Motivation.

Life sucks. My life so far this year hasn't been spectacular, hasn't been fun, hasn't been anything. It's just like nothing happened since last year. But no, to be honest, many things have changed, both for the better and worse. Sometimes, its just hard to find motivation to go on, just hard to find motivation to just do the things that you love to do. Sometimes, its just so hard, to get down to do work for example, and even if I do, I feel that my 100% is not going into it at all. I just feel kind of robotic sometimes, where you just do things for the sake of it, with no feelings. The past just feels so much better, but I guess thinking about such stuff is not gonna help at all.

All our lives or at least my life, are like cactuses. One in a desert, deprived of water, but one that at the end of the day still manages to survive somehow. The water is like motivation in my case. Sometimes, there's no water at all, but you've got to keep going. You've got to keep pushing on, surviving. At some point in time, it may feel like you're not living life anymore, but just surviving through it, but that's just life. You've just got to get whatever you need or want from wherever you can and live with it. But sometimes, I just imagine that someone called me "weak" and that I couldn't make it. This really makes me feel knocked down. But, it just makes me feel a little "stronger". It makes me just stand back up, much taller than before. But sometimes, this is just simply not enough.

But there are other sources of motivation around like friends, my own self-motivation (which is very little) and my passion. To be honest, I owe quite a bit to my friends. They've made my journey to where I am very smooth and they are great pillars of support. They are always there for you and ready to lend a helping hand. Plus, they are also like family sometimes. But to not forget the family that I was born in, I think they have also given me a great deal of support. They are just so cheerful most of the time and life wouldn't also be the same without friends and them. I really appreciate being born into such a family where if one member is upset, the rest would notice immediately and try to cheer up that person. Something like what we do for each other as one-ders. These things keep me going. But not forgetting my passion, football. I think I'll make this part a little longer cos' I don't think I have talked about this before. Sometimes, things just seem better and its easier to forget about stuff, with a kick of the ball. It's like kicking your worries away and it really makes it easier to smile. It makes it easier to live life and enjoy yourself. Even though I'm not that good a football player, the joy that comes when you do a skill is just amazing. The feeling when the ball catches the net, when the ball goes in off the crossbar, is just sensational. Just doing all these without feeling any fatigue at all is remarkable and I'm really thankful for this beautiful game. It plays an important part in my life and without it, I really don't think I would have made it this far. It just makes you have a clear mind and be more positive. I love you, football.

Source:(http://sam-football.fr/)

Change

I really thought that I should really blog after not doing so for kinda long. To be honest, this has actually got to be the worst time to be doing so with all the tests coming up on assessment week and all but let’s go.

Firstly, it has really been a great jump from JH2 to JH3 life with all of those new stuff that we have to learn. Plus, since I’m in Triple Science, the sciences have been divided into their components and although, it make some stuff clearer as its easier to relate it back to the type of Science that it is part of, it really makes it harder for revision and all and it is much harder to stuff all those things into my brain in a short period of time. Things have also have been much harder to understand in class and I realized that I have to work super duper hard to survive this year and the subsequent years. To be honest, I really miss the or carefree years in JH1 and JH2. Plus, boarding is also gonna lose more of its fun element as a result too. Damn, guess this is how life goes. But then, guess this will make me more focussed on work and less distracted on other stuff.

Secondly, football. I know I haven’t blogged too much about football but I’ve got to say that nevertheless, its an integral part of my life. Without that sport, surviving would be tough. Without Liverpool, life would be so much more dull, life would be horrible. But, even finding time to play football is tough and its just painful to watch day after day pass by with me not kicking a soccer ball around and strike it into the back of the net if possible, just to hear the sound of the contact between the shoe and the ball. But I guess that life still goes on. If only one day there would be some time for that, that would be great, not just great, perfect. This sport kept me going and it still keeps me going. Plus, Liverpool’s performances have been amazing this season and kudos to Brendan Rodgers for integrating and implementing his style of play and his tactics so well in the Liverpool side. #WeTrustInBrendan Let’s win the league title this year.:) Plus, its the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. #JFT96 Rest In Peace. #YNWA

Thirdly, the change of environment. To be honest, the environment in JH305 is kinda different from that in JH101 and JH201 even though there are a lot of one-ders in the class haha. But fitting in has been quite fun actually thus far and I think I’ve learnt some basketball stuff from the guys and all. Plus, it has also been quite a fun experience getting to know more people and bonding with them. Four years with these people haha.XD Guess it has been a pleasant experience so far in this class and I’m also quite happy that I’m in this class.

