De-stressor.

What do you do when you are stressed? What do you do when you are depressed? What are the things that will keep your spirits up even though everything seems bleak? What can make you forget temporarily the troubles that you have? Who are the ones who are able to induce that smile on you during troubled times?

Is it singing? Bingeing? Sleeping? What is it? If you can't answer this question, it's probably high time to find one (activity or person) that will really cheer you up when you're down. Else you'd really go insane eventually in this stressful world.

That being said, what then, is my number one de-stressor, one might ask. A caring girlfriend, since I'm a 痴情男人? Well, a really caring girlfriend may probably make my day, but my buddy would tell you that is not the answer. The answer is basketball.

Many people, especially girls, have asked me why do I adore bball so much? What is so fun about bball? My answer is, unless you've been in it, you have no idea the power it wields, the joy and satisfaction it provides. The true joy of basketball lies not only in the skill one has, but also, more importantly, in the company one is with. Nothing in my entire life could really match that. A girlfriend can make your day, or break your day. But basketball with good company never fails to cheer me up, helps me forget the troubles of life and gives me the courage after that to face them.

I never realized its true powers until recently when I was really down and I had a game with some friends. It was really an entertaining activity. That really cheered me up, all the laughter over the incidents in the game, be it silly or really cool ones, all the beautiful set pieces in the game, really neat personal layups and shots, the reliance on others to finish the game or accomplish his/her role, the reliance of others on you to get the basket, the competition against a common opponent... All these add up to the joy of basketball. But most importantly, it's the laughter that's involved, the lost laughter that is missing from my life. Yes, that's why I really owe it to those who plays bball with me, my buddy, my kakis in sg (yuan yuan chun, my cousin...) and those here in US. It's really really fun to play with you guys. Many thanks for the joyful times you've given me. Bball is my passion! This is the thing that truly makes me smile.

Now that I have revealed my #1 de-stressor. What then is my #2? Must be girl-friend this time, one might say. Hmm... *after some thoughts*... probably... I would say, girl-friend would probably be ranked together with my passion for organ, or somewhere between #1 and #2 depending on how sweet she is :P. Why, one would probe further? It's probably because of the times I had in the past, especially when I have problems in school work or relationships. My organ was my best personal companion then, and actually even now (Actually, that isn't really true. My best companion is XXX-XXX. Organ is second best). I really derive a lot of joy playing it. Girl-friend, if she's really a caring one, may possibly over-ride that. But on the other hand, like I mentioned earlier, problems with r/s are going to cause you great depression. So it's really important to find one who's agreeable with your character, passion and needs. While organ doesn't give you problems, it also doesn't give you as much joy as a girlfriend would be able to provide. Not trying to diminish the joys of playing the organ. It's really entertaining, and it cheers me up. But, despite those experiences I have in r/s, I still believe that the one who'll eventually walk with you will be able to provide you with the happiness that would surpass this level of joy. That is why I may put girlfriend before organ, something which I hold with really high regards. But this ranking may drop drastically with an incorrect choice of girlfriend. I trust my judgment, and I will believe in the girl I have chosen.

Anyways, these are possibly the 3 top de-stressors that I have. Girlfriend, not quite yet. So now, still bball and organ. yeah! Girlfriend - still on a look out for. Must be patient and wait.