Quynh

In my last year at Queen's, I met Quynh at a residence staff dinner way back during training week and was told that she was the senior don of the building in which I would be living. That was par for the course - I ran into/met a lot of people that week. But here's the thing. The very next time I saw her, Quynh greeted me like she had known me for years. It took me by surprise because I simply did not expect such friendliness from someone, even if she WAS a senior don (I mean, hey, Dave was a senior don and he was Grumpy MaGee for most of the year until he stopped being single). That being said, I will always remember the kind of warmth that emanated from Quynh, even though I still, to this day, don't know her very well.

But that's the thing with Quynh! Every time I see her, she always sounds like she's thrilled to see me. She's kind, she's sympathetic, she's got a good sense of humor - she would have been an awesome don for whoever lived on her floor. I don't have too much to say about Quynh since we haven't known each other for very long (nor do we know each other particularly well) but this blog simply wouldn't be complete without her.

There are some people in this world who just... radiate warmth. Quynh is one of these people and I wanted to pay tribute to this rare and wonderful quality she has. I may not know very much about Quynh other than the fact that she HAS this trait but this - this outgoing display of care and sympathy - is enough to vault her into the awesome stratosphere.

Ron

2 badminton players in a row! My favorite Ron moment occurred this past summer when we were playing badminton and a he missed an easy shot because he lost concentration. Upon losing the point, he turned to me and proclaimed, "Not enough grit!!!" For some reason, this remark has always made me chuckle when I think about it, partially because it reminds me of a conversation we once had about how you can make up for lack of talent with "grit" and because it also reminds me of how Ron doesn't take the game too seriously.

One of Ron's greatest traits is the aforementioned "not taking the game too seriously" attitude he has towards badminton. That's not to say that he goofs off or doesn't try to win; he just always has fun while he's doing it and you know, that's something that a lot of people who play competitive sports forget from time to time (myself included). This is especially common when you go through phases where you suck (and everyone has those phases). I see a lot of people play the game and simply not look like they have very much fun while they're at it because they're constantly disappointed at their own game or their partner's. These are the times when I sometimes think to myself, "You know, you're kinda missing the point here."

Ron has always recognized this about playing badminton: fun should be first and foremost. This is especially true when you're not competing in tournaments. This, I think, is the reason why people like playing with him (me included). It's a reflection of his general good humor and fun-loving attitude towards life. He's the student in your class who probably goofs off a lot but does so in a way that's more entertaining than annoying. I suspect that Ron will be a bit of a party animal in university but I won't really know for sure until he starts next year. For now, I just really like how he manages to enjoy the sport without letting his concentration lapse to the point of making careless mistakes. That's a balance that very few people can achieve.

Athena

I was at badminton one time and did the usual Sunday-morning badminton routine: sit around on my arse for about an hour before actually getting up and playing a few games. Athena was among the group of people with whom I normally play and we played about as well as we usually did. Lunch time rolled around and Athena suddenly developed a craving for a burger (oddly enough for an aspiring vegetarian) and thus turned to her mum to ask if they could go. Her mum says "Burger King?" looks around, sees me, turns back to her daughter and says, "Well, you can ask Jon if he's willing to take you to Burger King."

For some reason, that incident always makes me consider how recreational sports can ignore age gaps that are generally more unheard of when we're in school. Athena's 17 - probably the youngest among every I consider a friend - but we first started playing badminton together when she was 15 (I was 21 at the time). You see, it's funny how you get lumped into the "kids" category when you're part of a badminton club because really, you're categorized based on your style of play; and really, from the age of 12 to probably your mid-late 20s, your style is the same: "fast". And as long as your parents are part of the same "generation," then the two of you are, technically, part of the same generation too.

Athena is a quirky sort of person and this personality actually comes through on the court, though it's hard to explain unless you're actually watching the game in progress. She's carries these wonderful quirks off the court too and she has the way of being intensely passionate about some topics without actually being loud about it - a subdued sort of passion, if you will - and I find it a nice quality about her. It's like you can always get an idea of the things that are important to her without feeling like she's being aggressive about it.

She plans on going to Queen's next year - always a sign of good decision making skills.

Athena also has this quality that - if I am to believe my mum - is very much like how my dad shows that he cares about someone. Athena isn't really the kind of person who outright shows emotion or tells you that she's happy to see you or that she misses you. However, if you take notice of her actions, she always has a way of showing you that she's happy to be around you - whether that is something as simple as asking you to do something with her or delaying her departure until you're ready to leave too. She really is one of those actions-speak-louder-than-words people - but you have to notice her actions to understand this. Once people do, I think you'd come to see that she's a kind, quirky, and charming person who - in her own quiet way - is capable of an enormous amount of empathy. Just talk to her about a sad situation and you'll see what I mean.

Did I mention she's pretty good at badminton? Yeah, that's a rare quality in girls. Just sayin'