However, there is also that sense of missing the one-ders. The people, the environment, the bonds, everything. But to be honest, I’m really happy that we can still go out on class outings together and all even though not all of us may be from the same class. Guess that just shows how bonded we are haha.XD Plus, it was entertaining to go for the Haunted Houses and spend most of Funtasia with some of the oneders (plus Jolene haha.XD) But, even though we were supposed to be screaming and all, I really think that we actually laughed more in the Haunted Houses haha.XD Kaushik also joined along later haha. But to be honest, I really think I should man-up after all those experiences in the haunted houses haha. Guess its time to become more manlier! (haha JKJK)

But last, but not least, that change affected me. It changed everything about me. It showed me that things don't always end smoothly, don’t end up the way you want them to. But apart from all the negatives, it taught me one thing:

If there are no ups and only downs in something, stop doing it.
                                       
                                          AND

There’s always something positive about anything; Look on the bright side.

Effort

Damn I really can’t believe that two weeks have passed since I last blogged. ((More than that actually, seventeen days have passed leh.)) I’m really sorry that I can’t blog quite frequently because I really have a lot of stuff to do((or sometimes, I’m just plain lazy to do so.:P)) And are these days even actual holidays? More like “hell-i-days” There’s just so much to do and you can never be done with anything. Ever. And the thing is, I don’t even want to relax. I just don’t feel like pushing aside al the work and maybe come back to it, a little bit later. I just don’t want procrastinate. I’m sure that the work and all the expectations will just come back to haunt me in the future if I don’t commit myself to them. But the sad part is, I don’t think I can ever go on outings with 01 anymore doing these holidays. One reason for that is that my parents probably won’t allow me to go for them and the other is just because of stuff that I have to do. I’m really sorry 01 but I’ll try to come on outings during these holidays. If not, its next year for me then, I guess. Maybe, next year I’ll be able to go with y'all. But for now, I don’t think so. I’m really sorry.

The work has already been cut out for me for these holidays. Firstly, the academic stuff. Damn, I really felt really clueless she the teachers went through the stuff that we were going to learn. There was really a lot of homework given out for subjects like Science. They gave around three module outlines, two worksheets((kinda thick ones.)) and one huge, thick, booklet for Physics that contained 50+ pages. That   was really scary and daunting. And the best part is, I haven’t even looked through it yet. And the better part is that, there’s going to be a test about what’s in the book on the first Science lesson. Guess, I’m really going to be screwed if I carry on like this and I should start really at least flipping through the book and try memorizing and learning as much as I can. And there’s still revision to do. I’ll be honest here. I’ve really forgotten most of the stuff that we learnt in JH1 and JH2 and whenever I look through the stuff on LMS, some of the stuff look actually quite alien to me. Like the structure of the molecules? What’s that? And for the Math, they sent over the topics that we’re going to learn next year. Great, just great. Guess I’m going to cram learning all the topics over the holidays then. There this pretty much sums up..Wait..not yet! And on top of that I still have to do stuff for the other subjects that didn’t assign e-learning homework. There’s still IH research to do. Partly of why I’m so concerned about my academics is because of the rumors that getting a high GPA is tough. Your GPA may even be −1 your JH2 GPA, supposedly. And my JH2 GPA isn’t even good. And its not only for the GPA, its for the whole learning experience and the development of the student so that he has adequate knowledge of his school’s syllabus. (Damn, do I sound like and Education Minister? haha)

Secondly, physically I have a lot of work to do. I’m not fit enough. Not strong enough. Not fast enough. Not enduring enough. ((Does that even make sense?XD)) I really have a lot of training to do. The tournament for my age group is next year and I have exactly around 11 months to train for it. 11 MONTHS. Its really a short period of time and by then I have to become better. MUCH BETTER that what I currently. I can’t even imagine how huge my opponents will be. And I’ll be going against much huger opponents, opponents that all be much more skillful than me. Opponents that will only rest after they are assured of a win. Opponents that can’t wait to get the better of you. Opponents that will look for your weak points and take advantage of them. I’ve got to really have the fire, the passion, and match up with them in every area, or be even better, to beat them. The fire has to burn on, on and on, even when the competition is over, it still ha sot burn. Because, the passion for the sport is not something that lasts only for a competition, months, weeks or even days. It’s something that lasts for an entire lifetime. Something that last up till your last breath. You have to live and breathe the sport. That’s when you know you have the passion. I’m really proud of my passion for soccer and I hope that I will develop the same passion as well for Cricket. I’ve got to. I simply can’t afford to not have it at all.

