Handling a floorball team is never easy. What more handling the whole club alone. I always say, I dun have the skills and credibility to do what Im doing. Who am I?

Anyway… God has granted me vision and wisdom to make things happen.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

When I took over the club, I saw many problems. The first question I ask myself is, (not what i want to do but…) what needs to be done?

COMMITTED ABLE,COMPETENT AND TALENTED MEN AND WOMEN.

First step, was to collect able and competent men and women of all talents to aid me in building up the club. These group of people have to be committed no matter the cause.They are my right hand people, the leadership of the club. I have been constantly challenging people to rise up. Some have taken the bold step to answer the challenge.                                  
                                    

Unfortunately life is not a bed of roses. To start up some thing, it is hard for people to catch the vision. People have many desires. They want many things. Some are good at prioritizing. Some are not.

A problem that I face is people getting involved in too many things. Be it in a band, studies, CF, basketball, football, girlfriend, boyfriend. To me, its all distractions. But this can’t be helped. They need to realize it along the way. If one desires to see success, sacrifices must be made. One has to be focus or else they will run it thin.

In spite of these inevitable circumstances, I must say that my group of leaders have been supportive and committed. And they are very very helpful to me. They did a great job with calling the players, collecting the fees and updating our floorball blog. I don’t write it anymore. I am planning to get more manpower after the youthwave tournament, as we enter Phase 3.

SENSE OF BELONGING.

Second step, was to instill a sense of belonging amongst the current players. In my personal view, this is the most important group of people, they are the customers. It is the critical success factor(CSF) of the whole club. If they aren’t happy, no matter how determined you are, you are bound to fail. The whole clubs fate is in their hands.

The problem gets complicated when you get people from diverse backgrounds. Some are here for the friendship. Some just come for fun. Some come for personal development. Some come purely for the sake of playing floorball. Uniting their goals is the test of the leader’s ability.

I always believe that when you feel belonged, the skills will automatically come with it. Because when you feel belonged, you tend to be more committed and passionate about something.

Its beginning to take place now. Just look at the updates on the blog. Commitment is beginning to take place. I got 21 people playing for the friendly match against Contactsports(though we lost 8-3, we had fun, everyone got to play, new and experienced). We have an average attendance of 12 people weekly during training. Sometimes its even more. I guess thats encouraging.

TAKING THE PINCH

Thirdly, knowing that this is a complex process, thus, unexpected disappointments are prone to happen. I have to tell myself that I have to take the pinch every time this happens. For the past 4 months, I have tested my patience to the max. People cannot turn up for training, parents don’t allow, school having activities, criticisms and insults that come along the way. I also know that I can never make everyone happy. I have to be the bad guy at times.

People must understand that floorball is not football. In football, the players look for you. In floorball, we have to beg people to play. For the sake of the vision, I did all those things.

No matter how bad things turn out, as a leader, one must always be optimistic and move on. Even if I am depressed, the whole vision is always bigger than me. I must still operate even though I dun feel like it. To give up because of your emotions is a sign of weakness.  It takes a lot of effort to fight your emotions, but when u got over it, it is rewarding.  When you have answered the challenge, there is no turning back. That is my philosophy. Hokkien people say.. phak si bo cau(even if u whack me, i wont run away).

DEPRESSION

When I went to KL last trip, I finally got into a depression period. Perhaps it is natures way of telling me, its enough. In fact I still am in my depressed state.  I did not talk about floorball for a few weeks. My only way of cooling myself down is to immerse myself in other areas of interest. I view this as a means to reflect back on whatever that took place. Maybe I just needed some time out.

In my depressed state, i tend to be pessimistic. Pessimist can see things that an optimist cannot. In my case now, I see both sides. To fight this state may not be a wise thing to do. But to be open to what my intuition tells me, is to take time to reflect on things. It really got me thinking a lot. But again, i like to think. So its fine with me.

