Just a small update

I've added the Yahoo Tennis Site to the links section a great source for tennis scores and news:).

Also some interesting developments at the French Open so far, Nadia Petrova is out as of yesterday. Someone who everyone expected to be a big contender in the second week and perhaps the final.

Sharapova and Mauresmo moved on today to the 3rd round, I'm hoping one of these two will get knocked out soon. Justine Henin as of yesterday has moved on to 2nd round, now she'll be a tough opponent for anyone really. Things are going to get very interesting in the second week.

Another interesting development I just found out about apparently, Martina has chosen to play mixed doubles she drew Mahesh Bhupathi again. Who she won the Australian mixed doubles with earlier this year.

I guess Martina is trying to stay sharp by continuing to play more matches, I think it might be quite beneficial for her.

Hingis triumphant in first round return at Roland Garros

Well, Roland Garros has began and as expected Martina moved on to her second round today defeating Lisa Raymond pretty easily 6/2 6/2.

This is her first French Open since 2001. Previous to 2001 she was also at the French in 1997 and 1999. Reached the finals in both but lost to Eva Majoli in '97 and Steffi Graf in '99 and she lost to Jennifer Capriati in the semi's of 2001. As I've mentioned before this is the only grand slam title that eludes her.

As for this first match Martina seemed to have a lot of trouble with her serve, and didn't get a lot of first serves in. But the rest of her game was spot on.

Raymond really wasn't much of a threat, I didn't expect her to be. Martina seemed so relaxed out there, it was nice to see especially since I'm sure she had a lot of mixed emotions playing in the French.

Where she doesn't have good memories. If she was nervous or anything she certainly didn't show it and seemed very much in control. And the French crowds were curtious for once.

Martina seemed to have a good number of fans as well which was great to see.

A little funny thing that happened was apparently just after Martina came on court the wardrobe officials had a problem with a piece of apparel or logo or something on Martina's clothing, and she had to go and remove it.

I think maybe the French have regulations as to the size of the logo. I'm still unclear on what that was about, but it made the commentators Mary Carrillo, Dick Enberg and myself laugh. French officials are so darn picky lol.

So a fairly easy first round for Hingis, she made a few errors here and there but that's the thing with Martina her level of game rises with the opponent that she's playing so if she's playing someone who's giving her a challenge you hardly see her make any mistakes.

And that is what I'm hoping will happen as she goes on and the draw gets tougher. Next Hingis is playing some player named Zuzana Ondraskova whom I've never heard of I expect her to get through with no problems.

Things will start getting tough for her once she gets to quarter finals where she might have to face Kim Clijsters, after that might be Dementieva, Justine or Mauresmo.

There's also Venus Williams if she sticks around. But as in any tournament there are always upsets where the seeded players get knocked out by non-seeded ones so who knows. I will be very interested to see how it all plays out.

Here is a great article regarding the match from Yahoo Tennis
http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=AkT7ikdXtO1SH5mRapkkDEM4v7YF?slug=ap-frenchopen&prov=ap&type=lgns

Above pics belong to the Martina Hingis Message board.

Terrible pickup lines

Man: "So what do you do for a living?"
Woman: "I'm a female impersonator."

Man: "Haven't we met before?"
Woman: "Yes, I'm the receptionist at the Venereal Disease Clinic."

Man: "Haven't I seen you someplace before?"
Woman: "Yeah, that's why I don't go there anymore."

Man: "Is this seat empty?"
Woman: "Yes, and this one will be too if you sit down."

Man: "So, wanna go back to my place?"
Woman: "Well, I don't know. Will two people fit under a rock?"

Man: "Your place or mine?"
Woman: "Both. You go to yours and I'll go to mine."

Man: "I'd like to call you. What's your number?"
Woman: "It's in the phone book."

Man: "But I don't know your name."
Woman: "That's in the phone book too."

Man: "What sign were you born under?"
Woman: "No Parking."

Man: "Hey, baby, what's your sign?"
Woman: "Do Not Enter."

Man: "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"
Woman: "Unfertilized!"

Man: "Hey, come on, we're both here at this bar for the same reason."
Woman: "Yeah! Let's pick up some chicks!"

Man: "I can tell that you want me."
Woman: "Ohhhh. You're so right. I want you to leave."

Man: "Hey cutie, how 'bout you and I hitting the hot spots?"
Woman: "Sorry, I don't date outside my species."

Man: "May I see you pretty soon?"
Woman: "Why? Don't you think I'm pretty now?"

Man: "Your hair color is fabulous."
Woman: "Thank you. It's in aisle three at the corner drug store."

Man: "Your body is like a temple."
Woman: "Sorry, there are no services today."

Man: "I'd go through anything for you."
Woman: "Good! Let's start with your bank account."

More humor:)

Just for fun here are some more funny jokes albeit a bit corny but, still an entertaining read. Found once again on the Xena Message board.


Everybody who has a dog calls him Rover or Boy.
I call mine Sex. Now Sex has been embarrassing to me.
One day I entered Sex in a contest, but before the competition began he ran away.

Another contestant asked me why I was just standing there, looking around.
I told him that I had planned to have Sex in the contest.
He told me I should have sold my own tickets.

"But you don't understand" I said, "I had planned to have Sex on T.V." He called me a show off.
When my husband and I separated we went to court to fight for custody of the dog.

I said,"Your Honor, I had Sex before I was married!!"The Judge said, "Me too".
Then I told him that after I was married that Sex had left me.

He said "Me too".
Last night Sex ran off again.
I spent hours looking around town for him.

A cop came over to me and asked me what I was doing in the alley at 4 O'clock in the morning.
I said looking for Sex.
My case comes up Monday...

Life before computers

This is also from the Xena Message board, life really was simpler back in the day lol. And it does seem to ring true even now.

An application was for employment
A program was a TV show

A cursor used profanity
And a keyboard was on a piano!

Memory was something that you lost with age
And a CD was a bank account

And if you had a corrupted disk
It would hurt when you found out!

Compress was what you did to garbage
Not something you did to a file

And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for a while!

Log on was adding wood to a fire
A hard drive was a trip on the road

A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a backup happened to the commode!

Cutting, you did with a pocket
knife,
Pasting, you did with glue.

The Web was where a spider lived
And a virus was the flu!

Funny product labels....

Found this on the Xena Message board:) love the Superman and iron one lol.

On A Hair Dryer from Sears:
Do Not Use While Sleeping

On A Bar Of Dove Soap:
Directions- Use Like Regular Soap

On Swann Frozen Foods:
Serving Suggestion- Defrost Before Eating

On A Shower Cap:
Fits One Head

On The BOTTOM of a Tesco Tiramisu Dessert:
Warning! Do Not Turn Upside Down!

On M&S Bread and Butter Pudding:
Warning! May Be Hot After Heating!

On A Rowenta Iron:
Do Not Iron Clothes On Body

On Infant's Cough Medicine:
Warning! Do Not Drive Car Immediately After Consuming!

On Nytol Sleeping Pills:
Warning! May Cause Drowsiness!

On Christmas Lights:
For Indoor and Outdoor use ONLY!

On A Superman Costume:
The Wearing of this Garment does not enable one to fly

On a bottle of ALL laundry detergent:
Remove clothing before distributing in washing machine.

On an American Airlines Packet Of Nuts:
Directions-Open Packet, Eat Nuts

Williams and Pierce out of Roland Garros

http://marypierce.w.interia.pl/index2.htm
http://www.serenawilliams.com.ar/serena-williams6.jpg

Well, looks like it's more good news for Martina Hingis besides Serena Williams pulling out of the French Open with a chronic knee injury.

It seems that Mary Pierce has pulled out as well due to a groin injury. But I have to say I'm a little disappointed I was looking forward to seeing her play. I haven't seen her play in a while. Hopefully she'll be back for Wimbledon.

Serena has already announced that she's out of the Wimbledon grand slam as well. I really think this could be Martina's year, this could be the year she finally wins that illusive French Open title fingers crossed:).

Here are articles from TSN Canada confirming the news.

http://www.tsn.ca/tennis/news_story/?ID=166998&hubname=tennis
http://www.tsn.ca/tennis/news_story/?ID=167020&hubname=tennis

Alias Series Finale

I thought it was pretty good, a bit predictable at the end but at least it ended on a fairly happy note.

Only thing I could have done without was Sloane coming back from the dead after being shot in the head . And if he could do that because of Rambaldi then why couldn't Irina do the same thing?.

Oh, and the Rambaldi thing? so unnecessary. Sorry I've never been a fan of this particular story line too sci-fi for a spy show. Or maybe I just expect Alias to be too much like Nikita lol. And I really hate that Jack died.

If I had to choose I think I would rather Vaughn stayed dead. Although I guess it would not have been as cheerful an ending. But to be honest I stopped caring about the whole Sydney/Vaughn thing after the second season.

I mean I understand why it was done, basically every character faced their nemesis and for Jack that has always been Sloane. So it was sort of fitting that he's the one who trapped Sloane in a Mongolian cave for all eternity. I just wish Jack didn't have to die in the process. That's always the case all of my favorite characters seem to die lol.

And I didn't care much for the character of Tom since I knew he was a traitor from the beginning, he did have some of the best lines though.

Out of the new characters in this last season I have to say I loved Rachel, I thought the actress did a wonderful job. Really made you feel for the character. And I love that Rachel's character grew and developed as the season went on, and that in the end she sort of became the next Sydney Bristow by deciding to continue being a spy.

And I gotta say I think one of the best guest stars Alias has ever had besides Irina Derevko (Lena Olin) and Anna Espenosa(Gina Torres) would have to be Payton(Amy Acker). She's such a wonderful baddie, and the actress really seemed enjoy what she was doing. It showed in her acting. I don't know what it is about Amy Acker but she's really good at playing evil characters.

I liked the fact that they kept it as Sydney continuing on, and still doing missions because really a spy can never get out once they're in. They'll always be needed and they do that for the rest of their lives so at least that was accurate.

Oh, and I could have done without ghost Nadia too, really the first 2 years of Alias were the best. But all in all the finale wasn't bad, could have been worse. Overall it was very well done. I think the parts I enjoyed the most were all the flashbacks. It was great to see Francie again. I'm really gonna miss this show:(.

For anyone who has never heard of Alias and would like to learn more about this great show here are some great Wikipedia links to get you started;).

SD-6/Alliance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_of_Twelve
APO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorized_Personnel_Only
The Covenant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Covenant_(Alias)
Rachel Gibson/Rachel Nichols the actress
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Gibson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Nichols_(actress)
General Alias Info
http://www.alias-tv.com/characters4.html

Taylor Hicks crowned as the next American Idol

American Idol winner Taylor Hicks

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/celeb/articles/0516idolpick-CP.html


Well, the grey haired guy won the whole shebang. Now I will say right off that I think he is a great singer but his dancing leaves something to be desired.

I really wasn't surprised that he won I could tell by the applause he received the night before when he and Kathrine performed. I'm actually disappointed because Kathrine was my pick.

I think she could have won it if she had a better debut single. I actually think Taylor had a slightly better one. But only slightly, to be honest I thought both the singles written for the Idols this year were absolutely horrible.

Whoever wrote it should be fired. I think poor Kathrine's votes suffered because of it. Even though Simon did remind everyone to remember Kathrine's 2nd performance when voting. But I bet half those people didn't listen.

After all who listens to Simon?. I'm happy for Taylor he does have a great voice, but he seems to only have one style maybe that will change as time goes on. And I guess I just have to resign myself to hearing the word "soul patrol" for the next year or so lol.

Anyway on to some good highlights from tonight, man they really did go all out with the musical guests this year didn't they?. I mean we had Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Mary J. Blige, Meatloaf and even Prince. Quite impressive.

The Burt Bacharach tribute sang by the top 12 was very beautiful. And of course the night also included an array of Hollywood stars. From David Boreanaz to Heather Locklear. The most amazing thing was apparently more people voted for American Idol this year then any president in U.S. history.

How scary is that?. Or should I say sad lol. All in all it was an entertaining night, and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Martina Hingis wins award for Comeback of the Year

Yay! Martina Hingis won Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. She deserves it without a shadow of a doubt for accomplishing so much in so little time.

There's also no doubt that one of those accomplishments is helping to put Tennis back in the forefront again, by getting people excited and interested in the game with her amazing comeback. So congratulations to her:).

Here is a great article from Sony Ericsson's WTA Tour which gives more information about this particular award and it's recipients.
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/newsroom/?contentid=459


Also due to winning the Italian Open this year Martina has moved higher in the prize money leader list:D.

(COURTESY WTA MEDIA INFORMATION SYSTEM)

#WOMEN'S TENNIS CAREER PRIZE MONEY LEADERS#-------------------------------------------(AS OF MONDAY, MAY 22, 2006)

STANDING NAME NAT CAREER TOTAL
1 STEFFI GRAF GER 21,895,277
2 LINDSAY DAVENPORT USA 21,549,902
3 MARTINA NAVRATILOVA USA 21,443,847
4 MARTINA HINGIS SUI 19,003,406
5 ARANTXA SANCHEZ-VICARIO ESP 16,942,640
6 VENUS WILLIAMS USA 16,090,969
7 SERENA WILLIAMS USA 15,907,370
8 MONICA SELES USA 14,891,762
9 KIM CLIJSTERS BEL 13,288,705
10 CONCHITA MARTINEZ ESP 11,527,977

She's moved to #4 with a career prize money total of just over 19 million. She's right behind Navratilova, and higher then both Williams sisters:D.

That's amazing for someone who's only 25.

A penny for your....power?

Everyone has heard of the expression "a penny for your thoughts" right? well this article certainly brings a new meaning to it.

If you thought pennies weren't important this article will make you think again after you read it.

Personally I find it quite ridiculous and feel sorry that this poor woman had to go through such a weird situation.





By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS May 16, 2006

FLINT, Mich. (AP) - It was just a penny, but to Consumers Energy it was enough to cut off power in a local home. Jacqueline Williams, 41, of Flint had an electricity bill of $1,662.08 and paid all of it, except for one cent.

That wasn't enough for the power company, which blacked her out for seven hours Wednesday.

The CMS Energy Corp. subsidiary told Williams the power would not be turned on until the penny was received.

"I went down there, paid my penny and got a receipt," Williams told The Flint Journal.
Shortly after, the electricity was turned back on.

read more...

Mummy found in Peru

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A female mummy with complex tattoos on her arms has been found in a ceremonial burial site in Peru, the National Geographic Society reported Tuesday.

The mummy was accompanied by ceremonial items including jewelry and weapons, and the remains of a teenage girl who had been sacrificed, archaeologists reported.

The burial was at a site called El Brujo on Peru's north coast near Trujillo.

read more...



Found this on the Xena Messageboard again, very interesting CNN article.

Again I have a fascination with ancient civilizations and anything that falls under that category which is why I'm sharing this article here. :)

The most interesting parts are the remains of a teenage girl who apparently had been sacrificed. And I'm very curious about those tattoos as well as the jewelery and weapons.

Also CNN has a video of the archaeologists unwrapping the mummy but you have to be a part of the CNN pipeline to view it.

Hingis becomes Italian Open Champion!

Martina posing for photos after winning 6/2 7/5

I was going to post this later today but I couldn't wait:). I've been waiting a long time to post some Hingis trophy pics. I knew she could do it she was just playing so well this entire tournament.

This is Martina's 41st career title, but her first since coming out of a three year retirement in January. This is also her 2nd Italian Open title she won the first one back in 1998.

I haven't seen the match yet I've only read reports, and according to them Martina played wonderfully.

She seemed to be in total control in the first set then in the second she lost some concentration allowing her opponent to get back into the match and even it out at 5 all. She held her serve and manged to close the match at 2 sets thus capturing the Italian Open title.

I am so happy, it's so great to see one of my favourite players doing so well, it seems like she's getting her confidence back. It was especially evident in yesterday's match against Venus.

This Italian Open win places Hingis in the top 15 in terms of rankings for the French Open. Which is great now she won't have to face any of the really tough players in her early round matches.

Now Hingis has a week off, after that she's heading to the French Open on May 29. Big congratulations to Martina and nothing but the best at the French the only title that eludes her.

Once again all pics are from the Martina Hingis Message board.
Here is a great article related to the match:
http://hingis.lawntennisnews.com/

Hingis off to the finals in Rome!!

Martina smiling after a sweet victory over Venus Williams


Well Martina got her revenge on Venus:). And what a revenge it was! this match will go down into the classics. This was their 21st head to head meeting Hingis's wins against Williams are now 11 to 10.

It was a hard fought battle on both sides but in the end Martina prevailed:) with a score of 6/0 6/3 6/3. She seemed to have a lot of trouble in the first set I guess Venus was playing too well, but in the second set she brought her game up a notch.

She once again played aggressively all throughout and made some amazing shots. She proved that she can still hang with the big guns so to speak, and that once again when it comes to Tennis power isn't everything you can still win with finesse and good anticipation.

I am absolutely ecstatic and can't wait for her to win her first tournament of the year!. She will be playing against Dinara Safina whom Hingis has good odds against she won their last meeting this year at Indian Wells. So here is hoping for a repeat performance, fingers crossed:) And all the best of luck. All above pics are from the Martina Hingis Messageboard

For more match details go here:
http://hingis.lawntennisnews.com/2006/05/20/martina-hingis-mounts-a-comeback-to-demolish-venus-williams/

Hingis off to the semi-finals in Rome

Well she did it again! she beat Flavia Pennetta for the 2nd time this year. Hingis played aggressively putting pressure on Pennetta throughout the match.

She did get her serve broken a couple of times but in the end won the match in 2 sets 6/3 6/1. So she's off to the semi's where she has a chance to get her revenge on Venus Williams. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Here is a good article detailing the match.
http://hingis.lawntennisnews.com/2006/05/19/martina-duels-venus-in-the-semifinals/

Hingis through to the quarter finals in Rome!

Well Martina continues to cruise through the Italian Open:). She disposed of Francesca Schiavone in their second meeting this year.

She commended the first set and didn't loose a game. But her opponent stepped it up in the second set and was leading 3-0 before Martina evened it out and won the second set. The final score was 6/0 7/5 another great confidence booster I'm sure.

Next she'll be playing Flavia Pennetta whom she beat a week ago in Germany. Should be interesting. I will also be very interested to see where Martina stands in terms of ranking by the French Open on May 29 currently she's made it all the way to 21.

Which is amazing considering it's only been five months and she was ranked in the 300 in January.

And there is more good news for her since Kim Clijsters is also out, this could be Martina's first title since her comeback. We'll have to wait and see, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed:).

Here is an article relating to this match from MSNBC.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12855023/

BJ and Tylor $1 million dollar winners!!

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race9/shows/ep13/race/photo_album/?id=12

I am so freakin' happy right now last night The Amazing Race contestants BJ and Tyler aka 'The Hippies' won the million dollars!:). For anyone who doesn't know The Amazing Race is one of 2 favourite reality t.v. shows of mine (American Idol being the other).

Anyway I just love this one in particular because you get to see all these famous land marks in all these different countries like Japan or Australia. As a Tourism and Travel graduate I just love this show.

And on top of seeing all these great countries we also get some great people (teams of 2) who have to trek through all of them to get to the finish line.

And my favorite team this year has been The Hippies (BJ and Tylor) I just love their positive outlook on life and just their positive attitude throughout the whole journey. They really seemed to enjoy every place they went to and soaked in each culture. It was great to watch.

And I love the fact that they knew how to say thank you as well as many other phrases in every language of the 9 countries they visited. They took the time to learn about each county's culture while on the plane or in hotels.

The Hippies beat out one of my least favorite teams Eric and Jeremy aka 'The Frat Boys' (ironic since they dropped out of college lol). Where as BJ and Tylor are Stanford and Harvard graduates.

Now The Frat Boys were tough competitors and always seemed to come in first place but a lot of the time it was due to some scheming or pure dumb luck (although before entering the race they did have some travelling under their belt as well). But towards the end of the race I just got so sick of these guys and their constant womanizing.

Which made me root for The Hippies even more. I'm putting The Amazing Race 9 under my favorites along with AR 5 and 6. And I can't wait to see what Amazing Race 10 will be like. I just hope they never ever do the Family Edition again lol. Thus the end of my rant:D.

For those who have never seen the show and don't know anything about it check out the corresponding Amazing Race link.

Martina Hingis's humble abode:)

This is Martina inside her house from a Swiss Magazine
Magazine photo again
This is Martina's house in Hurden on Lake Zürich Switzerland.


This is one she used to live in with her mom in Trubbach Switzerland


This is another house Martina lived in with her mom in a place called Schindellegi from 2002 to 2004

This is just a random pic one of Martina's passions is horse back riding



I found these pics on the Martina Hingis Message board (and no I'm not a stocker) all of the house pics are available freely on the net through Google here.

Boy, for a 25 year old she sure lived in a lot of different but nice houses.

Apart from her place in Switzerland I know that she's also got a place in Florida as well. I gotta say she not only has great taste in guys but a great taste in architecture as well.

Looking at all these just makes me wanna move to Switzerland:D

Hingis continues her battle in Rome

Well Martina Hingis had a little difficulty getting past Nicole Vaidisova in the first set and had to speed up her game because she was being over powered.

But I'm not surprised since this was the first time Martina played against this particular player. She still won it in two sets 7/5 6/3.

Next Martina will face Italian Francesca Schiavone whom she has played twice this year and won. So I expect her to win this time as well.

If she does she will most likely go on to play Venus Williams again. If she won that one that would be a nice revenge for loosing to her in Warsaw.

Here is a great article from TSN Canada regarding the match.
http://www.tsn.ca/tennis/news_story/?ID=166056&hubname=tennis

Pics taken from the Martina Hingis Messageboard.

Grey's Anatomy Finale

Well another season of Grey's is finished. And I can't really make up my mind on whether I like or dislike the show at the moment. I loved it when it started in it's first year.

But toward the end of this second season it has become a bit soap opera-ish which I'm not really a fan of, it's one of the main reasons I'm thinking of ditching The O.C. next year.

With that said I did watch the finale of Grey's Anatomy and I liked everything about it well ok except for the whole thing with Izzy stopping Denny's heart so he could be an automatic donor as an ER fan I know there are so many things wrong with that.

And the only other thing I didn't like is the whole Derek/Meredeth/vet triangle so of course we don't get to find out who she actually chooses till next year to which I say yawn. I did like the scenes with Meredith and George and I am interested in seeing what will become of Izzy now that she has quit.

And I do love Christina and Burke and of course there's Bailey who never fails to make me laugh so in short I think I will stick around and watch it next year but if the show becomes all about breaking up and getting back together I'm out.

There, that's my Grey's Anatomy rant lol. For anyone who doesn't know what I 'm talking about check out the Grey's Anatomy link under the link section of the blog.

Martina Hingis breezes through in Rome:)

Well she lost in Germany but won in Rome today against Italy's Sara Errani 6/0 6/1. And her chances of winning this tournament just got better because Amelie Mauresmo is out of it with a fever and Maria Sharapova has foot problems.

So the odds just got better for Hingis. Next she will be playing someone named Nicole Vaidisova whom I've never heard of but I don't think Hingis will have any problems.

Here is an article from Yahoo Ireland related to the match
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/15052006/3/veteran-hingis-expects-respect-rome.html

Once again all pics belong to the Martina Hingis Messageboard already linked on here.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms and moms to be out there:) . Give your mom the respect and love she truly deserves. Personally I cannot thank mine enough for everything she does for me each and everyday.

I don't usually do this but since this is a special occasion I'll make an exception. I've decided to post a poem that I've found recently which helps express how I feel about my mom so enjoy.

TO MY MOTHER

For all the times you gently picked me up,
When I fell down,
For all the times you tied my shoes
And tucked me into bed,
Or needed something
But put me first instead.
For everything we shared,
The dreams, the laughter,
And the tears,
I love you with a "Special Love"
That deepens every year.

~Author Unknown~

The link to the source of this poem can be found here if anyone is interested in reading some more:).

Close but no cigar for Hingis:(

Well Martina fought hard and did her very best but in the end Amelie Mauresmo won the battle. With a result of 4/6 6/4 4/6. The match started yesterday afternoon and had to be postponed due to poor lighting until this afternoon.

It was a tough 3 setter and at least she can be proud of not bowing out early. And I still think she has definitely become more comfortable on clay. I think by this time next year she could be the one to capture the German title.

Now Martina has a couple of days off before heading off to Rome for the Italian Open on Monday May 15th which will be great preparation for the French Open.

Once again I wish her the best of luck. I found a great article related to the match from Reuters UK. You can read it here

All above pictures taken from Martina Hingis Messageboard already linked on the blog.

Ah, sweet revenge!

Martina Hingis shaking hands after winning 6/3 6/2

Well looks like it's revenge week for Martina in Berlin. She beat the #5 seeded Elena Dementieva yesterday who Martina lost against in Doha earlier in the year and 2 previous times before her comeback.

So this must have been a huge confidence booster for her. One that I am hoping will help her against Amelie Mauresmo today.

Mauresmo is another player who Hingis lost to earlier this year so she will definitely want to even out the score. And if the way she played yesterday against Dementieva is any indication she might do just that.

This was classic Hingis at her best she used drop shots came to the net at every opportunity, she was very aggressive and really mixed it up. Which is something I think her game has been missing for the last little while. Best match of her comeback so far even she says so in her interviews.

