haha, i think i gonna to laugh at this for the rest of my life! it was and still is the most sweet mistake that ppl ever made on me.... and i love it so much!!!!!!
by the end of year 1999 Marat is still not-known to many Australians, as he is not as famous as he is now..... it was so funny that one day---i believe it was the end of November on a very hot Aussie summer day (Australian seasons are opposite to Europe), my brother Kasey and I headed to a local juice bar in Melbourne, the shop owner is new and had no idea who we were, so we sorts started conversation together in a very pleasant way..... suddenlly he was asking my brother ''is she ur gf???'', my brother laughed as replied ''nah, that;s my stupid sister!!!''
to my surprised that they all in shocked,and saying ''no way''----as me and my brother look so different... he has taken over most my mum's looking and Dad's skin color, my brother has much of European feature with lovely green eyes and black hair ---its deadly straight and he does inherited from Dad's ''long-time soaking in the sun''---olive skin color and I have taken much of Dad's feature, with sort of typical mix-blooded looking, i have got sort of Hazel-bluish eyes and lighten golden brown curly hair and Mum's fair skin color....none on earth ever thinks me and my brother Kasey look alike...... so the shop owners laughed
when i trying to pay at the counter,they saw Marat's photo that i put in my wallet by accident and one guy started screeming ''here u go! this is ur brother!!!!! u guys looks like from the same parents''
what????????????Marat is my brother????!!!!!!!!!oh yeah i wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i laughed till the juice fall over and had a big mango stain on my brother's Ts..........
Honest to god, i love my brother 100% but theu just added a new''brother'' marat to me----i was soooooooooooooooo excited...... 2 brothers??????!!!!!!!!!! and it is our Marat---my crush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ggggggeeeeeeeeeessssss......... i am speechless now.... tooooooooooooooo happy LOL
i know it was an mistake, well at least a sweet one, acturally a very sweet one!!!they really made my day!!!! i was so happy as a 17 yrs old chick (then in 1999)
Huha, i started to dream that i could meet my other ''brother'''---my super hero marat one day!!

1st attraction to tennis
well, in Australia, tennis is sort of considered as a very stylish sport--or should I say game, especially for those with English origion. I didnt grow up with watching tennis and none in the family has ever liked it, instead I have got a ''football is everything'' Dad, so i grew up in a way that football is ''number one'' sport in life.
Back USSR time, Russian sports is unbeaten, my mother would be so pround when ever she talks about Russian sports (but not tennis then), we been watching Alexander Popov swimming and Dmitri Sautin Diving and then i would proundly told my friends that I am kind of Russian (how russian I am? I dont know, well i drink Vodka...but most my Russian relatives would call me ''Bloody Aussie'' as I have been OZ for too long)
It is such a magical chnace in the year 1998, which football world cup is on show, since Australia wasnt on the stage, the live coverage is really poor here....

I was bored and went to my English born friend Alice's place, she suggested me to watch tennis...
Tennis? are you crazy Alice? would i waste my time to chase a little grassy colored ball? i questioned.,,,
well, just have a try, you might addict to that one day.....
GOD>>>>.......
It was 23rd Ausgust, 1999--according to my memeory, (correct me if i were wrong), Hard court, at Boston MA, USA final, a then--unknown guy (Marat) was playing with world ranking number 9 Rusedski, Greg OF GBR. woooooo, he looks great! Alice shouted
who? Greg? --you are blind Alice---I shouted back!
No no no! That young guy with curly hair........well,,,, he was the winner LOL YEAH
woooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is great !!!!!!! We check out his name-----MARAT SAFIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Safin, Safin????? He looks a bit Russian, i said to Alice...... '' Or maybe he is, but his last name is a bit short!!" Alice questioned as she thinks all the Russian people has long surnames ending with ''ski'', '' ov', ''nova'', ''ko'' or '' chuk'', ''chinko'' sth like that! To her Alexander Popov is the only Russian on earth...
''Does he has blue eyes?'' Alice's sister Daisy asked.... as if all Russian men have blue eyes.....well, my brother has green eyes, he still calls himself Russian.....
''no, well, Safin would be a Tatar surname'' (NOTE to many westerners ''Tatar'' is an insult, but they never know that Tatar in Russian means a group of living people and a ethnic group)..... i quickly use the knowlege that my Kazan (A russian city, states of Tatarstan) born grandpa gives me.....
''whats a Tatar? you dont insult a handsome good-looking player?'' Alice is not happy.....
'' look on the net mate..........'' i told her back....
we tried to search his name on internet, but there is very few output as he wasnt that famous then.....well, at least Alice knows what is Tatar now...... if she wants a ''sort of Russian friend'' like me, she better understands our culture ( is that really my culture? i dont know)
A week later, i found a sport magzine in a local shop---MARAT SAFIN--wooo, that's the man! he is Russian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At age 17, i certainly has the sense of judgment about guys--well, i am a chick, arent I????? Marat is soooooooooooooooooooooooo good looking!!!!!! what a beautiful hazel/greenish eyes and shour curly hair......... Jesus, he is the most good looking person on earth! i quickly decided that i should watch more tennis,....at least just for Safin.........
i cut the only small picture and enlarged from my computer and put on my wall......
so i could look at Marat's handsome face everyday......
woooo....Life is so sweet......
my brother used to think tennis is '' totally wasting of time'', so he wouldnt know who marat is.....
by looking at Marat photo on my wall near my bed, he tipped that i got a new bf or so and keep telling Mum that ''Hellan got a very good looking guy and he looks Russian''......
I laughed.... it is not possible! At least my brother admits that Marat is good looking even he is a guy LOL......
That's my 1st love with tennis ,,,,,
let me remember tha beautiful name---Marat Safin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A super later on, who only use 10 mins to change my life-----GOD i love tennis now.........

Tell you something about me, my name is Hellan, yes H--E--L--L--A--N, god i have no idea why it spells like this way, better ask my God mother Barbara, it means the same thing as HELEN, huha.....
I was born in a beautiful city named St. Petersburg---City of the Tsars (or formerly named Leningrad, which I dont really like the name, it sounds too political LOL) in Russia with a multinational family and moved to Melbourne (where Aussie open held) Australia at age 5, travelled extensively around the world with my parents and my big brother Kasey.
I read and write more than 8 languages and understood10 languages or so.
Holding medical science degree and currently working as a Medical Scientist in a local hospital...

I am just a simple, ordinary chick that loves my own life. Honest to God I know nothing about tennis untill 1998, Marat Safin---a beautiful Russian tennis star has changed my life, i went crazy for this amazing sport!Yes, tennis is life now!
I always want to wrint something about this major change in my life---the love of tennis and dedicate to my fav. tennis player---Mr. Marat Safin---the only tennis star that I would ever watch and for ever.....
It is a memorial journey about me, a chick that begins my life with the passion of tennis!