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Sunday, August 28, 2005

"...the Champ x2!"

Played my SF match at 8AM today, and I didn't mind the early match at all since I'm definitely a morning person. Playing sports at this hour, which some would probably think as insane and / or downright "ungodly," is my version of a Starbucks double shot grande latte becuase it has a way of perking me up. And considering the opponent I faced who was by far the toughest I've gone up against so far in these past 2 tourneys, I suppose it was more like a quadruple shot to the system. He hit w/ tremendous pace off the ground, and I also got aced a few times by his serve, which easily exceeded 100mph. On top of that, he was a serve / volley player, a style that I have historically had trouble against. Fortunately I was able to dig deep and be totally zoned in on my task at hand, to neutralize his power by keeping the ball out of his strike zone w/ angled slice that stayed low, and cracking pinpoint passing shots when he happened to charge the net off of his serve. And of course I'd crack the BH when the opportunity arose off of a short ball, etc. It all paid dividends as I was able to pull out the match by the score of 6-4, 7-6 [8]. Yup, that tiebreak was definitely a doozy, finally winning it on my 3rd match point...

The Final was scheduled for 11:30AM, so I did have ample time to rest up beforehand. My opponent in the Final also happened to have a serve / volley game, but he didn't really hit w/ as much power as my previous opponent. What he lacked in power, he more than made up for in pinpoint accuracy and a wicked slice that took me a while to come over on w/ devastating topspin. During this match I also happened to hit some wickedly exquisite drop shots mid-rally fr. the baseline that just froze my opponent mid point, as the ball would glance just barely over the net, and spin back towards the net, robbing him of time to retrieve it. There were many instances where he didn't even bother to go for it, which bode well for myself and my chances of pulling out the W w/ out working as hard as I did in the SF. And that's what happened, as I won the championship by the score of 6-3, 6-1. Yep, definitely a good day on the court, w/ all praise to the Lord.

On to the Boeing Labor Day Tourney fr. 9/1 thru 9/5! Hopefully I'll be keep up the quality play, and possibly even fortify my on-court repertoire further...

Saturday, August 27, 2005

"On to the SF's!"

Didn't really feel like I consistently played top quality tennis out there today, but I still got the W by the tally of 6-2, 6-1. Well, lookin' at it fr. a brighter perspective, I suppose it's a rosy omen if I can win w/ a tally like that, while not really feeling like I performed to my top capabilities...

Friday, August 26, 2005

the Bellevue City Tourney...

Got pushed a bit in my 2nd round match today, but I still pulled out the W by the score of 7-6, 6-1. I had actually dug myself a hole in the 1st set, facing a deficit of 4-2. I then shifted my focus / intensity into high gear, and rallied to win the set 7-6. The big "Mo" carried over to the 2nd set as I felt much more relaxed, free to unload on my shots, dictating play. On to the QF's!

Thursday, August 25, 2005

"...the Champ!"

Won my final match yesterday in the tourney, 6-3 6-3! My opponent in the final yesterday I definitely classify as the toughest I'd pitted up against on the road to winning the Championship. Very formidable shots, w/ his forehand the main shot in his arsenal. Fortunately I'd been able to neutralize it w/ my backhand, frequently hitting it cross court to his own, which for the most part generated a neutral reply along w/ a few Mach 3 winners if he happened to be situated deeply on his forehand side of the court. Well, anyhow, it definitely feels pretty good to have notched a Championship under my belt along w/ actual prize money [not much, but hey, I definitely ain't complaining], and Lord willing, possibly 1 or 2 more by the end of Sept. Gotta stay focused and grounded, not letting all this attention fr. tennis fanatics, etc. unnaturally boost my ego. =p Just got to keep working on the certain finer aspects of my game which could still use a *lot* of improvement, and not letting myself be satisfied w/ my skills. And most importantly, just to keep it fun / entertaining all the while w/ myself and other people, since after all it is a game that's meant to be played...

On to the next tourney [Bellevue City] this Fri.! They actually put me in as the #2 seed, so hopefully I'll be able to back it up by advancing deep in the draw...

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

"...on to the Finals!"

SF triumph! [6-1, 6-0] Very stoked... =p

Monday, August 22, 2005

"On to the SF's!"

Played my quarterfinal match today, and pulled out the victory 6-1, 6-2! I typed up a lengthy entry on the details of the match, but it all got obliterated! [bleh] But I'm still stoked! =p

Sunday, August 21, 2005

"Seed" of doubt...

