My Korean homework from the other week.

Highlights of my Day... Friday, February 29

1. Raced off to Seoul for my Korean language class. Took an early bus but got caught in traffic and so I arrived late.... ahhh, I can't stand people who are late and I can't stand students who don't do their homework... today I was the very student I can't stand. I blame it on having to focus on my boxing though.

2. Am still sporting my black eye and so I treated myself to a pair of posh eye glasses... hehehe. I like my black eye but I don't really care for the "does her boyfriend beat her?!" looks I got from people in Seoul today. No... my boyfriend doesn't beat me, oh please. My boyfriend cries in movies for goodness sake... hehehe.

3. Discovered MAC Cosmetics in Seoul today and so I had a field day there!!! It's funny cause growing up, I never was into name brand stuff, but now, it's a whole different story. I only wear Adidas clothing when training, I adore D'oir and MAC, and Anna Sui is my woman when it comes to the perfect lipgloss.

4. I am no longer the Cheonan side show freak and instead now the proud owner of nine and a half toe nails... hehehe. About a month ago, while playing with Mi Nam, one of my big toe nails spontaneously popped off... well, Mi Nam chewing on my toes played a role there. I tried to keep it a secret from Q, I was quite embarrassed actually. I even went so far as to paint the skin with nail polish... hehehe.

5. Am now the proud owner of probably the ONLY Lady Speed stick in Cheonan, South Korea... hehehe. That ghetto stuff I bought at LotteMart was like spray paint... caking my under arms with a nasty white thick gunk. Thanks to my Mama Bere though for her surprise package filled with Lady Speed stick, Trident gum, Crest toothpaste, and oatmeal... the four things I never seem to have enough and addicted to!!! Q and I had a mini taste test tonight... Crest vs. some random Korean brand. Crest kicked major butt for it's freshness and cool colour.

6. Boxing today wasn't as productive as I had hoped it to be... lots of side issues at play during training. My not-so-secret admirer was preoccupied with giving Q the evil eye every time Q talked to me, Junior Mint was preoccupied with teasing Q about me, I was preoccupied with thoughts of my game haunting me, and Milk Dud was preoccupied with random dance moves (not too sure what was up with that... hehehe).

7. Junior Mint lectured me about letting go of last Saturday's game... I just can't seem to though. I wish I could.

8. I'm such a good girlfriend... I think so, hehehe. Today I loaded up on bathroom goodies at the Body Shop for Q, then I made him one of my notoriously delicious egg sandwiches after boxing and then took him out to the movies.

9. Spring is almost here, I can feel it, and so tonight I pulled out my jean skirt from the bottom of the closet and treated Q to some pure eye candy with my Polish legs and kick-a$$ brown boots. Q said I was the prettiest Polish girl at the movie theater... very funny. I was the ONLY Polish girl there.

10. Saw the movie "Vantage Point" and for those who haven't seen it... GO SEE IT!!! It was awesome. I loved the writing style and how the story (stories) were presented. My faith in good writing, as we know it, has definitely been restored thanks to this movie. Definitely a two thumbs up.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Since when did I become such an expensive gal?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.
-- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Everyone that knows me growing up knows I am notoriously known as the milk monster... hehehe. I heard this song, titled "Milk" by the Seven Princess, a couple of weeks back and can't get it out of my head... hehehe.

Drinking milk never made me tall though... what's up with that?!

Here's the lyrics to the Milk song... I've almost mastered them too... hehehe.

Highlights of my Day... Thursday, February 28

1. Raced off to CoffeeBean for a meeting regarding my housing contract. Ki Dong was running late, I was running late... Sambu lady was running late too. At least she showed this time, that was a relief. Mind ya, having only seen her like 2 times in 2 years, I didn't realize her sitting a couple of tables down from us until we decided to phone her... ya, little embarrassing.

2. Then it was off to Dankook for the new school year staff meeting. We had the meeting at a local buffet restaurant and as delicious as it was, I couldn't help but crave my eggs and wish to be back on my diet. Food has definitely never tasted better but this free-for-all eating is too much for me. And so, on that note, starting Monday, I am going back on my diet... well, a revised version of my original crazy diet. I know I complained a lot about my diet but it sure beats complaining about how my body feels now. At least when I was on my diet, my body was changing before my eyes and I felt amazing. Now I just feel slow and my energy is low.

3. Despite the uncomfortable "what do I say" moments and the awkward "who do I sit beside?" moments, it was good to see my coworkers again and meet some of the new ones. It interesting to note that I wasn't the only one who stuck around Korea for the long holiday.

4. After our meeting, I cabbed it back home and then got ready for boxing. I hadn't seen or been seen by any of my team mates or my coach since the fight and so I nervously entered the club. I walked in like a poor begging dog with its' tail between its' legs but was greeted by lots of smiles and congrats.

5. My usual sparring partner was there and so I took her by the hands and told her that I really appreciated her help on Saturday. I never really thought too much about her. She was just some girl I sparred with. But on Saturday, she was something else.

6. It wasn't until today that I actually sat down and watched my match on tape. Honestly, I don't remember anything that happened immediately after the fight. There's a 10 minute time frame that I can't account for. I don't remember Black Skinny taking my gloves off, the girls cutting the tape off my hands, others wrapping me in my jacket, people asking me to pose for their cameras, accepting an envelop from one of my sponsors, people shouting my name, kids waving at me,... I just remember Ginny and then walking out into the cold air and trying to fight my tears in front of Ki Dong and Jae Min. I remember thinking about this too, after when I was outside, after my fight, when I looked down and noticed I wasn't wearing my gloves. "Where the heck did my gloves go?!". I couldn't remember how I got from the ring to outside. Today however, I was in tears when I watched my tape. Seeing just how awesome everyone was to me after my fight. It's almost like I was only who knew I had lost. My sparring partner had been there by my side the whole time and I didn't realize this until I watched the tape... I'll have to figure out how to load it on my computer.

7. It felt awesome to be back in the ring again but I couldn't help but shake thoughts of my loss out of my head. Junior Mint and Milk Dud joked about my black eye but I've decided to wear it proudly now and so I proudly wore it make-up free to training today.

8. KBS called the club today, asking to do a special feature on me for the news. They want to come maybe next week and film me training. Basically, they'll be following me around for a couple of hours. Next week I start teaching again and so not too sure if they'll be following me around at the university... should be interesting.

