Last year I got inspired by Slam Dunk and when I played my competition I imagined that I was playing a basketball match and I remembered what the players said on court that inspired me. This year however, I am terribly sick of Slam Dunk and I am faced with a different problem altogether. Last year was a lack of motivation. this is its a lack of courage. So, I took up my Samurai X VCDs and started to watch them. Even though the dialogue is in cantonese, I made every possible effort to try to understand the essence of what Himura had to say for his words are usually filled with meaning. Despite me not being a cantonese and having super basic knowledge of the language, I was able to make out this doalogue between Himura and his sensei when the sensei was teaching Himura a secret technique to his fighting style. The sensei said that Himura had killed so many people that he faces no fear even in the eyes of death. He is then able to block his fear completely and focus on protecting the people whom he really cares for and with this amount of focus, Himura was thus able to master the secret technique. I think I could apply this to my competition. Haha. I have played so many games and lost so many of them that winning or losing doesn't bother me. To play without fear but with determination brings out the essence of a player and he is thus able to do whatever he is supposed to do. Hmm. Sounds cool. I shall keep that in mind.