Reflective Writing Update

It was eleven o'clock on a freezing Saturday night in Hong Kong and I could not seem to fall asleep despite my fatigue body begging me to let it rest. Every toss and every turn was a little painful as I had multiple cuts on my arms and face due to the abrasions from the gloves during the fight. Instead, I found myself tearing. Not just because of the pain I was feeling but also because of what happened earlier that day: My first Boxing fight.

I was extremely nervous just hours before my fight. I was fighting the first first bout (first match of the whole competition) and my opponent was from the home country, Hong Kong. Merely thinking about how everything I had worked so hard for the past few months was for that mere twelve minutes in that ring, where all eyes would be on us, was truly nerve wrecking. However, the moment the bell went off and the battle started, all fears disappeared and we both showed no mercy during the first 2 rounds. It was obvious that my opponent had more experience in this sport but I still tried my best to survive all the rounds and gave my best.

There is a saying by Davee Jones, "Think training is hard? Trying losing." I mentioned before that my goal was to be the best version of myself in the ring and I would be happy as long as I trained my hardest. Winning was just a bonus. Well, I guess I lied.  To be honest, losing really is not fun at all and losing hurts. When the rounds ended, the judges made their decision and the referee rose my opponent's hand in the air, claiming her to be the champion. Even though my team mates and my coach were very happy with my performance for a first timer, I still cried like a cry baby after the results because I thought I lost everything.

What changed my perspective of this violent and lonely sport is that the very next day, we had a farewell dinner and my opponent approached me and started making little conversations with me. Despite the fact that we punched each other in the ring the previous day, we could still make friends and talk about the fight. So, even though I lost, I was really grateful to be given the opportunity to represent my country and learnt so many valuable lessons through this experience. More importantly, I got to know myself a little better.

Despite this loss, it somehow made me want to come back even stronger and aim to have more fights. I am currently training for Singapore Boxing National Competition end of April and this would determine whether I would be selected to  participate in S.E.A Games 2015 which will be hosted in Singapore. I am extremely excited but nervous and scared at the same time. My Boxing journey has so far been a roller coaster ride for me and I suppose that is what makes life interesting: Learning about yourself and challenging yourself every single day.

My first ever opponent 

Right after the fight

My dearest coach beside me: He inspires me to do better

Reflective Writing ES1102

“Ding!” There goes the timer on the wall. Sweat is dripping down my face as I try to gasp as much air as I can to slow my heart rate down. I could feel pain in every ounce of muscles in my shoulders and legs from throwing different combinations with high intensity. Tell me again, why am I doing this almost every night? Well, meet my new “boyfriend” for the past one year. Boxing.

When i first started this sport, my only goal was to lose weight. I embarked on my boxing journey with no intention to fight and I was not particular in terms of techniques and execution of punches. However, after a painful first sparring session, my interest in fighting grew. 

26 more days to my amateur fight in Hong Kong and I cannot hide my excitement neither my fears. The mere thought of standing in a boxing ring gives me the chills, as though a live rock concert is going on in my stomach. Did I train enough? Will I let the people who believed in me down? What if I have a meltdown in the middle of the fight? However, I would somehow manage to snap those thoughts out of my head and go back to telling myself to be strong, confident and aggressive and half the battle is won. I guess I have never been so determined to do anything this insane and it is scaring the life out of me. 

On the good side, it gives me the discipline to eat healthy and train dirty to prepare me for the fight. Every training is painful, but as much as I love to whine, I need this pain. I need it to tell me that I am doing something right. I need it to tell me that I am going beyond what I was used to be doing. And I need it to tell me that at the end of the day, people who have been through hardship are champions. To be honest, the outcome of the fight does not really bother me. More importantly, I truly want to be the best version of myself in the ring and showcase sportsmanship on that day. 

There is a famous boxing quote by Joe Louis, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit”. And i believe it applies not only to boxing but also our daily lives, at least in mine. Most of us would plan to be successful in the future and always assume that our journey would be as smooth as a calming sea. However, for as long as I have experienced it, life is never fair and will never be perfect. At different phases of our lives, we are bound to get hit by heartaches and letdowns, but it is how we deal with the situation that matters. Similarly, in a fight, we never know where our opponent is going to attack but we learn to adapt quickly to these punches, anticipate these blows coming towards us and come up with another blueprint. Boxing also taught me to not let these hurdles get the better of me. Boxing is like a metaphor for life and everything I learned through it I try to apply to every area of my life and I am truly lucky to have found something I am passionate about.