9. Used Q's "I just want to see you for one minute" line on him and he fell for it... hehehe. After spending the past 5 days with him, it felt a bit uncomfortable and lonely not to be with him today. When he swung by my place, I ran outside and jumped in his truck... we were both all smiles. Life doesn't get any better than that very moment... it's awesome.

10. This past week I have definitely ignored my Korean studies and so tonight I spent a good part of my evening stressing over it. With my fight being last Saturday, then my trip, and many meetings, I haven't really been home to study. Tonight I crammed!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who's next?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
What doesn't break you only makes you stronger.
-- Author Unknown

Had a cute conversation with this mini Korean about the crackers he so carelessly spilled on the floor. Korean kids are the cutest!!!

I complained today about my left eye, it's still black. Q turned to me and said, ''It's your pride!" and he's right. I shouldn't be so shy about my black left eye. I may have lost my fight but at least I gave a good fight and so I should be proud of that.

Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, February 27

1. Q got the day off today... seems like he's been having a lot of these lately actually. Anyways, he was sweet enough to deal with immigration today with me regarding my work visa renewal. Thankfully renewing my work visa with Dankook is relatively simple despite the new rules and regulations that the Korean government has enforced for new contracts and new teachers.

2. Ran into two of my coworkers at the immigration office, Sandy and Robert. I had a good laugh when Robert turned to talk to Q. No sooner had Robert turned around but Q gave me one of those "what the heck did he just say?!" looks... hehehe. Q said he couldn't understand Robert cause of his accent. I didn't have the heart to tell Q that Robert's voice is the clearest voice you'll ever hear and so instead I agreed with Q and threw in, "Ya, sometimes I don't understand his accent either!"... hehehe.

3. Congrats to my coworker Robert and his family for the addition of their 10-pounder new baby!!! Considering Mi Nam is a whooping 12-pounder porker, Robert's baby is a big baby! All the best to Robert, his family, and his new bundle of joy!!!

4. Oh ya baby... got my work visa renewed. Sweet! I am now officially legal and able to stay in Korea for another year, cool.

5. Lately I've been teaching Q some cute English sayings, words, and manners. I taught him to say "Bless you" when someone sneezes but he totally forgot about the sneezing part and so he randomly blurts out "Bless you". It's so funny.

6. Q's favorite English sentence lately has been, "I am bloated". Upon returning to the immigration after lunch, I told Q to tell Robert how he felt... "I am bloated"... hehehe. It was so funny but Q seemed to be so proud of his sentence... hehehe.

7. Crashed in the afternoon for a good couple of hours... I was bloated... hehehe.

8. Came home to an overly hyper Mi Nam. Apparently he didn't agree with being looked after by someone besides me. Ah Mi Nam... you're as cute as a button but your social skills, well, they flat out suck. You don't like other dogs, you nervously hide from people, and you give me quite a hard time when I walk you... You're definitely a mama's boy!!!

9. With Q out at a work dinner party, I had the evening to myself... well, with Mi Nam that is. So, tonight's plans consisted of cleaning my house, playing with Mi Nam, catching up on my homepage, and trying to load the program for my camcorder... still no such luck with that.

10. Wow!!! What a surprise... what a sweet, sweet surprise. Byung Hyuk called me tonight from Australia and it felt so good to hear his voice. He's been there for a couple of weeks now but says he misses Korea a lot... and me ;) I guess being down under has really hit him hard cause he repeatedly told me that when he comes back to Korea he promises to be better to me. Not too sure what that really means but I think it means he is finally starting to understand what it means to be a foreigner. He has always been good to me. I miss him a lot but I think he needs to experience being a foreigner, this trip will do him good. I was happy to hear that he's already hooked up with a job, a cell phone and a place to stay. I was happy to hear that he missed me too.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
When are you coming back?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
A friend is a present you give yourself.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

Acting like fools for the sake of pure entertainment... like our couple hats (and my left black eye)?! Hehehe.

Happy Anniversary to US... I love you!!!

Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, February 26

1. Someone had this great idea to make us wake up at the crack of dawn, 6am... yikes. Rolled around on the floor mat for a bit, hoping I was dreaming and that the clock didn't actually say 6am and hoping that the man banging on the door to wake me up was just a bad dream.

2. Today we had a full day of planned events but first we went on a 2.5 hour boat ride around the island... correction, around PART of the island. The water was way too chopping and so the captain said it was unsafe. Q and I sat on the boat with the crew of ajjumas and I entertained them all by pretending to dance to their awful ajjuma old skool, totally ghetto music.... hehehe.

3. One of the local fishermen brought his fishing boat up to our tour boat and so we were able to buy some fresh sushi, very cool! I watched in amazement as they slapped down their squirming fish, chopped the heads off, gutted them, skinned them, and then fed them to us. It was so delicious!!!

4. Despite our boat tour captain complaining about the monster waves and white caps, our ferry came and picked us up. Q and I thought we were smarty pants when we discovered window seats at the front of the boat. Turns out no one was sitting there cause the front of the boat experienced the worse of the waves. The front literally went airborne and crashed down, causing a massive slapping sound. Q thought it was funny, I thought the boat was going to split, and many of the ladies behind us ended up puking their brains out... quite the experience. I ended up plugging my ears and prayed that I'd fall asleep. Sure enough, ten minutes later I was out like a light.

5. Arrived on Korea's mainland safe and sound, and boarded a bus to go visit some museums... The National Maritime Museum, Namnong Memorial Hall, and then some kind of war museum. Although I had no idea what the heck the dude at the Namnong Memorial Hall was talking about, I liked the older man who worked at the front desk who so proudly discovered an English pamphlet in his desk, brushed it off, and then handed it to me with the biggest smile I have ever seen on such a small old man. He reminded me of my father... so cute and lovable. His coworker, on the other hand, gave us a tour of the museum but spooked me. I felt like I was back in elementary school, sitting with the principle breathing down my neck.

6. The War Museum was a collection of very, very impressionable photographs, all depicting the cruelty and sadness that Koreans experienced as a result of Japan trying to take over their country. Having studied Korean culture, I could understand and respect their situation but honestly, a part of me couldn't help but feel sorry for Korea, not because of what Japan did but because sometimes I get the impression that MANY will never let go of what Japan did and so they're spreading their hatred of Japan to the younger generations. Hate breading hate. I know you can never let go of the past, but you can learn from it, move on, and use it to grow. Today's generation has nothing to do with what happened in the past and yet their free thinking and ability to make their own judgements is continually clouded and bombarded with the older generations' thinking and preconceived ideas. Yes, what happened to Korea was terrible, but that was then, today is NOW.

