It's not whether, but when

Great wall of China

Our quest to bring back the Thomas Cup to Malaysian soil came to an anti-climatic end when the Malaysian team went down 0-3 to the Chinese team.

Pwned. Chong Wei after his defeat to Lin Dan.

According to Lee Chong Wei:

It suddenly felt like the court was too small and I could not see any space to hit the shuttle. I was demoralised when he retrieved all my attacking shots.

Coach Rashid Sidek said that China also had the better strategy - by targeting only the major tournaments.

This is perhaps one of the better examples of how sports psychology, planning and strategy can be used to win the game.

The world's a stage

Shakespeare wrote in his pastoral comedy, "As You Like It":

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.

There's where I am it seems, on a stage where my words and actions are subject to scrutiny and critique, where people strive to find fault with me whilst ignoring their own failures.

That's something I've come to expect from those around me. People always think that it's easier to look at the faults of others rather than their own mistakes. It's easier because it makes their own faults look less obvious.

To them it's a means of escape ... a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card in other words. And they'll use this card to conjure whatever excuses they need to find whatever fault they can with me.

I feel that there's a storm coming. It's inevitable, it's unavoidable. I'm not there yet, but I'm sailing right into it. And as usual, I'm alone.

But I'm ready for it.

It doesn't matter ...

t doesn't matter how many good words you say, but say one thing wrong and you're screwed.

It doesn't matter how many good deeds you do, but make a mistake and yes, you guessed it ... you're screwed.

It doesn't matter how many times people screw up, but if YOU screw up once ... well, I'm sure you know the rest.

That's the position that I'm in now.

It seems that people are much happier to look at the faults of others rather than deeds. It seems that I'm expected to be perfect while everyone around me can be jerks, liars, manipulators, etc. The list is too long to mention. But I'm sure you get the picture.

This is life for me, and the people whom I've described are supposed to be my friends and allies.

Some deal huh?

Everyone lies

That statement holds its only truth.

I've always taught my swimmers about the importance of honesty and always telling the truth.

But I've learned today that everyone, and I mean everyone, lies. People are selfish in nature, including friends or so-called friends..