I was Robinson Crusoe TWICE
I love football. I love it so much, I'm mono-game-us.
It's the only game I play.
If there was a football competition, I'd be sure to join.
Next month, there will be the PSKPP (Pesta Sukan & Kebudayaan Pegawai Pelajaran) & one of the sports events will be, of course, a football tournament.
Trials are held beforehand to give hopefuls the chance to be selected for the Song district team. They will compete against teams from the other districts in Kapit.
Then, select players will play for Kapit division against teams from the other divisions in Sarawak.
The trials happened last Friday afternoon & Saturday morning.
I attended both.
Whether I was selected or not, I don't know yet.
A letter will arrive at my school within the next 2 weeks with a name-list of those selected for the various sports & cultural activities.
If I were to be called up, I shall answer my duty with great pride.
If I were not, then I shall be glad to have tried.
And I will try again & again until my heart ceases to beat passion for football.
Trials were great but I'd like to tell you what happened after...
On Friday, after the trials, we left Song town at sunset in our long boat for the 40 minute ride back to school.
Halfway to a badly needed shower, our engine ceased to function.
All attempts at revival failed.
Our boat started to drift swiftly backwards in pitch black darkness.
Fortunately, our boat brushed against a submerged tree.
Dodging its thick branches, we desperately grabbed for them before our boat crashed into something even worse.
After the boat was securely tied to the tree, the guys went to work on the engine.
It refused to start & it was scorching hot.
I could hear the intense sizzle of water against hot metal when they tried to cool it.
We were stranded in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a dark dark night.
Our band of hungry & sweaty football warriors may have to rough it up until morning.
At this thought, everyone instantly flipped out their cellphones in a desperate attempt to call for assistance.
There was barely any coverage but a call got connected & a new engine was soon on the way.
It was around 8pm.
All we had to do was wait for the replacement engine to arrive.
I felt really dirty so I started to scoop up some water & patiently cleaned my face, arms & legs.
Ahead of me was the riverbank. Behind the riverbank was a thick forest.
Then, something blinked at me.
Oh my god! I was shocked!
Actually, I was delightfully astonished.
It was fireflies who were winking at me from all along the riverbank.
How wonderful! I haven't seen fireflies since I was 12!
After I cleaned off the dirt on my skin, I leaned back and looked up at the vastness of the universe.
It took some time but the bashful stars slowly emerged one by one from their hiding places.
Constellations soon formed & were duly admired.
They stood out in the empty darkness of the universe.
The stars were like little diamonds but they were not the star of the show...
The Prima Donna came out smiling all so brightly from behind the fluffy curtains that had hidden her all this time.
She was perfect, bright, full & round.
Her show was so brilliant it illuminated the whole landscape.
Imagine:
Clear night skies with a full-moon & constellations of stars.
The light of the moon gently and tenderly illuminating the trees.
The tall ones and then the shorter ones.
The river was illuminated too. It was brought to life.
The once black river was now a pleasant yellowish glow revealing its active movement & the sand dunes protruding from it.
What a sight to behold.
It was breathtaking beauty that could never be justified by words.
That night was eye-opening.
From tragedy God revealed creation's beauty.
You will never find a similar sight anywhere near the city.
I got home late that night but I had gladness in my heart.
The next day, after the trials, we left Song for school at midday.
And the engine screwed up AGAIN!
Mind you last night's engine was sent to the shop. This one was perfectly fine!
It was hiccuping & had to be fixed.
We were in the middle of the river in the middle of the day!
While the driver was working on the engine, the sun was working too.
Today's delicacy was prepared in a slow cooker with microwaves & intense heat.
It took 30 minutes to get the engine running properly.
It took another 30 minutes to get to school.
I am no longer Chinese. I am now a Blackenese!
Last weekend, I was shipwrecked not once... but TWICE!
Guess which novel this reminds me of?
taken from deadmentellnotales.com
Yup, you guessed it!
It was the first thing that came to mind on that moonlit night.
