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Happy birthday, Rafa!

Thursday, June 3, 2010 3:24 PM Posted by MissusDilis 6 comments
Twenty-fours years ago today, a baby boy was born in the town of Manacor in the Spanish island of Mallorca. He picked up a tennis racket when he was three with the encouragement of his uncle... and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.  These days, this little boy is now called the mighty King of Clay... at his tender age of 24, he already has accomplished what other older tennis players had, winning titles and breaking records while maintaining a modest, polite, honest, and boyish demeanor.


I sure believe you, Rafa! Lovely feature about him here. You can find the interview online. A must read.

Okay, I just want to get this out of my chest; something about last night's quarterfinals match between Rafa and his compatriot Nicolas Almagro. I really got scared there when Almagro broke Rafa on his first service game and, before I knew it, the score immediately went up to 3-0 against Rafa. Maybe it's the  nerves, I don't know, but Almagro produced smashing forehands that Rafa could not return. But when Rafa was able to chain his nerves, the odds dramatically changed:  he came back with a vengeance and emerged winner in three sets with two tie breaks to boot.  The tie breaks were very well played, I have to say.

Rafa, still not in 100% fighting form in my opinion, but definitely not the Rafa with the ailing knee we saw  last year. I thought he played very well against the promising Almagro in a rather tight match. Almagro was awesome, too - his first serve percentage and big forehands served him well - but he just couldn't win a set. He fought extremely hard and he was very close but apparently ran out of resources as he was still unable to beat Rafa. Rafa's just too good for him last night. 

Lastly, I was so happy, too, that the match was broadcast live over one of the local cable television  channels here in Phnom Penh. It saved me a whole lot from the hassle of having to switch from one lousy live stream channel to another, or worse, click the refresh button every minute when the screen freezes. I'm looking forward to the semis, Rafa against Austrian Jurgen Melzer who crushed the third-seed Serbian Novak Djokovic in a dramatic five-set match. It was incredible for Melzer to win against Djokovic knowing the Serbian has never lost after a very comfortable 2-0 lead.



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Sunday Stealing 007: The Just Because Meme

Sunday, May 30, 2010 7:01 PM Posted by MissusDilis 4 comments

Today we ripped this meme of a blogger known as Demonaduerre from the blog Because I Still Love You. He does not remember where he got it. But it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves may take some time. Link to us at Sunday Stealing!

Cheers to all of us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Just Because Meme

1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up.
Ironing board, television, curtains, dog, pillows

2. How do you style your hair? How do you cut it?
 No particular hairstyle. I just tie my hair in a pony tail, that's all. I have haircuts about once or twice a year only.

3. What are you wearing now?
Same question as last week. I'm wearing cotton sleeveless shirt and shorts.

4. What's your occupation? Do you like it?
I used to work for an international development organisation but now I am a stay-at-home-wife. I'm not saying I don't like it, but I'm still learning.

5. When was the last time you took a nap. Was there a special reason?
Can't remember when was the last time. I take naps for no special reason.

6. Who was the last person you hugged romantically?
My husband, of course!

8. What was the last full meal you ate? *Has anybody noticed there is no question #7?
We had chicken-macaroni soup with garlic bread for lunch today. Yum.

9. What was the last email that you received?
It was an email from an American postcard-collector who is based in Turkey in response to my Postcards Crossing post about the postcard from Laos that I'm giving away for free. The postcard is now on its way to Turkey :)

10. What one website do you always visit when you go online?
Yahoo

11. What was the last significant thing you bought?
A wireless mouse, just this afternoon.

12. What musical artist did you not get at first, but then became a fan?
Pink Floyd.

13. What do you think about before you go to bed last night?
I thought about how Rafa can improve his game more despite winning his match against Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of the Roland Garros tennis tournament (French Open).

14. What was the last CD you bought?
Can't remember now.

15. What is your favorite weather, and why? What's the weather like today?
I love it cold and rainy. I love to sit in the dark in my bedroom, cold enough to  cuddle or get wrapped in a blanket, sipping hot cocoa or tea, watching the rain splash on the window and listening to the sound of the falling rain. Today's weather is no different from yesterday, or the other day - still sweltering hot at 36-38C.

16. If you could have a special artistic talent, what would it be?
Drawing/painting

17. Did you watch the Idol 9 finale? If yes, what are your thoughts?
Yes, I did and I thought there was nothing new in the finale. Same-same.

