A little Christmas present in the making... a token of thanks.Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Going Strong... Wednesday, November 30
My boxercise classes are still going strong and are gaining more hype as the weeks go by.
My initial beginner's boxercise class have since upgraded to the advance level, meaning that their high intensity part of the class is now done on the heavy bags. And let me tell you, they love working the heavy bags... probably just as much as I love watching them do so. There's a great sense of pride I get, seeing them train hard, work up a sweat, and continually come back to my boxing club for another class. I'm very proud of them.
Today I started thinking about extra things I can do for my boxercise gals and my personal training clients. The other day I cooked them all whole wheat tortillas and today I cooked up another batch. But with Christmas just around the corner I was thinking about what I could do for a little Christmas gift -- a small token to say thank you and Merry Christmas. I don't think I'll give all my clients gifts but I do really want to give a Christmas gift to a select small group of girls that have really helped me with my company, not only with getting it up and running but with their continual support and continual hard training.
I think I've found a great gift for them. It's small, it's handmade and it's handmade out of something very much used and abused but it's somewhat of a traditional thing that both my Canadian boxing coach and my Korean boxing coach have made for me in the past. My boxercise girls may not get the full symbolic meaning behind it but it's something that has great significance to me. Now I'm in the position to be able to do it for someone else and I'm honored to be in such a place.
My initial beginner's boxercise class have since upgraded to the advance level, meaning that their high intensity part of the class is now done on the heavy bags. And let me tell you, they love working the heavy bags... probably just as much as I love watching them do so. There's a great sense of pride I get, seeing them train hard, work up a sweat, and continually come back to my boxing club for another class. I'm very proud of them.
Today I started thinking about extra things I can do for my boxercise gals and my personal training clients. The other day I cooked them all whole wheat tortillas and today I cooked up another batch. But with Christmas just around the corner I was thinking about what I could do for a little Christmas gift -- a small token to say thank you and Merry Christmas. I don't think I'll give all my clients gifts but I do really want to give a Christmas gift to a select small group of girls that have really helped me with my company, not only with getting it up and running but with their continual support and continual hard training.
I think I've found a great gift for them. It's small, it's handmade and it's handmade out of something very much used and abused but it's somewhat of a traditional thing that both my Canadian boxing coach and my Korean boxing coach have made for me in the past. My boxercise girls may not get the full symbolic meaning behind it but it's something that has great significance to me. Now I'm in the position to be able to do it for someone else and I'm honored to be in such a place.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Playing with My Taste Buds... Tuesday, November 29
Look out Martha Stewart, I’m turning myself into quite the kitchen-adventurous gal… cooking up a storm, experimenting with foods I like and trying to come up with strangely delish but often questionable dishes, and now I’ve added baking to my list of things I do in the kitchen, sweet.
Tonight I experimented with making homemade tortillas. Ok, so apparently tortillas are easy to make but I noted that I “experimented” with making them and by experimenting I meant I added random ingredients I like but didn’t know if they’d taste good.
That seems to be my trademark in the kitchen, or so Snickers claims. Often I try to make random dishes out by combining foods I like, like chicken and oatmeal; I call it “Chickmeal” – oatmeal combined with boiled chicken and either a dash of cinnamon or blueberries added for extra flavoring.
Today’s tortillas were relatively tame ones, meaning that they didn’t have anything really unusual in them but I tried to make them super healthy and super delish, with flaxseed and whole wheat flour being the much leaned on ingredients as well as various spices like garlic and oregano. So tonight’s tortillas were delish and rather on the tame side but I do plan on venturing into more creative tortillas, like tortillas with crushed bananas in them or things like shredded spinach or perhaps some protein shake mix to really mix them up!
Tonight I experimented with making homemade tortillas. Ok, so apparently tortillas are easy to make but I noted that I “experimented” with making them and by experimenting I meant I added random ingredients I like but didn’t know if they’d taste good.
That seems to be my trademark in the kitchen, or so Snickers claims. Often I try to make random dishes out by combining foods I like, like chicken and oatmeal; I call it “Chickmeal” – oatmeal combined with boiled chicken and either a dash of cinnamon or blueberries added for extra flavoring.
Today’s tortillas were relatively tame ones, meaning that they didn’t have anything really unusual in them but I tried to make them super healthy and super delish, with flaxseed and whole wheat flour being the much leaned on ingredients as well as various spices like garlic and oregano. So tonight’s tortillas were delish and rather on the tame side but I do plan on venturing into more creative tortillas, like tortillas with crushed bananas in them or things like shredded spinach or perhaps some protein shake mix to really mix them up!
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Next Generation... Monday, November 28
It’s always training with my teammates, now more than ever. Boxing is an individual sport, fair enough, but here at UP Boxing Club we’ve got a tight little group going on and almost everyone in this elite group are professional boxers or at least aspiring professional boxers.
Our team numbers are dwindling though. With teammates getting older and taking on additional roles in their personal lives – husband, father, sole breadwinner, and so on – our once very active team that dominated UP Boxing Club and was always present at training is now not so. Boxing in Korea is a young man’s sport and already in my four years here at UP Boxing Club I’ve had a couple of my teammates retire, like Panty Boy Jr., Handsome Boy and Milk Dud. The Heavy Hitter and Snickers have been added to the team in the past couple of years, but Black Skinny remains the strong captain of us all. He is the heart of the team but with the shocking unexpected loss in his last fight, questions about whether or not that was his last fight still are brought up at UP.
Tonight I walked into UP and there before me was Black Skinny. Black Skinny had brought his son, Little Skinny Mini, to training so I joked around with him, asking him if Little Skinny Mini would be carrying on his name in the ring.
“Yes, I want” was his response.
