

1. Get your free ticket. Must do this ASAP.
2. Get clearance. I will not let those snobbish Immigration people at the gate ruin my trip.
3. Buy shoes. I know, but having sturdy, reliable footwear when you're on the go is a must.
4. Buy CDs to load in my phone. The proposed repertoire is as follows: X and Y by Coldplay (for the concert, of course), As The Music Plays by Bamboo, and a little splashing of whatever is loaded in my PC.
5. Get Cambodia Lonely Planet Guide from Yayie.
6. Photocopy portions of my travel guides into my notebook for ease of carriage.
7. Create a packing list and make sure it fits in 1 backpack and 1 daypack.
8. From above, get a daypack.

Whew! That's not everything yet, but it's a start. Better get moving.

Wimbledon 2006

Ladies' Singles
Defending Champion: Venus Williams

Quarter I
World's top dog Amelie should easily dispose her opponents on the way to the quarters, but she would be meeting defending champion Venus there. Given that a Williams has reached the grass finals the last six years, this ought to be the QF match to see.

QF Match: Amelie vs Venus

Quarter II
Lucky lucky Maria, she has the easiest draw of them all - her iron will should bring her easily to 4R, where she could meet Shahar Peer. Interesting Israeli made a good splash at Paris, but grass is definitely the Russian's domain.

If the weather holds up, along with Dementieva's serve, we could end up an all-Russian quarters.

QF Match: Maria vs Elena D

Quarter III
An all-Swiss affair is in the works, as Martina the Younger sets up a match with crafty Patty. However, I'm quite not too sure with Hingis' chances here - she lost in the opening round twice before. Justine on the other hand, is ready to reap ranking points, as she lost to Daniilidou last year. I would expect her to reach another Grand Slam final.

QF Match: Martina vs Justine

Quarter IV
Svetlana and Nicole will slug it out again in R16, but would probably expect Svet to win this one again.

QF Match: Svetlana vs Kim

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Gentlemen's Singles
Defending Champion:Roger Federer

Quarter I
Tough draw for Roger Federer. Wimbledon opens up with a trciky match against RIchard Gasquest, and should the defending champion end up victorious on that, will most probably be meeting Tiger Tim in his final Wimbledon bid. Give him a couple of days rest, and he's going to meet Mario Ancic, the last person to beat him on grass. My, it definitely wasn't ROger's day at the draws - a 4th win here will definitely be a stunning feather on his cap, a whole peacock even.

QF Match: Federer vs Ancic

Quarter II
Nalbandian vs Blake in the quarters, but Thomas Johansson could spring an upset in 4R. Hey, what ever happened to the other Johansson (Joachim, not Scarlett)?

QF Match: Nalbandian vs Blake

Quarter III
Interesting bloody draw here - The last 7 years of Queen's Club has gone to either Andy or Lleyton, and they're due to meet in the quarters. But look, we've got grass-court specialists Grosjean and Rusedski in the mix, throw in a crazy unpredictable weather called Safin, and we have the definite must watch section of the draw.

QF Match: Hewitt vs Roddick

Quarter IV
Yes, while it's been much noted that Ljubicic hasn't gone past 2R here, and it could be quite interesting to see that Lopez, the only Spanish player with a reputation for liking the lawm is his first round opponent. Should be a toughie.

Although Agassi is set to meet Nadal in 3R, this should be no problem for the second seed. Just probably interesting to watch, though - Agassi is the exact opposite of Nadal.

QF Match: Ljubicic vs Nadal

Summer Escapade 2006

Just wanted to post, that after three years of planning, natuloy din kami. Here is proof:

Time For Some Coldplay

Thanks to Tartan for posting in my chatterbox - my Damien Rice experience will not come to pass again. I promise to watch the Coldplay concert in Singapore, all I have to do is come in a day early. Not bad!

Now, can anybody point me to where the tickets are?

Yes, That Johari Window

I know it's been late, but I'd really like to hear what you guys think. :p

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 7.6.2006, using data from 2 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view ronniegatsby's full data.

Roland Garros 2006 - Men's Quarterfinals

Men's Quarterfinals

Federer vs Ancic
With Ancic pulling a Sampras (complete with the waterworks and cramps in the 5th set), he was able to eliminate the 2nd hottest player on clay, Robredo. However, there will be no stopping the pursuit Federer in his Roger-Slam. 4 sets.

Nalbandian vs Davydenko
Hooray, got this quarter right. This will go the distance, with both players having an even chance of reaching the finals. Argentina over Russia here, 5 long sets.

Benneteau vc Ljubicic
Similar to my comments with Vaidisova, Ljubicic has been a a force to be reckoned with on tour, but not on clay - it's nice to see him follow up his Melbourne QF with another one. He will crush the Frenchman's hope in 4 sets.

Djokovic vs Nadal
It's the 'New Balls Please Part 2" crowd in this quarter, and it's fantastic to see the young guns put a stamp on the court over the veterans. I don't see Nadal faltering in this match, but expect a match similar to the Mathieu challenge, but less of the craftiness, more of the hard-wrought groundstrokes. Nadal might give up a set, but most probably none.

