Australian Open: Dealing with the hurt

Sunday 1 February 2009
By Eleanor Preston

 

He cried, and it was hard not to cry with him. The sight of Roger Federer’s lower lip trembling would have been enough to start most soft-hearted observers off, but by the time his tears started flowing, a far proportion of the 15,000 at Rod Laver Arena and the millions watching around the world were probably reaching for the tissues too. If that had not done the trick, then the sight of Rafael Nadal, his conqueror, putting his arm around him in friendly consolation, would have set off a worldwide outbreak of sniffles. Australia, perhaps more than any other nation on earth, values mateship, and you will not better embodiment of that than the sight of one great champion comforting another.

Federer did his best not to take the limelight away from Nadal at the moment when Spain had its first Australian Open champion and the winner of a match of enduring quality had just taken his sixth Grand Slam title at the age of just 22, but the Swiss’s was a scene-stealing performance nonetheless. Federer is, as Nadal said in his acceptance speech, one of the greatest players of all-time, but he came second on the night – and that hurt like hell. As Federer said just before the sobs took over, “God, it’s killing me”.

He had played, at times, every bit as well as a 13-time Grand Slam champion might expect to. In the fourth set in particular, his tennis was sublime, but by the time the contest moved into its fifth set and its fifth hour, Federer’s brain appeared to have been fried by the mental pressure Nadal had been exerting on him since the very first ball. “I mean, this is, sure, one of the matches in my career where I feel like I could have or should have won,” said Federer, who repeatedly had break points snatched away from him by Nadal’s remarkable ability to find a first serve or a rasping forehand winner when threatened.

“You can’t go through your whole life as a tennis player taking every victory that’s out there. You’ve got to live with those, you know. But they hurt even more so if you’re that close, like at Wimbledon or like here at the Australian Open. So that’s what’s tough about it.”

He did not seem to regret the tears afterwards. Federer is a thoroughly modern man and so would probably not normally be concerned about a public display of emotion, but even he might have preferred it if this one had not been quite as public as it was. “In the first moment you’re disappointed, you’re shocked, you’re sad, you know, then all of a sudden it overwhelms you,” he explained afterwards. “The problem is you can’t go in the locker room and just take it easy and take a cold shower. You can’t. You know, you’re stuck out there. It’s the worst feeling. It’s rough.”

He had, by his own admission, played a poor fifth set and was critical of his own serving, but in the end such things are details which will probably be largely lost in time. What cut him to his very core was the knowledge that, for the fifth time in his career, he had been denied a Grand Slam victory by Nadal, and so missed out on the chance to equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major titles. Nadal’s first thought when he had accepted the trophy was to reassure Federer that he believes the Swiss will match and then pass that historic marker before his career is out. “Rog, sorry for today,” said Nadal, turning to his friend with genuine compassion in his voice. “I really know how you feel right now. Remember that you are a great champion and you are one of the best in history and you will beat Pete Sampras’ 14 titles for sure.”

Federer mustered a weak smile and nodded his appreciation, but the pain was still there on his face. It wasn’t long before the tears began to roll again.

 Source: Australian Open

I won a bag

It has been almost a year that I wanted the Samsonite Oberthur Laptop Backback.

A secret raffle was held and guess who won…………

I won! The prize was a Samsonite Oberthur Laptop Messenger. But wait, Lenart wanted to swap his Samsonite Oberthur Laptop Backback. So I happily agreed.

Thank you Oberthur. Thank you Anne.

My Seventh Day in Bangkok

We finished the training today. It was good, very informative and I really understood most of the topics.

During lunch I went to Tops Supermarket at Central in Silom.  I bought spices and some other local food.

I also saw this nice black dress, bought it at 790 Baht. I also got 2 pieces of knit wear, at 750 Baht each.

Tonight, we have a Bangkok everyone party at K’Wan’s place.

My sixth day in Bangkok

O God, never hide from me. But more correctly, never allow me to hide from You so that I could see You all the days of my life. Amen.

I enjoyed the activity last night,

Loi Krathong

Loy Krathong is as old as Thai heritage and represents a close bond between Thai culture and water. The festival takes place on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month when the water level is high and the climate is cooler. Participants ask water spirits to sail away their troubles in their krathongs, which are containers traditionally made from banana leaves and carrying offerings of incense, lotus flowers and small money.

My Krathong was nice. I bought it at 30 baht. I’ll post our pictures later.

Many Thais were there to send off their Krathong. The mood was festive, with lots of students around. They sold food, drinks, sparklers and Krathong.

After theat, we went to a mall to eat at KFC, tooka cab going back to the hotel.

