Nadal's wedgie is his lucky charm

I knew it. I knew that Rafa's equal-to-double-marathon semifinal win will serve him in good stead in the finals. I also knew that Roger's easy semifinal drubbing of Roddick is not the best way to prepare for the championship. I also thought that tonight's game will be anticlimactic. It wasn't. It had enough drama and it also affirmed Rafa's status as no. 1.

Nadal has definitely matured a lot. He is poised to stay as no. 1 for a long time. Federer's hopes of matching Sampras' record lies on him not facing Nadal in the finals. For Nadal is simply tougher mentally. He wills himself to win. Roger is simply too cool and emotionless. He needs to show more angst if not 'angas'.

He needs to be hungry again.

I believe that what gets Rafa ever on the edge is his perpetual wedgie. He is obviously uncomfortable with it, orever adjusting it. The process keeps him on his toes, not giving him time to relax. His wedgie keeps him on the move.

Australian Open

San Miguel Beer is not fighting for the crown, something that is sadly consistent with Siot at the helm. The Phoenix Suns lost to contrapelo Spurs. My favorite teams are again losers. So I turn to tennis for that sports watching thrill. I was rooting for Verdasco (who he? against Rafa) because I want the Fed to have an easy road to matching Pete's record. I was watching a live streaming feed at the office because I had to stay late due to bureaucratic wisdom (an oxymoron). I did not mind the wait for some minor functionaries to do their job because the match was close and interesting.

The match was still on by the time I got home. Rafa by then was ahead 2 sets to 1. After my dinner, Verdaso has managed to even up at 2 sets apiece. The match has been on for over 5 hours. It is a classic for the ages. Just when Rafa seemed to be shade tougher, Verdaso took risks with some magic shots to pull even. Verdasco, seeded 14th, took chances to hold serve although it was apparent that Rafa had an easier time to hold his own.

The tennis world better be ready for Verdasco. He is strong and mentally tough, something that Novak the Joke is proving he is not. But then Rafa did not get to be the world's number one for nothing. He is unrattled, he was more bothered by the perpetual wedgie he got. I wonder why he does not switch to more conventional tennis shorts. In the end, I think Verdaso produced more winners but also had more unforced errors. He had 2 double faults in the last game and the last one cost him the match. It was a brilliant, nerve wracking match. It is unfortunate that somebody has to win. This classic will undoubtedly toughen up the two even more. Rafa will recover physically in time for Sunday's finals. He will be much tougher after facing through adversity and winning.

I now doubt the Fed's chances to catch up with Pete's record but I will still be rooting for him this Sunday. After this 5-set thriller the championship game can be anticlimactic.

Change they did, (loose) change we have

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.- US President Barack Obama in his inaugural speech - 2009

Who could be in the new president's mind when he said this? These words are not enough to scare off the corrupt, deceivers,and silencers of dissent. I expect the taray queen to continue to bully her way with the Cha-Cha train.

As in any new administration, there is abundance of hope amid the pressing reality. Hope that he has what it takes to undo the mess they're are in. Hope that they have realized what unfettered greed can do. Hope that they can lead the world in other roles than being the bumbling policeman. Hope that his people know that change does not stop at changing the president. They have a long way to go.

Filipinos also have a long way to go. We can also proclaim 'Change We Need'. But we also must know that it does not stop at changing the president. It starts with it.

