The childhood dream that never materialised...
Every child has his/her dreams. Some dream of being a prince or princess, some dream of being a superhero,a pirate, a firefighter, a wrestler,a ghostbuster, a super slueth on a 007 mission,a police officer,a soldier,a president and the list goes on.As a child I dreamt constantly and boundlessly.Now,grown up, I am still dreaming.Constantly and boundlessly.
I realised at some point though, that my dreams seemed to change with every chinese serial or movie (of any kind) I watched.Friends of mine will tell you that I have a tendency to want to morph into the hero of every show I watch. If the hero was a lawyer, I would want to be a lawyer, a pirate and I would want to be a pirate.Speaking of pirates, I started behaving and acting like a pirate after I read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I must have been 10. That dream had since slowly disintegrated over the years till I caught Pirates of the Caribbean. The thoughts of being a pirate are returning.
So you see, I have dreams. Many dreams, of varying natures and most of these dreams either disintegrate with time or because of practical concerns.I do have a particular dream though that has been in my heart since I was a child and this particular dream is different from all my other dreams. This dream, unlike the rest doesnt seem to disintegrate with time or phase out due to practical concerns. This is the one dream that I wish now, to elaborate to you.
There is a community centre near where I stay and it has been there from ever since I could remember places. I used to go there with my brother and dad in the evenings when I was still a little boy, in the evenings mostly.They used to have these classes there, in the basketball court . Martial art classes. Taek Kwan Do I believe.I remember standing by the sides and watching these classes ardently, quietly yearning that my parents would approve of my secret desire. Unfortunately for me, my parents are the orthodox sort who believe in being cultured.Being cultured meant not engaging in violence of any sort. The irony was, cultured as they are, the 'art' in 'martial art' was lost on them.
Through my adolescence, like every other teenage boy with raging hormones, I have had my fair share of street fights.The outcome of the fights were never outright though, it always ended in both me and my opponent being tired out at some point. After every fight though, I used to imagine how the outcome would have been if I was a trained Taek Kwan Do black belt or Judo exponent. Then, I was old enough to not seek parental consent to enrol in a class, but not old enough to finance my class. So my dreams of martial granduer were halted and left in the recesses of my eager heart.
Till today, everytime I watch a martial art show like Ong Bak or Fists of Fury, my heart never fails to race. I marvel at their sleek moves and winning glory.Today I am old enough to even get married without parental consent and financially able enough to finance a martial art course of my choice. So I did just that.
I met a friend of mine who happens to be a boxer and he recommended me to a coach he knew. The classes were conducted in Cairnhill CC. I found my way to the exact room not by asking directions but by following the thundering sounds of shins hitting against padded leather.When I enquired at the information counter, I was told that the class I mentioned was not taught in the CC, which was why I had to rely on sounds instead.That day, I had my first lesson in Muay Thai. Muay Thai apparently is banned in Singapore for its violence, according to the coach.The martial art of Thailand, which consists of an array of punches and kicks at a lightning pace.
It sure felt like the dream I held dear for so long was finally coming to pass. But that was not to be. I eventually stopped going for training partly due to a knee injury incurred when I was 17, clocking a steady 70 Km mileage per week and partly due to fatigue from school work coupled with night long telephone conversations.I hardly have those nowdays, but I am embarrased to face my coach again, after leaving the class just as he was commenting on me showing promise.
My dream started out with Taek Kwan Do with its impressive belts.I am now impressed more by Muay Thai's aggression rather than the belts of Taek Kwan Do. I am still doubtful though, as to if I would ever master Muay Thai with my knee.
Nonetheless, I am not disheartened. I can always get another coach, and my leg could always be strengthened. And if that proves illusionary, I have discovered another alternative. Aikido. The japanese martial art that involves using the opponents strength against himself by gaining control of him and throwing him away from oneself. That wouldnt hurt my knee.
So, my dream still lives. Hopefully one day, it will materialize.Till then, it has once again been relegated to the recesses of my heart..resting and waiting..
