Written by Scott Adams, on the DilbertBlog
Winning
Recently there was a tennis tournament in Indian Wells. It’s one of the biggest tournaments not counting the four “Grand Slam” events. Because tennis is an individual sport, there are always great stories within the game. This year’s biggest story was James Blake’s comeback.
If you don’t follow the game, let me give you some background. Blake is the son of an African-American dad and an English mom. He was raised in Connecticut and had to wear a back brace for years when he was a kid. He took up tennis, excelled, and went to Harvard for two years before going pro. He looked promising, along with a number of other young Americans, but not top 10 material. He was most noted for his sex appeal and great personality.
I became a fan after watching him play Lleyton Hewitt a few years ago. After some calls that went against Hewitt, the Aussie singled out an African-American linesperson and complained to the chair umpire. Hewitt used a poor choice of words that led observers to think he was complaining of racial favoritism. Hewitt says he didn’t mean it that way, but nonetheless it became the story. And the media tried hard to get Blake to bite. They wanted him to complain about racism, maybe get a little mad about it. That’s good TV. But Blake didn’t take the bait. He politely pointed out that people say things in the heat of the moment, and whatever Hewitt said was Hewitt’s problem, not his. It seemed to me the perfect response. Sometimes trivializing is the best strategy.
Blake’s ranking bobbed up and down, peaking at 22 in the world. He shaved his dreadlocks and gave up his sex symbol image along with millions in potential endorsements. (I’m guessing his hair was prematurely thinning.) Then in 2004 he had the year from Hell. He ran into a tennis net post and broke his neck. Then he got a shingles virus in his face that paralyzed it on one side. Then his dad died.
There was some doubt that Blake would ever play tennis again. He watched the major tournaments from his couch and wondered about his future. In time, his body recovered, and he felt that he had been given a second chance. He grabbed it by the neck.
I don’t know what kind of training he did, but oh-my-god. I watched him play in person during the first week of the Indian Wells tournament and thought it couldn’t be the same guy. There was ferocity to his strokes. He wasn’t just hitting the ball, he was punishing it. His court speed was breathtaking. His shot selection was brilliant. His backhand, previously a weakness, had become a rocket.
You only needed to listen to the court sounds to know that Blake was heading deep into the tournament. When a tennis racket strikes a ball perfectly, it creates a sound wave that spectators can feel in their entire bodies. If you play tennis yourself, you can practically close your eyes and know who is winning.
Blake blasted through the field of world-class tennis players and found himself in an unlikely semi-final with a Spanish force of nature named Rafael Nadal. Nadal is the #2 player in the world. He hits with brutal topspin. It’s a relentless attack that less than a handful of elite players have been able to withstand in the past year.
Nadal brought his best, but Blake blew past with a combination of game and gamesmanship that surprised almost everyone, not the least Nadal himself.
Now it was time for the championship match against Roger Federer, the best player in the world. Correction – make that the best tennis player who has ever lived. That’s not just my opinion. He already has seven Grand Slam wins. If he stays healthy, many people expect him to hold every important record in tennis.
Against all odds, Blake blazed to a 4-1 first set advantage against the all-time greatest player on earth. It seemed as though nothing could stop him.
And then something happened. The momentum shifted. The rest of the match was all Federer. Blake seemed to fade away, settling for runner-up, but his effort that week was enough to put him in the top ten in the world.
At the trophy ceremony, Blake spoke to the crowd. He said that in 2004, when he was in the hospital with a broken neck, only one tennis player sent him a note to wish him well. It was Roger Federer.
I wanted Blake to win that match, yet somehow, by losing he found perfection.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
hmmm.
| Your Birthdate: August 25 |
 You excel at anything difficult or high tech. In other words, you're a total (brilliant) geek. It's difficult for you to find people worth spending time with. Which is probably why you'll take over the world with your evil robots! Your strength: Your unfailing logic Your weakness: Loving machines more than people Your power color: Tan Your power symbol: Pi Your power month: July |
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Its harder than i thought...
Painful. But fun.
Its amazing how people can make things seem and sound so easy. We hit Batam at about 10, checked into the hotel, then headed for the cable-ski place. Apparantly there was a storm that tore down a small hut earlier this week, so they were doing some cleaning up. We were then taught how to use a kneeboard... which you get on by kneeling and strapping your thighs on. Naturally, me being the sucker i am, i decided to try going first.
Now before i go on, let me describe the cable ski setup. There's a circular cable above that services a series of clamps that pull ropes which cable-skiiers hang on to to get their kick. This is continuously moving at somewhere between jogging and sprinting speed. Doesnt seem fast? Ya thats what we thought.