18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?
Honey, is dinner ready?

19. Any special plans for this (holiday in the States) weekend?
I don't live in the US...

20. Besides your current S/O, who was the last person you loved romantically?
He could've been  #37 on SS: The Me Me Meme  :)

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Unconscious Mutterings 007

5:45 PM Posted by MissusDilis 2 comments


  1. Fresh air ::  clean
  2. Bodyguard :: Kevin Costner
    3.
  3. Wedding ::  I do!
    4.  
  4. Remind ::  alarm
    5.
  5. Wicked ::  awesome
    6.
  6. Crawling ::  drunk
    7.  
  7. Gasoline ::  fuel
    8.
  8. Anyone ::  to whom it may concern
    9.
  9. Dancing :: prancing
    10.
  10. Wall ::  graffiti
    11.

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(Another) Great Scott!

Saturday, May 29, 2010 4:21 PM Posted by MissusDilis 2 comments
Okay, this is, again, one of my girlish posts... 
This just came out from Yahoo news... Girls, let me introduce to you the new Professor Charles Xavier...
James McAvoy!
It's now official: James McAvoy, a Scottish actor, and one of the well-regarded actors in Hollywood today, will play the young Professor Charles Xavier in the new iteration of the X-Men franchise.  How great is that?
My jaw dropped when I read the news. And for a few moments, the initial shock was replaced by excitement. And who wouldn't be? Not only that he is a brilliant actor but he is also ridiculously good-looking! Imagine his floppy hair and scruffy red beard, his charming Scottish brogue, and oh, those lovely blue eyes and mischievous smile that speak to me (hihihihi). I'm glad that he is already married -- otherwise I would be amongst the fighting and biting and kicking girls out there vying for his attention.
Enough said.
I know Prof. X was played to a tee by Patrick Stewart, but do I expect James to live up to the standards set by the prolific actor? My answer is a resounding YES! I mean, have you seen him in The Last King of Scotland (with Forrest Whitaker) and in Atonement (Keira Knightly)? He stormed Hollywood when he played the leads in these movies. If you are not yet convinced, how about in the movies Wanted (with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman), or, in Becoming Jane (with Anne Hathaway), or, or in that HBO mini-series, Band of Brothers (produced by Steven Spielberg)?  Oh goodness, you are missing a lot. Better go to your nearest DVD stores and get a copy of his movies to know what I'm talking about. Really.
James was once a Catholic schoolboy in Glasgow and had thought about entering priesthood, if not for a chance meeting with a Scottish actor who invited him to audition. From there, his movie career just blossomed. 
The new X-men movie is called X-men: First  Class and will focus on the formative years of Professor X and Magneto and where their relationship took a wrong turn. I can't wait to see James breathe life into his role as the young Prof. X ... Already, I am anxious to know whether James will get to keep his hair or sport a shiny pate?

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Tennis rant and rave

Monday, May 24, 2010 1:44 PM Posted by MissusDilis 3 comments
Tous  les chemins mènent à gay Paris pour cette annee Roland Garros tuornoi!
Excusez mois, excusez mon Français. Je suis ètudier la langue de mon propre et, simplement parce que le Roland Garros a commencè je voulais fair ètalage que peu Français j'ai appris.

Before anyone's nose bleeds, here's the translation:

All roads lead to gay Paris for this year's Roland Garros Tournament!
Excuse me, pardon my French. I'm studying the language on my own and just because the Roland Garros has started I wanted to flaunt a little French that I have learned so far.


I don't even have an idea if the above sentences are grammatically acceptable to the French but this is my blog and I can write whatever I want. Uh-huh.

