Break point

I had planned to watch Sleepless in Seattle tonight (to complement You've Got Mail from two nights ago), instead I spent most of the day watching the most exciting tennis in many years. Nadal vs Murray was already quite exciting, but it's the Federer-Djokovic match that (almost) stopped my heart. It was simply phenomenal. Both players were playing exceptionally well; the rallies were thrilling and there were plenty of magical shots flying across court.

If Nadal and Federer continue to play like they did today, then it might be time for Federer to de-throne Nadal at Roland Garros. Nadal hasn't been playing his best and Federer is getting back on form, and if Federer wins on Sunday, it'll be the biggest win of his career since beating Pete Sampras in the 4th round of Wimbledon in 2001.

I'm quite looking forward to tomorrow's women's final. Li Na has already proved that she's capable of winning a grand slam (runner-up at the Australian Open in January; lost to the then-unstoppable Kim Clijsters). But even still I think Francesca Schiavone might have the edge. She's the defending champion and has already shown how well her game is suited to the clay court. Li, on the other hand, is mainly a baseline player with a very powerful forehand that is perhaps better suited to the hard court. If Li wins tomorrow - on 4th June - it would be a historical date to remember for China. I wonder what's her view on the incident from 22 years ago...

A Single Man

Today I actually watched 2 films - Ever After and A Single Man. Morgan, Afifah and Cayley have been telling me to watch Ever After for a long time so now that I have the time it became one of the films I had to watch straightaway. It exceeded my expectations - it's not just another chick-flick. It's a little bit different. It's a twist on the classic Cinderella story, and I quite liked the feisty character of the protagonist (played by Drew Barrymore), but maybe it's the setting (15th century France)...it's just not really my cup of tea. Hmmm don't really know why.

Another very different film - A Single Man. It may be the cinematographically most beautiful film I've ever seen. Everything on the screen was done to perfection - courtesy of the impeccable style of Tom Ford. The story itself is unlike the blockbusters. There's no feel-good factor that The King's Speech had. It is almost a showcase dedicated exclusively to Colin Firth's beautiful acting through the emotions of his face. The ending was a bit of an anti-climax though.

Finally...

Yes it has been a month. A whole month has gone by since I last blogged. Now that 20 years of education has ended, I no longer have excuses not to blog. It feels weird, not having to think about study-related things. I don't feel relieved or happy though. I don't think I can feel happy until I get the results (in a month's time I guess?). In the meantime, it kinda feel like the summer of 2007, when I finished the IB exams on around 23/24 May, and most of my friends were doing A-Levels so I just got so so bored at home. If I recall correctly, it was also the summer when one night I decided to watch all 40 episodes of an old Chinese TV drama (one that I watched as a 10-year-old) about firefighters - in one go. I remember 'cause I had stayed up all night watching it, and in the morning we went to visit my grandma in the nursing home and I fell asleep in the car. I had never felt so tired before. Well this was before May 2009 when I had two essay deadlines on the same day and I had gone for 35 hours without sleep. Well, anyway, the ramble is over. I won't pull any unnecessary all-nighters anymore. Although to be honest I don't think I have the ability even if I wanted to pull an all-nighter.

My point is, this summer, I would like to do something productive (although 'productive' is a rather vague adjective). Since my favourite TV series have all ended, and I'll have to wait until September for new episodes, I'll be doing things other than watching TV. Here's what I've got on the list:

- going to watch LSO's performance of Candide this Sunday at the Barbican

- Wimbledon

- take the driver's theory test (finally!), so that once I start working and earning money, I can pay for an instructor

- watch a movie everyday (tonight was You've Got Mail). There are just so many films I have yet to watch.

- read novels. Finally I have the time to read something other than academic journals and newspaper articles

- go jogging in the parks of London

- take photos

- learn how to edit videos with iMovie

- go wander and get lost in the museums and galleries

- catch up with fellow Londoners especially the Old Girls

- Promming

- find out things to do in London that would not cost a penny (any suggestions?)

P.S. I'm also looking forward to a trip abroad at the end of June. And graduation of course.