Every child has his/her dreams. Some dream of being a prince or princess, some dream of being a superhero,a pirate, a firefighter, a wrestler,a ghostbuster, a super slueth on a 007 mission,a police officer,a soldier,a president and the list goes on.As a child I dreamt constantly and boundlessly.Now,grown up, I am still dreaming.Constantly and boundlessly.
I realised at some point though, that my dreams seemed to change with every chinese serial or movie (of any kind) I watched.Friends of mine will tell you that I have a tendency to want to morph into the hero of every show I watch. If the hero was a lawyer, I would want to be a lawyer, a pirate and I would want to be a pirate.Speaking of pirates, I started behaving and acting like a pirate after I read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I must have been 10. That dream had since slowly disintegrated over the years till I caught Pirates of the Caribbean. The thoughts of being a pirate are returning.
So you see, I have dreams. Many dreams, of varying natures and most of these dreams either disintegrate with time or because of practical concerns.I do have a particular dream though that has been in my heart since I was a child and this particular dream is different from all my other dreams. This dream, unlike the rest doesnt seem to disintegrate with time or phase out due to practical concerns. This is the one dream that I wish now, to elaborate to you.
There is a community centre near where I stay and it has been there from ever since I could remember places. I used to go there with my brother and dad in the evenings when I was still a little boy, in the evenings mostly.They used to have these classes there, in the basketball court . Martial art classes. Taek Kwan Do I believe.I remember standing by the sides and watching these classes ardently, quietly yearning that my parents would approve of my secret desire. Unfortunately for me, my parents are the orthodox sort who believe in being cultured.Being cultured meant not engaging in violence of any sort. The irony was, cultured as they are, the 'art' in 'martial art' was lost on them.
Through my adolescence, like every other teenage boy with raging hormones, I have had my fair share of street fights.The outcome of the fights were never outright though, it always ended in both me and my opponent being tired out at some point. After every fight though, I used to imagine how the outcome would have been if I was a trained Taek Kwan Do black belt or Judo exponent. Then, I was old enough to not seek parental consent to enrol in a class, but not old enough to finance my class. So my dreams of martial granduer were halted and left in the recesses of my eager heart.
Till today, everytime I watch a martial art show like Ong Bak or Fists of Fury, my heart never fails to race. I marvel at their sleek moves and winning glory.Today I am old enough to even get married without parental consent and financially able enough to finance a martial art course of my choice. So I did just that.
I met a friend of mine who happens to be a boxer and he recommended me to a coach he knew. The classes were conducted in Cairnhill CC. I found my way to the exact room not by asking directions but by following the thundering sounds of shins hitting against padded leather.When I enquired at the information counter, I was told that the class I mentioned was not taught in the CC, which was why I had to rely on sounds instead.That day, I had my first lesson in Muay Thai. Muay Thai apparently is banned in Singapore for its violence, according to the coach.The martial art of Thailand, which consists of an array of punches and kicks at a lightning pace.
It sure felt like the dream I held dear for so long was finally coming to pass. But that was not to be. I eventually stopped going for training partly due to a knee injury incurred when I was 17, clocking a steady 70 Km mileage per week and partly due to fatigue from school work coupled with night long telephone conversations.I hardly have those nowdays, but I am embarrased to face my coach again, after leaving the class just as he was commenting on me showing promise.
My dream started out with Taek Kwan Do with its impressive belts.I am now impressed more by Muay Thai's aggression rather than the belts of Taek Kwan Do. I am still doubtful though, as to if I would ever master Muay Thai with my knee.
Nonetheless, I am not disheartened. I can always get another coach, and my leg could always be strengthened. And if that proves illusionary, I have discovered another alternative. Aikido. The japanese martial art that involves using the opponents strength against himself by gaining control of him and throwing him away from oneself. That wouldnt hurt my knee.
So, my dream still lives. Hopefully one day, it will materialize.Till then, it has once again been relegated to the recesses of my heart..resting and waiting..
posted by The Sch O Hard Knockx at 4:27 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home