Okay, back to the Roland Garros (RG) now. Round one has just started, and it's okay I missed it because Rafa wasn't playing anyway. The Spanish Armada are complete - Rafa, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Nicolas Almagro - and of course, there's Roger Federer, Fernando Gonzales, the two Andys - Roddick and Murray, Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, not to forget the Frenchies Gael Monfils and Jo Wilfred Tsonga. Whew, that's a lot of names to remember. But I don't need to 'cos I know who exactly I'm rooting for  :D


Of course, all-eyes are on the defending champion Roger Federer but his poor showing in the previous clay tournaments make everyone doubt if he still has  the tennis mojo to successfully defend his title this year. He is also set to break Pete Sampras'  record of 286 weeks at number one. Tough job because it would mean reaching the semis to stay in the number one spot. Rafa, on the other hand, is fresh from winning all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in the same year, and a record 18 titles tying him to Andre Agassi for the number one spot. I have to point it out though that Agassi was able to achieve this when he was already in his 30s, while Rafa was able to do in his early 20s, 23 years to be exact. So Nadal is hungry to win RG to complete his historic clay slam and I am hoping he doesn't lose fuel during crucial moments. Nadal has an amazing 31-1 record at the RG, losing only last year to Robin Soderling.
Sounds exciting, eh? These two top-seeds have the right motivation to go for the title and we sure expect a terrific two weeks of tennis action from them. Already, the Rafa and Roger fans are yacking online, more like a fiery word war, about who's the best player, who's better than whom, who's going to win the title this year. And then there's the name-calling and mudslinging -- whew! I don't know if you have ever visited an online tennis forum, it's like a circus out there it's almost like the Philippine elections. Okay, lousy analogy but you know what I mean.


I'm not really into thrashing players or anything like that. I'm just excited and looking forward to see two weeks of great  tennis. I love watching Rafael Nadal play and, I have to say, that it will be a great bonus to us fans if he wins this much-coveted clay-court title. Even my girlfriends agree - right, Ana, Lui? But of course, no matter how hard I want to be calm about this whole Roland Garros thing, I can't deny that I'm a mixed bag of emotions watching my boy show his game... and this tiny, little nagging thought in my head that Rafa is very much capable of doing this, and surely he will:




So there, I've said my thoughts.
Have a fun and exciting Roland Garros week!



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Sunday Stealing 006: The Voice Post Meme

Sunday, May 23, 2010 8:36 PM Posted by MissusDilis 0 comments





Okay, I'm joining again this week after a one week absence. Here goes:

1) What's your middle name?
Jane

2) How old are you?
Ermm, old enough hihihi

3) Where are you from? Are you living there right now?
I'm from the Philippines but currently residing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

4) Is it cold where you are?
Only when you are in an airconditioned room. Temperature is in mid-30s and the past weeks we experienced 40C.

5) What's the time?
It's now 8:21pm

6) What are you wearing?
My wedding ring! *lol*

7) What was the last thing you listened to?
My pets barking.

8) What was the last thing you ate?
This is easy - I just had two pieces of chicken samosa, one-and-a-half chapati and a bowl of chicken jenjaloo shared with my husband for dinner.

9) What was the last thing you watched on TV?
The Pacific on HBO

10) What's your favorite tv show? Why?
30 Rock, because it reminds me so much of the place where I used to work and I can definitely identify with the situation and characters in it.

11) Quick! Find a book, or something with text on it! Flip to a random page and post the second paragraph's first sentence.


From William Dalrymple's White Mughals:


At his death in 1748, this carefully-created structure tottered towards collapse as Nizam ul-Mulk's sons fought among themselves and tried to establish themselves as rulers by entering into rival alliances with the neighbouring powers, notably the Marathas to the north and the west and the French at Pondicherry to the east.

12) What was the last movie you saw? How was it?
Avatar. The effects were brilliant but the story itself is thin. It's already been used in many Hollywood movies.

13) Do YOU think you have an accent? Where do people in your country do people speak with strong accents?
Yes, most of my Cambodian friends tease me when they hear me speak in their Khmer language - they say I have a funny accent.

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Unconscious Mutterings 006

8:00 PM Posted by MissusDilis 3 comments

We had a three-day holiday a week ago owing to the Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni's birthday celebration. My husband and I enjoyed a two-day holiday in Kep, our favorite weekend getaway here in Cambodia. It was a wonderful break from the busy, hectic life in Phnom Penh. Now that I'm back, we are slowly returning to the regular routine, like blogging for example :) So here's my answers to this week's Unconscious Mutterings.


I say ... and you think ... ?
  1. Cream :: cheese
  2. Be with you :: Peace
  3. Pancakes :: with butter and Nutella
  4. Believe :: to see
  5. 45 :: way older than me :)
  6. Eat :: to  live
  7. Background :: origin
  8. Pane :: window
  9. Aim :: goal
  10. Collapse :: faint

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