Flashback.

Coming to the half of the year 2014. 

Damai Beach, Kuching

Where we stayed nearby

Where I stayed during the tournament weekend.

Went for my first paintball tournament for year 2014 in Kuching last May, a week before the Kaamatan holidays.  First tournament for the year. Imagine that.  Things were not that easy for us this year...it is weird to see the bags just placed there, with no dirt, paint splatters or anything like it...feels weird pacing around without any bruises once every 2-3 months like I used to in the past years.  

 Kuching landmark 

view from the waterfront at night

Met great friends, make new friends...new experiences.  Good hospitality, superb food.  A stray Kat joining Supergrass this year and I am grateful, honoured to play with the awesome Sarawakian ladies and enjoyed my week.  No, I didn't bring home a medal, but it does feel as if we got first place, at least that's how I look at it.

 View from the sky of the tournament arena in Damai Central, Kuching.

I was somewhere down there, maybe at the food court, or 7-11...I think. LOL.

My ID tag for this year.

To be honest, I do feel down 2 weeks before tournament, and at the edge of almost wanted to cancel this trip, let the tickets burn, stay in KK and sulk in the corner wondering if that's the right thing to do.  Truth to be told, I am so unmotivated, sad and had so many issues going on that my spirit is already waiting to break into pieces anytime.

Never got tired of Kuching Laksa...start with laksa, ended my Kuching visit with laksa too!

Then came back whine about my allergies..LOL

On the day I flew, it was sunny in KK then started to rain in Miri when I get down for transit to Kuching.  All the way I kept, if this is an omen to tell me that this is a mistake; why do I ever think of playing with someone's team...am I good enough...what if I let them down...and so many more played in my mind.  The comfort of the food the moment I touched down in Kuching made me forgot the unhappy thoughts for a while, but even in my sleep these questions still bothers me in my dreams. 

sampling the famous sarawak layer cakes is so much fun!

24th May 2014.  First day of Kuching Cup 3 vs 3 2014 in Damai Central.  The lingering thoughts still bothers me as I sat at the verandah in our room in Damai Puri Resort, watching at the pouring rain that has been non-stop since 7am that morning.  Not too late to pull out, I told myself.  My other team mate felt the same too, but I told her we will decide about it when all of us gathered at the field.  But seeing the face of the team captain, Carol does slaps me back to reality.  The looks of people who wanted us to play, who encouraged us to play.  So I did.  So we did.

Dinner at Escobar after the first day tournament ended.  

Forgetting about tournament just for the night.

Despite with the gastric pain that constantly attacked me, aching back and knees (age factor I guess!), we managed to finish 4th placing after battle it all out for 2 days. 

Team Supergrass line up 2014: Daff, Carole and Me. 

Should taken the pix when Catherine was around.

So here I am, back in KK.  Back to reality.  Holiday is over, whined over the allergies I got from the holiday (for not controlling my food intake of what I can and cannot eat...padan muka) and work.  

Came to think about it, I am glad that I didn't ran away from accepting the challenge I gave myself. I am glad that I boarded the plane instead of crying in regret in my room.  

Thank you for welcoming me to your home.

Missing the two little angels already. uhuhuhu....

I wasn't alone at all.  
I met a bunch of awesome people who made me laugh, who welcomed me with open arms and accepting me into their fold. 

Thank you everyone.

Pain, paint, paint~!

I think I kena paintball overdose syndrome.  

May, June and last weekend, July is my almost non-stop paintball activities almost every weekends.  Every person that I met also remarked that they seen me in few different places in short span of time based on my updated activities in Facebook.  

Ramadhan came and it's a relief to me.  Really relieved because at least I can rest from traveling for events or running the local events for a while.  

So, in case you were wondering,  I was in KK last month for the Sabah Paintball League, then a week or so later, I touched down Kuching for the Kuching Cup 3 vs 3.

Us....Splatz1 Katz

Borneo ladies rock the field!

With another all ladies team, the SuperGrass - which gathers up players from Sarawak and Brunei

Carole from Kuching (center, white top with pink headband), Lulu from Brunei (right, black top with colorful headband), Nia from Kuching (left, red shirt), Daff from Kuching (back left, blue top), Yours truly with purple headwrap, Arry from Sabah (next to me, red headwrap) and Joanne (behind Lulu).

Can you spot me in the video? Hehehehe~

Anyway, after Kuching, a week after that I sail off to Labuan as the head referee for Labuan Pusatko Open 2013.  

 Though tiring, but our accomodation was arranged at Papaya's Beach Lodge...

All the tiredness just fades away with the peace and quiet environment here...

Who says only grown ups plays paintball?  This 3 siblings are no more than 15 years of age, they stole the attention away from the Open division players and guess what, their team won GOLD for Rookie category!

