That sound you (I) hear is not the vuvuzela. Although World Cup enthusiasts are probably loving that name – it even topped Justin Bieber on trending topics in Twitter – my ears are stinging from the sound of media attack against Roger Federer. It’s worse than a stainless steel drum just because I lack sleep and woke up to harsh write ups and comments.

Sure, Federer was surly, and bitter, and sarcastic, and maybe even self-delusional in his post-game presser after losing his quarterfinal match yesterday. But I’d give the guy a break. It’s, what, a few minutes after a very disappointing loss for him. He shouldn’t have spoken his mind, especially because he was wrong. It maybe was an uncharacteristic loss of cool and class, but don’t bury him like he’s not done anything good all these years. Oh, well. That’s the price of excellence, I guess. You lose it, you (superficially) lose everything.

Ok, so I just woke up and I HAD to look at the mirror to see my puffy face. That’s sooo discouraging. Where are those weight loss products when you need them?

So, just like any normal person would do, I went straight for my laptop to check my e-mails and then my Facebook and Twitter pages. Hah! I got a new message from a friend asking me about badminton, so I guess that’s the last push I need to decide that today is definitely going to be badminton day. At least tonight. No work, no chores can stop me. Pretty please.

Need I say more?

I’m talking about Roger Federer’s hair, not Robin Soderling’s. The guy may have lost the match; his 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal streak may have come to an end; he may well lose the no. 1 ranking soon, but, boy, does he have the best hair among all these ballers. Call me a fan, because I certainly am. And call me vain, but side view is Federer’s best side, methinks. It should have its own term life insurance.

So what have I learned so far from this year’s French Open?

1. I can’t repeat what the umpires are saying, except for deuce and mademoiselle.

2. Of course, it goes without saying that I don’t understand what the umpires are saying.

3. I want Federer to defend his title, with or without Nadal at the other side of the net, so I can hear him speak French in his acceptance speech again. It doesn’t matter that I won’t understand what he’s saying. Though a Federer-Nadal final would make me so nervous I’ll probably pig out while watching and then look for colonix reviews.

4. Justine Henin speaks French, but that’s not why I want her to win. She has a very difficult road to the finals and if she wins anyway, despite that terrible serve (what happened with her serve?), then that will say it all why she’s my favorite.

5. I want to go to France and learn to speak French. But I also want to Spain and learn to speak Spanish. Of course I can always just purchase Rosetta Stone.

This is the watch that Rafael Nadal is wearing during the French Open (Roland Garros) 2010.

This luxury watch is crafted by luxury watchmaker Richard Mille. How much, you ask? A little more than US$500,000.

Not exactly one of those you’ll call cool gifts for Dads, no?! This article describes what exactly makes this watch cost that much. Regardless, you probably won’t be seeing it anywhere inside your favorite malls. And to wear it while playing a sport like tennis, more so because Rafa is a lefty,  seems like wasteful and unnecessary. But who am I to judge? Rafa just wears it and gets paid for it. The brand gets their advertisement and publicity. Then, I get to write about it. I think everyone’s happy.

I bought a new yoga mat a couple of weeks ago and it’s still wrapped in plastic, untouched since I brought it home. First, I haven’t done yoga. But I really want to, although I used to think that I’d rather take phentermine than do those absurdly difficult poses. So I downloaded a few videos, although I must admit I haven’t even taken a peek to see if they’re any good. When I saw the product at the department store, all I was thinking was that I like the color so I should have one. Plus, there was an eye-popping discount price of -50%. I guess I’ll end up using my yoga mat for doing ab crunches. Or maybe I’ll just sleep on it or whatever.

Roger Federer is supposed to meet Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Rome Masters this week, also as part of their preparation for the upcoming French Open in June. Nadal has been showing signs of his invincible self (at least on clay) again these past week, when he won in Monte Carlo. I watched that final against Fernando Verdasco and it was frustrating for the other Spaniard.

So with all the build-up, and the fact that Federer hasn’t won anything since the Australian Open, this loss to Ernests Gulbis is rather anticlimactic. It also stressed me into eating an unplanned midnight snack. Gee, I need my ephedra diet pills now.

I have two upcoming badminton tournaments this month. Here’s hoping I’ll be healthy enough to give them my best effort. I feel like I’m being a bit of a hypochondriac lately, although with good reason. With all the stress from work and other life stuff, plus the time and energy I have to spend practicing for these events, the last thing I need is to be sick, or to feel sick. There’s too much to do in so little time.

The first tournament would be a company event, so that’s more of a fun game than the other. The next one would probably be a bit more serious considering that the participants will be regular club players. Anyway, we’re joining the latter for experience mostly; but that’s what we always say, maybe to take pressure out of the equation. I still need to learn more shots and improve my power and speed before I get satisfied with my badminton skills. Not that I’m trying to be an real athlete. I’ll stop when I find no more room for improvement, anyway.

The PLDT group of companies will be having its first MVP Cup, a mini-Olympics sports event that will feature several competitions such as chess, tennis, badminton, volleyball, basketball, and even dancing-singing-talent competitions. The event will be held at the Meralco theater on March 26 to 28.

We’ve been practicing for badminton and I can say that I’m going to miss the practice sessions. It took me out of work for several days but it was a welcome change, at least personally. If only it will go on for a long time, this is definitely the best quick weight loss solution. My friends are trying this new slimming coffee they discovered, but I think physical activity is still best.

I don’t do well in competitions. I guess you can say I don’t have that killer instinct that winners got. I don’t wanna call it having a weak heart but it would be too self-righteous, rather insecure, and possibly not 100% accurate  for me to say that part of it is because I don’t enjoy seeing other people get upset and disappointed when they lose. I am just not competitive by nature.

Which is why it’s ironic that I keep on joining badminton tournaments. Just today, I almost got eliminated from an intercompany badminton tryout because of my passive style of play. But a single point from elimination, I somehow managed to get my stuff together. I was pretty pleased with myself because I felt, for the first time, that I really had to do the mental thing to earn my place. I wanted to hug the fitness equipment around right after that.