Pièce de résistance

By no stretch of the imagination, Roger Federer’s win at Roland Garros was extraordinary, not to mention a long time coming. Having never won the Coupe des Mousquetaires, made worse by his fall slight decline from greatness in 2008, this makes his victory even sweeter. As a Federer fanatic, I am tired of seeking written therapy after his losses, so it is appropriate (and only mildly crazy) that I, too, am putting so much significance into this post.

Joachim and I, being hardcore tennis geeks who don’t actually play the sport, place an unhealthy amount of weight on superstition and fate. I can’t speak for Joachim and his karmic relationship with Rafael Nadal, but when it comes to Federer, I strongly believe in the butterfly effect… And wearing lucky underwear. Very few could have predicted that he would equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams on this clay surface… I’m serious – Federer was meant to win!

The Fed Express (who else thought it was destiny that the FedEx logo was brazenly displayed on the sponsorship boards?) forced me to ignite my interest in this tournament, giving me the last-minute opportunity to watch the match with Davina (and 100 strangers) at Star City in my last year in Australia, an exhilarating experience I would have foregone any other time. Then, only do I realise that there is something better than catching a final with your siblings at home (no offence to Vanessa and Christopher).

Shot-in-the-dark theories aside, I’m going with the simple and say that I’m happy to be writing about this particular Federer achievement. I’m happy to have seen a semblance of his signature style of graceful poetry. I’m happy that he shrugged off the pressures of the Grand Slams record and Career Slam laurel, as well as the momentary scare suffered in the second set, to win his first French Open title. I’m happy he’s ecstatic.

Les confidences de salon

The Proust Questionnaire, appropriated by James Lipton and Vanity Fair – how could I resist?

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
   When my ambitions and actions align with the greater cosmic ideals.
2. What is your greatest fear?
   Death – that’s easy enough.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
   Bitchiness. I’ll admit it now – there is little chance that I haven’t spoken badly of you behind your back.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
   It varies with each person.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
   Pastor Kong Hee, which, coming from me, is strange.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
   Procrastination.
7. What is your current state of mind?
   Too small to adequately respond.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
   Good looks.
9. On what occasion do you lie?
   When asked, “How are you?”
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
    My waistline.
11. Which living person do you most despise?
    Anyone who bullies.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
    Gentleness.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
    Self-deprecating humour.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
    ‘Fuck’ – even once is too many for a person who wants to eliminate it from her vocabulary.
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
    Jesus, as doi as it sounds.
16. When and where were you happiest?
    I cannot remember – I take my moments of brief happiness for granted.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
    Wit, as well as the gift of languages – I would like to charm in many tongues.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
    The belief that I am always right… Or closer to being right than others.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
    My give-receive relationships with Vanessa, Christopher, Joachim and Valerie.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, who or what would it be?
    Definitely myself.
21. Where would you most like to live?
    Paris, San Francisco, or Seoul.
22. What is your most treasured possession?
    My Roger Federer cap.
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
    When I have nothing left for which to live.
24. What is your favourite occupation?
    Wedding planner.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
    I look unapproachable.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
    How they seem to like me more than I like myself.
27. Who are your favourite writers?
    Jon Favreau; the writers behind Brothers & Sisters and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
    Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jughead Jones and Tintin.
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
    I don’t know.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
    JPII, although I must acknowledge John Cusack’s answer.
31. What are your favourite names?
    Andrea, Daniel, Dimitri, Kate, Obi-Wan.
32. What is it that you most dislike?
    Homophobia, racism, vanity, bias, irresponsibility, inefficiency, bigotry, lizards, bad manners, fake accents, people reading over my shoulder – all of which bug me equally.
33. What is your greatest regret?
    Nothing, really.
34. How would you like to die?
    Conveniently and without fuss.
35. What is your motto?
    Sometimes, ‘What would Jesus do?’

Suzie Q.

I realised that nothing prepares you for death, not even when you know it’s coming in the midst of the drawn-out process of cancer.