I’ve been playing cricket and training at least a few times a week now and the coach is really helping me out. But another part of the training is the fitness part. Haha I really don’t want to elaborate on this and show off or anything so yeah. But the hardest part, is really getting the motivation to move my butt to go and exercise haha. But I’ve got to say that I see frequent visitors at the weights room and one of them is actually Mr Perel. To me, he’s really a great fitness motivator((or is it motivation leh?) Btw, I saw this picture.

Source:http://teamfamilyfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2013/05/effort.jpg

Well I really hope that my effort will pay off in the end sia. However, generally having just the effort sometimes isn’t simply enough, we have to have a positive mindset and be happy with what we’re doing and do it for ourselves. Do it our own personal gain, and not do it just because someone else told us to do so or because of any other external reason. It’s gonna be because of what you want and not what others want, although sometimes, other’s expectations are really good and can help motivate you. But in the end, remember, do it for yourself, your own sake, cos’ what you do is not going to help other people in the end, its for your own growth and development. 

Source: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-give-100-effort-2.png

And if you ever think that the effort that you’re putting in isn’t enough and isn’t helping achieve what you want, look at this.

Source: http://rlv.zcache.com/inspirational_effort_poster-r723a18dd1685475283219d1349a50cf0_w2u_8byvr_512.jpg

So why not squeeze out whatever that’s left in you. And sometimes, putting in 100% of your effort isn’t enough, 101% is what is needed. The 100% is your pure effort and the remaining 1% is your effort from experience. This is the defining factor in whatever you do. It really shapes whatever you’re doing and so on. Depending on the situation, working hard may be suitable, and working smartly instead may be a better thing to do.

And one last pic. to sum it all off.

Source: http://www.bubblews.com/assets/images/news/1946147070_1366437872.jpg

Sorry if this turned into a motivational post or something haha. I really hope it does achieve its purpose of being one though!:)

Btw, good luck to all the guitarists taking part in the Trinity examination. We have around 48 hours to prove our worth, lets go and show them what we’ve got!:)

One-derland

Today was the last official school day with the rest of the one-ders. It was a great day and I really felt that the love for one another really showed and came out. I don’t know how to say this but I’ll really miss each and every one of them next year. Its even hard to imagine the fact that next year, we won’t be together in the same class anymore and would be in separate classes and wouldn’t get the opportunity to talk to each other as freely as before. We also won’t be able to enjoy each others’ company during classes next year anymore. We also can’t have all those random talk sessions at the end of school and the random stay-back sessions where we went down to play frisbee and just enjoy ourselves and have the time of our lives or even the days where we stayed back just to go out and bond together as a class. I’ll certainly miss this class. Can I just time-travel back to where we started out on the last day of orientation as people who never knew that they would eventually become really bonded with each other and share a special relationship that can never be expressed in words? The time where we just sianly walked over to the 101 classroom because we had to, never even have the mere thought of creating many precious memories with the rest in the class? Argh, I simply adore this class and its just going to be so hard to leave them after this year.:’(

And the last day of school, just made us realize how close we’ve become to one bother and how much we were going to miss each other next year, when we weren’t going to be in the same class and stay together as one big one-der family in the same class. It also made us realize how hard it would be to stay close to one another next year, when we were going to be split up. At first, the videos of the things that we did for the Cultural Mapping thing and the Drama production were shown and we relived the memories of these few things that we did in the earlier part of this year. I actually found some of the parts still funny although I had watched it before and I felt that a these memories could never, ever grow old and would stay alive in our hearts forever.