Played my 2nd round match today in the August Avanti 3.5 tennis tourney, and at this point you might be curious as to what happened in the 1st round. Well, I actually got a bye in the 1st round by virtue of being the #4 seed, 1st time I've been seeded in a tourney and I suppose it's a good thing, apart fr. the added pressure to live up to it by advancing when I'm "expected" to. As for today's match, the 1st 4 games of the 1st set didn't look too indicative that I'd be fulfilling such expectations, as I fell behind by the deficit of 3-1. At that point, I just tried to put that in the back of my mind, all the while internally chiding myself to bring my level of play up a notch. Turns out it got turned up a couple notches, as I ended up breaking out the steamroller of lethal fluidity, winning the next 10 games to put me up 6-3, 5-0 and thus just a game away fr. the victory. All the while, my opponent Eric who also happens to be a friend of mine, had seemed to be gradually falling apart psychologically in the process, so I tried to offer up some encouragement during the changeovers, summed up pretty much in the cliches "everyone has their bad days" and "keep your head up." He ended up winning the next game, and I managed to elicit a chuckle fr. him as I cheerfully / facetiously exclaimed "good game, bro!" accompanied by a cheesy smile and a thumbs up sign like one of those "Joe Isuzu" commercials fr. the 80's. I then closed out the match in the next game, officially pulling out this 2nd round match by the score of 6-3, 6-1. On the the 3rd!

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Felix the K-K-K-K-K-King…

Very awesome game last night at Safeco. I was very pleased to have gone to this game as my 1st one this year, w/ 19 yr. old phenom Felix Hernandez consistently lighting up the radar gun w/ 97 and 98mph heaters along w/ pinpoint 83-84mph breaking balls, stifling the Twins for 8 shutout innings & notching six K's. It's s still early, but it’s looking like this kid is everything he’s been billed out to be in the sports media. Baseball is always looking for the next Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, or Randy Johnson, etc. who can carry a club single handedly by virtue of being a dominant, broodingly enigmatic ace. And Felix definitely has the potential to be in that category, based on his 1st 2 starts, but more so based on his start last night. So much poise for such a young kid. And the kid can play defense to boot, exemplary in his making a heads up throw to third w/ runners trying to advance fr. 1st and 2nd on a bouncer landing near the mound that he handled beautifully, throwing the runner out. Pretty safe to say that this kid will be the only reason really to pay attention to the M’s the rest of this profoundly disappointing season. Can't wait 'til next year to see if he can possibly be the ace that this club has sorely lacked since Randy Johnson's departure...

[*SportsFest]

I had a really enjoyable time this past Fri. and Sat., spending it up in Vancouver, BC thanks to homies Chris V., Rex and Rommel. I just happened to see Chris V. the previous Tues. for the 1st time in almost a yr. at 24 Hr. Fitness, and we ended up catching up on each other’s exploits for that duration. He eventually asked if I’d be down to attend an event his church holds every year around this time, called SportsFest. I decided to go, and I definitely had a rockin’ time w/ the basketball, volleyball, ping pong, Scrabble, etc. I even got introduced to around 70-80 different folks, and really got to make solid connections w/ a lot of cool guys and gals [hehe] more or less around my age. It's always great to meet up w/ the friends of your homies, 'cause you never know when you'll meet that "one" person, hehe...

[*Salty’s]

Went to this delectable seafood restaurant on Sun. morning, in time for their Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch, meeting up w/ my friend Sharon who wanted to go, along w/ some other buddies. Apart fr. The Old Country Buffet and Foody Goody, I’m not too much of a connoisseur when it comes to buffets, but I have to admit that this is by far the best buffet I’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking in. Dungeness crab, clams, scallops, prime rib, all different kinds of palate tantalizing desserts, crepes and omelettes customized and made on the spot, the entire package was all definitely top notch. But that last plate of food I had, kind of funny since I heaped it up w/ all kinds of goodies, and when I got to the table my other friend Cecille gave me this look of mild mockery, as if in her eyes I saw her saying, “dude, it’s all you can eat, not all you can carry!” Pretty amusing stuff…

[*karaoke exploits]

[did a rendition of Lifehouse’s Hanging by a Moment last Wed., and the crowd just absolutely rocked out to it! i just let it fly w/ the honesty and passion again, and they loved the display. one guy in the restroom actually came up to me afterwards while i was in there, and actually offered up additional props, saying it was a “badass” performance. =p That really opened my eyes, since it's a term that has never been attributed to me before, but i suppose it was flattering, hehe.]