A quick personal look at 2008

	Vito graduated from elementary, enters high school. Vito started schooling at a very early age. By the time he was 11, he already graduated from elementary school at the Don Bosco Technical College. He is now a high school freshman also at DBTC. Tempus fugit indeed.
	Popoy danced at St. John's Academy's loyalty day. Popoy did not participate in the previous year's loyalty day celebrations.We deemed he was too young then. But this year he showed keen interest in school activities, so we let him join this time. Despite the flab, he proved to be a graceful Hawaiian dancer.
	Summer rites. With the transition from elementary to high school also comes one of the rites of passage in a Filipino boy's life. Vito visited a surgeon to have what Jewish people do to their boys shortly after birth. Pinoys traditionally swim at the beach to facilitate healing. But perhaps a swim at the pool will do the trick just the same.
	Joy, for a brief time, was the general manager of a multipurpose cooperative (MSMP). It s a testament to her capabilities. She later gave up the post, but she's still on the board of directors.
	NFA reorganization to push thru, hundreds are deemed redundant. In contrast to its efforts to curb unemployment, this government is bent on reorganizing the bureacracy in the guise of rationalizing its work force. Many employees of the NFA, Inay Joy included, are deemed redundant. As such, they are being offered retirement pay equivalent to a measly sum of 75% of basic pay for every year of service.A far cry from the princely agricultural scams, isn't it?
	I attended the 2nd Central Banks' Online Communications Group conference held at Mexico City. The conference of central banks' web communications professionals discussed the common challenges faced and the solutions proposed to meet those challenges. Nice conference in a nice city.
	Pinoyinternet.info to offer webhosting domain services. I decided to sell webhosting and domain services using the pinoyinternet.info name to recoup costs for the sandbox. I am finalizing the packages and the payment schemes which I patterned after the e-novention model. I will be providing two types of service from two server types; the premium packages (premium pricing) and the economy (low-cost) ones. These will be operational by 2009.
	Our dear Grandpa Max, (Lolo Momoy) passed away in Virginia last December at a ripe age of 94. He was an automotive mechanic and entrepreneur, a very industrious man. He migrated to the US in the '80's and occassionally visited us. Vito has particularly fond memories of him. He will be missed.

Losing weight

I wanted to get physically fit since early last year but I never got into it. Instead I put on even more weight. And all my new pants won't fit anymore. Although I am still within safe weight range, the added kilos all went to my belly. It is a matter of reconstructing my physique or losing the weight. I chose to lose the weight.

I went through a diet called the General Motors seven-day diet. Quinito Henson said in his column that it's not just weight loss diet but also a good way to detoxify the body and cleanse the digestive system. Here's the diet.

Day One. Eat only fruits, except bananas. Melon is highly recommended. Don’t hold back. You may consume as many fruits as you want but don’t stuff yourself.
Day Two. Eat only vegetables. There is no limit to what you may take in. For breakfast, you may eat one large boiled potato.
Day Three. Eat any mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice – any amount, any quantity – but no bananas and no potatoes.
Day Four. Eat eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. You may take one bowl of vegetable (cabbage, onions) soup.
Day Five. Eat one cup of rice and six whole tomatoes. You may mash the tomatoes and mix with your rice. Also, drink 12 glasses of water to cleanse your system of uric acid you will be producing. For those who are 39 and below, you may consume 10-ounce portions of lean beef (like hamburger).
Day Six. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables – cooked or uncooked – you want.
Day Seven. Eat one cup of rice and all the vegetables you want plus drink a glass of fruit juice.

I googled the diet and found more material about it. What's important is you must drink 10 glasses of water a day. You may also have unlimited amount of what they call as Wonder soup, which is basically just cabbage soup.

I started on Saturday, January 10. The first day was easy because I like fruits. I ate a lot of watermelon that by night my belly was bloated more than ever. The all-veggies second day was easy too. The third day was office day. I went along with my colleagues to grillery but I ate only the vegetable portions of the lovely pork sinigang. My office mates were incredulous. The fourth day was a bit harder. The bananas I bought were not yet fully ripe. I must have consumed five year's dose of pectin that day. I also had three glasses of milk which curdled with the bananas, giving me gas. On day five, i cooked the tomatoes and sliced them because I don't think I could bear to eat six raw tomatoes. I love tomatoes -as garnish to salted eggs. I just imagined having futtanesca and I survived the day. Day six and seven were a breeze. I had vegetables and a cup of rice.

I didn't feel weak at anytime during the course. Though I noticed I get tired easily in the afternoon of the first day. But I recovered on the second day and by day three everything was normal. I started to feel lighter. I had slight stomach cramps at nighttime of day four maybe because of the milk and semi-ripe bananas. I felt the lightest on the morning of day five. I think my weight has stabilized by the end of day five. That's the day I started to eat rice again.

Quinito Henson lost ten pounds. I lost around six pounds. Not bad because I didn't have much weight to lose anyway. My waist is back to the size my pants measurement. I feel lighter, I am indeed lighter. From now on I will eat just the carbo my body needs. The next and more enduring challenge is to maintain this weight.