My fourth day in Bangkok

I’m really having a nice time here in Bangkok. I’ve gone to Chatuchak, Sukhumvit and Suan Lum Market. Last night I bought 9 pieces of scarf at 50 Baht each. That’s around P70 per piece. I’m giving 4 pieces away for Christmas. The pieces I keep for myself. hehehe… I also bought spicy tamarind at 110 Baht for a 3-tube pack.

The XPON office here is so nice. They have a nice Conference Room, nice Espresso machine, with complete condiments — cream, milk, cocoa, sugar or low-cal sugar. They have nice office and furnitures. People are nice too. They always smile at me even if they don’t know me.

For lunch, we ate at the Foodcourt beside the office. It was a turo-turo style eatery without the flies. The noodles and coke cost only 35 Baht.

The last time I was here, I didn’t have money to spend. And it was a treat for us. But now, it also feels like a treat for me because I was sent by the company for training and meeting. I’m staying at the Landmark Bangkok, a 5-star hotel, with all the works. I share the room with my colleague, but there’s no issue there.

Here’s some of my official expenses so far:

Taxi from house to Airport    P180

Terminal Fee                          P750

Taxi from Airport to Hotel     300 Baht

Toll from Airport to Hotel        70 Baht

20081109 Taxi from Hotel to Dinner 101 Baht

20081109 Taxi from Hotel to Dinner 120 Baht

20081110 BTS card                             160 Baht

More kwento this week!

Useful Thai Phrases

For my up and coming business mixed with pleasure trip to Bangkok, here are some useful Thai phrases to memorize….

Some Useful Thai Phrases.

 

Hello & Good Bye	Sa-wat dee (kha,krab)
Thank you	Khorb koon
How much?	Gee baht
Where is ……?	……. yoo tee nai
I don’t want	Mai tong gaan
Sorry	Khor toat
I like it	Chob maak
Yes/No	Chai/ Mai chai
Why?	Tum mai
What?	Arai
I want to go to…	Chun ja pai …….
Toilet	Hong naam
Which way?	Pai taang nai
Left	Sai
Right	Kwaa
Straight on	Tong pai
Is it far?	Gai mai?
How to go to …….?	Pai …….. yang ngai
Never mind	Mai pen rai

Do you speak English?	Kun poot par sar ang grit dai mai
How do you do? (pleased to meet you)	Yin dee tee roo jak
I beg your pardon?	Arai na
I don’t understand	Pom (di chan) mai kow jai
See you later	Laiw jer gan
Can you help me?	Chuay pom (di chan) noy dai mai
Where can I get a taxi?	Pom (di chan) ja reark taihk see dai tee nai
How long?	Narm mai
Can I get you a drink?	Pom (di chan) (b)pai ow kreuang deurm hai ow mai
I hope we’ll meet again	Pom (di chan) wang war row ja dai jer gan eek
Do you mind if I smoke?	Kun ja rang geart mai tar pom (di chan) ja soop bu ree

 

Shopping

Shopping is the first thing, many tourists do when they arrive in Thailand. Thailand has a lot to offer in terms of shopping from air-conditioned shopping malls to dozens of outdoor markets. Department stores usually have a fixed price, but in markets, you can bargain the price.

How much is this?	Ra ka thao rai
That is a little expensive	Paeng pai
Can you make it cheaper?	Lot noi dai mai
How about ……. Baht?	….. baht dai mai?
Can you help me?	Chuay dai mai
Can I see that?	Khor doo dai mai
I am just looking.	Khor doo thao nun
I will come back later.	Ja ma mai
Do you have something bigger (or smaller)? (“Yai” = Big, “Lek” = Small)	Mee yai (or lek) gwar mai
Do you have another colour?	Mee see auen mai
Never mind	Mai pen rai

Numbers

It is important to learn Thai numbers if you want to be serious about shopping and bargaining in Thailand. Prices in department stores are marked but you will have to ask the price in outdoor market then try to make it cheaper.

0	Soon	20	Yee sib
1	Nueng	30	Saam sib
2	Song	40	See sib
3	Saam	50	Har sib
4	See	60	Hok sib
5	Har	70	Jed sib
6	Hok	80	Paed sib
7	Jed	90	Gao sib
8	Paed	100	Nueng roi
9	Gao	200	Song roi
10	Sib	1,000	Nueng pan

Once you have mastered from one to ten, the rest is easy.

Number’s Unit – 10: Sib, 100: Roi, 1,000 Pan, 10,000: Muen, 100,000: Saen, 1,000,000: Laan

Example- 21: Yee sib et, 22: Yee sib song, 23: Yee sib saam, 30: Sam sib et, 32: Saam sib song, 45: See Sib har, 57: Har sib jed, 63: Hok sib saam, 71: Jed sib et, 89: Pad sib gao, 98: Gao sib paed, 1200: Nueng pan song soi, 1,312: Nueng pan sam roi sib song

From the above example I hope you can pretty much combine the unit with the numbers.