7. Oh my gosh... my tour guide didn't seriously just drive our bus to go see a tree that resembles a man and woman doing "adult activity", did he?! Sadly enough.. yup, he did. Q thought it was hilarious. I argued saying that I didn't want to see it, nor did I really care to know how everyone with me knew what a man and woman looked like that up close when doing "you-know-what"... a bunch of perverts if you ask me. Turns out this tree is notoriously known and visited... even prayed to by those who want to have a child. Thanks but no thanks... next!!!

8. Enough about that... back on to the next stage of our trip, the ending. We boarded the KTX and within minutes Q was out for an hour or so, totally passed out on my lap like a child. Total traveling time for today: tour boat = 2.5hrs, ferry = 3hrs, bus = 1hr, KTX train = 2.5hrs... for a grand total of 9 hours... yikes. Arrived in Cheonan around 10pm only to discover snow... oh gosh! Apparently it had snowed a couple of inches while we were gone.

9. Q had promised me that he wouldn't talk about boxing or anything remotely related to it while we were on vacation but that didn't stop the media from bothering me. Today my coworker Sunny called me to tell me that Arirang (TV channel/company) had called the school asking about me. Next week they hope to come visit me and take my picture. MBC (it'd be equivalent to the FOX channel in Canada) also hunted me down today, asking for an interview. How ironic, I lost my game and yet all these big wigs are making me sound like I won some huge match... I didn't win, do they realize that?! Q laughed and said he was proud to be dating a celebrity, I could careless though really. I just wanted a win. Thanks to Yonhap News, KBS Sports, MBC, and Arirang for the publicity but it is really not necessary.

10. Today marked Q and my 100 days together as couple (it's a Korean thing... they count days) and so we bought an ice cream cake and some wine to celebrate. I haven't had ice cream in what felt like years and so it was definitely a very sweet reuniting with an old friend... hehehe. Cheers to Q and me and cheers to finding love in the opposite corner of this massive globe.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Will we ever get pass the past?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm any hostility.
-- HW Longfellow

Viola, Hong Island... don't blink or you might miss it.

A mountain top kiss... sweet.

Highlights of my Day... Monday, February 25

1. Did my duty... woke up early and made yummy chicken sandwiches, stuffed by bag full of tomatoes and threw in some juice bottles too. Q flew by around 9am and off we went to the KTX station. Today we were going on our little trip and so he was super giddy... very cute.

2. Q had bought us a tour package and so we met up with our tour group on the KTX. And, just like we had imagined, we were BY FAR the youngest couple... hehehe. Actually there was only one other couple on this tour trip and so we chummed around with them. So there we were, Q and I, and a whole whack of Korean ajjumas (older women).

3. Gotta love Korean ajjumas. They ALL have short perma hair. I laughed to Q about it and it was quite the joke until Q made mention that I am half ajjuma... I have the short hair. Oh my gosh... hehehe.

4. After the KTX train ride, we then all boarded a large ferry in Mokpo and headed to Hong Island. It took us a little over 3 hours to get there by boat and when we arrived, we were greeted by the local fishermen and the local street cookers, all urging us to try their seafood.

5. Discovered some info. about Hong Island:

- population: 450 people

- most of the people are either super young or super old cause of the fact that middle school and high school students have to move away from the island to go to school

- in the winter season, most locals go to the mainland to live with their children who are away attending school

- there is only one school and it's an elementary school

- main source of income: fishing and tourism

- during the peak of summer, there is an estimated 1,500 tourists a day.

- I saw only one PC room, one norrah bang (singing room), and one pink night club

6. When we first arrived on the island it had started to rain a bit and so most of our crew headed in doors, Q and I however, we put on our cheesy-cheap rain gear and decided to do some exploring. The island was so incredibly beautiful, peaceful and so relaxing. Motorists on their motorcycle/cars zoomed past us in the narrow steep pathways and besides the locals selling fish, the others didn't really pay much attention to us.

7. We roamed around, hiked up a mountain, strolled along the beach, played in the schoolyard, and then met up with our tour crew for dinner. Dinner was some kind of crap soup... I mean, CRAB soup (same thing basically though). I wasn't too impressed. I'm not one for seafood but having come to such an island as this one, I really was eager to try the local food. And so, after our crew finished dinner and went back to the hotel, Q and I went out to find some real local food.

8. We came across this one local seller. Her shady restaurant had been set up beside the waterfront. It consisted of a tent, some chairs, some tables, a kitchen counter, and lots of large bowls with things swimming around in it. Q told me to pick out my meal but I decided to let him use his judgement. After some slicing and dicing, the lady brought us a plate of food that Q tried to convince me was some kind of plant. I knew better though. Minus the slimy gooey pieces that looked like they were oozing with brain juice, it wasn't that bad. The best was the plate of raw fish though... delicious!!! Come to think of it, since I had arrived on the island, I hadn't eaten anything that had been cooked. They like it raw, apparently.

9. The lady at the shady restaurant sat down with us and so we stayed there for a couple of hours chatting with her. She had a good laugh at my reaction when I went to go pick up my food and it started to move. Turns out my meal wasn't quite dead... oh gosh. Q quickly scooped it up and fed it to me. Down the hatchet it went.

10. Turns out her husband drives one of the ferries and she dives for the food she sells. I was amazed. To think, she at an age well above retirement (probably pushing 65 at least), was the one who had gone out and collected our food... that's wild!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How far would you go to make someone happy?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
-- Carl W. Buechner

It's hard to stay so gloomy feeling when I look around and see just how beautiful life is... I am in Korea... this is awesome.

Gotta love Cheonan... the city surrounded by mountains and filled with beautiful people.

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, February 24

1. It's amazing to note just how painless my fight was. I didn't feel a single thing during my fight but wow.... did I ever feel it today though when I woke up!!! I take it she (Mi Ran) is waking up in pain today too. I saw that brutal bloody nose I gave her... that's gotta hurt!!!

2. For the most part, today consisted of milking Q for massages, eating random pieces of chocolate, and sleeping... sleeping on the floor, the bed, the kitchen floor. I did however, manage to gather up enough energy to help Q clean his house. I did the dishes, folded some of the laundry, and then got down on all fours and scrubbed his floors sparkling clean.

3. Q knew better than to bring up the "b" word (that being "boxing") and so we talked today about finalizing our trip plans for tomorrow. He's all super excited cause he's never been to the east sea before, I am just relieved that my plans don't consist of getting weighed-in, dieting or training. I definitely am needing this break.

