Sunday, November 20, 2005 Thursday, November 24, 2005 Neva arrived at the hotel, and even she wanted to go to McDonald's. After a few days, you need to eat something. I even stopped picking up my dining hall certificates at the tennis. The food is SO bad. I have to say she was impressed. I walked in and the guy at the counter put in my order without our even speaking. He's my man!!!! She ordered as well, and while we were there, Cynthia came in saying "I'm starved!!!!!" I escorted her to "my guy" and she also joined the McDonald's Vamos brigade (sorry Mac and Carly! *lol*). We admitted we are "ugly Americans" only wanting to eat our own food, but hey, we needed some nourishment. Okay, Neva and I head to the market. We get our "get out of jail card" with the destination and off we go. Felix did not exaggerate the craziness of this market. The minute we got out of the taxi, it was "Lady, watch, watch, DVD, DVD." They grab you, and if you show the remotest interest in any of their wares, they won't let you go. But I was trained by the best. Thank you, Felix!!! First, I had to get some of those magnetic necklace/bracelet things. I saw some and we began haggling. They punch in the RMB number into a calculator, and then give you a chance to reply on the same calculator. Most of them don't speak any English except for key phrases: "What's your best price?" "You are killing me." "This is worth more." "You need watch, DVD?" "You like, you like?" "How many you want?" Well, I immediately spied the Chairman Mao watches and they were everything Felix described and more, but I wanted to look around a bit. I found a place with the magnetic bracelets, and I got 6 or 7 of them, I can't remember. But I managed to get all of them for close to the price he was asking for one of them at the beginning. Neva was amazed, because she wanted to counter much higher. Of course later, Felix scolded me for not getting a better price. He said, "I should have gone with you, I could have gotten a better price." And I'm sure he could have. But I was so proud of myself until then. But basically, When I was quoted 450 RMB, I would come back with 50, and wouldn't go higher than 100 (which is about $8 USD). But as Felix says, all this stuff is made in China, so it's cheap here. And some of the stuff actually is the real deal, but they are "imperfects" that are rejected. So you have to examine it carefully, but for $8 to $10 you can get some stuff that looks pretty nice. I got my husband a "Tommy Bahama" shirt for about $5 USD. Of course I "killed" the saleswoman but she made the deal. But my big score with the genuine fake Rolex diamond watch. It does look nice. This guy saw me and said, "Watch, DVD?" I said watch, as I was thinking of getting one, and he showed me stuff I didn't like. So I started to walk away and then he said "Stay, Stay, I'll be right back.": So then he opened another drawer, and this had a watch that was quite nice. Ooops by flight is about to board. Better go. You'll have to wait for the watch story. Next I was going by a booth, a guy started putting bracelets on my wrist. After he put on about 5 I stopped . . . (Thanks to Jay, for getting rid of those pesky apostrophe codes. More about Jay . . . Actually from his own Uncle Jay's Blog, which is fantastic. Check out his description of our Sunday evening, under Petty Theft. I doubt I could describe it better. It was too bad I couldn't go shopping at the mart with Jay on Monday. But I had a plane to catch. But given my prior experience with him, I bet he would have gotten a good bargain. Thanks, Jay, aka TBG (and he is), who answers these burning questions, and more: "Watch this space, boys and girls, for the following items... Wonder at the behind-the-scenes peek at the epic ending of the Tennis Masters Cup Tournament... The five-set slugfest between Roger "FedEx" Federer and David "Don't cry for me Argentina" Nalbandian. Read the sordid details from the impromptu wrap party at the Junction Bar in the Mayfair Hotel, where we answer the age-old question: Who did the Mayfair's resident hooker sink her talons into on the final night? Revel in the amazing tale of the Red Taxi and the Angry Driver, the 4AM trip to Ruijin Guesthouse to help Cynthia Lum move to her new digs. Be moved by the unfortunate saga "The Quest For Rafa", a danger-filled sojourn along Huaihua Road into the heart of Changde Lu to find a Rafael Nadal street poster. Read with amazement of the Yours Truly's last trip to Xiangyang Market to do battle with the vendors within. Read the blow-by-blow account of haggling over every single RMB of a souvenier t-shirt. And of course, no event wrap-up post is complete without some amount of complaining of the actual travel back to Florida. 26 hours of hell in a 12 ounce can. Saty tuned, genties and ladlemen - these stories and more, coming up soon..." It's all there, in Jay's Blog, so check it out, and until next time, Jay . . . :D posted by Susan @ 7:28 PM  0 comments Saturday, November 19, 2005 Monday, November 21, 2005 Now that I have a flight delay, I have time to update my blog. Well, I'll write it up on a word processing program, and upload it later. Unfortunately, the flight is delayed for a couple hours, so I'm thinking I'll miss my connection to LA. Oh, well, so many unusual things have happened on this trip. Why not one more? Okay, where was I. Friday??? On Friday, I didn't go to the tennis. I had work commitments, and had to get certain things done. It was a strange day at the hotel. They bug you all the time about cleaning your room. And then they bug you with other things. It was grand central station. My doorbell and phone were ringing all day. At one point, room service came up and gave me a plate of fruit I didn't order an orange (remember, not a Mandarin orange, here it is just an orange), an apple, and a pear (again, not an Asian pear!). It was a gift from the hotel, they probably felt sorry that I was in the hotel working all day. Later they called me to see if I had any complaints about the hotel. My only complaint was they kept bothering me. When the people came to clean, I went to my favorite haunt- McDonalds's the only reason I didn't starve in Shanghai. I walked in and the one guy who speaks English took a look again, and asked, "Hamburger, french fries and Diet Coke?" But I fooled him and got an ice cream, too. So then it was back to work. Not much else happened on Friday, although Neva dropped by the hotel later after the tennis. She gave me an update of the matches, and on the bus she had met a Mallorcan guy who is filming the documentary on Rafa. He wanted to interview me regarding the site, so we arranged to meet up the next day. I asked him to clear it with Carlos Costa, especially since we were going to be talking about the official site. And he said Carlos is still in Shanghai and that he will be speaking with him later. Neva told me the Bryans were a hit with their second concert. It was so mobbed she couldn't get a good view. That's one thing I've noticed about China, there's no shortage of mobs. Anyway, onto Saturday. Before going to the tennis, I made my daily trip back to McDonald's. The guy has my order down pat now and punches it into the register without even asking. Very efficient! He just has to clarify if I want ice cream. So onto the bus I went. Haven't seen much of Felix and the boys since I've been busy with other things. Anyway the semis were less than scintillating. Fed double bageled Gaudio and it was the first time in the history of the final championships that there had there had been a double bagel, at 6-0, 6-0. It