Life in unexpected places

Growing on a tree outside Kallang Tennis Centre

Kallang Tennis Centre has shut its doors once again for renovation for the Youth Olympics in August. I am also temporarily (hopefully!) suspending my tennis lessons. Unfortunately, I cannot afford more lessons at the moment.

I enjoy tennis very much and I am thankful to have a very good (though expensive) coach. It's one of those things that I feel I really learnt quite properly and it will keep me in good stead for a long time. My coach, at times, dispenses surprisingly good advice that I could relate to learning and to life.

'Learning to play the right way is important. If you keep practising the right technique, you will get sharper and sharper. If you keep practising with the wrong technique, what is sharp will become blunt'

'When you serve, feel one with the ball'

'When you do the ball toss, and it does not feel right to serve, just let it go. Don't attempt to catch the ball, just let it go and try again'

- Coach Stanley

When he said these things to me, it was pretty strong stuff for 7 in the morning. But it sank in, I could relate it to other aspects of life and the meaning becomes manifold.