FEEDBACK

After discussing with some people, many have viewed that things are better now than before. The club is moving forward. While it is taking one step back, it is also taking two steps forward. There are people whom told me that Ive achieved all i said above. Getting people together, uniting their goals, sharing the vision. While we still cannot compete with the top teams, our players are improving. Slowly but surely. Some even question, why am I depressed in the first place?

hahaha… Im only human. Thank you for the encouragement. This depressed state is only temporary. Once I bounce back, I believe, we will go to the next level. When it comes, get ready, for there will be lots of work to do.

I just came back from KL. My lecturers from UK once again come all the way to Segi College Subang Jaya to conduct a workshop for us. This trip was kinda cool. I had so limited time, and praise GOD i got to meet up with a few people. Time is scarce so i had to prioritize. This trip i stayed at Adrian’s place in Puchong.

GRANDFATHER STROKE.

This trip i visited my maternal grandfather in Putrajaya Gov.
Hospital. He got into a stroke. His right side is paralyzed. Everyday
after classes i went to visit him. Wasn’t long, cos the visiting hours
is only until 8pm. Got to visit my relatives there as well. Its
touching to see my uncles and aunties being a filial son and daughter
making an effort to visit my grandfather everyday.I also visited one of my uncle who got himself into an accident. It seems he has passed the critical stage.

ERIC LIM

Other than that i got to meet up with some geng lama. On the first day i got to meet up with Eric Lim my kaki lepak while i was in Inti. Had a nice chat at the mamak stall and starbucks in Central point. (Thanks for meeting up, i know u’re tired due to the changes from aussie to malaysia. Appreciate it).  He still has his aussie slang with him.  But nevertheless , pretty much the same. Only difference now is… he dances salsa… hahaha… keep it up. Wish that you will get a good job as u r searching for it, i believe GOD will provide u.

YAZID

The next day i got to meet up with my old buddy from sabah, Yazid. Its been 6 years i lost contact with him. Again I had a great chat with him. He even introduced his friend, Sazif to me. 6 tahun tak jumpa… masih tak ubah-ubah… hahaha… its really good to meet up with friends after a long time losing contact. This is almost like "Jejak Kasih"….

LYDIA LEE

The following day, I met up with Du Lee yang maha mulia… Lydia Lee San San. This fellow is another tired  person who made the extra  effort to meet up with me. Being a lawyer is not easy. Lots of work… which is tiring… Thanks a lot for meeting up.

AH PORK

The same day itself, I also got to meet up with the legendary Raymond Pork… my ex-ICF buddy. Its great to see him again meeting me up with his "lepak mobile" aka BFM 9389. Had a short chat cos time does not permit us to chat kow kow.

SIB KL

On the final day itself, I finally got to visit SIB kl church. Its quite a big church. Its at least 5 times bigger than RGBC in terms of its number of members. Most of the Frontliners that left Penang are regulars in SIB… so i paid them a visit there. After church, Marcus parents, Uncle Yat Poh and Aunty Sally belanja all of us Ngah Choy Kai.

CHONG WEE

Immediately after that I went to Klang to meet up with my ex-classmate from school, Chong Wee. We chatted for 2 hours in Jusco Klang. Its good to hear that hes picking up in his career as an auditor. We sort of updated each other wats going on with our life especially career plans. After that i sent him back to his house.

JESSICA YAP

That night itself i got to meet up with Jessica Yap for dinner. I got to eat the Jalan Gasing, Satelite , Ngah Choy Kai again. She spent both me and adrian for dinner. We did a lot of catching up. Looks like life in KL as an auditor is quite stressful… haha…tats life.

FRONTLINERS

FINALLY… at night at 12am, i got to meet up with former FRONTLINER leaders, Joel Vergis, Marcus Lau and Gwen. Had a nice time crapping. Its very encouraging to hear that they are maturing in the LORD. Chatted all the way to 3.30am. We were supposed to leave earlier, but somehow we engaged ourselves with a good discussion on the topic of Co-habitant and 21 year old ruling… keke…thanks a lot for coming out so late.

Back to Penang

So finally im back here in Penang. Home sweet home. KL was good. I enjoyed the good food there… the Jalan 222 Hokkien Mee.. now tat im back in penang, its time for Char Koay Teow and Asam Laksa.

