Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Curtain Call
Every day, people wake up in the morning and look into the mirror. As they look into the face staring right back at them, they see a face of weariness. In their eyes they see exhaustion and a lack of motivation, with the intention of barely scraping past each day.
However, that is not so for 40 boys today. When they wake up and look into their mirror, they see a face of determination, a face of hunger. In their eyes, there is only fire. Fire that represents desire, hunger, and passion. It is not a wildfire, but it burns brightly and strongly within them. For they wake up with only one thought in mind, and that is "We're gonna beat the crap out of RI. And those are not just words, we will do it. Doubt me? Look inside my eyes now. Look hard." These are some of the 40 members of the SJI Rugby team. Each and every one of them possess the determination and courage to face the game. Each of them brought their balls with them.
This was our last match. Our B'Divs were going to give our best, and nothing but the best. It had been a stalemate for majority of the first half, but a penalty gave us a lead of 3-0. It was a narrow lead. But the second half was one that we will never forget. The try scored by RI which allowed them a slight lead of 2 points, the disappointment of the crowd then. But it was not over. Another penalty put us bad in the lead by only 1 point. I believe that from that point onwards, SJI displayed the true spirit of rugby, stepped up and fought harder than before. Jamal's try and the conversion sealed the deal.
We were 3rd place. The same batch of players that gotten 6th place in the C Division Championships 2 years ago. It was a moment that we will never forget. Every one of us rushed to the field, with only the adrenaline of winning pumping our legs. It was our moment, our time. We made it, we stepped up, we sucked up the pain, and it's finally ours. Finally ours.
After almost 6 months of intensive training, with physical sessions that are bound to make you feel exhaustion like you have never felt before, with times where each and every one of us groaned in frustration and sometimes doubted our abilities. We sacrificed, we shed blood, shed tears, pulled muscles, popped shoulders throughout this season. We worked so hard, gave so much.
And yet, as the referee's final whistle blew, all of that transformed into tears of joy. Tears that we shed in recognition that our efforts have finally paid off. All those pain we have suffered and endured were replaced by the taste of victory. The sensation of defeating our arch-rivals and again rising up to the occasion. The Sec 4s shed tears as they know that that was the last chance that they were going to play together, to train together as a team.
The curtain has finally fallen. Our rugby season is over. Although we might not play together again, the spirit of the SJI Rugby Team and the B Division of 2009 will forever shine in our hearts. Each and every one of you who have walked with the team is special. Keep the flame alive boys. You have done the school proud and brought them glory.
Take a bow, and listen. Can you hear it? The cheers and the applause? Listen closely. Because that sound will always continue to ring and echo in your mind. Remember it, and remember it well. That, is the sound of victory, the sound is a testimonial of the spirit of the SJI Rugby Team.
Let it burn inside us, for this is a spirit fueled by passion and determination.
No Fear, No Pain, No Regrets.
Rock on B'Divs!
However, that is not so for 40 boys today. When they wake up and look into their mirror, they see a face of determination, a face of hunger. In their eyes, there is only fire. Fire that represents desire, hunger, and passion. It is not a wildfire, but it burns brightly and strongly within them. For they wake up with only one thought in mind, and that is "We're gonna beat the crap out of RI. And those are not just words, we will do it. Doubt me? Look inside my eyes now. Look hard." These are some of the 40 members of the SJI Rugby team. Each and every one of them possess the determination and courage to face the game. Each of them brought their balls with them.
This was our last match. Our B'Divs were going to give our best, and nothing but the best. It had been a stalemate for majority of the first half, but a penalty gave us a lead of 3-0. It was a narrow lead. But the second half was one that we will never forget. The try scored by RI which allowed them a slight lead of 2 points, the disappointment of the crowd then. But it was not over. Another penalty put us bad in the lead by only 1 point. I believe that from that point onwards, SJI displayed the true spirit of rugby, stepped up and fought harder than before. Jamal's try and the conversion sealed the deal.
We were 3rd place. The same batch of players that gotten 6th place in the C Division Championships 2 years ago. It was a moment that we will never forget. Every one of us rushed to the field, with only the adrenaline of winning pumping our legs. It was our moment, our time. We made it, we stepped up, we sucked up the pain, and it's finally ours. Finally ours.
After almost 6 months of intensive training, with physical sessions that are bound to make you feel exhaustion like you have never felt before, with times where each and every one of us groaned in frustration and sometimes doubted our abilities. We sacrificed, we shed blood, shed tears, pulled muscles, popped shoulders throughout this season. We worked so hard, gave so much.
And yet, as the referee's final whistle blew, all of that transformed into tears of joy. Tears that we shed in recognition that our efforts have finally paid off. All those pain we have suffered and endured were replaced by the taste of victory. The sensation of defeating our arch-rivals and again rising up to the occasion. The Sec 4s shed tears as they know that that was the last chance that they were going to play together, to train together as a team.
