It's not in what you wear or kick.

Thanks Rebsie for that opening speech. Was nice to have the team captain step up to say a few words aye? But hey, this space aint just for the captain, vice-capt (not that she has said anything so far tho') or me. It's for anyone of you in team tjc to say anything with regards to the team or football. Let your voice be heard!

And so since training was cancelled on Friday, I decided to satisfy my hunger for football and thus drop by East Coast Park this evening on my own to like kick around. Not by myself of course! I put on my ultra-thick skinned suit aside from the usual soccer gear and stepped up to ask one guy amongst the other five kicking around...
Soccer-hungry Melvin: "Hey...you think I could just kick around with you guys?"
Football Man (in his 40's): "Ya..ya...can...!"

The rest was history. Match was rather slow paced and of low quality aside from the occasional through passes I threaded. =) But you know, I realised football fans/players alike are all UNITED by a single ball. Yea, we indeed are. to the point of putting our differences aside just to chase a single ball on the field and try, at all cost to pass it into a space marked out by two metal bars.
Looking forward to my amateur league game tomorrow afternoon. Guess where it's at? Turf City. Yeap. It's been slightly more than a month now since I had my first glimpse of you girls in action there! Time flies by. . .

But more than that and for the purpose of this post, let me share with you an encounter I had whilst browsing for a new pair of boots at Queensway Shopping Centre on friday.
There I was in this particular store browsing the Adidas boots section when I heard voices of a couple of boys (I figured from the way they spoke they were Upper Sec, or at most year 1 JC BOYS) behind me. As far as I can remember, the conversation went a little like this. . .
(For the sake of relevance, especially since some of us here experienced the un-gentlemanly side of them, I shall refer to them as JC Boys. )

JC Boy 1: Eh..please leh..next time don't bring that ball to play leh...damn hard leh...kick already damn pain can? and some more cannot kick far wan!
JC Boys: haha...hehe...
JC Boy 1: Ya lah..bring the Adidas ball can...or even the World Cup one also better..can kick further..easier to kick and CAN curl some more!!??

(they carried on with their lovely chat. I was simply enjoying eaves-dropping btw. ;) )

JC Boy 1/2: (looking at pair of diadora boots. apparently very nice designed pair of boots) WAH! Damn nice lah this boots!
JC Boy 3: Yah man! damn nice!
JC Boy 4: ehh....the price also very nice lor!
JC Boy 1: wah! Like that...I must as well buy Adidas lor....predator still can CURL the ball very well lor...
Mr Au: (under my breath) yah..and Nike Air can run faster and jump higher.....

So, what can we conclude from this girls? If you haven't already realised, it's not in the pair of boots we put on or in the ball(s) that we kick! Yea, momentarily and initially, it would make a slight difference in how we feel on the pitch (IMAGERY of us playing like our favourite football stars or looking like them, at least?), But honestly speaking, football is definitely more than that. Aside from getting our basics right, Football is about passion. It's about the team. It's about my friend on my left, on my right supporting me when I'm in possession of the ball or when I'm trying to BUY TIME (with the money justinE so claims we don't have). Football is about the love and time we share with each other. Football is about mugging together when training stops (and I'm glad you girls are doing so!).
Football at TEAM TJC is about giving our very best, staying Committed, Disciplined and Dedicated to the team and ourselves in spite of how we feel.

Are you in or are you out?

I'm IN.


btw, should i get the Adidas or Nike boots? =)