Then, Megan played the video that she had created for us. A video that encapsulated almost all the memories that we had created as a class. A video that contained photos of days spent in the class, those random photos that had been taken with or without people’s knowledge and the things and the memories that we had created with each other in these two years as one-ders. Things and memories that we may have taken for granted in these two years that we spent together. There were countless photos and some of them really brought out the laughs but in the end, they made us start tearing. These memories that we had created just made us so emotional and the realization that these memories could never be made again made it worse. These photos just showed how we had enjoyed the days that we had spent in the same class together, how we simply loved each other’s company, and all the various emotions that we had experienced. This video really brought us through an emotional roller-coaster and everyone started crying around me. Although I had been trying to hold back my tears and actually comfort the rest to stop crying and start smiling and enjoying this last day of school that we had, in the end, the tears just flowed out. This was the first time that I had cried in many years and made in my whole lifetime. (My mum had actually said that I didn’t even cry when I had been born.) I didn’t even feel like stopping the tears. There was no use in doing so. I didn’t even think that I could stop them from flowing out. It was really tough. The principal’s contact session where she talked about how quite badly we had done in comparison to the other cohorts didn’t even affect the impact that the video had on us and the second part still brought out the same emotions in us. I actually loved the “ testimonials” part and they showed how we felt and loved each other as a class. I’m actually quite proud and happy that one of them was from my blog haha. We soon got into a circle and talked about how we loved the times that we spent in 01 and how we felt. Mr Teo had said that we were still going to see each other next year but I felt that that wasn’t the point. The separation and the realization that we were going to be together anymore was already bad enough. 

Next, after school, we had the class outing and went to Vivo, the place that we had most of our class outings. I think it sort of also helped me relive some of the memories that we had created during the class outings that we had had over there in the past. We played in the water and just started splashing each other about and playing “Old Grandmother”. (And did I mention that I got kicked in the ass four times haha?) I guess people found a way to stop me from showing my ass to them whenever they wanted to splash some water.XD We also played this Chinese game and I think I sort of epic failed when I wanted to catch Ian as I fell into the water at one time. I guess the time spent in the water just allowed to relax a bit and enjoy each other’s company in the remanning that we had left as a class before we had to split up. Next, we took some photos and I left because my mum wanted me back hime as the next day was Deepavali.

Mr Lee is also leaving us next year. He had actually told some of us about it much earlier but I guess he didn’t want anyone else t be affected by his leave from the school. To be honest, there will always be a place in my heart for all the one-ders and Mr Lee. They have really impacted my life in the short time that I have spent with them.

The awesome one-ders(when we got our class hoodie.)

The still awesome one-ders(on homeroom day.)

There’s actually a song that I would like to dedicate to all the one-ders and Mr Lee at this point in time when we’re going to split up.

“Hold your head up high

 And don’t be afraid of the dark

 At the end of a storm

 There's a golden sky

 And the sweet silver song of a lark”

"Walk on, walk on,

 With hope in your heart,

 And You’ll Never Walk Alone”

These lyrics are actually from the song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” I know it was originally created for Liverpool but I guess its also also applicable to us in this period of time. We shouldn’t be “afraid of the dark” now, when we are going to split up at the end of the the year, and think that that there would be a “golden sky” when we will definitely meet up with one another again, and create many memories again as one-ders. I also think that by walking on, “with hope in our hearts that we will meet again”(which we will do, in the next few years, definitely) and when we meet each other, 

we will “Never Walk Alone” and always be there for another.

All of us will forever be one-ders and always be in one-derland. 

And remember YNWA. (You’ll Never Walk Alone.)

And this is the song.

                                                                        You’ll Never Walk Alone(By Gerry and The Pacemakers)

Teachers’ Day+Leaving the one-ders

 Yesterday was Teachers’ Day and it was really fun. School started later than usual as it was a Thursday and we had some celebrations in school. They were held in the hall and to be honest, they were quite entertaining. There were some solo performances and if I’m not wrong, there was one by Soh. (sorry if I spelt the name wrongly.) I thought that she sang quite well and the crowd really cheered her as she sang. There was also Kaushik who sang. I thought that he sang quite well, but the background music was just too loud at times, so it was hard to hear him singing. There were other performances by Indian Dance, the Choir and the Student Council. There was also one segment where they asked the students to identify the teacher that had a certain item. I guess that didn’t appeal to me much.:( Towards the end of the celebrations, there was also this segment where they handed out awards to certain teachers. The whole thing ended at around 11.30 am. 11.30 AM. And I had asked Joshua(or Jang:P) to wait for me at the bus stop at 11. Damn, I was really late.

