SONY ERICSSON OPEN: ADVANTAGE, cbs

Dateline: Key Biscayne
March 29, 2008

Wala pang 9:00am bumabyahe na kami ni bunsong utol patungo rito sa Village of Key Biscayne para sa annual tournament na tinaguriang 5th grand slam. Papasok pa lang kami sa Rickenbacker Causeway traffic na, parang Quiapo minus the talampunay vendors na naglipana sa kalye.

"Anong court ba ang pagtutuunan natin ng pansin?", tanong ko kay utol, habang pababa na kami ng tulay at nagmamasid sa mga naliligong tao't aso sa Biscayne Bay. Tinutukoy ko yung iba't-ibang courts sa Crandon Park kung saan ginagawa ang Sony Errickson (double r ba o double s? Care ko ba!) dahil sabay-sabay ang laro laluna pag opening weekend at nasa early rounds pa lang ang torneo. Kung simultaneous ang schedule na laro ng dalawang idolo mo sa magkaibang courts, kailangan maging bampira ka, tapos kailangan may mata din yung lower half mo.

"Sa Court 1 ang Bryan Brothers vs. Nadal/Robredo", sabi ni utol, "kaso di maguumpisa ang laro before 3 pm". "E di tambay muna tayo sa ibang courts", sabi ko, gusto ko kasi mapanood si Tipsarevic dahil yung running/hopping backhand na inimbento yata ni Safin e madalas gawin ni Tipsa. E tipo kong gayahin kaya ivivideo ko, tas nun irereplay ko ng slo mo pag-uwi sa bahay. Brilliant!

May time kaming manood sa Grandstand bago manood sa Court 1 kaso gusto ni Utol bago mag-alas tres e nakapila na kami sa Court 1. Tanong ko nga -

Ba't naman?
E syempre tiyak andaming tao dun, kelangan makauna tayo ng upuan.
Mga anong oras bale?
Mga ala una.
lol. Alas tres ang aabangan natin, gusto mo ala-una andun na tayo? Pilipino ka ba?
Engot, syempre me larong iba bago sina Rafa.
Sino maglalaro?
Si Chakvetadze.
Si Chakvewhat?!
Chakvetadze. Maganda yun. Malamlam ang mata, parang umiiyak-iyak.
Ako man, iiyak din pag ang pangalan ko Chakvetadze.
Tado, apelyido yun. Pangalan nya Ana.
Nakow, mas lalo ako iiyak kung ipinangalan sa akin ni Ama e Anna.
Gago ka talaga!
*******

Maaga kami nakarating sa Crandon Park. Andaming tao, tas sa gate may lumapit na chiching na parang supermodel.

Parang supermodel: Can I take your picture, please?
Ako: As long as I can take yours, too, sure.
Parang supermodel: Ahaha (pilit na tawa). This is a promo for Fila. C'mon, guys, stand over there, that's a nice background.
Ako at si Kumag: mmmmm (pilit na smile)

(break-in news: natanggap ko ang email ng picture. gusto nyo makita? wag na lang, muka kaming tanga.)
******

Maaga pa kaya dumeretso muna kami sa practice courts. May open restaurant sa harap at masarap magnilay-nilay ng omelette habang nakikita mo silang naghahatawan (yung mga players, hindi yung omelette). Natumbok ng pananaw ni utol si Vaidisova, papalabas na ng court. Nayko, ang taas nya, 6 footer siguro. Tayo ako sabay lapit para kunan ng litrato. Nakow, inisnab ako. May lumapit na batang nagpapapirma, binale-wala, ginawang engot (ang actual tally e dalawa kaming ginawang engot.)
*****

Hayup ang Tipsarevic/Verdasco match. Hayup din sa init ang araw. Nagkutis magsasaka na naman ako...

(to the tune of magtanim ay di biro:

manood ng tennis ay di biro
maghapong nakaupo
di naman makatayo
may aagaw kasi ng upuan mo!)
*****

Matapos naming kumain sa Market Place (open tent restaurant, grilled mahi-mahi sa akin, fish n' chips kay utol, actually ako umubos ng chips nya, nya-a-a, at tig-isang malaking baso ng heineken) deretso na kami sa court 1. Ang haba ng pila. Sa likod ko, narinig ko may nagtatagalog na babae. "Mommy, mapapanood ko si Rafa, ayyy!!" Gagaguhin ko sana, Miss, sa court 2 ang laro ni Rafa, hindi dito - kaso naisip ko ang karma kaya sa halip ay lumingon na lang ako ng patay-malisya sabay ngiti, pero di pa man ako nagsasalita sabi niya agad, "Kuya, napanood mo na ba si Rafa"? Bat ganun, tanong ko sa sarili, alam nya agad na Tagalog ako, tas alam din nya na mas matanda ako sa kanya. Sasagot ko sana, Manang Biday Ilukat Mo Man, Takitaem toy kinayawan?!)
*****

Nung nasa loob na kami ng court 1 at kampanteng nakaupo sa unang row, palakpakan ang mga tao pagpasok ng dalawang babaeng players. Nauuna si Chakvetadze. Wahaw cutie pie, kilala ko nga sya sa mukha, sabi ko kay utol. Maganda nga sya, pensive eyes, gaya nung isang babaeng hanube...Tas mayamaya dumating yung opponent nya, teka, teka, kilala ko to, sabi ko kay utol.

Utol: Tamira Paszek, ayun, nakasulat sa scoreboard.
Ako: Tamira...Syet, kilala ko yan!!! napanood ko sa tv last year, semis yata yun, kalaban ata si Peer!!! Yeheeyyy!!! Panalooooooooooooooo!!!

