Image: Rio2016
So...... 26 more days to Rio Olympics!
It's been an amazing journey so far since 2006 when i first got my badge, I swear i would never have thought that i will ever say that I will be going to an Olympic Games. Was already looking towards Tokyo 2020 until that very day when i received an email from FIH which i took a long 10 minutes to read it through 3 times before the news got to me.
Along the way you meet many interesting characters. Some stay, many left. Family, work, time, travels or just frastruated maybe. But those who stayed tend to stay on for a long while more and became good mates for a lifetime.
Many (Including my wife) asked how do i do it? To do this for so long with very little or close to no funding. To be away from your family and give up those personal leave from work where you could be spending more time at home, having a beer or even a family vacation?
I think i can summarize it with 2 simple words of "Believe" & "Passion".
Passion -
Since i have taken up this sports at 12 years of age (yes i am late bloomer) I have loved every single minute of it. Well my dad has always wanted me to be a badminton player but i guess i never found my footing in that area.
From a player to an umpire was a very deliberate yet easy step for me even at a young age of 20 (something to share another time). And since then, i have never looked back.
Loving my umpiring career so far as a International Umpire or just as an Umpire as a whole. I see things now from a totally different viewpoint and this really makes me more level headed in many situations. Even in life, it does make me a little calmer and a lot clearer.
Body language, confidence, concentration are areas which i see improvements form the spillover of my umpiring experience. Embracing it as part of me, just short of being obsessed. A very fine line in between passion & obsessed. I am staying well within the other side of things.
Do i miss playing? Hell no... But i do enjoy the running up and down the pitch with my club mates and have a little poke myself at my fellow umpiring colleagues (very mild and i never swear at them cause i know the hard work they are putting in) and have a good laugh at all the silly things we do on the pitch.
Belief -
Since the day i started i always believe that one day i will want to represent Singapore at the world biggest stage in this area. Crazy as it may sound on day 1, i think it doesn't sound that silly as of today as i count down towards Rio 2016.
That belief i have in my belly to always prove my doubters or haters wrong after a disappointing or flat tournament that I have that special something in me that he may not have seen in me during then. That believe in myself that I will only get better and i can only go further and bounce higher after each disappointment that pushes me further and further till today.
That believe that all good things will come to someone who tries his hardest and just refuses to give up!
It's really not how fast or how well you start but it is always about how great you end with that landing.
Last night the THC boys threw me a small quiet farewell and sent their well wishes. Always a good time catching up especially since everyone have settled down, being married, having (already have) kids and just life in general. Shout out to everyone who came for the dinner last evening again! Pleasure was mine and will really do my best at the games.
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