Grading for Green Belt

I have endured and finished the three routines that were tested. It is really a good thing that I bit my lips and finish this journey. I had given my best and I will not regret it.

Thanks to Dad for driving me from Grandma house all the way to Kampong Ubi CC. Reaching there early, I started to warm-up and did some revisions. Nervous? Of course! Well, at least I got my emotions under control.

Some time after sending the white-belts up, it was time for us the green-whites to report. I got number seventy-four. What a great number. I was the first person from my batch to grade. I was paired up with Liyan for "lian bu quan" and "shaolin dan dao". As for the last routine, "shi mian ba fang gun", all of us did it one-by-one. Thanks Ruiqi for helping to pin up the number on my back.

I wonder if it was some improvement in my steminar, I do not feel so breathless. Or was it that I did only one routine at a time? Anyway, I felt a little stomache. Most probably nervousness.

Starting the "lian bu quan" after a second or two to stabilise myself, I became worried again after "eating" into Liyan's "territory". I was so scared to collide into her! I got the right side again. It was not as unlucky as I thought.

After finishing the first routine, "lian bu quan", I almost cried after leaving the exam area. I was stucked at that same old place again! For the rest of the moves at the back, I was not really stable as I felt like punching myself.

I did not forgot the routine this time round. What I forgot was, whether I did the "jing ji du li". After a moment of recalling, I went on with the "pizza move". Maybe it was the anxiety that cause what I did previously not properly encoded into my brain. At least I remembered what I did in that exam area. I totally can't remember what happened on the exam area for my first grading, I was just going auto-pilot. I was not as nervous as the first grading I must say.

Liyan told me that we stucked at the same place. She concluded that it may be dued to some "aura blockage" at that moment. No wonder I find it weird that she ended at the same time as me. Liping told us that Guangyao and Shifu was laughing.

I can feel some pain in my right ankle. I forced myself to press on, attempted to lie to my brain that it was nothing.

"Jian yi dan dao" was alright. Just that my feet seemed to be twisted at some point of time. The rough floor seemed to restrict some of my movements. It restricted my "gong jia" too. Hmm. Managed to make some sound but it was not desired enough. Choon Hong asked me to stand more to the right after my entrance. Guess I have scared some people there while I "ate into" Liyan's "territory" for the previous routine. He wanted to put me together with another boy who was also doing the broadsword. He changed his mind after I gave him the "O_O" face. Haha.

While doing the "ci bu", I remembered what Shifu said; no skipping. I did this routine with auto-pilot not because of anxiety. I just do not want to think too much, putting focus on my stability and confidence to finish the routine.

More pain on my right ankle after finishing the broadsword routine. Endure, endure! Felt some spasms while waiting for my turn to do the last routine.

While waiting for my turn, Jingting came to tell me that I slouched for my broadsword. At that time, the boy beside me accidently hit me with his sword. Demoralisation.

Thanks Choon Hong for guiding me to the specific place to start my "gun". Was worrying a little about where to stand before entering. I was really scared that my large usage of space may cause me to hit the main judges' table. I don't wish to shift my space halfway through the routine as it would be nicer if I can finish in one go. And yes, I did it in the end.

My "pi gun", I find it quite good as there was only one single sound. "Piak!" My "pao gun", I was a little worried, but I caught it! Yes! After "jing li", I went out of the exam area, putting a full-stop to this grading. As I was walking out, my face started to change. Yes, I have been controlling my facial emotion while I was doing my "pao gun" and "jing li". The reason was that I hit my left second metacarpo-phalangeal joint and it is now swollen. Tears were almost flowing out of my eyes. Pain. Very very pain.

After the whole thing concluded, Yeetian told me that my "pao gun" was very good. Happy! =D

I could not move my index finger till after some time. Maybe it was due to the excitement while I saw the exhibits near Eunos MRT station. Pictures taking time! Had lots of fun taking pictures with the zodiac animals and we met a "guai shushu". He wanted to take a picture of us after we asked someone to take a picture of us using my 8.1 megapixels handphone camera. The five of us (Liping, Serene, Yeetian, Liyan and me) had lots of question marks on our head. Haha. After he took a picture of us, he gave me his website to retrieve the photo. Heard from some aunties beside us that he is the photographer that follows Dr Ong, one of the Minister of Parliament.

I did not feel as nervous as my first grading. Guess it was me slowly getting used to the stress through the performances that I have participated. Maybe it was because there were a few more familiar faces than before as well? Well, since it was not the first time going for grading, I had kind of expected some of the things.

There were not as many people as expected that turned up for grading. Short queue. Relieved us headed home after having some fun at the Eunos MRT station open space. I wanted to stay on but my ankle needs lots of rest. I reached home at around 10pm. It was a fun experience. =)