Expectations

It's about time to update this blog a little... Erm..First of all, I got through my 2nd year 1st semester and now I'm in 2nd semester. Which means, 2 years to go till graduation. Hmm. Didn't realize things happening so fast but it seems that I started this blog almost 2 years ago. I'm doing fine so far. This semester I'm taking 5 units but will only be sitting for 3 final exams.

Still hitting the courts like what people say which actually means playing BBall. Curtin University will be opening their new Multi purpose hall on April this year. Sports in this hall includes basketball, badminton, gymnasium, and some others. Our long awaiting indoor basketball court has finally finish completion after they started construction 2 YEARS AGO! Just imagine the difference in potential of these contractors. If Datuk Ting Pek Khing was holding this project, Curtin's phase 2 should have finished years ago.

This semester, my basketball team might unite again for the Curtin Basketball league. We will still be a Freshmen team. I've spoken with some of my teammates and they showed interest to continue playing together again this time.

For those who love action films involving martial arts, I strongly suggest the movie "Ip Man". The movie was so wicked, and the main role actor was Donnie Yen. I've never seen someone fight like him before. Not even the late Bruce Lee fights like this. The sound effects was especially great if you watch the movie in cinemas and the fighting moves was greatly choreographed.

So, this semester's expectations are:

i) Studying hard for GOOD results

ii) Have fun playing ball

iii) Live a better life

That's all for now. Till the next time I'll blog again. :)

Partners

Today, I found some time to update. Now I'm in the school's computer lab doing some internet surfing and awaiting for a class at 3pm. So far, life was life, as we grow a day older every single day.

Last saturday, we had our 3 on 3 basketball competition organized by Curtin which lasted almost the whole day. My team lasted till quarter finals and then lost. In the process, we won 3 games and lost 1 game to qualify for the quarter finals. There we met the resulting winner of the competition. So, tough luck. If we hadn't been scheduled to go against the best team that day, we could have gotten a better position.

Anyway, I stayed to watched all the games till the closing ceremony. The thing I noticed about the two best teams in that day was that both teams have outstanding understanding of each other in the team. These players or partners in a team, knows each other very well and can tell what the other is thinking without saying a word. They can predict their partners movements which is sort of like being at the right place at the right time.

In whatever profession, partners, from partners in law, partners in crime, partners in life, it is very important that you understand each other well to make the best out of what you are planning to do from now to the future together. Cause in this life, there is no such thing as a lone ranger or wanting to go through your problems alone. Everybody is going to need some help even if your in a high or low status position or whoever you are. Just name it, Bush, Osama,The pope, Kobe, me, you,anyone.

So, do not take for granted of the partners you have because one day if they leave you, your are going to have a hard time finding the ones that really understands us.

New Semester Resolution

This week is the third week of the semester. Meaning that a quarter of the semester has past. So far so good, just have to find some time to catch up with studies. Still playing basketball and I feel I've improved since my training with Mr.Chia. Yes! He taught me a couple of things that I never concentrated on. There was the physical part of training where there was lots of jumping and the most effective jumping exercise was on benches. Basics and shooting techniques was what he taught me. I was able to make new friends, young and old. Me and bro trained at 41/2 mile primary school.

The primary school students were quite nice. They were kind of different compared to some other mischievous kids. They really had good manners and treated us as their big brothers and always challenging us for a little one on one game for their friends to see. Of course, we couldn't turn them down. So, we gave them a little show to watch. Haha, it wasn't bullying but giving the little guys a few pointers. I also got to know the coach of the school and it was so hilarious that he told me to be his assistant coach for his primary six students for the next year. Can't make it, sorry got studies. Anyway, the best part of the training is that after we were exhausted from physical training we still got to play with these guys in a full court game.

The two best players on the court was Mr.Chia and Bert. Mr.Chia is the total package of a basketball player. He's got speed, toughness, court awareness, shooting accuracy, and high jumping ability whereas his friend bert has height and great 3 pointer accuracy. The matter of fact that Mr.Chia can dunk with two hands while he is hanging in the air with his height only reaching 170+ cm is enough to award him the best player I've seen personally. Furthermore, nobody can stop him from shooting 3 pointers from the perimeter. 3 pointer jump shots. This isn't exaggerated.

Waiting for the coming 3 on 3 competition...aiming for 1st place. If not at least 2nd runner up...not too much to ask. But first got to find another three teammates. Wish me luck.
I found two DVDs of six movies of the late Bruce Lee. Damn respect him man. He stood up for his race which was very ill treated by foreigners and also some other bad characters. He kicked their asses with his chinese boxing.

Things turning out okay

Finals are over! What a relief...at least for the coming 1 more month I'm able to relax then it will be the beginning of my second year in degree. As related to the title of this post, things turn out okay. I managed to pull myself up to study and finals was fine. However, a few adjustments must be made for me to keep up on studies next semester. Basketball turn out okay too. Our team won our last game against a China team by seven points. We'll see how it goes, whether we all still want to play as a team again next semester. That's if we still feel comfortable playing with each other and still trust each other to make plays.

