Im a Nut-Fanatic ! =)

Roger Federer VS Rafael Nadal

2009-01-29T04:01:00.000-08:00

Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal. The Serene Swiss versus The Sexy Spaniard. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are professional tennis players who have a storied rivalry which many critics consider to be the greatest in tennis history.

They have held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour since July 2005 and are the only pair of men to have ever finished four consecutive calendar years at the top. Federer was ranked No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is five years younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008. Thus, Nadal is currently ranked No. 1 and Federer No. 2.

Nadal leads their overall head-to-head series 12–6.Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 14 of their matches have been in tournament finals. For three consecutive years, 2006–2008, they played in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, setting the Open era record for most encounters in a Grand Slam final. Nadal won every French Open, but Federer won two of the three Wimbledons. Both the 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon finals were epic five setters, and the latter has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis critics. They have also played in a record seven Masters Series finals.

There are many other significant qualities to their rivalry:

* From 2004–2008 they combined to win 17 of the 20 Grand Slam titles, including 11 straight from the 2005 French Open through the 2007 US Open. Both achievements are all-time records. They also combined for 19 of the 27 Masters Series titles from 2005–2007.
* Federer had the most dominant four year run in tennis history from 2004–2007. His overall match record was 315–24, but this included a mere 6–8 against Nadal, who was the only man to have a winning record against him.
* Nadal has repeatedly denied Federer a Career Grand Slam by defeating him at the French Open every year from 2005–2008.
* Not only do both men possess Open era records for consecutive wins on a single surface – Federer on both grass (65) and hard courts (56), Nadal on clay (81) – but all three streaks were ended by the other man.

Both the 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon Finals were epic five-setters and the latter has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis critics. They also have played in a record seven Masters Series finals.

The Serene Swiss

"In an era of specialists - you're a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist... or you're Roger Federer." Jimmy Connors epitomising Federer's versatility

Federer has a versatile, all-court playing style and can hit all of the fundamental shots with a high degree of proficiency.He is an adept volleyer and an excellent baseliner who can dictate play with precise groundstrokes from both wings.David Foster Wallace described the exceptional speed, fluidity and brute force of this forehand motion as "a great liquid whip", while John McEnroe has referred to it as "the greatest shot in our sport" on numerous occasions. Federer plays with a one-handed backhand, and has an excellent slice, and can also fire top-spin winning shots. Federer tends to hit his groundstrokes early, while the ball is still on the rise.While this requires excellent reactions and footwork, it means that Federer hits his groundstrokes closer to the net than most of his opponents. This reduces the reaction time of his opponents and allows him to hit the angled winners that are a trademark of his game.

He can hit a strong shot on the run or while backpedalling, allowing him to switch from defence to offense. Federer's relaxed, smooth playing style belies his aggressive and opportunistic tactics, as he constructs points which allow him to hit winners with his powerful groundstrokes. Federer is capable of performing in high pressure situations, often saving break, set or even match points during a match. This is why he is so deadly in the game and he is that GOOD!

The Sexy Spaniard

Nadal plays with well-angled topspin heavy strokes, a strong two-handed backhand, fast mobility on the court, and a preference to play from the deep court. Though naturally right-handed, Nadal plays left-handed, and uses his dominant right hand as an anchor for his two-handed backhand. In addition, being naturally right-handed allows him to stay balanced regardless of which foot he puts his weight on; an exceptional talent when one tries to hit the ball after starting a move in the wrong direction. Although, a natural right-hander, Nadal claims he is left footed and that it is difficult for him to play with his right hand. Known for his excellent defence, Nadal hits well on the run and creates many winners from seemingly defensive positions. Because of his extreme athleticism, Nadal tends to go after every shot, even apparent winners from his opponents. Historically, Nadal's playing style has worked best on clay courts, and he was once considered a clay-court specialist. Recent success on other surfaces has helped Nadal shed that label, though he is still considered most dominant on clay.

Another one of Nadal's strengths is the mental aspect of his tennis game. His ability to come back from behind in a match greatly assists him. He also has good footwork, which helps him to prepare for tennis strokes and get around the court efficiently. In addition, he can put away short balls and comes to the net quite often. Rafael Nadal has an under-emphasized net game. He is able to volley deep, but his main strength at the net is his touch and feel. Nadal is good at angling volleys away from his opponents and can hit drop volleys well after running extremely quickly up to the net to return any drop shot made by his opponent.

These two are the greats in the modern era in tennis and have dominated the sport. Analysts have commented on how their differing personalities and playing styles have made the rivalry such a compelling one to follow. On court, they have a fierce and competitive rivalry against each other. But off court, they enjoy a good-spirited relationship.