was brutal to watch. And Gaston was so devastated in his interview. He had never been bageled before and he said that, although he didn't like his chances to win, he didn't expect not to win a game. He said he was going to go out that night and celebrate the end of the year, and noticed that overall it was a very good year (this is important info for later). The Davydenko/Nalbandian match started out on the same note. David bageled Davydenko. The second set was better, but it was a less than thrilling straight sets victory (again important info for later). I did see the second set of the Bryan Brothers match against Llodra and Santoro. They lost the first set, but got it to a tiebreak in the second. I was sorry to see them lose, as I think they generated quite a bit of excitement for doubles here in Shanghai. Also, as I said, we're practically the only Americans around, and it was nice to have them here and to see the Chinese fans waving American flags to support them. After the matches, I was interviewed for the TV program (we had to wait until after Federer did his interview, as it was done in the press room). Can you imagine that? Fed was holding up my interview!!! Now, it is a documentary on Rafa, and I think it focuses on this year. It will be aired in Spain, and will be in Catalan. They are interviewing many people about Rafa, and they will be interviewing Rafa, too. I gave the interviewer and the crew some VR wristbands, which have become quite popular around here (again this is valuable info for later). NB: I can hear the announcement that the UA flight to Chicago is leaving. Felix is on that flight. I will miss him. Hope he has a good flight! I think my flight is now scheduled, but it still is running quite late. They must have found a plane somewhere. Back to the interview: I wore a blue business suit, and tried to look professional. They said I looked nice, but I was disappointed there was no hairdresser and make-up crew. *lol* So what happed is the interviwer sat down in one chair, and I was in another, and he asked me questions. It was basically a conversation. He asked me why I love Nadal, and of course I said it's because he has a hot body. *just kidding* I talked about his on-court passion, his charisma, etc. He asked how the website came about, and I explained that, noting that I had done an Andy Roddick site and was looking to start a site for an upcoming player. And since I thought Rafa was going to be an exceptional player, I figured it would be good to chronicle his career while he was starting out. Makes it a lot easier than starting one later. I said investing in the site was like buying stock in a company that later explodes. He asked about the evolution of the site, and it's popularity, and I spoke about that. I told him things were fairly easy to maintain before Roland Garros, and then everything exploded. I also mentioned that one or two people cannot do this site. It's a team effort involving 10 to 15 people. So we talked about that, and he asked me about my personal contacts with Rafa and his family and entourage. I described them with a few stories, just as I did with the Chinese journalist earlier in the week. We were nearly done, but not quite, when Davydenko came in. Once again, who do these players think they are? So we had to finish up. In the hall, they asked me about how I came up with Vamosrafael.com, and I basically said that after seeing him play on tape, and how he yells Vamos, I thought it was the perfect name for his website. They had a few more questions, and I told them about the beanie bears we give Rafa for each win. He said he would ask Rafa about them. And then to appease you all, I asked if they were going to ask him if he has a girlfriend. I told him about the Chinese article here and the info by Uncle Toni, and he said he’d investigate. I did let him know that Rafa doesn't like to be asked about it, but I also said it's an item of huge interest to his fans. So, we shall see. I said a definitive answer, one way or the other, would make my job easier. That was about it. They were very pleasant (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah - private joke to Neva). And I was honored to have the opportunity to be interviewed about the site. Oh, they know about RafaelNadal.com and apparently know the plan is to merge the sites, and we talked about that, too. I said we are still dealing with logistical efforts, and we'll be working on things in the off-season. About that time Cynthia Lum showed up. She's a fantastic tennis photographer - most of her photos appear on Wire Images and she travels to most events shooting tennis. I know her from Indian Wells and Miami. She met Neva on the bus (lots of connections are made there, as you can tell), and she came over and asked us to go out that night. She said "I heard there's this fabulous club we have to go to." Well, my evenings (when I'm not working) are committed to Felix, Dave and the boys, and I was feeling very tired then, so said I likely would pass. (Again, valuable info for later.) So I got back to the hotel, and meet up with Felix and Dave. The place is quite busy, and Summer Breeze - our totally rocking girl band are playing. By now, they say "Hello Susan" when I come in. Oh, I think I forgot to mention that earlier in the week Neva and I were coaxed onto the dance floor. It was quite an experience, but lots of fun. And during a rousing rendition of "YMCA," the girls came over and had us sing a bit. My voice leaves much to be desired, but at least I can say I've performed with a girl band (well, they do have a guy with them, too, but I consider it a girl band.) The girls are Flipino, and are so nice. Their names are Christine, Olivia and Almira. The guy is James, but he's not as social. The girls are, and they are terrific, and since Neva is from the Philippines too, we all developed quite a bond later in the week. I'm going to try to get them a gig in Los Angeles. (Again, valuable info for later.) And I do have photos of them - they are gorgeous - and talented, too. Dave was busy, but Felix and I chatted quite a bit. Felix is obsessed with the Xi Zong shopping mart, and he's been trying to get me to go all week. I'm glad I waited, because Felix has been an invaluable source of information. He's told me what to expect, what the best items are to buy, and how to haggle with the vendors. I have to admit, I didn't do as good a job as Felix when I went there, but I did myself proud. You should see my genuine Rolex watch knock-off. What Felix told me is that the minute I get out of the taxi, I will be surrounded by people saying, "Watch, watch, DVD, DVD." He also said they quote you a price that is astronomical for things, and you should only pay about 25% of that, if you say no, they will chase you down and bring you back. They also will tell you over and over again, "You are killing me with your price." "I cannot do it. Is too low." But if you walk away, they grab you back and they should because the same stuff is sold a few stalls down. The market has lots of interesting items, but it's mostly knock-offs of designer things, such as purses, boots, jackets, watches, some jewelry, definitely DVDs (you can get a version of the latest Zorro movie, if you don't mind it dubbed in Chinese with English subtitles). But he told me about some unique souvenir gifts to get for people including the Chairman Mao watches (literally these watches have a face with Chairman Mao with his hand waving at you - they are a hoot). I think Felix bought about 20. And also these magnetic chains that can twist into bracelets