A Reasonably Good Start

So it kicked off today, with the first match against EP being crucial in getting us into the next round. Thank goodness JM managed to win the first point, YL and K clinched the 2nd point, and S the 3rd. Unfortunately, YR and J lost the 4th match, and WL didn't perform well in the 5th match as she was having some problems adjusting her backhand cut in that match. All the matches against EP were really close and are just not meant for the weak-hearted. I realised how nervous I could get watching them play, most probably something like 10 times more nervous than when I myself am playing. The umpire, a friend of mine, actually came over to tell me nicely to not give instructions when the players are playing(for fairness sake) and yes, I gotta admit that I couldn't quite control myself. =P Also, looking back at today, I realised that my tone of voice when I talked to the players after each set was perhaps a little harsh(or at least I think so when I look back now...). Think I should try to be more conscious of that for I don't want to 'scare' them with the wrong tone of voice. =S

What next after the win against EP? Fear set in. Fear that EP might win Pei Chun and result in a tie among 3 schools. Then it would be terribly hard to predict which 2 schools would get into the next round and who knows we might just get kicked out. With such fear came anxiety and the desperate desire to win this game against PCPS.

Again, JM played the first match. This time round, she faced a rather tough opponent and the gap between their standards was quite obvious. The worst thing was, her playing style kinda pissed me off. Even asking her to just cut and forget about attacking(she only managed to get about 20% or less balls that she attacked in) was difficult. Add up the scores she managed to win in the 3 sets, they totalled less than 11. It was a real disappointment. Plus her stubbornness... sometimes it really pisses me off. My philosophy is this: If you are GOOD ENOUGH(i.e. consistently getting into the top 4 in national age group tournaments), you can afford to be stubborn. Otherwise, FORGET IT... Anyway, I think my attitude during this match wasn't good. I think I ought to reflect as well. In short, I simply wasn't so interested in that match for a variety of reasons. Maybe I'm just a little biased and practise a bit of 'favouritism' not-so-consciously.(Sometimes just can't help it right...?)

The 2nd match was played by K and YL. It wasn't as tough a fight as the previous match against EP though it still did make me sweat a little. We thus won this match and I am quite happy with the performance of K and YL. On the whole, both of them did well today, being able to withstand the immense pressures being put on them and yet being able to deliver the wins. No doubt they needed constant reminding and pushing to carry out their respective 'roles' but still, they ought to be applauded for being great fighters today. Also glad that YL played without showing any signs of being sick even though she was still sick. That's the kind of attitude of a good sportsperson and I'm extremely glad that she has displayed that. As for K, it was probably a 'breakthrough' for her as she attacked well today even at the most crucial points and I'm certainly glad she did. I hope that those great shots boosted her confidence in her attacking skills.

The 3rd match was played by S. She didn't perform so well and after 5 gruelling sets(if I didn't remember wrongly), she was pinned down by her opponent. Her stubbornness did piss me off too. I'm sure she would have done better if she had varied her services and had given her opponent more short serves to the right rather than to the left. But since she chose to ignore the advice, well, what could I do except to just sit(to be exact, stand) there and watch her get 'slaughtered'... Again, my attitude here wasn't exactly good but I think there's nothing much that can be done to one who isn't very receptive to advice? =S

The 4th match was quite a breeze for YR and J. I'm glad that J did not make as many mistakes with her forehand cuts in this match as compared to the previous match against EP. As for YR, she made quite a number of mistakes in her forehand smashes but on the whole she still performed quite up to standard I thought. Kudos to the both of them for being able to withstand the pressure of being down 2-1 and winning this match. I'm also glad that the both of them seem to be able to get along fine and I hope that my short talk with them yesterday about the importance of being encouraging and understanding towards each other when playing doubles helped. (seems like playing doubles and being in a relationship has many similarities. =P)

The 5th match was the determining factor for this game against PCPS. While the 2nd doubles of YR and J were playing, I decided to train a little with WL. Not that such last minute training would really help improve her playing, but I thought it might help to boost her morale and make her feel more prepared and calm. Thank goodness she played well in this match and was able to keep her cool despite having played not-so-well in the previous match against EP. She won the first 2 sets quite easily but got 'stuck' in the 3rd set, even trailing 9-10. But she fought on and won back that set. WL sure deserves a big pat on her back for that(a gentle one... not the YR type of pat =P).

