i think it's such a damn irony that on one hand i want more time to do coaching, i want more time to study as well. the peak period for november, or rather for the whole year, will end today which means it's time to spend more time on the books. i wish i had taken more assignments in november but i should not complain since i spent those missed sessions in lesson. from next week till the uitm trip, some major catch up on my school work will be essential. of course, train for uitm as well.

i finally realised that i could be hating my prime zone because of the ugly replugging marks. the black patches so visible against the bright colours of rhe ball. really dislike it, and i haven't been able to realise the true potential of the ball. i think that has been one of my worse purchases ever. i do hope that i will be able to start liking the ball, or i will just treat the ball like a second hand ball. bloody hate the ugly patches, it doesn't feel like a new ball from the day i got it. whatever it is, i will make sure i know what i want the next time round.

that said, i will be careful with the urethane ball that will be added to my arsenal next, and from there, decide which balls are more disposable than the rest.

this is it. so i managed to somewhat surprise the gf with the tickets to the movie of her michael jackson. damn that was a good movie. watching him go through the rehearsals with all that passion was touching especially you start thinking that the man is no longer there to complete it. the two hours felt like a powerful mini tribute concert of all his best songs, and i enjoyed watching his slick dance moves and strong stage presence.

i missed an absolute golden opportunity to be guaranteed a spot in the uitm squad, but i only had myself to blame. i consider getting qualified a win. i was all ready to dominate the lanes, having bowled there the week before on two occasions, and scoring well on both sessions. just use raid and send the ball out like a 20-16 line and the ball will break nicely into the pocket with good pin carry. last night, i made the biggest mistake.

i went into the rolloff with an impression of how the lanes were like, what ball to use and even what the ball reaction would be like. biggest error ever. when i took my first practise throw shot, i was even shocked to find the lanes totally different. that shock did not feel pleasant at all. the oiling seemed different, like back to the infamous reverse block that chevrons always had. my ball struggled to hook back into the pocket and when it did, the carry was crap. still, i tried to use the same ball same target as last week, thinking it will work after a couple of shots. the result? in game 1, i had 3 first ball gutters out of the first 6 frames, and 5 open frames.

i wanted to change ball but was worried that my practise efforts last week would go to waste if the line could work and it was just me not performing. my score was a disastrous 50+ by 6th frame, and looked to be a doomed outing. it was then that keong told me that the ball could not come back and i had to straighten the shot. that was when i (finally) switched to my silver streak and played a straighter line like 11-9. instantly i produced strikes on the 7th, 8th, 9th frames as well as the first shot on the 10th frame. i managed to finish strong only to salvage a weak 162.

from there, the better run continued as i tried to cover my first weak game. i fought really hard, i could feel it. i was actually in strong contention by game 3 despite a stupid gutter ball at the last shot of game 2. but i think that potential 10 points from the gutter ball, coupled by a few silly spare misses, together with the lane breaking down by game 4, caused my position to drop. i finished 3rd after posting scores of 189, 191 and 177. qualification was not to be.

really felt damn stupid thinking back on how i started my rolloff with such a strong assumption that the lanes were identical to the one i worked on the week before. and when that line was obviously not the right one, i was actually shocked and even convinced myself to stay on it for a while. that bad mindset could have essentially cost me the win. i learn, i learn...

been bowling alot more than these days. felt like my sunig downfall was attributed to mainly me not bowling enough. i did try to gather more lane time nearing the competition but i think it was too late. plus my timing and footwork and release were all off having stopped for exams and ict. this time, i will make sure i am more prepared for the uitm rolloff.

finally found back my accuracy, my timing, my release. footwork is what i have trying to work on this couple of days. first two steps must keep straight, the rest will fall into place literally. drills definitely help alot. i'm glad we are back at doing drills again. cannot make it without proper shaping up procedures.

spare shooting still quite dodgy but feel more comfortable. i kind of realised the reason why i am not forward rolling the ball as much as i want. let's see if my analysis holds up. and best thing of all, i am starting to get along with my prime zone. lovely indeed.