So, the instructor said, keep your hands to your side, tuck in, clench the muscles for a few seconds while the rope takes in the slack and pulls... and suddenly WHUMPH im face flat in the water. Hmmm. Well he did say that people will fail to do it most of the time. Grrr..... Try again. The laughter was short lived as we all took turns to eat water. I guess the initial embarassment of falling in the water over and over faded quite quickly. Until Edgar managed to get the hang of it... Then we all quickly learned from him. Apparently the initial starting position involves pulling your hands near the tip of the board, much like the posture of a sycophant lying prone in prayer... haha i guess thats what happens when we pray to stay on the board... Eventually we managed to finish the two rounds, turnings and all...
Then once we had our appetite for water whetted on the knee boards, we were shown the real wakeboards... And once again, we all ate water. On the bright side, i managed to be the first one to complete a full round on the wakeboard... haha im guessing its from the experience skateboarding... the heels and toes to turn thing. The feeling of standing on a wakeboard is just so... liberating. The sun in the sky, the wind in your hair, and the feeling that if you let go you are so, so, soooo fucked. Ed had to give up cos his injury was acting up... While Zhongwei and Jack just kept trying... We broke for lunch, which was fried rice with egg and chicken. At that point of time, anything would have looked good. Horror of horrors, while we were eating, we noticed our hands shaking... haha funny. After lunch i gave it a couple more tries, but eventually decided to break as my hands were too pumped to hold the handle properly... and i was aching in a couple of other places too. Took the opportunity to video Zhongwei and Jack and their attempts to master the wakeboard... and their successful tries. Nice one guys!
Headed back to the hotel after that exhauting yet thrilling session. Had dinner at a nice seafood restaurant near the ferry terminal, within the ghost town of waterfront city. Headed back for a few games of bridge (which never seemed so fun before) and then for a little while sat at the bar. Reacquainted myself with the taste of tequila, and remembered why i never took liquor straight up.
Woke up the next day unable to sit up in bed. Yes it was that bad. I guess it took me a very vigorous activity to realise how screwed up my body had become. I recommend a gym session or two before starting on wakeboarding or any similar activity... As of now the aches are still here. Neck, shoulders, stomach, back, and even my ass aches. Aaaargh..... sick shit. But hey, it was fun. Painful but fun.
Frankly theres nothing to Batam... looks like johor or any malaysian state... i wonder whats all the hype about. We drifted around a couple of malls before deciding to head back to the ferry terminal to change our tickets to an earlier timing... The only good thing that happened on the second day was that we found an A&Ws restaurant, and brunched there. Hoo.... the food was good man! So hard to find a nice root beer float nowadays... Went to an arcade,and i indulged myself in an Air Hockey challenge.... haha. Fun, Fun, Fun...
Overall the trip was not bad. Although i would spend less time in Batam city and more on wakeboarding and chilling out in the hotel. Will be going again, definitely. When? God knows.
Its amazing how people can make things seem and sound so easy. We hit Batam at about 10, checked into the hotel, then headed for the cable-ski place. Apparantly there was a storm that tore down a small hut earlier this week, so they were doing some cleaning up. We were then taught how to use a kneeboard... which you get on by kneeling and strapping your thighs on. Naturally, me being the sucker i am, i decided to try going first.
Now before i go on, let me describe the cable ski setup. There's a circular cable above that services a series of clamps that pull ropes which cable-skiiers hang on to to get their kick. This is continuously moving at somewhere between jogging and sprinting speed. Doesnt seem fast? Ya thats what we thought.
So, the instructor said, keep your hands to your side, tuck in, clench the muscles for a few seconds while the rope takes in the slack and pulls... and suddenly WHUMPH im face flat in the water. Hmmm. Well he did say that people will fail to do it most of the time. Grrr..... Try again. The laughter was short lived as we all took turns to eat water. I guess the initial embarassment of falling in the water over and over faded quite quickly. Until Edgar managed to get the hang of it... Then we all quickly learned from him. Apparently the initial starting position involves pulling your hands near the tip of the board, much like the posture of a sycophant lying prone in prayer... haha i guess thats what happens when we pray to stay on the board... Eventually we managed to finish the two rounds, turnings and all...
Then once we had our appetite for water whetted on the knee boards, we were shown the real wakeboards... And once again, we all ate water. On the bright side, i managed to be the first one to complete a full round on the wakeboard... haha im guessing its from the experience skateboarding... the heels and toes to turn thing. The feeling of standing on a wakeboard is just so... liberating. The sun in the sky, the wind in your hair, and the feeling that if you let go you are so, so, soooo fucked. Ed had to give up cos his injury was acting up... While Zhongwei and Jack just kept trying... We broke for lunch, which was fried rice with egg and chicken. At that point of time, anything would have looked good. Horror of horrors, while we were eating, we noticed our hands shaking... haha funny. After lunch i gave it a couple more tries, but eventually decided to break as my hands were too pumped to hold the handle properly... and i was aching in a couple of other places too. Took the opportunity to video Zhongwei and Jack and their attempts to master the wakeboard... and their successful tries. Nice one guys!
