Yesterday I put a big bet on South Africa to beat England in the first Twenty20 game. The Saffers were well on their way to reaching England's total when the rain came and the match had to be decided by Duckworth-Lewis. Of course, England won by one run. ONE RUN. The loss would be easier to take if it was by twenty or thirty runs, but one run... for God's sake, why me? Why do I lose every time I put a big bet on? Why can't I WIN by one run? Every single time I put some proper money on something it goes tits-up, against the odds. Jesus Christ.
Anyway that's enough of that, what's next on the agenda.... oh yeah, pro-British bias in tennis media. I've been having some exchanges on Twitter with David Law, who is 5 Live's tennis commentator. Some of his tweets are just ridiculous. A while ago he made a huge song and dance that some 17-year-old British girl had been beaten by the world number 65 in three close sets. I asked him if he should really be making such a fuss about this seeing as Maria Sharapova had already won Wimbledon at age 17, just to put the whole thing in perspective. He replied that no, she's not the same talent as Sharapova but still worth being optimistic about. What's to be optimistic about - she just lost to the number 65 in the world?! Great achievement. Anyhow, the other day he posted a bitter remark about Radek Stepanek being the 'over-achiever of the decade' after he beat Andy Murray. Absolute bullshit. I won't bore you with the whole exchange but you can access my Twitter on the right-hand side of this page. It really sickens me how biased the British media is towards its own athletes, it's just crazy. I'd kill for a bit of neutral commentary at Wimbledon but I doubt we're ever going to get it. It went to a new low last year when Sue Barker started banging on about Laura Robson, who was 15 at the time - yes, 15. That's how bad British tennis is, that we have to start getting excited over juniors. Give me strength.
On top of this, it's 80mph winds outside which might make for a really shitty day at work if flight start being affected.
Lastly, on a more positive note, I'm off to Miami in a couple of weeks with Gibaut to hook up with Gareth who's no doubt been having the time of his life in Raleigh the last few weeks.
That's all for now.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Agassi - even more of a legend
Today I read some excerpts from Andre Agassi's new autobiography. The thing about him taking meths was an eye-opener but doesn't reduce my admiration of Agassi at all, in fact it probably makes me like him more for showing his human side. The drugs aside, there was some pretty inspirational stuff he wrote about when his father trained him as a child, making him hit 2500 balls a day (the required rate for him to hit a million balls a year). The funniest thing is that Agassi hates tennis! As a tennis player myself I can empathise with him; it is definitely a hatable game. It sounds weird but I guess you have to play tennis to understand it. Although maybe with Agassi's father forcing him to play there is a bit more of a logical explanation for him hating the game, but it's still amusing how someone who hates a sport and takes meths halfway during his career still came out as one of the all-time best players and with over $30m of prize money.
On a separate note, I've been booking some trips away lately. At the end of November I'll be going to Miami with Gareth and Simon and in January I'm going to Berlin for a short trip with Daz. It's nice to have some trips planned to look forward to; it gives me something to work towards.
Until next time.
On a separate note, I've been booking some trips away lately. At the end of November I'll be going to Miami with Gareth and Simon and in January I'm going to Berlin for a short trip with Daz. It's nice to have some trips planned to look forward to; it gives me something to work towards.
Until next time.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
24 today
It's been a while so thought I'd write a quick entry on this dark day. Another year gone. I'm writing at the same time as playing two tables of poker so excuse any typos.
I can't think of anything specific to write about so I'll just note down the state of life at the moment.
- I got back yesterday from another week away in Turkey, the same hotel I went to in June but this time with a mate of mine from work. It was a good laugh though I'm still tired from a dreadful flight home (uncomfortable, really early in the morning etc)
- I'm really feeling like I'm getting old, it's like a grim figure looking over my shoulder. Hopefully this feeling will pass at some point (at least temporarily) but for now it has its claws stuck in good and proper. The gloomy feeling is always accompanied by an urge to somehow get an inspired idea and set up my own business so I can get my life going. As always, I'm still waiting for that eureka moment.
- Things are changing in my group of mates. Gareth and Chris have moved out and now have a flat together in Putney. I haven't seen either of them for weeks now - guys, I miss you. Daz has also been Mr Elusive since he's started his job. Daz - I miss you too buddy.
So there you have it, a bit of the birthday blues written just for you!
