Earning my Stripes

4th game into the season... I finally earned by stripes.  I earned my official TKA Basketball Polo.  Heh...

Didn't come without a price. 

Blood, sweat, tears. 

Going and helping out with practice at 3:15PM, almost every day, after work.  Coaching a bunch of 7th and 8th grade girls.  Ohhhhh boy.  Not easy.

And today... I find out that the head coach will be out at our next game.  So I'm gonna be coaching the team the next time.  Me! Coaching! Dunno if I can do it. I'm already thinking about my pre-game and post game speech.  This will not be easy. Especially after such a horrible loss today... when we collapsed.  To a point where NN was stripped of being a point guard for all her turnovers... only to see none of our others players can pass a ball. I don't know if I can do it.... I don't know if THEY can do it.

All I know is... I'm living, breathing, eating basketball... every waking moment of my life.

Separation

A dear friend is now faced with the ultimate separation challenge... the day when the vet says, "We need to put him down." 

The exact reason why I will never get a pet.  Not the midnight walks.  Not the poop picking.  Not the thousand dollar salon fees.  But the inevitable separation. 

There's nothing I can say that will console them.  There's nothing I can do that will make this be easier.  I'm at a complete loss of how to "be there for a friend."  And here I am... balling my eyes out... for a pet that I've never met... but means so much to me... cuz it means so much to them. 

Happy

As Glinda coined it in Wicked….”because Happy is what happens when all of you’re dreams… come true.”

我今日好開心！

My dream of working at the ATC finally came true…

What a day…. What a day….

Brotherly Love

Super Sweet 小華 is at it again.  Was sitting on NN's desk and found her "bookmark." The amazing thing is... he truly is NN's biggest fan.  

All the encouraging words he delivers to NN.  He'll ask about her basketball practice.  The morning of a game.. he'll always say, "I know you guys will win."  And the times when we don't win... he still says the sweetest and most encouraging things to continue to cheer NN on. Not sure where he gets in from... but I hope he doesn't ever lose it. 

Losing streak

Three games into the season... and we are exactly where we DON'T want to be.... we're 0-3.  

Practice is fun.

Basketball is fun.

But you know what's really fun...??? WINNING!!!  Winning is fun!!!

And this last game.... tho we held our opponents to the lowest any other opponents have scored... for the first time.. we only scored in single digits.  Grrrrr.... 

Basketball is hard...but yet... it's so frustrating watching the girls run around and not even make a shot attempt, let alone score.  And the few times NN had the ball... was making a fast break for an uncontested lay up... she would BRICK!!!

We now have so many BRICKS... we can build a house!!

What can I do?!?!?!? How do I coach the girls to create shots and make the shots?!?!?!  Back on youtube for some coaching advice. 

睇面色做人

After dinner... NN asks, "Daddy...you look so serious."  

SW quietly whispers... "家姐.  Come here." And he waves her over to show her the final score of the NFC Championship Game on his iPad.

He knew.  Now she knows.  They didn't need to say anything.  This has happened too many times.  No need to say anything.  Just pretend nothing happened and move on. 

Too. 

Many. 

F*cken. 

Times!!!!

Continuous Improvement

Spent a good portion of today studying the SSAT's with SW.  We went over the Writing section... of how he'll be given two prompts to choose one... and how he should brainstorm, outline before drafting and finally proofreading.  Then we dove into Analogies... to which he scored 50% both times he tested... and to which I could've done at most... 10% better.  

But the alarming thing was... I was brought back to 2 years ago when I was doing the same thing with NN.  I was impatient, short-tempered and literally made my daughter cry when I drilled her in the very same exercises.  Conversely, 2 years later, SW and I are laughing and giggling the entire way.  I quickly walked over to NN, apologized and gave her a hug.  She aptly returned the hug... but raising the question, "Why didn't I get that same treatment?"

Ohhhh how far I've come as a person and as a father.  

Next lesson, humility...

I walked into the gym in time for the 4th quarter of Team C.  I look up at the scoreboard and it's 35-3.  OMG.... Our Knights weren't just losing... they were sent packing with their bags on a one way ticket to Timbuktu.

No... that's not our team.  NN's team is Team B.  After that shellacking... there's no where to go but up.  

After about 5 minutes of warm up...and stretches... and shooting... we were up.  Coach Mike named his starting 5.  And NN was tagged as #1... the Point Guard.  She has no idea what that is...or what that means.  But after the tip off... when the opposing team missed their first basket and we drove the distant of the court... NN got the first basket in Team B history.  And we were up... 2-0.  

That will be the only time we led in the game.  The rest of the game was one sided.  Sacred Heart's players were taller and faster.  They were a little unpolished... like us.  But just by sheer physicality, we didn't stand a chance.  

I couldn't have been more proud when NN saw an open lane and drove in the house for a layup (which she missed).

She had the tenacity to fight the ball which resulted in a 1 for 1 (which she missed).

In the final seconds of the game... the best players of the opposing team says, "I got #8."  

It was clear... the star of the team.... was NN.  

Final score... 22-10.  

We were humiliated... yet... we hold our heads high.  Double digits.  We got to double digits.  Everyone got into the game.  Our middle ground players now knows what it means to play defense.  And most importantly... the team now knows why we do the cardio/conditioning drills.  They were gassed!!!

But on the drive home... NN couldn't stop talking about herself.  About how good she was (she scored 2 points).  About how she's the commander on the court (she barely spoke up).  About how they double teamed her (It's easy when the other members of your team stand and do nothing).  The next lesson for NN... after some ball handling lessons... is humility.  

Know that you're good (among your peers), but also know you have waaaaaaaaaaaaaays to go. 

Tip Off eve

Once upon a time... there was a dad who would peel oranges for his daughter for her lunch.  He did this religiously throughout elementary, middle, and high school.  Out of love... out of overbearingness... out of whatever you coined it... he never had his daughter dig her nails into the nasty skin and rind.  Then on the last day of high school... he packed her lunch with an unpeeled orange with a note, "You're an adult now. It's time for the passage. =*(."

On the night before Tip Off... I find myself watching Youtube videos of Junior High basketball, wishing and hoping tomorrow goes well. 

23 and going

Celebrated our 23 year dating anniversary with a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. Why you chose me… I will never, EVER, understand. But I look up to the heavens and thank our loving God that you did.

The lowest just got lower

By 9PM, she was curled up in bed in the fetal position.  I ask what's wrong? She says, "I'm sad about basketball, daddy."  Then the next hour... it's me listening and trying to console my crying baby of why she got demoted. 

Sometimes, there just aren't any reasons.  Life is unfair.  The system was unfair. You may not have been the worst skilled player.  But sometimes, a decision needs to be made.  There are many silver linings.  It's a learning experience.  You go from a mediocre player to one of, if not, THE best player on the team.  You're going to be their leader, their captain.  You'll grow more from this than being on Team A.  So many things that logically make sense, but emotionally... will never penetrate that iron shield around her heart.

I couldn't be a coach.  I needed to be daddy.  I needed to listen. Words won't console that tiny, little shattered heart.  Only time will mend these wounds.  And of course... in my heart... I'm screaming out for Jesus. 

Ohhhhh.... just when you think you've bottomed out.  The lowest, just got lower.