Just One Goal

Anyone who knows me, knows what a sportsperson I am, in that I absolutely am not. 

I don't know what took over me when I signed up for a charity football event. Not that the charity event was close to my heart, I didn't even know what it was till I actually started playing the match. I signed up only for the sake of it. To maybe meet new people, and get some exercise in the process. 

I was generously welcomed into the team, apparently having a female player in the team automatically gave us a goal point. 

I learnt the difference between kicking from the inside of my feet, and the tip of my toes, I learnt I needed to stop the ball before kicking, yeah, what's possibly considered basic. 

I was calling the sport soccer, and my team mates clarified it is football. "You're in Singapore, now" they let me know.

Well, you can call it whatever, I don't know either. 

Many teammates invested time and effort to help me get in the rhythm of the game. "Stretch, Paddy, Pass Paddy, Shoot Paddy."

I told about the event at home, and my son was the most excited. "Mamma, I will teach you." he said very excitedly, and teach he did. 

We repurposed his basketball as a football (we're in Singapore), and taught me how to focus and pass the ball. 

My husband found my participation extremely funny. The fact that the team gets a point because of a woman, was very amusing to him. Frankly, it was amusing to me as well. But am not the one to complain if it benefits the team. 

Our team coach, had just one wish, "One Goal. Just One Goal", much like Tavita, in "Next Goal Wins". 

From a team that for the past two years, never scored a single goal, we moved to being a team that won two, drew two and lost two. That was a big victory. 

Tavita would be so proud. 

"Ok, stop it Ady." 

I gotta go stop this person from quite literally, rolling on the floor, laughing. 

But here's proof, that I actually did play a sport!

A non-dancing Engineer

There’s a talent show is DS’s school. The teacher asked the kids if anybody wanted to participate.

But of course, mostly girls raised their hands.

“What about the boys?” the teacher asked.

My son meekly lifted his hand up. And then there were some more little boy hands hesitantly going up.

And before he knew it, he was signed up for a dance performance.

I got an email saying that my son along with a few kids had signed up to dance for the Talent Show. While surprised, I was excited to see what my son had planned to practice.

After his usual excited entry home, and his scrumptious hug, I asked him – “So babe, it’s exciting that you’re going to participate in the talent show.”

His face turned somber.

“Mamma, I only lifted my hand, so it would encourage the other boys to lift their hands too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mamma, only girls had raised their hands and the teacher asked what about the boys. So to encourage everyone, I raised my hand. And as I raised my hand, the other boys raised their hands too. I forgot to put my hand down when their hands went up, so I had to sign up.

“I asked if I could do some engineering or show my inventions, and the teacher said I could do dance or sing, and so I am signed up to dance.”

“But that’s still good?” I asked, not knowing what he really wanted to do.

“No, Mamma. Not good at all. The other boys want me to dance and sing, and I hate doing both.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Well, I thought I could do engineering, but I can’t show that in the talent show, so I don’t want to do anything.”

His friends’ parents had called him for a dance practice by then, and I told him to try it out and if he didn’t still like it, I’d let his teacher know.

Sure enough, he had a lot of fun playing, but hated the part where he had to practice dancing.

And as promised, I let the parents and the teacher know as well that he did not want to participate in the Talent Show.

And immediately he started building his gadgets with lego, and he was his usual happy self.

“I am an engineer”, he said smiling as he built, “not a dancer.”

“You know you can be both” I immediately replied on reflex.

“Yeah, I do. I don’t want to dance though. I just want to build.”

Well, if that’s what he wanted to do… ‘poor guy the amount of stress dancing for the show created on him’ I thought looking at him.

“Mamma” he came to me rather quickly. “I am missing a few pieces of lego. Can you buy me a new set?”

So much for all the stress.

Building in the Bath tub

DS has been very clear since the time he knew what an engineer does, that he wanted to be an Engineer.

Not gonna lie, I kinda felt very happy, and I don't really know why. Could be the Indian-ness in me, could be that it's something I am familiar with compared to what the other kid wants to become - a professional actor. 

I do know, that my dad would've been very proud, very happy. 

Now time will tell what this kid will do, but so far, seeing him tinkering with everything in the house, making gliders, designing fans, he may be on-track. 

Everyday with this kid is a new innovation day. 

Yesterday, he was off to build something new as usual. When it took an unusually long time for him to get out of the bath tub, I decided to interrupt the bubbles. 

"What's up, dude?" I asked him. "What are you still doing in the bath tub?"

"I am building" he said. 

"Building what?" 

"Mamma, can I take your body lotion bottle?"

"For what?"

"I want to use it for my building."

"How?"

"I just need to take the straw from inside it. I won't throw the lotion." He clarified he wouldn't do what he had done with my bottle the last time. 

"No" I said, also remembering the last time, he emptied my entire bottle. 

"Ok, fine, let me figure something else out, can you give me 5 more minutes?" he asked me kindly.  Who could've said no to that face. 

Five minutes later, I came to see this construction in the bath tub. 

"What is this babe?" 

"Mamma, it is the best building in Singapore."

The resemblance is of course uncanny. Once you see it, you just can't un-see it. 

Image source: Wikimedia