The Zoka Sessions

Car Pictures

2009-05-24T21:42:00.001-07:00

Spare tire is also an alloy rim and is unused (click to see unused plastic tab)

Toolkit

Jack for tire repairs

Boot

2 small scratches on left rear bumper

Rear seat has hardly been used

S-Line tag on grill

S-Line body trimming

Rims have no dings or scratches

Rims are in flawless condition

Interior is spotless clean

SAT/Sirius Radio and Bluetooth connectivity

Another shot of 2 small scratches on rear bumper

Steering mounted paddle shifters, make this car very fun and sporty

Front S-Line bumper/trimmings

What Federer Needs

2009-02-17T22:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, its been a long time since I posted last... I keep promising myself that I'll write more frequently, but this time it has taken a couple of things for me to write this post.

1. Federer's loss in the Australian open
2. Scott Daniel asking me when Im going to post next (I actually have a blog reader, that too a tennis coach!!!)

Let's start first with Federer's loss at the Australian Open. I believe that he genuinely lost this time and that losing and being beaten are two different things. By the end of the second set it looked like the balance was shifting in Federer's favor - he was keeping up with Nadal and was getting many chances to break Nadal's serve. Nadal seemed to be struggling physically (by his own lofty standards) and the effects of his marathon semi-final match seemed to be showing.

The 3rd set went to a tie-break against the flow of play where Nadal really stepped up and took the 3rd set. While Federer did win the 4th set, the 5th set was a complete surprise. I stayed up till 4:30 am on the eve of the superbowl and decided to save what I expected to be the best for last. I decided to go to sleep and watch the final set off my DVR in the morning. Boy was I disappointed when I watched it after waking up (I didnt sleep too well from anticipation)

After holding initially (first 2 service games), Federer's game just fell apart. In Federer's game the first signs of weakness usually manifest themselves in the form of shanked backhands and overhit forehands. Slight let ups in his usually impeccable and exceptional speed and timing cause these misses. The naked eye of the TV viewer cant see changes in speed and timing, they can certainly notice the unforced errors... and they did rack up in a short span and at a very crucial phase of the game. If you remember the Wimbledon final with Nadal two years ago, Federer stayed level with Nadal until Nadal's knees caught up with him. This time around, Federer handed Nadal a get-out-of-jail card.

What caused this mental let down? Was it the sheer weight of going level with Sampras and winning his 14th major? Was it sheer disbelief that Nadal had an extra 5th gear in the physical strength department? Or was it the fact that Federer's serve never really fired affecting his whole rhythm of play?

I dont really know and I also dont know what effect this loss will have on Federer. I know that he can bounce back and strongly believe that he will. There are some very important tests coming up in the next few months before the clay season. Starting March 6th, Federer leads a strong Swiss contingent against the US in Alabama (I love Wawrinka, what a sweet backhand!). Thats followed by Indian Wells and Miami... lets see how Fed does there

Anyways, I know Federer has the game to beat anybody in the world (even Nadal)... he just has to make some key adjustments

- Incorporate Crossfit in his workouts: I'm not trying to sell crossfit here or saying that Federer isnt fit. He is far from either, in fact Lendl just called him the fittest tennis player with Nadal and Roddick. But I believe that Federer can work on his explosive power and his ability to win more of the longer points. How many of those 20-30 ball rallies does Nadal end up winning by just running down every ball? I dont know... it seems like he wins most of them. Explosive strength will give Federer the ability to trump Nadal physically in short bursts. I think Nadal is still has more stamina to win 5 hour marathon matches - but Federer will be well served by having that 5th gear in reserve to surprise Nadal at the end of those 30 ball rallies. Crossfit will give him that 5th gear.

- Use a bigger racquet: Federer currently uses what appears to be the 90 sq inch version of the K-Fed. There is a 95 sq inch version of the same racquet that will work better for Federer. He will get a bigger sweet spot (at the expense of control) and the expanded hitting area will give him a a smaller margin of error. This margin of error will be crucial for staying up with Nadal and developing some sort of rhythm for a comeback, instead of losing a few quick points and going down a crucial break

- Hire a coach and a manager: What do you look for in a coach to take you to new heights? Thats an open question... When you are already one of the best ever to have played the game "new heights" is a very subjective term. Peter Bodo does a good job of exploring this issue in a recent post on his blog. I agree with Peter that at the end of the day its the player who has to go out and win the game. A coach can work on technique, mental strength and strategic game plans, but at the end of the day its the player who has to do battle on the court by himself. In Federer's case he should go back to the basics and hire a coach who is not afraid to call it as it is. A coach who is in awe of Federer will not serve any purpose... instead it should be someone who understands the game and nurses Federer's confidence back. Maybe Sampras can do the trick? He has wanted to get more involved in the game but I do admit that it would be ironic for Sampras to help another man beat his record.

Anyways, now to the point about the manager. I know this is a more personal recommendation that my other ones, but Mirka should simply be Federer's companion and friend rather than a manager as well. Leave the management and organization part to someone else so that it frees up the two to spend more quality time together.

These are quite a few recommendations and I do understand that too much change is a bad thing. However Federer must descend from his pedestal and admit that some change is required... If Nadal is willing to change his forehand swing and serve motions for the Australian Open, then that should serve as a signal to Federer. Even the best are not afraid to embrace change and that change is only a means to an end, not the objective. In the end Federer must play to enjoy the game and make the changes that he feels work for him

Crossfit? is it for me

2008-07-10T19:33:00.001-07:00

So I just got back from my first CrossFit workout ever... all I'll say is that its a really intense workout in a very short period of time. I guess thats good because it saves time, helps you develop explosive power by developing the core and the base/legs + I think its keeps you burning calories way after the workout.