4. My face was hurting today but Q found great amusement out of it. He said my swollen right jaw made me look so cute. I thought it made me look like a chipmunk and so for the rest of the day I spontaneously would break out into chipmunk behavior... jumping around the house, pretending to stuff things in my cheek, and asking for nuts.

5. My phone was bombarded today with messages and calls from friends, all curiously wanting to know the results of my fight... all of which I ignored. It was hard enough to accept the results and step out of that ring, I didn't want to relive it... at least not today.

6. My email account was flooded today by emails from my students who apparently had heard about me on the news.

7. Finally, around 3pm, I got sick and tired of people messaging me about my fight. I just wanted to be left alone and so I turned my phone off and the computer.

8. Had pizza... it's been quite a long time since I last had pizza but today I gave in and ordered some. This weekend I wanted to go all out and get a tummy ache from eating lots of nasty, nasty, bad-to-the-bone food!!! Hehehe...

9. Went grocery shopping with Q. Tomorrow my duty was to wake up early and make sandwiches for our trip. We'd be taking a 2.5 hour train ride to Mokpo and then jumping on a boat for another 3-4 hours. Final destination: Hong Island. It's a remote little island within South Korea's borders.

10. Came home and spent a good hour or so trying to figure out my new camera and how to load the accompanying DVD on my computer. Turns out my computer doesn't have enough memory... great.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What does she look like today?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Better bend than break.
-- Carl W. Buechner

I wasn't quite smiley after the game.

(I found this picture of me attached to a news article on the Internet)

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, February 23

1. Q picked me up in the morning and together we made our way to Buk Il High School where my fight was to be held. The place was freezing cold and relatively empty. Slowly but surely, the place started to fill up. Two of my former coworkers from Eumbong Middle School had come out to cheer me on and so that was pretty cool. They seemed to be overly fascinated with how much weight I had lost... I lost about 11 pounds for this fight.

2. As Junior Mint wrapped the heck out of my hands, more and more people approached me to give me their cheers, words of encouragement, and smiles. Some people who had see my pro test, back in October, had come to watch me today. My usual sparring partner from my club had come to watch me and so that was really great to have her there. She really focused on helping me... putting the Vaseline on my face, getting me water, massaging my shoulders. She was really awesome.

3. For the rest of the day, a particular journalist followed me around, asking me a million and one questions and asking my friends questions about me. He even asked me to sign his report pad and so that was pretty cool.

4. They had flip-flopped the fight schedule all around and so I ended up fighting after Black Skinny. We all had made bets as to what round he'd knock his opponent out. I bet on round 4 but he did it in round 3... awesome.

5. Then they called my name. I eagerly approached the ring. I could hear my friends, team mates, and others calling out my name... and it felt so amazing. Losing my fight however, that was devastating... completely devastating. In the third round there was a second when my whole body went numb and everything seemed to go into slow-mo. I could feel my feet slipping from underneath me so I struggled to snap out of it. After the round finished, I sat down in my corner, placed my hands on Junior Mint's shoulders and told him repeatedly that I was sorry. He told me it was ok, I was strong, and then he wiped my legs and face... the bell rang. It was now round four.

6. I had promised myself that I wouldn't cry in front of my team mates or coach and so when they announced that Mi Ran was the winner, I put on my best poker smile, I hugged her and then left the ring, eagerly looking for a corner to hide in. As I walked out of the gymnasium though, my friend Ginny ran up to me and hugged me. She told me that she was so proud and that she loved me... I thought my heart was going to burst. I continued out of the gymnasium but Ki Dong and Jae Min followed me. I choked on my words and fought the tears but eventually the tears came down.

7. The journalist from earlier on in the day had searched me out and had a million and one more questions to ask me. Ki Dong was sweet enough to act as a kind of translator and so we ended up getting into quite the discussion. I was interested in his question, "Do you think the refs were fair?", and actually that was one of my concerns going into this fight. I was nervous that they'd be bias cause my opponent was one of their own, Korean. But I felt they were fair. She was better than me. I knew I was way stronger than her but she was a lot faster and had been training for 2 years with the same coach. I've only been with Junior Mint now for less than half a year. Regardless, she won fair and square... and that flat out sucked.

8. Waiting for our boxing club members to finish the clean-up after felt like years. My team mates wanted me to join them for dinner but I wanted nothing more than to curl up on my bathroom floor with the hot, hot shower water beating down hard on my skin. Both Black Skinny and Panty Boy Jr. had won their fights and honestly, I really didn't feel like I belonged at the dinner party... it was their dinner party. They'd be all happy and rosy cheeked while I'd be sitting there basking in my loss. I had heard enough "It's ok, Amy" for the night... it wasn't ok and nothing anyone could say and no amount of money could change that. I wanted to go home and so, on that note, I skipped out on collecting my fight money and got Q to drive me home.

9. The next couple of hours were spent replaying the fight in my head, crying, and starring at my morphing face in the mirror. I felt like I had just turned into Shrek. Just a couple hours earlier I had been the center of many people as they curiously took my photo.... kids, teenagers, sponsors... people I didn't even know. They flattered me with their "You're too pretty to be a boxer" comments but now... ouch... now, if only they could see me. Standing there in my bathroom, the face starring back at me didn't look like mine. Within a matter of a couple of hours, my face morphed into that of definitely a boxers. Black left eye, swollen right jaw, and a bruised nose. I spooked myself out though when I wiped away my bangs and there, underneath my hair, was a pack of what appeared to be popped blood cells. A small pool of blood that sat under a couple layers of thin skin. The positive side of this all being though that Mi Ran's body shots didn't do a thing, which is good for me, of course. I remember once, Hye Min gave me a brutal body shot to the liver... I wasn't able to laugh for days and it really effected my digestion.

10. Q to the rescue. Once again I fell for Q's "I just want to see you for ONE second" line and so I agreed to go outside to talk to him. By then my face had totally changed from bad to worse and I'm sure he was shocked. He tried to act cool though, and even joked about it, telling me that I looked like a Korean school girl with my fat cheek. For the rest of the evening my swollen jaw was the center of our jokes. He'd tell me that he loved my new cheek injections, I'd laugh and then I'd give a big frown... my face hurt.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What now?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances.
-- Martha Washington

Apparently I am more known than I thought as numerous friends here in Korea inform me that my name made the news several times.

