Sunday, May 14, 2006
three in one
in one afternoon, i watched two exciting sporting events and experienced one through live updates on the internet from a tennis fan and the live scoring on the official site of the rome masters (atp) final and eurosport! so for another one of my venerable lists, check out this exciting afternoon experience!
take note, all events started at 1400 hours, so i shall list them in the order of their finishing time; in other words, the first one on the list ended the earliest, the last, ending last. duhhh hehehe
take note, all events started at 1400 hours, so i shall list them in the order of their finishing time; in other words, the first one on the list ended the earliest, the last, ending last. duhhh hehehe
- fernando alonso's stirring win over michael schumacher and fellow renault driver fisichella in the spanish grand prix at the catalunya circuit, right in front of his countrymen! way to go, el matador. that was a LOT of champagne the podium winners showered on their supporters and team mates. renault is doing well in both the driver and constructor running... ferrarri, too. my kimi raikkonen finished with a respectable fifth from his starting ninth position. according to pundits and my good friend, f1 fan andy, his car is pulling him down. i doubt he'll get the championship this year.
- nadia petrova's convincing and compelling victory over justine henin-hardenne at the german open in berlin, three sets!
- the ace to my day... rafa's heart-stopping win over federer at the rome masters finale! five hours and 3 minutes!!! i guess you could argue that federer lost it more than rafa won it but if you saw how rafa came from behind in the fifth set and the subsequent tiebreaker, then you know that clay is definitely rafa's turf. but he better watch out because federer's learning curve on clay is frighteningly steep and fast. like nadal himself said, it'll be easier for roger to win at roland garros than it will be for him to win at wimbledon. i will have to agree with my tenacious mallorcan bull. still, i love him! i am so glad you won today...
Friday, May 05, 2006
my shoulder muscles are tense
three days ago i was asked to play the piano for a confirmation mass for this saturday. music-depraved and starved, i immediately said yes, especially when i was told i would be paid. *ching ching!*
two days ago i had rehearsal with the main cantor, a wonderful latino priest with a baritone voice. it was my first time to see the entire line up. after months of not playing the piano, my fingers felt like leaden chopsticks on the keyboard. something akin to panic crept into my bones. bugger.
yesterday i drove to the american college and practised in the beautiful stone chapel, alone with my thoughts, the piano books, soft golden light, and that newly tuned yamaha piano that made playing bliss. it was easier for me to remember how to roll my fingers to prevent the tension from building in my shoulders. time flew by too quickly and i had to rush home so i could make it to my appointment with my paradontologist, the gingiva-bone monster from hell.
today i practised while a host of seminarians puttered about the place, mopping the floors, arranging chairs, singing along with my playing from time to time. edmon stood by me, just within my peripheral vision, distracting me vastly. i couldn't see the notes nor hear myself play. everything else crowded out my concentration and the muscle in my right shoulder blade started to throb. wanker!
the confirmation mass is tomorrow in waterloo and i feel completely unprepared for it. i want to play confidently --- and i also want to play the notes laid out for the songs. but at the rate i'm going, i will not be able to! *crosses self*
at least i have the pay and sumptious dinner to look forward to. sweet consolation.
two days ago i had rehearsal with the main cantor, a wonderful latino priest with a baritone voice. it was my first time to see the entire line up. after months of not playing the piano, my fingers felt like leaden chopsticks on the keyboard. something akin to panic crept into my bones. bugger.
yesterday i drove to the american college and practised in the beautiful stone chapel, alone with my thoughts, the piano books, soft golden light, and that newly tuned yamaha piano that made playing bliss. it was easier for me to remember how to roll my fingers to prevent the tension from building in my shoulders. time flew by too quickly and i had to rush home so i could make it to my appointment with my paradontologist, the gingiva-bone monster from hell.
today i practised while a host of seminarians puttered about the place, mopping the floors, arranging chairs, singing along with my playing from time to time. edmon stood by me, just within my peripheral vision, distracting me vastly. i couldn't see the notes nor hear myself play. everything else crowded out my concentration and the muscle in my right shoulder blade started to throb. wanker!
the confirmation mass is tomorrow in waterloo and i feel completely unprepared for it. i want to play confidently --- and i also want to play the notes laid out for the songs. but at the rate i'm going, i will not be able to! *crosses self*
at least i have the pay and sumptious dinner to look forward to. sweet consolation.
how to get to teeth hell
there's the usual: eat sweets like there's no tomorrow, don't brush your teeth regularly, smoke, weaken your resistance so much that your body won't be able to fight off bacteria.
but there's also the most obvious sin: ignore your dentist when she teaches you how to brush your teeth and floss them properly. ignore her for a couple of years until you develop gingivitis and then worse, paradontitis. then you have to go to a specialist...
... a specialist who will poke at your gums with this sharp instrument until they start throbbing and you begin to wonder if this is the precursor to root canal in some damnable future.
... this same specialist will charge an exorbitant rate for the first evaluation session and promise even more exorbitant rates for the subsequent treatments (oh believe me, there will be more than one!à
... this branch of dental care will, of course, Not be covered by insurance
which means that my hope of getting a decent 4-megapixel digital camera with video-taking capacities will remain just a dream, or any faint hopes of going to spain, greece, or the uk will have to be snuffed out.
yaaarghhh this throbbing will go away in a month's time... at least i hope so! para naman i can eat without guilt again =)
but there's also the most obvious sin: ignore your dentist when she teaches you how to brush your teeth and floss them properly. ignore her for a couple of years until you develop gingivitis and then worse, paradontitis. then you have to go to a specialist...
... a specialist who will poke at your gums with this sharp instrument until they start throbbing and you begin to wonder if this is the precursor to root canal in some damnable future.
... this same specialist will charge an exorbitant rate for the first evaluation session and promise even more exorbitant rates for the subsequent treatments (oh believe me, there will be more than one!à
... this branch of dental care will, of course, Not be covered by insurance
which means that my hope of getting a decent 4-megapixel digital camera with video-taking capacities will remain just a dream, or any faint hopes of going to spain, greece, or the uk will have to be snuffed out.
yaaarghhh this throbbing will go away in a month's time... at least i hope so! para naman i can eat without guilt again =)
