SPM's OVER! (yes i know it's been over for quite sometime now but who cares right?).If the blog-bug had bitten me within the first week after the examination,i would probably add in a WOOHOO or a HAHAHAHA or maybe even a YEE-HAAA to the sentence,but i guess all the hype about it being over died down a little with each passing day like.I (personally) consider December the most productive month throughout the year,simply because i had a variety of things to do in that month that doesn't involve Books...Coffees and Pens (can't remember the last time i actually used one).And that also gives me a reason to slack and not blog about Everything =)
Rewind back to exactly a year ago,Nike Football conducted an Elite training camp and only the best under-20 people in Malaysia made the cut to get the opportunity to train at state-of-the-art training facilites under the watchful eyes of reputable coaches.It was an opportunity many individuals in Malaysia wanted and i was lucky enough to be categorised with the minorities.We went through the same brutal training the Malaysian team went through and i have to say,i really had it tough.I remember after the first training session on the very first day,i had such a bad headache (ya'know the ones u get when you overworked your body) i almost puke in the dressing room.And the night before the big and final match/day there,we stayed at a hostel that cramped 5 people in a room and didn't provide blankets, so everyone used their towels as blankets.Lucky for me,i brought a towel so tiny,it only reached up till my belly-button.The air-cond was pre-set like sub-Alaskan temperatures and while everyone was getting their bodies well rested for tommorow's big game,i was lying there awake,shaking freezingly wondering why did i choose to come to this camp,my answers were then answered on the next day.Nike surprised all of us when the then,anonymous coach of Malaysia K.Rajagopal emerged and gave us very valuable advise on how to raise our game and as if that wasn't enough,while we were gearing up for the final match,one Malaysian player passed by our dressing rooms.We thought our eyes were playing tricks on us but just then,another player passed by.And we began to question ourselves....is he who i think he is??Then we all rushed out of our dressing rooms with shoelaces untied and socks not pulled up and there they was......the whole Malaysian squad on the field training right in front of us!!
The final match by Nike then had a real twist to it,we were split into four teams and every team will be randomly assigned to one Malaysian player!Safiq was chosen to play with our team and i must say i was a tad bit disappointed because i wanted one of the more famous stars that time,namely Aidil to play for us and instead,he was on the opposing team.I always thought Safiq was one of the extras of the Malaysian squad because whenever you see any Nike adverts,you'll see Aidil,not Safiq in there.But when he played football,he played with such confidence and composure you only get in very talented people of the sport.Even when he was marked by 2 of his Malaysian teammates,he will still somehow jingle his way out of trouble with the ball still attached to his legs.We made it all the way into the finals and the team we would eventually face had Aidil in there.The best moment in the final for me came when i had a foot race with Aidil for a loose ball.Shoulder-to-shoulder,we all sprinted for the ball and maybe it's because i had more at stake with all the scouts looking around for raw talent than Aidil,i reached the ball first!You could hear the crowd sighing in delight but that all didn't mattered as much as us winning the match!We all thought it was just an exhibition match and the winners from it doesn't get any prizes but what Nike definitely has is the element of surprise.Just before we got our leaving certificates,they announced that the winning team gets a limited edition Lace up Save lives laces.And the Emcee then said:"Now what would go well with those shoelaces......A PAIR OF SHOES OF COURSE!!We're giving you a free pair of NIKE SHOES!!!"But that WASN'T the real deal for me though.Even with all the people asking me to wear that pair of shoe Nike got me,it still hasn't left it's shoe box till today!
The REAL deal ladies and gentleman.....is to tell people that i have shaken the hands of the coach who now faces Datuk-ship for steering our national team to the Suzuki Cup 2010 yesterday.Was in the same team as Safiq-the CAPTAIN of the team and the first person to hoist the Suzuki Cup 2010 for the very first time for Malaysia.And lucky enough to have played in the same field as the squad responsible for today's Public Holiday.Forget about all the Man Us,Chelseas and even the the Arsenals for a second and look a little closer to home,because our national team after yesterday's showing has proven many critcis wrong,proven that their now a force to be reckon with in Asia.But must of all,proven that MALAYSIA indeed BOLEH!!!!!