I went down to Level4 Crossfit off Leary Way in Ballard where Sean (who is an ultra marathoner!) gave me a free first lesson. We worked on proper form for squats and deadlifts followed by a workout that included 3 repetitions of the following

1) 5oo m of rowing on a concept 2 rower

2) 11 basic lifts (30KG)

3) 21 box jumps

My 500m rowing time is 2:05, but I did the first one in under 2... I tried the same in the second set due to which I ran out of steam. I did pace myself the 3rd time and did it in around 2:10 and completed the 3rd rep more comfortably in 12 min, which Sean said was decent. The best time is around 8 min while people take up to 15 min as well. So I guess Im somewhere in the middle of the bunch :)

There were other people there too who were doing box jumps etc... the advanced min-group was was doing insane 4 ft high standing box jumps! There were some seriously fit people there, including one of the other instructors, Fran who was one of the people in the advanced group (duh!). I also found this pretty cool article she wrote on losing 20 lbs, which you may find useful

CrossFit looks pretty exciting and it should be really good for my tennis game as it develops that elusive explosive power. Im definitely going to sign up, I think!

Or maybe not, heh... I just found this, and I dont want to be this guy :D

C'mon Roger - An open letter to Federer

2008-07-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

"There's one more left" - Roger on Wednesday

"I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or ten years, you know" - Roger on Wednesday

"probably later on in life, you know, I'll go 'That was a great match'. But right now it;s not much of ... a positive thing to end this match" - Roger after losing the Final.

"It is a disaster, the French is nothing in comparison..." - Roger after losing the Final.

Roger, I understand that by your own high standards, you are very disappointed to lose and that you couldn't win 6 in a row. I cant imagine what it must be like to be frustrated by the wind, rain and fading light and to not always be able to serve up the breathless tennis we have come to take for granted. Worse still, it must hurt to lose to the man who has stood between you and an elusive career slam, and has slowly but gradually gained ground on your most favorite of courts. Kudos to Nadal, but I know you will be back.

On a personal note, I believe that today's final was the mother of all finals and has injected new life into the game of tennis. People all over the world today were overawed - I went to play tennis soon after the end of the final. After we finished playing, a man in his late 40's - early 50's took the court sporting a 'Wimbledon' tennis bag. He said that this was the first time he'd stepped onto the court for 10 years. Imagine the impact of the game on kids who may go on to play the game just because of what happened today. Even my NFL/Football loving neighbors were shouting and yelling as if the Seattle Sea Hawks were in a playoff game.

I know the loss hurts right now and I cant imagine what that feeling of emptiness must feel like. I agree that it is too soon for you to say that you are "happy to be part of one of the greatest matches ever". That by itself is not a consolation for any player who is thirsty to win more titles at the highest level. That is the right attitude to have, but don't be too hard on yourself. You did nothing wrong and have everything to be proud off.

The world does take you for granted and we are also fickle by nature but we would love to see you win again.

I know that will come soon - just dont walk away or give up.

I know you wont - you are too good for that.

Signed,

Obaid

The Power of Sheer Will

2008-07-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I called it right here, and it has happened. As much as my heart goes out to Federer, Nadal has finally and deservedly won Wimbledon.

This game was definitely the best I have ever witnessed - there was no shortage of drama, physical prowess, insane hitting, impossible winners and prolonged, agonizing suspense. Mother nature player her part too, with rain delays at the most apt moments. Wimbledon was a stage today and the world was the audience. Most amazingly, there was no script and they both emerged after each break with their resolve to script an amazing win renewed. And at the moments when the suspense reached a crescendo, Mother Nature announced the end of the act.

To quote one of my all time favourite songs:

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"

Today, when the going got tough it only brought out the best in each man. Tennis has emerged for the better and each man is a champion in my heart. People, order your game DVDs, I have already saved the recording on my DVR. The humbleness and awe of a great like McEnroe when he talked about this game being the best he has ever seen, and the humbleness that Nadal exhibited on winning are a sheer testament to the quality of this game.

Does it get any better than this?

Regardless of who won, we were guaranteed that history would be made. And as the game went on longer the other records that were shattered just became a subtext to the plot. Will Federer do what no one has done before... make Wimbledon his backyard (not that he hasnt already) in a way no one has, or will Nadal win consecutive Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in his 3rd attempt and enter the hallowed space occupied by the likes of Borg.

In the end Nadal won, but Federer showed us how much he didnt want to let go. In the end it was a battle of sheer will. Who wants it more? In the end the gentle sparring turned to sustained jousting, and it did become a mental fight. By making the finals the two players demonstrated that they obviously had the game to do well and that they belonged on Center Court on Sunday: Federer with his serve, insane forehand and all round excellent grass game... Nadal with his physical power, his curling forehand, curving lefty serves and much improved backhand.

I believe in the end Nadal won because this time he knew he could win. Even though he saw the finish line in sight as early as the 3rd set, where he had 3 breakpoints on the Federer serve... it took till the 5th set for Nadal to return to the plot. He knew he could win and as much as Federer wanted to continue his reign, Nadal did upstage him. I believe this was the difference between Nadal at Wimbledon and Federer at the French... one challenger knew he could win having come so close last year, while the other didnt truly believe.

At the same time, kudos to Federer for digging deep into the reserve tank and making t so difficult for Nadal.

At the start of the game, Federer said that he hoped he would have that extra gear to beat Nadal. I believe he did, but Nadal simply was a hill to steep to climb and scripted an insane win through sheer power of will and belief.

Best game ever... Im going to go out and hit myself.. release some of this pent up energy and emotion that has accumulated by sitting on my couch... I look forward to your comments. A more detailed analysis will follow later.

