Federer still unbeatable!

Federer is still so fluid and devastating at his age. I think and say, to those who ask that he retire gracefully, why, when he is able to beat those 10 years his junior, effortlessly. He is playing the game in his personal capacity, and not taking anyone else's place on a team, like Sachin or Kapil did for years. He's around every year, and if you beat him, you can get past him, you deserve to win, because you are then the best, that year. 

Having said that, Federer's game has changed considerably in recent years, possibly due to influence of Stephan Edberg. He was quietly aggressive in the early 2000s, as much as the situation demanded then, became defensive and timid in the late 2000s, when he met Nadal and Roddick, and now has brought in a new aggression. He is not as amazing as he was before, but flashes of brilliance tend to amaze, time and again. He can't play long games, considering his age, so he tends to prefer shorter points. 

He may be a distant second in rankings, but that doesn't take away one bit from his infallibility with respect to all the other players. He may have some players who he hasn't been able to convincingly conquer, but overall, at this age too, he is unbeatable most times. 

And he is such an affable character, that you like him, even otherwise. And that adds to the aura that endears us to him. More power to him! 

Life is what happens!

There are some pieces of news that, once you hear it, impact your life, take you right out of your comfort zone, and leave things completely different from what they were the earlier day. 

You suddenly start to imagine and see that your life may undergo a complete change after a few months. You may not be in the same circumstances or position in an year's time. You may have to leave all that is part of your life today, the home you live in, the couch you sleep on, the car you drive, the gym you go to, the pool you swim in, those familiar roads you walk by, those restaurants you always eat at, those people you meet everyday. You are uprooted from so many of these connections you have developed and enjoyed for a while now. 

There are so many plans that remain to be undertaken, so many things you had procrastinated, saying you'll take up in right earnest from tomorrow, or next week, or when you have got past a few urgent tasks, but never got yourself to start. Now time seems to be running out, and you may never actually start many of those dream tasks. And then you wonder why you didn't start them for so long, earlier. 

So, ultimately, life is what happens when you're busy planning it.