The curtain has finally fallen. Our rugby season is over. Although we might not play together again, the spirit of the SJI Rugby Team and the B Division of 2009 will forever shine in our hearts. Each and every one of you who have walked with the team is special. Keep the flame alive boys. You have done the school proud and brought them glory.
Take a bow, and listen. Can you hear it? The cheers and the applause? Listen closely. Because that sound will always continue to ring and echo in your mind. Remember it, and remember it well. That, is the sound of victory, the sound is a testimonial of the spirit of the SJI Rugby Team.
Let it burn inside us, for this is a spirit fueled by passion and determination.
No Fear, No Pain, No Regrets.
Rock on B'Divs!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thanks For The Memories
A few months back a group of people decided that they wanted to change something. They set their minds to it, and no matter how much they suffered for it, what kept them going is that one day that dream will come true. The dream that they bled for, they worked for, they cried for and they promised that they will do it no matter what.
If you're reading this guys I just wanna say something here. I've always wanted to say this to you before the game starts but heck, I'll leave that to someone who can really get you all fired up. But anyway,
I hope you guys will remember what we did throughout the few months of intensive training. The PTs that we got under the heat, the 11x400m sprints that made every one of us swear, groan and wished that we were at home sleeping. Remember the bridge PT that is enough to make every one of our knees weak and our thighs burn? What kept us from going? It's that spark of hope we have. The hope that we will be better than before, the hope that we can come back stronger, faster and more aggressive than before. The hope that we can one day say proudly to ourselves "We did our best and we made it". We. Made. It. That is the only thing we are going to say to ourselves when this is over.
The season has been tough for all of us. The unexpected loss against Bedok Town, how the pressure is on us to win every single game to make it into round 2, the grudge match against ACS Barker, how we proved everyone wrong by making it into the semi finals by beating JunYuan. We have pushed ourselves, strained our muscles, made our sacrifices. Now it's time to make sure that those sacrifices and the pain we endured was worth it. Did we endure hell during the PTs? Well, it's time to unleash that hell onto RI. Let's make them feel whatever we felt during all those times of Physical Training. They will feel exhaustion, the feeling of cracking and giving up will haunt them throughout the game, and unlike us, they, will not have the strength to continue.
Tomorrow, it's the end of our season. Tomorrow, will be the day the curtains fall on the B'Divs 2009. Let the cheers and the applause ring for us, and us only. Can you guys hear it? The sound of victory? The taste of it? It's so close to us. It's time to get the game on.
If you're reading this guys I just wanna say something here. I've always wanted to say this to you before the game starts but heck, I'll leave that to someone who can really get you all fired up. But anyway,
I hope you guys will remember what we did throughout the few months of intensive training. The PTs that we got under the heat, the 11x400m sprints that made every one of us swear, groan and wished that we were at home sleeping. Remember the bridge PT that is enough to make every one of our knees weak and our thighs burn? What kept us from going? It's that spark of hope we have. The hope that we will be better than before, the hope that we can come back stronger, faster and more aggressive than before. The hope that we can one day say proudly to ourselves "We did our best and we made it". We. Made. It. That is the only thing we are going to say to ourselves when this is over.
The season has been tough for all of us. The unexpected loss against Bedok Town, how the pressure is on us to win every single game to make it into round 2, the grudge match against ACS Barker, how we proved everyone wrong by making it into the semi finals by beating JunYuan. We have pushed ourselves, strained our muscles, made our sacrifices. Now it's time to make sure that those sacrifices and the pain we endured was worth it. Did we endure hell during the PTs? Well, it's time to unleash that hell onto RI. Let's make them feel whatever we felt during all those times of Physical Training. They will feel exhaustion, the feeling of cracking and giving up will haunt them throughout the game, and unlike us, they, will not have the strength to continue.
Tomorrow, it's the end of our season. Tomorrow, will be the day the curtains fall on the B'Divs 2009. Let the cheers and the applause ring for us, and us only. Can you guys hear it? The sound of victory? The taste of it? It's so close to us. It's time to get the game on.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Somewhat Disturbed
Dad was nice enough to take me to watch "ShinJuku Incident" yesterday. I must admit that I'm still not quite used to seeing Jackie Chan doing drama, but nevertheless it was a quite a spectacular performance by Jackie Chan. It was also my first time seeing an NC-16 movie in the cinema, although I haven't turned 16 yet. I believe that the ratings nowadays are overrated, so thus I wasn't expecting much violence in this show. However at the end, it was more of the politics that shocked me, besides the violence in the show. There were certain parts in the movie that will cause complaints if it was released PG. There was this scene where Daniel Wu's face gets carved and his hand chopped off by the Yakuza and other scenes of violence which may stir the stomach of some people.
However, it's the betrayal, the ending and the politics involved that made the movie truly disturbing. Sometimes I wonder how these people sleep at night. Yakuza politics involves lots of chess pieces. The one who can play them well and not become one themselves becomes the true victor. I would reccommend this movie to those who wants to see a different side of Jackie Chan, him being the villian and all.
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