Del Potro does the incredible!

Today, Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Roger Federer in five sets in the best US Open final ever played. Juan Martin Del Potro won the match & won the hearts of many tennis fans today. About 13 months ago, RSG had the fortune of seeing Juan Martin Del Potro win in UCLA. Thirteen months later, RSG had no idea that Del Potro would win the US Open final. Federer was so close to victory in the 4th set, but Del Potro won his 2nd tiebreaker to force a fifth set. Del Potro displayed a great array of shots, and Federer lost a grand slam final to an opponent for the first time, not named Nadal. As the writer closes this post, the following picture was taken by RSG. It is from the 2008 Countrywide Classic, and Del Potro won the tournament in August 2008. Viva La Del Potro! Please see the picture above.

10 days from now!

Well, this post is about a special day in the life of RSG. In 10 days, Rahulio Ganpuleone will be staring at a pair of 3s. RSG will be wishing that he was in macau or monte carlo with four 3s. I think that's a pretty good hand in a card game. Anyways, this birthday is a different birthday than previous years. In the past year, not many things have gone well in the life of RSG! Yet, RSG has been resilient. It is an attribute which he has acquired over the past 3 years. Resiliency does not come overnight, but it happens by rebounding from each predicament. In order to rebound from each predicament, it starts with the right frame of mind. The person encountering the dilemma has to realize that there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel. The second step is the person has to ask a team of people or friends for moral support. Friends and family have been a huge sound board for me in the past three years. In the end, one will say "thank you for your support" to their friends & family. Finally, the person encountering the predicament must continue to try the right steps for battling the problem head on. In time, victory can be attained. There is a great movie called "The Shawshank Redemption," and there is a great quote from the movie. It is "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Always remember this quote!

The Day After!

Well, it's the day after my latest endeavor ended. The endeavor was long, but definitely worthwhile. It ended as both parties could not see eye 2 eye on many important issues. It ended due to a lack of acceptance of one of the parties also. Yet, a lot of life skills were learned in this experience. It has definitely made RSG a better person. Now, it is up to RSG to concentrate on his present & work on the future. It was a mature conversation between both parties, and there were few tears shed. Both parties have agreed to a break. Keeping in touch will be hard, but RSG seems to be skilled in this task. Again, the road to perdition in the romantic endeavor has been avoided. It took some thinking on the author's part, but the informed decision was made. After this experience, RSG's mind thinks about the John Mayer song, "Say". It is on the soundtrack for "The Bucket List." "Say" is a great song by John Mayer. It makes a person think before they talk. It makes a person "say what they mean to say."

Avoiding RTP!

As you may know, "Road to Perdition" (RTP) is a hollywood movie. It was a graphic novel turned into a great movie in 2002. "Road to Perdition" essentially means road to "state of final spiritual ruin" or "loss of soul." At this time, rsg is avoiding the "road to perdition." For the past 8 months, the author of this post has encountered four to five predicaments. Each predicament has brought the author to ask himself the question, "Can I avoid the road to perdition?" Now, it has become a question to ask regardless of the predicament. Whether it is a loss of a job, loss of residence, or financial instability, each time rsg has asked himself, "how can I continue to avoid RTP?" There is a lot of self-introspection occurring, which makes the author very careful about his decisions. He has faltered on many occasions, but there have been points of success. For those people who wonder how success happens, it comes from making the right decisions. One of them is avoiding RTP. Making the right decisions in one's career, relationships, & finances will lead to a natural avoidance of RTP. There is no exact formula, but it can be attained.

Checking out Wineries, plus RF's 15th grand slam title!

Well, it was a great 4th of July weekend for Hollywood G! I checked out three wineries (Korbel, Robert Mondavi, & Artesa), and went to muirwoods national forest also. Finally, sunday brought the best tennis match ever played as Roger Federer won his 15th grand slam title at wimbledon. He defeated Andy Roddick in an epic 5th set by the score of 16 to 14. Roddick shocked many people in this two week tournament, and he had his chances to defeat Roger. Roger played his best match of the year. Back to the trip, the weather was almost 40 to 45 degrees cooler than phoenix. It was a great escape to the SF Bay Area for Hollywood G! Check the picture above which was taken from Robert Mondavi winery! Korbel winery is known for its champagne and it was a great opening winery to check out. Robert Mondavi is a popular tourist attraction, while Artesa gives breathtaking views of Napa Valley. This trip is one to remember!

Rafa missing Wimbledon, Lakers win 15th NBA title!

Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th nba title by defeating the Orlando Magic 4 to 1 in the NBA Finals. The Lakers played great basketball and brought the title back to Hollywood. Kobe Bryant was named MVP of the Finals. The Lakers Parade was great on June 17. I watched most of it. Hollywood G. is very happy with the Lakers winning their 15th nba title. Go Lakeshow for Life! Check the picture on the left of Gasol & Kobe enjoying the parade. :)

In other news, Rafael Nadal will not play in Wimbledon. Rafael is bowing out of the grand slam tournament due to severe tenditis in his knees. It is sad since Rafael Nadal is the defending champion. Many people were hoping to see him play in the finals with Roger Federer again. Now, the field is wide open for anyone. Hopefully, Roger can win his 15th title. Or, this could be time for someone else to win in London! It could be a new face doing the London Calling!

Federer wins 14th grand slam, Lakers go up by 2 in series!

Yesterday, Roger Federer won his 1st French Open title at Roland Garros in Paris. He has tied Pete Sampras for the most grand slam titles, 14, and he attained the goal of "winning each of the 4 majors" in the tennis world. Roger defeated Robin Soderling in 3 sets in less than 2 hours. Roger Federer received the trophy from Andre Agassi, the last man to win each of the 4 major grand slam titles. Agassi attained this feat in 1999. In other sporting news, The Los Angeles Lakers are 2 games away from winning their 15th NBA title. The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in game 2 of the NBA Finals last night in overtime, 101-96. Kobe Bryant commented that "The Lakers are not done yet, and the job is not finished" in a post game conference. For the Lakeshow, it has been a team effort in both victories. Kobe has received help from Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Derek Fisher in the victories. Let's hope the Lakeshow can win in the Land of Magic, Orlando, in the next 2 or 3 games. Go Westside!!