It brought a smile to me face because, at that moment, I felt like such a nerd.
My adventure was one that shall never be forgot!
It's the only game I play.
If there was a football competition, I'd be sure to join.
Next month, there will be the PSKPP (Pesta Sukan & Kebudayaan Pegawai Pelajaran) & one of the sports events will be, of course, a football tournament.
Trials are held beforehand to give hopefuls the chance to be selected for the Song district team. They will compete against teams from the other districts in Kapit.
Then, select players will play for Kapit division against teams from the other divisions in Sarawak.
The trials happened last Friday afternoon & Saturday morning.
I attended both.
Whether I was selected or not, I don't know yet.
A letter will arrive at my school within the next 2 weeks with a name-list of those selected for the various sports & cultural activities.
If I were to be called up, I shall answer my duty with great pride.
If I were not, then I shall be glad to have tried.
And I will try again & again until my heart ceases to beat passion for football.
Trials were great but I'd like to tell you what happened after...
On Friday, after the trials, we left Song town at sunset in our long boat for the 40 minute ride back to school.
Halfway to a badly needed shower, our engine ceased to function.
All attempts at revival failed.
Our boat started to drift swiftly backwards in pitch black darkness.
Fortunately, our boat brushed against a submerged tree.
Dodging its thick branches, we desperately grabbed for them before our boat crashed into something even worse.
After the boat was securely tied to the tree, the guys went to work on the engine.
It refused to start & it was scorching hot.
I could hear the intense sizzle of water against hot metal when they tried to cool it.
We were stranded in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a dark dark night.
Our band of hungry & sweaty football warriors may have to rough it up until morning.
At this thought, everyone instantly flipped out their cellphones in a desperate attempt to call for assistance.
There was barely any coverage but a call got connected & a new engine was soon on the way.
It was around 8pm.
All we had to do was wait for the replacement engine to arrive.
I felt really dirty so I started to scoop up some water & patiently cleaned my face, arms & legs.
Ahead of me was the riverbank. Behind the riverbank was a thick forest.
Then, something blinked at me.
Oh my god! I was shocked!
Actually, I was delightfully astonished.
It was fireflies who were winking at me from all along the riverbank.
How wonderful! I haven't seen fireflies since I was 12!
After I cleaned off the dirt on my skin, I leaned back and looked up at the vastness of the universe.
It took some time but the bashful stars slowly emerged one by one from their hiding places.
Constellations soon formed & were duly admired.
They stood out in the empty darkness of the universe.
The stars were like little diamonds but they were not the star of the show...
The Prima Donna came out smiling all so brightly from behind the fluffy curtains that had hidden her all this time.
She was perfect, bright, full & round.
Her show was so brilliant it illuminated the whole landscape.
Imagine:
Clear night skies with a full-moon & constellations of stars.
The light of the moon gently and tenderly illuminating the trees.
The tall ones and then the shorter ones.
The river was illuminated too. It was brought to life.
The once black river was now a pleasant yellowish glow revealing its active movement & the sand dunes protruding from it.
What a sight to behold.
It was breathtaking beauty that could never be justified by words.
That night was eye-opening.
From tragedy God revealed creation's beauty.
You will never find a similar sight anywhere near the city.
I got home late that night but I had gladness in my heart.
The next day, after the trials, we left Song for school at midday.
And the engine screwed up AGAIN!
Mind you last night's engine was sent to the shop. This one was perfectly fine!
It was hiccuping & had to be fixed.
We were in the middle of the river in the middle of the day!
While the driver was working on the engine, the sun was working too.
Today's delicacy was prepared in a slow cooker with microwaves & intense heat.
It took 30 minutes to get the engine running properly.
It took another 30 minutes to get to school.
I am no longer Chinese. I am now a Blackenese!
Last weekend, I was shipwrecked not once... but TWICE!
Guess which novel this reminds me of?
It was the first thing that came to mind on that moonlit night.
It brought a smile to me face because, at that moment, I felt like such a nerd.
My adventure was one that shall never be forgot!