My Wimbledon Prediction

2008-07-02T00:55:00.000-07:00

Nadal

Nadal seems to be in better shape than at the same time last year when he was having to play almost every day in the last week due to rain. This year Nadal's preparation has been better - not losing a single set at Roland Garros always helps. He has also had simpler games this year at Wimbledon and he seems to be playing more aggressive tennis... with the Wimbledon courts slowing down and Nadal playing more aggressively, that does make for a more dangerous combination. Nadal has made some easy work of some dangerous opponents such as Gulbis, Youzny and Keifer. His true test will come against Murray who is playing some erratic but inspired tennis. If he gets through his quarter, Nadal is guaranteed a semi against an un-seeded player which really improves his chances of making the finals.

Federer

Federer has had it pretty easy until now, when he takes on the last man to beat him on grass, Ancic in the quarters. Fed while not very impressive in his win over Hewitt, was still very clinical. He will definitely raise the quality of his game as the quality of his opponents increases. The game against Ancic will be a good test and a possible test in the sems against a composed and resurgent Safin awaits,

\\ Current Form \\

- "He no longer plays short balls as he did in the past. You can no longer attack him on his forehand, as I could in the past. He is getting much more aggressive, and it's becoming much more difficult."

Federer on Nadal after the 08 Roland Garros Final

- "If he survives the first couple of rounds this year, I pick him to win Wimbledon"

Borg on Nadal after the 08 Roland Garros Final

- Most of the "pundits" are picking Nadal over Federer. But this is the kind of talk that will motivate Federer and works against Nadals favored position of being teh underdog on grass.

- I believe the main factor in Nadal losing to Federer in last years Wimbledon was his fitness and tendinitis of the knees. Assuming that Nadal is in good physical condition this year, I expect him to be mentally stronger than Federer specially with the way Federer gave up midway through the Roland Garros final. The last thing I expect from Nadal is throwing down the flag in a Wimbledon final - I think he truly believes he can win Wimbledon while Federer is plagued with self-doubt when it comes to winning Roland Garros. Is Federer over the ROland Garros loss?

I hope we get to find out in the Wimbledon finals. I personally have a feeling that its going to be Nadal over Federer in 4.

What do you think?

Plus do you even care who wins on the womens side?

Cool video of Federer and Mirka playing together

2008-07-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

I was doing some research for another post when I came across this cool video on youtube. I didnt know Mirka is Swiss too... whats better, I found her and Federer playing together in the Hopman cup (Dec 01 - Jan 02), getting thrashed by Hewitt and Alicia Molik. Apparently this video is from the 2002 Hopman Cup.

You may ask whats changed since then?

- Federer discovered his inner quoa... he owns Hewitt now even though he lost to Robredo and Hewitt in this Hopman cup.

- Federer used to play the Hopman cup back then - I cant imagine him doing the same now

- Federer and Mirka have been going steady for a while... you can see the chemistry on the court. This sees to be more of a social mixed double game for the Swiss rather than a Hopman cup game... but that could also be because this is a dead rubber

- Then there is the small matter of Fed winning 12 Grand Slams since then... the difference is obvious :)

Music in Seattle

2008-05-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

The other day I was given a task to find out cool music acs in town... here is what i came up with

The Ting Tings (June 10th, Chop Suey)
Moby (June 11th)
Robyn (Neumos, May 14th)

You can listen to all three here: My Rhapsody Playlist

Here are also some picks from Sasquatch (May 24-26) at the Gorge

- REM
- The Cure
- Death Cab for Cutie
- MIA
- Modest Mouse
- Beirut
- Tegan and Sara
- The Flaming Lips

NCAA MEns Indoor Tennis Championships - Day 3 and wrapup

2008-02-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

I spent most of my weekend at the Nordstrom Tennis center at UW, while I didnt get to watch all the games= I did watch some exciting ones. The Ohio vs Georgia doubles action last night was amazing and was probably the highlight in terms of adrenaline packed action. Ohio won the first doubles game, and the #1 and #2 doubles games were oscillating back and forth between match points, breakpoints etc at 7-7. It was amazing to monitor 2 courts at a time waiting for Ohio to win it and get a point on the board. Imagine what the players must ve been thinking since they were playing on adjacent courts.

Also watched 2 games played by Somdev (the #1 ranked player in the country), one against UCLA (Srugo) and another against Ole Miss (Tveit). In both games he lost the 1st set but came back to win the match in 3 sets He doesnt have any standout weapons and an ok serve... he does play a very strategic game - hes got great court coverage and waits for the opponent to go for too much or fall apart mentally. Srugo missed a crucial sitter of a volley when he was serving for the match (and quarter finals) while Tveit was up a break in the 2nd and was on course to winning, but almost couldnt believe he was about to beat the #1 player - he fell apart then and lost it.

Also chatted briefly with Somdev who mentioned that he got back on Monday from India having played Istomin in India's Davis cup win against Uzbekistan. Somdev lost in straight sets but was clearly a bit jet lagged

Other highlights from the weekend

- This German guy Matthias from Ole Miss who is 6 7" and has a huge serve. His groundies arent that great, but volleys are decent. I think he's ranked #5 in the country (not sure). Could he be another Isner?

- The #3 guy in the country, Dominic Inglot, who is 6 4" and from England. He has a huge serve along with a great serve and volley. His volleys were sweet and he had great touch, especially on his one handed backhand. He beat Matthais in their semi final match

- All players have great form and are superb athletes. I know that sounds a bit cliche, but thats the truth. The reflexes on the doubles games were simply amazing. I even saw one guy do something like this, i.e hit a smash of a smash.

- Most of the players on the top teams are foreign. Its interesting that teams like Stanford which primarily recruit from the US as a policy arent doing so well recently while the top teams have crammed their rosters with talent from around the world.

- The future of Indian tennis looks good. Somdev (#1 in the country) and Sanam Singh (played and won #6 singles for Virginia) both play for Virgina. There is a 6 4" Indian guy called Saketh on the Alabama team and Jeevan is anotehr great player for UW who plays #2 singles. Most of the Indian talent seems to come from Chennai in the South

- It was interesting to see Holden Seguso in action for UCLA. The name sounded familiar and when I google him I found out that his dad is one of the great doubles players - Robert Seguso (partnered with Ken Flach). He married a Canadian tennis player Carling Bassett (grad daughter of John Carling of the beer fame). Talk about tennis genes and legacies!