or necklaces. Now those are cool. He got about 20 of those, too. You can't just buy these things anywhere. *lol* And not to forget the Tommy Bahama shirts - those are literally a dime a dozen here, and the quality is good. So more on my market experiences later. Back to Saturday. Cynthia comes into the place and tells Neva and me that "we have to go out." I'm ready for bed, but she says, "There's this place that really cool with magicians and fortune tellers." Given how bad my fortunes have been lately, the latter convinced me. I'd like to get an encouraging fortune telling. Felix said, "You can't be in Shanghai and not have your fortune told." So off we went. The place is in the Grand Hyatt, which is in the second tallest building in the world. We took a cab over there, and went to the 52nd floor, and then we were shuttled to the 80'th floor, and then to another floor, and finally we got to this bar which was empty, but had a view to die for. But no fortune tellers. You could see all of Shanghai lit up at night. We were in awe. We enjoyed the view for a bit, but Cynthia said the place was dead, and she wanted to go to Bar Rouge in the Bund area. I said I heard some people on the bus talking about it, but knew nothing about it. Anyway, we went to Bar Rouge. We got there and there was this huge line to get in so we figured it must be popular. Cynthia tried to get us in with her tennis connections, but by the time she got the appropriate people on the phone, we were in. I can safely say I have never been to anything like this place. Apparently it's the hottest place in Shanghai, and it is, in several ways. You walk in, and after you check your coat (which you need to, because it's so hot in there), you crowd yourself into this room that has to have more people in it than the fire code should allow. Especially since the waitresses keep walking around with these food plates that have lit sparklers on them. You can barely move, you can't hear people when you talk to them, and all you do, really, is just dance. Everyone just dancing . Oh, a few people are talking or trying to talk, but that's just in between dancing. The music is basically American music, and the people in there are all nationalities. Many places you go there are mostly Chinese, not here. There were people from around the world there - that was interesting. After a while Cynthia spotted Gaston Gaudio. She knows him, and we spoke with him a bit. His spirts were a bit low at first, but we congratulated him on his terrific year, and he said thanks. And gave us a low five. Not sure of the signifiance that. Later he was doing more dancing with his entourage. It's kind of sad he had to end his year on a low note, but the surface didn't really suit his game, and he had a great year to qualify for the event. After that I discovered that there is a balcony, where you can go outside, get some fresh air and enjoy the Shanghai skyline. It was nice out there, and I chatted with Neva and Cynthia a bit. I enjoy going out and talking with people, but these mad crushes at clubs are a thing of the past for me. Still it was interesting to see this aspect of Shanghai. So then it was back to the hotel, with the hope that the final matches would be good. And Neva and I, armed with Felix's coaching, were ready to tackle the shopping market at 10 a.m!!! posted by Susan @ 5:04 PM  0 comments Thursday, November 17, 2005 (Part Two) Thursday, November 17, 2005 I did eat again at McDonald's. Thank goodness. I got over there, and I went into the line with the kid who speaks English. And when I got there, he didn't even bother to give me a menu. He just said, "Diet Coke, Hamburger, French Fries"? I said yes -- just goes to show how rare it is for them to see repeat customers there. But I threw them off a bit later when I asked for some ice cream. *lol* I wanted a chocolate sundae, but I ended up with a cone of vanilla ice cream. But it was edible. For those of you who have e-mailed me with helpful advice on Chinese cuisine, I'm afraid you have found a lost cause. I'm not very adventurous in terms of food in general. My friends say that I'm the only person they have known who went to Australia and raved about the food. And I did so because it's what I'm used to. I gained weight there. Also, I'm pretty much on my own here. It's not as if I'm going to take a cab by myself and experience some Chinese restaurant -- especially since they may not speak English there. So my cuisine experiences are limited. But I also thought French food was terrible, and lost weight in France. I always lose weight when I travel abroad -- except for Australia. In any event. I watched todays matches. First, I was so happy that the Bryans won their match today. I have to say that that I have a lot of pride for the Bryan brothers. They live in the town next to me, and I guess we are pretty much the only Americans left in Shanghai. And they are great players. Their match against Paes and Zimonjic was terrific. It went to a third set tiebreak, and it was darn close. Zimonjic played a few loose points, and the Bryans were up to the task and they won it. So both teams move on to the semis. I'm so happy for Bob and Mike. They have made a lot of fans here. And I just heard from Neva that they are doing another concert tomorrow in the retail area. They were a huge hit the first time, and I think this is great for promotion of the doubles. Again, I'm very proud of them. And when I see them play, and the American flags coming out, it just reminds me of Davis Cup. And it's nice to have that little bit of home here while I'm abroad. But I may not be able to see their concert tomorrow. posted by Susan @ 11:34 AM  0 comments Thursday, November 17, 2005 Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Gosh, I slept late again. The ESPN guys definitely are a bad influence. I got back to the hotel last night, and laid down on the bed. I nearly fell asleep, but I knew Felix and Dave were waiting for me, and I thought, "Well, you are only in Shanghai once." So I met them at the club. Summer Breeze was playing -- it's a band consisting of 3 girls and a guy. The girls are Filipino, and they are very nice -- they come over and chat with us between sets. They also tried to get us to dance, but Felix pointed to his bad knee, and I said I wasn't dancing by myself. My fave moment, though, was when one of the "professional" women came over to Felix and asked if I was his wife. Then she asked if he wanted a massage. He said "no" to both questions. The evening just got more strange. The bartender poured this liquid stuff on the bar, and Felix jokingly said, "Hope they aren't going to set it on fire." We laughed, but he was actually right. The poured the stuff on there, lit a match, and the bar went up in flames. Notwithstanding all their travels, Felix and Dave have never seen anything like this. It would never be allowed in the USA because of liability issues, but it was entertaining. And then one of the customers grabbed the bottle of flammable liquid and started squirting it on the bar. It was interesting to say the least. And Felix scored another Masters Cup poster for me. I don't know exactly what he said to the manager, but he told me later that if they ask me about whether the poster is going to be signed by Rafa and delivered to sick children, I should just say yes. In many ways, things in Shanghai are quite normal. This is a big city, with big city culture. But there are some things you would never see in a Western city. When we were coming back on the bus, this guy went by on a bicycle. He was hauling a tower