October 3, 2003

  • Passion?  My friends call it obsession.  I've had the need for speed, and need to succeed in whatever I do, since young.  Luckily I've been blessed with great genes from both parents - had always thought it was my dad but realize later mom's equally talented.


    Leeson is the first one to call me totally obsessed, back when I used to play Quake3 with him.  Then, to be a top player, I used to spend like 12 hours in the weekends playing Quake3.  I don't know how it works, it just comes on naturally, and when you start getting good, you just naturally wanna play on and be better.  Prior to cycling, I just finished six months of playing AirG, a GPRS game.  It got so bad that I was chalking a hundred bucks on GPRS connection.  Fortunately in my last month of playing (April 2003) just before I retired, I came in first, won 500 Canadian Dollars and switched over to cycling.  In Uni, I used to skip classes and spend almost 18 hours playing MUD, online gaming back before internet got popular.


    I'm just passionate for whatever I do.  I have a lot of passion.  When I am into Formula One, I read everything I can on it.


    Back in secondary school, I was known as chess maniac, computer maniac, etc... all with words maniac in them.  I know my ability to pass exams without studying came from my dad, and so did my piano skills - dad plays by ear and can't read notes, mom has grade 8 in piano and can never play by ear - but I'm never quite sure where my physical endurance comes from.  In sec 1 when I did my first 2.4km run, I came in 12mins 4 secs, and have never seen past 10mins since then (well, except after Uni, when I slacked for more than 10 years and grew fat and unfit).  Now without training for running at all, I managed a sub 9 mins 2.4km.


    I could swim like 35 laps back when I did swim.


    A chicken and egg situation?  Did my passion come first or ability come first?  Without passion no matter what ability, one can only be mediocre.  I knew Joseph Augustin (of Class 95 fame) back in secondary school.  We stayed in the same boarding house at St Pats together, he's 2 years my senior.  He had lots of raw talents - far far more than I ever did.  But in all things, I think I managed to go much further, because of passion (or as Leeson puts it, obsession).  Joseph just didn't put his heart into things (at least not back then).


    Thursday evening, as I was talking to Joyce, the topic of how long more I will cycle came up.  As with all my other obsessions, I know no matter how dedicated and obsessed I am with cycling now, I will one day give it up, like how I've given up on mp3s, Quake3, piano, amongst the many things I've done in life.  I hope it lasts forever, and for now, I think it will, but experience has taught me that nothing really will last forever.


    Five years?  That sounds more reasonable.  Until then... oops, I'm late in going out cycling already ;)

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