Restaurants

Are you going to eat here or take away?	Gin tee nee reu glub baan
Eat here	Gin tee nee
Take away	Glub baan
Can I have more please?	Khor eak dai mai
Can I have an extra plate?	Khor Jaan plao neung bai
Clear the Table	Geb jaan
Check bill	Geb tung
Can I have a spoon (fork) please?	Khor chorn (som) noi dai mai?
Delicious	Aroi
Not Delicious	Mai Aroi
Not Spicy	Mai Ped

Can you recommend a good restaurant?	Chuay neh nam pat tar karn dee dee hai noy dai mai
May I have the menu please?	Kor doo rai garn ar harn noy dai mai
I don’t eat meat	Pom (di chan) mai tarn neua
Waiter/Waitress	Boy/kun
What do you recommend?	mee arai nar tarn barng
What kind of seafood do you have?	Mee ar harn ta ley arai barng
Keep the change	Gehp ngern torn ow wai
Can I pay with this Credit Card?	Jai duay bat krey dit dai mai
I’d like to pay	Gehp ngern duay
I enjoyed it, thank you	Pom (di chan) a roy mark korp kun
May I have a receipt?	Kor bai seht rap ngern noy dai mai

 

Learning another language is certainly challenging, but if you cannot get all the phrases listed here at the first time, do not be disheartened. Listen how native people speak and practice as practice makes one perfect.

http://www.mypattaya.com/80thaiphrases.asp

4G

Last night, I started to take a food supplement called 4G (Garlic, Ginseng, Grapeseed and Ginko Biloba).

I hope it will work as a very good anti-oxidant.

Ten Tips for cleaning out and organizing your closet and keeping it clutter free

1. Start at the bottom Dig out everything from the floor and find temporary storage for your shoes until you can buy a shoe organizer, which will keep them all in one place. If you don’t have floor space, get a hanging shoe organizer instead of a box system. 2. Spend a half hour a week going through your closet. (Don’t worry; you won’t have to do it forever. Once it’s tidy, go to once a month organizing). Pitch everything you aren’t wearing into one of two boxes: one box goes to the Goodwill and the other into a separate storage space. The goal is that the clothes you wear often should be in the closet and the rest either in storage or to people who will wear them.

3.Put your “fat clothes” or “thin clothes” into a separate closet. We all have fat and thin clothes! Separate them. This is also good for the morale. If you must have your fat clothes in sight to stay on track with a diet, pick out the best item and keep it around.    4. When you buy something new, throw out something old. Now that you’ve bought those new suede slippers, do you really need those funky, ratty old cloth ones that belonged to your boyfriend before they came to live at your house?    5. Put a light on it. One reason people avoid dealing with their closets is that they can’t see inside them. Hang up a clip light or a battery operated stick-up light from the hardware store if you don’t want to actually deal with wiring. Or just put a new bulb in the light socket. When you can see what’s going on in there, you’ll be more likely to deal with it.    6. Hang the things you rarely wear towards the back of the closet and the ones you wear often near the front.    7. Hang all your pants together, then all your blouses, sweaters, etc. to make it easy to find the pieces when you get dressed. (You may want to do this twice, for the things you wear frequently and the things you don’t)    8. Get a second-stage piece of furniture where you can lay clothes that are in that fascinating in-between state; not really dirty, but not totally clean. We all do it: maybe we’ll want to wear those lightly worn jeans tomorrow to go sailing or to scrub the kitchen floor. Why do more laundry than we have to? Use an old quilt stand, a lounge, or even a fruit crate to keep your in-between clothes off the floor when you aren’t committed enough to either hang them up or wash them.    9. Match your hangers to your clothes. Pants should have pant hangers, skirts must have skirt hangers, and if you’re the kind who hangs her lingerie, get hangers that can hold skinny little straps. The right hangers will keep your clothes from slipping off and winding up on the floor.    10. When you’re shopping for clothes, try to buy things that will coordinate with as many of your current clothes as possible. The idea is relatively seamless integration of new garments with old, so you won’t find yourself standing in front of your closet with half an outfit on and nothing that matches it.

