The one with my forehand

I have no idea for a title again. But just came back from tennis.
Been making regular appearances and hope to keep it going. I myself is considering buying my own racket. Probably I would have a better feel for the game when I am one with my racket. Well that is the advise I get from my fellow tennis buddies.
As for the game earlier, getting into the flow of things. My forehand feels great. Hit a lot of winners and superb Federer-esque shots. However my glaring weakness is still my serve and backhand. I can't seem to control my backhand swing. My backhand shots keep flying all over the court. My serve needs a whole lot of improvement. Not using my height to my advantage. Something to keep working on.
As for the upcoming Australian Open, I will be supporting my favourites. Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic. Both are up against it though and inconsistent as of late, but hoping they will find their form.

Cinta Dalam Hati by Ungu

The one where 2009 begins

A great start to the year. I'm on a roll. But being 'Mr-the-glass-is-half-empty', I will be brought back down to earth with a loud thud tomorrow. Reason being, my first working day for 2009. Now to continue where I left off after tennis.
So went for my first movie for 2009. Went for Bedtime Stories. A movie which I enjoyed and even though it was a typical feel good Disney movie. Loved the humour and jokes both Adam Sandler and Russell Brand brought to the show. And I never thought I see Russell Brand starring in a Disney movie.
After tennis kicked off the year for me, futsal resumed as usual. The Saturday group started what would be the 7th year (I think) of the group. Can't believe we've been playing that long. Had a great game, and was in full flow, especially when you have teammates who are in the same wavelength. Banged in a number of goals for good measure, mostly finishing after some a breathtaking buildup.
The highlight of the weekend for me was Mamma Mia! Finally managed to catch the show. Actually, my friend Elina had a spare ticket and asked if I wanted to go. Well somethings you don't need to ask twice. So her friends loss was my gain. Since I myself couldn't get tickets. The show itself was a joy to behold. And at times (okay, all the time) I was singing along to songs. The audience itself enjoyed themselves as well as the cast. But who wouldn't, the energy was contagious.
Finally for my 2009 resolutions. Not that I made any, but for arguments sake I did. Mainly to be more of a 'yes man' and go out and try new experiences. And also, I want to try and settle down with someone. Or at least be in a steady relationship. Which itself could be a challenge for any other year.
Well lets see how the year pans out.

The one with the first day of 2009

Happy New Year to all. How was your new year's eve and new year. As for me, I stayed indoors where it was safe, playing Football Manager. Not the one for all these as I hate the post-celebration jams.
Anyways, had new year's lunch at my cousin's new crib in Bangi. He just moved to a newly developed area which is near my aunt's house. As for his place, it was very nicely done. They even had a room for their 3 year old kid, but no bed yet as she is still sleeping with the parents. That room was full of toys.
Had a great start in the sports scene as well. Made my debut (or return) to the tennis courts. Haven't played in like 3 years. Was never really good at it, even though potential was there, just never worked on it.
Game play wise was terrible. My serves were out, double faulted most of the time. Backhand was totally off and my forehand had occasions of Federer-esque fluidity. Still had great fun and hope to make a regular appearance to the scene.
And with that, I had a great start to the year.

The one where I got tagged

Got tagged by Peeps, and just as I was into Football Manager. So as I post this, I'm taking a managerial break. So here goes.

1. Ten things about the one who tagged me
- an artistic creative genius
- a big Spurs fan
- loves his kicks
- plays futsal (that's how I know him)
- uses the 'F' word in almost every sentence
- loves his music
- usually finishes my assists to him
- enjoys photography
- movie buff
- a guys who enjoys life

2. My favourite novel
Recently finished the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, but my favourite would be between Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist (I know its overrated) and Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

3. Five things I love (not people)
- my ipod
- my psp
- my kicks
- my computer which was once dubbed the ultimate gaming machine (now the specs are obsolete, need to build a new one)
- the watch my mum gave me on my graduation day

4. Who I want to tag
Anyone who feels like doing this tag.

The one with the fun christmas

Merry Christmas to all. Had great fun today. Even though it left me tired, breathless and with no voice to work tomorrow.
First of all, went to Kaleon's housewarming bash in Kemuning Utama. Well these events are suppose to be simple. But the highlight of the event was his 'fan boys' room. A room dedicated for his comics and action figures. He has a massive collection of them and even set themes for them. Among my favourites was his Batman and Ironman themes. His 'batcave' even had the t-rex and joker card. All that was missing from his batcave was the giant coin. Also on display in the room was his Star Wars helmets. Among them was Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Jango Fett and various stormtrooper helmets. I spent quite some time in that room, trying to take it all in. I would have love to take photos and share with my fellow readers, but I didn't out of respect to the owner.
Next up was Christmas lunch at Mark's (finally). Since he changed his nation of employment we have been missing his mum's Christmas cooking. But before I had the chance to eat, I had to somehow 'earn' my lunch. Well, Mark owns a PS3, and he recently purchased the game Singstar. Simple explanation for the game, its karaoke PS3 style. Started the gig off with the Abba collection and then the compilation cds. Oh well, did my best to entertain even though I wasn't much of the high scorers. Never karaoked with a score before. Had great fun with the game, and was still at it after all the guests left. Good thing he didn't have Guitar Hero or Rock Band, or not we will still be at it.
A fun filled day and I really need to get me a PS3.

The one with the futsal tournament

Been a while since my last post. Things as usual haven't been all good. But nothing new there.
Anyways, yesterday I played in the Kelab Ambank Group (KAG) futsal tournament at Sports Planet Subang Grand. Been a while since my last tournament. Last I think was a couple of years back, when I played in the inter-Clark Hatch tournament.
This year around, I joined my friends in the internal audit department to form a team. For the men's open category, there were 32 teams divided into 8 groups of 4. Being our first tournament and first time playing together, we were happy if we made it out of the group phase.
I for one, was asked to play a defensive role. Not a role I fancied, but for the sake of the team, we all had to do our part. And I felt I did quite well especially in the first game, where nothing went past me.
I don't recall our opponents names, but for our first game, we won 2-0. And i had the honour of blasting our first goal in the tourney with a half-court blockbuster. That sent the team and crowd nuts.
Our second game, was a total collapse. Our star player was taken out with and ankle injury. And the whole team structure fell after that. We lost 1-6. We were outplayed in that game, and my lack of defensive instincts were exposed.
Our third and final group game was a do-or-die game. If we win, we advance, if we lost, we can pack our gear and head home. We won the game 3-2, and we could have won by a higher margin, but we hit the woodwork a lot. With that wine we advanced to the sweet sixteen (round of 16).
Our last game, was played at my familiar court. The court where my Wednesday group plays. But even that didn't help much as we lost 2-7. I scored another blockbuster to make the scores 1-2 to give hope to the team. But we were outgunned again. We won some fans during the tournament, probably due to our nice kit.
A good effort overall for first timers. Finished the tournament with 2 goals and some valuable experience.

back (l-r) - reza, farrish, wira, fatta, shahril, chris
front (l-r) - aizat, faisal
* picture courtesy of reza's facebook