of stuff on the back of his bike. I don't know how else to describe it. I could not believe anyone could stack so much stuff on a bicycle and be able to peddle it around. Everyone on the bus was amazed, except that we saw two more guys hauling around similar piles of stuff a bit later. I wish I had a camera. It's something you have to see to believe. Today I need to work on stuff for my legal career. I'm not sure if I'll stay here and do it at the hotel; or if I should go to the tennis and do it. I'll make a decision and let you know later. One thing I am going to do is go to McDonalds. I have the urge to eat "normal" food again. I put on my jeans this morning, and it just confirmed that I have lost weight. But I have a long way to go before I can wear the small clothes here in the shops. Oh, Dave is going back to the electronics mart today. He's going to pick up some more of these fans the plug into your USB port. They are a huge hit with the tech crew, and I think my husband would love one. Also, they got a really cute mouse that has a snowman inside, with snow. So that when you move it, the snow moves around. I have to get one of those for my kids. Hopefully Dave can get some of those, too. It pays to have friends around here. ;-) posted by Susan @ 8:29 PM  0 comments Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Guess I'll start with the latest news. First, I missed the shopping expedition this morning, as I overslept. Too much partying with the ESPN boys, I guess. I figured I hadn't eaten much for a couple days, so it was time to make another trip to McDonald's. I headed over there, and as usual, I noticed people stopping and looking at me as though I'm strange -- and I guess I am strange compared to them. I'm certainly taller than most of them. Inesa told me that the "stares" are quite common, especially from people who don't live in Shanghai, but are visiting from other areas. When I got to the McDonald's counter, they gave me a photo menu, so I could point to the things I want. It's pretty efficient, actually, and although the Chinese don't necessarily understand Small and Large, they seem to understand S, M and L. I then wandered around a few shops. I saw some cute clothes, but as Inesa told me, it's hard to find clothing that isn't really small. I think I'm going to have to find non-clothing souvenirs. I returned to my room, which had a cleaning crew, and rather than watch them work, I thought I'd head to the tennis. And, as usual, I met up with Felix, Dave and the other ESPN boys. They really are very entertaining. One guy offered us a Mandarin Orange, and Felix said, "When you are in China, they aren't Mandarin oranges, they are just "oranges." This prompted a discussion about oranges and Asian pears (which in China, are just "pears" not Asian ones) that lasted for miles. I never knew the subject of fruit could be so funny. I was glad I came early because I wanted to catch the concert by the Bryan Brothers band. I wrote a story about it, to send to Bob Larson, and I'll post it below. It really was a cute moment for the fans. I'm now following the Davydenko/Gaudio match on the screen above me. I may go in the stadium and watch it. Neva is upstairs watching it, and she and I are planning to go to that shopping area sometime this week. I'm bound and determined to go there because I hear it's an experience not to be missed -- especially to hear Felix and Dave describe it. Sounds as though you are lucky to come out of the place alive. I'm going to use their advise and get one of those "Get Out of Jail" cards, which has, written in Chinese, that you are staying at the Mayfair hotel, and lists a bunch of destinations. You check the one you want to go to, so the taxi driver knows where to take you. And then you show the card again, to show the driver you need to return to the hotel. Felix assures me this actually works, although some drivers seem to be better readers than others. With my luck, I'll get an illiterate one driving one of those dark red cabs. *lol* I'm watching the Gaudio/Davydenko match right now. Gaudio has not been playing well, but he appears to be on the comeback trail. He lost the first set 3-6, and was down 5-1 at one point. It's now 5-3, and he's at deuce on his own serve. If he can hold, he'll make Davydenko have to try to serve it out again. BTW, someone in here just sneezed very loudly. And I heard someone say, very quietly, "Bird flu?" The whole room started laughing. We take humor where we can get it here, given the player line-up. Gaudio has just blown two game points; it's back to deuce. Now he has an ad again. Deuce. Now Davydenko has matchpoint. Gaudio saved it -- hit a drop shot, Davydenko got there, but then Gaudio hit the overhead smash. Deuce. Gaudio bricked a volley. Another matchpoint. After a dropshot, lob and a volley, Gaudio was able to save the second MP, and now he has the ad. He did it. Davydenko to serve for the match at 5-4. It certainly would be something if Gaudio could pull out this set. Man, he had 3 breakpoints, but Davydenko has saved two. He has another one. He hit wide. Deuce. Another matchpoint. Gaudio saved it, when Davydenko hit long. At least there's a little drama here. Deuce. Another matchpoint. Great winner by Davydenko, who wins the match! I'm sure Felix and the boys will be on the 9:30 bus, so I'll probably take that. I'll check in with you all later. The Bryan Brothers Rock Shanghai Following the loss of five top singles players, the Tennis Masters Cup organizers in Shanghai are looking for ways to appease disappointed fans. They arranged an autograph signing by World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, and invited the newly crowned World No. 1 doubles team, Bob and Mike Bryan, to perform two songs in the retail area. With a keyboard and guitar loaned by Gibson, a tournament sponsor, The Bryan Brothers Band took the stage at 5:45 p.m. Dressed in matching Adidas warm-up suits, Bob tuned the keyboard and Mike the guitar. They started with U2's "With or Without You," followed by a song from Oasis. Hundreds of delighted fans, armed with camera cell phones and digital cameras, cheered on the Bryans and the tournament vocalist. After the second song, Mike signaled they would play one more. They launched immediately into a rousing redition of "Mustang Sally," with Bob and Mike alternately providing the "Ride, Sally, Ride" vocals. As the crowd continued to grow, and American flags started to appear, they decided to extend their impromptu concert with Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl." The fans sang along with the band, leaving no doubt that the Bryans will have many more supporters the next time they take the court. posted by Susan @ 3:17 AM  0 comments Tuesday, November 15, 2005 This is a busy day. I slept late, because I got to bed late, and though I missed the shopping tour. But I discovered it was postponed until Wednesday (which ended up not being a good thing since I overslept on that day, too). The ESPN crew was on the bus again, and they commiserated with me about Rafa pulling out. We were trying to figure out who would play if someone else drops out. I figured they could pull someone from the doubles draw -- perhaps draw straws. They thought that was a good idea, and thought perhaps Bob and Mike Bryan together may have a shot against Federer. ;-) The guys were only doing one match, and they invited me to have dinner with them after the tennis. I was so pleased, because I don't know anyone here, and it's nice to feel part of a group. And these guys are very entertaining. I got to the tennis, as