My Olympic Experience

WARNING: Partially emote entry.
(hanep sa title parang pang grade school formal theme writing. heheh)

I thought I'd write a long, grand post-Olympic entry but in true Teng fashion the thoughts are all a-jumbled in my head. That's why it has taken me a week to post this. I don't even know where to start. The past two weeks have been a mess of Opening Ceremonies and event tickets and scalpers and scams and gold medals and broken world records, to say the least, that even I was caught up in the frenzy.

Let me start out with the most seemingly life-changing experience. I know it's corny, but the first time I stood in the Olympic green, surrounded by a well-lit Bird's Nest and Water Cube, I wanted to cry. Very similar to what I felt when I first saw St. Peter's Basilica, or actual falling snow. It was overwhelming standing there. I was in awe. What can I say? If five years ago somebody had told me I'd be witnessing the 2008 Olympics with my very eyes, I would probably have laughed my ass off and said, "Heller!".

The thing is, nothing can change where I came from; I'm still just a simple girl from a developing country, and in most ways I think we were brought up to be unassuming. Blame it on the third-world effect. As a kid, I never expected actually going to these places that I've been to in the last few years. I wished, yes, but never expected. But God... what a way to prove me wrong! I am humbled to have been here and to have experienced this.

ANYWAY!

Onto other lighter stuff:
1. I think Yao Ming is way overrated (and I know millions of Chinese will kill me for that statement!). But I think it's the celebrity status that makes him such a hero and not the other way around. That's just my personal opinion.

2. Nakakaloka yung performance ng London nung closing! Kinda gives you an idea of what the 2012 Olympics will be like... A bunch of pop artists, a violinist in skimpy hot pants and David Beckham. Hehe.

3. The Bird's Nest and Water Cube has a combined seating capacity of 108,000, and yet getting in and out of the venues was easier than getting across one end of SM Southmall to the other during their 3-day sale. I guess that only means... SM Southmall needs better crowd control.

4. Line 10 is a God-send. For the Olympics, several new subway lines were built, including an Airport Express Line (just like HK's) and Line 10, with a station directly in front of my apartment building and connects directly to the Olympic Green!

5. One of my biggest discoveries of this Olympics is an Indian boxer by the name of Vijender Kumar (you'll see him in my Olympics album). Vijender won for India their first medal in Boxing, ever. It was by chance that I got to watch him, since he was competing on the same night when Harry Tanamor, the Filipino boxer, was supposed to be competing if he had gotten through the qualifying round. Anyway, it was fun cheering for Vijender - I never knew boxers could be so attractive. Si Manny kasi e. Na-stereotype ko na tuloy ang mga boxers. Hehe.

Needless to say the Summer Olympics 2008 will forever be one of my most significant memories in Beijing... And now I have nothing left to say.

P.S. I am have now officially named my little blue fishie "Phelps". Isn't that a great name! :)