Happy winners....Team United Paintballers (a team consists of players from Sandakan, KK and KL) with Team Crazie Darkside (Sarawak, KL & Brunei) all smiles with their winning trophy.  2 days of hardwork finally paid off!

one for the album with Labuan referees and Team Crazie Darkside...

you guys are bullies! LOL~

Barely a day I arrived from Labuan, an unexpected job came in.  A referee friend of mine, Vicky asked me if I can help out for the Sandakan 3 vs 3 Challenge that very same weekend.  So, 4 days after that...yours truly flew to Sandakan...

 Oh yeah...travelling in style! =p

I salute this uncle for enduring the sun and rain to be in the field with us.

He is also a paintball player but this time around, he asked if he can get inside to be a paintball ref.

Honestly, I am a little concerned since I never worked with referees whom are 20 years older than me, and kept reminding him that if he can't go on, I would understand, but he finished the tournament anyway and still in good spirits!

If this is not putting the younger players in shame, I don't know what will.  

 A gift from Vicky, all the way from Japan!

Thank you!!!!!! 

 Me and Vicky, with the Sandakan Referees

Teams that came all the way from Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan respectively.

Well...last weekend's Sandakan trip is to end the half year of paintball season for me in 2013.  Now that Ramadhan is here, I can take this opportunity to rest, and yes, will be travelling again in a week or so...but this time, it's nothing about paintball (well, almost) hehehehehe~  

I can't wait to meet up with some friends.

Till then, see you in next post!

Between the 2 Jerseys.

So it's done. 
After waiting, training for months, jitters, butterflies in my tummy no longer. 

It was one fine evening in 2012 when my brother, Miguel blurted out about bringing the team to play for a paintball tournament in Taiwan in 2013.  As a 'dormant' team member for Splatz1, I coyly told my brother that I don't mind tagging along, perhaps if I could assist at the Dye booth or do something to make myself useful, or if I got lucky, I might get a spot to become a field ref, as what I always been doing in tournaments.

"Why don't you play with the team this time?" he asked.  I was like, "Seriously?"
"Well, if you wish to play, you gotta start training."

The following weekend, there I was in the field, for the first time since became a paintball marshal for 4,5 years (?), I trained as a player.

It wasn't easy, and I am determined not to be treated any different from other players.  Since most of the team members are not in town due to other commitments, I trained with other players from other teams.  Paintball friends who knew that I had started training gave lots of tips and advice. 

 I admit that along the years, though I do play paintball on certain occasions (but never on the competitive speedball game), I am somewhat a spoil bear.  Why I said so?  I always have someone to do things for me.  Whenever I am going to play, for our annual Nexus wargame for example, I had the boys prepared marker for me.  Harness with pods, all filled and ready.  After each round, I had someone to refill the gas for yours truly.  No batteries, I get someone to replaced it for me.  It's all changed the day I started my training - I got to do things myself and to be responsible with my own equipments.  What kind of shooting mode I wanna use for that particular day? My brother showed the manual book and asked me to follow the instruction step by step.  So yeah, no more anyone to do things for me unless I can't fix it.

Days, weeks, months goes by.  So there I was, finally packed and ready to Taiwan.  A week before the tournament date, I was all jitters and butterflies.  I kept telling myself: "What if I failed the team?  What if I screwed up during the game?  What if...what if...what if..."  I kept on wondering why I even agree to play?  Why I wanted to step out from my comfort zone, just doing that I already knew and not to bother doing something else?  I wanted to pull out.  Lots of other things just make me feel wanted to just quit.  I was on the edge of breaking down.  Nothing seems right.  I want out.  It wasn't until a paintball friend told me this, "If you play because other people ask you so, QUIT.  If you play for any reasons other than playing because you wanted to play, QUIT.  You'll be only wasting the time of the people who spend time to train you."

Now..that feels like someone slapping my face for a wake up call.  And it works.

I did went with the team anyway.  Didn't to play as much as I am concentrating helping out the team in the paddock most of the time (there's just 7 of us in the line up), side coached for our players at the dorito side, collecting pods, cleaning them up and checking on game schedule before going for the next rounds. 

Viewing myself as the player, now that's a different vision altogether.  There are bound to have bad calls as such, and now I truly understand how it feels.  There are moments you just wish that the paint check could have been done earlier, frustration and all...set aside the marshal identity, I am a player. 

When it came my turn to play, mind is blank altogether.  All that I heard is voices around the field, paintballs flying around and there I was behind the bunker, doing my best to take down my opponent...I got hit anyway, put my hand on head and humbly walked out.  Got myself cleaned, everything refilled and get on for the 2nd round... and the cycle goes until the end of the game. Then the tournament ended, and it's all over.