Headed back to the hotel after that exhauting yet thrilling session. Had dinner at a nice seafood restaurant near the ferry terminal, within the ghost town of waterfront city. Headed back for a few games of bridge (which never seemed so fun before) and then for a little while sat at the bar. Reacquainted myself with the taste of tequila, and remembered why i never took liquor straight up.
Woke up the next day unable to sit up in bed. Yes it was that bad. I guess it took me a very vigorous activity to realise how screwed up my body had become. I recommend a gym session or two before starting on wakeboarding or any similar activity... As of now the aches are still here. Neck, shoulders, stomach, back, and even my ass aches. Aaaargh..... sick shit. But hey, it was fun. Painful but fun.
Frankly theres nothing to Batam... looks like johor or any malaysian state... i wonder whats all the hype about. We drifted around a couple of malls before deciding to head back to the ferry terminal to change our tickets to an earlier timing... The only good thing that happened on the second day was that we found an A&Ws restaurant, and brunched there. Hoo.... the food was good man! So hard to find a nice root beer float nowadays... Went to an arcade,and i indulged myself in an Air Hockey challenge.... haha. Fun, Fun, Fun...
Overall the trip was not bad. Although i would spend less time in Batam city and more on wakeboarding and chilling out in the hotel. Will be going again, definitely. When? God knows.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Cleanup
Sometimes you don't realise how bad things become until it slaps you in the face...
I was happily reading Friday by Robert A. Heinlein, when i noted a certain aura near my shoulder... Then i saw it. A huge freakin COCKROACH standing calmly at my elbow area, testing the air of the table with its long feelers. Its not a normal cockroach i tell you. Its FRICKIN huge.
Needless to say i flipped. i completely flipped. My table is my sanctum, my last refuge from the utter inanity of doing my work on the floor. I chased the cockroach until it disappeared from sight. And then began to wonder. How on earth did that cockroach get onto the table??? Its practically the cockroach version of scaling Everest. Ok, at least Kinabalu. Ok... maybe bukit timah. But thats not the point. I realise my table had, in the one month since CNY, had grown enough cover and concealment to hide a platoon of cockroaches somewhere inside.
It was time for some good old-fashioned ritual cleansing... And this time im gonna get my army stuff out of the way too... Im way overdue for my CCC (Civilian Conversion Course)... And its time i caught up.
That was 8. 3 hours later, i've cleaned out my army stuff but my table still remains a paper jungle. Nothing a little fire and clearance wont help... BURN baby BURN.... muahaha.
I was happily reading Friday by Robert A. Heinlein, when i noted a certain aura near my shoulder... Then i saw it. A huge freakin COCKROACH standing calmly at my elbow area, testing the air of the table with its long feelers. Its not a normal cockroach i tell you. Its FRICKIN huge.
Needless to say i flipped. i completely flipped. My table is my sanctum, my last refuge from the utter inanity of doing my work on the floor. I chased the cockroach until it disappeared from sight. And then began to wonder. How on earth did that cockroach get onto the table??? Its practically the cockroach version of scaling Everest. Ok, at least Kinabalu. Ok... maybe bukit timah. But thats not the point. I realise my table had, in the one month since CNY, had grown enough cover and concealment to hide a platoon of cockroaches somewhere inside.
It was time for some good old-fashioned ritual cleansing... And this time im gonna get my army stuff out of the way too... Im way overdue for my CCC (Civilian Conversion Course)... And its time i caught up.
That was 8. 3 hours later, i've cleaned out my army stuff but my table still remains a paper jungle. Nothing a little fire and clearance wont help... BURN baby BURN.... muahaha.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Monster
Dammit my mom's car is a monster.... wider, longer, heavier, and more powerful to drive than the car i took my driving lessons in... Frankly i was terrified i would scratch it. But hey, it feels good to drive. Although with my mom looking over my shoulder and criticising my every move. Hey, it still feels good to drive. LOL.
Spent a day wasted at home. Reading V for Vendetta. Its good. Think i'll catch the movie. Freedom is often overlooked as a quality. V for Vendetta takes place in a neo-dystopian now, where nuclear war has decimated the earth, and a worldwide cataclysm. England is under the control of Fate, a totalitarian government system aided by a mega-computer network, which monitors and records down the lives of its citizens as they live day to day. Thats right. Big Brother is watching. V for Vendetta chronicles the rise of a hero in that turbulent times. His goal? To teach the sad lifeless people of the world the meaning of freedom.
