Australian Open

I love tennis. Some of my best memories as a kid were the improvised tennis games we played on any surface conceivable, with any piece of junk as a rackets and balls. (that's until Janeko moved to a house with a tennis court and became the gang's popular hero!)

In the year 2000, Portugal hosted the ATP Masters Cup, with the likes of Agassi, Sampras, Safin, Kafelnikov and the eventual winner, Guga Kuerten. The Masters is basically the 5th most important tournament in the calendar and arguably the most entertaining to watch. It's a treat for any tennis fan. At the end of the year, the best 8 players search for the last Hurrah of the year. Rui "the cat" and I were lucky enough to get tickets for all 15 games on that memorable week.
I remember us wondering which games to ditch... "look, Corretja vs Hewitt on thursday, that should be a bore! Let's drop that one." I guess we were a bit blasé. My most enduring memory of that week was the desire for more, once it was over. Tennis is a passion both Rui and I always had, and if one of us missed a point during the whole week, that's because when nature calls, you go. And Corretja beat Hewitt in a thriller!

I said the 5th most important tournament, because there´s this thing called "the Grand Slam". The four Grand Slam tournaments are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. You can only become a legend after you win one or, preferably, a few of these.

swiss and spanish in good spirits

The first of these is The Australian Open, held in Melbourne, during January. It was my chance! And when you get a chance like this, you better make it in style. So, I got myself tickets for semis and finals. Oh boy...
When Pat (flat mate) and I landed in Melbourne, we were greeted with a bloody boiling 44º. Exactly how they can play at that level for 3 hours, while my own balls were slowly cooking despite being on the shade, is anyone's guess. I would have gladly made a pact with the devil in order to stop feeling that moist in my underwear... That's how bad it was.
The only "cool" thing about it, was the fact I was actually awake to watch the games! Back in europe it's 5am when Federer takes to the court. Gimme a break!

In the end we were treated to unbelievable performances on the men's singles. The semi between Nadal and Verdasco went down in history as the longest match ever, in the 103 years of the tournament. 5h14m. Verdasco hit 96 winners and lost the match on a double fault. What a battle...
The final was what everyone wanted to see. Number 1 and 2 in the world rankings fighting for it. Another 5 set thriller. Number 1 prevailed over number one, and I had an amazing time!
Thanks to Rui, Miguel, Chris and Ken for the real time sms's, and to the talented lady who stamped a swiss flag on my cheeks!

Swiss watch peRFect...

PS- Why the portuguese flag on my back? Well, either to support the mixed-doubles final umpire, Mr. Carlos Ramos from Portugal, or just to tease the spanish. Both noble causes.

great barrier reef

Australia is a country full of contrasts. Out of all 7 states, Queensland is probably the most diverse. The size of central Europe (roughly 4 x France) Queensland is home to the bio paradise of the rain forest; home to a great portion of the vast lunar Simpson Desert, and most importantly, home to the Great Barrier Reef.
I flew to Cairns with my parents, and we shared time between exploring the rain forest and diving in the reefs.
I can't say which of those was the most memorable experience. I can only say that I was very struck and amazed by the rain forest. Its bio diversity, the fauna, the million bats flying over us, the million frogs crossing the road, the funky lizards, the huge colourful butterflies, the abundance of tropical fruits everywhere, really made an impression on me.
The reef was great, just not a surprise. You expect one of the greatest natural wonders of the world to be.... well, quite wonderful! The snorkeling was just brilliant. Understatement. Absolutely sensational!!!
Don't take this as a trend, but I had fun doing my Tasmanian video, so had a bit more fun, and did a new one on this very subject! (and kept it under 3 minutes. I can tell when I'm losing an audience) Click on the link below and take a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFGW9ameeMk

touching from a distance

Some days are better than others. (U2) O que e' que queres de mim, hoje sinto-me assim. (Linda Martini)
Sometimes, these lyrics really speak to me. I guess we can all have a bad day. I know I do. Once in a while, for some particular reason, my confidence in on the low. And that's when the distance becomes hard to overcome.
Distance to what? Distance to you.
Distance is a vague concept. To me the time difference is a much harder kind of distance; certainly harder than the actual physical distance. To be away is ok. To be 10/11 hours ahead, and therefore sleeping while Europe strives, and awake while Europe sleeps, is harder than you think.
My family, my friends and my heart; all of my emotional ties, are back in Europe. I have met some really cool people here, and an ever growing social network, but no real friends. (I happen to be very picky when it comes to labeling someone a friend, and yet I am fortunate to have quite a few of the "real ones" back in the old continent)
So, if I have a bad day, I can't really call any of the "real ones" to take my head off of it. Thankfully, bad days have been quite rare here, or tend to go away quickly.
Its the pros and cons of my Down Under. I have to rely on myself to deal with my internal storms, and that helps me to mature emotionally. It's a journey within the boundaries of my own psyche.

"Staying in the same place, just staying out the time.
Touching from a distance, Further all the time."

Transmission, Ian Curtis