I can't think of anything specific to write about so I'll just note down the state of life at the moment.
- I got back yesterday from another week away in Turkey, the same hotel I went to in June but this time with a mate of mine from work. It was a good laugh though I'm still tired from a dreadful flight home (uncomfortable, really early in the morning etc)
- I'm really feeling like I'm getting old, it's like a grim figure looking over my shoulder. Hopefully this feeling will pass at some point (at least temporarily) but for now it has its claws stuck in good and proper. The gloomy feeling is always accompanied by an urge to somehow get an inspired idea and set up my own business so I can get my life going. As always, I'm still waiting for that eureka moment.
- Things are changing in my group of mates. Gareth and Chris have moved out and now have a flat together in Putney. I haven't seen either of them for weeks now - guys, I miss you. Daz has also been Mr Elusive since he's started his job. Daz - I miss you too buddy.
So there you have it, a bit of the birthday blues written just for you!
Monday, 14 September 2009
Getting old
On Saturday I got back from a draining week in Gran Canaria with seven of my bestest buddies, and in this blog entry I'm going to provide a simple review of the trip. I'll start with the bad bits then move onto the good.
The bad bits
1. Gran Canaria is a dump
At least, the bit we were staying in was. We weren't expecting heaven on earth or anything, and we've been to some notorious dumps before (Magaluf, Tenerife, Ealing) but Granny C steals the title of biggest dump by a country mile. You couldn't move an inch on the street without being offered drugs or someone trying to lure you into a whorehouse. There were pickpockets all over the place and two of my mates had their phones nicked (agreed, they shouldn't have taken their phones out but still). You had to go a long way to find a restaurant that served half-decent food, so once again most of us ended up hugely malnourished.
2. The weather was crap
We were unlucky on this one. The first two days were scorchers but it went downhill from there. The rest of the days had a bit of sunshine in the mornings but quickly went overcast and stayed that way. It's no fun sitting around the pool when the skies are grey, and on one afternoon it rained and we stayed inside and watched an entire womens football match (it was that bad).
3. Long journeys
We had to connect at Madrid both on the way out and on the way back, which was a pain in the ass especially on the way back. Due to a combination of Iberia staff being grumpy and unhelpful plus Madrid airport being designed soooo badly we had a complication on the return leg and there was a lot of cursing / borderline panic going on. We didn't know whether our bags would make it back but thankfully they did, which prompted some joyous celebrations at the Gatwick baggage belts.
4. I can't hack it anymore
This is probably the biggest of the negative factors - I simply don't have the energy I used to. It wasn't the amount of drink that was consumed but the lack of sleep that did me in. It's a well-documented fact that I don't like clubs/dancing and I even went home 'early' on a couple of nights when the others all headed off to the clubs, meaning I got in by about 4 o'clock rather than 6 or 7. I always try to get up early on holiday too so I was normally out of bed by 10, or 11 latest. I even had a night in - yes, a night in - whilst the others went out, just because I wasn't feeling the going-out vibe. I always have the most fun when we start drinking in the apartment from about 8pm to midnight, our own music in the background and everyone's chirpy and getting into the mood. It's also good in the first couple of bars where the banter continues and we get tanked up. Then it usually goes downhill for me because the banter stops and the dancing starts - that's not a dig at the lads at all but just the way it is for me. It's my fault for being an anti-dancer / lover of verbal banter.
Ok, enough of that, let's get onto the better stuff.
The good bits
1. No one fell out
Our holidays in the past have seen some epic bust-ups but last years was blissfully peaceful and so was this year.
2. Great stories
There's more of a 'what goes on tour stays on tour' promise amongst us this year than ever before which prevents me from going into too much detail, but there were some great tales from the holiday. Chris, making his holiday debut, set a record for the drunkest anyone had ever been (which took some beating let me tell you). Our thongs provided much entertainment for ourselves and others unfortunate enough to be sat around the pool (don't ask, we're not gay, honest). And we all agreed that the first night was the best first night from all the holidays we've had - wrestling, late night swimming, singing, extreme drunkeness, high spirits all round. The memories will be cherished.
Thanks for reading.