Haven't figured out how to upload my new camcorder video so click here to watch my full fight online. Once the new screen pops up, click on the video at the top of the screen.

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, February 23

I lost my fight.

I don't really want to talk about it right now. I don't really want to think about it right now.
I don't really want to write about it right now.

Later this week I'll update you with details but for now I just want to forget about it. On Monday I am going on a much anticipated trip with Q and so that's all I want to think about right now.

I am ok, don't worry. I have no injuries to by my body but my face... that's alittle banged up. Have a bit of a black eye, a bruised lip, a stiff neck, and a nasty swollen right jaw that Q thinks is cute while others have asked me if I got cheek injections.

Losing that fight really hurt, emotionally, but I would especially like to thank Ginny, Q, Jae Min, and Ki Dong for really being there for me. Ginny, when my fight ended and I was leaving the ring, you running up to me and telling me "I'm so proud of you and I love you" was exactly what I needed to hear. It felt as if you were my mom. Thanks to Jae Min and Ki Dong for sticking around after to act as "tear control". And Q, for always making me smile even when I think it is impossible to do so.

I am sorry to Junior Mint for not winning the game he so thought I could, would, and should have won. I could careless what others thought about me losing cause, well, they weren't in that ring nor would most of them have the balls to do what I do.

I feel I have failed Junior Mint and myself. I know many people just think it's a game, but it's not. I had waited so long for this "game", as you may call it, and I lost. I feel heartbroken right now, seriously, so please, just give me time.

I am sorry.

Freedom at last!!!

Me with Jae Min's sister.... tiny, tiny sister!

I swear my arms are bigger than her legs... hehehe.

Highlights of my Day... Friday, February 22

1. Woke up at the crack of dawn to race off to Hongik and check my weight. Upon stepping up on the scale, I noticed that it said ".70" and I freaked.... how could I be 51.70 when last night I was 51.0 and didn't eat anything?! Could that small glass of water killed it for me?... oh my gosh! And so, on that note, I jumped on the treadmill for a good 20 minutes.

2. Then it dawned on me... did it read 51.70 or 50.70??? Turns out it read 50.70. I can laugh about it now but at the time, I honestly thought I was going to be sick. After my run I weighted-in at 51.34kg.

3. Raced off to the boxing club to meet up with Black Skinny, Panty Boy Jr., and my coach. We had one last weigh-in before we headed off to Seoul for the grand finale weigh-in.

4. Finally arrived to Seoul and arrived at the Boxing Commissions Office where we were packed into a small room with the Boxing Commission members and the other boxers fighting on Saturday. Then she came walking in... Mi Ran. She sat down in front of me to fill out the forms and that's when Panty Boy Jr. noticed her name on her paper. He nudged my knee and we both sat there eyeing her up and down. I couldn't help but notice her knuckles... they looked perfect and pretty, unlike mine which are rather banged up and ugly looking.

5. One-by-one, we stripped down to our bare necessities and stepped up on the scale. Junior Mint thought I might be underweight (how ironic) and so he told me to get weighted with all my clothes on. Black Skinny amused us all with his super cute animal boxers, others fascinated us with their sick, sick abs and chiseled bodies. Panty Boy Jr. got some giggles with his cute pudgy tummy but I knew better not to giggle. Panty Boy Jr. is definitely one boxer not to mess with.

6. Ever since I first stepped foot in the Boxing Commission's Office in Seoul, I have apparently become favored by one of the head advisers. He came walking in the room, we all stood up and bowed, and then he noticed me... "Amy!" And on that note he came over and sat beside me. Him sitting beside me made my other two team mates a bit uncomfortable, as it did me. I always seem to attract the attention of the "big wigs" here in Korea.

7. Then came the moment we were all waiting for... freedom!!!! Freedom to eat! We hit a local restaurant and chowed down on a can of peaches before our meal came. The can of peaches tasted like a piece of heaven... I don't even really like peaches... hehehe. Then the waitress brought out the meal, large bowls of soup with some kind of meat in it. We ate it as if we hadn't eaten for years but after our bellies ached and we all felt so sleepy... hehehe.

8. Later on in the evening I went to my friend's hair shop and got my hair done. She cursed at me for getting such a short hair cut... it made braiding my hair so hard for her.

9. With my game hair done, my bag packed for tomorrow, and in total anticipation of my game, I cruised downtown to see Jae Min. He had promised to come watch me tomorrow and so I went to make sure he knew how to get to the match. His sister joked around with me and said she wanted to sponsor me.... kiwi-soju and calamari was what she sponsored me... hehehe.

10. Finally got to indulge in some oh-so-delicious cheese tak galbi. It felt like it had been years since I last ate it!!! Q and I went together to the restaurant and were greeted by all the staff. They said they missed me... I missed them too, them and their cheese tak galbi. Wow... it tasted better than I even remembered! Freedom from my diet tasted amazing!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Am I ready for tomorrow?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Every step you take, is a step away from where you used to be.
-- Brian Chargualaf

I've got my game hair on and soon it'll be game on, baby!!!

Quick Promotional Break...

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to leave a note before I go to bed to thank you all for the amazing continual support and much appreciated encouragement with regards to my fight. It's been a long fight with my diet, an exhausting push with my busy training schedule, and a very emotional and mentally challenging struggle.

Tomorrow I will be fighting at Buk Il High School here in Cheonan, South Korea. If you are able to come out, awesome! The show starts at 11am and I am the opening fighter so try to come a bit early.

For those of you who can't come out, no worries, you can catch my game live on TV, channel KBS Sports. Be sure to watch my team mates Black Skinny (Jae Myoung) and Panty Boy Jr. (Jae Sub) as they will be having title matches.

Right now I am bursting with TONS of emotions and feelings... I am nervous, super excited, anxious, scared.... but I love it! I've had a busy day and so I'll try to update tomorrow before my game but right now I have to get some much needed sleep.

-- Amy

Me trying my hardest not to eat the camera (I was so hungry) and Q laughing at my grumbling tummy.

There was NOTHING sweet about having to smell, see and hear this Sweet Bar!

Highlights of my Day... Thursday, February 21

1. Strolled into the local bank and was greeted by the bank manager who’s always so friendly. Personally, I think he’s just bored out of his skull having to work with those stiff collars…. Hehehe.

2. My camcorder arrived… sweet!!! It’s a Progressive HD camcorder by Samsung. It’s got a sweet touch-screen, it’s ultra user friendly, is about the size of my palm, and so I was pretty stoked about it. The guy at Samsung is quite familiar with me, actually with Mi Nam really. Mi Nam keeps on eating my earphones and so the Samsung dude has sold me many earphones. I approached him today to show me how to work my new camcorder and what was suppose to be a 5 minute presentation, turned into quite the humorous hour long conversation.