I wanted to take photos of Rafa's autograph signing. About 10 minutes before the event, I strolled over to the retail area, figuring there would be a line of people, and that I'd just stand to the side, and take a few photos of Rafa. Boy, was I naive. I got out there, and there was a line, of hundreds of fans. It snaked way outside the tent. They had roped off the area where Rafa was to sit, and cleared a path to get him there. The path was lined by police officers. I couldn't even see the place where Rafa was to sit. I saw a Swedish journalist in the restricted area, and I asked how he got in there. He said he just used his credential. I figured it was worth a shot, and I went to one of the guards and showed him my credential. He looked very doubtful, but since I don't speak Chinese, he gave me the benefit of the doubt. Which upset the Chinese media, because he wasn't allowing them in. But anyway, mission accomplished. Unfortunately, my camera battery chose that moment to die. But I need not have worried, there were about 100 photographers hanging around to snap pictures of him. I met a young Chinese journalist, who is a huge Rafa fan. She offered to take photos and send them to me. So I gave her and her friend two Vamos Rafael bands. She also showed me this terrific calendar she had picked up. It has a different player for each month, but the photo of Rafa is lovely. She showed me where to get one, so I have that as a souvenir. Well, Rafa came in, and I have never seen anything like this. He was flanked by a bunch of security guards, and literally chased by photographers. They moved him very quickly, and fans tried to break through the barricade to get at him. Some of them succeeded, and were thrown out of the area. When he got to the booth, they had to drag photographers away from him. It was totally disorganized, but the Chinese are very good organizers, and they righted the situation in a bit. They set up two lines of police, with a path in between. As fans approached Rafa, they were allowed to put down their item to be signed, immediately pick it up and keep moving. If they stopped, they were pulled away by the officers. It was like an assembly line. Rafa seemed to be in pretty good spirits, though. He laughed and joked a few times. After 20 minutes, they had to stop the line. I knew there was no way he could sign for all those people. But unfortunately, they stopped the line in a place where the fans could see Rafa. The people at the front of that line were so upset. The girls started crying. One girl was so emotional. I felt badly for her and I gave her my VamosRafael wristband. She was confused, but hopefully it will help her disappointment. Anyway, when he was done, he stopped at the Indesit booth for a second, and then left the building. Once again, security was all around him, but the fans started to mob him and were screaming at him. They chased him back to the players' lounge, and I heard girls yelling "I love you, Rafa." There's no doubt Rafa's a star here. If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. Rafa went on to do a chat, and he met with sponsors. We later heard that he left Shanghai around 10 p.m. Hopefully he'll be able to get some rest at home, and get himself physically and mentally prepared for next year. Vamos, Rafa! While I was at the autograph session, I met Neva, who had e-mailed me before I left for Shanghai. We chatted a bit and decided to get some dinner in the media dining room. I told her I was starving. Well, I quickly lost my appetite when I looked at the food. And I lost it even more when I tasted it. I can tell I've lost weight on this trip. It's definitely time for another McDonald's run. We decided to buy some chips and head over to see Felix and Dave at the ESPN trailer. That was fun. Today they showed me how they set up the broadcast to air the matches from Shanghai while the commentary is being done in Connecticut. While I was in the booth, they had Cliff Drysdale and Patrick McEnroe on speaker, as they were testing out promos for the coverage. It was really neat. The guys were all joking around, and Pat and Cliff were giving Felix a hard time for getting to go out for Chinese food every night. Pat suggested that they scrap some of the singles matches and broadcast the Bryans' doubles matches. Felix responded, "Spoken like the Davis Cup captain!" We left there and got to the stadium in time to see Federer vs. Ljubicic. In my view, this is the most interesting match-up left in the devastated draw. I picked Lube to win, and at first he really disappointed me. He didn't play well at all in the first set. But in the second set, it was though he and Fed had switches roles, and he broke Fed twice, to take the set. The third set was fairly even, until Fed broke Lube. I figured that would be the end of the match, but as Fed was serving for the match, he was broken himself. Both men were making uncharacteristic errors. But Luce was able to save three matchpoints. But it went to a tiebreak, which was thrilling for the fans. Lube played well, but Federer became typical Federer, and won the tiebreak. I think Lube has to be the unluckiest player on Tour these days. He is playing very well, but seems unable to find a way to win the big matches. After that, it was off to the shuttle bus, where I met up with the ESPN boys. I met them for dinner at the hotel, and had the Mayfair Rice, which Dave recommended. It was pretty good, but my tolerance for Chinese food is at an all-time low. Dave and Felix have been going there every night, so they are well known. They reminded me of Cliff and Norm at the Cheers bar. The strange thing is that they didn't have any chopsticks for me to eat the rice. Hello? Isn't this China??? There are chopsticks everywhere here. But instead they gave me a spoon!!! Felix and Dave like the girl band which was performing -- although their music is quite loud. It was much nicer when they took a break and you could talk without yelling at each other. They pointed out the camera crew (who is filming the matches), and also Fred Stolle (he's Sandon Stolle's Dad and he does commentary for Australian TV). They also pointed out the "professional girls" who were working the other side of the room. Perhaps that was a bit too much information to share. On the walls were Masters Cup posters. Rafa's photo is on most of them, and I thought that perhaps when the tournament is over I could get a couple of the posters. Felix said, "I'm sure they have a closetful of them around here." And sure enough, he asked, and this waiter went somewhere and got me one. Felix things we can get a few more later. We are good customers! They could be collector's items -- especially if Fed were to pull out, and then none of the players on the poster would be here. (Geez, Gaudio is getting killed by Davydenko.) One funny thing. I asked Felix and Dave about their hotel rooms. They like them, but Dave said, "The mattress is a little hard." A little? It's a cloth-covered board. Oh, I forgot about my big celebrity moment. Mimi published her interview with me in today's paper. When I got to the tennis, I checked into the media desk, and the woman there said "Susan?" I thought she looked at my credential, but she remembered from the article Mimi had done. She even gave me a copy of it. Mimi brought me a copy later, and then I saw on the Board that Veyonce had translated it. It's a very nice article, and I think Mimi for it. (There are a few factual inaccuracies, but it's mostly correct.) On a final note. The tournament organizers gave a press conference today to talk about the problems with the players dropping out. They have met with the ATP, and have come up with some things to make it up to the fans. First, they readily acknowledge that Chinese fans are more into celebrity and less into tennis itself -- it's an evolving sport in this country. And that the loss of the celebrities has adversely impacted the event. They want to make it up to the fans. They have reached these agreements: 1. People who purchased tickets this year will be able to purchase the same tickets for next year at a 40% discount. 