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, August 01, 2019

Big News, Tough News... Thursday, August 1

In unofficial news, looks like my rugby team, Lady Mavericks, are competing in Bangkok, Thailand next year.  February 2010.  Am super excited about it too because we'll be doing a lot of fundraiser stuff and whatnot to help generate the much needed money to fund this so that the entire team can go.  

I can't help but laugh at the fact that I came here for boxing but it's rugby that I'm super active in and have been competing in.  Totally not planned.  I didn't even play rugby until this past year.  

I took a few weeks off rugby.  Partly to nurse a couple of injuries, partly to just refocus and give my body a break, but also to deal with some crazy things that have happened.  As many people know, in the past few weeks I've lost three people -- 2 family members and a boxer I coached in Korea.  I'm currently in the process of... and this is going to sound totally strange here and morbid... preparing to lose another.  A close family member of mine, perhaps my closest family member, who has been battling some health issues now questions "where they'll be" for Christmas.  It's absolutely heartbreaking to hear him talk like this because he's lost all positivity in his life and the optimistic and energetic person he is has since died.  

There's only two people in this world that when I talk to, I feel like a bad person, and this person is one of them.  The other person is my ex, Skittles.  When I talk to Skittles, I feel like I left him behind, like I should have fought harder to save him instead of just leaving him in Korea.  I would never want to get back with him, that's not the issue here, the issue is his family and those around him just crushed us.  I was able to save myself, I ran away (literally), but he'll forever be tied to them and he is too blind to see just how destructive and poisonous there were to both of us.  

I called up this particular family member the other day.  I don't call him often because it's so hard to talk to him and I struggle to tell him anything.  I always feel so guilty about loving my life here in the Philippines so I don't tell him about it.  He doesn't really ask either.  He knows I have my own clubhouse now and that I started my own outreach program but he doesn't ask anything about the house and he doesn't even know what the name of my outreach program is.  Honestly, I think if you asked him, he wouldn't even know what my company's name is.  He also doesn't know that for the last half year or so I've been playing rugby.  

He always talks about his doctor visits and our conversations consist of just that.  And while I know he's going through a hard time and his health isn't the best, I am always left feeling guilty about moving to the Philippines and making a life for myself.  Even if I were there, there is nothing I could do to help him but he's so fixed on the notion that he thinks I should be living back in Canada.  

And there you have it, why I've been making a thousand and one excuses on Facebook why I shouldn't go to Canada this Christmas.  I really can't face him.  A phone call to him is hard enough. 

No comments: