zenggi, thx. I wish you every thing I'll get -1.

Robin Soderling believes he has what it takes to beat Roger Federer in his game at the current expo

Well Robin you havent beaten him as yet

We Gonna See No?

Oh thank you, ericinphilly for coming back.

You'll be on my good side if you don't grudge any of Roger's. Specially if you don't criticize him at the time the tour hits the clay season.

Anyway I will never ever answer a comment from a fan who doesn't agree with me in his mightiness. Since he got his 15th GS and became a busy parent, he can do no wrong IMO.

zenggi, nothing. Any1 with a taste knows where his loyalty lies.

Alright, I'm off to my first navigation of 2010 dreamland. Later, folks.

Morning. :)

Failed to make it to midnight...oh well! Happy 2010, all. :)

NP,
"-1" is good enough for me.

How is it that people discusses death when alcohol level rises?. Last night (today really) we had the most bizarre conversation on Donne's Biathanatos. It started so nice and it ended in people's telling experiences on euthanasie. Go figure.

LOL AM, doubt Robin has what it takes yet to do a Kolya and notch his first win vs Fed. the way he was inconsistent on his serve last night and with that not quite there FH, yeah... no.

"Failed to make it to midnight...oh well!"

+1 4 me.

Before I go I'll leave y'all with choice remembrance of the year past:

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/v-fullstory/story/1397654.html

Now the recap is fine for the most part, but maybe somebody could explain to me why this is bad:

"BAD NEWS: The downward spiral of the newspaper industry continued, resulting in the firings of thousands of experienced reporters and an apparently permanent deterioration in the quality of American journalism."

Zenngi: no i wont make ill of roger or his record on clay...not here to get into fedal wars myself..

Happy New Year Jewell!

I posted that picture on the previous page for you

Remember dont Laugh ok

Happy Rafa New Year Mina!!

Did you enjoy the fire works?

N.P: goodnite. nice meeting you lol

Good to know, zenggi.

K, I'm outtie. Will look for any explanation tomorrow.

Jewell: morning and Happy New Year!!

Well at leasr NP is consistant Jewell with his remarks to you

Dont worry about not staying up till midnight

Some people do work hard

AM: the fireworks were awesome. we were at The Rocks so it's a pretty great view of both the bridge and the opera house.

big hello to ericinphilly. i think this is the first time we've been on TW at the same time, no?

mina Well you did have a birds eye view.

I thought you would enjoy them.

Fabulous, AM! *goes to look*

Morning, eric. :) I like the "no Fedal wars" resolution, LOL.

Hm...resolutions. I haven't thought of any yet. Well, I have thought of about a million, but I need to pick three, as I might have some chance of keeping a small number. :)

mina: thanks and hello and Happy New Year to you! yes this is the first time "meeting" you. i lurked around awhile before saying hi..

Ericinphilly,

You started so well the last comment. And then.... :)

Tell me about your resolutions.

Jewell,
Good morning!! I'm off for a while

Sweet dreams, NP. :)

Too many recaps of the year/decade...can't cope any more.

Zenngi: sorry. i was just stating my neutral-ness as in not saying anything bad about any player..

ooh...I caught up with your Ugorski video last evening, zenggi - will tell you what I think later. Hope your party was good!

I see poor Tiger has lost another sponsor

Nike is still sticking with him though

Noticed in their last commercial he wasnt sighted though

Maybe they are leaving him off their ads for a bit

Zenngi, i dont really have any resolutions yet. not that i would keep them if i did lol

Sherlock would be in Raptures

One of the channels on fox here has the Brady Brunch Movie on

Also Sherlock has been missing in action

Wait till he comes on next.

oops should have read Brady Bunch not Brunch lol!

Snow! Just a very little dusting, but still, lovely. :)

you look great, AM. But that kitten has mischief in mind. :)

jewell,
Party was well attended and mostly nice. See comment above. We'll talk later above Eugene.

ericinphilly,
I was teasing. You may say anything about any player (including Roger) if you don't berate them. I have the same problem with NY resolutions for years :)

Mina,
Good morning to you too. I'm glad you enjoyed the fireworks.

NP,
I'll tell you my opinion of American journalism and quality when I meet you again. If I were you I would ask your CB about it. Sweet dreams.