3. Ran for a good hour at Hongik today. Not too sure where I got the energy from but I definitely worked up a sweat.

4. Headed off to boxing for training. Today was our last intense training before Saturday’s game and so I was quite stressed, to say the VERY least, about having no energy. I was so exhausted and so stressed about tomorrow’s weigh-in.

5. Did the "fear walk", as I call it. The fear walk refers to the walk with Junior Mint to the scale. None of us at the club like having to do this walk. At the end of training, I nervously did the fear walk. Weighed-in at exactly 51.0kg and at the sight of that number looking back at me, I jumped up, did a twirl and then did a cartwheel across the club. I was so happy!!!

6. Mind ya, I weighed-in so low cause by the time training had finished, my body was empty. I had burned all the food in my body and had lost a lot of water cause of sweat.

7. In total fear of not making the cut-off for tomorrow’s weigh-in, and I by NO MEANS recommend this, but tonight after training I didn’t eat or drink anything… NOTHING. I was dying for a simple glass of water but instead chose to gargle it. And anyone who has ever trained for 3 consecutive hours, plus an morning hour run, knows how damn thirsty you are after. But, having trained this hard, dieted for so long, and fought so hard for this opportunity, there was NO way I was going to lose it now.

8. Turns out I get quite sensitive when not fed… seriously! I was like a mix between a pregnant woman being denied her strong craving for sweets, and a teenage boy going through puberty but not knowing how to handle the boost in testosterone. Poor Q had to listen to me rant and rave for about an hour in the cold parking garage about silly things. Mind ya, I knew I was being such a cranky pants and so every couple of sentences I blurted out, “I’m sorry.. it’s cause I am so hungry!"

9. Q was a good sport about it though, he even opted out of grabbing some snackies for the movie we went to go watch. Sitting and waiting for the movie theatre to let us proceed to our theatre was rough. We sat beside the “Sweet Bar” that’s, well, not so sweet for those who are on diets… or are starving, like me. The girl sitting beside me in the theatre had the biggest thing of popcorn my little eyes have ever seen and I was so tempted to sneak some when she wasn’t looking. I didn’t though… it was definitely hard to resist.

10. Finally around 11pm I gave in. I had a shot of orange juice. My hands had started to shake. I think I am on the verge of being a diabetic cause sometimes after training or early in the morning, my hands are so shaky. I use to joke and say it was cause I need coffee but I haven’t drank coffee in ages now.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What kind of "place" do you live in?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.
-- Jim Rohn

My home scale may be pretty but it's days are definitely numbered!

Weighed-in Mi Nam today... 12lbs.

My favorite fitness model... Hamilton, Ontario's very own Maggie Diubaldo (Canadian, eh).

I have her picture posted on my fridge and she's one of my motivators in my struggle to continue training hard and eating clean.

What I love about her look so much is the fact that she's not one of those big cylacone-breasted, long blonde haired models with no bum.... she's beautiful on her OWN terms.

Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, February 20

1. Apparently the curse of the ajjumas are quite intrigued with my training and have questioned Newbie and Buff Boy about me. So, when I finished my morning run and jumped on the scale in the change room full of ajjumas, they all gathered around me and curiously watched for my reaction as I opened my eyes to see what number was starring back at me…. 51.8kg… sweet!!!

2. Mind ya, in between my late morning run and boxing training, I had only about an hour to eat meal 3 of 5 and so when I arrived at boxing, my body hadn’t digested my food yet and so I was 52.2kg… dang!!! I swear, sometimes I seriously wish I could go and smash every single weight scale.. in the universe!!! Getting weighed-in 4 times a day is brutal.

3. KBS Sports called my boxing club today and after a short conversation with Junior Mint, they decided to air my fight on TV… awesome!!! So, for those of you out here in Korea, if you can’t make your way to Buk Il High School here in Cheonan, tune your TV into KBS Sports. Not too sure on what time my fight will be cause of the new schedule time though but I will either be fighting at 11am or 12 noon. I’m totally stoked, seriously!

4. Gotta love Koreans and their continual misuse of the word “hip” for “bum”. Today one of my team mates complimented me on my nice “hip”… hehehe.

5. According to the “Wedding Algorythm” (some random quiz) on Facebook, I will be getting married within a year and 9 months. I tried to forward the quiz to many of my friends, I have 237 friends and so I thought it'd be an easy forward... not quite. Scary to note just how many of my friends, most of which are old classmates of mine, are married.

6. Junior Mint totally gave me a hard time today about my weight check. I tried to explain to him about having just eaten lunch but apparently things got lost in translation. I understand he’s under a lot of stress, as I am too… this diet is killing me. I find myself even craving kimchi… go figure!!! Anyways, he told me that I HAD to go running again tonight, bringing today’s training to 4.5 hours.

7. Rushed off to my meeting with my landlady. I had arranged to have Ki Dong join us and act as a translator. With my apartment contract ending in less than a week and a lot of money on the line, I had to get this meeting over and done with. She was a no-show. Ki Dong called her and apparently she had forgotten all about it, nice. Even nicer is the fact that she laughed it off and didn’t say sorry. I wasn’t impressed, to say the very least!

8. Headed back to Hongik for a late night run and ended up running into my friend Ju Wan. I haven’t seen her for awhile and so she came over to talk to me while I worked up a sweat and almost died on the treadmill.

9. Had initially hoped to go to Daejon with Q to see his brother’s graduation but because of Junior Mint insisting that I go running… again… I couldn’t go. Junior Mint had insisted I go running and then come back to the boxing club to get weighed-in… bringing my weigh-in count to SIX for today. Mind ya, when I finally finished running and arrived at the boxing club, it was about 10:40pm.. Junior Mint had already left. I could have cried had the downstairs convince store cutie not approached me. Apparently he is coming to my game on Saturday.