Semifinals and Final
Federer will be warmed up by Nalbandian, in preparation for clay season's dashing finale, where a he will finally be victorious on clay, hold all Grand Slams, and end Nadal's winning streak in 5 long sets.

Roland Garros 2006 - Quarterfinals

Women's Quarterfinals

Nicole vs Venus
While nobody was shocked to see Amelie say 'Au revoir' in 4R, it was a pleasant surprise to see Nicole breakthrough in her least-favored surface. On the other hand, Venus seems to have regained her new-found confidence on clay. Both rallied from difficult opponents, but it's going to be such a slugfest to garner a place in the semis. Now that Venus seems to be the veteran, I would expect her to win here - two tight sets.

Dinara vs Svetlana
Interestingly, the last two Russians will meet in a quarterfinal. Svet has lost to the eventual champion here the last two years, while Dinara had a good run in Rome. While Svetlana has the goods to rally around clay (having 3-time RG winner Arantxa as a coach is definitely a plus), Dinara has the momentum right now (Give the girl some credit, she climbed from 1-5 down against Sharapova). I would pick Lil Sis to earn her Grand Slam semifinal debut in 3 sets.

Justine vs Anna Lena
With Nadia faltering on opening day, our hopes of a gritty claycourt showdown were also rained out. Anna Lena has her best singles showing in any slam, but I'm afraid that that will be the end of it. Justine, the queen of clay will push through in straight sets.

Martina vs Kim
They last met in Melbourne, with 2005's Comeback Queen getting the better of 2006's Comeback Queen in 3 nailbiting sets. Finally, a showcase match for Paris! Kim will try to blast Martina out of the court, while the latter will try to play around the tricky clay. I hope this reaches 3 glorious sets, with Martina reaching the semis.

Semifinals and Finals
Venus vs Dinara - I would pick Dinara still. Justine vs Martina - Just the thought of having them out-think each other on the playful clay is simply delicious. Winner of this match will hold the trophy on Sunday. My heart wants Martina, but my gut says Justine.

Commercial Muna

While waiting for the Men's fourth round to finish, I'm just dropping in to say that I went CD shopping yesterday. Picked up the following:

Under My Skin by Avril Lavigne
Franz Ferdinand
Light. Peace. Love. by Bamboo
Don't Bore Us, Get To The Chorus - Roxette's Greatest Hits
Mr. A-Z by Jason Mraz
Collected by Massive Attack

Was about to pick up Mandy Moore's Greatest Hits but J gave me a stern look, so there. Hey, I like Cry. Just some notes, Bamboo's sophomore album is great - the general sound is like Maroon 5 sans the cheesiness; Massive Attack is good, but I feel trip-hop is out of my league (however, Protection is still one of my favorite songs ever - now I have 3 copies of it); and Franz Ferdinand is similar to The Killers, minus the pop/dancehall sensibilities.

Now, Trish, any other requests? :D

Roland Garros 2006

Men's Singles
Defending Champion: Rafael Nadal

Q1: Believe it or not, after three years of leading the tour, Roger Federer is actually the underdog in this Slam. Trailing Nadal 1-4 (4 of which were on clay, and 3 of those were just this year), it seems that there is someone better than Federer in the red courts of Roland Garros. Don't worry, the top seed has probably done his homework, but should not worry about Nadal until he reaches the finals.

A lot of work needs to be done, with an improving Ancic, and recent AMS Hamburg winner Tommy Robredo hanging around in his quarter of the draw. Should be elementary for the game's top dog until the quarters, where things should get interesting.

QF Match: Federer vs Robredo

Q2: Nalbandian for the upper half, but tight choices for the lower portion of this quarter.

Three previous champions are littered below, but which one will make it to the quarter finals? 1998 Winner Carlos Moya? His prime has long passed. 2003 Champion Juan Carlos Ferrero? The road to recovery for him seems to be leading nowhere. Or will Gaston Gaudio, successful in 2004, still contend for the final eight? Logic would say neither of them 3 would make it, Davydenko played in Austria last year and won, and still made it to the semis, if he can do that before, I don't see why not again this year, he's already won Austria again anyway.

QF Match: Nalbandian vs Davydenko

Q3: Andy Roddick still seems to be teasing the media with his sore foot, but the bottom line of it is "Who cares, you're going to win 2 matches at most, anyway." So forget about that. I'm not entirely sure as to how well Ljubicic performs on clay, but I would like to think that hardcourts would be his favorite. Expect the surprise/debutant quarter/semi/finalist from this draw.

QF Match: Rochus vs Ferrer

Q4: James Blake is the last US hope in the men's championships, and don't expect it to last very long. There's Haas, Safin and maybe Monfils in his side of the quarters. I'd choose Monfils over Blake, and Haas over Safin, assuming the Russian gets past Gonzalez in the opening round. And yes, Nadal too.

