It’s a little late for a weekend recap now but what the heck.
On second thought, my weekend was neither productive nor eventful. Saturday was work and badminton day, per usual. Sunday was stay-at-home/laundry day, a day when other people go to the mall, or go out of town, or go rv camping. But I did discover one more show to occupy my already limited time - an anime called Prince of Tennis. I already can’t get enough of it. It’s not surprising that what would drag me into this genre is the one sport that I love the most. Well, I’m also watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and having a blast off it, but Prince of Tennis is something else. It’s almost like a tennis instructional, but with nicely drawn out characters and a compelling story to boot.
In tennis, it’s not always about rankings or seedings. Although it is true that seedings are there for a reason - and the “seeds” almost always do as well as predicted, save a few upsets (unexpected results) in a tournament, there is a thing called “day form”, and that is not counting other factors such as injuries and other afflictions, that can determine which of the two battling players will most likely take that particular match. Some lower-ranked players can simply be outclassed, like a run-of-the-mill tile against a stainless steel backsplash.
I watched the Wimbledon second-round match between Maria Sharapova and Gisela Dulko and was thoroughly entertained. Sharapova has been struggling of late because of her shoulder injury; Dulko took the first set but gave up the second, owed in part to the sheer fighting spirit of the out-of-form Sharapova. When Dulko finally won on her fifth matchpoint in the third set, I didn’t know which player I should feel for. Maria fought so hard but is just not her usual ferocious self, and Gisela played a great match not so much with power but with admirable accuracy and fluency. Maria just wasn’t able to find that much ballyhooed “different gear” that tennis champions usually summon when cornered by a spirited opponent.
So far, former champions, and overwhelming favorites to win, Roger Federer and Venus Williams are both playing according to plan. Serena Williams has also been playing like the future champion, and from what I saw so far, I can already envision another all-Williams final this year (*yawn*). As for the guys, let’s see if the anticipated Federer-Murray final will come true. Of course, I say Federer FTW.
Despite my fear of torrential rains, howling winds, and news of a storm coming, I still welcome the cold weather a lot more than the usual scorching heat. Sunday afternoons with a few dark clouds here and there and occasional rains are a cause of jubilation for me, because that means I can go to our apartment rooftop, chill out on the patio furniture, and bring along a book to complete my perfect end of weekend. I do love watching rainfall, although floods are another story. I had an irritating experience on braving heavy rains and flooded roads recently, but that’s for another blog post.
The last time my sister and I went to a home appliance center, I was amazed to see that there are almost no more displays of regular TV sets. Most TVs on display are either large to very large plasma TV or any one of those different-sized LCD screens. It reminded me of this one lifestyle article I read wherein this actor was telling the story of his 42-in. plasma TV that now seems to be too small for him. Well, I can’t blame him. If you can afford it, what’s wrong with a high-definition TV set?
At our apartment, setting the volume of the TV to a little more than the normal level will surely cause havoc to our compound. That’s why even if I’ve always wanted to have a home theater system, that is probably one luxury that won’t be in the cards as long as I’m renting. But wouldn’t it be nice to dream of watching your favorite movies with all those high-tech devices? It’s definitely a treat to any movie/TV fan such as myself.
I am hoping to start a debt-free life but it is still going to take so much work. Truth is, this has been my goal for the last several years but somehow it hasn’t been excuted right yet. I’ve been so used to swiping cards and not carrying cash (because I usually don’t have those) that I read and research Credit Card Ratings like some people read and research their favorite past time. It’s quite embarrassing, to tell you the truth. But using cards is actually not all that bad. In fact, there are a hundred advantages I can think of. I guess my point is being neck-deep in debt because of using credit cards isn’t the cards’ fault. Just this morning, my sister was watching Confessions of a Shopaholic and I couldn’t help but giggle with the way the lead character was escaping her debt collector, even if the movie in itself was kind of lame. Keeping cards the right way is all about managing and self-control really. If you have Secured Credit Cards, well that’s better. The thing is, when I first decided to get a credit card, I never imagined that I’ll be able to have or be approved for more than one. Well, maybe because I am a good payer, or trying hard to be, I guess credit card companies find it easy to approve my applications. I even accumulated a number of preapproved cards I didn’t even apply for. The hard part is not using all of them and only using them and then paying everything in full at the end of every month. That has really become a challenge for me. It’s hard, but I’m now just trying to pay for them and possibly not spend extravagantly in the next few years to come. If only I only use a Secured Credit Card. Maybe that would make a few difference, for the better.