10. I had reached pure exhaustion and so instead of walking 10 more minutes to my home, I took a taxi. The ride home was so short that the meter didn’t even have time to change from it’s initial starting point. I crawled out of the taxi, sat on the bench outside my apartment building, and slept for about an hour in the cold before I could gather enough energy to make my way to the elevator and then to my apartment door. Entered my house and then crashed. I was too exhausted to shower, let alone get out of my gear and so there I slept for about 3 hours before I finally took off my runners, jacket, hat, gloves, and wet training clothes. I even slept with my training bag still around my shoulder… I was that exhausted, dang!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Am I the only one not married among my old skool friends?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Yesterday is a cancelled check; Tomorrow is a promissory note; Today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.
-- Kim Lyons

Who's this handsome man?!.. oh, it's my boyfriend ;)

He NEVER wears a hat but tonight I gave him one of mine. I love hats on guys, kind of a strange thing but whatever. He looked hot but me telling him that a million times tonight made him so shy... hehehe.

Evil, evil women and their sinfully delicious sushi packed with carbs.

Tonight Q was Eve and me, being weak to his handsome charm, I gave in and ate the forbidden food,... just like Adam.

Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, February 19

1. Woke up with a mini signature from Hye Min... on my nose. Yup, one bruised nose that make-up just doesn't seem to be covering.

2. Was quite popular with the ajjumas (older women) at Hongik today as a group of 8 of them surrounded me in the change room, with 3 of them insisting on grabbing my arms. Ended up getting into quite the conversation with them, them being the original "curse of the ajjumas" group... hehehe. Among their little poise, there is one that I do really like. She's a plump older gal, missing half an arm, but making up for it with her charming personality and the fact that she always says hi to me. She scored mad bonus points today with me when remembered my name, but ended up balancing out though when she gave me a pat on the bum... what's up with that?! Hehehe...

3. Walked over to Dankook to say hi to the assistants, Sunny and Sue, and to sneak a peek at my new class schedule. If I remember correctly, my schedule is as follows:

Monday: 9:20am - 5pm (3 classes and 2 hours of office time)
Tuesday: 11:20am - 3pm (2 classes)
Wednesday: day off... sweet.
Thursday: 9:20am - 1pm (2 classes)
Friday: 9:20am - 5pm (3 classes and a 2 hour break in between)

4. So, with my ten classes (1hr & 40mins per class… 2 classes are overtime), and my 2 hours of office time, I’ll be working just a little under 19 hours a week… sweet!!!

5. Not too sure how my boxing and weight training schedule will fit in here, but I am hoping to schedule in early morning runs/weight training 3-4 times a week and then get into the boxing club 4-5 times a week. After my game this Saturday, I don’t think I will totally scrap my crazy diet… just tame it down a bit… a lot actually. I’m aiming for mad abs by the summer. Plus I know that I’ll have to get down to about 50kgs for my next fight and going through this retardedly crazy diet once was stressful enough. I really don’t need this stress again!!!

6. Boxing training was quite intense today and I met a new person… Mr. Bamboo Stick’s friend, “Harry the Horror Stick”. Harry the Horror Stick is a 4 foot long jousting exercise stick that made Mr. Bamboo Stick look like a joke. Junior Mint threatened to hit me on the legs if I didn’t pick up the speed with my skipping but when he stepped out of the club for a minute, I hid it. I turned and told the young students behind me to not say a word, or else… hehehe. A couple minutes had past since Junior Mint’s return before he finally noticed that Harry the Horror Stick was missing. I tried to hold my poker face but when he found it I bursted out in full-fledge laughter… caught!!! Luckily though, he appreciated the humour and didn’t use Harry the Horror Stick on me.

7. Cause of my run-in with the sick chicken and the overdosing of laxatives, Junior Mint had got down right personal today when he asked me if I had pooped yet. I thought it was a joke but apparently he was serious. No sooner had he asked it but then Milk Dud asked me the very same question. It was the hot question of the day... apparently. A minute later, another club member turned to ask me a question but no sooner had he started his question, I interrupted him by blurting out, "Na... Oh-neul-ah dong hassaeyo!!!" (Translation: "Yes, today I have pooped!!!") Apparently that wasn't what he was going to ask me but it made for a really, really funny situation... I was so embarrassed... hehehe.

8. Went in search of a camcorder with Q. I made mention that I wanted to buy a camcorder to one of my sponsors and, in doing so, I got the go-ahead to go pick one out… sweet! So tonight we went to look at some camcorders.

9. Indulged in some sushi tonight… shhhh, it’s a secret. I knew I shouldn’t have ate it but I was so hungry and well, LotteMart is pure evil for placing that little sushi restaurant smack dab in the middle of the store, right conveniently in front of me, too. Can honestly say I ate only a little, it was definitely challenging to resist the temptation though. I mean, there I was, sitting starring at these little plates pass by my eyes as they continue along on the mechanic belt. They were calling out to me, “Amy… eat ME! I am delicious!!!”

10. Next week Q and I will be celebrating our 100 days together… yes, we’re counting the days (it’s Korean thing, trust me… us Polish girls don’t count anything, well, maybe our cabbage rolls. Hehehe..). So, to celebrate our special day, we’re planning a little two day get-away. Tonight we sat down to look at some tour packages on the internet. Our plan is to leave early Monday morning, head to the south beaches of Korea, see some sites, visit one of the islands, and then return Tuesday. Q asked me if there was anything he should consider with regards to planning our trip, I answered, “Yes, I don’t want to see or eat any eggs!!!” Currently, the egg count in my fridge is around 90, and at 17-20 eggs a day, that’ll only last about 5 days.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Have YOU pooped today?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.
-- Nikos Kazantzakis

Took this picture of myself in the wee, wee mornings after tossing and turning due to my tummy ache. I was so bloated... not fun!

Hanging my head down in disappointment at the realization that I am fighting a losing battle with the dang chicken in my tummy.

Chicken 1, me 0

Highlights of my Day... Monday, February 18

1. Definitely not a good start to this week… seriously. Woke up, still hadn’t been able to do any “bathroom duties” (go ahead and joke…) so I decided to hit the gym. I hadn’t slept well, go figure, and oddly enough I woke up at 5:40am.

2. Arrived at the gym at 6am, right on the dot. Stripped down and stepped on the scale… oh the horror! I can’t even convince myself to type the number that stared back at me. I didn’t stare at it too long though… mind ya, I couldn’t. I was in tears, literally. Am sure the morning’s weight club ladies were really impressed, considering.

3. In total fear of having to fess up to the scale in front of my team mates today at boxing, I cranked up the speed on the treadmill, ran for an hour and almost cleared 900 calories. In the reflection of the TV in front of me, I envisioned Junior Mint coming at me with Mr. Bamboo Stick and I kept on thinking, “He’s going to kill me!” Needless to say, fear was definitely my fuel.