Little Skinny Mini was very curious with his father’s training, insisting that I give him a skipping rope so that he can try to skip. Of course the club doesn’t have a skipping rope short enough for knee high mini-Koreans but he tried hard with the rope I gave him. When he continually stumbled with the skipping and once too many times accidently stepped into someone else’s skipping rope, Black Skinny stepped in and insisted he watch ringside. So for the rest of his father’s training Little Skinny Mini sat ringside and watched his father train.
When I was done my training I joined Little Skinny Mini, slipped on my boxing gloves onto his itsy-bitsy hands. The gloves swallowed up his hands and went well past his elbows. And just when I was about to blurt out “You’re so cute” he jumped forward and gave me a good hook. His hook didn’t hit me in the head like a hook should but then again he barely comes to my waist, so I took a good hook to the hip bone… and it didn’t stop there. He bounced back with a 1-2-hook combo and then a head butting that pretty much took me out considering where it landed, need I say more.
“Minus point!” I yelled out.
Little Skinny Mini may be but only knee high and weigh in well under the weight of one of my legs but this mini Korean can pack a punch and he knows how to do a 1-2-hook combo… pretty impressive. And as for the shots he gave below the belt… yup, he may be a dirty fighter but he’s definitely got fighter in him. Must be those genes Black Skinny gave him!!!
Our team numbers are dwindling though. With teammates getting older and taking on additional roles in their personal lives – husband, father, sole breadwinner, and so on – our once very active team that dominated UP Boxing Club and was always present at training is now not so. Boxing in Korea is a young man’s sport and already in my four years here at UP Boxing Club I’ve had a couple of my teammates retire, like Panty Boy Jr., Handsome Boy and Milk Dud. The Heavy Hitter and Snickers have been added to the team in the past couple of years, but Black Skinny remains the strong captain of us all. He is the heart of the team but with the shocking unexpected loss in his last fight, questions about whether or not that was his last fight still are brought up at UP.
Tonight I walked into UP and there before me was Black Skinny. Black Skinny had brought his son, Little Skinny Mini, to training so I joked around with him, asking him if Little Skinny Mini would be carrying on his name in the ring.
“Yes, I want” was his response.
Little Skinny Mini was very curious with his father’s training, insisting that I give him a skipping rope so that he can try to skip. Of course the club doesn’t have a skipping rope short enough for knee high mini-Koreans but he tried hard with the rope I gave him. When he continually stumbled with the skipping and once too many times accidently stepped into someone else’s skipping rope, Black Skinny stepped in and insisted he watch ringside. So for the rest of his father’s training Little Skinny Mini sat ringside and watched his father train.
When I was done my training I joined Little Skinny Mini, slipped on my boxing gloves onto his itsy-bitsy hands. The gloves swallowed up his hands and went well past his elbows. And just when I was about to blurt out “You’re so cute” he jumped forward and gave me a good hook. His hook didn’t hit me in the head like a hook should but then again he barely comes to my waist, so I took a good hook to the hip bone… and it didn’t stop there. He bounced back with a 1-2-hook combo and then a head butting that pretty much took me out considering where it landed, need I say more.
“Minus point!” I yelled out.
Little Skinny Mini may be but only knee high and weigh in well under the weight of one of my legs but this mini Korean can pack a punch and he knows how to do a 1-2-hook combo… pretty impressive. And as for the shots he gave below the belt… yup, he may be a dirty fighter but he’s definitely got fighter in him. Must be those genes Black Skinny gave him!!!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
A Touch of Home-Home... Sunday, November 27
Today was quite exciting actually.
The hype and great energy that came with the arrival of yesterday’s Adidas sponsorship shipment carried well into today and it got a second wind when I presented the new equipment to my boxercise class girls. The girls were thrilled when I presented them with their new Adidas gloves – a first pair of boxing gloves to them all. Their eyes lit up, their mouths dropped and they eagerly jammed their hands into the gloves. It was quite exciting for me to watch and I wondered if I was like that the first time I got my first gloves. I think I was. Actually, I still have my first pair of boxing gloves and I brought them to Korea with me. They sit on the self in my boxing club, willingly able to be worn by anyone and everyone who wants to try them on for a few rounds.
I felt really happy for the girls, and I felt quite proud. It’s been a very rewarding experience for me, teaching my boxercise class. It’s hard to really explain it but in doing my boxercise class, seeing the excitement with learning the combos, seeing just how hard the girls try and whatnot, I’ve created this little world in which it feels so great to be a strong woman and so great to share it with other like-minded women.
So, ya… that was how my morning went and it was pretty cool. I teach two boxercise classes on Sunday, 10am and 2pm, so it made for a tiresome day but I loved it.
One of my boxercise clients treated me to some Western goodies -- cottage cheese, Splenda, and some strange little shelled edamame beans. I’ve never had these beans before but one of my boxercise gals picked them up for me at an American army base and praised them for their high protein content… good stuff! So being treated to some Western goodies was awesome. I love, love, LOVE cottage cheese but this just might be the only cottage cheese I see this year… boo to that.
After my second boxercise class, Snickers and I headed over to Emart to do some grocery shopping and that’s when I stumbled across another Western goodie today – chocolate Advent calendars! Back in the day my mom used to do an Advent calendar for my brothers and I. She’d load it up with little gifts but it’d be so weighed down with them that she’d have to lay it on the dinning room table…. ahhhh, those were the days!
Though this particular Advent calendar I spotted in the store today failed miserably in comparison to my mom’s – it being a chocolate one made out of cheap cardboard and having a mass produced picture on it – I ended up buying one. Actually, I bought four. One for Snickers, another one for me, one for a boxercise gal I’m personal training, and one just in case I want to give one to another friend. I know I shouldn’t be supporting eating chocolate and I’m sure my client will think the same, but like I always say, “Everything in moderation”. After all, even an apple, if you eat so many of them or eat them too late in the evening is not good for you.
An apple a day may keep the doctor away but a chocolate a day keeps the crazies away.
The hype and great energy that came with the arrival of yesterday’s Adidas sponsorship shipment carried well into today and it got a second wind when I presented the new equipment to my boxercise class girls. The girls were thrilled when I presented them with their new Adidas gloves – a first pair of boxing gloves to them all. Their eyes lit up, their mouths dropped and they eagerly jammed their hands into the gloves. It was quite exciting for me to watch and I wondered if I was like that the first time I got my first gloves. I think I was. Actually, I still have my first pair of boxing gloves and I brought them to Korea with me. They sit on the self in my boxing club, willingly able to be worn by anyone and everyone who wants to try them on for a few rounds.
I felt really happy for the girls, and I felt quite proud. It’s been a very rewarding experience for me, teaching my boxercise class. It’s hard to really explain it but in doing my boxercise class, seeing the excitement with learning the combos, seeing just how hard the girls try and whatnot, I’ve created this little world in which it feels so great to be a strong woman and so great to share it with other like-minded women.
So, ya… that was how my morning went and it was pretty cool. I teach two boxercise classes on Sunday, 10am and 2pm, so it made for a tiresome day but I loved it.
One of my boxercise clients treated me to some Western goodies -- cottage cheese, Splenda, and some strange little shelled edamame beans. I’ve never had these beans before but one of my boxercise gals picked them up for me at an American army base and praised them for their high protein content… good stuff! So being treated to some Western goodies was awesome. I love, love, LOVE cottage cheese but this just might be the only cottage cheese I see this year… boo to that.
After my second boxercise class, Snickers and I headed over to Emart to do some grocery shopping and that’s when I stumbled across another Western goodie today – chocolate Advent calendars! Back in the day my mom used to do an Advent calendar for my brothers and I. She’d load it up with little gifts but it’d be so weighed down with them that she’d have to lay it on the dinning room table…. ahhhh, those were the days!
Though this particular Advent calendar I spotted in the store today failed miserably in comparison to my mom’s – it being a chocolate one made out of cheap cardboard and having a mass produced picture on it – I ended up buying one. Actually, I bought four. One for Snickers, another one for me, one for a boxercise gal I’m personal training, and one just in case I want to give one to another friend. I know I shouldn’t be supporting eating chocolate and I’m sure my client will think the same, but like I always say, “Everything in moderation”. After all, even an apple, if you eat so many of them or eat them too late in the evening is not good for you.
An apple a day may keep the doctor away but a chocolate a day keeps the crazies away.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Pyen Chi the Pee Master Beast of Fur isn't so good with protecting my shoes but tonight when these two massive boxes got personally delivered to my door, she was all about protecting these boxes!
She tried to help out by chewing them open. And what should be in them but an amazingly massive load of Adidas goodies!!![Even the outfit I am wearing in this picture came in the box]
I instantly turned into a kid at Christmas -- jumping up and down, screaming for joy, and tossing things all over the place to see what this "magic box" of goodies contained.Adidas was right. Adidas is all in... all in my kitchen!!!
Earned Stripes... Saturday, November 26
At exactly 6:40pm I went from chillaxing like a villain, all curled up on the floor with Pyen Chi at my feet to an overly-hyper, super giddy, smiling from ear-to-ear Polack when I realized what was on the other side of my door. Two men had showed up and they came to deliver the shipment of sponsored goods from Adidas.
Adidas had sent so much stuff that it had to be delivered in two massive boxes and carried by two men… how awesome is that?! Pretty awesome!!!
So what was in the boxes you ask, good question…
… and as if that wasn’t already so much, they had thrown in an extra 6 blue track suits to “make up for the delay”, they wrote to me.
The plan is to get Flipside Fitness printed on the backs of the track suit jackets and hand out the hand wraps and heavy bag gloves to the fierce gals who have been regularly attending my boxercise classes since I started this all.
I was so stoked tonight and I can’t wait till tomorrow when I take those virgin hands of those in my boxercise class, wrap them in the hand wraps and then slip them into some sweet, sweet looking brand-spanking new heavy bag gloves. They’re going to absolutely love it… I can’t wait… I couldn’t wait, so I messaged them all.
My boxercise gals have trained hard, they've earned their stripes -- the Adidas stripes that is -- so tomorrow is seriously going to rock!!!
Adidas had sent so much stuff that it had to be delivered in two massive boxes and carried by two men… how awesome is that?! Pretty awesome!!!
So what was in the boxes you ask, good question…
18 pairs of hand wraps
7 pairs of heavy bag gloves
6 pairs of 12oz gloves
3 pairs of focus mitts
6 black track suits
… and as if that wasn’t already so much, they had thrown in an extra 6 blue track suits to “make up for the delay”, they wrote to me.
The plan is to get Flipside Fitness printed on the backs of the track suit jackets and hand out the hand wraps and heavy bag gloves to the fierce gals who have been regularly attending my boxercise classes since I started this all.
I was so stoked tonight and I can’t wait till tomorrow when I take those virgin hands of those in my boxercise class, wrap them in the hand wraps and then slip them into some sweet, sweet looking brand-spanking new heavy bag gloves. They’re going to absolutely love it… I can’t wait… I couldn’t wait, so I messaged them all.
My boxercise gals have trained hard, they've earned their stripes -- the Adidas stripes that is -- so tomorrow is seriously going to rock!!!
Friday, November 25, 2011
After a long week of working a temp job, it sure felt sweet to peel off the clothes, jump in some sweats and lace up the boxing boots.
Heading into the 8-to-5 business world of tall buildings, much needed coffee breaks and business suits galore was a nice change. I appreciated the eye candy of the pretty business men but I much prefer my "working world". A world where boxing trunks and sweats are the "business suit" of my teammates, boxing boots are the mandatory "office wear", handwraps are the much needed accessory, and you never leave for work without your mouth gaurd.Temp Work Over and Done... Friday, November 25
This past month I did two temporary jobs, one out in Seoul for a week and this week I did a four-day gig out in Bundang.
The Seoul temp job was an English leveling interview position in which I was required to interview over 200 business men and rate their various English skills. It was an interesting experience but rather stressful in that I found out pretty quickly just how important this leveling test was to their 2012 salary. About 98% of those I interviewed were men so being called pretty and having lashes flutter at me from across the table became a day situation. Honestly though, I met some really amazing people and was really impressed just how happy almost all of them were with their jobs at this particular company – an international construction management company. Being surrounded by pleasantly happy workers really got to me and turned me somewhat into a happy-go-lucky, everything-is-peachy kind of gal which was perfect because waking up at 4:30am every day for a week in order to be ready and there by 7:50am was rough.
This past week I did another temp job; a job out in Bundang for one-to-one tutoring at another very successful company. And like the first temp job, it was super hard for me to sit so long at a desk but I met some really, really great business men. I only met two ladies, one of which was the coordinator and the other was a young business lady.
It was a nice change from my usual routine, getting up and getting all dolled up for an office job, but I’m glad both gigs are over. Teaching my boxercise classes is rough on my body, morning boxing classes means I get up and run down the street still half asleep, personal training means trying to figure out my clients needs and plan stuff specifically for each, but you know what… I love it. I absolutely love doing Flipside Fitness and though it doesn’t pay the bills like working at Dankook did, I’m doing a job that makes me happy and for that reason I feel successful. I don’t know if I’ll ever pick up a regular job now that I’ve got my own fitness company up and running. I don’t like the restrictions that come with having to sign a one-year contract and I like being more in control of my schedule and whatnot. Having said this though, I’m sure I’ll randomly pick up temp jobs here and there like I did this past month. Doing the English leveling interviewing was intense. It meant getting up at 4:30am, arriving home at 7pm, carrying numerous premade meals in my purse and then fitting in late night training, but the money was great and one week worth on intense meant covering all my monthly bills.
I had to laugh at myself today though, knowing that it was my last day of this particular temp job. I got all dolled up and then took one quick look at myself in the mirror. I giggled at the sight of me Little-Miss-Business-Woman, looking all professional, sporting high heels and make-up, and wearing a barrette in my hair. This is so not my look anymore. I almost felt like I had been playing dress-up in my mother’s closet of clothes.
As fun as it is to get dressed up once in awhile it sure felt so damn good to lace up my boxing boots tonight at boxing!!!
The Seoul temp job was an English leveling interview position in which I was required to interview over 200 business men and rate their various English skills. It was an interesting experience but rather stressful in that I found out pretty quickly just how important this leveling test was to their 2012 salary. About 98% of those I interviewed were men so being called pretty and having lashes flutter at me from across the table became a day situation. Honestly though, I met some really amazing people and was really impressed just how happy almost all of them were with their jobs at this particular company – an international construction management company. Being surrounded by pleasantly happy workers really got to me and turned me somewhat into a happy-go-lucky, everything-is-peachy kind of gal which was perfect because waking up at 4:30am every day for a week in order to be ready and there by 7:50am was rough.
This past week I did another temp job; a job out in Bundang for one-to-one tutoring at another very successful company. And like the first temp job, it was super hard for me to sit so long at a desk but I met some really, really great business men. I only met two ladies, one of which was the coordinator and the other was a young business lady.
It was a nice change from my usual routine, getting up and getting all dolled up for an office job, but I’m glad both gigs are over. Teaching my boxercise classes is rough on my body, morning boxing classes means I get up and run down the street still half asleep, personal training means trying to figure out my clients needs and plan stuff specifically for each, but you know what… I love it. I absolutely love doing Flipside Fitness and though it doesn’t pay the bills like working at Dankook did, I’m doing a job that makes me happy and for that reason I feel successful. I don’t know if I’ll ever pick up a regular job now that I’ve got my own fitness company up and running. I don’t like the restrictions that come with having to sign a one-year contract and I like being more in control of my schedule and whatnot. Having said this though, I’m sure I’ll randomly pick up temp jobs here and there like I did this past month. Doing the English leveling interviewing was intense. It meant getting up at 4:30am, arriving home at 7pm, carrying numerous premade meals in my purse and then fitting in late night training, but the money was great and one week worth on intense meant covering all my monthly bills.
I had to laugh at myself today though, knowing that it was my last day of this particular temp job. I got all dolled up and then took one quick look at myself in the mirror. I giggled at the sight of me Little-Miss-Business-Woman, looking all professional, sporting high heels and make-up, and wearing a barrette in my hair. This is so not my look anymore. I almost felt like I had been playing dress-up in my mother’s closet of clothes.
As fun as it is to get dressed up once in awhile it sure felt so damn good to lace up my boxing boots tonight at boxing!!!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Health IS Life... Thursday, November 24
When:
Sunday, December 11th, 2011 will be the official start measurement day.
Sunday, February 12th, 2012 will be the grand crunch day.
Where:
UP Boxing Club, Cheonan
Who:
Anyone and everyone who really wants to shape up, take their health and fitness by the reins and see what they’re made of.
What:
What:This is a 63 day body fat loss challenge.
You're not required to workout at my boxing club but feel free to join one of my many boxercise classes to help pump you up, trim you down, and keep you stoked and motivated. And don't worry, I'll be dropping emails left, right and center throughout the competition, giving you tips on training, eating clean, staying motivated and staying on track.
There’s a 25,000 won entrance fee but with a grand cash prize and fat to lose, even if you don’t drop the most body fat percentage, you still win!... because you’re already fabulous, why not be flab-u-less!!!
... because you’re already fabulous, why not be flab-u-less!!!
Sunday, December 11th, 2011 will be the official start measurement day.
Sunday, February 12th, 2012 will be the grand crunch day.
Where:
UP Boxing Club, Cheonan
Who:
Anyone and everyone who really wants to shape up, take their health and fitness by the reins and see what they’re made of.
What:
What:This is a 63 day body fat loss challenge.
You're not required to workout at my boxing club but feel free to join one of my many boxercise classes to help pump you up, trim you down, and keep you stoked and motivated. And don't worry, I'll be dropping emails left, right and center throughout the competition, giving you tips on training, eating clean, staying motivated and staying on track.
There’s a 25,000 won entrance fee but with a grand cash prize and fat to lose, even if you don’t drop the most body fat percentage, you still win!... because you’re already fabulous, why not be flab-u-less!!!
... because you’re already fabulous, why not be flab-u-less!!!
Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them clinically obese... now that scares me. That scares me more than being punched in the head in the ring. But what scares me more, well makes me sad actually, is that so many people honestly don't care about their health.
Health IS life.
You can have all the money in the world but you can't buy health. If you don't have health that how can you look after your family, make loved ones happy... live life?!
So many people don't care two cents about their health, that is until it is gone. And most of these people who don't care about their health don't even have good health in the first place and really aren't in a position to not care.
I love running Flipside Fitness. I love doing my boxercise classes and I get a lot of self satisfaction helping people with my one-to-one personal training. For the most part -- like 98% of the time -- I must admit it's a very rewarding job, seeing people really come into themselves but then there are those frustrating bumps in the road. It's frustrating caring about my clients more than some care about themselves. I want to help push them to their potential, help them eat clean, educate them on how to train, and see them take their fitness by the reins but occassionally I come across a client who thinks paying me means I'll do all the work for them.
I can't help anyone who doesn't want to help themself and paying me doesn't mean they actually care.
My words of advice for today: Don't feed the statistic, no pun intended, take control of your health.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
I'm trying my hardest to love Pyen Chi for Pyen Chi but I can't help but compare her to Mi Nam. He was my first real four-legged love, my heart with four legs. I miss Mi Nam so much... every single day.
This is now our revised family -- our family of three. The house just doesn't seem the same. It seems so off-balanced. Year of Losses... Wednesday, November 23
It's been a rough year; it's been a year of terrible losses.
I lost my mother to cancer.
I lost my scooter to some random thief.
I lost my Mi Nam to sickness.
I lost my patience for KBC with them not scheduling any decent fights for Snickers.
I lost my daycare job because of complications with having to visit my mother one last time.
I lost a lot of money with having to drop every thing and spend two months in Canada.
I lost an ex-boyfriend's father to brain cancer.
I lost a boxing teammate to suicide.
... and I almost lost my husband a month or so ago when he was accidently tossed out of a moving car and missed an oncoming car by just a hair.
So ya, it's been a very trying and very tiring year to which I am ever so eager for it to end. Bring on 2012 and bring it on quick please! Snickers got scheduled a Welter weight championship fight for Christmas Eve but just the other day -- Thursday -- the whole tournament got post-poned to Janauary.
New news has surfaced regarding Mi Nam's totally unsuspected death. Word has it that there's a bug going around, especially nere more wooden areas, and great, I live right beside the river where apparently it's perfect breeding grounds for such a bug. This bug apparently is somewhat like the flu bug but more lethal. I don't know much about it and honestly at this point I really don't give a damn about it. Mi Nam is gone. Mi Nam is gone and I'm really having a hard time trying to accept it so having the vet want to call me up about this flu bug or whatever it is really isn't helping me.
Pyen Chi went through a solid week and a half of depression which is odd in that she never really cared for Mi Nam. Mi Nam followed her around every where and Snickers and I always had to tell Mi Nam to stop licking Pyen Chi's gums and teeth -- strange manner, I know, but that was Mi Nam. A strange little character. Anyways, Pyen Chi lost all interest in eating for about a week and getting her to go outside for walks involved me having to carry her down three flights of stairs half the time. But with her being now close to 40kgs (88lbs) it's rather hard to carry her. She pulls the "dead fish" -- legs go jelly and she is pure dead weight, making it even harder to carry her. She is better now but she often acts out if left alone in the house for longer than an hour. We've decided to let her now sleep with us on our floor mat at night but waking up in the middle of the night to her insisting on sleeping on my chest means I wake up gasping for air and feeling rather crushed.
I say it's been a year of losses and that it has but I also gained three really great things out of the bad -- a love for Pyen Chi, a matured relationship with my father that is closer than it already was, and I've started my own fitness company.
I lost my mother to cancer.
I lost my scooter to some random thief.
I lost my Mi Nam to sickness.
I lost my patience for KBC with them not scheduling any decent fights for Snickers.
I lost my daycare job because of complications with having to visit my mother one last time.
I lost a lot of money with having to drop every thing and spend two months in Canada.
I lost an ex-boyfriend's father to brain cancer.
I lost a boxing teammate to suicide.
... and I almost lost my husband a month or so ago when he was accidently tossed out of a moving car and missed an oncoming car by just a hair.
So ya, it's been a very trying and very tiring year to which I am ever so eager for it to end. Bring on 2012 and bring it on quick please! Snickers got scheduled a Welter weight championship fight for Christmas Eve but just the other day -- Thursday -- the whole tournament got post-poned to Janauary.
New news has surfaced regarding Mi Nam's totally unsuspected death. Word has it that there's a bug going around, especially nere more wooden areas, and great, I live right beside the river where apparently it's perfect breeding grounds for such a bug. This bug apparently is somewhat like the flu bug but more lethal. I don't know much about it and honestly at this point I really don't give a damn about it. Mi Nam is gone. Mi Nam is gone and I'm really having a hard time trying to accept it so having the vet want to call me up about this flu bug or whatever it is really isn't helping me.
Pyen Chi went through a solid week and a half of depression which is odd in that she never really cared for Mi Nam. Mi Nam followed her around every where and Snickers and I always had to tell Mi Nam to stop licking Pyen Chi's gums and teeth -- strange manner, I know, but that was Mi Nam. A strange little character. Anyways, Pyen Chi lost all interest in eating for about a week and getting her to go outside for walks involved me having to carry her down three flights of stairs half the time. But with her being now close to 40kgs (88lbs) it's rather hard to carry her. She pulls the "dead fish" -- legs go jelly and she is pure dead weight, making it even harder to carry her. She is better now but she often acts out if left alone in the house for longer than an hour. We've decided to let her now sleep with us on our floor mat at night but waking up in the middle of the night to her insisting on sleeping on my chest means I wake up gasping for air and feeling rather crushed.
I say it's been a year of losses and that it has but I also gained three really great things out of the bad -- a love for Pyen Chi, a matured relationship with my father that is closer than it already was, and I've started my own fitness company.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Heartbroken in Cheonan... Friday, November 4
Those that know Mi Nam know he's quite the noisy little four-legged boy – he snorts when he eats, snores when he sleeps, and grunts when he walks. He often gets himself too worked up and has a bit of a coughing/sneezing fit so when I heard him coughing the other day both Snickers and I thought nothing of it; it was nothing really out of the ordinary for him.
Turns out it was pneumonia.
He had pneumonia and it had hit him pretty hard with yesterday being the first real day of concern, and sadly the last day. The first real sign of trouble came at about 5am when I couldn’t sleep and woke up to him standing in the middle of the kitchen floor all out of breath and refusing to join me on the floor mat. I thought maybe he had to go to the bathroom so I took him and Pyen Chi for a little walk. Pyen Chi ran off into the grass but I stood by Mi Nam, waiting for him to finish pee so we could walk together.
Then I looked down and that’s when I noticed what appeared to be black pee. Instantly I knelt down and put my palm into it while he was still peeing. It was pee mixed with blood.
I ran back into the house with the two of them and called Snickers. He had sparring out in Suwon so he was staying at Wonder Boy’s house.
“You need to come home… and come home quickly!” I told him.
I laid on the floor waiting for Snickers, beside Mi Nam huffing and puffing. Occasionally he’d sneeze or cough, splattering a bit of blood on the floor each time. I did the mistake of Googling his symptoms and that definitely didn’t help because it only got me more worked up and more freaked out. Kidney stones were what popped up on the search engine and when I clicked on the first link it told of a story where a boy’s dog had kidney stones and died the next day.
Once in awhile, prior to today that is, I think about what would happen if Mi Nam died and I feel sick to my stomach with the fact that one day he will die. Mi Nam represents a big part of my life – almost my whole life in Korea actually.
By the time Snickers was able to arrive it was just after 7am. I had a personal training client to meet at 8am and Snicker urged me to not go with him, telling me that he promised to return with a smiling Mi Nam. And that he did, he returned with Mi Nam.
For the rest of the day Mi Nam continued to cough, refused to eat, and was breathing like he had just run a marathon. He had pneumonia and later did I find out just how bad it was.
Shortly after 5pm Mi Nam coughed up a cup’s worth of blood in the middle of the kitchen. I did what the vet had suggested; I cupped my hands and did a drumming action on his belly. Then he coughed up more blood but when he went to walk it was like he couldn’t keep his balance. I caught him. I caught him and then up he coughed more blood.
At 5:15pm his pounding heartbeat drastically slowed down. In my devastation, I dropped my hands. They hit his chest and then he let out a deep breath. Snickers told me to turn away so I stood up and kept my face towards the wall. I did the mistake of turning and seeing quite the bloody sight that I’m sure I will never ever forget.
At 5:30pm he died.
We wrapped him up in his two favorite blankets and then laid him in his little bed one last time. Pyen Chi repeatedly came by his bed. She hasn’t eaten since Mi Nam died. I feel rather traumatized by watching Mi Nam literally drown in himself on my kitchen floor and all that that involved but he was surrounded by his little family -- Young Bin, Pyen Chi and me – when it happened.
Later in the evening we dug a little hole for him in the rain. We had a little ceremony for him outside by his favorite spot -- the river -- then laid him down to rest.
I remember when my mother was dying, I told her I was sad that she’d never get to meet Mi Nam. I had told that to Snickers too and when I laid down to sleep tonight, Snickers kissed me goodnight and added, “Don’t be sad. Your mom met Mi Nam today.”
We're all so shocked and I can't stress enough for you to love your four-legged friends and never take them for granted. Mi Nam was very, very good to me and I loved him like no other. He represented a big part of my life, almost my whole life in Korea actually, so he will be missed but never forgotten. While some may say I'm silly for getting upset over "just a dog", I know he was definitely anything but "just a dog" to me.
Turns out it was pneumonia.
He had pneumonia and it had hit him pretty hard with yesterday being the first real day of concern, and sadly the last day. The first real sign of trouble came at about 5am when I couldn’t sleep and woke up to him standing in the middle of the kitchen floor all out of breath and refusing to join me on the floor mat. I thought maybe he had to go to the bathroom so I took him and Pyen Chi for a little walk. Pyen Chi ran off into the grass but I stood by Mi Nam, waiting for him to finish pee so we could walk together.
Then I looked down and that’s when I noticed what appeared to be black pee. Instantly I knelt down and put my palm into it while he was still peeing. It was pee mixed with blood.
I ran back into the house with the two of them and called Snickers. He had sparring out in Suwon so he was staying at Wonder Boy’s house.
“You need to come home… and come home quickly!” I told him.
I laid on the floor waiting for Snickers, beside Mi Nam huffing and puffing. Occasionally he’d sneeze or cough, splattering a bit of blood on the floor each time. I did the mistake of Googling his symptoms and that definitely didn’t help because it only got me more worked up and more freaked out. Kidney stones were what popped up on the search engine and when I clicked on the first link it told of a story where a boy’s dog had kidney stones and died the next day.
Once in awhile, prior to today that is, I think about what would happen if Mi Nam died and I feel sick to my stomach with the fact that one day he will die. Mi Nam represents a big part of my life – almost my whole life in Korea actually.
By the time Snickers was able to arrive it was just after 7am. I had a personal training client to meet at 8am and Snicker urged me to not go with him, telling me that he promised to return with a smiling Mi Nam. And that he did, he returned with Mi Nam.
For the rest of the day Mi Nam continued to cough, refused to eat, and was breathing like he had just run a marathon. He had pneumonia and later did I find out just how bad it was.
Shortly after 5pm Mi Nam coughed up a cup’s worth of blood in the middle of the kitchen. I did what the vet had suggested; I cupped my hands and did a drumming action on his belly. Then he coughed up more blood but when he went to walk it was like he couldn’t keep his balance. I caught him. I caught him and then up he coughed more blood.
At 5:15pm his pounding heartbeat drastically slowed down. In my devastation, I dropped my hands. They hit his chest and then he let out a deep breath. Snickers told me to turn away so I stood up and kept my face towards the wall. I did the mistake of turning and seeing quite the bloody sight that I’m sure I will never ever forget.
At 5:30pm he died.
We wrapped him up in his two favorite blankets and then laid him in his little bed one last time. Pyen Chi repeatedly came by his bed. She hasn’t eaten since Mi Nam died. I feel rather traumatized by watching Mi Nam literally drown in himself on my kitchen floor and all that that involved but he was surrounded by his little family -- Young Bin, Pyen Chi and me – when it happened.
Later in the evening we dug a little hole for him in the rain. We had a little ceremony for him outside by his favorite spot -- the river -- then laid him down to rest.
I remember when my mother was dying, I told her I was sad that she’d never get to meet Mi Nam. I had told that to Snickers too and when I laid down to sleep tonight, Snickers kissed me goodnight and added, “Don’t be sad. Your mom met Mi Nam today.”
We're all so shocked and I can't stress enough for you to love your four-legged friends and never take them for granted. Mi Nam was very, very good to me and I loved him like no other. He represented a big part of my life, almost my whole life in Korea actually, so he will be missed but never forgotten. While some may say I'm silly for getting upset over "just a dog", I know he was definitely anything but "just a dog" to me.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
I took this above picture yesterday actually but the same scene played out today.
Hugs To Canada... Wednesday, November 2
Took the day off training. Well, that’s not entirely true, I did teach my boxercise class today.
I spent the good part of my day curled up on my floor mat and curled up on different parts of the floor – cuddling with Mi Nam and Pyen Chi in the kitchen, laying among the laundry in the clothes room, and sprawled out beside the computer.
Yup, today I did a lot of laying around but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t totally unproductive. I edited my fitness text I’ve been writing for some time now, caught up on some emailing, did the laundry, and cooked up lots of chicken.
On a different note, last week I got word via my father that my mom’s close friend, who had religiously visited her in the hospital, lost her husband. I only met him once, at my mother’s funeral but this past summer I had the pleasure of meeting his wife, my mother’s friend. She was quite the comforting, wonderful lady to not only my mother but also to my father and me. She loved my mother, it was obvious, and my mother loved her too. My mother had labeled this particular friend of hers her sister, telling us all that she loved her like the sister she never had.
Anyways, I’ve been meaning to write a tribute to her husband but every time I sit down to write it I get rather choked up inside. She lost her best friend (my mother) this past summer and then last week she lost the love of her life (her husband). That’s a lot of pain for one person to endure and I wish so much that I could give her a hug. She gave me a lot of hugs when I was in Canada this past summer and her homemade banana bread she made me always made me smile.
Today I finally was able to write out a short tribute. It was nothing like the beautiful tribute she gave at my mother’s funeral but it was all I could get out without crying.
It’s a terrible, terrible burden to wear, knowing that the person you love so much is no longer with you but it’s a beautifully wonderful thing to have had such an amazing person in your life to miss so much.
Every day I think of my mother. Every day I miss my mom – my Mama Bere.
My heart definitely goes out to not only my mother’s friend who has lost the love of her life but also to my father who will never be the same without his, my mother.
I am sorry I can’t be there for both of them.
I spent the good part of my day curled up on my floor mat and curled up on different parts of the floor – cuddling with Mi Nam and Pyen Chi in the kitchen, laying among the laundry in the clothes room, and sprawled out beside the computer.
Yup, today I did a lot of laying around but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t totally unproductive. I edited my fitness text I’ve been writing for some time now, caught up on some emailing, did the laundry, and cooked up lots of chicken.
On a different note, last week I got word via my father that my mom’s close friend, who had religiously visited her in the hospital, lost her husband. I only met him once, at my mother’s funeral but this past summer I had the pleasure of meeting his wife, my mother’s friend. She was quite the comforting, wonderful lady to not only my mother but also to my father and me. She loved my mother, it was obvious, and my mother loved her too. My mother had labeled this particular friend of hers her sister, telling us all that she loved her like the sister she never had.
Anyways, I’ve been meaning to write a tribute to her husband but every time I sit down to write it I get rather choked up inside. She lost her best friend (my mother) this past summer and then last week she lost the love of her life (her husband). That’s a lot of pain for one person to endure and I wish so much that I could give her a hug. She gave me a lot of hugs when I was in Canada this past summer and her homemade banana bread she made me always made me smile.
Today I finally was able to write out a short tribute. It was nothing like the beautiful tribute she gave at my mother’s funeral but it was all I could get out without crying.
It’s a terrible, terrible burden to wear, knowing that the person you love so much is no longer with you but it’s a beautifully wonderful thing to have had such an amazing person in your life to miss so much.
Every day I think of my mother. Every day I miss my mom – my Mama Bere.
My heart definitely goes out to not only my mother’s friend who has lost the love of her life but also to my father who will never be the same without his, my mother.
I am sorry I can’t be there for both of them.
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
My husband Snickers and his sparring partner for tonight, one of two that is. To make it more of a challenge, Snickers wore ankle weights and was told no hooks or hard head shots. Snickers opponent on the other hand was given the ok to do whatever and how ever he pleased.
It was no real match though.
My husband is such a generous giver... look at him giving out so many beatings, hahaha. You get what you give true, but he definitely didn't get half of what he gave in the ring.
Frustrations Gallore... Tuesday, November 1
Frustrations hit the fan tonight.
It started off quite the opposite though. Tonight started off with an unexpectedly great phone call. Junior Mint called me, asking me if I wanted a fight. Of course I want a fight but, as it turned out, the fight he was calling me about wasn’t a fight I wanted.
I rushed over to the boxing club to discuss the details of the fight and that’s when I realized I didn’t want the fight. The opponent for the fight being offered was none other than the opponent I fought in my last fight. She hasn’t fought since she fought me but she got scheduled an eight-round main game in about three weeks time, November 26.
I’m not too sure what happened to her originally scheduled opponent but today they called Junior Mint and asked if I would take the fight. They upped the weight, saying they’d allow me to weigh-in at 50kgs. I’m around 53kgs right now so getting down to 50kgs is no problem; I could get there in a couple of days if I had to, that’s not the problem. I’m dying for a fight, I really need to get back in the ring for my own sake, for my own sanity, but giving me less than a month to prepare for a fight is both insulting and not enough time. I like my two month prep time – one month to go hardcore with the weight training and then one month to go crazy with the cardio/endurance training.
I’ve picked up a temporary one week job for next week, a job I just today agreed to, so having that to eat up my time and effort in addition to doing my boxercise classes and personal training in addition to training for a last minute fight is definitely a fight in of itself. Moreover, getting a proper sparring partner to come in from Seoul would mean only being able to get in one or two solid sparring sessions.
So on that note, I was quite the frustrated boxer at training tonight. I’d be awesome to step in the ring again with last January’s opponent for the fight I should have had instead of the craziness that went down last time. Everything that could have gone wrong last time did so it’d be nice to make right what went wrong but not with only a few weeks notice and me juggling so many things.
Oh the frustrations… !!!
Life would be so much easier for me if I was a male boxer here in Korea – more sparring partners, more sparring sessions, and a hell of a lot more fights available. It's days like today I look at Snickers and think he has no idea how much I envy him as a boxer -- a male boxer. He's living the dream I wish I was able to live with my boxing. He's got such incredible raw talent, so much potential, sparring partners at his beckoning call, and he's expected to fight.
Sometimes I think people just expect me to look pretty boxing. I hate that.
It started off quite the opposite though. Tonight started off with an unexpectedly great phone call. Junior Mint called me, asking me if I wanted a fight. Of course I want a fight but, as it turned out, the fight he was calling me about wasn’t a fight I wanted.
I rushed over to the boxing club to discuss the details of the fight and that’s when I realized I didn’t want the fight. The opponent for the fight being offered was none other than the opponent I fought in my last fight. She hasn’t fought since she fought me but she got scheduled an eight-round main game in about three weeks time, November 26.
I’m not too sure what happened to her originally scheduled opponent but today they called Junior Mint and asked if I would take the fight. They upped the weight, saying they’d allow me to weigh-in at 50kgs. I’m around 53kgs right now so getting down to 50kgs is no problem; I could get there in a couple of days if I had to, that’s not the problem. I’m dying for a fight, I really need to get back in the ring for my own sake, for my own sanity, but giving me less than a month to prepare for a fight is both insulting and not enough time. I like my two month prep time – one month to go hardcore with the weight training and then one month to go crazy with the cardio/endurance training.
I’ve picked up a temporary one week job for next week, a job I just today agreed to, so having that to eat up my time and effort in addition to doing my boxercise classes and personal training in addition to training for a last minute fight is definitely a fight in of itself. Moreover, getting a proper sparring partner to come in from Seoul would mean only being able to get in one or two solid sparring sessions.
So on that note, I was quite the frustrated boxer at training tonight. I’d be awesome to step in the ring again with last January’s opponent for the fight I should have had instead of the craziness that went down last time. Everything that could have gone wrong last time did so it’d be nice to make right what went wrong but not with only a few weeks notice and me juggling so many things.
Oh the frustrations… !!!
Life would be so much easier for me if I was a male boxer here in Korea – more sparring partners, more sparring sessions, and a hell of a lot more fights available. It's days like today I look at Snickers and think he has no idea how much I envy him as a boxer -- a male boxer. He's living the dream I wish I was able to live with my boxing. He's got such incredible raw talent, so much potential, sparring partners at his beckoning call, and he's expected to fight.
Sometimes I think people just expect me to look pretty boxing. I hate that.
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