My favourite time of the year, Christmas

2009-01-29T00:58:00.000-08:00

Everyone has their favourite time of the year. For me, it would be Christmas! I love Christmas as everyone can get together and eat delicious food. My family would go to my aunt's place and celebrate Christmas there. She would have a beautiful Christmas tree displayed up with beautiful decorations. There would be sweets and snacks too. My aunt would whip up a large feast for us to eat. Turkey, Bacon, Eggs, Chicken Pie, Meat Pie, Fish Pie and many more. All so mouth-watering. After dinner, we would get to enjoy sweets and snacks. My aunt would also have bought Apple Strudel or Mango Strudel for us to eat. Christmas makes me feel very happy and I get to have a lot of fun! Here is a poem about Christmas.

It's Christmas Time Again
(by Bob Lazzar-Atwood)

Put your problems on probation
Run your troubles off the track,
Throw your worries out the window
Get the monkeys off your back.
Silence all your inner critics
With your conscience make amends,
And allow yourself some happiness
It's Christmas time again!

Call a truce with those who bother you
Let all the fighting cease,
Give your differences a breather
And declare a time of peace,
Don't let angry feelings taint
The precious time you have to spend,
And allow yourself some happiness
It's Christmas time again!

Like some cool refreshing water
Or a gentle summer breeze,
Like a fresh bouquet of flowers
Or the smell of autumn leaves,
It's a banquet for the spirit
Filled with family, food and friends,
So allow yourself some happiness
It's Christmas time again!

This poem is meaningful because it shows what Christmas is all about. During Christmas, we can put our misery and sadness behind us and enjoy! Christmas allows us to have fun and bring us happiness. It can bring the family together and everyone can enjoy.

My favourite part about Christmas is the decorations. The decoration of the Chrismas tree can be beautiful. The decorations make me feel warm and alive. The bright lights shining on the Christmas Tree livens up the place and makes the tree look nice. The different Christmas decorations also help to make the place look better and it gives everyone the feeling of Christmas. Decorations such as bells, candles, candy canes , lights, small ornaments and many more is what Christmas is all about to me. Hanging up these decorations on the tree and also decorating the house feels even better. The decorations are like a icing on the cake! This is why I enjoy Christmas so much and I always look forward to Chrismas. Below are some pictures of the different decorations for Christmas.

Chinese New Year!!

2009-01-29T00:15:00.000-08:00

My family drove down to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate Chinese New Year with my relatives. I am a Malaysian and all my relatives reside in Malaysia. I have always enjoyed going back to Kuala Lumpur as I can spend time with my Grandparents and cousins. I get to play Mahjong and have lots of fun there. I would now talk about what happened on Chinese New Year.

I woke up at 7.30 am in the morning. My brothers were already up.My neck felt sore as I slept in an awkward position the whole night. I had not enough space to sleep as my younger brother took up most of the space. He even rolled onto my mattress. What a bad start to the New Year! I went to my parents' room to wash up and change into my brand new red t-shirt. As I took it out, I looked at it strangely and asked my Mom, " Isn't this a bit too small for me? Are you sure this is mine?" My Mom said it was mine. I thought to myself: How would she know? She barely even looked at it. I checked the bag but there was only one set of new clothing there. It had to be mine. I had no choice but to wear it. After I had changed, I looked at the mirror and I discovered something bad. My shirt was too small and tight. Could it get any worse?

I went downstairs and my Grandparents greeted me with a red packet. I smiled with glee and thanked them. After breakfast, we visited many of our relatives and recieved many red packets. After that, we went to visit my maternal Granparents. We relaxed there for a bit then my Dad brought us to visit his friend, Uncle Adrian. Many of his other friends were there too. They were university classmates and have known each other for many years. They laughed and ate and made a lot of noise. I sat with the other children. Me and my brothers did not really talk to them much as they were really young. Among all my Dad's friends' children, only two girls were the same age as me. The rest were younger. My brothers and I chatted with them about school life and how are they doing in their studies. After everything, we went back to my paternal Grandparents place to change and shower. We then made our way to my maternal Grandparents place to eat dinner. My maternal Grandmother wasn't cooking as she was visiting her sister somewhere far away and would not make it back in time.