QF Match: Haas vs Nadal


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

Women's Championship
Defending Champion: Justine Henin-Hardenne

Q1: Ever since Amelie won her maiden Slam in Melbourne earlier this year, all of a sudden, she gets a tremendous amount of respect. Hopefully, that for her, it translates into self-confidence that she can win, especially in front of her fickle countrymen. Expect easy wins, even over Nicole Vaidisova, but not against Patty or Venus in the quarters.

QF Match: Amelie vs Venus

Q2: Same question as the men's draw, but replace "past champions" with "Russian teenager." Let's see. Maria - is she in top physical condition? Svetlana - has her coach Arantxa given her good training for clay? Dinara? Aah, nice showing in Rome. This one please.

Francesca over Svetlana, judging on previous performance.

QF Match: Dinara vs Francesca

Q3: This season's top claycourt players are in this draw, so expect a good workout from this quarter. Justine against Ana and Makiri versus Nadia in R16 before the main battle begins.

QF Match: Justine vs Nadia

Q4: All eyes are on Martina Hingis as she tries to reclaim the only Slam she hasn't won. She's already proven that she can still play on clay, with her win in Rome. She reached the QF in Melbourne fresh from retirement, why not in clay, where she should outplay most of her opponents. I'm just wondering how her resistance would hold up. No problems for Kim, but depending on the mood, Elena might outhit Martina in 4R.

QF Match: Martina vs Kim

Plans, plans, plans

There is one thing sure right now - I will be on vacation, outside of the country, in July. Exactly where, that is the problem. I'm trying to fit in as many holidays into this trip, but the plan is still vague. Let's just say, it's an Amazing Race challenge - tight budget, lots of cities, and all modes of transport.

Not to sound cliche, but the Peninsular Malaysia coupled with Thailand, with a dash of Cambodia sounds nice. Hey, it's inexpensive, safe (those bird flu outbreaks were relatively isolated cases), and well-traveled by tourists.

Here's the general plan, fly to Singapore, meet friends in both KL and SG, then I'm off on my own. Melaka and Penang in Malaysia, Koh Samui, Krabi and Phuket in Southern Thailand (ah basta, beach!), partying in Bangkok, and ruin-hunting in Cambodia.

Planning the trip is just about as fun as traveling, so I'm enjoying the moment as it is. I'm currently looking at train schedules, and hordes of travel guides (2 for Thailand, 2 for Bangkok, 1 for KL, 1 for Malaysia and a bunch of brochures for Singapore). Other than that, I'm doing a packing list that should fit in one bag. And picking about a hundred songs to squish in my Wlakman phone for the ride.

Now, any ideas on any of those?

It's Been A Long Day I Tell You

There's this Scrubs episode that says "Every 4.8 seconds a man says something stupid." Great. Not offering an excuse here, I'm running on 3 hours of sleep, legs in pain that I feel paralysed from the hip down, and an amazing-race like itinerary that will drive you nuts. Gaaah. There, there.

I Can See Clearly Now

With every birthday comes a challenge - yeah, it's kind of too late for a birthday epiphany, but I meant to write this one earlier. As I was saying, with every birthday comes a challenge, and I've made a resolution that I will do something scary for my birthday. Don't worry, it won't be against moral dictum, and mostly within legal bounds. I said mostly.

How about driving up Baguio City in my car, at night. Mission accomplished. Too easy! So, I reverted to my original plan - how about wearing contact lenses? I had initially wanted to wear contact lenses at around November of last year, so I can wear sunglasses while preserving my perfect-albeit-corrected 20/20 vision (ah, vanity, my favorite sin). The moment the optometrist demonstrated the how-to's of contact lenses maintenance I got freaked out. It looked like she was going to take out her eyeballs. Ugh.

Last weekend, I mustered enough bravado (haha) and EQ (including enough not to go homicidal on that idiot who stole my parking space after waiting for 15 minutes-the nerve!) to try on contact lenses. Thanks to J for coming along and bringing the pity, apart from standing the optometrist's sungit and my almost forever squinting.

I can see clearly now. In more ways than I had intentionally wanted to.

The Search Is On!

Interesting to note, that last week's after-hours spree was consumed by Word Factory. Now, before you go all nerd-pointing at me and my friends, WF has been a long standing competition between my high school friends, now known as people I've known half my lifetime.

It's absolutely amazing, you don't see each other for about 5 years or so, but the memories, stories, and more importantly, tirade of jokes and insults fit to a tee. Take note, I was mostly not with the people I graduated with, nor the ones I did my research paper with, but the first handful of people I met in my first days of school.

Short of calling this the Kathie Jamasali Memorial Cup (I do hear wild objections in my sleep), we'd like to thank Jam for suggesting the game while looking for an appropriate activity to match our booze-chugging in Baguio. We plan on making this a regular meet-up, with theme nights and such.

Not even the embarrassment of WF-ing in the middle of GB3 can stop us.

Here's what the sample board looks like.



Did you see the word 'reraises'? If you did, come join the club. There is a link for Word Factory at the sideboard of this blog.

Now you can start nerd-pointing.