has it sunk in that i debated for the last time in sec school under the banner of acsi last night?
nope, not in the very least...
what i do noe is, i'm disappointed, quite steeply disappointed...
i was telling some of my classmates/schoolmates, i'm the most stoic, as paul says, most pragmatic, and i'm not typically affected by wins and losses...
if you ask my OM teammate, andrew wang, at the awards ceremony in Maryland, 2004, when they announced we were second in the world, everyone simply exploded... the first thought that crossed my mind was: who the heck beat us to world champions and why weren't we better, damn we shoulda got the gold... (it was the team from kentucky btw)
and of the 3 of us, i think i've been hit least, not because of anything, but just because...
but the reason i've been affected is because, when i see my teammates, i feel for them...
for paul and sam chan's tears, i cannot but share their pain...
for sam, for the duties and responsibilities as president and our captain...
i dunno how i'll feel in a few days time, although i'll probably be drowned in books...
i do know that its probably not gonna be smile-worthy for a while...
what's left now are memories, and there are so many individuals who are in them...
josh hiew, my senior and friend...
joan, my coach...
sean, my teammate and classmate...
my direct seniors once/twice removed: michael, josh hoe, auggie, sam chan, april, joseph, kal...
the BCs team - sam chan, lloyd, adwyn, david, paul... i hope you learn, train, develop to be debaters that far outshine your seniors...
the y-14 team - edmond, max, kegan...
sebastian - my friend from goodness knows how long, and the loyal supporter/encourager we don't deserve...
sam, paul: i'm truly blessed to be part of this team... dun be too down yeah?
my classmates who came down, those who messsaged... daniel, yew jin, mervyn, clarence... wesley (for the tie =))
miche, pet, elisa...
the regulars, jim, szu yong, johannes...
bryan, val (my heartiest congrats, top5!), long time debater pals...
weige, (&darius who came afterwards, thanks for the cd!), it was such a joy to remember the debates we had together, and to take the plaque with you...
the many teachers that came to offer their regards...
so here we go
lets show them how to live
accept the pain, always forgive
watch the sun go down, learn the sound of following all that is complete
a second place victory,
john.