As we spent few more days in Taiwan after the tournament, I spent my time reflecting the tournament, it's impact on me and how it has given me a brand new experience in my paintball life.  I used to be that someone outside the bunker, watching where the paintballs hit and pull the players out if they were eliminated.  This time around, I was the person behind the bunkers. It's fun, great and awesome!

So returning back to KK, am going to become a player now and leave marshaling for good?  I don't think so.  It truly helped me see from both sides' views - and it motivates me to become a better marshal in the future. Will this be my first and last speedball tournament as a player?  Nope.  I choose to continue my training and looking forward to learn more from more players.

My great thanks to everyone who has been motivating me, helping me with all those tips and tricks in the field, those who patiently trained me, my team mates - Splatz1 especially my brother Miguel Ronne for giving me the chance to experience all these; from marshaling till playing...I wouldn't be who am I today without him. =)

I know that I still have a long way to go to be on the same par with the team members.  I might be slow, but I am a work in progress. =)

Between these 2 jerseys:  I will wear whichever that is required for me for that particular tournament.  Either way, you will still see me:  either I made the call, or being called out. 

See you in the field!

Sneak Peek: Taiwan Trip

Still sorting out photos for the blog!  

Anyway, here's a little sneak peek during my trip in Taiwan:

Proudly bringing our state and country flags with us.  A photo before we fly from KKIA Terminal 2.

Arrived in Taipei!

 Waited for almost 20 minutes in the cold for our bus outside the airport.

It's 14 degrees out there...the wind and all.  We're Malaysians and not used to the cold...

 Behind me is the tournament field in Taitung.

New experiences, new friends. =)

 Photo with the team in Taitung during the player's party.

 In one of the night markets in Taipei.

Street performer acting as a cat~ =p

This beautiful white dog caught my attention.

Was speaking to the owner asking for her permission to touch her dog.

ps:  That dog is 8 years old.

Saw a man with some beautiful dogs including this Collie.

She is one of the strays which was rescued and then trained as theraphy dogs

for the elderly and sick children.

Till the next post! =)

My Sister's Engagement Day (13/10/2012)

I was back to my little hometown again last weekend for my sister's engagement day.

It's a very simple, quiet, family affair.  Nothing too grand, but I guess my family members alone can liven up the whole place! =p

My uncle Kenny as the 1st witness for the future bride's side...

Cousin George as the 2nd witness...

1st witness from my sister's fiancee side...

2nd witness...

Catechist Angeline came to lead the prayers.

My mom showing off the cupcake my sister bake herself.

My family's 'must have' activity when they gather around... =.=|||

Congratulations Kirstin & Ah Kong! =)

Last Weekend's Paintball Tournament (Borneo 3 Men)

After 2 days battling it out under the hot sun, the dirt, the pellets flying around, paint on the jerseys, pants, masks, now it's back to nursing sunburns, bruises left from the weekend war.

Yes, very much to my surprise and to everyone who knew me for years in this sport - for the first time in my paintball life I passed out last saturday soon after the lunch break.  It's been very hot that day, guess I don't have enough sleep the night before (pre-tournament jitters keeps me awake whole night), early morning I only had little breakfast for the sake of 'eating something' to keep Koko K stop babbling about me not eating , made the worst mistake for taking 2 cans of energy drink in less than 4 hours that keeps me in a very hyper mode during the game, hectic game schedule to follow (90 rounds that day with 1 field and the minor technical glitches in between causing delays), one of the fellow referees was sick and unable to get through the day means we are one guy short in the field, I am too busy rotating the other refs for rest every few games that I forgotten myself - finally...my spirit says go on but my body gave up.

It wasn't fun, seeing all black spots, wobbling, head aches and at the same time feeling like wanted to vomit, and weak, you feel like wanted to dozed off but you were told not to and they keep you awake...you don't feel like eating or drinking anything and every sip of water feels so bitter and you unable to take another drop unless being forced.  I was lucky that I collapsed nearby where the paintballers were watching the game and I didn't remember where I landed.  I just knew there are voices all around me that sounds like echos.

Then after quite sometime, I feel much better but was not allowed to get back into the field.  My heart breaks seeing them working so hard.  (sigh...when I am the leader, I am supposed to be a lot stronger, right?) I am a little disappointed at myself.

I feel touched when paintballers are concerned and visiting the tent where I was recuperating and asking for my well being.  Some gave lots of advice, others kept me under the shade and offering water, isotonic drinks even food!

Even right after the day 1 tournament is over, Koko K and Simon bring me to have something to eat and for the first time, I rejected dessert. =.=|||

My heartfelt thank you for everyone - your kind get well wishes for me through Facebook, SMS'es, calls.  Also to concerned paintballers during B3M - I can't thank you all enough.