1. Waking up in the nick of time, misjudging the last step as I fly down to get ready and feeling guilty about leaving Mi Nam has apparently become the main part of my morning routine. My body is still on summer time which means I have no real sleeping patterns and I’m accustomed to hitting the snooze button way too often.
2. I had two classes to teach today, as I always do with the exception of Monday when I have three. My first class was a breeze. It was full of many new students and lots of energy despite it being 9:20 in the morning.
3. My second class however, the class I have with the dance students… oh gosh. It was “interesting”. Finally at one point I stopped the whole class and lectured them about how this is a conversation class. If you’re sleeping, you can’t talk… if you can’t talk, you can’t get a mark in my class. I really don’t care what other professors do in their class, this is my class and I do not tolerate bad mannered students. I know it’s a bit harsh but this is university, not kindergarten. I told them they’ll get two warnings and the third time I approach them it’ll be to escort them out the classroom.
4. When I was in university I had my own place, a full-time job and I still managed to get good grades. While the majority of my friends were partying, I was pulling all-nighters on essays, cramming in more study times, racing off to the library… AND… bartending four nights a week. I worked on Thursdays from 6:30pm to 2am, Fridays from 2pm to 2am, Saturdays from 7pm to 2am, and Sundays from 3pm to 2am… although the shift ended at 2am, I never really got out of the club until 3am, which meant (2 buses later), I was getting home at 4:30am. Monday morning I had class at 8am and so I had to leave my house around 7am. Sounds rough… it was. Most times it meant I slept at the bar or stayed up all night on Sundays. So hearing about these students of mine who live at home, have no job, and can’t even stay awake in class hits NO soft spot in me. I was in university for four years and managed my bartending job for 3 of those 4 years.
5. Yes, I know… I’m very opinionated, so be it. My parents never gave me things on a silver platter. They made me learn the hard way. If I wanted that new bike, I had to find some way to get the money to buy… so I worked. When I was younger I had a Sear’s catalogue delivery job, a paper route, I babysat kids from church, I helped looked after handicap children, and I had my own backpack sewing company. – all before I was even reached the age of 13. And you know what, I totally agree with how my parents raised me. They taught me how to earn a decent penny, the value of a dollar and responsibilities.
6. But enough about that right now… next…. Two students showed up with 20 minutes left to class. They pleaded with me to check their attendance and I refused. We all were highly entertained with their begging though… hehehe. Korean students are so funny.
7. Headed off to training and ran into Milk Dud at the boxing club. He’s a student at one of the local universities and so usually when I train with Junior Mint, he’s at school. Today he had early classes only. Training with Milk Dud is quite distracting though because we are such good friends and so we ended up chatting quite some bit. The other day I visited a doctor about my Tuesday situation and so I ended up getting into quite the serious discussion with Milk Dud. I made him promise me he wouldn’t tell Junior Mint. At this point in the game, no one is really sure as to what happened to me on Tuesday and so I don’t want them all to panic. The last thing I need right now is more people asking me questions or giving me a sympathy party.
8. All through training however, I couldn’t help but nervously wonder if it was going to happen again. I guess you can say I kind of spooked myself and so on my walk home, I ended up calling my buddy Errol in Canada, after which I spent quite some time trying to track down my parents’ number (they’re in Ireland right now). I called my brother Bobby-B. He didn’t have a number and so he told me to call my other brother, T-Roy. By the time I finally got a number to reach my parents, I had convinced myself not to call them… well, not tonight at least. After all, what would I say? “Hi mom, hi dad… the doctor thinks I might have had a minor heart attack… hope you enjoy your vacation!”
9. I was supposed to meet up with my co-workers tonight for Tamara’s birthday but I bailed. I really just wanted to be alone. And so I stayed home and tried to wrap my head around the fact that I’m 27, the healthiest I’ve ever been and yet quite possibly had a minor attack. How does that work? I mean, how do I get off with this problem while the dude that lives down the hall from me and has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for who knows how long, is doing better than me… dang! Errol, you were right… life isn’t fair.
10. So while everyone was out doing it up on the town and staying up late, I curled up on my couch with my favourite guy, Mi Nam, and watched “Sex and the City”.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Are you a spoiled brat?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
If you don't stand for something you'll fall for everything.
-- Author Unknown
As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).
After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.
Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.
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