On a lonely (and broke) free night

fridays are usually "untouchable" in our seminary schedule, especially friday evenings (except during first friday of the month for our monthly recollection) where we get to go places, watch a movie, grab a drink, or just get sufficient rest. however, due to circumstances beyond my control (read: empty wallet hahaha), i had to stay put in the seminary and spend my free afternoon and night here. besides sleeping, i spent the friday watching one of my favorite animes: slam dunk!

perhaps everyone already knows the story of hanamichi sakuragi, his beginnings with basketball, his "rivalries" with akagi and rukawa, his process of learning the game starting with the basics of dribbling and passing, his development as a player, his passion to be the best (and impress haruko along the way), and his slam dunks that made him a mainstay in the shohoku team.

after downloading the entire series in malaysia last summer, i'm revisiting the story and just appreciating how defense, especially rebounding, becomes a key ingredient to victory, how essential the fundamentals are in the sport, and how perseverance, patience, and passion develop a player to his full potential. as a baller and basketball enthusiast, i find these constant reminders very handy in every game i play and in every experience i gather in the basketball court. of course, it would be difficult to find a regular time for me to play basketball after my final year in the seminary. that's why i think that, on a larger scale, lessons from basketball (and even from an anime like this) are quite applicable to life in general.

or maybe, just maybe, that's what being lonely (and broke) does to me on a free night.