Ive always known this universal truth for a very long time. There are many brilliant people around in this world. Somehow, it is an unfortunate thing that the world view them as threats rather than allies.

Up till today, Ive only met 5 people whom I consider genius. I define geniuses as an individual who possesses a rapid and complex cognitive ability, characterized by the ability to perform complicated thoughts when given a problem, which makes the normal person sound like a moron.

I am fortunate to meet 5 of them. They make me sound like a moron. A lot of times these people come from all backgrounds. They may or may not do well in their academic studies. They are able to come out with mind-boggling ideas that is sharp and authentic. These people have a very genuine way of thinking. As for my cases, all those that i’ve known up to now….2 of them seem to do badly in their studies. The other 2, completed their studies with second class honors. And there is one particular person whom is a magna cum laude or first class honors. Even then, they come from different backgrounds with different interest. 2 are sanguines,1 choleric and the others 2, melancholies.  But they all share the commonality of possessing advanced brain power.

A lot of times, I engage myself in a high level discussion with these people only to find that I cannot cope with their thoughts. Ive tried to reasoned over and over and yet, I have to admit defeat. But why is it that they seem to shun away from the average person?

I believe that the reason lies in society’s inability to be open to them. Just because we don’t understand them, it does not mean that they should be denied an opportunity to "tunjuk bakat". A lot of us are not trained to handle such geniuses. Some will view them as threats. This is very common amongst the conventional education system which tends to be challenged by these special individuals. Teachers will sometimes brand their question as "stupid" when they are innocently seeking the truth. Such a teacher should be stripped off its title of being a teacher for its inability to recognize its student’s talent.

As for me, I follow the quote… "If you can’t beat them… JOIN THEM". By doing so, I get to learn from them. While they get to show their true colors. A lot of times, these people only wants to feel appreciated. If only we learn to cater for their special needs. We should humble ourselves, be secure and give those talented people a chance to show cast their abilities.

So… if you are FORTUNATE… dun shun them.
IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM… JOIN THEM.

    As a boy, I grew up idolizing Eric Cantona of Manchester United. "Monsieur  Genius" , the talismanic french men was my hero back then. The number 7 jersey he wore left a deep mark in me. His charisma on the field is still printed in the depths of my heart. Anyone whom has lived to see him play will know what I mean. To me, he is still the greatest all-time playmaker that has ever played for United.

    Unfortunately as a child, I was deprived of all opportunities to pursue sports as a hobby. I was a hyper active child back then. Yet the conditions were always wrong at that time. I prayed back then that one day I will get to play for Manchester United. Some kind of a dream… come to think back, it was kind of kiddy.

    Somehow GOD has answered that prayer. Not in the way I expected though. I now pursue my childhood dream in a different way.

    Today I proudly wear the No.7 jersey for Frontliners Floorball Club. And our jersey almost resembles the old Manchester United Umbro Jersey that Cantona once wore. I enjoy my role and my game is maturing week by week. Under the guidance of several good leaders, coaches and team mates, I am making progress in the game of floorball. I will most probably never get to play floorball professionally due to my age. But at least I get a glimpse of tasting what professional sports is all about. For that I am thankful.

    God works in mysterious ways. Who can fathom the works of HIS hands. Never ever crossed my mind that this is happening as a child. What a dream.

Everybody knows that I am a sports enthusiast. In fact I am also very patriotic. Living in this country for over 20 years Ive seen the country having potential in creating world class sportsmen. Unfortunately, these fellows are not receiving enough coverage from the media. Thus finances are often not pumped enough into sports development of the country.Almost everybody in Malaysia knows about football. The sad thing is, they aren’t doing well internationally. I believe there are many talented players in the country. But football just don’t pay enough in this part of the world.

Ever wondered what contact sports do Malaysians excel?

Enough said about football. Have anyone ever wondered what contact sports(that leaves out badminton, squash and bowling) do Malaysians excel?

Ladies and gentlemen, let me open your eyes. Malaysia has world class(yes… world class)hockey players. And most of us don’t even realize it. I believe this is one of the few sports that proves that asians can also do well in a contact sports.