Oh and something which I missed out... in the midst of the game against PCPS, the umpire(a different one this time) came over (again) and asked me to =x. Looks like its really not easy for me to control my mouth when I'm watching them play... *grin*

To conclude the day's performance, I think that each and everyone of the players have played a significant role in winning their matches against EP and PC. YL and K deserve the most praise for winning BOTH their crucial matches and the others all deserve some praise for winning in either match. Hence, we have now safely gotten into the top 8 of the nationals. Cheers. Hope that we will all proceed further into the top 4. Will give the girls a treat if they achieve that target... (so start drooling now~!)

After the matches ended, it was already about 5.45pm and I went on to have a fantastic evening. 27 June 2006 was a great day for me and I hope it was also a great day for you.

May the NH TT girls keep up their winning streak!

IT Starts Tomorrow!

Finally, the 'long-awaited' nationals is here. It kicks off tomorrow, with the girls' team having to play 2 important matches. Trained with them today and on the whole I think they are doing fine. I do not know what happened, but today YR won K 3-1 and YL won JM 3-0(if I didn't remember wrongly). On one hand I am glad that YR and YL have improved(I believe they have...) to be able to beat their 'seniors'. On the other hand, I can't help but worry that our 'supposedly better' players are not in tip-top condition.

In any case, I think I should just look forward to the matches and not worry unnecessarily. Also, I hope that YL recovers soon. She fell sick yesterday but yet still came for training today. I asked her to have more rest and play less but she herself wanted to practise her doubles. Was certainly glad to see that.

Looking forward to watching them play tomorrow, though I haven't quite figured out which roads I should take to get to the venue(CF Pri).

On another note, While training with S, K, JM, WL, and J today, I couldn't help but realise that its probably one of the last few times I'll be training with them. Very soon(depending on whether or not they get into the next round), it will be time for them to hang up their bats and concentrate on preparing for their PSLE. After that, it would be time for them to move on to the next phase of their lives in secondary schools. I hope that they will all make it into their dream secondary schools and if they were to continue playing table tennis, I hope that they will continue to improve and do their new school proud. Most importantly, I hope that they have had no regrets joining the NH table tennis team and have enjoyed the game thus far despite my trainings being kinda strict and boring. =P

Before I head to bed, here's wishing the players all the best for tomorrow!

My 'Childhood BF'

Throughout my years of playing table tennis, I got to know many people and I guess I would like to write an entry about a particular childhood table tennis friend of mine. I must say that even though I've made many 'friends' through table tennis, sadly, not all of them were nice to me. I've been hurt by many along the way... but thats besides the point for now as I have more exciting stuff to rant about. =P

Met up with my 'childhood bf' for dinner yesterday evening. Its been a few months since I last met him, with it taking place in the hospital. His lungs had collapsed then. It was really heart wrenching to see him lying on the hospital bed. So glad that the whole ordeal is more or less over for him already and that he will soon be leaving for the United States for his University education.

Well, why was he considered my 'childhood bf'? Just like those kids, I too had my fair share of *that kinda fun* years ago... which obviously isn't THAT long ago(Remember... I'm young~ =P). It all started when we were in sec 2(but we had already gotten to know each other since primary 3). We went on a 17-day training cum competition trip to Bangkok together and started to get teased about being together in the midst of the trip. How long did that teasing last? *counts* Not 1 year, not 2 years, but 3 years(or even more)!

Wouldn't go into too much detail about the teasings as they no longer matter to us now. Shall also omit the details about what were the things we did then and what exactly happened. Otherwise this entry would become too boring and even typing it would make me want to click on the 'x' at the top right hand corner of my screen. Will only mention the stuff that are most worth mentioning... which is also what we reminisced about last night over dinner.

It happened when we were in our first year of college. We were both selected to represent the country in the SEA Junior championship. We got to stay in a hotel during that period of time. One night, he came over to my room for a chat while my room mate was over at another room with the other girls who were about her age(they were 2-3 years younger than we were). After our long chat, he decided to go back to his room for a sleep, only to realise that his naughty teammates(the younger boys) had latched the door and refused to let him in because they wanted him to just stay over in my room. The next thing I knew, my room mate also told me that she wanted to sleep over at the other room that night. So... ermmm... *ARGH* But wait... she wanted to get her blanket and pillow over. So what did we do?

We already knew what they had *hoped* we were doing, so we played along. We latched the door and pretended that we were busy doing what they were thinking... then tried to sound irritated when they asked for this and that. First we passed her the pillow through the small opening between the latch and the door. Next, we squeezed the blanket through that opening. Phew... all was done. They stopped disturbing us for a while.