Ten Essential Clothing Items Every Woman Should Have for their Classic Wardrobe

1. 3 piece black or grey neutral suit (skirt, pants, and jacket) There is nothing more versatile for work than a three piece black or gray suit, because it goes with everything as well as being two suits in one. Dressing professionally for a living requires at least three such suits, but most of us in the business casual arena can get by with one or two three piece suits. They are ideal for meetings, luncheons or anytime you want to impress someone with your professional poise. These suits should never be trendy, or you’ll have to buy a new one every six months: aim for getting classically cut, perfectly simple suits that can be added onto your wardrobe where they will serve you beautifully for years.
	2. Pair of close-toe black heels or pumps Your close-toed black heels will not only make your three piece suit extra professional, but can also meet up with most of your dressy wardrobe items in a fashionable expression of understated style. They are ideal for work; it’s not appropriate in many workplaces to wear open-toed shoes, which are considered sexier than close-toed ones. They are also the perfect shoes for the evenings when you want to go out and look nice, but don’t want to refurbish a worn pedicure. Hide those toes in a good looking pair of heels!
3. The Classic Little Black Dress The Little Black Dress (LBD) is such a fashion must, that many French women base their wardrobes around that one garment. That makes sense: it’s the one dress that fits perfectly every time and can go anywhere with the right accessories. The fashion-fabulous French know that it makes sense to buy an expensively perfect dress that you’ll wear for fifteen years instead of fifteen cheap dresses. Get the dress, and then build around it, choosing heels, handbags and jewelry to support it in its many incarnations. Then wear it, and wear it again.  4. Crisp white button down shirt A crisp, white button down shirt will never go wrong: it can be worn with jeans on an impromptu outing or with a elegant skirt for a simple evening look. It goes beautifully with your suit skirt, either under the jacket or with a sweater. It must be made of cotton or linen, and its crispness comes not only from flawless ironing but from tight, perfect seams and clean cut lines.    5. Colorful scarf that can be used to accessorize a plain outfit Choose a colorful scarf to dress up your jeans, brighten up your workday or cover up on the days when you feel a pale shadow of your true self. Color affects the mood, so choose blue or green if you tend towards anxiety and need to be calmed; pick pink, red or yellow if you sometimes lack energy. Get a scarf that complements your complexion: you may be wearing it around your neck or over your hair. You can even use a colorful scarf as a belt.    6. Bathing suit you feel great in (nothing too sexy) There are many things more wonderful than a bathing suit you feel great in. Your bathing suit has the power to infuse you with confidence or make you slink around under a towel. Like shoes, whatever it costs is worth it: if you spend any time at all in or near the water, you must have a bathing suit you feel great in. Look for suits in the miraculous new fabrics with more holding power than Lycra, but also don’t neglect styling: surplice wrapped tops, shirring at the waist and excellent cut can slim you as soon as you put on the suit.    7. Dark wash, straight leg jeans Dark wash jeans are ideal for the wardrobe because they can dress up or down much more easily than faded denims can. Wear your crisp, white button down shirt with dark wash jeans, and put on your party earrings. Wear them to poetry readings, concerts, the movies and out to lunch. Look for full figured jeans in the nearly-original indigo blue that was once the only choice in blue jeans. Choose tailored straight leg or slightly book cut styling, medium to heavyweight denim, and no ornamentation beyond the occasional, traditional rivet.    8. Everyday classic purse that goes with everything An everyday classic purse is one of the more misunderstood wardrobe items. Let’s face it; it’s the one that goes with you everywhere, and is seen by everyone. A cute purse earns compliments; a classic purse inspires. The everyday classic purse is often leather, but animal-free purses are available in denim, velvet, tapestry and a dozen other fabrics. If you don’t carry a lot of stuff around, look for a purse big enough to hold what you need, but not so large that you might be suspected of carrying your terrier inside it.    9. Classic cardigan sweater set The classic sweater set is also called the twin set, and the classic fabric is cashmere. If you can get a cashmere twin sweater set, your wardrobe will always benefit from it, because this item can dress up skirts, jeans or even work pants without even trying. It consists of a sleeveless shell covered by a matching cardigan, and women once chose their twin sets from their “signature colors”. That’s the color most flattering to you, usually not black or white. Follow with a simple, single strand of pearls.    10. Wide legged dressy black pants Straight legged dressy black pants are the wardrobe item that you may get the most wear from, because they look great with nearly everything. Instead of a boot cut or flared leg, these pants fall straight from the hip to the instep in a flowing, sensuous line of fabric. They can be worn with a moderate heel, a nice sweater or a designer T-shirt for a more casual look. For something more formal, look for a silk shirt in a neutral color. Straight legged dressy black pants wear well in wool gabardine. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on these since they will be a long time wardrobe staple that will get lots of wear.

Win a Free Handbag!

Just visit http://www.handbagplanet.com/ and join the contest.

 

Handbag Planet is almost here. To celebrate the October 15, 2008 launch, we are giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours on the day of the launch. Our high fashion, trendy handbags are inspired by popular designer brands and priced between $30 and $80.

After signing-up in one easy step below, you can select the handbag you would like to win. There’s absolutely no catch – this means no shipping/handling fees or credit card required. Yes, it’s really that simple!