I just can’t resist jotting down some nice & not-so-nice lines about my present predicament, my frustrations.  Things are easier said than done especially when it comes to exercising & losing weight.  It’s not easy pala to lose weight!  Bending, sit up, jogging, yoga, etc.—they’re really not easy & fun things to do!  Well, for me.  And it’s almost always easy to criticize others for being too chubby (if not fat!) or to give advice on doing regular exercises in order to lose weight & stay fit…as I usually do with my youngest sis who I thought weighs way heavier than I do…tsk, tsk, secret, plz don’t tell her.  Now is my turn to look at myself in front of the mirror after each bite I take.  I really feel uncomfortable to some extent now that I have already put on so much weight in just a few months.  Disgusting isn’t it?  I feel so unhealthy now with the extra 6 kgs that I have just gained without having any chances at all of doing the usual exercise that I love the most.  Playing tennis, that is!

Why the weight gain?  Well, it’s a very long story that happened in just a span of a day.  We had so much fun sometime on the 1st of July ‘07 (a week before my birthday!) at the AIT campus in Thailand.  That was my very first participation in the CATHOLYMPICS, an annual sportsfest for the catholic community in AIT.  I only participated in 3 events; tennis, volleyball & soccer baseball (or kickball ??)…..cheerleading?  No way, it’s no longer fun for me as I was already with my former uni’s cheerleading squad for 9 straight yrs during my younger years.  That was enough experience for me!

Tennis?  Yeah, though I’m not that good but it’s my cup of tea!  I love Maria Sharapova so much that I always imagine myself playing the kind of tough game that she does best.  Kickball?  Hmmm, ok lemme give it a try.  I played well when I was in high school anyway.  The Red Team scored well in the first inning.  Watching the Reds enjoy the game & making good kicks, I got jealous in the corner.  “Let me in”, I recalled.  There I went straight to the 3rd base, short staff, the spot I used to love way back then.  The very first kick, quite flat & strong came, I remember was by a man twice my size.  Hmmm, it looked so simple, easy but the ball swiftly headed towards my direction.  I thought that was chicken & will make a good catch anyway thinking that ‘a-man-down-is-on-the-way’…that if Barthel can do it, why can’t I?  But I was wrong.

I then realized that my 3 right-hand fingers bloated & were all-swollen.  Ice, ice, bondage, pain-killers, etc.  Aileen was quick & it was done!  It should be OK in a while.  Unaware of the severity of the situation that I got into, the volleyball game was the next big thing in my mind.  Since I was a volleyball player for 7 yrs from high school till college, I felt the adrenalin rushing in.  There I played the game along with my Red Team mates!  Go Red!

The swelling got worse, red fingers then turned blue…couldn’t bend, couldn’t move…it was darned painful!  My tennis game was cancelled…hmmm, was it because of the rain?  Driving back home was another difficult phenomenon.  One hand can’t do everything on the expressway…rolling up & down the car windows, paying toll fees, making turns, etc.  You can just imagine my predicament at that time.  Mom said, “X-ray is a must!”  And surely the films did confirm that I sustained bone & tissue injuries from the kickball game.  Three fingers sustained hairline bone fractures & serious tissue damage, thus, splints were required for at least a month.  My nurse sis almost fainted.  And the most disappointing thing is that my doctors declared a “no-tennis-period-for-5 months”.  Five months?  I can’t believe it.  I’ve been playing 3 times a week for years & then suddenly……..huh!  I felt cheated, frustrated.  Well, at least, I still can play but only 5 months later.  Not really a bad news though.

For me, tennis is my life, so what now then?  Swimming is the next best thing for me to do but not until the 3rd month since my fingers still hurt & wouldn’t be able to handle the water pressure.  Broken fingers?  Nope, just fractured bones but there’s not much that I can do.  Scrabble & bingo chess have become my pastime now.  How boring!  But do I have a choice?  Shopping maybe.  And gosh, the most dreaded incident occurred.  I gained weight!  (I’m not fat huh! I just gained weight! Upper limit: 52.5 kgs).  I don’t like it but it’s true.  The good thing is, I get to take some good rest & sleep, buy new clothes & accessories, & learn new easy (maybe silly) games.  But I got some clumsy movements now & that every thing is very difficult.

Well anyways, my doctor said that I’m on the healing stage now.  Sustaining an injury at the least has its pros & cons.  The pros — at least I can take my time & enjoy a long vacation (from whatever that I was doing with my 2 hands).  The cons just upset me — apart from sustaining bone injuries, tissue damage, gaining weight, & the tremendously unbelievable medical expense—I also couldn’t play tennis.  It’s a total dismay!  I am only looking forward to that final moment when my doctor gives me the green light that I can play tennis again.  I missed my buddies & the tourneys.  I just wish myself the best of luck nalang.  So, take care of yourselves.