A few minutes later, I guess curiosity got the better of them. They called and asked us to pass them some toilet paper... so again, through that small opening, we passed the toilet paper to them. It was such a lame reason but well, we still played along.

They left us alone after that, with us wondering how we were going to spend the night. I had better stop the story here without any further elaboration, otherwise things would go out of hand. =P

Those were simply the good old days... I miss all the 'innocent fun' I had then. ;)

I treasure this innocent friendship a lot and I still keep what he gave me on my 15th birthday(how many years ago was that???) right in front of his mum! Below is a photo of it... Promise that you don't laugh. =P




So... my message to all the 'younger ones' is... treasure all the teasings that you are getting now. In the blink of an eye, all these will pass and I hope that when its time to look back, you will think back on those moments and smile to yourself just as I do now. =)

An Enjoyable Trip

Just came back from the Malacca-Batu Pahat trip with the students. On the whole it was very enjoyable albeit tiring. Throughout the trip I was in a very relaxed mode, even joining in their rubbish-talking. I guess I do surprise myself sometimes. Was only less relaxed when they did dangerous things like hiding in the cupboards or walking slowly when crossing the highly disorganized roads.

Throughout the course of this trip, I got to understand each individual student better and this is something I'm really glad to have done as it had helped me to appreciate every single one of them more. Perhaps I should write a little about each person here. Will start off with the girls:

1. K - She doesn't talk and mix much with the other 'noisy' people but she is observant and seems to think quite a bit. Sometimes I don't know what she's thinking, especially when playing TT. At times I feel that she isn't feeling happy, but not exactly sure if what was troubling her is what I think. She actually broke down after a match and I can't understand why either. =S Also, her playing style has changed a lot after the training 'camp' the previous week. She has become so unbelievably aggressive, even choosing to use backhand topspin to receive service. Really surprising. With such a playing style comes greater risks of course...

2. WL - Another 'more quiet' one. 'Quiet' in the sense that she doesn't talk loudly but she definitely whispers a lot. A lot of 'gossips' that is. =P Nevertheless, she's extremely likeable as she's very well-behaved and trustable and doesn't go around 'quarrelling' with others or disturbing others. The best thing about her is that she is very filial. When we went shopping, the first people she thought of getting presents for were her parents. Her parents are really lucky to have a daughter as 乖, thoughtful and filial as her.

3. J - She's not 'loud', but not very quiet either. Another professional 'gossiper'. Often trying to put people together. On the first day I got to see how 'ji po' both she and WL were already. But of course I had my ways to prevent myself from being 'matchmade' by them. *smug look* However, she is not a very disciplined girl. She actually used the calculator while doing her Maths homework. Tsk tsk. Also, she is easily distracted by others, as can be seen when she took out her homework before her but ended up watching YR play game instead. *shake head* =P Behaviour wise, I guess I have to admit that she is quite well behaved and wouldn't anyhow go annoy others. Has a likeable personality too.

4. YR - She's 'loud', but has a softer side too. She is one who loves attention, as can be seen from how loud and often she screams. She is also very rough, often kicking or smacking Shizhi and Thomas. With the boys she is equally rough. As a result, they don't like to play with her. Alas, on the last night, some things happened and it seemed like she felt hurt/upset by it. This morning, she was so quiet... so unlike her usual self. I guess a heart is still a heart... it is susceptible to hurt. =\ Hope that she would be back to her happy chirpy self soon, minus all the kickings and smackings. As for her 'softer' side, I must say I was quite touched when she asked me when my bday was when we were shopping inside a gift shop. Although I didn't tell her(they gotta realise its not easy to dig such personal info like bday and age out from me =P), I must say that it was nice of her to have asked. As such I conclude that she is actually good-natured...

5. YL - She appears quite noisy at times but she actually has a quiet and observant side too. At times she would sit with K's mum and myself and listen to our conversations. I must say that she has good self-discipline. She would do her homework without people asking her to, even in a noisy room. She's the kind who knows that work is more important than play. No wonder she does well in her studies. She is actually not as playful as she seems, as can be seen by the way she 'controlled' herself in the arcade. Perhaps just a little careless to have lost her mum's hp. I can only hope that her mum isn't too pissed and harsh with her. =x

6. SY - She's extremely good natured, but also VERY ROUGH. I saw the way she hit the boys and I was STUNNED. Alas, she's very generous and she shares stuff with the others very willingly. She's just innocently violent. Also, she seemed to enjoy being cared for, as can be seen when she would occasionally walk beside K's mum or myself to tell us very trivial things. A very innocent young girl...

