freeminder: My 2014 Hari Raya Holiday...

...Was spent quite satisfactorily in Kota Marudu. The main event was supposed be our Family Day (Mom's side) at Sorinsim National Park, a 2 days and nights event, starting from 27th to 29th. However, I didn't see much activities in the itinerary that I think I would eagerly want to join. Luckily, there was a much more interesting event waiting for me there, Futsal Tournament.

Heard the news only on Thursday, last Thursday, which was the closing date itself, we almost didn't make it into the tournament. Trying hard to gather all KK players (Women futsal team, District 9), thank God we made it, both in gathering the much needed players and also registering our team as Likas Church team, be it in the very, very last minute.

So, the tournament was held on the 28th, the very first day of Raya. With registration fee of RM80, it was held at Owen Jorge Sports, Jalan Lotong, Kota Marudu. I felt very excited to play. Well, it's a sport, which I love very, very much.

There were 13 teams for women and 37 teams for men. Quite a handful to finish in a day. Don't know much about men futsal, but for women, the teams were put into 3 groups, where we were in the largest group, had to play in 4 matches in group stage. It seemed to me that all but us were from nearby churches, within Kota Marudu or nearby places. It didn't matter, what mattered most was out spirit. We might not have any supporter at all but ourselves, but it was okay.

So, the early stage went quite well. We managed to win 3 out of 4 matches, and draw in our last group match. The quarter final was quite gruesome, a bit fast paced, but we managed to secure 2-1 win over our opponent. However, minutes before our semifinal, our defense, which we relied heavily upon to keep our net from invasions, had to pack her bags and leave early due to transportation problem. The semi match was....well, okay, but a last minute mistake on my side, a very inexperienced defender (I am, after all, an all time midfielder, in all field games, football, futsal and hockey, all the same, also netball), caused a 1-1 draw at the final whistle. It was very frustrating as I tried my best to make up for the goal we conceived, but failed. So, into penalty. 5 penalty kicks altogether, only one of us managed to score. Mine went straight to the standing goalkeeper where I expected her to fall on her side, while 3 others stray away from the post. The final match we won, 1-0 and we managed to secure 2nd runner up. I didn't play the last game, as the pain on my left leg I got from final group match had started to settle in. A little consolation, the best player, top scorer was from our team, bagged about 10 goals altogether. And also good (actually great) comments from outside spectators and other teams too, that we play interesting games, became salve to our hurting pride.

The family day? I went there only on the last day, 29th. Still managed to meet most of the family. Learned that not much activities went on, except for zumba. Other than that, it was all socializing and nothing else. Well, I thought, lucky me to have my holiday filled with exciting activity and some achievement too.

All in all, although it was a tiring weekend + holiday, it was GREAT. Thank God for the opportunity to savor that getaway, a great one.