Back later.

Jewell yes the kittens both of them keep me on my toes let me tell you

Though I wouldnt have it any other way.They are adorable and naughty too.

I must remember to smile in future photos lol!

I hate my photo being taken

Those heels came off just after Midnight let me tell you.I would rather wear flat shoes any day lol!

Well at least I didnt fall over.

Zenngi: oh ok, cool. thats what i was trying to say, here to talk tennis and not berate players..

A.M: i have the same problem, hate getting pic taken. also tend to half smile that looks very bad. lol

I hate having my photo taken too, if I have to pose for it - I go all awkward and can't thing what to do with my hands.

*think, not thing...

Well guys I dont think any of us would make Super Models lol!

hello Jewell and Zenggi!

we've got people over right now, a LOT of them, but i would rather stick to TW/fortydeuce/interwbs in general...screaming kids drive me nuts. hehe.

A,M: Yeah u are right. i am a short guy so i wont make it lol

And I'd need to lose a few pounds...well, more than a few for the true supermodel look. Sigh. Oh yes, and grow about five or six inches. :)

Hiya mina, happy New Year. :)

Jewell I would just rather be me any day.I am happy with myself.

Anway having to have all those different looks on ones face being a model I would burst out laughing.They would sack me ASAP

Mina remember one day you will be a Mum and wont be able to run away from screaming kids lol!

Oh, I could never do it, I like eating too much. :)

I do need to do some more exercise though. 2010 is the year of Getting a New Dog, so that will hopefully take care of itself.

AM can't i just raise dogs? LOL they're just like children, only furrier. and they never ask for money, cellphones or iPods. plus if they get pregnant, you can sell their children...

all that i read in a vet's office. something like ten reasons why dogs are better than kids. hehe

"and they never ask for money."

They may not ask for it, but they cost it for sure. :)

also unless you have a pedigree, selling the puppies likely won't make any profit - might cover costs, but the trouble you'd have with eight or so puppies in the house would be considerable. :)

Mina remember I was going to look after your children for you

Seeing I will probably never be a Nonna

If Briony does have kids,I will be too old lol!

Jewell I hear you,having animals and just to feed them costs

My two kittens at the moment,are eating me out of house and home lol!

And the vet bills - the vet bills! eek. Still once you've got the dog you can't not do the necessaries, really.

and that's just the regular bills...not thinking about any emergency costs.

I expect children cost more though. :)

Jewell I think some vet bills out weighs normal doctors for humans any day.

ah...makes me want a dog so so much!

Jewell A dog is on my list for 2010.After losing Keeler.I think I am ready for another dog.Its taken me ages to get over having to put her down.

It does take time though, at least for me. I think everyone is different; some people are happy to find a new dog fast, others need more time. And we had such trouble with needing to rehome one we were misled about, that didn't help.

I miss the presence in the house so much.

*popping back in* i see im not the only one up late..lol
Hey Jewell!! and happy New Year!! im not sure i said hi when i was on earlier..
speaking of pets, i wish i had a dog myself, but have apt so not allowed..

Eric Are you allowed a cat for instance

you did, eric! Nice to see you back, btw. :)

it's 9am in the UK so I can't really say I'm up late. :)

A,M: no, it covers all animals. im actally allergic to cats

Jewell: oh ok, im glad. dont wanna be rude..lol
ah,i forgot about the time zones and such for a sec. i know A.M is in aussie and now know you are in the u.k so i guess im the only one up late lol

Not even a hamster or equivalent? Ouch.

Eric oops so sorry to heat that about you and cats

Well one day when you have a house you then can look forawrd to having lots of animals

jewell: yes they are pretty strict, no animals of any kind lol....as far as hamsters i never really wanted to have one.
A,M: ah, its ok. its actually weird, some cats i can be around and not have a reaction but others i come near them and break out. i agree tho when i can have them i would love to have a couple dogs..

I'm back. My daughter's cats are adorable. They are always so happy to see me :). My husband is also allergic to cats. We never considered to have a dog, because we all work or study and we travel so much. And I'd hate for the poor soul having to be transferred as a suitcase from house to house.

I pay from day 1 all the vet's bills though. Nice "granny" that I am. Fortunately we only had once an emergency with "Luna" (Moon) because she was just a kitten then and got into trouble with a nasty piece of grass. Anyway, I can assure you that children are way more expensive.

