i forced myself to think about the bigger picture instead of being caught up with the pettiness that often deludes our logical minds; in my daily life, i meet and have the opportunity to get to know dozens of new individuals every week, and i witness firsthand how sh*tty our generation treats on another. people cheat, people lie, and people generally abuse the trust and attention others give them - all without really thinking about the consequences of their actions. (i'm not saying i'm not at fault for any of the above, mind you.)
call me a throwback if you will, but the world is already such an enormous and unforgiving place as it is - do we really need to treat those we do meet as strangers & enemies? i've been told enough times in my life that i'm "successful" and the first thing i'll ever say (besides thank you) is: "i've been extremely fortunate, and i'm only the sum of the experiences and inspiration that i've been blessed with." i truly believe in the "each one, teach one" philosophy, and i always think that if i've put a smile on one person's face, or if i've made one person believe in something, i've done a tiny part in accomplishing my life goal..
that being said, i often lose sight (temporarily) of my goals when silly distractions come up. i've long accepted that its human nature to fear what we don't know/understand, and to judge firsthand rather than get to know most of the people we meet. what i struggle with is being ok with being misunderstood. i've gotten a lot better at brushing these kinds of things off my shoulder over the years (because i've been a pretty polarizing figure since my high school days), but at times i still get frustrated when stupidity takes place - it makes me wish everyone was raised with more respect for others, and as an extension, ourselves as human beings.
so, i walked through downtown Toronto to remind myself that no matter how good my intentions are, i still can't control a lot of things in this world. yet (haha). i accepted that i, kevin chung, am merely one insignificant person out of millions in just my city, and no matter how big my dreams are, i've still got a long ways to go. by ANY account. so, its jus back to the grind and business as usual for me - and i'll do it all with a (crooked) smile on my face ;)
..if only summer could come quicker.Bouncing Back: I Surprise Myself Sometimes
i woke up this morning at 8am, slightly annoyed that my stupid body only wanted to sleep for 4 hours, but more annoyed that i made myself unhappy for a few hours last night after having been pretty content with life lately.. so i got right up, planned out my day and got straight to it.. did some work on the computer, ate, stretched and headed down to the gym to shoot a bit of hoops to relax..
knowing myself, i figured i'd play really well since i was re-focused.. but boy, i had no idea. i made 92 out of the 100 free throws i always warm up with, which i'm 99.99% sure is by far the best i've EVER shot. fully pumped, i ended up doing shooting drill after shooting drill, working myself into a sweat all by my lonesome in the gym.. this lasted about two hours. then a couple of buddies who also live in my building happened to drop by the gym, and i thought: "f*ck it, i might as well play some competitive ball."
what came after was unreal: i played like a man possessed; on top of my usual 3s (i shoot threes in my sleep, no surprise there lol), i hit midrange turnarounds (yea, i usually have 0 midrange game), finished all my Steve Nash-wannabe off-balance layups (yea, if i could do that consistently, i'd have a sick game) and i even hit two hook shots posting up against a 6'3" guy (yeaaaaa.. i thought i was Mark Jackson circa-1994).. we kept rotating the teams, but my teams won every game - and before today, i honestly thought 2 of the other guys i played against today were wayyyy better than i was. one of the guys beat me 11-3 and 11-8 in consecutive one-on-one games a few weeks ago.. so, all in all, i'd have to say - i've never played this well, EVER.
needless to say, i was exhausted after all that basketball.. so i decided to reward myself by working out as well.. i did complete sets of exercises for my chest, biceps and abs, and now i'm not really going to be able to move for the next 72 hours. right now i jus hope today wasn't a fluke, and that if i continue to keep pushing myself harder, good things will continue happening - to quote a maxim Bryce Courtenay's classic novel "The Power of One" - "First with the head, then with the heart." =)
today's been a terrific day, and i hope its a sign of what's to come.
12:13am, a day in the life..
