Wimbledon 2006 - Federer vs. Bjorkman

Bjorkman really shouldn't have bothered, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Bjorkman had a good run, but it's just his tough luck that his opponent today is Federer. Federer played a flawless game, and all of Bjorkman experience as a doubles specialist didn't help him any.

Federer dispatched Bjorkman 6-2 6-0 6-2 in just one hour and 17 minutes.

Badminton Night at Kepong

I didn't bring any badminton racquet or rubber shoes with me, but I've got this itch that I just have to scratch. It's been months since I last played any competition-grade badminton. Now, this is Malaysia and these people have been playing badminton every Friday afternoon, so my colleagues are really good. I hitched a ride with one of the guys, and was surprised to see this huge badminton hall with scores of courts. The place is a bit old and the floor is made of timber. My real complaint is that it's too hot. Obviously, they're not supposed to open the windows or use fans or airconditioning, but the heat inside is just unbearable and suffocating. At the end of three doubles games in 2 hours, the only thing on me that is not wet is my pair of socks - just a bit moist.

I was playing so hard, I had to check from time to time if my office shoes are still ok. And I was so dehydrated I drank off 1.5 liters of cold mineral water after the games.

Wimbledon 2006 Ladies' Singles Semi-Finals

Henin-Hardenne (3) vs Clijsters (2)

It's the all-Belgian show with the second-seed Clijsters vs. the third-seed Henin-Harden. For this, I'm rooting for Henin-Hardenne because I want to see a Mauresmo-Henin-Hardenne rematch, which was aborted during this year's Australian Open.

The girls are evenly-matched, although Justine looks a bit weak and short-of-breath. For some reason, she's not using her killer backhands that much. Instead, she opts to give them some slice, which tends to slow down the ball. In any case, the won the first set, and the second one went down to a tiebreaker. Nail-bitingly tense, if you ask me (and Justine's husband).

Justine won 6-4 7-6 (7-4).


Mauresmo (1) vs. Sharapova (4)

As I've mentioned, I'm favouring Mauresmo in this match because she and Justine have some unfinished business.

This is a very exciting match to watch because both girls have the muscle power to deliver some serious shots. Sharapova, however, has the added advantage of using her grunts and shrieks to unnerve her opponents and drive up her own confidence level. She started the game a bit shaky, which gave away the first set to Mauresmo. She got her back her groove in the second set, and made some spectacular shots. In a game with Sharapova, fear is your worst enemy. At the end of the second set, Mauresmo is running scared. Sharapova's serves were so powerful, Mauresmo is reduced to blocking them, instead of returning the service full-on. Sharapova fumbled a bit, but managed to nail set point #4.

Confidence is good, but too much of it is not. Sharapova got too aggressive and made too many unforced errors during the third set. All Mauresmo had to do is stay steady, and let Sharapova do all the work. Mauresmo won 6-3 3-6 6-2.

Wimbledon 2006 - Nadal vs. Nieminen

Of course, I'm rooting for Nieminen - I work for a Finnish company - yes, the one on his shirt sleeves. (Jarkko Nieminen is the first Finn to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.) I have to say I'm very impressed with Nadal. To be so young and so good. Watching him play and seeing him make those obvious mistakes, you can just image what he'll do to men's tennis when he manages to control his power and properly harness his strength.

As to be expected, Nadal won the match 6-3 6-4 6-4.

World Cup 2006 Semi-Finals France vs. Portugal

No dramas in this match. Thirty-three minutes into the game, Henry Thiery was taken down near Portugal's goal area, and was awarded a free kick. Zidane was the one who took it, and obviously it went it. Zidane was so cool about it, as if it's all to be expected. The Portuguese went on the offensive, but the French defense was too good.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the man to watch. Every time he gets possession of the ball, he just runs like hell with it. He needs to link up more with his colleagues though, as his attempts don't usually materialize. It's great for morale though.

At the end of full time, it's 1-0 in favour of France.

Book 2006.07.05 - Michael Moore Is a Big Fat Stupid White Man

Michael Moore is such a down-to-earth, likeable guy, you'd tend to believe everything he says. I mean, why would he lie to us? He's not a politician, he's not a corporate bigwig, he's just a regular working-class American. And he hates his own government and fellowmen, so all the more we should believe him, right?

Turns out I was misled, as are millions of others worldwide who bought his books and watched his "documentaries". I've just finished reading Michael Moore Is a Big Fat Stupid White Man by David T. Hardy and Jason Clarke. If you're the kind of person who listens to both sides of the story, this book is for you. Here, the authors expose Michael Moore for the liar and cheat that he is. He manipulates facts, he quotes people out of context, he spins his statistics, he uses camera tricks, and he lies about his stories. You don't even have to take the authors' word for it. Unlike Moore, all their assertions are backed up by a section of references at the back of the book. Shame on you, Mr. Moore! Return the Oscar!

Wimbledon 2006 - Baghdatis vs. Hewitt

The darling of Melbourne Cup vs. Australia's favourite player. It's a wonder Baghdatis only became known during Melbourne Cup 2006; he's such a well-rounded player. He plays wild tennis - passing shots, unexpected drop shots (with backspin), killer aces, which tend to confuse his opponents. Hewitt's no slouch either, but he's losing his touch a bit. Oftentimes his balls can't cross the net. Hewitt's so rattled, he's playing quite a subdued game.

Baghdatis won 6-5 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-2.

World Cup 2006 Semi-Finals Germany vs. Italy

Not very many goals or attempts being made, but still exciting to watch as this is history in the making. Excellent footwork from the Germans, but they can't seem to reach the net. The ball kept changing hands (feet, I mean). After 90 minutes of play, it's still nil-nil. A penalty shootout is almost inevitable.

Fifty seconds into extra time, Gelandino gets within meters of the goal area. He kicks it in and hits the post. Second minute, another Italian brush with the crossbar. The Italians are really getting aggressive in their game. At the 16th minute, Podonski was unmarked, right in front of the goal area, but his header missed its target.

With 10 minutes to go in the second half time, Podonski makes a spectacular shot, but the Italian goalkeeper managed to slap it out. Two minutes to go, Grosso kicks in a curve ball that slips through Lehman, and the Italians go loco. With no time to lose, the German horde sweeps forward. The Italians managed to breach the offense, and with 1 minute to go, Del Pierro goes deep into enemy territory unchecked. One small kick over Lehmann, and it guaranteed Italy's spot in the finals (2-0).

Too bad for the Germans.

Wimbledon 2006 - Mrs. Bremond vs. Mrs. Henin-Hardenne

Henin-Hardenne is the more experienced one, but they look evenly-matched. Maybe because French qualifier Bremond looks a little bit like Hingis.

Henin-Hardenne never played Bremond before, so I guess the first set was spent studying her opponent. She struggled a bit at first, but she got her groove back on the 2nd set and bundled out Bremond 6-4 6-4.