Darien Tan
Basketball
My older brother was the vice-captain of our primary school's Basketball team and I've always looked up to him since young, so I followed his footsteps and took up Basketball. Primary 3 was one of the best year for me as I could finally join the Basketball team. I trained hard at first, but as time passed I stopped going for the CCA as I became half-hearted and lost interest in the sport. It was not until primary 6 when I picked up a Basketball again as all my friends were playing it so I joined them and the competitiveness I felt from them as we played was what reignited my passion for Basketball.
Since then, the time I spent on Basketball steadily increased and hours would go by without even me noticing. I was also fortunate to meet many friends in my secondary school who shares the same passion as me even though my school doesn't have a Basketball team and we would always meet at Mountbatten Community Club to play Basketball together even til now. Through Basketball, I had the opportunity to make many close friends from powerhouse schools and even from national teams that have trained with me and helped me to improve my game. Never forgetting the goal I've set for myself, I'd train and join as many Basketball event whenever I can to gain experience as I strive to achieve my goals.
Anime
At a young age, I've been exposed to Japanese culture as my family would frequently take me to Japan for holiday. Whenever I was there, I'd watch Japanese cartoons, also known as anime in the hotel and buy many anime toys. I then began waking up early on the weekends to watch animes like Pokemon and Inuyasha on Kids Central back at home which is something relatable to many. I also began browsing channels such as ANIMAX on the television which aired huge varieties of animes everyday. Since then, I've been really hooked onto anything relating to anime.
Until now, I'll still reguarly watch anime and read manga during my free time and could easily spend hours binge watching anime. I've also attended the Anime Festival Asia (AFA) yearly since 2012 with my friends who share similar interest as me. Growing up, watching anime and reading manga has been one thing that has really helped me to relax and something I do whenever i'm feeling down as it easily cheers me up. So I think that this is one hobby that will stick with me for a very long time!