But he was still there at the bus stop. We went to SJIJ together and along the way, we talked about our lives and so on. There were actually a few interesting topics that we talked about.:P Our opinions on certain things and so on. We finally reached SJIJ at about 12.15pm, I think. We toured the school and we went to go and see the teachers. Unfortunately, most of them already left the school for some tea break that they were supposed to have and we couldn’t see them . However, Mrs Ng and our science teacher were still there. I actually forgot my science teacher’s name sia. So it was like really weird and we just said hi. And Jang actually forgot a lot of stuff sia. Even the fact that we were from the same class haha.

We met the other people from our class there. Only a few people came and we only managed to see Jarrett, Marc Lim, Nicholas and Kok F’ng over there. We had a mini soccer session with some of the older former students that had come over and the Patrick students. Kaushik and Nathan had also come there. After a while, we went to United Square and waled around before we decided to finally go over to Novena Square for lunch. We actually spent a lot of time thinking about where we should go over to eat and in the end, Jang and I decided to just run off to Subway to eat and leave the rest. We had some fun over at Subway and talked about football and topics like the top-four chances for each team, Bayern Munich’s potential and whether Jose Mourinho’s moves and choices were justified. So our prediction of the top four is as follows. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham. I guess this could end up being the result at the end of the season.

After eating, we went over to the Kopitiam where the other were eating and chatted with them before we made our way home. Jang, Nicholas and I took the same train and we bade our goodbyes to the rest. After we had reached our destinations, we also said bye to each other.

I guess I should spend more time with my primary school friends. After all, I went through a lot with them. Maybe we should meet up more often or just randomly chat with one another when we’re free or something. I wouldn’t mind a soccer outing anyway.

However, that doesn't mean that my current class is any less important. I’ve been with this bunch of one-ders for around 1 and three quarters of a year already and leaving them would be hard. I’be got to know each and every one of them better as time went by and I feel that we are really bonded. I’m really grateful to be in a class like this. We’re really bonded and I hope that we can always be like this. Hope that we can actually be in the same class next year too.(Not that its going to happen, sadly.:() Like each and every one of us makes this class special, unique. Every singe person is important. I hope that maybe even after this year, we will still go out on outings if possible or stay in touch with one another.

And the sad thing is, we have only around a term left with each other. It its actually a full term as Term 4 is actually quite short as compared to the other terms. I hope we will be able to make more memories in the time we have left and treasure them. I’ll really miss this bunch of people when we have to go our separate ways..

And Mr Lee is also changing our seating arrangement next term. I actually quite like my table. I’ve been sitting with them for half a year already and we’ve made some memories together. I’ll miss them too. But I guess Mr Lee also wants us to socialize more with others in the class, so I guess that changing tables is kind of inevitable. So I decided that I should describe my table mates (as requested by Jia Xin) but I don’t think I’ll do it today. The time is..damn. I think I’d better got to sleep. I’ll edit the post soon and put in the descriptions

Here are the descriptions:
(From my right to left)

Xuan Rong: I guess she’s really a mature person and stuff but she still has those times when she becomes hyper and starts meowing in class or “nyahaha-ing”. She’s fun to be with and has been a really great table mate. She’s also really good at all the subjects and she’s really determined and focussed in class. I guess she’s a smartie-pants or something haha. She’s also helpful and helps me out in lessons when I may be lost or may not understand something. I also have all those little arguments with her and I guess that these ones actually help me improve my debating skills and all. She’s really good at debating too btw and I guess by sitting next to her, I’ve improved in my studies quite a bit, and learnt how to write extremely fast. Sitting with her has been a great experience and I’ve got to know her better.

Praveen: That’s me! I guess if I do a description of me, I’ll be probably describing myself as the best person alive so yeah haha.

Jia Xin: She’s a great person to be sitting beside and great friend to talk to. Haha I guess that I would be sleeping in class, if I didn’t talk to her in class or something. I guess I feel guilty about making her angry whenever I don’t sit properly in class. She’s really helpful(except for the times that she refuses to lend anyone her correction tape) and is really smart! She’s also great in studies although she doesn’t seem like she mugs much. She also kinda sucks(just kidding) and doesn’t realize sometimes that she’s insulting the most awesome person alive by calling that him or her a thick skull. Hmph.(haha JKJK). She’s also another one of the fangirls that love my singing. (haha JKJK again.) I also ship her and someone from 06! JiaCardo just looks so cute together! Sitting with her has been a great experience for me.