Anyway, I know Mike, Ken, Radha and others were there with me... please leave comments on your experiences/take ways.

Personally I hope to use some of the stuff I saw for some O Quoa action!

NCAA indoor tennis championships, day 2

2008-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

So this is me reporting courtside, its going to be short and concise :)

I just watched #5 seeded Missispi beat #11 seed Oklahoma

5/6 Oklahoma players are from Ukraine, the 6th is Australian

Missisipi has 3 Swedes, a Norwegian, a South African, a German and a Dutch guy. There is also an American on the team.

The German guy, Matthias is 6 7" and has an amazing serve, he was hitting bombs down the T on his second serve - he played #2 singles

Ucla plays Virginia next, can't wait to see Somdev in action

More to follow, with a video of Matthias' serve action and a few pictures as well

What should team Quoa do for fun

2008-02-16T00:55:00.000-08:00

So tennis season is starting, the cries of O Quoa Tenzing waaa are ringing out but we havent reallly done anything fun to promote team bonding! Here are some ideas that I came up with (please vote if you you are on team Quoa). If you dont like the ideas or have other suggestions, please leave a comment in the poll or at the bottom of the post.

Happy voting!

ITA - National Team Indoor Championships, Day 1

2008-02-16T00:38:00.000-08:00

I was pretty lucky to watch some great tennis tonight along with Aaron (USTA teammate), Scott Daniels (USTA team coach) and Chris (a friend from work). We watched #2 seed Georgia beat # 15 seeded UW in a thriller - after losing the doubles court (1-2), UW turned up the heat in singles. They were down 0-1 already in the best of 7 games fixture due to losing the doubles (outcome of best of 3 doubles matches count as 1 point) and needed to win 4 out of 6 singles games if they wanted to win the tie.

I wont give a recap of the whole chain of events - you can find them here,but I would like to talk about some of the amazing highlights of the day. The #1 memory of the day was watching Ryo Sekiguchi from Tokyo, and now playing for the huskies, beat his opponent from Georgia. Not only was Ryo the first guy to get the job done for UW in singles, he has the most unique game Ive seen (and that included Santoro). He hits with both hands on both sides and what is wierd is that so did his opponent! What is the probability of that happening? Ryo wore his opponent down by chasing balls and maintaining a nagging and piercing depth on his shots. I think having bo\th hands on each side gives him greater control which he utilizes to guide the ball down the line a lot. The other interesting thing is that he makes up for the reduced reach by being a superb athlete, taking the ball very early and stretching with one hand for the wider ones. I asked him after the game if he had always hit with two hanhs and his reply was 'yes'.

Here is a picture of him:
Among other players in action, the Georgia team included the #1 Spanish jnr of 06, the #1 ranked African jnr of 05 & 06 and the boys US Open Doubles champions... UW had some funky players too... they had this amazing lefty Indian guy on the team who won #2 singles called Jeevan. Then the #1 singles guy from UW, a swiss named Patrik Fischer served lefty but played righty, amazing! Also there are only 2 american players on the UW team

I also chatted with a swede on the Ole Miss team - its turns out theres 3 swedes on that team. Im going to turn up early tomorrow to watch them in action against Oklahoma. #1 seeded Virginia plays next at 11 - they have the #1 ranked singles guy in the country, who beat Isner at last years NCAA championshop. His name is Somdev, he's Indian, and he is just back from playing Davis cup tennis for India... amazing isnt it. UW plays again at 8pm on Sat night

More updates to follow from the court tomorrow using my iPhone!

I shut my eyes...

2008-01-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

I shut my eyes
And realized,
I wasnt as tall
As the world thought I was.

Here is what Im listening to today - I call it my Alternative/Punk - Mood Music playlist. You can listen to it here:

1. Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips
2. Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
3. Undone-The Sweater Song - Weezer
4. I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! At The Disco
5. 1234 - Feist
6. Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
7. Speed Of Sound - Coldplay
8. When You Were Young - The Killers
9. Loser - Beck
10. Once In A Lifetime (2005 Remastered Album Version ) - Talking Heads
11. Supersonic - Oasis
12. The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails
13. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy
14. The Heinrich Maneuver - Interpol
15. Far, Far Away - Wilco
16. Summer Babe (Winter Version) - Pavement
17. Song 2 - Blur
18. Ever Fallen In Love? - Buzzcocks

What Im listening to these days

2008-01-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Ok quick post while Im listening to some great music...

some songs I cant get out of my head like "Hold On" by Razorlight, "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley, "Back in Your Head" by Tegan and Sara and "Dashboard" by Modest Mouse... oh and btw Im going to a Decemberists concert at the Moore theatre on 1/30.. yay!

And i was your silver lining
As the story goes
I was your silver lining
But now I'm gold
Rilo Kiley

You can listen to these songs here:

1. Back In Your Head - Tegan and Sara
2. The Con - Tegan and Sara
3. Dashboard - Modest Mouse
4. Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge
5. True Romance - She Wants Revenge
6. These Things - She Wants Revenge
7. In The Morning - Razorlight
8. America - Razorlight
9. Hold On - Razorlight
10. Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley
11. 15 - Rilo Kiley
12. Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley
13. The Moneymaker - Rilo Kiley
14. D.A.N.C.E. [Album Version] - Justice
15. Missed The Boat - Modest Mouse
16. Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
17. On Call - Kings Of Leon
18. Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
19. All My Friends (Single) - LCD Soundsystem
20. House By the Sea - Iron & Wine
21. Dejalo - Rilo Kiley
22. No One (Radio Edit) - Alicia Keys

Stuff to Do in Portland During the Davis Cup Weekend

2007-11-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

Im getting excited about the Davis Cup Finals in Portland coming up right after the Thanksgiving weekend. Im proud to be part of the Pacific Northwest Tennis community, having played USTA tennis in Seattle for a couple of years now. A whole bunch of us are heading down to Portland together and aside from the tennis (separate post on that soon) we are going to stay in Portland's famous Pearl District. Im pretty excited about exploring Portland with friends.

