before i became this person who sits at a computer all day, i was actually...athletic, like real athletic
badminton was my thing. and i mean really my thing. not like "oh i play sometimes" but like obsessively, every single night for three years straight.
how it all started
so i'd been playing badminton since i was like 5 or 6, just casually. but in 2017, this security guard at our local courts saw me play for literally the first time. and for some reason, i still don't know what he saw, he decided i had potential.
that changed everything. from that day on, i played every single night. rain or shine. this guy became my coach, my training partner, everything. and here's the crazy part: i was 10 years old beating players who were a decade older than me... not random but well known local players
the wins started piling up. local tournaments, cash prizes, school championships, district titles. i was at the peak of whatever physical strength a 10-year-old can have. the path was clear: district champion to state level to...who knows how far.
then the world stopped
march 2020. covid lockdown. courts closed overnight. tournaments canceled. the routine that had become my entire life gone.
just like that, three years of momentum vanished. all that competitive energy had nowhere to go.
so where did it go? straight to my decade-old PC. the same drive that made me practice badminton for hours every night got redirected to screens. computers, chess, ai/ml, geopolitics, drones, maps, vfx, all of it.
turns out a 𝗅̶𝖺̶𝖻̶ wet market in china decided my entire life trajectory.
what i learned
badminton is over for me. that chapter is closed. but the discipline didn't disappear, it just got repurposed. same obsessive focus, different target.
sometimes i wonder what would've happened if those courts never closed. but honestly? i'm not mad about how it turned out. the skills transferred. the competitive drive found new outlets.
can't control everything
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢁⠈⢻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⡀⠭⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠄⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣿⣷⣶⣶⡆⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⣼⣿⣿⠿⠶⠙⣿⡟⠡⣴⣿⣽⣿⣧⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣟⣭⣾⣿⣷⣶⣶⣴⣶⣿⣿⢄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⣩⣿⣿⣿⡏⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣹⡋⠘⠷⣦⣀⣠⡶⠁⠈⠁⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣍⠃⣴⣶⡔⠒⠄⣠⢀⠄⠄⠄⡨⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡘⠿⣷⣿⠿⠟⠃⠄⠄⣠⡇⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠋⢁⣷⣠⠄⠄⠄⠄⣀⣠⣾⡟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠉⠙⠻
⡿⠟⠋⠁⠄⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⡯⢓⣴⣾⣿⣿⡟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄
⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⡟⣷⠄⠹⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄
⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣸⣿⡷⡇⠄⣴⣾⣿⣿⠃⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄
⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⠃⣦⣄⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄
⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢸⣿⠗⢈⡶⣷⣿⣿⡏⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