4. Then it was off to Seoul where I struggled to push aside my morning sad story and focus on my Korean studies. Thankfully today’s class was cut short cause my teacher had another meeting. I like our class time together but today I just wasn’t feeling all together in my own head. The morning episode at the gym had flooded my brain.

5. Was hoping I could merely get away with having to face the scale with Junior Mint. He had mentioned that he had some meetings to attend and so I was hoping to seriously kick my own butt at training, resume back to my expected weight and thus this little issue would seem as if it never occurred. Of course, nothing in life goes quite as planned and so when Junior Mint texted me, I got nervous. He texted me to tell me that Hye Min was coming in from Seoul today for sparring practice. I had about a two hour heads up and so I downed about two litres of water, hoping it’d help flush my system of that stupid, stupid sick chicken that I shouldn’t have ate in the first place. Arrived at the club and was greeted by a dozen or so people who all had been apparently informed that I was going to be sparring with Hye Min. I had come as requested, at 6pm, but Hye Min didn't show up until 7pm and so for that long, long hour, I sweated it out. For the past week I had been anticipating sparring with Hye Min. She had come in from Seoul to spar with me and honestly, I felt more stressed about sparring with her than my game this Saturday. Hye Min is definitely not a stranger to the ring and so I knew she'd be a challenge. I knew that if I could handle Hye Min and come out of the fight with confidence, than this Saturday would be awesome. There's no way Me Ran (my opponent on Saturday) could as good as Hye Min!!!

6. Tried to relax by joking around with some of my team mates. Milk Dud got a good kick out of my turtle shell bra (boxing chest protector) when I banged on my chest and it made an echoing sound. Unlike the old skool chest protectors they make us girls wear, this one is very discrete and so you can’t even notice it.

7. Then it was time... we both stepped into the ring. Junior Mint quickly rubbed my tummy before the bell went. My stomach was in knots and last night's chicken made my tummy feel like one crazy mosh pit. The bell went... it was game on. I knew the club was packed with people but it's amazing to note how I honestly didn't hear anyone. The only sounds I heard was that of my pounding heart. It was pounding so hard in my chest; I was convinced that had I coughed, I would had coughed it up. I heard my breathing, it was heavy. I heard the bell and the only other sound I heard was that of Junior Mint yelling at me from my corner. Four rounds, that's how long we went... and it was accelerating, heart-pounding, sweat-inducing, sensory overload, and hard, hard work.

8. I couldn’t help but giggle after I heard the bell ring, signaling that our fight is over cause one second we're beating each other up, the next second we had resumed our smiley faces and were hugging each other. Hye Min immediately congratulated me on my hard punches and improvements, and then continued to discuss our fight. That's what's so awesome about Hye Min. You see, she's a champion fighter here in Korea and has made quite the name for herself in the boxing community but she's incredibly humble, super positive, and always willing to keep the love of the game alive.

9. Unknown to me, apparently Q had called Junior Mint and Milk Dud, asking them when my sparring was going to start. He hid in the club bathroom while I geared up. It wasn't until I was doing work on the sandbag with Hye Min that I noticed him. I had recognized his laugh over the multitude of sounds in the club.

10. For the rest of the evening, Q and I spent it grocery shopping, talking about boxing, and then I spent a good part of it on the toilet. Hye Min's wicked body shots mixed with the chicken mosh pit in my tummy, the overdose of laxatives, and fight butterflies, had done a number on my tummy. Finally... felt much better… well, kind of. My sore tummy has gone away but now my attention is on my bruised nose.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Is anything impossible?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
-- Anais Nin

Look out... we're coming, and we only have ONE thing on our list to do... win.

Don't be decieved by our cuteness. We may be all cute and sweet outside of the ring but inside the ring, well, it's a different story.

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, February 17

1. Sometimes a little encouragement is all ANYONE needs… including me. Today Panty Boy Jr.’s friend, Mr. Nice Guy, showed up to watch us train. By the time I finally got to my last round on the heavy bag, I was exhausted. I felt like I only had like a drop of energy left but then along came Mr. Nice Guy. He held the sandbag and called out shots while I pounded away at the bag and yelled out. For some reason yelling when punching seems to feel so good… hehehe.

2. Junior Mint showed up unexpectantly and so that was a pleasant (but gruelling) surprise. He was all stressed today, actually, we all were.

3. With less than a week away, I am confident about my fight. I know I could use more help with my defence but I have mentally wrapped my head around it all, have my diet under control, am continually feeling awesome at and after training, and have most of my gear ready.

4. Weighed-in at 52.6kg before training today… 52.1kg after training. Sweet!

5. My team mates on the other hand, they’re still struggling with losing the required weight. I think both of them have about 3-4kgs to lose… in less than 5 days!!! Weigh-in is on Friday.

6. Supposedly I got another sponsor for my game. Not too sure what company it is but apparently they want to hook me up with a boxing robe… sweet.

7. Trouble on the home front today… I gave in, ate some street chicken and got sick. I had anticipated today being a day I could finally eat some much craved carbs... a mini bread roll, maybe a pinch of rice, or a little cereal... but throwing some chicken into the equation screwed it all up! I had asked the lady not to drown it in the sauce and so she made me a fresh piece of chicken. I think it was TOO fresh, if you know what I mean. Ended up getting a massive tummy ache and so I thought I’d drink some water and eat some bread, hoping that might help… no suck luck. So there I was, curled up on the couch with about 1 litre of water, one bread roll, and one undercooked chicken doing a number on me… and it refused to pass!

8. Went out in search of some laxatives… viola. The doctor told me specifically to ONLY eat two. I ate four. After about an hour or so and no change, I fed one to Mi Nam. Ten minutes later he was pooping up a storm… so I ate two more. Still, no such luck.

9. Tried to study my Korean language textbook but was so distracted. Ended up throwing on my coat and heading over to Samsung, hoping that some window shopping would help me. Well, it did... until I saw the isle of weight scales that is... ahhhhh!!!

10. Three hours later, still nothing. I felt so disgustingly bloated. I hadn’t even so much peed and so I was feeling nasty, to say the least. Q had a REALLY good laugh at my story. I kept on saying “Dong hae-go ship-oh-yo!” (“I want poop”)And with every time I said it, he bursted out in laughter. I’m sure by the end of the conversation he too had a tummy ache. Ya, ok… so it seemed funny talking about it but in all honestly, it kind of scared me. I really, really, REALLY, can’t afford to get sick right now.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's going on in my tummy?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.
-- Mark Twain