*****************

desperate for changing
starving for truth
i’m closer to where i started
i’m chasing after you…

i’m falling even more in love with you
letting go of all i’ve held on to
i’m standing here until you make me move
i’m hanging by a moment here with you…

forgetting all i‘m lacking
completely incomplete
i‘ll take your invitation
you take all of me, now…

i’m falling even more in love with you
letting go of all i’ve held on to
i’m standing here until you make me move
i’m hanging by a moment here with you…

i’m living for the only thing i know
i’m running and not quite sure where to go
and i don’t know what i’m tapping into
just hanging by a moment here with you…

there’s nothing else to lose
there’s nothing else to find
there’s nothing in the world
that can change my mind
there is nothing else
there is nothing else
there is nothing else…

desperate for changing
starving for truth
i’m closer to where i started
i’m chasing after you…

i’m falling even more in love with you
letting go of all i’ve held on to
i’m standing here until you make me move
i’m hanging by a moment here with you…

i’m living for the only thing I know
i’m running and not quite sure where to go
and i don’t know what i’m diving into
just hanging by a moment here with you…

just hanging by a moment
hanging by a moment
hanging by a moment
hanging by a moment here with you…

Hanging by a Moment ~ Lifehouse



Monday, August 01, 2005

the PA Tourney...

Didn't quite pull out the W in the QF's against the #2 seed, but I take solace in knowing that I kept the match close throughout, making my opponent earn the right to get to the SF's. Overall, I'm satisfied w/ my result in this tennis tourney, since it's the 1st one in the series of tourneys I plan to compete in. I've got 4 more tourneys I'm slated to play in the next month and a half or so, and hopefully this'll have me poised for possibly a deeper run...

[*Pista!]

Had a great time chillaxing w/ homie David and his GF Linda and their friends on Sunday, at the annual "Pista Sa Nayon" Filipino festival held in Seward Park every summer. I hadn't been to the festival since around '01, so it was nice to be around the fellow ethnic brethren again in that type of enclosed park setting that harkened back to my days attending every year as a young lad w/ relatives. Got the chance to see and catch up w/ a lot of ol' friends fr. back in the day, and meet a bunch of new people that instantaneously generated the good vibes. Food was also great too, grubbed on some Kahlua Pork and some short ribs. And for dessert, none other than the classic Filipino drink "halo-halo." Out of all the booths, the line happened to be longest at this booth, and waiting in line for almost half and hour wasn't particularly fun w/ the sweltering sun and all. Luckily we were able to keep it lighthearted, after I commented that one of Linda's friends was a "halo-halo-back-girl" after she started complaining about the extensive standing in line. We all found that amusing and it commenced the playful banter, which made the wait not so long. It reminded me of my time in Hawaii, when I called a fellow unit mate a "mahalo-back-girl" after she gave a generous tip to the rockin' waitress at Sam Choy's and she started crackin' up. Ah, the good times just keep on rollin', and I'm thankful for the blessings...

[*karaoke exploits]

[i did a rendition of Rob Thomas' Lonely No More on Sat. 7/30, and it generated a rockin' ovation fr. the crowd. =p i just let it fly w/ the honest, passionate expression, and i suppose that's what the audience reacted to...]


*******************

now it seems to me
that you know just what to say
but words are only words
can you show me something else
can you swear to me
that you’ll always be this way
show me how you feel
more than ever, baby...

i don’t wanna be lonely no more
i don’t wanna have to pay for this
i don’t want to know the lover at my door
it’s just another heartache on my list...

i don’t wanna be angry no more
you do know i could never stand for this
so when you tell me that you love me, know for sure
i don’t wanna be lonely anymore...

now it’s hard for me
when my heart’s still on the mend
open up to me
like you do your girlfriends
and you sing to me and it’s harmony
girl, what you do to me is everything
make me say anything just to get you back again
why can’t we just try...

what if I was good to you?
what if you were good to me?
what if i could hold you 'til i feel you move inside of me?
what if it was paradise?
what if we were symphonies?
what if I gave all my life
to find some way to stand beside you?...

i don’t wanna be lonely no more
i don’t wanna be lonely anymore...

Lonely No More ~ Rob Thomas


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