2. The price of the tickets will not be raised for next year. 3. The ATP will arrange for some of the top players to come to Shanghai in the next 3 to 6 months to meet with sponsors and organizers, and to promote the event. posted by Susan @ 3:16 AM  0 comments BAD NEWS -- RAFA IS PULLING OUT OF THE EVENT! Monday, November 14, 2005 This story is just developing, and is not official yet. But apparently he is injured. More soon. . . . Sorry for the delay in doing my blog, but I've been busy. It's been quite hectic since Rafa withdrew from the event. And now I need to head over to watch the Bryan Brothers perform two songs from Oasis and U2. I'll take a few photos and then come back. Stay tuned . . . It was, of course, very disappointing that Rafa had to withdraw. By now, you've heard the whole story, but basically he hurt a ligament in his foot, and the doctors felt that he could aggravate the injury by playing on it. He did his best to assuage the fans' disappointment. He personally made the announcement, which was met with dismay by the crowd. Althought he announcement was made in Chinese, the groans translate to any language. Rafa then gave a press conference and apologized to everyone. He looked disappointed, but he made the right decision, especially with the surface. It is difficult to move on this surface, which is sticky. If any surface would aggravate a foot injury, it would be this one. Fortunately, I had brought our Christmas gift and bears (for Canada, Beijing and Madrid) to the tennis. Carlos Costa and Rafa's Dad, Sebastian, were at the press conference, and Carlos suggested that I give the bag to Sebastian, which I did. He said thanks. Obviously, it was not the best of circumstances to speak with them, but I'm glad we were able to deliver the gift. At the press conference, they announced that Rafa would come back tomorrow to meet with fans and sponsors. I took a few photos at the press conference, which are now up on smugmug: I was disappointed when I went back to the hotel, and was ready to join Carly and MAC at the bar *lol*, but I also realized that it's not every day I get to go to China. And if there's a place to be stuck for a week, without Rafa news to cover, this is a pretty good choice. So with that attitude, I looked ahead to the next day. posted by Susan @ 3:30 AM  0 comments Monday, November 14, 2005 Sunday, November 13, 2005 Just got back from Rafa's wedding. It was great! *JUST KIDDING* Actually, I went on a sightseeing bus tour, and you cannot believe how fortunate I was. I met up with a journalist from Belarus. She now lives in Beijing, and she has written a book on China for tourists. It is in the process of being published, and for 4 hours, I had the exclusive benefit of her knowledge of China in general, and Shanghai in particular. It was terrific!! I'm off to the tennis now, and will check in when I get there. Stay tuned . . . Okay, I'm at the tennis. I have 45 minutes before Roger is crowned World No. 1, and then there is a champagne and cake reception for him in the media room. I really hope I win the Indesit appliance media drawing. Although it may be difficult getting the washing machine home to California. ;-) I really enjoyed the sightseeing tour today. It was a four-hour bus tour designed to show you the main sites of Shanghai. We didn't have a guide. We had an English student to help with translation, but she speaks what generally passes for English here, so it wasn't very informative. But I paired myself up with Inesa from Belarus, who was quite friendly as we were waiting for the bus. What I didn't realize is that in addition to doing sports writing for a Belarus newspaper, she writes travel tour guides. She's publishing one on China this year, and has been to Shanghai several times. She was a wealth of information about Shanghai and China in general. She told me about the one-family/one-child rule. China has relaxed the rule in some instances, but it is necessary to control the population. But as a result of the family preference for boys, there are now 51 million more boys than girls between ages 12 and 24. This has led to wife stealing and things like that. And now, they don't allow couples to find out the sex of the child before it's born (to prevent abortions of girls), so the population of girls is growing again. Anyway, I found that and her discussions of other political issues very interesting. China is a fascinating country -- even if I couldn't see any junkets today. Guess you have to go to South China for that. We did visit the second tallest building in the world, and also the Tower of the Oriental Pearl, which is my fave landmark so far. It is more spectacular at night, as is Shanghai in general. Inesa spoke with Max Mirnyi's parents this week, and Max is really enjoying the event. He's impressed with the facilities and at how the players are treated like "stars." He is enjoying it more than Houston. Inesa said that although China isn't really into tennis, they are really into celebrity, which explains why the players are being treated so specially. She also said that China is very good at organizing events, and this one is extremely well organized. It makes the Houston Masters Cup event look very pedestrian. The stadium here is world-class -- very beautiful, and the seats have their own individual air conditioning units in them. The media facilities are first-rate , and apparently the player lounge areas are unbelievable. The only thing I can complain about is the food -- but I'm having that problem in general here. My breakfast muffins were the strangest muffins I have ever seen -- although they were edible. I still think, though, that sawdust was a principal ingredient. And I finally have located a supply of Diet Coke, so I've decided I do not have to leave the country early after all. *lol* Inesa explained that the Chinese are not big on diet drinks, so that's why they aren't routinely available. When we got back from the tour, Inesa and I headed to McDonald's -- finally, I was able to eat a meal that tasted somewhat normal. I was starving. Those were the best fries I have ever had in my life!!! So at least I don't have to worry about starving now. Although after a few months here, I probably could wear the small shirts that they sell everywhere. The Chinese women are so petite that it's hard to purchase clothes that a larger than a size small. Inesa, whom I consider normal size, has to go to London to purchase dresses and suits. So then it was time to catch the 3 p.m. bus to the tennis. I got down there right before 3 p.m., but the bus had just left. I said it wasn't fair that they left early, and the woman there got on her cell phone and started yelling in Chinese -- the Chinese talk very loudly, and they also love to argue. It's a national past-time. In any event, she told me the bus was coming back. Well, it did, about 10 minutes later. They hadn't gotten very far, but with traffic, it took them a while to double-back. And boy, were the guys on the bus upset they had to go back. I thought they were going to throw