(Title - How one of my flatmate pronounces Dublin)

I still feel overwhelmed.

It was certainly one of the best moment of my life – and only now I could write about it, because it is very hard to write when you were constantly making sure that the medal is still there, grinning from ear to ear and your hands were shaking in disbelief.

It was just a bronze medal anyway – but it is more than enough for me.

I went to Dublin two weeks ago. Since I am not a Superman and son of Roman Abramovich, I have to make sure I get the cheapest flight available. Then I thought what about my accommodation, as I do need my beauty sleep as well. So I started to imagine myself drooling in my sleeping bag somewhere in Dublin Airport, with the consent that I will be chased away by tall-Irish security guards.

And not being the son of Roman Abramovich, I will only have some money just enough for me to live for few more days and my passport just in case people think I am from Italy. With that, I was thinking what I am going to eat in the 4^th most expensive city in Europe? 

That left me with one last choice, stay home.

*

I have no idea who this guy is other than some random creeper who added me on Facebook. Just to make sure Facebook is there for a purpose, I took a while rambling through his page (and normally I’ll go through pictures first, as the saying ‘picture paints a thousand word’ has it) and saw something familiar.

Green, dull and old. Oh yeah, that’s him when he was in KMB. I think I know the place. He is my KMB super-senior, and he too is not a Superman.

*

I was startling when someone called me on one fine day. Where the hell he/she get my number from? Maybe he/she is drunk and thought anything he/she dialed would make her speak to a cab driver.

Hello

Hello

Oy ini Ang!

Oy ini Izham! Ang? (My crazy mind went in tune to Doraemon’s ang ang ang lyric)

Ya la, Ang! Facebook Facebook! Gua KMB dulu. Sekarang Edinburgh.

Oh okay okay, Ang!

Haa, lu main bola?

Main kadang-kadang.

Mau main team aku for Dublin Games?

Okay, boleh. (grabbed my wallet and put aside some cash, just in case)

Okay, contact kau later.

*

Now I don’t have a choice. It is football, so I am all for it.

So that was why I went to Dublin – to play football with strangers and try to win the tournament without training.

Hello, Ang.

Khai.

Han Boon.

Fairuz.

Salim.

Udeng.

Aku Izham.

I didn’t know any one of them - they were from different universities, different courses and different year (I was the youngest, just for the record), and some of them are of different race and speak different language as well. Other than being Malaysian, we shared one thing in common – passion for football.

So we played.

And we nearly made it to the final, as the opponent did a Liverpool when we were three goals leading in the semi-final. It was awkward and also a familiar fixture for me as my former captain and team-mate when I was playing for KMB, Amirul Hakim and Hariz were wearing the same jersey for the opponent team and I was not.

But we battled our way to secure the bronze medal in the 3^rd/4^th placing match, first ever medal for Ang The Captain after 4 years of playing football thousand miles away from Penang.

Without doubt, the win was for him, the same creeper who added me on Facebook and stalked for my phone number.

At least lah, at least lah, kau orang kasi lah aku benda keras boleh gigit tu untuk aku bawa balik. - Ang Choon Seong

He was talking about winning medal, lah.

*

Life is good when you have people who care enough to cook you a dinner and provide you place to sleep. Thanks Marshitah for the delightful Nasi Lemak Ayam and Ridhu for the bed and the PS3. Oh yes, Alya for nice chat and banter. You guys made 2% my day! (obviously football is the other 98%, sorry).

A boost for my accommodation and eating budget, and it was fun catching up with classmates and friends (makan free lepak free mana tak fun).

I flew back the next day; only to find out clock had gone back by an hour thanks to the end of British Summer Time and I had an hour extra of sleep – and definitely more hours to remember the fun I had in Dublin - certainly the best moment of my life.

I still feel overwhelmed - maybe more now.

No, now.