Let me tell you the facts. In football, Malaysia has never ever qualified for any big tournament in world stage. In men’s hockey, Malaysia is amongst the few team that can pose a challenge to the some of big teams around. We aren’t the strongest, but we are still good at the world stage. We played in the World Cup and qualified for the Olympics.

Though recently our men disqualified for the world cup, do not forget that we actually got the bronze in the latest Commonwealth Games. Amongst the Commonwealth countries are powerhouse like Australia, England, India and Pakistan. These are some of the strongest teams in the world.

The recent asian games was a disappointment for Malaysia as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals. But at this level we are disappointed not because we are not good enough, but because we failed to hit the expectations. To me it ain’t too bad cos we almost beaten Pakistan(we drew 1-1 because of defensive error. India and Pakistan is the hockey equivalent of Brazil). On our good days, we can even stun former champions, India 3-2 in the hockey world cup 2002.

We have world class players

Malaysian Hockey players are world class. In the past we have Mirnawan Nawawi(picture above left), Lim Chow Chuan, Shankar Shanmugam, Nor Saiful Zaini and Nor Azlan Bakar. Present day players includes names like the versatile Chua Boon Huat(my favourite), S.Kuhan(penalty corner specialist), Keevan Raj, Logan Raj, Kelvinder Singh and a few more rising stars on the line. Some of our players are good to the level that they even play professionally overseas. Chua Boon Huat (picture right) played in England for Teddington HC and is going to play again this year. S.Kuhan is probably going to play in PHL(Premier Hockey League-the indian hockey league. I can’t recall all but I know that there are many others whom have plied their trade in foreign leagues where the standards are high.

Our players can do high level individual skills in world hockey(the best part is, they’re not paid to play).

In the Melbourne 2006 commonwealth games, according to the media, Chua Boon Huat scored one of the best goals in the tournament against South Africa(2-1). He put Malaysia ahead after dribbling past three defenders(can u believe it?)
hit a powerful backhand flick to beat the goalkeeper.

Another example that i can recall is Keevan Raj(picture below left) during the same commonwealth games, dribbling pass 3 players with one hand, which is rare in world hockey. Usually this is done by Indians or Pakistanis.

Our hockey players have good ethics and serve as a good example to us. Not much disciplinary problem. They are well balanced. They play sports and can still manage to do well academically. S.Kuhan(picture below right), the former national captain
and penalty corner specialist is a systems engineer by profession(don’t believe me then do your research). Nor Azlan Bakar completed his degree in religious studies.

We have good organization

Malaysian Hockey Federation(MHL) is well known in the world circuit. Our president, Sultan Azlan Shah is also the Asian Hockey federation president. Thanks to him, Malaysian hockey has been able to develop to this stage. In my opinion the Perak Sultan, is one of the few big shots whom is sincere in developing sports. Malaysia needs more of this sort of people.

We have good local league

We can be proud that our country have a good local league. We have a league that is able to attract some of the big names in hockey like Dhanraj Pillai of india(a hockey genius who played for Sapura in the MHL). There were other foreigners from Pakistan and South Korea playing in our country as well. We not only have a senior league, but a very strong junior league, the Malaysian Junior Hockey League(MJHL). It is not surprising that our country can produce many rising stars and young talents such as Zulkifli Rejab, Baljit Singh, Sufian, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and others.

Every year Malaysia organizes the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Bukit Jalil. This  tournament attracts some of the best teams in the world. It not just a normal friendly tour thing, but it is one of world hockey’s big tournaments. It is recognized by FIH(the FIFA equivalent of Hockey) in their annual events calendar.

Conclusion

Its easy  criticizing our country for lack of talent in sports without doing prior research. But hey… think about it again. Hockey is a big sports which is matured and well developed. The sports exist way before world war 1. And our name is in it. Shouldn’t these guys be given more credit rather than criticism. The media should give more coverage on our local hockey scene. Our boys can certainly play.

I blogged about this because I feel that someone needs to give these guys some credit. Hopefully more people will tune their eyes to Malaysian hockey.

