Also Ran

Went to SM Megamall for  a quick errand for Mom,. 

Upon entering, there was a huge crowd gathered at the atrium of Fashion Hall. There was a large crowd gathered there, all excited and all screaming for something.

Checked it out, and this was the reason why:

Ran Takahashi, the famous Japanese volleyball player, was there for a meet-and-greet!

Aside from being a great player, people remember Ran because of his emotional moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It showed how athletes are human, too.

But upon seeing him all smiles at the huge crowd cheering for him here in the Philippines, it looked like there's a different - and more positive emotion - he's feeling now.

These Olympians are Stella(r)

Call it the MET Gala of the sporting world.

Aside from the athletes, people look forward to the uniforms of each country participating in the Olympics.

After seeing dozens of uniforms, this has to be one of my faves.

Haiti's uniform is so colourful and vibrant, just like their country. And it turns out that the uniform is designed by one of my equally favourite designers - Stella Jean!

Stellar, indeed!

Golden Girl

Last night, the Philippines was awake and celebrating the victory of our first Gold Medal in the Olympics! That's courtesy of our very own Hidilyn Diaz who ruled the 55kg Weighlifting event in Tokyo.

She's the epitome of perseverance, patience and faith.

Perseverance because this is her 4th Olympic outing. She debuted in Beijing in 2008, followed by London 2012. In both instances, she didn't even reach the finals. She scored Silver in Brazil 2016 and it led her to her now-Gold-winning performance in Tokyo.

Patience because she waited 16 years for her dream to be fulfilled. And she's been training for this for 19 years, starting at a young age of 11.

Faith because she attributed her victory not just to herself and her team, but to The Lord and Mama Mary. She proudly showed off her Miraculous Medal along side her Gold Medal, showing to the world that these 2 medals are equally important to her.

With those 3, Hidilyn deserves all the accolades she's receiving. 

You gold, Girl!

The Tokyo-Osaka Connection

The lighting of the Olympic Cauldron is a sight that always brings goosies and tears to my eyes. My all-time fave is the lighting of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics cauldron which, until now, leaves me in awe whenever I watch it.

This year's 2020 Tokyo Olympics is no different. Especially since the one lighting the cauldron is Naomi Osaka.

The cauldron itself is so Japanese. Aside from it being a tribute to Mount Fuji, the sphere that opens and transforms is a testament to Japanese technology and how artistic they are. It felt like an origami sculpture unfolding before our eyes.

I have so, SO much admiration for Tokyo for foraging through this pandemic to ensure that the Olympics are held safely and continue the tradition of community and sportsmanship. As many new outfits reported it, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is a beacon of hope that the world can and will go back to normal.

Now, let the games begin!

FMM: Give them a hand

What really stands out during situations like this is our spirit of cooperation.

Whether it's as basic and small as cooperation within our compound, to something bigger like our community, to a much bigger scale like a region or a country, it's heartening to see people working hand-in-hand to help out and make things better for those who need it most.

It's this cooperation that inspired my choice for today's Friday Magic Madness song.

This is a song from 1988, and it's actually the theme song of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.



Even if you listen to it now, 32 years later, the song's melody and lyrics still resonate, and the message is still current. And that makes the song a classic.

Hearing an Olympic theme song makes me sad that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics isn't pushing through this July, though. I'm sure they prepared an awesome opening number and theme song as well.

Oh, lympics!

Watching the Olympic games on-line reminded me of something. I was actually at a former Olympic venue a few months ago!

One place that I wandered around in GA was the Olympic park. It was downtown and was at the center of almost everything. From there, I was able to go to the World of Coca-Cola, check out the Georgia Aquarium, and see both the Philips Arena and CNN Center.

Among locals, their favorite spot is the Olympic fountain. During summer, kids gather here in their swimsuits and beat the heat. It really looked like fun! If I were dressed for it, I might have joined in!

All-in-all, I'd say the Atlanta Olympic park deserves a gold medal for providing fun.

Seeing Silver! part deux

After a 20 year wait, another Pinoy finally went up the Olympic podium!

Hidilyn Diaz won silver at the weightlifting competition after the front runner - China - messed up. She was already assured of the bronze, but this twist of sporting fate moved her a notch higher.

Seeing her shedding tears of happiness while going up the podium left me a bit teary eyed, too. I could feel her pride and joy emanating from the computer screen.

Congratulations, Hidilyn. And here's to more medals from our athletes!

Yu-na!

While the entire country was glued to the Men's Figure Skating championship in Sochi, I was eagerly awaiting the Women's competition.

Back in 2010 in Vancouver, the gold medal was hotly contested between Mao Asada and Yu-na Kim. And with much grace and aplomb, Yu-na emerged victorious that year.



This year, she's up against two prodigies - 15-year old Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia and 18-year old Gracie Gold from the U.S. And while the odds are stacked against her favor, I still think the Queen has what it takes to reign supreme in Sochi.