me off. But I explained what happened, and told them that I didn't ask for the bus to come back. They realized it had left early, and that we didn't think it had gotten very far. So they calmed down a bit, and actually I chatted with two ESPN technical guys all the way here. The ESPN announcers -- Brad Gilbert (whom they call BG) and Pat McEnroe are in Connecticut doing the commentary, while the tech guys are here sending the feed. He said the decision was made for financial reasons. They gave me a little bit of goss. They really like Roger Federer, who is nice to everyone. They said that Roger has requested that the ESPN commentators not refer to Mirka as his manager, but rather as his girlfriend. He feels that is more respectful to her. They didn't have much news on Nadal, but they said that the ESPN crew gets a big kick out of his "butt-picking." They said they even count the number of "butt-picks" per match, and said they would give me the official count tomorrow. *lol* They said their boss, who is a woman, doesn't really like this, as she likes Nadal, and that they actually try to minimize the number of shots of Rafa adjusting his pants. Apparently Carlos Moya is a favorite of the ESPN bosses, too. We aren't the only ones who think he's quite handsome. Oh, I asked them if they heard that Rafa has a girlfriend. And they asked, "He has a girlfriend?" And I told them what Toni said, and what Rafa said after that, and they said, "Sounds as though Toni was talking when he shouldn't have." Oh, they are now presenting Roger with his No. 1 trophy. They just showed Mirka taking photos of her boyfriend. Guess I should go to Roger's Champagne reception. Carly and MAC would love that. :-) Then I'll be off to Agassi/Davydenko. Oh, an Italian reporter went by and he saw the Christmas books on Rafa, and he loved them. (I have them here, as I may try to give them to him after his press conference this evening.) So he's writing a bit about our site. And he's also very good friends with the Spanish press, and is going to help me investigate the gf issue. *insert Mission Impossible music here* Oh, Mimi's photographers took some photos of me for her article, which will appear in the Oriental Sports Daily tomorrow. Hopefully Veyonce will see it. She thinks it will appear on sina.com. I'm becoming quite a celebrity around here. Okay, Roger is waiting. More later . . . . PS: My Italian friend says that he's going to ask Rafa about the gf issue in the press conference. The things I do for you all. ;-) Just got back from the Federer reception. It was nice. Unfortunately, I didn't win the Indesit refrigerator autographed by Roger. And I was so looking forward to getting it on the plane. posted by Susan @ 10:33 PM  0 comments Sunday, November 13, 2005 (continued) After lunch, Tanya and I went to the Federer/Nalbandian match. It was pretty much what I expected until the second set, when Federer's play dropped off, and Nalbandian started to play really well. He broke Federer twice to take the second set. Fed was making very uncharacteristic errors (probably from his lack of play over the past two months), and David was capitalizing on them. In the third set, David broke Fed again, and Tanya said, "Looks as though Nalbandian is going to win this." I said, "No, he won't. He's going to wake up and realize who is across the net and that he may actually beat Federer." He probably will lose the next service game. And that's exactly what happened. Tanya looked at me as though I had sprouted horns. And I said, "This is typical when guys play Federer. Even when they have chances to win, they don't believe they can do it." I told her that Roger would hold serve comfortably, and he would break David again and that David likely would be broken when he served to stay in the match. I was right on the first two counts, but was a bit surprised that David managed to hold in his last service game, forcing Fed to serve out the match. But Fed only needed the one additional break. Final score: 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. The Ljubicic/Coria match was less exciting. It was pretty much was I expected, except that Coria did manage to break back in the second set. But that was his only moment of glory. Because in the next game, Ivan broke back. They had a terrific rally on breakpoint on Coria' serve -- the longest rally I've seen on this fast surface. And then Coria tried this stupid dropshot and missed, basically handing Ivan the match. Final score: 6-2, 6-3. On Tuesday, Fed will play Ljubicic, and Coria will play Nalbandian. I don't see Coria winning that match either -- his serve really has been a liability lately. As for Fed/Ljubicic, that could be interesting, particularly if Fed is as rusty as he appears today. Since it's not a final, Ivan may not lose his cool, and could give Fed a run for his money. When I left the stadium, I walked pass the player's entrance. I heard (and then saw) a bunch of young girls yelling "Rafa, Rafa," and literally screaming in general. I looked over, and Rafa was coming out and heading to his car. He quickly put some stuff in the trunk of the car, and jumped in it. So that's my first glimpse of Rafa this week -- and it simply highlights what an icon he has become in the sport. I understand he was in the stands watching the Federer/Nalbandian match. After the matches, I did my interview with Mimi of Oriental Sports Daily. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. She was less interested in the business aspects of this site and how it was founded, and more interested in my personal interaction with Rafa, which basically has been limited to site business. Still, it was fun to recount my various meetings with him over the years. I think she was surprised that we've been doing this site since June 2003! When we were finished, I had 5 minutes to catch the bus back to the hotel. I caught it just before it left, which was good, else I would have had to wait another hour. I ordered some dinner, which was horrendous. A trip to McDonald's will be in order soon, and or I will lose quite a bit of weight while I'm here. The tournament organizers have arranged a bus tour of Shanghai for the morning, and I signed up. So I'll take that at 9 a.m., and then we'll return here, where I will catch the bus to the tennis. I plan to get there by 4 p.m., so I'll have a chance of catching Rafa's practice before his match. I will not be able to get good photos from my place in the stadium. But there are desks at our seats, so I may be able to bring my laptop in. If I'm allowed to do that, and if I get an internet connection, I will do a Live Match blog during the match. I'll test it out during the Agassi/Davydenko match, so you will know in advance whether it will work. Stay tuned for Monday in Shanghai . . . I'm off to get a bit more sleep before my sightseeing tour. I'll be in touch when I get to the stadium. Vamos, Rafa!!!! posted by Susan @ 1:13 PM  0 comments Sunday, November 13, 2005 I managed to get a good night's rest, notwithstanding the so-called mattress on my bed. I skipped breakfast, and caught the 10 a.m. shuttle to the tennis. It is a bus, which it should be, as it's quite a trip to the tennis venue. I doubt they could have found a hotel further away!!! But perhaps they wanted everyone to have a sense of downtown Shanghai, which you can't get at the arena. And they certainly have marketed the event well. When I came from the airport, I saw two huge billboards promoting the event -- although of all the players depicted, only Rafa and Roger are in the draw. And on the way to the tennis, I saw