Sheer Bliss.

People are happy for a number of reasons. What strikes you as a happy event? Probably the usual - getting something you want, meeting friends and family, watching a funny TV show.

Why do these things make us happy? Well, I'm confident that there must be some sort of scientific explanation that involves the inner workings of the human body, but I'm not about to get into that. For me, happiness does not require an explanation, it shouldn't be needlessly complicated. You're happy because you're happy. That's it. Nothing more.

I myself seem to feel incredibly blissful whenever I'm playing a good game of football, be it with friends or otherwise. I don't know how to explain it. I'm not sure that I even have to.

Some people might not understand what could possibly be so fun about chasing a ball around and attempting to get it in between a couple of goalposts. Well, in truth I'm not exactly sure why I enjoy it so much. But I believe that you don't need a reason to be passionate about something. For me, it's simple: Don't get it? Don't care.

Football isn't simply about kicking a ball. There's so much more, if you actually bothered to find out. Football is a way of life for many, and (somewhat shockingly) even a religion for some. Football can, and has put whole nations to war. Football has the ability to amaze, to excite, to piss people off. All of this shows how much of an influence the aptly-named 'beautiful game' can have.

Football brings people together.

Every football fan has their own story - what football means to them. As do I.

Being a mostly introverted individual, life is harder for me socially than those guys on the other side of the fence. I find it harder than most to make friends. I despise spending time at social gatherings. Talking to people is something I'd rather not do at times.

But football helped to change that. Many of my friends and acquaintances were first met on the pitch, or the court. Playing football with bigger and better opponents taught me to fear no one, to be confident of my own abilities. Shouting for the ball while playing helped to raise the volume of my voice. Back in Form 4 at Seminda, I came in 10th for the 'Merentas Desa' without having done any regular jogging - all my training was done running around chasing footballs.

Way more fun than jogging.

So am I a better, more well-balanced individual today because of football? Perhaps. All praise be to God Almighty for introducing me to the beautiful game. Who knows how I'd have turned out if I hadn't spent all that time playing?