Feelin' Like a Number 1!!!

I know, I know...it's been more than a week since the last time I wrote. But for all of my readers who work in the retail business, you know how hectic Thanksgiving week can get and for those of you who don't work in retail, think about us next time you get a bit of an A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E when doing your holiday shopping. And now on to my big announcement for today (even though some of you already know what I'm about to say)!!!

We've reached the mid season mark of this season at the C.B. Smith Park Tennis League, and I am happy, over-the-top, ecstatic, and just freakin' excited to tell you all that at this point I share the #1 spot on the park rankings posted during the Thanksgiving break!!! Right now my record is 6-1. It's been a really fun season so far even though it's been really really really cold (for someone whose lived in FL his whole life) on some of the nights. The playoffs should be coming around in about a month and it would just be amazing to get into the playoffs while holding the #1 ranking. So, I just wanted to share my joy and excitement with all of you and I hope that the last week has been as exciting for you as it has been for me!

Oh, and remember, next time you need to do some shopping and you're in the Pembroke Pines area, drop by Macy's and say Hello. Maybe I'll give you an autograph or something! Just kidding!

B.T.W.-I found this really nice video (above) on YouTube featuring the best tennis player in the world. Check it out!

UPDATE: Unfortunately as of yesterday (11/27) I fell to the #2 spot. But I'm still aiming for that #1 spot by the time playoffs come around...

And a Million Shots Later, The Results are In...

Here's a quick excerpt from the press conference following Eliu's tennis match last night. Eliu was defeated by a score of 2-6,6-3,6-7(4).
Moderator: Tough loss tonight, right?

Eliu: Yeah, you know, it's always going to be a "tough" loss when you're out there for three hours and can't come away with the win.

M: Going into this match you stated that you had nothing to lose. Do you feel you're mentality going into it remained the same?

E: Well to be totally honest with you, when I first stepped on the court I actually didn't feel like the underdog. I actually felt as if I should win that match. Towards the middle of the first set though, I honestly did feel a little nervous. But, after I lost the first set, I truly felt that I could hit the ball a little harder because at that point it was the only thing I could do if I didn't want to be sent packing in less than an hour.

M: During the second set you played beautiful tennis. What happened at the beginning of the third set?

E: Well at the beginning of the third set he really stepped his game up and just got every single ball back to me. I started getting a little sloppy and before I knew it was in a 1-5 hole in that third set.

M: So, you're down 1-5 and serving at 0-40. All he needs is one more point to win the match. What was going through your mind at that very moment?

E: Well in my mind I was thinking, " Eliu, it's been a tough season and you tried hard, but it just wasn't meant to be."

M: After thinking like that, what made you fight back all the way to even the score at 5-5?

E: I started to notice that he was getting a little nervous and he wasn't quite able to close out the match so I knew I had to take full advantage. I'm just not a quitter and I just really couldn't see myself losing that third set 1-6. So because of that, I played my best to tie it up. At first I really didn't think I could actually come all the way back, but one point led to another, and before I knew it, it was 5 all. I was just going on pure momentum.

M: Serving at 5 all you had a great chance to win the match. What happened?

E: Well, once again, he stepped up his game when he really needed to. He was able to break me and then in the tie break I got down too early, but I still gave it my best shot.

M: Well there has to be some satisfaction in knowing that you could push the #1 player to his limits, right?

E: Yeah, definitely. I mean, although I couldn't win it tonight, I still feel as though I played a solid match and it was a good learning experience for me. This match tonight really taught me that you truly can never give up because you simply never know what can happen.

Aside: Hey everyone! First off I'd like to say thank you for the support that I got from a bunch of you. I really should be disappointed right now but I don't want to be. And besides that, I've always said that the purpose of this blog is not be negative, but to have a positive look on life, and always see the bright side of things. I know I gave it my best shot tonight and it was a good match. And the great thing about tennis as opposed to other sports is that tennis is a year round sport so I'm really looking forward to the next season which starts at the beginning of November.

Let the Games Begin!

So, I'm writing this on Tuesday night but I know that most of you won't be able to read this until tomorrow, Wednesday. So just so you know, in this post, when I say "today," I'm referring to Wednesday, October 17th.

I've been waiting for today for about two months, and finally today is now! Today, the playoffs begin. I'm really excited although I am not thrilled at how the draw panned out. As it turns out my up and down season earned me the eighth and final spot in the playoffs. This automatically means that the number eight player has to take on the number one player in the first round of the playoffs. This should make things very interesting.

A part of me wants to believe that I truly have nothing to lose in this match. After all, I am the lower ranked player, and not the favorite to win this match. However, my hunger to beat the number one player, and let alone, make it to the next round of the playoffs is more than enough motivation.

The other part of me wants to believe that this is definitely my match to win. Having a chance to beat the number one player is an amazing opportunity and I refuse to let it pass me by. I know that it's going to be a struggle tonight, but I'm more than ready for it.

I'm definitely going to try my best and hopefully my best tennis will show up, and if not then there's no shame in losing to the number one player is there? I don't think so, but there's a lot of pride in beating him.

Whatever the result, I'm just excited to be in the playoffs, and I'm definitely going to give it my best shot! Wish me luck!

Oh Yes, Victory is SWEET!

"Eliu, I'm sorry to tell you, but if you lose your match tonight, it's going to be nearly impossible for you to make the playoffs this season."

I went into my match tonight with a record of 6-5. I know, not horrible but not good enough either. The words above were expressed to me by the tennis pro (basically the guy who keeps track of our win-loss records) at C.B. Smith Park. At first it took me a moment to take it in. But then he said something else:

"But you're here for the exercise right?" At this point I looked at him and said, "Well, no. I'm here to make the playoffs."

So with that said, I took the court against some guy, who shall remain nameless, who had beaten me in last season's playoff by a score of 2-6,6-1,7-6(5). For those of you who know tennis, you know that that's a pretty tight score. But for those of you who have no idea what those numbers mean, imagine running up and down a tennis court for three hours and at the end of it all getting nothing except for the realization that you still need to get in better shape.

So I took the court today feeling I had nothing to lose, after all he had beaten me again after that playoff match. But today things felt different. I had that little feeling in me that told me that tonight, there was no way I could lose. So I started playing my game and all I did was make him run, and run, and run. And before I knew it, I HAD WON! The final score of the match was 6-3, 7-5. And now my record is 7-5. Not only did I get revenge for our last few matches, but now I'm in a pretty good position to make the playoffs. YAY!

The only thing that disappointed me today was that I truly played a good match against a sore looser. The man barely even shook my hand after the match, but that's irrelevant at this point, because that doesn't change the fact that I got the W.

Ok. Enough about tennis! LOL...On to other news concerning my life.

As it turns out I did get the job at Macy's. This is another thing that I am really excited about. I've always loved Macy's and now I get to be a small part of a wonderful company and I couldn't be more thankful. Not only did I get the job, but my bestest (yes I know, that's not a word) friend in the whole world also scored an interview with Macy's. Congrats to her!

So, as you can see, things in my life are definitely on the up and up right now. However, I think that we have to take the good with the bad. Some days are going to be tougher than others. But if we're going to get a headache over our bad days, then we truly should celebrate our good days!

P.S. There will not be a blog tomorrow because Wednesdays truly put the B in busy for me.

P.S.S. Go out and do something for yourself today. Give yourself a reason to smile!