Xinyi: She’s really a great friend to talk to and she really understands you most of the time and helps you out when you’re down or something by presenting another viewpoint or something. She’s also a great friend to confide in and talking to her is really fun and I’ve learnt a lot of stuff.(P.S. I like reading her essays too.:P) She also offers great advice and I like the random topics that we talk about.  She also can be quite funny at times and lifts the mood of the table when all of us feel bored. She’s also is quite helpful when it comes to doing work or just everyday stuff. She’s also really enthusiastic especially when it comes to playing games haha. She’s really smart too and really raises interesting and valid points during LA. I’m also grateful to have a friend like her and sitting with her has been a great experience.

I guess I’m really gonna miss my table mates after we split up next week or something. Hope that we will go on some outings or something and stay bonded as a table group. (I’ll come for the outings this time for sure!:))

Change yourself if you can.(For the better.)

This week sucked. I’m serious, I just felt so bad, this week. I’m really doing crap for most of the things. I’ve really go to improve. I’ve got to push on. I’ve got to go back to all those that I missed out on, and tend to those things. No matter how insignificant and unimportant things might have appeared then, I’ve realized that its my job now to go back and change everything.

Looking back on my life, I realize that I haven’t accomplished much. I’m just a normal student, just like everyone else, studying, playing and enjoying myself. This is what practically everyone does. What have I done that is special? I’m just a normal person, just like everyone in society, getting judged by everything that is a part of me. There are 7 billion people in this world, trying to fit in.(All Around The World reference) And I’m just one of them, trying to survive through the thing that’s called, life. And I live in Singapore, a country that is so successful, in so many areas. And I make up one of the 5 million people residing here. I haven’t done anything extraordinary, I haven’t even done anything. i haven’t even contributed in any way. I’m just ANOTHER student. Or maybe, just another resident, in the bigger picture. I’m just a resident of the world, and I’m already struggling. Struggling with so much work. Struggling with so much commitments. Maybe, then, it wasn’t that important a thing, but now, I realized that I’m going nowhere. I’ve to become a better person.

So what spurred this change? There were a lot of things that happened this week, but I what I really want to talk about, is, what happened today. The Cricket season started today. It was a new season and I really wanted to do my best. Do my best and improve the coach. The coaches were a new this time around, and I felt that this was my chance to show them what I was made of. I started training with my brother before the training itself and we started off by throwing some balls to each other. The coaches were watching us and they didn’t say anything. Maybe they were impressed, maybe they weren't. They seemed really encouraging though, throwing back the ball whenever, my ball spun too much or simply put, just went off-target. After that we did some batting drills by ourselves. After a while, the training session begun.

We started off with some throwing drills, unusually and what was the most interesting part was that the drill was the same thing as the one that my brother and I were doing. We got into pairs and I partnered my brother as usual. We were throwing the balls to each other and one of the coaches, came over to me and corrected me. He told me that my technique was a little off and taught me how to do it better. He encouraged me and told me that I could do it. That left a lasting impression on me.

Next, we had some goalkeeper practice. There were two cones, on either side of a designated area and we had to move and dive to prevent the balls from crossing the line.The coach split us into four groups at first, but later, before we had even begun, he told me, that I had potential and transferred me to another group with better people. I dived and twisted and turned and did my best to stop the balls from passing by me. He commended my effort and told me that I could have just jumped to my side to stop some of the balls.

There was some throwing practice after, and one of the coaches and the main coach corrected my technique and encouraged me on to hit the middle stump. The balls went really close according to them, and they told me not to give up hope. In the end, I didn’t even hit it at all.

Then, the last part of the training session. The guys came along and asked me whether I would want to pair with them but I rejected them politely. My brothers was much more important. I fielded a few balls and was left to rue a few missed chances where we could have got the batsmen out. Then it was my brother’s and my turn to bowl and bat. I played as the wicketkeeper for a while, and the coach cheered me on though I evidently had lost touch with the position and let a few balls go past me.

Then I had to bowl. The coach told me that my balls were going a little off and told me to pitch it a little to the right side. He even told me that changing my side would be a better option. I did so and got a wide in six balls. Not bad eh? haha:)

It was my turn to bat with my brother soon after. I was batting feel at first and didn’t hit a few wides. I attempted to hit the last ball though and almost got out. Phew, that was close. I was quite disappointed that I hadn’t hit that many balls at first but later after hearing my team’s score, was quite contented with myself.