Here is a selection of places that I have scraped off yelp that I'd like to share. Please leave comments and let me know what you think about the existing list and also if you have more suggestions

View Larger Map

Hingis' strange decision

2007-11-06T22:10:00.001-08:00

And this is the reason for my announcement. I have no

desire to spend the next several years of my life reduced to

fighting against the doping officials.

I am frustrated and angry. I believe that I am absolutely 100 per cent innocent. The fact is that it is more and more difficult for me, physically, to keep playing at the top of the game. And frankly, accusations such as these don’t exactly provide me with motivation to even make another attempt to do so.

- Martina Hingis

I have been shocked by the news about Hingis. I am not rushing to any judgments regarding her guilt and alleged cocaine usage at Wimbledon, but I have been thinking about the point she has made by pro-actively coming out with the news. While the WTA and other sporting bodies maintain that any athletes accused of drug related charges are innocent until proven guilty, the fact of the matter is that the media starts a trial as soon as the information is "leaked". Speculation and a leaning toward the worst case scenarios are often used by the media.

I believe, as do a few others, that Hingis has made a statement against the existing, long drawn appeals process by coming out with the news of her cocaine test herself. The process is crowded in mystery, which often gives some mystery European official crave the spotlight by "leaking" the news. However, I believe that she was wrong to retire. She could have made a bigger statement by coming out and continuing to play at the same time. There could be bigger factors at play that we dont know about, such as low levels of motivation, frustration from injuries, lack of major titles after her return to tennis or her breakup with Stepanek.

She is also not the first high profile athlete to be suspected of cocaine usage. As this article in the Montreal Gazette explains, Mats Wilander and Karl Novacek tested positive for cocaine usage in 1995. Wilander was a former number 1 while Novacek was a former top 10 player. They both received a 3 month ban and then returned to the game. Now its a 2 years ban for the same offense. Interestingly, cocaine is not a performance enhancing drug. This article explains that cocaine has a harmful physical impact on athletes which include seizures and even sudden death. That and the fact that athletes are public figures and role models makes cocaine and sports a bad combination (or anything else for that matter). However cocaine is not a performance enhancing drug, which makes you wonder if cocaine usage in sport should carry the same punishment as performance enhancing ones.

I feel for Hingis - I really do. But regardless of whether she is guilty or innocent, I think she took the short (though courageous) route out. A two year ban and the lengthy testing and appeals process probably influenced her hasty decision. I would still love to see her on the court :) The WTA also needs to do some thinking about the testing process and doping punishments.

What do you think?

A cupping at Stumptown

2007-10-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

As lecherously shady as it sounds, a "cupping" turned out to be not so bad after all. On a deliciously sunny and prematurely wintery Seattle saturday afternoon I headed over to Stumptown with my friend Ken to see what a cupping exactly is.

To give some context here, Stumptown is an independent coffee house from Portland which has just opened in Seattle. They have revolutionized how coffee is bought, processed and how the coffee growers themselves are treated in the whole process. You can drink your fancy cup of coffee and empower the coffee grower, his/her family and workers. Everybody wins!

On to the cupping which basically consists of a row of neatly arranged coffee cups in Stumptown's basement. Each type of coffee is poured into three cups and each set of three cups was separated by a cup with plain water. Our host, Kyle, explained that we would be tasting coffee from a single cup using a spoon, dipping the spoon in the water and moving on to the next cup. There is a need to have 3 cups with the same coffee because sometimes a single bad bean can skew the flavor of the coffee. Tasting the same coffee from three separate cups gives a better sense of the true flavor by discounting any undesirable variations. Kyle then proceeded to "break the crust" by removing the frothy foam you see in the picture (note picture is from this site)

The tasting technique itself is also very interesting. You basically have to slurp the coffee so that you utilize your taste buds. However swallowing is not advised because the palette and the throat become desensitized as the cupping proceeds. Kyle proceeded to demonstrate the technique with a very aggressive and impressive slurp :) We followed suit and proceeded to spit out the coffee after each slurp.

Now to the coffee's themselves. I didnt note the names but there was one from Gautemala, two from Ethopia and two more that I forget. My coffee ignorance was soon exposed another guy commented "definitely has some blueberry" - I responded with "Oh, I didnt know there was blueberry in coffee beans". He then patiently explained that fruits, flowers etc are used to describe the taste and smell associated with a particular coffee... wow!

Anyway, I soon got into the act by pronouncing that one of the coffees had a "nutty" flavor. Kyle agreed by saying that it had a pistachio like aftertaste. All in all it was a great experience - the coffees had subtle variation in acidity. Some were tangy, some citrusy and others nutty and fruity. The most fascinating part came at the end when Kyle explained who the coffees came from. The names of the families, the farming practices, the variations in flavor due to slight changes in elevation are all things that I never used to think about when horsing down my daily mocha. Coffee drinking is now a more holistic experience for me

Oh, btw I also got one of these:

Seattle's best coffee houses

2007-10-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Since Seattle is one of the best places for quality coffee and I happen to keep discovering new ones since I live in the city, Im compiling this list (by popular demand). What people dont know is that there are also some pretty awesome tea houses (see post below). Rely on google for directions - Im not going to do everything for you :) Other guides will follow soon... comments and suggestions are welcome

Coffee

1. Stumptown: new kid on the seattle scene, but theyve been around in Portland since 99... they have a couple of barista's from my favourite place, Univeristy Zoka and they coffee is great. Not much to eat here and the seating is not made for chilling. Its also open till 11pm only. Located on 12th Ave in Cap Hill and the cross street is 12th and Madison. The espresso machine alone is worth a visit :)

2. University Zoka: the perennial favourite where you can chill in preppy wood pannelled surroundings. The coffee is pretty awesome and theres always good stuff to eat.. my fav is the zoka bar. The word on the street is that a few barristas have left and the quality of the mokas does reflect this. However Im hoping that the new barristas get better soon because this place is too great to go off the radar

3. Victrola: One of the 3 V's on Cap Hill (Vita, Victrola and Vivace). I dont think its open till late but it has the best brownie Ive ever had... and it was a vegan one too. The coffee here is also great and the ambience is also awesome

4. Bauhaus: Can a coffee shop get any better if its open till 1am! The surroundings are awesome ;), the coffee is always consistently great and this place is bulit for chillin like a villain.