MALAYSIA BOLEH !!!

I just came back from KL today. It was really good. After finished floorball, I drove down to Subang Jaya with my classmates. My lecturers from UK came and conduct a session of lecture for us.

This time, i had limited time. Thus I didn’t get to meet everyone I wanted. Anyway, I met up with 2 ICF buddies Adrian + Shanti and 2 Frontliners, Joel + Gwen. I only got 2 sessions to lepak altogether.

I was really encouraged to meet up with these fellows. My feedback is, they’ve all grown a lot wiser. GOD has enlarged their visions and calling. It is very encouraging to see my brothers and sisters rising up. Keep the fire burning !!!

Praise GOD for the good food in KL. I got to eat all my favorite food
in KL… the Jalan 222, Ah Hwa Hokkien Mee(Tai Lok Mee), Nam Heong
Chicken rice and finally just before I got back, the Sg. Buloh, Chong
Seng Bak Kut Teh.

This trip is very refreshing. Cos I know, once I’m back to Penang, I’ve got lots of responsibilities waiting for me. Cruising in KL has further reinforce that right now(for the time being), Penang is the harvest field for me. No matter how much I love the city life, it has got to wait. Fulfilling GOD’s call is more important than anything else. If GOD calls, I must answer, or else, I will miss His wave. I don’t want to miss a thing that GOD has in store for me. I want to live a life full of purpose for God.

I usually get into a state of depression when I’m returning from KL. This time it was absent somehow.

I can’t wait to be back home. I wanna go back… can u believe that? I know that Penang is waiting for me. The harvest field is ripe. Now is the time. And here I am. YES… IM GONNA DO IT. So Penang… here I come.

FOR THE VISION !!!

I am now finally in charged of the Frontliners Floorball Club technically. As part of our strategy to make the club known, we have engaged in cyberspace to create awareness of our club.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, a look into a new era..

http://frontlinersfloorball.blogspot.com

The first ever Frontliners Floorball Blog is finally online. May this inspire all floorballers and future floorballers out there to take floorball in Malaysia to the next level.

The Future is ours !!!

People greet me Merry Christmass. But throughout my life, I only celebrated Christmass twice.

First one was in year 2000. It was when I decided to follow Jesus. That was in RGBC(Reservoir Garden Baptist Church), in Penang.

The second one was in year 2004. This ones more meaningful to me. I rededicated my life to Christ this time after backsliding for quite some time. I also celebrated it in RGBC. I still remember i distributed small puppy soft-toys to all "power people" cell group. And my brother followed me to church that day. Tat was also the year the tsunami hit gurney drive, and i was there for lunch.

To me the most special thing about christmass is the service. The worship always gives a glorious feeling. My all time favourite christmass carol is "O Come let us adore HIM".  I feel like im in heaven when they sing it during christmass.

Im not too sure if I can celebrate it this year. But then again, It would be nice to be part of a joyous occassion. RGBC is doing a mega-project drama entitled "23:00" on christmass eve. I feel helpless that I cant be part of it. But then, everyone has got different call. May the Lord grant the drama team His annointing to reach out to souls on that day. As for me, I am lying dormant for the time being, getting ready for the FAST PACE LIFE that will take place in the future.

Have a blessed Christmass all of u out there !!!! God Bless Ya always.

My maternal grandma is now living with me and my family. Having her along with us certainly made the house more "lively" or wat hokkiens call "lau juak". Grandma is a super sanguine who for most of the time, say something that she feels without much processing in the head. Im impressed that at her golden age(around 70+, dunno how old is she la), she has a very alert and observant mind. She has a sinistical laughter that can be contangious to all of us. At times i dun understand what she is laughing, yet listening to the way she laugh, i too follow her in her actions. One may wonder wats it like to be old? My grandma answers me wit wat she does everyday. Her life revolves around the complicated and sophisticated creativity of mankind…. the "SOAP OPERA".. Wat lau eh… She can do her doctorate(Ph.D) in Soup Operas. U name it she’s seen it all. Hong Kong, Korean, Taiwanese, Mandarin, and lately, the hotest item, Hokkien dramas from taiwan.

