13th FINA World Championships Rome '09

I guess being jobless that I am (more than a week now) I am an easy target for distractions and look what sort of distraction I found?!? ->

Well I had one eye on him since Beijing '08. I knew about his TV appearances and marijuana bong picture. However, I had too much going, what with, being snowed in, moving house, career issues and Paris plans among others, I had a lot on my hands. However, I always browse articles concerning him.

Of course I knew he was well on his way to this year's World Champs in Rome (a place I hope to be visiting really, really soon!). And I really want to watch the events especially the ones where he's competing.

I mean, come on, everyone loves a winner. I myself finds it exhilarating to read, watch and listen to winning stories. And to see it unfold right before my eyes (albeit just on a my laptop) to me, that will be a priviledge. It just lights up something inside me, aside from inspiring me and the trail of happy, giddy and adrenaline that ensue doing this I am really hooked! It is such a natural high...something you would like to keep experiencing, if not stay on forever.

Phelps' first event was the 400-m Men's Team Relay. He went into the water first and gave a very average performance using the 'windmill stroke', the good thing is his team mates stepped up to the plate and they finished with the gold anyways. It was a great viewing experience. I am once again hooked! I fully intend to see all the swimming events until the end of the meet - I hope to witness every victory and listen to the commentaries...and watch the crowd go wild. It's just great...had I known about this at an early age I would have struggled to be a sports person - maybe even an olympic athlete!

But let's not get carried away, I have my fun this way now, and somehow, it is enough to keep me going after my own goals and keep me working real hard to overcome my own life's monsters, best times, competition, and critics. It makes me persevere towards each milestone and determined to always step up my pace and performance.

In fact, I hereby declare myself not just a Phelps Phan, but a swimming enthusiast now. Really, I don't blame them for their passion for the sport, because if an expectator such as myself (who can't even swim to save her life) gets this kind of positive impact just by watching, what more if you're actually the one diving into the water with everyone cheering on!? What a sport!

1 out of 5 so far...

I did one of the 5 things I had set myself to do this year. And to me, that in itself was a feat.

Celebrating my birthday in a place where people expect you to 'be in a couple', really was a bit of a risk given my present status but it was nonetheless, brilliant.

The whole experience is going down on my books as the one of the best ever, as well as the best birthday ever - but in the end, it's not the actually being there that made the experience so high up there in the richter scale of life shaking experiences.

Coming into this year, I was really, really, excited - for reasons I didn't know at the time. I must admit, that the first part of this year was a real struggle for me.

Professionally, it went downhill so steeply it left me gasping for air. I went through a period of unexplained depression, but quickly after which, the reason was revealed. I came into a rocky patch and I believe I am still dealing with it currently. Being in Paris amidst this difficult times proves how much more out there is waiting to be discovered by myself. How much more I can do, if I want it bad enough and worked hard enough and prayed with all my heart.

Sorry to be emotional, but I've seen Eiffel Tower in movies/tv series countless of times. And I loved seeing it through the lens of some high tech camera...it paints a grand picture of a place that represents romance, wealth and luxury - the home town of Louis Vuitton. It was quite out of my reach, and it should have remained as such, had I not done my part.

It was an achievement to be there even for just a few days, to celebrate my birthday. It meant that I can do just about anything I set heart and soul to achieve. I've made a few more goals/targets after I came back from Paris. And I can't wait to see them finally coming into life. However, the trek towards that counts as much as actually being there and achieving them. It's always difficult to get things started and I believe I am on this phase right now. But hey, that is another topic altogether. For this one, I just would like to share something I learned through this all, there are no limits, anything is possible. We just need to find the right peices of the puzzle and get it to form the picture we want. Thank God for this gift - another year of life, of struggles, and achievements (i hope). ;p