Sunday, July 08, 2007

The Blossoming Hatred

I’m starting to hate the National Band Competition.

It is not my place to comment on whether I am capable of looking past my thirst for competition and lose gracious when the rarity surfaces, but Liverpool fans can empathise with me when our team have been on a decade long losing streak from any significant competitions. It’s frustrating to find that bands from other states have evolved by leaps and bounds while our quality have been waning to the standard we would laugh at years ago.

It is also true that despite the questionable direction our great alma mater’s flagship has taken, most of the alumni will persevere in weathering our rivals’ jeers proudly and extend our cheers towards the latest leadership. Yet, I can find no resemblance in the current batch when compared to the band I once loved. Why must a cadet corps resort to insipid gimmicks to convince the attending masses of our conviction to be champions?

But that is not why I’m starting to hate the National Band Competition.

It is the indirect torments that I have to endure after every failure. All the feigned sympathy from friends with similar interests but different allegiances needs a courteous, albeit difficult, response. The denigrating criticisms from every self-proclaimed band expert within the vicinity have to be defended and/or deflected for loyalty sake, no matter how hard they are to ingest. But worst of all is the fact that these derision are strangely directed at me, even from within the alumni.

Is it the need to appear intelligent and cultured that compels you to dwell in the negatives? Is it the resentment of my ability to affect changes within the hierarchy of the band? Is it the jealousy of my significance to the existing batch of leaders that I had a hand in nurturing? I’m sure anyone can reap these if they cared enough. So don’t blame me for your failure to contribute. Your mere words alone are useless without actions to support them.

I’m starting to hate the National Band Competition. But I will not stop loving my band.

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