Now for the boys...

1. N Tan - This guy is extremely intelligent. Can see how he uses his intelligence in the 'wrong ways' from the way he talks. =P I'd be inclined to think that he eavesdrops his parents' conversations very often such that he can even 'memorize' a lot of stuff they say. Some things which he said really sound too mature to be from him, so its gotta be from his parents(as I strongly believe he is still an innocent little boy). However, it was really interesting to note that he is actually quite sensitive towards others' feelings(or at least he tries to) and that he is very concerned about others.

2. N Teo - This boy is full of surprises. Looks so 乖 but is actually so playful. But he's nice... he actually chipped in 10RM for a ball which he wouldn't even get to bring home. Looks quiet but once again I need to remind myself that 'looks are deceiving', evident from what I'd seen the past 4 days. Just looking at people is enough to give him something to talk about. He's another one sensitive new aged guy... After telling me that he thinks I looked like one of the M'sian girl's mother (*gasps*), he asked me if I was angry. Then he questioned me on what I would do if it was N Tan who had said that and what I would do if it was him who had said that. So innocently silly. =P

3. JM - This guy is a true blue 'brother'. Can tell that he is one who 讲义气 and will not hesitate to help his 'brothers' whenever the need arises. Though he appears playful as well, I realised that he can be deep in his own thoughts at times too. I sense that he is a very resilient boy. Also ought to mention that he seems like the kind who likes to do things his own way, as can be seen from his very unique (table tennis) playing style.

4. E - He's the youngest to have gone for the trip. He has a very pleasant personality and really took good care of his 'brother' JM when the latter fell sick on the 2nd day. Seeing him play table tennis makes me laugh, as he keep falling onto the floor. I think he is the most well-behaved among the boys. He asks for permission for almost everything that he wants to do. Still not very mature in thoughts but one can see that he is inherently kind hearted. He's just a little clumsy sometimes but I feel thats what makes him so cute and adorable.

On the whole, watching the way the boys played, talked and behaved kept me entertained. I can never forget how 2 of them were holding on to ONE bowl of soup on a tray. Each person held one side of the tray and they were walking like crabs in the food court. Almost laughed my heads off. On the other hand, they have impressed me with their strong bonding. They are so close to each other and united in almost everything that they do. I heard about the 'pillow fight' they had with the girls, or rather, how they were hit by the girls with the pillows and how they blocked one another from being hit. It must have been a very cute sight!

Also, have to say that I had a nice time being in the same room as K's mum. We chatted till late on the 2nd and 3rd nights and we talked about everything under the sun. Its amazing, considering our age difference. Perhaps she's young at heart(simply because I refuse to think that I'm old at heart which isn't even true anyway =P )...

Just felt a little bad about something I did during the trip though. I told a white lie(which I very seldom do) but I shall not reveal what it is. It was after weighing the pros and cons that I decided it was better to tell a white lie. Otherwise may get someone else into 'trouble'. Managed to fool the silly kids with ease so kudos to me. I have also deliberately put this paragraph at the back of the entry so that any of them reading this more-than-2000-word entry would miss this portion as most people would already have clicked on the 'x' at the top right hand corner of the screen after reading a paragraph or two. =D

Watching all of them have fun and squabbles the past 4 days really reminded me of those days when I went on overseas trips with my teammates. I was probably just as mischievous, especially with my sharp tongue and naughty ideas, but thank goodness I wasn't violent like them. We would play 'blind cat' in the hotel room on the last night after all the competitions have ended and we would have fun disturbing the 'blind cat' by 'hitting' him with our pillows.

At times, we would disturb the coaches by putting a bag of rubbish just outside their room doors and also putting another bag outside our own room door so it would seem like we were also 'victims' of mischief. Once, one of us(NOT ME) even took away one of the coaches' shoes that was being placed at the door to prevent it from slamming shut and had it placed outside another coach's room with the hope that the coach who 'lost' a shoe would think that the other coach had taken his shoe for fun.

Once, we even threw banana skin into the the team managers' bathroom through the open windows because we found 1 of them really irritating.

Well, thank goodness these kids didn't think of all these things. Looks like it isn't time for my 'retribution' yet. =P

After talking so much about the kids, I guess I ought to write down some things which I had learnt too. In terms of culture, even though almost everyone whom we had met at the table tennis friendly matches were Chinese, we all held different beliefs. As a local Chinese, I do not pay much attention to all the small little things like asking parents to eat first during meal times, etc. During my casual conversation with my friend's mum(who is the coach at Malacca), she mentioned that she taught all her players that and made sure that they did that at home. Such practice was probably common here decades ago, but was most likely abandoned by many after being a little more influenced by the western culture. My personal opinion is that after all, 'we' are one family... so why stand on ceremony? But I guess they are still pretty much influenced by the Chinese school of thoughts and thus still value and see the importance of these practices.