The thing i cannot tahan her is that… she will put the volume to the max( out of 10 she will put 9 ). And then she will get so emotional about the drama. At times I can then hear her shouting at the characters. At times cursing and condeming the villian of the drama. Eg., "Useless son, ur mother shouldnt give birth to u", useless this… useless tat… At times she will cry over the stupid drama.

There is this hokkien drama on ntv7 at 4pm-5pm every weekdays entitled "The Greater Love" a.k.a "Chun Thian Au Bu Sim" in hokkien. Theres this character called Boon Ping.. His mother worked hard to raise him. He finally became a famous doctor. Yet later despised his mother and is ashamed of his origins. He married a very pretty wife… who looks down on poor and uncivilised people. Very complicated one la. Seeing this drama, my sister accidently said to my mother… "wah… this gal quite pretty eh" refering to Boon Ping’s wife… my grandma overheard it and then she shouted… PRETTY FOR WAT?…her heart is so evil… Next time ur brothers musnt have this kind of wife…. kekeke… My grandma can get so aggitated by these dramas. Which I can only laugh over it.

The best part is we all can learn lots of her philosophies in life. Eg., she will speak about wat is heavens will and how man should live their life.

"our parent is like heaven, we are like the earth. u must always obey ur parents… dun be like this character in the drama".

Sometimes to convey a certain teaching on us, she will use the drama as a "case study" like wat we do in our business degree classes. This can be quite long winded or "Cheong Hei". She can give u so many comments over the story. Hence i call her the Sage.

All i can do is to laugh and laugh at her when she watches the drama. I cant believe that people can be so emotional over things. This is so FUNNY. Even my mother cant help it and laugh at her while she watches the drama.

Thanks to my grandma, now i get to know my hokkien origins better(im 100% hokkien). I learnt to appreciate soup operas. Yet… nah… not my kind of thing. But i guess its good to see how people live their life in a more different way from us, and accept them for who they are.

Eversince last Sunday, I did the most unimaginable thing ever, to complete a marathon of completing my assignments.  I start on Sunday, and eversince, I never saw the sun. Believe it or not, my life is revolved around the 4 corners of my study room and the computer. In fact i almost went crazy staying the whole day at home. Its unbelievable. Being in the marathon required me to have high endurance and willpower.

I have to admit that I work very slow as compared to the average when it comes to academic stuff. Along the journey of the marathon I see many things. I day dreamed of many things. This is my "renaissance" period. When Im under pressure, Im always at my most creative peak. I did lots of research on the net regarding many things not concerning my studies. It is during this time I created my own ideas and philosophies about things which are really important to me. That is the best part about pressure. I also got to know some people better through phone calls during this week. I guess I tend to relieve pressure by distracting away. HAHAHA…

On Thursday itself, the pressure level finally came to its optimum level.  I only left 500 words to finish all my assignments. Yet, i lost my momentum. I was mentally exhausted. Therefore, I ajak 2 of my friend( Irwin and Kuan Yang ) that day for "lepak" session over a cup of tea. That’s my way of "Buang Steam". Finally i reached home at 10pm. I took my bath. After that I continued to finish my assignments. Somehow I got my momentum and focus after lepak-ing and seeing the sun after 4 days. From 11pm I worked my way through till 7am in the morning( I was checking… and redoing some of the assignment to get the best out of it). And finally, at 11.45pm I passed up my assignments today. Its all history now.

Keke.. slept for 2 hours only. Yet i was still compelled to lepak again. Went to Penang after passing up. Met up with 2 of my buddies( Marcus and Kuan Yang ) for lunch at Jalan Raja Gopal. The char Koay Teow there is wicked. I asked for extra eggs. I also ordered Wan Tan Mee with extra wan tan.(Ive been eating home cooking for 5days… need a break). After that before i end up here blogging I went to visit Steven Tay at his place. Had a nice time of chat. Life in Penang is good. You work, you berkhayal, you lepak and you MAKAN !!!! All in one package. Thats life so far. keke.