Fantastic. Typical of Vertigo. I enjoy reading Vertigo publishings... Sandman, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, and now V for Vendetta. All good... Pls take a recommendation. I suggest Sandman. Nice start to addiction to comic books.
Spent a day wasted at home. Reading V for Vendetta. Its good. Think i'll catch the movie. Freedom is often overlooked as a quality. V for Vendetta takes place in a neo-dystopian now, where nuclear war has decimated the earth, and a worldwide cataclysm. England is under the control of Fate, a totalitarian government system aided by a mega-computer network, which monitors and records down the lives of its citizens as they live day to day. Thats right. Big Brother is watching. V for Vendetta chronicles the rise of a hero in that turbulent times. His goal? To teach the sad lifeless people of the world the meaning of freedom.
Fantastic. Typical of Vertigo. I enjoy reading Vertigo publishings... Sandman, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, and now V for Vendetta. All good... Pls take a recommendation. I suggest Sandman. Nice start to addiction to comic books.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Driving. Me NUTS!
Price of 30 lessons- $1440
Costs of 9 circuit bookings- $170
Cost of 1 driving test- $100
The look on my face when i passed- PRICELESS.
Failed to confirm safety- 4 pts.
Slope: Roll backwards- 2 pts.
Failure to overtake- No penalty (one time)
Fail to check blind spot- No penalty (one time)
Overall- 6pts
Grade- Passed
w0000000000000000000000000000000000t
But frankly i didnt quite expect to pass. My driving instructor was berating me the entire warm-up session. When i stepped into the test waiting room, morale was almost at an all-time low. But hey, breath in, shoulders back, walk with confidence... Dunno. Putting on a brave front is helpful. At least to quash the pre-test jitters. Everyone gets them.
Haha my examiner was called tien chai. In chinese, thats "genius." dunno if thats an omen of any kind. I was kind of freaked out when after we headed for the circuit, he flipped the clipboard and ticked or scribbled something after every station. MAN THAT WAS BONE-CHILLING. That aside, i tried not to get too unnerved. Just carried on. Didnt talk much with him. Just moved and tried to work as normal. Only major foul-up was sliding a little on the slope. F***ing handbrake. Went out of circuit. Had route 2. Thank god i covered that earlier today. Out, a little filtering, up a slope, down the slope, filter some more, turn, turn again, and back. Man its so easy to type out. But the route wasnt as hard as i thought it would be. Kena penalised cos the tester said theres one time i changed lane before checking blind spot. I did actually. But my hands moved faster than my head turned, so he said i moved before checking. LOL. Went back to the test centre. He didnt say a word. I followed him to the debrief. And found out that all that ticking was to certify that i finished each part of the circuit. KNNBCCB, that was scary. But the result was worth it. Couldnt keep the grin from my face. 6pts...... Man! I guess going for 4 lessons last week was worth it. Hit my goal, and it feels good.
Costs of 9 circuit bookings- $170
Cost of 1 driving test- $100
The look on my face when i passed- PRICELESS.
Failed to confirm safety- 4 pts.
Slope: Roll backwards- 2 pts.
Failure to overtake- No penalty (one time)
Fail to check blind spot- No penalty (one time)
Overall- 6pts
Grade- Passed
w0000000000000000000000000000000000t
But frankly i didnt quite expect to pass. My driving instructor was berating me the entire warm-up session. When i stepped into the test waiting room, morale was almost at an all-time low. But hey, breath in, shoulders back, walk with confidence... Dunno. Putting on a brave front is helpful. At least to quash the pre-test jitters. Everyone gets them.
Haha my examiner was called tien chai. In chinese, thats "genius." dunno if thats an omen of any kind. I was kind of freaked out when after we headed for the circuit, he flipped the clipboard and ticked or scribbled something after every station. MAN THAT WAS BONE-CHILLING. That aside, i tried not to get too unnerved. Just carried on. Didnt talk much with him. Just moved and tried to work as normal. Only major foul-up was sliding a little on the slope. F***ing handbrake. Went out of circuit. Had route 2. Thank god i covered that earlier today. Out, a little filtering, up a slope, down the slope, filter some more, turn, turn again, and back. Man its so easy to type out. But the route wasnt as hard as i thought it would be. Kena penalised cos the tester said theres one time i changed lane before checking blind spot. I did actually. But my hands moved faster than my head turned, so he said i moved before checking. LOL. Went back to the test centre. He didnt say a word. I followed him to the debrief. And found out that all that ticking was to certify that i finished each part of the circuit. KNNBCCB, that was scary. But the result was worth it. Couldnt keep the grin from my face. 6pts...... Man! I guess going for 4 lessons last week was worth it. Hit my goal, and it feels good.
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