Archive for March, 2008
Tennis elbow
I wasn’t bragging when I said tennis elbow never glanced at my direction. Perhaps too much tennis at Hilton Head, I felt sharp pain on my right elbow when I served. It’s a new sensation, and didn’t go away. Now three months after, although I played from time to time, but only get by with backhand. I googled tennis elbow symptom, realize that only 17% injury is stemming from playing tennis. My new found lefty badminton is going well becasue of this. Lossing mostly, but I’ve won two sets last night. Last time playing with William, he said soak in the ice water for 8 minutes. I tried immediately. It’s hurt not as much as he warned. I even thought about the winter swimmers, why would they do it: the icey water turned my skin into dark red, but it actually felt good afterward. 🙂
The battle of the sexes
Billie Jean King (1943-) beat Bobby Riggs (1918-95) in three straight sets after he challenged her to a match in 1973. Matina Navratilova (1956-) lost to Jimmy Connors (1952-) 7-5, 6-2 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas in 1992. He gave her a dozen of roses and took home $500,000 winner-take-all prize. After the match, Patty Connors, the former playmate exclaimed that her husband wasn’t playing all that hard, “he can’t slam down on the girl!!” It’s funny and cute to see woman plays man, knowing well that the top woman can not beat the top ranked man, period. When Bobby played Billie, he’s 55 and she 30. Not sure he’s ever ranked #1.
Why should there be a war between the sexes is beyond me. Man has their places in the world we have ours. Shouldn’t we make love rather than war? Feminist, especially the American way is hypocrite. The current female presidential candidate is riding on her husband’s tail, she and other bright, expensively educated smart women are willing to be hauled onto the stage to be humiliated, in front of the entire world.
We grew up with the notion that there are only two sexes, male and female. Then enters the gay and lesbian. As if that’s not busy enough for us, we have bi-sexual, omnisexual, and transgender. The transmale, transfemale or transgeneration. It’s very unfortunate that some feels he or she born into the wrong body. Almost unthinkable. The biggest fear for those kids was losing family love and support. Would you love your child less when he or she decides to change gender, or give more since the child is negotiating a tough journey, mentally and physically?
Can China sweep the board?
The badminton head coach Li Yongbo recently said, ‘I think five isn’t to much to expect’ when asked how many gold medals he’s expecting this summer in Beijing. The Brit pair Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson, both in their 30s are still competing, not sure they’ll be around in 2012 when London is the host for the summer game.
We played baseball
Baseball or softball isn’t a foreign sport, I played it in primary school in the middle 70s in Beijing, Zhongguancun Erxiao 中关村二小 as past of physical education, in our front yard. The positions weren’t as clearly defined as in MLB. Not sure Mao banned it. I enjoyed it a lot. To my dismay, once a class had to be canceled because US president Ford was to visit the Summer Palace and our school was at the corner of the route in Zhongguancun. Our school was even considering to ban few students (who always failed) from attending schools during the period. The article’s assertion that 150,000 people play seemed low, I played, so did my g/f who attended Qinghua University fm 1980-85 played as part of phy ed – two years basic and then one year specialized (两年基础体育课,然后一年专项体育课) – just to name two, and we weren’t athletes. One of my classmates played tennis at sport school in Sichuan, she gave it up once she moved to Beijing. At the time, late 70s, sports could not compete with A+ and getting into a top college. True that we played a lot of ping pong and badminton in China, but let’s face it, baseball is a slow sport, can be really boring. Despite the love I have for the game, but I have no patient to watch it, ice hockey and football are the spectator sport. Remember back in the autumn 1986, I was awaken by the sound of cheers, honking, beer bottle chattering on the street in the middle of the night. Ha, Mets just won. The following day, every one were talking about the Mets and its win. It still couldn’t move me to watch. One game per season is my max tolerance. When Jack was around, Golfer’s buddy, I did go to Central Park to play pick up game with him. First time, the team captain complained that he didn’t want a girl on his team. Jack told him, “too bad .. she waited for her turn ..” Grumpily, the huge guy took me. It turned out, I was pretty good at bat but a lousy fielder, :).
Plenty time for a mile
I managed 40 laps under 20 minutes! Total did 78 laps: 40 freestyle, 10 breast, 10 backstroke, 2 breast, 10 free timed at 4:45, 2 breast, 4 free timed at 1:45. I had little bit more time today, so decided to improve my flip turns. Thought about Steve‘s stress on streamline – when he demo that on the deck as if he could reach the ceiling, :). Janet Evans is remembered for her long unconventional strokes and inexhaustible cardiorespiratory reserves – today I tried to stay under the water longer after the turns. Steve used to pound on me: getting streamlined and should at least get pass the solid blue divider. I always take a breath almost right after turning – lazy, I suppose. The pool was empty. Not sure what accelerated my timing today, was the streamlining and staying in the water longer did the trick? And hopefully I can keep doing it.
Marge is a cute lady who comes to the pool every day, does 72 laps in about hour or so. So I nick named her Ms. Mile – 72 laps equals to a mile. She must be in her 80s, over sized thick glasses make her eyes enormous out of proportion. Her limps are all bones and skins. There is a Robert. At first, I thought they’re a couple. The first time I ran into Robert by the entrance, I was starlet at how tall he’s, well over 6′. Guess in the water semi naked, we all look different. Thank god we have cloth to cover.
Peyton interviewing Eli
This is a cute clip, showing how good nature those two Mannings are, the brotherly love is in the air. Matching their accomplishments are impossibly, but at least we could hope that our children grow up loving each other.
Sampras-Federer comes true
Save the date: March 10th. The two would play the second time, the venue is the Garden and Lendl is promoting it. But wait a second, can Pete at 36 actually compete with Roger who’s only 26? I thought Roger forcing or hastening Pete’s decision to retire after their only match at Wimbledon in 2001, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 and 7-5. They’ve played three exhibition matches, Roger won two and one gone to Pete but with some whisper that Roger went soft on Pete. hmmmmm.. but 19,000 tickets are sold so far.