Seattle's best tea houses

2007-10-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

1. Miro Tea: Located in the heart of Ballard, this places is going to be my fav hangout during the long, cold, wet Seattle winter. From the sorghum wallpapered surroundings to the funky lighting and deep calfskin leather sofa, this place has a warm earthy core. And the tea-istas (my own own word, sounds similar to Tiesto but with an 'a') are very helpful. Jeannie, the owner is awesome - she will make you a masala chai that is the closest thing to doodh patti (sweet, milky, overbrewed Pakistani/Indian roadside fav). The cosmonot and the Matcha lassi are unique and tasty cold tea inventions. The crepes, cheesecakes etc are also great. Open till midnight on weekends

2. Remedy teas: Is as clinical and lab like as Miro is warm and inviting. However the tea selection is great and is not as far out of the way as Miro because it is located in Cap Hill

3. Panama Hotel, Tea and Coffee House: This place is just great. It is calm and serene, just as a tea house should be. It is located in a hotel opened in 1910 by a Japanese UW graduate, the hotel has the only Japanese bath-house in the US. The tea menu looks very inviting with "Bombay Market" and Celyon black teas. The brick walls, antique furniture and intriguing cellar add to the old world charm. Make sure you take a piano playing friend along. Also has free wifi and LavAzza coffee

4. Floating Leaf Tea House: Ive only seen it from the outside during my trips to Ballard but the floor seating and interesting looking tea menu makes me want to try this place out. Definitely worth checking out after a breakfast/brunch trip to ballard since it closes early.

Funny Pakistan Cricket Quotes

2007-10-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

"Pakistan is the sort of place every man should send his mother-in-law to, for a month, all expenses payed" - Ian Botham, after England's 1984 tour to Pakistan

"Why don't you send in your mother-in-law now? She couldn't do any worse" - Aamir Sohail's belated, but effective response after Botham's duck in the 1992 World Cup Final

"I knew God was on our side" - Imran Khan after the 1992 WC final

"I have never upset anyone in my life" - Miandad before the 1992 Pakistani tour to England

"Ive waited 6 years for your autograph, Mr Wog."
"Well, another 10 minutes wont hurt you mate." - conversation between a Pakistani fan and Steve Waugh as the latter left the field during Aus tour of Pak in 1994

"They've always had a lot of talent, a lot of good players, but they're like eleven women. You know, they're all scratching each other's eyes out" - hauntingly accurate words from Ian Bothan on Pakistani sides he's known

"Atleast when a side like Australia tries to rattle you, they do so in a language you can understand" - Billy Alley overestimating the English skills of the Pakistani players in 1992.

Federer's level of greatness or the health of the game?

2007-08-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

So today I sent an email to Ivan Lendl. I know thats totally off topic but if you keep with me I'll explain. If Im lucky we (people of Seattle) might even get to meet him. Still with me? :)

So thanks to the ridiculous amount I pay for DishNetwork I was watching Arantxa Sanchez Vicario being interviewed on Tennis Channel. During a commercial break Ivan Lendl had some great analysis on who the best ever mens player is. Great deal right? Even the commercial breaks have these neat tidbits.

Vicario
So anyway the whole tennis community these days has taken Federer's achievements for granted - they talk about his greatness and his potential for future greatness in the same breath. Oh so he's closing in on his 12th title - he can go ahead to 20+. Rolex is running a new print ad with the words "Let's not talk history yet. He's still making it"!

Personally, I have no doubt that Federer already is one of the greatest - he doesnt ever need to win the French to prove anything. Hes going for a record 4th consecutive US Open which would be a first since 1923 when Bill Tilden did it. His record at Wimbledon speaks for itself. Even though Im a big fan of Federer and the artistry of his play, I'd like to focus more on the health of the game. Sure Fed-Ex rolls on but a hobbling Nadal came very close to unseating Federer from his grassy throne. Then Djokovic beat Federer in a cliff hanger in Montreal. Did you know he had the audacity to lure Federer in with a drop shot and then hit a lob; twice! Both times in the deciding tie break (including match point)

He has continued to impress while Nadal seems to be having a bad start to his summer hard court season. There's also the other usual suspects that you can throw in the mix - the deft Murray who cant do much without his wrist healing completely.

There's Gasquet who hits a backhand like he developed it in his mothers womb (sorry, it is starting to look even better than Henin's).

Interestingly you can can add Stepanek to the mix as well - after all he is free from the curse of "being with Hingis". I was really impressed with the way Stephanek played in the first set of his semi against Federer in Montreal... he really served and volleyed well and took it to Federer using his return game.

Roddick has been really un-impressive. Seems like people have figured out that the best way to neutralize his serve is to chip it back off both sides (straight from a page in Fed's book). His ground strokes really sit up and lack depth and thats not a good thing on the fast Flushing Meadow's courts where short sitters will really be punished.