Last night was one of the thrilling nights I ever have with my ball buddies. Cycling to school at 10pm and playing ball till 1.30am. Came back home to shower up and couldn't sleep till 5am. Surprisingly there were others who were at school playing ball in the midnight. Right before that we went to town to have a farewell dinner for Ah liang who will be going to Curtin, Perth. Knew this friend of mine for a year. Seeing people leave is quite a disappointing feeling. Everybody is going to experience this when people close to them leaves one day. So, if my studies turn out good, may be going to Perth in the final year. Just maybe. Still have to trust on my own potential to survive in this world. Can't rely on anybody but yourself.

Los Angeles Lakers fans will be disappointed this year because Lakers has lost against the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals despite having the greatest basketball player in the planet in this generation, Kobe Bryant. The main reason they lost to my opinion is because the Lakers did not play smart as compared to the Celtics which overwhelmed the lakers in the last game. Lakers seem to have individually good players but lousy team players and Kobe himself is not enough to go against Paul pierce, Kevin garnett, and Ray allen. My main holiday plan during this one month time is to go for an intensive basketball training under the supervision of a state coach, Mr.Chia. I'll give it a try no matter what people said that this sort of training are very tiring. For the benefits, suffering for a month is nothing compared to what I can learn from a professional to be use in the future. Its so exciting that I finally get this rare opportunity and support from my mum as well. All thanks to my mum that I gotten this chance because it happens that Mr.Chia was a friend of hers and he offered to coach me and my brother for a month for free.

Movies to watch this holidays are The Incredible hulk, Hancock, and the 2nd batman movie. Will be going back Kuching this Saturday. Basketball training starts on Saturday evening as well. Sometimes we need inspirational icons in our life to push us to touch greatness and to remind us that there will always be another person who is better than us because we are not perfect.

My top 3 inspirational basketball figures:
1) Allen Iverson
2) Kobe Bryant

3) Michael Jordan

Destiny

23 . That is the number of days left till my 1st final exam paper. I've been thinking lately whether I've made the right choices in my life recently. Whether was it a mistake of me choosing chemical engineering as my major and leaving all good and bad things in my hometown. There is still a little regret in me that tells me that I should have decided to stay in Kuching instead. I haven't a clue why I chose Chemical Engineering and came all the way to Miri for it right now. It's like I've lost the purpose but still I've made my choice and will have to go with it. Now I feel really screwed. I don't have the support that I have when I was at home and also at the same time I have less pressure from the bad side of home. I miss my family and friends which now I realized that they were an important part of my life that made me feel happy and belonged. I failed to realize that when I was too busy thinking about the bad things in life. So, I guess my mum was right about not running away from our problems but to face them instead.

The best thing that I enjoyed most is taken away from me. I failed to put my basketball team together and I don't think we will be playing together again after today's last match. Maybe if things don't work out in a team, it just won't work no matter how you try to mend it. My feelings for the game suddenly faded away for the first time in my life during our game yesterday. We were all playing selfishly and the meaning of playing the game isn't there anymore. I just don't understand why people would be so afraid to lose to others where some people call Kiasu. I see people jawing at each other just to win and even playing dirty. What's the meaning of playing like that, I play the game for fun and I share the ball with my friends. We play a team game where we trust each other to make the shot, not by looking at their mistakes and playing selfishly by holding the ball to yourself and not passing. There is simply no chemistry in that. I'm sick of people telling me what to do and controlling me all the time. No matter in my life matters or my hobby, I find people taking advantage of who I am. They keep telling me what to do like they know what's right for me. I just listen to them cause I trust them that what they are telling me is just a way for me to improve myself but I'm so sick of people telling me what to do. I do better most of the time without people holding me back. I prefer being myself than what people want to see me as. I also noticed that people I'm studying with are very Kiasu and selfish. They keep everything to themselves and are unwilling to share what they know with others. It isn't like there is a class position where there is a top ten of students getting the best results in class like in high school. What is wrong with people nowadays? I'm only seeing this situation here and I can't imagine how this selfish people will turn out to be in the future.

As for my studies, I'm feeling useless as ever. With little help from my friends I'm currently struggling with my syllabus. I'm so empty headed now. Whatever results I got in the past like my 9A's in SPM was never enough for my Uncle who is sponsoring my studies since my dad left. I wonder how good of my results will I have to achieve for him to be satisfied about my studies. The 9A's I had for SPM are all thanks to my teachers and friends who help me out in high school and a little hard work from myself. It isn't because I was smart or had a mind for studying. It's not that at all but people always expects me to get results and thinks that I'm distracted by other things in life. He even lectured me that basketball wasn't important and I should stop wasting time playing ball. He doesn't even know how much basketball means to me. Basketball is like part of me that I enjoyed most. It isn't just a game, its a way for me to keep my mind of things and I enjoy that very much. Oh..crap..I'm so frustrated. Sometimes I wished I could stop thinking that much and give myself sometime to relax and stop worrying so much.

I've never taken the time to apologize for the wrong things I've done and I'm sorry to everybody that I've let down. So, if in the future anybody that I'm going to mention that I've offended, here are my apologies. I apologize to my parents that I didn't turn out to be the son that they had imagined I would be, my uncle who had so high expectations in me about my studies, my grandmother who I failed to call her even once since I was away from home, my SCS who I wasn't grateful enough for all the things he has done for me, my friends who I have offended, and to the other people in the world who I've might hurt or taken advantage of. So whatever comes will have to wait till my finals are over and I can't wait to feel home again.