During dinner, I had the pleasure of enjoying scrumptious food. My favourite Pig Organ Soup, Sweet and Sour Pork and many more. Yummy! After that, we watched a bit of the Australian Open and played a few games of Mahjong. Out of the blue, my maternal Grandmother's younger brother, Uncle Michael and his wife showed up. I was so surprised! I have not seen him in like 5 or 6 years. They kept talking about how much my brothers and I have grown. Then something funny happened. My Dad said that Uncle Michael still looked young and didn't age much. All of us agreed. He laughed and said," I dyed my hair black many times to make myself look young! If not I would have many white hair by now!" We all laughed like crazy. I laughed till I had a stomach ache. We left at around 10 pm and Dad said we were going to Uncle Eugene's house to have a party! The same families were there and it was lots of fun! The house was really big and nice. Their garden was lovely and they had a place to play soccer. I played soccer there till I my feet ached. We left around 1am and went back to my paternal Grandparents place. I took a quick shower, gave the red packets to my Mom for her to keep and retired to bed. Although there was a bad start to the New Year, things got much better gradually. I went to sleep with a smile on my face.

A difficulty I faced

2009-01-28T23:30:00.001-08:00

I have faced countless of difficulties in my life. Be it in my studies, my co-curriculum activities or at home, I have managed to conquer them all. My Mom has always told me that if I am faced with any difficulty, I should face it and never back down or give up. Whenever I have difficulty, I would approach my Mom and she would help me in one way or another. Getting good results makes me happy and proud. Overcoming a difficulty in life gives me the same feeling tenfold. Overcoming something is an achievement and the joy is beyond words. The boulder leaning against my heart has finally been removed. I have managed to overcome my dificulties with the help of my parents, but there is one difficulty I have not managed to overcome. This problem started around a year ago. The difficulty is asking my parents if i can convert religion and become a Christian.

I am a Buddhist. My parents are Buddhist. My paternal Grandparents and most of my relatives in my Father's side are Buddhists too. Although I have been a Buddhist for so many years, I have not really felt the strong connection between Buddha and me. Although I am a Buddhist, I do not go to the temple often to pray, neither do I have a Buddha shrine at home. I do not do much as a Buddhist and I always ask myself: Why am I a Buddhist? The most logical answer I can think of is that my parents made me a Buddhist because of my Grandparents and relatives. Isn't this unfair to me? I did not get to make a choice for myself. Everytime I tell my parents that my friends asked me to go to their church, they would anwer back: For what? No point!Now let me tell you what happened on the 17th of January 2009 that make me want to become a Christian.

My good friend Dusk invited me to come to his church on that day. I told my parents that I was going to church to play soccer with him. I lied to them and it made me feel very bad. They agreed to let me go. I was feeling tired and worn out after a long week in school. I was given generous amounts of homework obviously. First of all, I walked into the worship area with a blank expression and I found Dusk. I sat beside him while waiting for the service to start and for other teenagers to walk in. Little did I know that my life was about to change. After a while, the service started shortly and they always started with singing a couple of songs. As everyone was just singing, I began to look around. Next, I saw other teenagers just like me, but they were slightly different. The difference was that they were not just standing there singing like normal people. No, they did not. They sang with compassion from their hearts. I just did not understand what gave them this passion for this God that they believed in so much. Being a Buddhist, I did not really feel the love for Buddha when praying and I did not really believe in him.They sang not with their voices but with their hearts. No matter how tone deaf anyone was, it did not matter at all. Everything around them was just disregarded.

Not long after thinking for a while, I felt something amazing. The most wonderful feeling I ever had. I felt relaxed, I felt like there was just a warm presence around my entire being. Then, the stress and worries from everything just faded away from my mind. I began to felt released. Like the chains around my heart was just breaking loose and crumbling away. After which, I started to feel true happiness. Not the happiness that could be easily gained from playing games and hanging out with friends. It was the happiness of being released from the world. Then, my mouth slowly opened and I began to sing the songs like the other teenagers who felt the same presence. The presence of God. I do not know if it is really true just yet. However, that is why they call it faith, because I now believe there really is a God. After the songs were over, everyone sat down as usual and listened to the announcements that were being made and soon after that, the preacher began to speak. I listened for a while and then drifted into my own thoughts.
I did not like how my life was going, just study, work, eat and play every single day. I started to feel that there was more to life than this. Where is that meaning in life that is missing? I knew that surely there was a bigger purpose in life. Then, I started to think about my friends. Were they really people who cared for me? Or were they just people who I played around with and laughed with when we talked rubbish? No, these were not the friends that I truly wanted. I wanted people who could share not only joy but pain and suffering too and somehow many of my so called "friends" fell into the category of those who "do not qualify". I wanted deep friendships. I wanted friends that could stick with you to the very end, whether I was on top of the world or at the bottom. I wanted friends that could stay beside me and support me till the very end. At that moment, I was getting all worked up and stressed again so I started to pray in my heart and ignore my surroundings. I prayed that all my questions would be answered soon, and if not anytime soon, then slowly and eventually. My heart felt relaxed once again and I continued to listen to the preacher. I am just a kid but my goals are pretty much high. Not many people truly understand what I think and what my troubles are.