many advertisements, including posters of each individual player on many street lights. I would love to have one of the Rafa ones -- but I don't fancy climbing up any of those poles! Checking into the foreign media desk confirmed my view that if you don't speak Chinese in Shanghai, you are at a disadvantage. They did their best, certainly, but when I asked for the location of my desk, I was taken to a locker room. Still, in the end, I had a desk, with an internet connection, and a ticket into the stadium. So it all worked out, except for finding a Diet Coke. I asked about that, and was directed to a cooler containing Pepsi. But, after about an hour, I found a kiosk selling Diet Pepsi, and realized this is as good as it gets in Shanghai. No way could I live here. :-) Okay, at lunch I decided to be a bit adventurous as I really don't know anyone here. There was a woman eating alone, and I asked if I could join her. She's English -- so her fluency is not in question -- and we really hit it off. Her name is Tanya, and she is working with a local media organization here. We had a lovely lunch -- at least in terms of company. Again, the food here is nothing to write home about -- at least not so far!!! After a bit, a couple Chinese women motioned to her, and she spoke with them. Then they came over, and it turns out that one of them was Mimi -- the reporter who called me last night. So everyone was introduced, and we sat down. Mimi's first comment was that she felt badly about the article she wrote about Rafa's girlfriend. Of course, this got my attention. She was the one who interviewed Toni and who wrote the article. This is what I know. She was at the Shanghai Hilton, and saw Toni. She asked if he would take a few minutes for an interview, and he said yes. So they sat down, and the first question she asked was whether Rafa has a girlfriend. Now, many journalists have asked that question, and I'm not sure Mimi was aware of that, but she said she knew it was something fans would want to know. She said Toni said that yes, Rafa has a girlfriend in Mallorca. But at the same time, she said Toni's English is not very good. Her English is very good, but it is not her first language. But what concerned me was when she asked me if Toni is married. I said, yes he is and has three kids. She said that he told her he is single, but has kids. So that's when I wondered whether there were some things lost in translation, where you have two people speaking a language that is not their first language. So it's possible that things were lost in translation, and it's even more possible that if Toni was joking about something, she would not have understood it. At the same time, Toni has to know to be careful when speaking with the media. So I cannot tell you if he was kidding, or if he was misunderstood, or if what he says is exactly true. What I can tell you is that Mimi feels badly about writing about it. She said she didn't realize how the article would create such interest, and that Rafa would be questioned about it. She knows that Rafa denies having a girlfriend, and although she stands by what she wrote, she realizes that it has created a controversy, and that was not her intention. I'll be in touch with Mimi, so as this story develops, we can keep on top of it. Stay tuned. . . . Now for the tennis -- posted by Susan @ 3:37 AM  0 comments Saturday, November 12, 2005 Saturday, November 12, 2005 The flight from Vancouver to Shanghai was relatively uneventful -- which is always a great thing to say about any flight. It was long, but I expected that. What was strange, though, is that we flew in daylight all the time, so I was able to watch the ground below. And I can tell you one thing -- Siberia is exactly the way you would picture Siberia to be. Talk about desolate -- it looks like one big glacier with some huge white mountains. And why is it that you can take a one-hour flight, and be rocking and rolling in turbulence the whole way, and yet can fly 12 hours, and never feel a bump? The captain turned off the seatbelt sign when we left Vancouver, and didn't turn it on again until we approached Shanghai. It was weird flying over Japan and Korea. I never thought I'd ever come to Asia at all -- tennis has really changed my life in terms of travel. It was a surreal to be looking at these countries. Japan seems so small -- I always thought of it as a bigger country. China, of course, is huge. A Japanese man sat next to me on the flight. He lives in Shanghai, and his English is pretty good (I now realize just how good it was!), and he gave me a few hints about Shanghai. He also gave me his cell phone number in case I had any problems here. He told me the taxis that are particularly good, but told me to avoid the dark red cabs, as they rip you off. We finally arrived, and unfortunately, I could barely get my shoes on. My ankles had swollen up during the flight, and it was very uncomfortable. But I got through Immigration, and when I went to get my bags, there was a desk there with folks to greet the Masters Cup media. I checked in there, and they said someone would help me get a taxi to the hotel. And sure enough, when I walked out I met a sea of people with signs for various people. And there was the Masters Cup media sign. A woman, who spoke terrific English, said she would get me a cab and direct them to the hotel. And of course, what do you think she did? Directed me to a dark red taxi!!! But it worked out just fine. And I had a lovely view of Shanghai at night, where it really shines (so to speak). The buildings are very modern, but the Chinese are very fond of putting lights on their buildings -- sort of like a toned-down Vegas. So I enjoyed looking at the various designs on the buildings -- and the Tower of Oriental Pearl is gorgeous! The traffic is bad, however. In fact, it reminds me a lot of New York City. The taxi driver in the red cab did not disappoint me, as he beeped his horn at every car that happened to cross his path. And they all beeped back at him. I can see why there are so many people going around on bicycles. When I arrived at the hotel, I got my credential. They have a "help" desk for the media, and that's when I discovered that the Chinese idea of English fluency varies from my own. Let's put it this way, Rafa's English is excellent compared to many of the "English speakers" here. Of course, my Chinese is non-existent, but the language barrier does make things interesting. My hotel room is huge, and has a nice view. I can even see the McDonald's, which is where I may go shortly. I ordered room service, and the food is inedible. I don't think I'll be gaining any weight on this trip! There are a lot of nice shops around here, and I look forward to exploring them. Also, the Masters Cup has arranged a number of sightseeing tours for the media, and I will be able to enjoy those, too. Before I went to bed, I heard from our intrepid Oriental Sports Daily reporter. She called to set up my interview for Sunday. Little did I know how interesting our meeting would prove! More later!! Thoroughly exhausted, I literally fell into bed. Which was not particularly pleasant, because the mattress, if it can be called that, is basically a cloth-covered board. Sorry, had to get the doorbell. I've never been in a hotel room with a doorbell. *lol* Well, I would forgo the door bell in exchange for a soft mattress. But the comforter on the bed is really thick, so I wrapped myself up in that, and slept on top of the comforter. So that was Saturday. On to Sunday!!! And my first glimpse of Rafa. posted by Susan @ 5:42 PM  0 comments