Hit for Haiti Part II (Indian Wells)

Ah, I almost forgot that Hit for Haiti, featuring tons of Grand Slam titles together in one court, will be aired today. For us who may not have TV coverage, live streaming of the event is available at several websites. Please go to this site for a comprehensive list. 

I wonder if it’s as hot in the States these days as what we experience everyday. But the exhibition games featuring women’s doubles (Graf/Davenport vs Navratilova/Henin) and men’s doubles (Sampras/Federer vs Agassi/Nadal) will happen at night, under the lights of Indian Wells, Calif., so I’m guessing heat won’t be much of a factor. I don’t expect to see Minka Aire fans anywhere in the stadium, though.

Memory

I’ve read somewhere that people hold on to good memories while trying to forget the bad ones. Yeah, I didn’t have to read that to arrive at such realization. It’s a given.  It’s not as if you can buy memory to replace the bad ones you have, nor upgrade it like you would do on your PCs.

I don’t enjoy reading my own journal entries although I insist on keeping one lately. I didn’t use to write diaries when I was living with my parents, who, at any time, can be expected to rummage through my stuff. To be fair, they honestly think such actions are within their right, and I no longer fault them for that. That’s when I realized that I have become an adult. Albeit one who needs to make better use of her own memories.

Plants vs Zombies!

Brains!

My brother plays it, my sisters play it, my officemates play it, everyone go ga-ga about Plants vs Zombies! Why? It’s pure, harmless fun. And maybe a bit psychologically environmentally relevant (duh?!). Well, there could be a huge subliminal message in all this besides “plants good, zombies bad.” Maybe “Go green,” or something like that. While you’re at it, use hybrid cars and cheap auto insurance. 

But, really, they’re coming. The zombies, that is. To eat your brains. So go plant. Check this game out . 

In-Your-Face Advertising

So I read this article about how retail displays of cigars have an impact on people who are trying to quit smoking. You can imagine there are effects, even for people who are not even giving thought on starting (to smoke). Interviewees say that seeing displays of advertisements and the actual thing on convenience stores and the likes makes it so hard to quit smoking because the imagery those in-your-face temptations provide just reminds them about everything they like about smoking. And I’m sure it’s quite not practical to give up buying stuff from such establishments just because they have inviting cigarette packs lying around. But that’s business. It’s a tricky thing to judge people making a living at the expense of other people’s health. It’s a two-way street, although human nature seems to win most of the time, and not always in our best interests.

Tenant

While the current fad among my peers is to step up from renting apartments to being homeowners - mostly condos -  I’ve started considering my options as well. Many of my friends still - and many others used to  - rent living spaces, but it does seem like a more practical option these days to get a home loan and acquire a property instead. The monthly dues do not differ all that much. I guess I just have to think it over a little more just to make sure that I’m not rejecting the idea at once nor am I jumping to something I cannot yet afford. I’m dreaming of a nice place, though, with considerable space and comfort. I can already see the nice sofa set and the custom blinds, and perhaps a rather large LCD TV.

Well, I can dream for now. We’ll see within the next few years if it will amount to something.    

Freeze Frame

Can you think of a particular moment in time that you want to keep forever in your memory, for whatever reason?  It could be because of its utter beauty, or the happiness that accompanies it, or clarity and perspective it gave you. Well, at the moment, I can’t. Which must mean I am still in the hunt for that perfect moment. That single, no matter how short, space in time when everything just feels like how they’re supposed to be.

They say sometimes you need to find your happiness where you can get it. And sometimes it’s staring right into your face and you don’t know it. I’ve always been the finder. But I also believe that I know myself well enough to know if something I’m not looking for, but fits, is lurking around the corner. I just hope that I get my freeze-frame moment before I get too old to enjoy it. Soon enough, I’ll be getting first communion invitations from my used-to-be single friends. Now that would make me feel really ancient.

Showbiz

I’ve been  following Lea Salonga on Twitter and Facebook. Just because. She’s a cultural icon and I like her and she does share interesting things. Last December, I thought I saw a rather annoyed (well, “annoyed” is a mild word) status message regarding someone pretending to be her close friend. I thought it was quite cryptic and I didn’t really dig into that to know who she was talking about.

Well, now I got my answer. And I’m also linking here just because. Apparently, Lea was asked to do a concert and was paid a bounced check for her performance. She remains unpaid to this date save for the down payment. That’s the short story. Follow the link above for the long one. Tsk. This is a personal matter, but I’m thinking in the interest of fairness, whatever the reason may be, a deal is a deal and both sides need to deliver on what is promised. Sugar-coating it would be just like covering severe acne with foundation cream.

Framework

When you suddenly engage in any intense physical exertion, like playing a high-performance sport for instance, after a period of inactivity, be prepared to have pain in your muscles and joints the following day, no matter how many streches you did as a warm-up. I always worry about hurting my joints because of badminton -  a sport that can make one very prone to wear and tear in the muscles and joints, no matter how beneficial the other effects are. I know people who had tendinitis, some even had extensive knee surgeries, because of such complications. My right ankle has been hurting, which is possibly more related to a slip rather than too much badminton, so I’m very careful about running around chasing the shuttlecock during play. I’ve read there are meds/supplements, like glucosamine chondroitin sulphate, that help protect our body’s framework - the bones and joints. Maybe I should research further on this.

Cliqued

 I did say I was going to the badminton courts, as is our Saturday routine. Well, I’m happy to report that this weekend has been just great in terms of our play and attendance. Many of our usual, what do you call it, playmates, were there and it struck me that our group has become quite large. Gone were those days when we’re stuck at the cornermost court because nobody wants to play with us. Over the years since I started playing the sport a little more seriously than the just-for-fun types or those who are looking to burn some energy in place of the best cholesterol treatments, I’ve been to a few other courts aside from our designated “home”, and I’ve noticed that cliques are common in all of them. The more advanced players don’t normally play with beginners, and that’s aside from the groups created by divisions due to personal dramas and stuff. I’ve learned to understand all those and adapt to them. Maybe that’s why after almost 5 years, our badminton group has become like a small family outside of work and home. It’s definitely something nice to have.

Woods

Tiger Woods apologized today. I was watching CNN’s coverage and they’ve been doing an in-depth analysis of the 13.5 minutes of no-questions-please public apology.

Ehhh. I don’t know. I don’t really care about golf, although I am interested about sporting heroes. Tiger Woods was among the most elite of those. Until his carefully manufactured facade was revealed for what it is. I don’t know how America will forgive him, much less his wife, but I think this is not something that can be wiped out like applying an acne lotion. As a mere, remote spectator of it all, I don’t have the right to judge or condemn. But this serves as a reminder that people are not always what they seem to be. And that no one is entitled to do things that are wrong, no matter how famous or moneyed or accomplished they are.