I went home a couple of nights ago thinking that I’ll have time to maybe list down some goals and plans for the near future - at least to figure out how to straighten out some kinks in the general muddle that is my everyday playground. It turned out I was too tired to even think a single thought that I fell asleep as soon as my back touched my bed. It’s distressing and disappointing, to not have the focus you so want to achieve. Sometimes I feel like I’m letting myself get pushed into more directions than I can handle that although I’m enjoying keeping busy and having plenty of stuff to pour some mental input into, the downside is that I’m missing out on finding the joy of nurturing and seeing something grow, be it some personal self-improvement project, or keeping a pet alive, or maybe even planting a tree or something. Although I think I’m a little too restless to have focus and concentration, I think it’s rather important and I’m striving to find that. I’m thinking about wanting to work (and possibly settle) outside the country again and after several years of pondering on that very thought, I still don’t know where to start. Well, if I have options lying beneath my feet, that would make things a whole lot easier, and finding cross country moving companies isn’t really that complicated, but when you have none you just have to look for them. If you’re heart’s really into it. For now, I think I’ll focus on making sure that mine is firmly in the right place.
Pretty much everyone I know, at least those who bothered to ask such things once in a while, have been asking me why I keep on renting places instead of just getting a home loan to get a rent-to-own place, like a cheap condo or something like that. It’s a sound advice, if I have to say so. Makes sense in a lot of ways. It’s just that these days, I’m operating on a day-by-day let’s-see-how-things-go basis. I don’t want to make any drastic decision while on autopilot. Being on home loans is not something I can easily get out of in case I suddenly change my mind and decided that I’d rather spend the rest of my life somewhere else instead. So, yes, it all comes down to being unsettled. I’ve learned to rely on my “feel” of things. If I am not 100% sold on an idea, at least on matters this big, I try not to go for it. But, as always, my take on these matters is that “to each his own.” What is right for me is not something that will be right for somebody else. Everyone has their own preferences, life plan, or outlook. More importantly, others have the capability to make such financial decisions without having to consider a lot of other things, and that is great. I even wrote that without any bitterness or resentment or envy. Really.
So regarding being unsettled. I’ve been having talks with a couple of old friends these past weeks that have been making me re-evaluate where I stand on things. Reconnecting with a people I haven’t heard from in years made me realize how stagnant I have become, how passive, that I’ve been letting time pass by without having a clear take on where my future lies. Their stories have been a nudge for me. Here are people I knew, with whom I’ve shared a lot of my idealisms and indecisions, having entirely different lives from what I used to know. For that alone, for their stories, I am grateful.
When it comes to finding work outside of the country, Singapore seems to be the easiest choice. I know of a lot of people, friends and acquaintances, who have moved to Singapore and started a new life there. So far, except for the obvious complication of homesickness, feedbacks have been generally positive. It is considering the proximity and the number of people I already know there that is making me think really hard about this country. One of these days, if my luck will allow it, I will visit the place and see for myself if I can acclimate there.
But if I won’t think about work and instead dream about vacations, I’d rather go to Europe. Portugal vacation sounds great to me. [Tangent thought: For the longest time, I thought the primary language in Portugal is Spanish. Well, I still probably won’t be able to perfectly distinguish Portugese and Spanish just by listening to them being spoken, but both languages are considered Romance languages, which doesn’t really lend weight to my point; I just want to say it.] As with many other European countries, Portugal seems rife with cultural and historical riches and it will be definitely interesting to plan a Portugal family vacation if your circumstances allow it. Then maybe you can hop to the neighboring countries to complete your tour. If you’re at a loss as to where to start, you can search for a Portugal tour operator. You can find those online, or better yet ask people who have already gone to the country. Personally, this is not in the cards any time soon but one can dream. That last one has no price tag.
Congratulations, Roger Federer.
I thought I’d want to say more, but I realized that’s enough. Let’s just make with the funnies, Fed fans.
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf 10-Year RG Anniversary
Can I just say how much I love this couple?
The Agassis were on hand for the last couple of days of Roland Garros 2009, first as Longines representatives, for which they played exhibition matches this Saturday in order to raise funds for their respective charities. Steffi also presented the trophy to eventual tournament winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova (who was so thrilled to have met her tennis heroine). Steffi’s win at Roland Garros in 1999 (her 6th and final RG win) is most memorable for its sheer drama. Andre’s, on the other hand, is also quite historic because it made him one of the few men to have won all four major tournaments in their career, coming from being ranked so low at the time notwithstanding. He will present the trophy on Sunday to Roger Federer (*fingers crossed*).
1999 also marked the year when the two tennis legends fell in love. I cannot give it any other word than a “fairy tale.” You have to listen to this speech by Andre during Steffi’s Tennis Federation 2004 Hall of Fame induction to understand why I am so envious of their love. It’s still the most beautiful “love letter” I’ve ever had the pleasure of having stumbled upon.
