Wrap-up: early Nov -

This early wrap-up is part of my attempt to be a little more conscientious about journaling my table tennis journey. 3 main days stand out:

8 Nov: I played two games with this Korean player at the local academy. I admired his stability with and the spin quality of every forehand stroke, it reminded me of An Jaehyun's. What's more remarkable was he wasn't even using his own racket. He's perhaps the 3rd player whom I've played with that I'd classify as a "true skill" type player (as opposed to a mixed bag / gimmick type player), after the two 60 or 60-plus y.o uncles sometimes referred to as "R" and "N" who play at HCC. 

13 Nov: This was possibly the closest thing to a TT gala for my local HCC. The wind blew cool but the skilled players came warm-bladed with the expectation of serious one-to-one combat. I enjoyed watching every one of these matches: Dark knight aesthetic guy vs A+ controlling M'sia-accented leftie, Dark knight aesthetic guy vs one of the best local shake-hand choppers, strongest penhold attacker "M" vs similar style Grandmaster level "N" followed by young shake-hand long pips pro "J". I only had the chance to spar briefly with the latter's friend, a skilled defensive player in her own right. This day seemed like a fluke; the next week, only a young modern style penholder - a true rarity - came that played with any shocking visual power, to whom I lost in a friendly match using Butterfly O.Caf. 

21 Nov: As the winds changed to mild, the local hole-in-the-building place once again saw a crowded night. Coming unprepared for some serious doubles, I found myself losing 3-1 in a friendly game with the usual 3. But it was great to know that really good table tennis could still happen in an open community space with no real experts or entry fees.