Haha. Another training another event that occured. When I wished for training to be more fun more lively more meaningful last year, I didn't expect the kind of events that happened today. Today's training started well enough with me being early again (must be a new record twice in a row!!). I thought that maybe this time during training I could play better than my previous performances. I was also praying that I will not get angry with myself and break my renewed near-1-week-old promise of not losing my temper. Apparently, I didn't really have to worry much. My legs ran for almost every ball that my sparring partners gave me....that was until 5 minutes later when I was practically gasping for breath. I don't know. The training ground was sooo stuffy. When I took a DEEP breath, I expected nice oxygen filling my lungs. But rhere was nothing!! Argh. I was practically panting and yet no air seemed to enter my lungs. Of course, I coulldn't play well after that. I was just too tired and too busy trying to breath to be bothered about training properly. Oh well, next up was the big match between me and one of the best year 1 player in my school. Right. The thing was I was motivated and not THAT tired enough to play with him. I wanted to give him a hard fight or something. But when people started sitting around me and cheering me on, I felt so embarrassed and nervous. Its like its just so unfair. Why don't you guys root for the Year 1? Everytime I won a rally, the people would clap and I would just hang my head real low and pretend that I didn't hit that shot. To make matters worse, I imagined myself playing in a competition with all those people cheering. I suddenly felt so embarrassed and afraid that I would let the people who believes in me down. Well, eventually I won him but it was soooo close. Its really a relief that I didn't let anyone down today. Thank you God.

But of course, these few days trainings seem to have some special events waiting for me. Events that I have never ever encountered in my entire life. This training, the event happened like this. See one of my good friends was extrememly dissatisfied with the training today. This was because he claimed that he has been sitting down there for over 2 hours and he has not even played a single game. I was sitting outside when he suddenly just took his bag and left. Sighz. The thing is I saw what he did and obviously it was wrong. I don't even have to say why it is wrong right? Well, poor me. I had to run after him before he was out of the school and boy was it difficult. Not only did he had a super headstart (thanks to me wondering what the hell he is doing), his walking speed is also super fast. I managed to catch up with him and he told me all about how dissatisfied with training and the coaches and the people in charge, namely the captain and vice-captains. Sighz. Knowing the bad talker/persuader/advisor I am. I really didn't know what to say to him to make him feel better. I mean. Here is one of my good friends running away in the middle of training and its my responsibility to make things right? How in the world am I supposed to do that? I'm a loser!! But anyways, I took his racket and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder (I am not gay mind you) and I told him to take it easy and think about his actions. I told him that what he is doing isn't just going to affect him but its going to affect the whole team as well. I told him that the reason why he didn't have a chance to play is because there were much more people than there were courts and the coach wanted to try out this new guy.

See, I think that my friend is a really good player. I'm serious. He may be my good friend but I do not lie about what I feel when I'm writing my blog. He has what it takes to play a good match. He has a fighting spirit, he is keen to run, he has drive, he has technique and wait till you see him execute some finishing moves. The reason he is being ostracised by the coach is because of a very simple reason. During the selection match last week which I wrote about, he lost to this guy. Problem is, my good friend is way better than this guy whom he lost to. Its just that my friend was really nervous and he wasn't even playing half his potential that day. I know because I was there analysing the match. That lost cost him alot. Just because of that loss, the coach thinks that the other guy is better and my good friend's chances of making it into the team is in peril.

Ok. Back to the subject. I told my friend that I would ask the coach about his program and I did. Today is one of the very very very few times I asked a coach to help my friend organise a game so that he could play because of the very simple reason that I respect my coaches decision alot (hey otherwise he won't be called coach). I know that this is the least I could do for him and I really want to make him happy..if you know what I mean. Anyway, the coach gave me the "look" but I volunteered to play with him if the coach couldn't spare him an opponent. The coach seemed to think he was really doing me a BIG favour when he said that my friend could play the nest doubles. So finally my friend played his doubles and I felt really glad that I could at least help in even if its not much. After the match, he was sitting down on the floor doing his homework (something seriously not permitted by the rules set by the teacher-in-charge). He was still super down so I tried to cheer him up by talking about our secondary school days and the fun we had then. Well, I don't know how I did it. Maybe its because I was trying so hard to be nice and all but hey he started talking and laughing!! Hurray!!!!

Right. Then I went to talk to the vice-captain about my good friend and all. But apparently, what I heard isn't exactly good news.I was even given a lecture!! See, the vice-captain said that he has already given my friend a chance to prove himself and all. He told me that I must not be biased and all. He knows that I am on good terms with my very good friend and all and not with some of the other teammates. The Vice Captain (VC) said that he was very displeased with my good friend's attitude when he walked out and all. VC said that in the team it is really the survivial of the fittest and that only the best should get in and not whoever I think should get in. The VC isn't as huge a fan of my good friend as I am. He favours my good friend's opponent better just because of a single game and because the opponent sucks up to the VC. Darn. I didn't expect my peers to be so involved in politics even at such an age. Its just rediculous. Anyway, I tried to cheer my good friend up via SMS because he left for home the moment we were dismissed. Well, he seemed to really appreciate that I smsed him and he even agreed to watch X-Men 2 next friday with me. Haha. I don't know why but I felt kind of happy just knowing that my good friend is cheered up a little. Haha. Well, a lesson to learn from all this?

1. Your happiness depends on the happiness of the people around you
2. Even simple gestures can mean alot. So never overlook the simple things in life (like an SMS msg of encouragement), for the simple gestures touches one's heart most.