1. Happy Roberto Duran Day!!! “Who and what’s that?” you ask, well WBC has officially labeled April 25th as Roberto Duran Day to commemorate a great former fight who was “champion in four divisions (Light, Welter, Super welter and Middle, and he fought in 17 title bouts, even accomplishing the extraordinary feat of moving from Lightweight up to Middleweight, which is not common”, as quoted from WBC Press Release. Not too sure on how we’re suppose to celebrate this day… hmmm… maybe go out and punch someone on his behalf… hahah.. just joking.
2. Q and I headed into boxing today to do a “squash session”, and by that we mean we do our usual training (minus the pad work cause Junior Mint isn’t in on Saturdays) but kick it up a notch, eliminating any kind of rest period in between our sets and exercises. We set a time limit of one hour for our squash sessions and trust me, after the hour you can’t go on but instead are left exhausted and risking drowning in your own sweat… I love it… hahaha.
3. Got treated out to a sweet tucked away restaurant in downtown Cheonan that’s actually an old house. My fight is still not a for sure situation and so I have to definitely watch my weight but dining on fish and veggies is exactly what the coach (and my tummy) ordered.
4. Did some more marking before I headed off to Seoul. Kicks had invited me out to her birthday party and so I did my Korean diary writing while on the bus.
5. Note to self: bring more than just diary writing if you’re going to take a Saturday afternoon bus to Seoul. Usual bus time: 1 hour and 5 minutes. Today’s bus time: 1 hour and 55 minutes.
6. One text message from Panty Boy turned into quite the length text message conversation while I was on the bus and ended with him showing up at the bus terminal in Seoul with a gift, a black rose ring that he had bought at my favorite jewelery shop in Seoul. It’s super chunky, super awesome!
7. Getting lost in the rain wasn’t exactly fun but showing up at Kick’s place for her birthday party was definitely worth the two and a half hour adventure. Her house was packed with all her female rugby buddies, plus me the boxer and another girl who’s teaches Mauy Thai and is looking to get into K1 fighting here in Korea. Kicks house full of all foreign women (plus two dudes) was a bit of a sensory overload with the English but it was wicked to be among so many passionate athletes.
8. While the others all dined on homemade pizza, Kicks cooked me a special dish of chicken and asparagus (because of having to trim down for my anticipated fight). Yah for her for that!!! Kicks kicks. I really wanted to try the pizza, especially the traditional South African one with the bananas but I’m on game diet now… no fun.
9. Kicks traveled to Thailand during the summer vacation where she there trained at a Mauy Thai kickboxing club and so her house is full of training gear she picked up from her trip. We thought it’d be awesome to get two volunteers geared up and go at it. Props to Angel and her boyfriend Aaron for being our entertainment, although I think Angel and her bruised butt might be regretting it right now.
10. Some of the girls from tonight’s party I had met the other weekend when I was visited and so I got chatting with them. There was however this one particular girl who wanted to excessively chat with me… and place her icy hand on my leg. I thought nothing of it actually. After all, many of my female Korean friends and I hold hands. But this girl’s hands were so bone chilly, she was drunk and she eagerly tried the whole night to get me to randomly punch people (which I didn’t). Needless to say though, it made for an interesting night, definitely filled with good times and good people but like all good things, everything has to end and so off I raced to get my bus. Score a seat on the last bus and arrived in Cheonan at 12:40am.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Did you eat a breakfast for champions today?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
If only Hitler and Mussolini could have a good game of bowls once a week at Geneva, I feel that Europe would not be as troubled as it is.
-- R.G. Briscow
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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