(couldn't access to my blogger in China, so this is just an at-the-moment post I wrote while I was in Wuhan...)
Sitting in Secretariat duty, I’m about to pass out from food overdose and over-soreness of the right side of my body. Yes, I was dragged on court during our badminton session last night to play in my jean shorts and randomly offered skater shoes (even though I didn’t mind playing bare feet). Once again, the aftermath proved that I should just stay off court, because the level of expectancy to perform as I did during my junior days is nowhere in comparison to what I can physically do now. So, to save myself all that disappointment, it’s probably better to just resume behind the curtains. Although, I do have to say, it was great fun to be playing again. It does remind me of how and why I find myself in the position that I am now, and in support of such an amazing sport. It’s true- a sport for all ages and all groups.
The tournament is the gathering; the game is the language. Do you speak badminton?
Of course, never trust a chinese when they tell you it will be a “light meal”. The after-baddy snack was more than fifteen dishes, though quite uniquely, styling different types of cuisine. From sashimi to pancakes to wok-tossed vegetables, you could say the meal was well-prepared to accommodate our group of diverse representatives from around the world. Mind you, most of us only had time to change into a fresh shirt before being rushed to dinner. Not knowing it would be in such a grand scale, the expression “under-dressed” facepalmed me upon entering the hotel. Well, at least I didn’t contaminate the surrounding air with waft of distinct odor :P Nonetheless, I wish I were hungry enough to try everything! Needless to say, breakfast was just unnecessary after such a big dinner, but seeing how I’ll be on duty for 4 hours, I should really grab something. A chocolate muffin would have been great, except it’s always when you want something that it’s not there. The hunt is still on for two more mornings!
Wuhan’s been quite the experience with the Forum and the AGM alongside the Thomas and Uber Cups. I do have to say, Wuhan did a good job with selling out the event, boasting a season ticket of USD2,000. Impressed? Yah. The setup and the showcase were obviously done with a hint of China’s exaggerated-ness. But in our case, it was probably a good thing in terms of promoting the sport as a whole. The live broadcast looked great on my TV for the nights I couldn’t make it to the venue. Even so, I did manage to catch the Thomas Cup finals with the very proud chinese crowd that were much better behaved than the previous days. I felt bad that the crowd would cheer against the faint yells from the group of Koreans in their corner of the venue. Anyway, wanting to have a better finals event, I cheered for the Koreans knowing it would be a near impossible feat to take down the Great Wall of China this year. Maybe next time…
Apart from work and the tournament, I did get a chance to catch up with my friends from Chinese Taipei for a late-night snack. It didn’t help that everything closes quite early here, but we did catch the end of the day for a tofu stand and a noodle stand. Pretty good when I’m hungry lol. Prior to the girls leaving, they had passed on to me a whole bag-load of food stock. Not that I’d ever go hungry here, but it’s good to know I have food in my room just in case I don’t have time to step out. This time, being in Wuhan, I don’t feel as bad to be stuck indoors doing work as there isn’t much to tour around here anyway. Honestly can’t wait to get home. I miss my late morning wake-up calls…
More badminton tonight. Maybe I’ll join the fun again :)