You can see that Federer is the measuring stick in each case. You have to measure up or get wiped out, as Blake did in the Cincinnati finals. NY is the stage, Federer is the lead actor with all the others as an ensemble vying for the best supporting actor's role. Whether they get the part or not depends more on the state of their respective wrists, abs, forehands, serves etc etc. Its all in the mind... whoever is fearless and catches Fed on a bad day (not to be confused with the one that cuts rates... its been having lots of bad days :p) will triumph.

Whether Federer has a bad day is another topic... the man has raised perfection to an art form. Its whether the ensemble cast has the mental strength (physical fitness assumed) to challenge Federer. He is so used to his opponents being in his awe that I guess it is a bit unusual for him when someone other than Nadal raises their game and actually presents him with a strong challenge. However, getting to be the best supporting actor is totally different from upstaging the lead actor :)

Djokovic just did it... can someone else do it? Can Roddick feed of the crowd? Can Nadal shake off his dismal US season and rebound? Can Murray exorcise his inner demons and forget that he injured his wrist. Or can Djokovic get over the fact that he managed to beat Federer, Nadal and Roddick in succession to winning Montreal. These are all very intriguing questions... I cant wait for the answers and watch the drama unfold in primetime technicolor with HD and dolby surround. Yes, I will be there myself but only for the first Sunday. The rest of the saga will have to be watched on TV.

Anways, back to my original thought. So Lendl mentioned Laver, Sampras and Federer as candidates for the best ever title. He feels that Federer really needs to win the French. No surprises there. He also said that if Federer goes on to win 20 slams without winning the French then the equation changes. I sent in my comments to him along with an invitation to attend an Amazon.com fishbowl. Fishbowls are very small employee only events where artists share their thoughts as they are about to launch a book, music etc. Lets see if Lendl responds :) For my own selfish sake I hope he accepts.

The lead role

And the ensemble

Maybe I will follow up with an analysis of the women's game

Happy Birthday Pakistan

2007-08-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

Aug 14th was Pakistan's 60th birthday. On the same day in 1947 the British finally relinquished the "Jewel in the Crown". The giving up of territory by the British, in areas they really did not belong in, was in accordance with the times. No real surprise there. However, the carving out of a separate muslim homeland called "Pakistan" from the India was the real unprecedented event. The creation of Pakistan was a unique event in contemporary history - the only comparable event was the creation of Israel which happened around the same time period. The key difference between these two events is that Pakistan was created as a nation state for the Muslims of the Sub-Continent while Israel was created as a Jewish homeland. Differences in rationale not withstanding, the political consequences were similar. If you continue looking at the histories of the two nations, the comparison becomes fascinating. There has been a noticeable flow or Jewish people from all over the world into Israel, while Pakistan has largely exported people all over the world (after an initial influx of millions of refugees from what is now India)

Anyways... enough comparisons which may get me into trouble. I did notice that the pessimists and 'realists' had a field day labeling Pakistan as "the experiment that failed" and as a 'failed state'. I have been hearing these labels for a while but I still fail to understand what a 'failed state' exactly is. Some deconstruction (*sigh*) is in order. Do a people who learn from the mistakes they make, constitute a failed state? What if the mistakes have been made for them by others? I too realize that Pakistan is faced with the toughest challenges of its 60 year old history. But we have struggled to find the right leadership and the right balance of power between the institutions. Pakistan's founding father, Jinnah, died in 1948. Since then we have had corrupt democratic leaders and the army in power.

We all know about the situation as it exists today - no need to elaborate. However I do believe that the people of Pakistan are now beginning to think about their future. They are beginning to debate the finer points of the situation they are in. You see blogs such as Pakistaniat which may be overtly patriotic, but still foster interesting debate. The independent TV channels present all sorts of view points. FInally the proliferation of cell phones has brought down the communication barriers that existed. All of these factors combine in a portent way, empowering the people. A case in point was the coverage the suspended chief justice received on TV. The private TV channels reported on his movements like a cricket match (maybe because of the state of cricket affairs). For the first time people got to see the face of street power when the karachi massacres happened. The end result was that the judiciary prevailed as an institution.

Looking forward I see Pakistanis debating the political future in the same way and influencing the course of political action. I may have focussed too much on the political situation, but development in other areas follows political stability. Lets see how things pan out.. but I sure dont see Pakistan as an experiment that is going to blow up in the face of the world. In fact, the future looks bright and we all have a role to play in it. I found a very appropriate verse in this patriotic song sung by Mehdi Hassan which reads "hum tou mehz unwaaN thay, asl daastaN tum ho" (we are mere topics, the real tale is you).

Lets start on a fresh page.

My Dadi

2007-08-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

Once again, its been a while since I posted.. I just hope it doesnt become a recurring theme. Unfortunately I have some sad news to share. My dadi (Urdu for paternal grandmother) passed away last weekend after fighting cancer. Being here, so far from my family is difficult because I know that I cant be there to help and share their grief and sense of loss. A person's passing away creates an unimaginable void - simply being there helps. So while I couldnt be there physically, I have been praying for her from here, in Seattle and I ask you to do the same.

My dadi was a true fighter. This was the 3rd time in a few years that the cancer came back. While she saw her grandson and her younger son (my uncle) succumb to the same disease during her lifetime - she fought it each time. The strength of her will and positive attitude was and still is a source of inspiration. Her will seemed to grow as she fought the cancer each time, but it did sap her physical strength and she got too weak with time. I was lucky that I did get to spend some time with her in April/May before the latest occurrence was detected. At the time she was in good physical and mental spirits, enjoying my company. I consider myself extremely lucky to have spent the time I did with her.

May Allah Bless her soul.

First week at work

2007-06-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

So the first week at my new job at Amazon is over. Its been a fun and exciting first week! Day 1 started off with a 4 hour orientation starting early in the morning. Orientation was in the Pac Med building which is one of the 4-5 buildings in downtown Seattle where Amazon offices are housed. Jeff Bezos and some of the other senior executives also have offices in this building which is a Seattle landmark.