And then, I had to field again. This was the frustrating part. There were just so many chances for me to get the coach out, and I didn't. It was really painful for me. I wanted to do better. I wanted to just become a better player and prove myself and I didn't. I wanted to do some extra work and back-up the keeper and in the end, didn’t do that well. The first few balls didn’t reach me and for the others, I was just plain slow. I walked away, dejected after the training. I could have done much better. I had already had a year of cricket training and I still couldn’t do this? Disappointing. Really, disappointing.

I’m not trying to brag or anything. This is honestly how I feel.

And the incident that happened last week is still fresh in my mind. It was really demoralizing. Maybe, it was interpreted all wrongly. But…but..couldn’t it have been the other?

Why? Just why? Why did it have to turn out this way?

No, even thinking about doing that is stupid. Thank You for helping me realize my mistake. Thank You.

I have only one thing to say about this-

People change.

Haters

This post is really long so if you read every single part of it, I’ll be really happy and here’s a big thank-you!

Hi people! I’m back again! Really sorry for not blogging earlier. I remembered that I said that I would blog on Tuesday or something but I fell asleep before I even started using the computer again. You see, on Tuesday, I ended at around 5.30pm and only came home at around 6pm and had not slept in between. I had to start doing my work immediately and there was almost no time for me to blog. I did some of my IH and went to lie down in my bed and before I knew, I fell fast asleep. Great, just great. And there went a few precious hours of my life. I don’t usually sleep at around 11pm but that day, I was really very tired and in need of a rest after cricket.

Last week’s cricket training was actually that organized and Ganesh and me just stayed back at school and went for training at 3.30pm We got the equipment out and started bowling and batting a few balls. Then, Courier came over and he corrected our techniques and all. We sweated and all in our uniforms. We weren’t even planning to go down on that day initially and we had not brought our PE attires along. However, not wearing the PE attire didn’t actually make much of a difference and did not affect our playing style or anything. Courier said that my bowling technique wasn’t good and that I had to perfect it before I could start and so, I went off. It was quite demoralizing at first but after a while, I realized that it was for my own good that Courier had asked me to learn the basics. The basics have to be really learnt thoroughly before you approach cricket. I think its the same for every other sport too, isn't it?

On Tuesday, we had the second training session and I felt that this was a little more ‘low-key’ in a way. We didn’t actually play that much and we ended earlier than usual due to our parents. For this training session, Ganesh, Nishanth and I came along. I really appreciated Nishanth coming along to play the sport with us rather than going off to play somewhere else. Siyang also came to throw a few balls and it was actually a more fun training session in a way as the seniors called along their friends to just bat our balls. Courier said that my technique was improving but that I could still do better. Guess who’s training more now? I’m really thankful for Courier’s and the other seniors’ advice. It really helps me to grow as a person and those little bits of criticism really help me to improve. Thank You.

Speaking about criticism, I have been actually thinking people having haters and all in the society. The word hater, is defined in the dictionary as someone who greatly dislikes a specified thing or object. He is also perceived to be a negative or critical person.

Haters are everywhere. In society, don’t you see them? Don't you see people criticizing certain people who produce music for instance. Most of these people have no specific reason to hate or despise this certain person or object but mainly do it just because the people around them are doing so. Only a handful have a reason, which may in some instances be, the certain person’s products being unreasonably popular. Even their reasons are not justified. These reasons mainly stem from jealousy. Is this good enough a reason to hate someone? In my opinion, its a big, fat NO. If someone’s better than you, shouldn’t you strive to be like him? You shouldn't despise him, should you?

However, some of these haters actually do more harm than good. They are like a double-edged sword(Yes, I know, the effects of LA). Sometimes, they demoralize that person or the person behind the object by displaying their hate, but most of the time, by making their hate known, they actually make the people more popular and help publicize the person. As people learn about this person, they will more often than not, decide for themselves, whether they would like to support him. Sometimes, the hate also makes them do better things and become a better person. However, in some instances, the person has to take this negative feedback, review it and decide for himself if he would like to change himself. Sometimes, changing yourself for other isn’t good.

So stop hating and start loving.

Bye!