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.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Not a Fan of Soccer but a Fan of Poland... Thursday, June 30

I'm quite familiar with being the odd ball out.  Hello, I lived in a small city in Korea as a white foreign woman for 11 years and walked around with a half shaved head.  So walking into a packed bar on in Little Portugal on College Street, a bar that was buzzing with Portuguese soccer fans and me being one of the few Poland fans, didn't really stir much in me. 

Poland played Portugal today.

Soccer is like a religion to the Portuguese.  

I picked out a total of 3 of us among those present who were cheering for Poland but none of them were at the table I was sitting at.  The other two had a table against the far wall, close to the front door.  "I guess you shouldn't tell them you're a Polack", a friend told me and on that I leaned over the table and told the random stranger at my table "I guess I shouldn't tell you I'm a Polack!"  

Poland lost to Portugal via a shoot-out after overtime.  It all came down to a few kicks from a few players.  What a way for Poland lose the game but what a silly way for Portugal to win it.  

I'm not a big soccer fan.  I watched it today because Poland was playing and I would have loved them to put the Portuguese team and fans in their place.  But the players are so overly dramatic when ever they get the slightest injury and too many times I was left there shaking my head and rolling my eyes.  In boxing we get hit non stop, that's the natural of the sport, but you don't see us rolling around on the ground and playing it up.  We stay standing up and continue on.  

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