The Pac Med Building

The Pac Med is one of my favorite buildings in Seattle because it has a distinct character of its own. The orange brick facade glows red in the setting sunlight and it towers majestically over the city because it on top of Seattle's Beacon Hill. The art deco and brick facade reminds me of film noir and musty detective movies.

Anyways, orientation was great. I had to complete the customary paperwork but then noticed a new knapsack next to my chair. Initially I didn't pay much attention to it, but during the break I heard other people exclaiming that they had discovered new laptops in their bags. On closer examination I found a new dell laptop in mine. The coolest part of the orientation was a trivia contest which required us to form teams of 4 - it was a great way to have some fun. learn more about the company and make some friends. The guy next to me had just finished his Masters from UIUC while the two other two people were also switching jobs.

My manager came to pick me up after orientation, we had a really quick lunch together and then headed up to my office. The first week has been great so far. Ive been impressed by the efficiency and organization at Amazon. For example my manager had already prepared a plan for me on my first day which helps me identify what needs to be done in the upcoming days and how. My login and network creds worked immediately - unlike Microsoft there was no waiting around for things to happen in the first week. Im still getting used to waking up really early commuting all the way to Seattle, but the commute should be over soon after I move to Seattle at the end of the month

So while the work week has come to close, our tennis season moves into high gear. We have won our USTA 4.0 division and are in local playoffs. Starting tomorrow, the top 6 teams from the 3, 4.0 division battle it out for the title of Seattle champions. We play two grueling back to back fixtures tomorrow (2 singles and 3 doubles) and hopefully will make it in to the finals on Sunday. More updates on how we did later....

2007-06-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... Ive been away for a while and I feel guilty about it. I can come out into the open now :) As of 5 pm tomorrow I will no longer be a Program Manager at Microsoft. No more sending mails which start with "Adding person_blah" and passing the buck along... hehe!

After all isn't that what PMs are supposed to do ?! I think it was Brian Valentine (VP running Windows, before he made a graceful exit to Amazon last year) who joked at one of the legendary Friday unwinders that he saw a PM trying to sell mattresses at the corner of the street. Well, to be honest being a PM has been very interesting experience - I have learnt a lot about process (at times a lack thereof or an excess of it), how to work with a ton of teams at the same time (some of them remote ones) and more importantly what makes me tick (bad/good managers, the need to innovate, targeting real customers with products/services they can use etc)

I will be following BrianVs example and joining Amazon from Monday as a Technical Product and Program Manager. I am pretty excited about it! Ive been wrapping things up at work, cleaning up and going through the surprisingly few processes before my last day at Microsoft. My team has been great to work with and I am sad to leave them. But a new job and beckons. To make things more interesting, I will be working in downtown, in the tallest building in Seattle, Columbia Towers.

Columbia Tower is the tall black building (office is on the 20 the floor)

Commuting from Redmond where I currently live is going to be a pain so Ive spent the past couple of weekends looking a scores of places in Belltown, Fremont, First Hill, Queen Anne and South Lake Union (SLU) neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a distinct flavor, but SLU struck me as a very exciting one - its an up and coming neighborhood to the south of Seattle's Lake Union. My friend Saad and I spent quit some time checking out the neighborhood and Vulcan's ultra-cool discovery center

Paul Allen's firm Vulcan owns 50+ acres in the area between the lake and downtown and is developing the area by constructing condos, rental buildings, retail space a street car going to downtown as well as improving the park next to the lake. So... I was hooked to the area but wasnt able to find anything within my budget. Luckily my tennis buddy Phil hooked me up with a friend and I ended up finding a great new condo a block away from the 5 start Pan-Pacific hotel which houses a new Whole Foods in the 1st floor. The street car is also a block away. Here are some pictures of the condo (model)

Nice kitchen a stone/chalk tops, maple cabinetry

A view of the living room attached to the kitchen - I love the 13 foot window wall

A view of the complex at night - the taller building in the foreground houses the whole foods and is adjacent to the Pan Pacific Hotel

A snapshot of the floor plan

In the next few days Im going to use my creative juices on how to arrange my furniture in the new apartment and how to lay things out. I also promise to post on my first day and week at my new job - I know more than a few people are curious to find out what things are like at Amazon (you know who you are!)

strawberries

2007-05-03T12:19:00.001-07:00

strawberries, originally uploaded by obaidk.

Fresh home grown ones!

The beginning

2007-04-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

I know nothing about blogging! I created this blog yesterday after being inspired by my friends, Ken and Saad, who have great blogs of their own. I have been meaning to to create one of my own for a while because simply put; writing makes me think. The last time I wrote anything of significance was for my Post-Colonial Theory class more than 2 years back.

I'm hoping that I'll make a mental note of my thoughts and then jot them down here at the end of the day. Another reason for blogging is that Seattle really is in the corner of the world - natural beauty and good coffee (more on that later) make up for the isolation. Its hard to stay in touch with friends (scattered all over the world) and family (other side of the world). This blog should help stay in touch with them.

I'm currently sitting at Seatac airport, waiting to catch a flight for home. Its going to be a long 22 hour flight! Atleast I managed to get exit row seats with better leg room. I hope I'm not next to any bawling babies. I was hoping there would be free wifi at the airport but I was disappointed. There aren't even any power outlets for my laptop. Even the buses and parks have free wifi!

Anyways, enough complaining. The last few weeks have been very stressful due to a number of reasons. Thank God, things are looking much better now and I am getting to spend some much needed time with family. During these past weeks I had been making an almost daily trek across the lake to University Zoka - a great coffee shop in Seattle's University district (Rahul, thanks for directing me there). It was my intellectual watering hole during those weeks. Well, if it isnt obvious by now, Ive named my blog after those trips (countless non-fat mochas, great baristas and their unique music mixes and the company of friends who I dragged along). This is just the beginning!