There are some specially-bred-not-to-set-off-allergies cats and dogs now, aren't there? My thing is horses - I love them, but I only need to breathe the air near one to go into a sneezing frenzy, and prolonged contact brings me out in alienesque red blotches.

Hi again zenggi. :)

It's hard to travel in and out of the UK with a dog, for sure. At least, we now have the pet passport/rabies vaccination scheme, but you really do have to make sure everything is up to date, because six months of quarantine would be an awful thing to do to a dog. Every box needs to be filled in and done right.

Ericinphilly,
Are you still awake?. Good heavens!. Well it's aprox. the time I went to sleep last night. I'll have a siesta today after watching Roger-Robin later. In 90 minutes to be precise.

I forgot there was actual tennis today...

Zenngi: glad to see you!! yeah the best part of having a pet is when they come running up to you when u walk in the door. i miss that from when i had dogs. but ur right, besides having an apt where u cant have pets,its hard to have pets when u have roomies who are out all the time. its not something to do to animals.

jewell,

I'd never allowed them to take a pet of mine in quarantine. That's one of the reasons we never had one. Usually we (mostly I) travel for a few days or a weekend. My parents always had pets (dogs and cats) and I loved them to pieces. Tough when they died though.

Just visited the Hopman Cup website

Andy Murray is rearing to go after having good off season with training and practice and could still picked up a w/card into Sydney Medibank Tournament.Great news for me.I would love to watch Andy live in Sydney.I hope he does play there

Zenngi: Yup still around. i am a night owl..this is usual for me. lucky for me i have a three day weekend. YAY!!

jEWELL: hmm, thats interesting that they can breed animals to avoid allergies. i would maybe get a cat if i didnt have to worry about allergies. but i do love dogs more..

Well I cant wait to see Rafa play for the first time in 2010,a little later.Starts here live via Fox sports tv at 10.00pm

Hoping for a great and Injury free year for Rafa!

A,M: hear! hear! i second that!
also good luck to my other favs: serena, venus, djokovic and sveta

Brisbane International day 1 qualifers results.

S.Peers (aust) d A.Hlavakova (czech republic) 2-6,6-2,7-6 (6)

Rogowska (aust) d A.Yakimova 6-2,7-6 (4)
M.Koryttseva (urkraine) d Monica Wejnert (aust) 6-3,6-1.

ericinphilly,

You could join NP's owl club then :)

I was like that when I was young. Now I need at least 6 hours sleep following the course of natural fading light.

jewell, those cats are scary. Some friends of mine have them (Sphynx)for the same reason (allergy) and it looks as if a shepperd have shave their coat. Scary. But they are very friendly. See link

http://www.huisdiereninfo.nl/content/katten_rassen_sphynx.php

spaeking of favs playing, on saturday i believe Venus is playing her exo vs. Maria Sharapova. and Serena starts on the 10th. have to look to verify..

shave=shaven

I have 2 adorable Bombay kittens.I have had other kinds of cats,though after having Bombays I will never get another breed of cat.They want to be with you 24/7 and they are soo lovable.They both sleep with me and nestle their heads into my neck and lick me.

I just love them both soo much.

Eric Serena will play Sydney Medibank starting on the 10th January.She is the top seed and major draw card for this event.9 out of the top 10 women will play this event,also Justine who was given a w/card.

Zenngi: yeah i should mention it to N.P when (he/she) is around again. yeah i need my sleep too, i only stay up this late if i am staying in.
i checked out the site, the cats def look a little weird but look lovable. the site isnt translated into english tho so i dont know what it says.

AM,

They are adorable indeed.
I'm getting blind with the sun today. People are already talking about skating on the canals. Dangerous times for children. I hope the authorities close the dams to avoid accidents.

I don't think I could have a hairless cat or dog, I must say.

One of my friends has two Maine Coon cats - they are absolutely gorgeous and kind of dog-like in some ways.

Maybe we should get a cat instead...I like cats. Only I like dogs better, and I don't think we've enough room for both. So it'll have to be a dog.

Rafa-Ferrer is after Roger-Soderling, no? I wonder if Ferru will have got some of the "Verdasco factor" after the DC heroics?