uitm selections are right around the corner. end of this month, that makes it about two weeks to go. i really want to make a spot to compete overseas. unlike those national bowlers who always get to travel, this kind of tournaments mean something to me. so i really want that place. plus, it's at megalanes. iam so hooked to that place after milo. like the grand stadium feeling, and the sound of a pocket flush there is none of that in any bowling centre in singapore.

kumar as a stand up is fantastic. caught a show at 3-monkeys at holland village. one hour, i could not stop laughing. it was just amazing how he kept the crowd of about sixty people going so wildly in amusement. it is not as easy to just stand there and talk. i can imagine myself standing there saying something and no one laughs at my words. haha. need more of such laugh out loud sessions.

had a very interesting coaching session. tanglin school. it's more like a special school for students who need more time to learn. before it started, it was really hard to imagine what to expect from this. i could only think of several scenarios based on what i perceive these kids to be. in the end, worries were proven unfounded. the teachers displayed plenty of enthusiasm in helping to guide the students and looking after their needs. i really respect and admire the kind of commitment and effort these teachers put in.

the students, on the other hand, were a ball of fun! they were slower in reaction, but they listened to instructions well enough to put a top school's student to shame. and when they cheered and laughed, can really feel that their excitement and joy is genuine. "the purest form", if i could put it more abstractly. surely patience was required more extensively to cater to these students, but it was all worth when they left the bowling centre smiling away.

after david's birthday dinner celebration at essential brews and sending baby home, headed over for a poker game with chai and his friends. it was a crazy table. strong bettings and really unbelieveable hits. imagine, FLOPPING a STRAIGHT FLUSH, hitting QUAD kings AND aces, all these action within 3 hours of poker. i got my first quads in live poker. have not even seen just one of these nuts in all of the games i have played, and in one night i see it all? and flopping a straight flush? wow.

and on that, i lost a pretty big pot when my pocket diamonds lost to another pocket diamonds, when the community has only 3 diamonds. i banked on the fact that percentage of two persons holding same suits should be pretty slim. but in the end, i was shown the ugly truth by the nut flush. was i wrong to have played that hand thinking it was the best hand........

went to yishun yesterday to practise for collegiate league later tonight. needed a strong second block to make it less stressful for me to fight for a masters spot. roger was beside to guide me, and we had a discussion on what bowling ball and line to adopt. felt a surge of confidence after that session, both physical and technical game alike. will be looking forward to applying the same energy later.

starhub lost its sports broadcasting rights to singtel! actually, i kind of think that could be good for me. if mio offers good price and there are decent drama programs that my mum fancies, i could consider switching to mio. everything in my home will be singtel. maybe can explore this aspect for more discounts. whatever it is, please dont let the consumer be the victim of this price war.

gossips. i think i am a guy who bothers a lot about how others are looking at me, what others are saying behind my back. basically gossiping about me. i appreciate a direct approach anytime. let me know how you feel about me, no matter how fucked up the comments might be. i can take it, i will apologise if i am that fucked up. just dont be a wuss.

recently, i have been coaching a couple of new girls at training, and i am hearing faint comments like i'm a wolf that sorta stuff. whether it was just a matter of joke and fun or not, i will not know. i can stomach it, but i fucking dislike it. especially when all i want is to get these girls to be better bowlers so they can enjoy the sport more, and at the same time, work on my coaching skills. the last thing i expect is to have some green-eyed sexually deprived horny fucker(s), IF ANY, giving me the look and quietly start dropping bitchy comments solely because i am seen to be hanging out with the girls all the time.

i might be wrong, but the thought of it pisses me off. i am making a stand about this. if i am wrong, sorry. i really enjoy coaching them, sense of achievement derives when they improve and hit that good shot. need to sleep.

here we are at the start of school term. for the books, i kind of like it at school. maybe because i chose to pursue a four day week, which makes it less tiring at class. maybe coaching has not started to get intensive, thus lethargy is kept at bay. well what i know is, at least there is life at school, while people watching, and catching up with friends after lectures. standing in a circle at one spot for an hour chatting away was surprisingly pleasant. the enjoyment of being a student-student. been pretty focused so far in lectures also, which is good. but i wonder when this positive energy will die off. i hope it never does.