My aunt passed away on Saturday morning – the grief is unexplainable; more painful than any heartbreak I have borne. I keep thinking that this is Auntie Susan – the one who always made me feel good about myself; the one who loved me like her own; the one with two wonderful children, whom I greatly admire; the one who I look forward to seeing during Chinese New Year; the one who gave the best Christmas presents; the one who performed many acts of generosity; the coool and fun one. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss or remember her; also present is this anger that He took her too soon.

But this is the same Auntie Susan with the unwavering faith, who, in spite of the circumstances, found reasons to praise God. She is still teaching me to believe in His almighty love and grace.

Susan Quay, you rocked my world.

Acquired tastes

Not just Sting, but electrify – a marriage of music…

COME AGAIN: SWEET LOVE DOTH NOW INVITE
John Dowland

Come again
Sweet love doth now invite
Thy graces that refrain
To do me due delight
To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die
With thee again in sweetest sympathy

Come again
That I may cease to mourn
Through thy unkind disdain
For now left and forlorn
I sit, I sigh, I weep, I faint, I die
In deadly pain and endless misery

All the day
The sun that lends me shine
By frowns do cause me pine
And feeds me with delay
Her smiles, my springs, that makes my joy to grow
Her frowns the winters of my woe

All the night
My sleeps are full of dreams
My eyes are full of streams
My heart takes no delight
To see the fruits and joys that some do find
And mark the storms are me assign’d

Out alas
My faith is ever true
Yet will she never rue
Nor yield me any grace
Her eyes of fire, her heart of flint is made
Whom tears, nor truth may once invade

Gentle love
Draw forth thy wounding dart
Thou canst not pierce her heart
For I that to approve
By sighs and tears more hot than are thy shafts
Did tempt while she for triumph laughs

Grabbing at straws

“[...] defeat for World No. 3 Djokovic means that he will be surpassed in the Rankings by No. 4 Andy Murray on 11 May when the 2008 Rome points drop off.”

Because Roger Federer is giving me nothing, I will settle for the decline of Novak Djokovic… The widening gap of Rafael Nadal’s winning streak notwithstanding.

Reprieve

A break from work and simultaneous space filler from Davina, both much-needed…

Instructions:

• Go to Google Image Search.
• Type in your answer to each question.
• Choose a picture from the first page.
• Use this website to create your photo mosaic.

Questions:

1. What is your name?
2. What is your favourite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favourite colour?
5. What is your favourite movie?
6. What is your favourite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favourite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Lest we forget

So enjoy and treasure every minute of it, as we should – 24 hours to celebrate 24 years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABS!

First of many

It took me a while to get to this point, but here I am…

It just hit me that this is my last year in Sydney; many people, despite having featured so prominently, I might never see again.

Calling

Am I suppose to experience fear? It throws off the equilibrium I have carefully arranged, not to mention everything I have held close to my heart.

The age of uninnocence

Because I thrive on these moments when I can embarrass my brother… And while he waits for the actual present to make its way to his part of Asia-Pacific:

1. Cheeseball Toadbrains is his alter ego (Vanessa is Squeazit; I am Goober).
2. He is also known as Brandon Thirsty.
3. He had three girlfriends in kindergarten.
4. And we named a lizard in our house after one of them.
5. He has a wonderful sense of humour – it constantly disarms me.
6. He groped a mannequin’s backside when he was four.
7. His Chinese is worse than mine.
8. In primary school, he gave himself a haircut that was uneven, ridiculous and too short – Mum could not salvage it.
9. He slouches.
10. He physically abuses me!
11. Most of the time, he lives like a prince.
12. He can operate our washing machine, which is knowledge I have not grasped.
13. He is a prefect in ACS – could he be more different from his siblings?
14. As a child, he walked around the house without any clothes on, like it was no big deal.
15. He used to be afraid of watching Scooby-Doo.
16. He celebrates his birthday today – HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN!