Highlights of my Day... Monday, July 27

1. Waking up to the sound of my sweetie’s voice on the phone was exactly what I needed. Mind ya, waking up and being reminded by the purple eyes glaring back at me in the mirror that I’m still all banged up wasn’t exactly what I needed. Attempted to cheer myself up by bursting out into “I’m the Pancake Master” mode. Whipped up quite the freakishly delicious pancake!!!

2. The original plan for the day was to head over to UP Boxing Club, join the others and head out to Black Skinny and Snickers’ fights. However, waking up with bitterness still very much present on my tongue changed all that. Snickers is always telling me to “Change your thinking” and it’s true, “Change your thinking, change your world”, as the rest of his saying goes. I really wish I could change my thinking and put all this past me but I’m not a girl who others can let down and get away with it. I can’t forgive because I can’t forget and so until I forget, don’t ask me to forgive. I’m still very much disappointed in my team mates and other key people and as much as I try to tell myself that I don’t need such people in my life, I can’t help but feel bitter and hurt. I need more time… more time to figure out how to forgive, or at least how to forget.

3. My pride is a problem, I know. And as a result today I spent the whole morning grudging having to travel out to Il San. Right now I’m sporting this “I hate boxing and I’m a bitter-bitter-stubborn-mule” kind of mentality and so I decided to make life harder on myself and figure out how to get there by bus. Mission accomplished.

4. My next mission was to stay out of the camera’s view and avoid the media by any means possible… mission also accomplished. I managed to go a full couple of hours without the media or anyone from my boxing club approaching me by literally positioning myself on a spot that was quite dangerous, making it literally physically impossible for anyone to approach me. High above behind the ring was a large window and besides that window was a small ledge that had a railing but was somewhat closed off. Leave it to me to stand there… hahaha.

If you look at the top left of the picture you'll notice a green circle I drew on the picture. That's where I posted myself... way the heck out of the media's view and reach, or so I thought.

5. Black Skinny was the first to fight and he sought me out in the crowd before his fight started. I told him “kill him” and then we butted fists. “Kill him” was practically what he did, too, because in the first round down went his opponent!!! He gave a round one K.O. and I was so happy for him, so proud. It’s no secret that Black Skinny’s confidence and pride as a boxer crashed and burned as a result of his loss in Japan and so today’s incredible victory was exactly what he needed to remind himself of his greatness and strength.

6. I had arrived around 3pm and had managed to stay in everyone’s blind spot up until Snickers’ fight was just about to begin, that’s when one of the media people from MBC ESPN spotted me high up in my tucked away perch, dang. “Amy, Amy… come here!” they yelled out to me. It felt like all eyes had turned on me and so instead of standing there like a sitting duck waiting to be shot I came down and joined them on the first floor. Some how, I don’t know how, but some how me with my purple eyes and bruised pride got convinced to do a live TV interview and so when Snickers’ game was to conclude, I was then expected to come down yet again and speak on live TV.

7. Back up to my perch I went and then the announcer announced that Snickers’ fight would be starting. My heart raced a mile a minute and I gave me best evil-glare to his opponent as he and his cocky ego made their way to the ring. Next it was Snickers’ turn to come in. Unlike most fighters who have upbeat hip-hop entrance songs, Snickers’ entrance song is a ballad. He says it helps him to relax before the fight and so who am I to judge or say anything about that. I cheered my head off when he came in and so when he looked up to wink at me I seriously felt wobbly in the knees.

8. For the most part Snickers’ opponent bounced around the ring and so I knew this was somewhat frustrating to Snickers. Snickers let his gloves down, gestured to his opponent to bring it on but that’s when the unexpected happened… his opponent knocked him down. I yelled at the top of my lungs “it’s okay.. it’s okay”, as well as a not-so-pretty word that I had “borrowed” from Snickers… oops.

9. Seriously, I felt sick to my stomach. Round one ended shortly there after and then in round two Snickers finished it by knocking his opponent out. Some of my friends had watched the game on TV at their homes and so my phone buzzed with text messages from them all. Turns out I hadn’t in fact dodged the camera and in fact they had designated one camera to just focus on me. In my TV interview they asked me three questions, “Do you think he fought and trained hard for today?”, “You look sore, why are you sore?” [reference to my game there… like way to kick me when I’m already down], and “What’s one thing you’d like to say to him now?” Snickers’ phone rang off the hook as a result of my answer on the last question when I looked into the camera and in Korean I raised my voice and said “I love you! I love only you!”

10. Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to have today be all about Snickers but once again my pride had distracted me. I had tried hard to keep a low profile but hadn’t been so successful. Junior Mint approached me and said something to me which I won’t repeat for the fact that I’m trying out that whole “forgive and forget, or at least forget” thing, and the other UP members that were there really didn’t talk to me. However, today was Snickers’ day though and so I tried my hardest to put aside my own feelings regarding my own situation and tried to focus on him. He’s always so handsome in the ring and I always feel like the proudest girlfriend when I watch him fight. Snickers had fought a great fight, a fight that scared the heck out of me at one point but none the less a great fight. I was proud of him and seeing that his best friend, buddies, his grandfather, father, mother, two sisters, and his two nieces had traveled out to Il San today to support him made me all that more proud. He is my pride of Korea.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
-- Edmund Hillary