______________________________________
"Like missing your last shot, and falling to your knees
As the crowd screams, for the other team
I practiced so hard for this moment victory don't leave
I know what this means, I'm stuck in this routine
Whole new different day, the same old thing
All I got is dreams, nobody else can see
Nobody else believes, nobody else but me
Where are you victory, I need you desperately
Not just for the moment, to make history"
- Jay-Z, "History"
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone (lighta)
And the battle's finally won (gimme a lighta)
Victory is finally ours (lightas up)
(lightas up) History so long so long
so long, so long
In search of victory, she keeps saluting me
If only we can be together momentarily
We can make love, and make history
Why won't you visit me, until she visit me
I'll be stuck with her sister, her name is defeat
She gives me agony, so much agony
She brings me so much pain, so much misery
Like missing your last shot, and falling to your knees
As the crowd screams, for the other team
I practiced so hard for this moment victory don't leave
I know what this means, I'm stuck in this routine
Whole new different day, the same old thing
All I got is dreams, nobody else can see
Nobody else believes, nobody else but me
Where are you victory, I need you desperately
Not just for the moment, to make history
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone (lighta)
And the battle's finally won (lightas)
Victory is finally ours (yeah)
History so long so long (yeah)
(yeah) So long, so long
So now I'm flirting with death
Hustling like a G while victory wasn't watching took chances repeatedly
As a teenage boy, before acne, before I got proactive I couldn't face she
I just threw on my hoody, and headed to the street
I swear I met success we lived together shortly
Now success was like lust, she's good to the touch
She's good for the moment but she's never enough
Everybodys had her, she's nothing like me
but success is all i got, unfortunately
But i`m burning down the block
I`ve been in it down defeat
But something tells me that, there`s much more to see
Before i get killed, cus i can`t get robbed
So before me, success and death bandage
I gotta get lost, i gotta find free
We gotta be together to make history
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone (lighta)
And the battle's finally won (lightas)
Victory is finally ours (yeah)
History so long so long (yeah)
(yeah) So long, so long
Now history is mine, it taste so sweet
She`s my trophy wife, she coming with me
We have a baby who stutters` repeatedly
We name him history
He repeats after me
He`s my legacy, son i`m a hard work
Future of my past, he`ll explain who i be
Rank me among the greats
Either 1 2 or 3, if i ain`t number one
Then i failed your victory
Ain`t in it for the fame, that dies in within weeks
Ain`t in it for the money, can`t take me when you leave
I wanna be remembered long after you breath
Long after i`m gone, long after i breath
I leave all i am, in the hands of history
Bless my last will testimony
This is much more then a song
It`s a baby shower, i`ve been waiting for this hour
History your ours.
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone
And the battle's finally won
Victory is finally ours
History so long so long
so long, so long x2
Now that all the smoke is gone (lighta)
And the battle's finally won (gimme a lighta)
Victory is finally ours (lightas up)
(lightas up) History so long so long
so long, so long
In search of victory, she keeps saluting me
If only we can be together momentarily
We can make love, and make history
Why won't you visit me, until she visit me
I'll be stuck with her sister, her name is defeat
She gives me agony, so much agony
She brings me so much pain, so much misery
Like missing your last shot, and falling to your knees
As the crowd screams, for the other team
I practiced so hard for this moment victory don't leave
I know what this means, I'm stuck in this routine
Whole new different day, the same old thing
All I got is dreams, nobody else can see
Nobody else believes, nobody else but me
Where are you victory, I need you desperately
Not just for the moment, to make history
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone (lighta)
And the battle's finally won (lightas)
Victory is finally ours (yeah)
History so long so long (yeah)
(yeah) So long, so long
So now I'm flirting with death
Hustling like a G while victory wasn't watching took chances repeatedly
As a teenage boy, before acne, before I got proactive I couldn't face she
I just threw on my hoody, and headed to the street
I swear I met success we lived together shortly
Now success was like lust, she's good to the touch
She's good for the moment but she's never enough
Everybodys had her, she's nothing like me
but success is all i got, unfortunately
But i`m burning down the block
I`ve been in it down defeat
But something tells me that, there`s much more to see
Before i get killed, cus i can`t get robbed
So before me, success and death bandage
I gotta get lost, i gotta find free
We gotta be together to make history
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone (lighta)
And the battle's finally won (lightas)
Victory is finally ours (yeah)
History so long so long (yeah)
(yeah) So long, so long
Now history is mine, it taste so sweet
She`s my trophy wife, she coming with me
We have a baby who stutters` repeatedly
We name him history
He repeats after me
He`s my legacy, son i`m a hard work
Future of my past, he`ll explain who i be
Rank me among the greats
Either 1 2 or 3, if i ain`t number one
Then i failed your victory
Ain`t in it for the fame, that dies in within weeks
Ain`t in it for the money, can`t take me when you leave
I wanna be remembered long after you breath
Long after i`m gone, long after i breath
I leave all i am, in the hands of history
Bless my last will testimony
This is much more then a song
It`s a baby shower, i`ve been waiting for this hour
History your ours.
[Chorus] (Jay-Z)
Now that all the smoke is gone
And the battle's finally won
Victory is finally ours
History so long so long
so long, so long x2
