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.

Friday, September 01, 2017

It's a Funny Country... Friday, September 1

Today is the 3rd holiday in two weeks, we're already into "Ghost Month", and today marks the start of Christmas celebrations.

Welcome to the Philippines.

What's Ghost Month, you ask.  Ghost Month started on August 22nd and runs till September 19th.  It's originally a thing from the Chinese culture hence why it starts on August 22nd. That's the first day of the Chinese calendar’s 7th lunar month.  And, from what I've been told, it's a superstition that believes ghosts come each year during this month to visit the living and roam amongst us so people should be focused on honoring the visiting spirits because among these spirits there are also troublesome ones that come.  Various precautions are made and things are avoided, like taking long trips, making big purchases, renovations, starting a new business, and signing a business deal.

Snickers just got the keys to the location of his new business so they were warned that if they wanted to start construction they had to begin before Ghost Month started.  And you'll never believe what they did.  Because the construction won't actually start till next week, they poked a hole in the wall.  Just one little hole and all was well with dodging Ghost Month apparently.  How's that for a good giggle?! Right.  

As for Christmas in the Philippines, I was told it starts in September.  The Philippines is a pretty religious country.  They love their Catholic saints and their Catholic churchs are old, are beautiful and are many.  I was told that they start celebrating Christmas in September because that's the start of the "Ber Months", the cold months... September, October, November, and December.  Cold in the Philippines is not like cold in Canada, of course, so I can't help but giggle over that.  I was out shopping today, out in Greenhills, and I heard my first Christmas carol playing in the Philippines.  And to think I lived for over 11 years in Korea where they really didn't pay too much attention to Christmas and here I am being overdosed in it.  Perhaps it's a makeup for the lack of Christmas I had. 
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