Humans are not perfect. Each and every one of us has a flaw and it's either you come face to face with your own flaws through knowing yourself better or through someone telling you in your face about your flaws. For me, I came to know one of my serious flaws - bad-tempered - at a relatively young age.
During my primary school days, I started playing soccer and I would cry whenever my team loses. I thought that was because I just didn't like to lose, such was my competitive nature (only in soccer!). Forward to secondary school days, eliminate the crying part but I was still a sore loser. I would start to get physical (but how physical can I get with my small frame) when my team, consisting of my secondary classmates, is trailing in a match.
I still remember a classic, if not embarassing, scenario where we were playing soccer with a team from another school and we were losing quite badly. I started to get rough and one of their players was really angry at me. He confronted me and pushed me to the ground (Ahem! Don't think I'm weak, ok? I was small-sized and didn't really expect him to push me.). The next thing I knew was players from both sides began to intervene and separate both of us to prevent a fight from ensuing. In the midst of chaos, I blurted out, for whatever reason that up to now remains a mystery to me, "Which gang are you from? Come fight la! (In Hokkien cum Chinese)". The aggressor heard me and became even more agitated but thanks to his teamates, though he was struggling to get to me, I was still separated from him.
Then came the moment when everyone calmed down and I could see a guy, presumbably older than us because he looks old (Oooppss!), from the opposition who came walking to me and put his hand over my shoulder and started to walk me away from the crowd. My legs just followed him wherever he wanted to lead me to and I didn't dare moved an inch of my muscle. He said to me, "Kid, don't anyhow talk about gangs ok? You wouldn't want to be associated with a gang, trust me..." I think he still said some more stuff to me but that's all I can remember now.
After the match, one of my classmates by the name of Gavin (he was the one who arranged the match) told me that the guy talking to me was a member of a notorious gang and I totally blanked out. I realised that he could have walloped me in his usual gangster style but he didn't. I was and still grateful to him up till now that he pulled me away from what could be a painful experience, literally.
Ooppss... I have written so much but I have yet to really go into my serious flaw... Think this could be a trilogy in the making... Continue in my next post then! Cheers!
