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.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

A Triggered Unexpected Response... Saturday, October 24

There I was, standing waiting for a shuttle bus, running late as it was.

Me late?!  This is hell to a type A person like me.

I had showed up late for weight training today on account of the TTC doing construction and thus making all us subway commuters come above ground and use their shuttle service.  It wasn't much of a service though, just a lot of impatient people, pushing and shoving, and crying babies crying even louder and longer once we finally got onto a bus.  

This is hell, I thought to myself.

Tonight I discovered that despite my eggagerative love for Toronto there is some ying in my yang here and some yang in my ying.  There is good in bad and bad in good and tonight the construction on the TTC upgrades definitely brought this to surface.

Hell was doing a grueling leg workout and then not scoring a seat on the shuttle bus.

Hell was having to not only stand all the way but hold two loaded bags of groceries.

Hell was juggling groceries and not collapsing on over exhausted legs while eating a chicken swarma pita.  A chicken swarma pita isn't easy to eat on a good day, minus the extra baggage, so I arrived home with some of it in my sports bra.  Somewhat expected that.

Hell was not only testing out the strength of my legs to the max, juggling groceries, and trying to eat more swarma that I ended up wearing, but then some how dazing out and zoning back in only to then have a mini panic attack.

The bus had stopped because of traffic and I had totally zoned out.  Was thinking about Korea actually.  When I snapped back to it I looked up and what should be starring back at me but a sign that read "Walnut Cake" in Korean.  For those of you who don't know, my hometown in Korea is Cheonan and Cheonan is famous for it's walnut cake.  Popping my head up from a day dream to see this shop starring at me definitely took my breath away and suddenly it was as if I had forgotten how to breath.  I dropped my bags of groceries and stood there gasping for air; I had a mini panic attack.

People around me were quick to come to my aid -- some picked up my groceries while another person patted me on the back and told me to focus on my breathing.

Thank you God for the amazing people of Toronto but no thank you to walnut cakes coming over the ocean and being made here.  Keep those in Korea, thanks.

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