********

Pasado alas-tres. Una munang pumasok si Rafa, hiyawan ang tao.

Kagulo nung pumasok ang Bryan Brothers. Sabi ko kay utol, kanino ba tayo? Parehong sinakop ang Pilipinas ng Espanya at Amerika, kaya di malaan ng Pinoy kung kanino talaga sya panig. Kay Paszek na lang ako, kahit mejo malaki ang tyan nya, wehehe...

Bawat play, hiyawan ang mga tao. Parang Davis Cup ang ambience. May isang rally na sobrang haba, tas yung tira ni Mike Bryan tingin ko out pero di tinawagan ng linesman. "That's out" sabi ni Rafa, sabay turo kung saan bumagsak ang bola. Lapit si Mike, sabi nya, "It's good!". Sagot si Rafa, "it's good. But it's out!"

Analysis: magiging magaling na doubles player si Nadal kung pagtutuunan nya ito ng pansin. Malupit yun, ano? Yung maging #1 sa singles tsaka sa doubles, parang si McEnroe.
*******

Nung nasa Grandstand na kami, bandang alas sais at nag-aantay sa Andy Murray vs Mario Ancic na laban, finlash na talo si Vaidisova. Ayos, sabi ko kay utol, tumatalab na ang mga pangarap.
*****

Alas dyes pasado, andun pa rin lami sa Grandstand, front row, nanonood ng David Ferrer/Thomas Johansson match. Grabe sa intensity ang laro. Tas nung parteng pinaghahampas ni Ferrer yung raketa nya sa konkreto, nakuhanan ko ng video. Tas sigaw sya ng sigaw, "Atras! Atras!", sagot naman ng mga tao "Abante! Abante!".
*****

Haynako. Love 40 talaga ako sa Miami.

F MARKS THE SPOT: SOME NOTES ON FRIENDSHIP and FURNITURE

This is my cocktail table. Unlike an ordinary cocktail table that serves no more than hold a stinking ashtray or pair of tired feet, my furniture has multiple functions over and above its inherent duty of balancing things up between sofa and loveseat. The 1st picture shows it's prime function: library annex. See that book on the right? That's "Principles of Uncertainty" which I got from Jet David last Christmas. The green book, standing 3rd from left, is my favorite anthology of essays, all winners of the prestigious Pushcart Prize. The red book, standing 3rd from the right, is a compilation of Nobel Lectures - acceptance speeches of Nobel Prize winners in Literature - from 1986 to 2004.




The 2nd photo depicts my furniture's more utilitarian essence: as emergency dining table for somebody hungry for food and yearning for tv. I'm sure your eyes are drawn to the steaming bowl of soup. That's corned beef sinigang, a dish I learned from food guru Toni Tiu.

These pictures show, among others, that in my abode, I am always within my friends' presence.

STIMULUS

Beginning May 2008, US taxpayers (persons filing their income tax returns this year individually or jointly) will be receiving a minimum of $300.00, max of $1200.00, as part of the government's stimulus package to stir the dwindling economy.

That's a sad thing?

Depends on who you ask.

Some are sad because the "emergency" act may further cause the devaluation of the dollar.

Some believe that the recession is currently happening, and any future aid will be too little, too late.

Some still are of the opinion that the package will not fulfill its purpose for being because of their belief that consumers will rather save their "stimulus" money, rather than spend it on anything. If that happens, the stimulus package will simply be a failed project.
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One of the biggest indexes of a strong economy is the willingness and ability of people to buy. Just like during the holidays when there are long lines to cashiers in malls, when reservations to theaters go months in advance, and restaurants are standing-room-only even outside break-periods, people putting money in circulation is the best way to oil the economic wheel. When people buy, capitalists maintain their employees, pay their taxes, and invest some more in future ventures. If people stop buying, they in turn will lay off their employees, or worse, close their businesses. When that happens, not only will the governmentl not earn revenue out of the taxes they and their employees would pay, but worse, the laid-off employees will become burdens to the state.

Arming the consumers with money to buy is therefore the rationale for the stimulus package.

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Some wise ass said that if the government's true intent, or hope, is for the taxpayers to throw their money into the economic wheel, it would have been right on the mark if they just send the money directly to businessmen. This guy, of course, reminds me of a politician in the then municipality of Makati, in the Philippines. The municipal councilor, in an effort to curb the flood crisis in Manila, introduced a bill to the council which said that the entire municiplaity should be repaved to such a tilting angle so that all rainwater will flow to neighboring Manila.

stimulus (part 3)

Everyone knows the law of supply and demand: when demand is greater than the supply, the price goes up (the scarcer the product, the stiffer the tag); and on the reverse side, when supply overwhelms the demand, the price goes down, sometimes at giveaway rate.

The market has a mind of its own. When the price is upped, the demand gets lower; when price is lowered, consumers scamper for the product and the demand meets the supply head on. In effect, the reaction on both sides is the market's own way to correct discrepancy.

But sometimes, despite this built-in tendency for the market to find the "common" niche between supply and demand, some entrepreneurs are not enterprising enough to realize the will of the market. This is called greed and as all greeds go, the result is often ugly.

80's Philippines is a case in point. There was a time when a brilliant baker came up with a special oven that did great hot-pandesal. The demand was overwhelming and consequently, the price of the bread went up. The demand went even higher and capitalist copycats decided to join the bandwagon. They set up their own hot pan-de sal stalls and in due time, every corner was a veritable hot pan de salan. As a result, the industry which was bread and butter for legitimate longtime bakers, became a fallen industry, ironically, despite the natural power of yeast to raise the dough.

Then came lechon manok, and it was a part 2 of the hot pan de sal phenomenon.

And as I'll discuss later, people never seem to learn.

(to be continued...)