Canadian Glory

Gold. Ice. 5 rings. I believe.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics are over and what a journey it has been. While I wouldn't call myself an Olympic couch potato, I did enjoy following and reading the success stories of our fellow Canadian athletes.

Canadians are proud today. You can feel it in your body, in your soul. It is a communal experience to cheer for your country. To be proud of your country. To be surrounded by people who believe in their country. The Olympics brings the entire world together. People unite to celebrate the art of sport. The energy is contagious. Everyone feels attached to the moments. I love it.

It is extraordinary to watch people have their moment doing something they truly love. The feeling of achieving a goal after endless hours of training, practicing and dreaming, must be indescribable. I love the Nike training slogan Force Fate. It emphasizes how you have to take life in your own hands and make it happen. Destiny can't always be relied on.

Watching the Olympics makes me question my personal direction in life. What am I working towards? What will I spend years trying to achieve? I should be pursuing my passions with zest and wait for the moment when it all comes together. The whole world may not be watching, but I want to work tirelessly towards something I love. I want to be better.

You can't buy the happiness on the faces of those athletes. 

I'd like to note that my voice is currently hiding in the moment when Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in today's Canada vs. USA hockey game. Oh the golden boy that is Sid the Kid [insert lots of gushing & wishful thinking here.]

That moment will be remembered for years to come.

Not an Athlete

I tried to fake sick. *cough cough* I was sure I had a fever. How on earth did I get myself into this? Peter, aka superstar soccer player extraordinaire tried to console me on our car ride. It won't be that bad. Just relax. You're going to do fine. 

I kind of, sort of joined a co-ed soccer team. To put this into perspective, I haven't played soccer since I was a kid, or maybe a teen. I don't have mad skills. All I can do is run. I've been keeping up with my cardio for the past couple of weeks so I wouldn't be a total disaster when I stepped on that field.  

The Verdict? I sucked it up and got myself out there. I got knocked down once and almost twice by the same girl who said, "Oh my gosh I'm sooo sorry! I don't know why I keep doing this?" I know why, because I'm an easy person to knock over who won't do anything back. I'd knock me down too. But I picked myself up and kept going. I didn't score in my own net or trip over my own feet, so all in all I would say that it was a minor success. I'm still learning and I will try my best if needed to play again. I wouldn't be offended if the team decides to go in *ahem* another direction.

But at least I jumped out of my comfort zone, met some new people and got some Tuesday cardio in. Playing on a team is a pretty fun experience, I forgot how easy camaraderie is formed. I'm definitely not an athlete, but this team is pretty awesome. We, or rather they won 5-0. I contributed the best I could, but they're all a bunch of talented superstars. 

Oh and back to my notamodel roots I had my photo taken today. For someone who claims she isn't a model,  I don't know how I keep ending up in these situations. Anyways, it took maybe 300 shots to get a good one. The theme had me on edge. It was all about positive, strong women and I don't think I fit the bill. I know being self-depreciating is not attractive but I can't help it. I guess you never see yourself the way others see you. My photographer, Miss Stefania kept asking me questions like, "Think about where you'll be in 5 years, what you want to accomplish, how far you've come now." Let's just say there were 300 photos of me looking absolutely terrified. Yet once again, I tried my best to think positively and be confident. It's all you can really do in the end.

Fake it till you make it kids.