Previous to this match she dismissed German Julia Schruff with no problems.

After Mauresmo Martina will most likely play Justine Henin and I believe this will be the first time they will play since Martina's comeback.

So I am wishing her all the best of luck today and hope she can kick Mauresmo's butt same way she did Elena's.

Here is an article with more details of this superb match.
http://www.sportsline.com/tennis/story/9432278

Oh happy day! Tom's star power is going down hill

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Days after Tom Cruise's movie, "Mission: Impossible III," opened to lackluster ticket sales, a new opinion poll may explain why -- the actor's star power has dimmed considerably in the eyes of the public.

According to a USA Today/Gallup poll published on Wednesday, just 35 percent of adults surveyed over the weekend, when the film debuted in theaters, said they had a favorable opinion of Cruise. Fifty-one percent had an unfavorable opinion.

That's a major turnaround from nearly a year ago, when Cruise's previous film, "War of the Worlds," opened and his poll ratings were 58 percent favorable and 31 percent unfavorable. read more..


Yay! that's what I like to see crappy ticket sales and dwindling popularity specifically among women. And rightfully so for those dumb postpartum comments.

What can I say? I like any article that does not praise him and points out his stupidity. And I definitely agree with one particular part of the article the "overpaid" part.

Call me evil if you want but I'm sick of the guy. I think this may even be the last time I talk about him on my blog.

That is unless his IQ drops lower if that's even humanly possible in his case lol. I know I'm being a bitch. So sue me.

And if you've read my blog before my dislike for the guy is clearly illustrated;).

It's a win for Hingis in Berlin!

Martina Hingis is all smiles after winning against Flavia Pennetta 7/5 6/3

Well she did it again:) this was another tough first round. A big improvement over Warsaw and I'm sure she's happy with the results.

I think she's slowly becoming more comfortable on clay. She beat an 11th seeded Flavia Pennetta in 2 sets and got her revenge for losing to her at the Gold Coast Tournament earlier in the year.

Hopefully she won't have any problems with her second round opponent and move on to the third.

Where she can finally get her revenge on players like Mauresmo and Dementieva but we shell wait and see.

For now good going and I'm wishing her all the best at the French on May 29th. Love the red outfit too hope it brings her lots luck :).

Here is a more detailed article relating to the match.
http://www.teamwta.com/content/view/222/2/

And once again all images taken from the Martina Hingis Message board

63 year old woman planning parenthood

Thurs. May 04, 2006

LONDON (AP) - A British woman pregnant at age 63 defended her right to be an older parent Thursday, saying her decision to have another child was not undertaken lightly.

Patricia Rashbrook, a child psychiatrist from Lewes, south of London, has two grown children from a previous marriage but recently remarried and underwent fertility treatment. She is due to give birth in two months.

"We take our responsibilities very seriously and regard the best interest of the child as paramount," Rashbrook said. "And what we would wish now is to be allowed the right to pursue our family life in private." more...


I found this article in Yahoo news last week. And I have to admit I definitely don't agree with the idea of older parents no matter how well prepared they may be.

Because the sad fact is that by the time that kid gets to 18 the parents could be under the ground, as morbid as that sounds.

Unless they have a great health plan or extraordinary health. And the hardest part will be if the kid loses the parents early because hack even if you prepare for that and you have other family members to act as the parents or guardians to the kid it will never be the same. Anyway I don't agree with it that's all I'm saying.

A fun play on words;)

Found this on the Xena Message Board again and thought it was very amusing:D. So I'm sharing it here again.

For those who would like to visit the Xena Message Board it's linked under My Favourite Message Board here on the blog. I suggest the off topic section to start with there are always lots of amusing things to be found;).

7 Kinds of Sex

Recent research shows that there are 7 kinds of sex:

The 1st kind of sex is called: Smurf Sex. This kind of sex happens when you first meet someone and you both have sex until you are blue in the face.

The 2nd kind of sex is called: Kitchen Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for a short time and you are so horny you will have sex anywhere, even in the kitchen.

The 3rd kind of sex is called: Bedroom Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for a long time. Your sex has gotten routine and you usually have sex only in your bedroom.

The 4th kind of sex is called: Hallway Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for too long. When you pass each other in the hallway you both say "screw you".