The bad bits
1. Gran Canaria is a dump
At least, the bit we were staying in was. We weren't expecting heaven on earth or anything, and we've been to some notorious dumps before (Magaluf, Tenerife, Ealing) but Granny C steals the title of biggest dump by a country mile. You couldn't move an inch on the street without being offered drugs or someone trying to lure you into a whorehouse. There were pickpockets all over the place and two of my mates had their phones nicked (agreed, they shouldn't have taken their phones out but still). You had to go a long way to find a restaurant that served half-decent food, so once again most of us ended up hugely malnourished.
2. The weather was crap
We were unlucky on this one. The first two days were scorchers but it went downhill from there. The rest of the days had a bit of sunshine in the mornings but quickly went overcast and stayed that way. It's no fun sitting around the pool when the skies are grey, and on one afternoon it rained and we stayed inside and watched an entire womens football match (it was that bad).
3. Long journeys
We had to connect at Madrid both on the way out and on the way back, which was a pain in the ass especially on the way back. Due to a combination of Iberia staff being grumpy and unhelpful plus Madrid airport being designed soooo badly we had a complication on the return leg and there was a lot of cursing / borderline panic going on. We didn't know whether our bags would make it back but thankfully they did, which prompted some joyous celebrations at the Gatwick baggage belts.
4. I can't hack it anymore
This is probably the biggest of the negative factors - I simply don't have the energy I used to. It wasn't the amount of drink that was consumed but the lack of sleep that did me in. It's a well-documented fact that I don't like clubs/dancing and I even went home 'early' on a couple of nights when the others all headed off to the clubs, meaning I got in by about 4 o'clock rather than 6 or 7. I always try to get up early on holiday too so I was normally out of bed by 10, or 11 latest. I even had a night in - yes, a night in - whilst the others went out, just because I wasn't feeling the going-out vibe. I always have the most fun when we start drinking in the apartment from about 8pm to midnight, our own music in the background and everyone's chirpy and getting into the mood. It's also good in the first couple of bars where the banter continues and we get tanked up. Then it usually goes downhill for me because the banter stops and the dancing starts - that's not a dig at the lads at all but just the way it is for me. It's my fault for being an anti-dancer / lover of verbal banter.
Ok, enough of that, let's get onto the better stuff.
The good bits
1. No one fell out
Our holidays in the past have seen some epic bust-ups but last years was blissfully peaceful and so was this year.
2. Great stories
There's more of a 'what goes on tour stays on tour' promise amongst us this year than ever before which prevents me from going into too much detail, but there were some great tales from the holiday. Chris, making his holiday debut, set a record for the drunkest anyone had ever been (which took some beating let me tell you). Our thongs provided much entertainment for ourselves and others unfortunate enough to be sat around the pool (don't ask, we're not gay, honest). And we all agreed that the first night was the best first night from all the holidays we've had - wrestling, late night swimming, singing, extreme drunkeness, high spirits all round. The memories will be cherished.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
I need something to do
My life is just ticking over at the moment and lately I've developed a feeling that I really need something to get my teeth stuck into, a project of some kind. The monotony of my work routine just makes every day feel the same and looking back on my last 18 months of employment, it's flown by (no pun intended) and not in a good way. At this rate my life will have soon passed me by.
Stuff I'm interested in doing:
- Playing a lot more tennis and getting to a decent standard (though will be tough as the weather gets worse)
- Possibly being Social Secretary at the club with Alex
- Writing another novel (I nearly wrote a whole book whilst I was unemployed and released it chapter by chapter to the guys, it was an unfinished thriller!)
- Thinking of an idea for a business and pouring all my effort into making it work
The last idea would obviously be the best if I made it happen.
So, what's coming up in the forseeable future? I'm off to Gran Canaria with the boys on Saturday, that will be good fun as always but it will be taxing on the body, soul and especially the liver. I might be going to Austria for a few days at the beginning of October with some people from work. I might be going to the States sometime in November with Simon and Gareth and anyone else who fancies it, but that's all up in the air at the moment. And finally my Christmas party at work might be in Berlin this year. So they are all the possibilities, it will be interesting to see what I actually end up doing!
Until next time.
Stuff I'm interested in doing:
- Playing a lot more tennis and getting to a decent standard (though will be tough as the weather gets worse)
- Possibly being Social Secretary at the club with Alex
- Writing another novel (I nearly wrote a whole book whilst I was unemployed and released it chapter by chapter to the guys, it was an unfinished thriller!)
- Thinking of an idea for a business and pouring all my effort into making it work
The last idea would obviously be the best if I made it happen.