Knowing that my friend's parents are people who value these practices, I had not much of a choice but to be especially courteous to them during the dinner which they treated us to, in return for their kind hospitality. After all, I was still a kid when I first got to know them so I guess its also natural for me to show them due respect even till now. Nevertheless, I still think that I wouldn't really care about these practices now that I'm back in my own country. Ironically, I too find it quite 'fake' for myself to be doing these kinda things... =P

All good things have to come to an end, just as this trip had. Its now time to be back in the more serious mood and prepare them for the upcoming nationals which I really hope they would do well in.

Looking Forward & Back

Leaving with the team tomorrow for Malacca/Batu Pahat for a table tennis trip cum holiday(I think). Looking forward to the trip because I think it will be a good time to see them bond together, especially so for the girls. For the boys, sadly, only a few of them are going. I am sure the girls who are going will enjoy it thoroughly, especially for those who really 'fought hard' to get permission from their parents to go for it. Also, I think that it would be a very good learning experience for them because they will be playing with good players over there and hopefully they can learn something from their M'sian counterparts. On the other hand, amidst all the fun, I do hope that they will have some discipline... don't want them to tarnish their school's reputation.

Talking about discipline, I am reminded of the past 2 training sessions which I had with them. 2 young and new players P and FY were there as well. I had taught both of them the proper technique for forehand, and though with me they each had managed to play at least a ball whereby there were at least 30 returns of forehand, their strokes were still not always correct and they had to be constantly reminded in order to get it correct. Hence, when I had to train the senior girls, I left them alone to train and told them to just practise the service and 1 return, then forget about the ball. Several times, I caught them continuing to hit the ball with their forehand totally messed up... so I gently reminded them for the first time to stop after 1 return. I also explained that it is because I do not want them to spoil their forehand stroke which I had taken quite a bit of time to get it there. Alas, they refused to follow instructions and once again, I reminded them, this time not so gently. They STILL refused to follow instructions. Alright... I deemed it was time for me to be harsh. I told them very sternly that if they were to continue to not follow instructions and in doing so 'spoil' their forehand stroke, then I would not be interested to train with them either. This time round, they decided to be good and follow the instruction.

The parents who were there were actually quite surprised that I was so stern with them and they even thought I was really angry. But no. I am not angry. I just want them to know 1. the basic strokes are very important and all the other things aren't important if they cannot get their basics right first 2. joining the team means they should be following instructions from the teachers in charge and coaches and not blatantly ignoring them and simply go ahead and do what they want 3. They are only pri 3 and pri 4 respectively and they DARED to defy instructions. If I do not give them the impression that discipline is a MUST in the team now, when shall I do it?

The following training, I was training with P. I wanted her to practise her footwork because she tends to 'fall' to the right when the ball is nearer to her right. Hence I asked her to work on her footwork. Just wanted her to get her legs there and posture right but not to hit the ball, as the problem with her was that her hand was always there before her body even got there, and she only moved her legs AFTER she had hit the ball, which obviously wouldn't work! Hence I told her NOT to hit the ball first, but just to get her legs there and posture correct. I stressed 'not to hit the ball'. Alas, she still hit it. I reminded her again 'DON'T hit the ball' and explained to her why I wanted her to do it that way. But she hit it again. Finally when it happened again for the 3rd time, I asked FY to train with me and told P straight in the face that I do not want to train with her if she is not going to obey instructions. She appeared quite upset and seemed to be fighting back tears(I am terribly experienced at knowing when people are fighting back tears =P ). After training for FY for a while, then I gave P another chance. I told her I would give her another chance to do the same thing again. She did NOT obey yet again. Fine. I walked over to the other table with the balls and just started training with the senior girls(they just arrived then) with a look to show her that I was displeased with her.

Now, this is really disturbing. A pri 4 who repeatedly refuses to follow instructions... did she not understand what I was trying to say? I do not think so. I speak slower when I speak to them and she DOES understand Chinese(and I spoke in English too). So is there a reason for her to not have understood?

I really dislike being so harsh with kids... but for their good I do it occassionally, in order to send the right message across. I do not yell at them either. I just give them the 'cold treatment'. I just hope that I don't have to do it again... ...