The 5th kind of sex is called: Courtroom Sex. This is when you cannot stand your wife any more. She takes you to court and screws you in front of everyone.

The 6th kind is called Religious Sex: Which means you get Nun in the morning, Nun in the afternoon and Nun at night.

OOPS. Don't forget the 7th kind of sex - Social Security Sex. You get a little each month - but not enough to live on.

Ancient Roman road found in Paris

One of my other favorite interests besides the ones already on this blog;), is mythology and the history of ancient civilizations. Specifically ancient Greece and Rome. I'm absolutely fascinated by the stuff.

And anyway I will stop rambling now and get to the point. Yesterday while on the Xena Message Board I found a great Yahoo article about a new archaeological find in Paris. And thought I would post the article here for anyone else interested.


By MARIE ZARKA, Associated Press Writer Sat. May 6

PARIS - Deep beneath pavement pounded by tourists on Paris' Left Bank lies an ancient path — a 2,000-year-old Roman road recently excavated during construction work.

Remnants of private houses rigged with baths and ingeniously heated floors were among the findings, now on view in a stunning dig. Over the next few weeks, however, archaeologists will rip up the ruins to make way for a research center.

The archeologists gradually remove every layer of ruins until they reach the geological stratum — the original ground — and eventually draw a chronological diagram.

"Excavating is destroying. We dig into historic layer after historic layer," said Didier Busson, scientific supervisor of the archaeological site. more.....

No spitting in China

BEIJING (Reuters) - Some Chinese tourists have been warned that while spitting, slurping food and cutting in line may merely disgust people at home, they are sometimes not tolerated abroad, Xinhua news agency said Friday.

The increasing number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad may be a huge new source of income to destination countries, but that won't prevent complaints against individuals from reflecting badly on all of China, Xinhua said.

"The media in Singapore reports that hotel staff are upset with Chinese tourists spitting in their rooms and smoking in bed," it said.
more....

Martina loses to Venus in Warsaw:(

Martina lost against Venus Williams at the J&P Cup in Warsaw yesterday in a tough match with a result of 6-4 5-7 4-6. It was their first meeting in almost 4 years. Martina was doing great in the first and even the second set but somewhere towards the end of set 2 she seemed to lose concentration.

And got distracted with Venus's constant leg cramps. Well that's just my opinion, I certainly would lol. No she lost her concentration due to a bad line call. A lot of people would of course say that her serve is still too week that she 's missing this or that but I just think she was having an off day.

Venus had a better one but I honestly don't think Venus is such a great player I haven't seen her play well in a couple of years at least. But then again I don't really follow her career all that much.

And also to be fair this was Martina's first time playing on clay in four years so hopefully she'll improve the more she plays on it.

At least now she has a couple of days off to prepare for the German Open which starts on Monday May 8th. After that she's off to Rome for the Italian Open May 15th.

For more details on this match click here

As always the above pics were taken from the Martina Hingis Message Board already linked on this blog.

New treatment for chronic depression

Found this on a Canadian t.v. site CTV to be exact this was part of a news investigative program called W-5. Anyway I found the article quite interesting and decided to once again share it here on the blog.

Lighting the Darkness

Avis Favaro, CTV News

Researchers are cautiously optimistic about a revolutionary made-in-Canada treatment for severe and chronic depression -- what could be called a brain pacemaker to override depression.

A team at Toronto Western Hospital, which pioneered the technique, has implanted the pacemakers in 16 severely depressed Canadian patients (7 women and 9 men between ages 28 and 71).

Eight of the first 12 have had a "positive response" -- meaning their depression has lifted to the point where some returned to work and at least one started a new business. But it's too early to tell with the other four patients, who've received the implants in the last six months. more....

Woman's 21st Marriage

Found this on a Xena Message board again, did a quick search with Google News and found the link to the article from ABC News International. I found the story quite intriguing and decided to post it. Especially since it's not very often that you see people live past the one hundred mark.


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia May 2, 2006 (AP)— A 33-year-old man in northern Malaysia has married a 104-year-old woman, saying mutual respect and friendship had turned to love, a news report said Tuesday.

It was Muhamad Noor Che Musa's first marriage and his wife's 21st, according to The Star newspaper which cited a report in the Malay-language Harian Metro tabloid.
more....

Young Martina Hingis

This is a picture of Martina at 12 years old. She really hasn't changed much. I just thought it was a great pic and felt like sharing it:).