That day I did not go home with the same blank expression. No, I went home with a slight smile, a heart that was released from chains and was now satisfied and a proper mindset that I should had have a long time ago. Not many events happened that day, but many things definitely changed. I went to church with nothing to offer, instead I got many gifts from the one who truly cares about me most. I could feel God entering me.

This is why I wanted to become a Christian. I could feel the love for God around everyone and even I could feel myself loving him. This feeling is beyond description. Although I dearly want to become a Christian, I dare not open my mouth and ask my parents. Whenever I open my mouth to ask, it s as though a cat got my toungue. Nothing comes out. I am afraid that my parents would not agree. Even if i become a Christian, would I feel left out of the family? I would be the only Christian in my family. I would not even dare to see a disappointed look in my Grandparents faces. This is the difficulty I am facing with. I cannot seek help from my parents and I do not know what to do.

2009-01-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct. ~Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Family. Imagine a world without your family, how would you feel? Sad? Happy? For me, it would be neither. I would feel devastated. Without a family, it would be like not having any food or water. Money can buy you jewellery, and education, and whatever you want. But money can't buy you a family. Family is priceless. No child deserves a life without family. The most vulnerable children in the world are orphans without a mother or a father to protect, love and care for them. These innocent children are living in orphanages and they do not get to experience the love, care and comfort others get from their parents. Research shows that one of the worst places for a child to be raised is in an orphanage. Studies show that children growing up in orphanages usually experience emotional, social and physical handicaps, and the outcomes for children after leaving an orphanage are usually dismal at best. Stories behind orphans are heart-warming and compelling. Below is two paragraphs taken from the story of a Russian girl, Elena Barlow, who was an orphan.

"The country I came from is Moldova. It is a very small country that used to be part of Russia. In my orphanage, I went to school, ate meals, and made friends. The orphanage is like a jail, and the children are rarely allowed to leave. There was no heat, and we were very cold during our long winters. We were always hungry, and we wished we had enough shampoo, soap and warm water. We took care of the younger kids, and we washed their clothes by hand. Without love and touching, many babies actually die in the orphanages. I did have some close orphan friends who became my family, and we tried to help each other. There were twenty girls living in my last room, with only small beds and very, very few personal possessions. We lived so close that if one of us got sick, we all got sick."
"At about age sixteen, the orphans are put out on the streets with no money, food or clothes. The unemployment rate in my country is 68 percent, meaning that it is almost impossible for the children to find work. There is almost no hope for these children.” by Elena Barlow, adapted from http://www.familiessavingorphans.org/fso/elena.cfm.

I could never imagine myself being in an orphanage and even more in this situation. Orphanages are often portrayed in movies as a safe haven for orphans but in actual fact, it is the complete opposite. Orphans were treated with little hospitality and comfort. The orphans had to be independent most of the time and they went through many hardships. I sympathise with them and also at the same time, admire them. I admire their determination for not giving up through the hard times and also, for their strength. These orphans go through hell everyday living in orphanages and at sixteen, they would have to stand on their own two feet with nothing with them. No food, money or clothes. Even with all of these problems, they are able to survive because of their will to live and to never give up.

I feel blessed to have wonderful parents and caring siblings. Many people I know seldom spend time with their family. They would spend more time in school or in their own activities rather than family. Thus, they would not feel as close to their family. Even though I have many activities in school and come home late often, I would never miss having dinner with my family. If I have to come home late, my family would wait for me before eating dinner. My Mom always says that we have to wait for each other before eating dinner. Even if it means waiting up until 9 or 10, my family would wait for each other. Nothing is more important than having a meal together as one family. I would also never turn down a trip to the supermarket with my parents.

The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to. ~Dodie Smith

Family is something we must cherish forever. I would never want my family to fall out or have bad feelings against each other. Though we argue a lot and my parents would scold us, at the end of the day, we know we still love each other. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the lost for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family -an unwise investment indeed. So what is behind the story? You know what is the full word of family? FAMILY = (F) ATHER (A) ND (M) OTHER, (I) (L) OVE (Y) OU. Written by Mike Ellis, adapted from http://storiesthattouch.blogspot.com/2007/05/teachers-class.html.

Remember guys, cherish your family!

Cheers