So, what's coming up in the forseeable future? I'm off to Gran Canaria with the boys on Saturday, that will be good fun as always but it will be taxing on the body, soul and especially the liver. I might be going to Austria for a few days at the beginning of October with some people from work. I might be going to the States sometime in November with Simon and Gareth and anyone else who fancies it, but that's all up in the air at the moment. And finally my Christmas party at work might be in Berlin this year. So they are all the possibilities, it will be interesting to see what I actually end up doing!
Until next time.
Friday, 21 August 2009
Untitled
Well, it's been a long time. The lack of blogging hasn't been anything to do with laziness, it's just that my life the last few weeks has been completely lacking in any blogworthy moments. One of my main reasons for doing this blog is to give me something to laugh about in years to come when I look back on the idiotic things I got up to, but I haven't even done anything (too) idiotic lately.
On the gambling front I had a nightmare on the Third Ashes Test and have had a break up until the last couple of days. I've backed Australia in the final Test at 1.83, so of course the Aussies have come out to bat and are having an exceptionally nervy start. Watson's just survived three LBW shouts and the score is 4/0 off five overs. Having said all this, I don't mind losing this bet so come on England. Now that I've written that, this game is almost certainly going to be a draw :-(
Football: I watched Arsenal's first game of the season at the RE Bar with Alex last week. Before the kick-off I said that Arsenal need to get off to a flyer this season and that it would be nice if we got to Christmas without dropping a point. So, off to a flyer we got. 6-1 away to Everton and 2-0 away to Celtic. Couple that with United losing to Burnley and Liverpool losing to Spurs, surely we have the league in the bag??!! Of course, I jest. But maybe...
I'm off on holiday to Gran Canaria with the lads in a couple of weeks so I will do my best to update this blog more often before I head off.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
A blog neglected
Well, it's been a couple of weeks. The truth is that I haven't had anything remotely interesting to blog about. I could have done small updates along the lines of "I'm bored" etc etc but I thought I'd leave it for a bit.
At the moment I'm sat waiting/hoping for play to get underway in the third day of the third Ashes test. I've been doing a fair bit of both punting and trading lately and it's been going well. I had a bit on Mark Webber to win the F1 World Championship when he was at 33/1. I've never had an interest in F1 before and have always found it boring. However, it's bloody good fun to watch a Grand Prix when you have money on it. I've also had a bet on Newcastle to finish bottom of the Championship on a handicap market; again this was inspired from Kickingbets.
I've been betting on most of the international and domestic cricket this last month and that's also been going alright. Lots of small wins add up in the end. Having said all this, I'm royally screwing up this third Ashes test. Gambling on the weather is not fun. My position at the moment is a big lay of the draw at 1.38, hopefully there'll be some play today and a few wickets will fall if conditions suit the bowlers. I heard an interview a while ago with Rudi Koertzen though and it doesn't sound too good - apparently the ground is in worse condition than it was on the first day (which was awful).
One last thing, for any other keen gamblers out there there is a new social network where there's a lot of debate and chat about sports and trading etc. Check it out: The Sports Exchange
That's about it for now, I'll keep trying to do smaller updates on Twitter.
At the moment I'm sat waiting/hoping for play to get underway in the third day of the third Ashes test. I've been doing a fair bit of both punting and trading lately and it's been going well. I had a bit on Mark Webber to win the F1 World Championship when he was at 33/1. I've never had an interest in F1 before and have always found it boring. However, it's bloody good fun to watch a Grand Prix when you have money on it. I've also had a bet on Newcastle to finish bottom of the Championship on a handicap market; again this was inspired from Kickingbets.
I've been betting on most of the international and domestic cricket this last month and that's also been going alright. Lots of small wins add up in the end. Having said all this, I'm royally screwing up this third Ashes test. Gambling on the weather is not fun. My position at the moment is a big lay of the draw at 1.38, hopefully there'll be some play today and a few wickets will fall if conditions suit the bowlers. I heard an interview a while ago with Rudi Koertzen though and it doesn't sound too good - apparently the ground is in worse condition than it was on the first day (which was awful).
One last thing, for any other keen gamblers out there there is a new social network where there's a lot of debate and chat about sports and trading etc. Check it out: The Sports Exchange
That's about it for now, I'll keep trying to do smaller updates on Twitter.
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