The Streets of Amsterdam
It was Friday; all the teams were out roving the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam, taking trams and crossing canals. We had a great time; darting into cheese shops, shouting frantically at the twins to stay off the tram tracks as the bells rang furiously, with the strong breeze of a ‘typical Dutch summer’ hurrying us onward. And boy, lunch was glorious – not Amsterdam food, but this very small, very modest Malaysian restaurant tucked neatly between the brick walls of the alleyway.
It’s rather funny, then, that my fondest memory of the day would be getting a vinyl of these four Bach Overtures – Ying Hong brought me to this quaint little shop on the side of the street as we headed toward dinner. A rather elderly man was packing his things up into his van by this time, but we ran up to him and asked if we could look at the vinyls. I’ve heard the first Bach Overture, and it’s a glorious, uplifting classic of a piece.
Hey Justin, it’s wonderful to see an update! Good to see that you’re enjoying the moment. How’s the competition going? And life in general? Stay positive, and keep on writing. C:
Cheers.
Amanda!
I’m back in Malaysia; right now I’m battling jetlag, mountainous swamps of homework and trials in two weeks. The results are out – Malaysia gets its best ever result, with our first gold medal, and a silver, bronze and two Honourable Mentions in addition.
I’m psyched by the gold medal, but am bitterly disappointed at my own performance during both days. I had poor judgement of the problems, especially during the second day – and panicking when I got stuck didn’t help either; I spent hours upon hours chasing wrong leads, ignoring obvious, trivial observations. I know I should, would and definitely could have done much better, but that didn’t happen.
But yes, I didn’t return empty-handed – I did get an Honourable Mention. But perhaps life’s like that, there are always disappointments and regrets; but rather, I’m looking forward to getting back up. I will do better next time.
Justin,
Ah, it was definitely a great experience, an eye-opener. Good for you! And congrats on the Honourable Mention. You’re just 15, there’s a whole lot more exciting stuff in store, just keep on working hard and have faith. And enjoy the moment. And of course, be grateful for everything you have. All the best!
Cheers.