A.M: aww your cats sound adorable. my sister has a cat and she is a diva, hardly likes to be touched.
thanks for the info regarding serena. i knew when she plays but not the name, lol.
good luck to her. i hope she is ready for justine in 2010. i hope it doesnt become 2007 all over again when she lost in three slam qtrs to her.

ericinphilly,

I thought you would be interested in learning Dutch :). It's not so difficult. If our children can then anybody could :)

Here is a link in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphynx_(cat)

NP is a man with a crystal ball that doesn't work most of the times :)

Jewell Thats correct,Roger and Robin are on first

Jewell,

That's right. Rafa and David will play after Roger-Robin.

This is the link for Abu-Dhabi. Click again on the page when it opens.

http://www.capitalawtc.com/en/Home.aspx

Apparently they will have to play also for 3rd and 4rd place tomorrow. Everybody is guaranteed two matches. Nice way to check their form.

Zenngi: thanks, i might not be the best person to learn a language. i took two years of spanish and havent retained any of it..lol. tho i would love to try again. so maybe i should try dutch.
yeah i wasnt sure about n.p being a guy or girl so i didnt want to try either way until i knew. good way to not insult someone lol

*loves zenggi for link provision*

Zenngi and Jewell: Abu dhabi: it will be interesting to see their forms heading into the new season. wonder tho if it too early for them to be at thier best yet or if they are still tired. guess we shall see...

Guys I personally dont take much notice of form in a expo tournament

I prefer to see players playing in a proper tournament instead,to me you get a better idea of form.Plus its like they all just broke up form season 2009

Gee they whinge about the season being too long and next minute there are playing a expo lol!

Cant have it both ways.

Will jewell love me more if I provide a live stream link later?

ericinphilly,
Do I get your permission to cut your name to "eric"?. I'm getting cramps in my fingers!.

It takes a lot to insult NP. On the other hand he has this virtual quality to annoy others without any trouble. Oh, I'm going to regret this comment for a long time. He'll retaliate asap :)

zengii NP is just a "totally misunderstood guy" all the time

AM,
I'll like to see if Roger and Rafa have learnt some "tricks" during the last few weeks. Winning or losing doesn't mean anything.

zengii I dont think Roger has to learn anything really? he is the greatest shotmaker I have seen

Rafa well he has to get back his "playing level" again thats for sure.

I dunno - I should think suggesting that NP might be a - *gasp* - woman is right up there as an easy insult. ;-)

I don't know how seriously you can take form in an exo, really. But it'll be nice to see.

I don't think one exo is unreasonable - might be better than two tournaments, and getting guaranteed play against top players might be more useful as a form check than say an early loss to a player ranked in the 30s or something like that.

A,M: I guess that true about an exo, u never know the players form until they play for the big time. and concerning exo i wonder how much confidence they get when they play,
Venus for instance. we all know her record at the AO. well it would be nice to see her play a tournament before instead of playing an exo. but oh well. i read somewhere that she is happy with how she trains and isnt going to change it.

Zenngi, yes u can call me eric :)
and thanks for the english link. they sound like nice breeds. cuddlers, and smart and curious. all without that diva attitude lol

AM,
Yeah, yeah. Did you see how NP started the virtual party?

Ericinphilly,
We have three compulsory foreign languages at school. Starting from age 7-8 English and later German and French. On secondary school we may choose a fourth one (usually Spanish) or improve one of the other two German/French.

It helps also that we get TV-channels from those countries as well as from Belgium, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the USA and even Turkey. What it helps most is that everything is original version subtitled in Dutch (including the news), so children are used to listening to those foreign languages from day one.

jewell: uh-oh. i hope i didnt insult him. i only said he/she cause i wasnt sure from talking to him earlier.

Eric Yes I dont think Venus is going to change her schedule prior to the AO OPEN

I would love her to win the AO,a GS she hasnt won.I wont bring up RG of course lol!

zengii Sure did.Typical NP style

Zenngi, where are u living? i wish i had taken more interest in language when i was in school but oh well. i still wanna learn spanish again and maybe japanese.
regarding learning language in school, its not compulsory here in the us. most people dont seem interested in learning languages here unfortunalty.
we also dont have many foreign language stations to make people interested in learning