One Rising Star

#SoManyReasonsToSmile2020 I would've never imagined that 2019 would go the way that it did, but hey - it did! Over the last few weeks, I have had plenty of time to relax, reflect and reenergize.  Furthermore, I have taken the time to look back at the last 12 months and to appreciate some of the memories I’ve made along the way. -I began the year in Karlskrona, Sweden with my brother, his fiancée at the time (now wife) and my niece. -In February, I went to Phuket, Thailand for a fitness holiday (@ Unit 27) and later on to Dalat, one of Vietnam's most scenic cities, for a mountain road race (@ Suffer Fest).   -In March, I started guiding my Grade 4 students (@ BCIS) towards the creation of their Heritage Hero projects, which turned out wonderful. -In April, I had some friends (from Dubai) visit me in Ho Chi Minh City. -In May, I participated in an incredibly rewarding CrossFit competition in th

#PresentOverPerfect2019 “The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come.” Just a couple months ago, I took part in my latest CrossFit competition in Jakarta, Indonesia and when it was all over I thought it would be a good idea for me to tone my training down a bit in order to fully recover both physically and mentally. With that said, I was still committed to participating in the worldwide (online) CrossFit Open competition which began a few weeks later. T his would be my fourth time in the Open, but only the 2 nd   time that I was dedicated to completing all of the workouts RX (no scaling). Despite facing some obstacles over the 5-week span, which led me to training a lot less than I would've liked to, I gave the 2020 Open my best shot and fortunately still managed to show some signs of improvement. 20.1 10 rounds for time of: 8 ground-to-overheads, 65 lb. 10 bar-facing burpees Time cap: 15 minutes -I attempted

#PresentOverPerfect2019 “Stop. Breathe. Start again.” Life moves so fast. Hence, most of us often get caught up in our regular daily routines and we forget to really consciously think about what’s happening. We rarely take the time to truly appreciate, never mind make sense of our past, present and future, which unfortunately may lead some of us to lose track of what makes us happy.  Lots of happy moments when mom and dad came to visit me in the UAE in 2016. Over the last 12 years, my life has mostly consisted of working, exercising, spending time (eating) with family and friends and of course travelling around the World. Sounds absolutely wonderful, doesn’t it? Believe me, for the most part, it has been magical. In fact, teaching, coaching, exercising, traveling and spending time (eating) with loved ones are all things I undoubtedly love doing; but oddly enough, some of the magic recently faded away. My trip to Mexico in 2012 was a dream come true f

#PresentOverPerfect2019 I recently participated in a friend’s podcast when I was asked the question: “Why CrossFit?” Me and John D. Collins, author of "The Laziness Gene". (Full podcast available @  https://fightlaziness.com/fight-laziness-podcasts/ ) There are so many reasons why I have grown to love CrossFit and as I participated in my latest competition, WOD-OFF, this past weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia, those reasons became even more evident. 1- Constantly varied CrossFit incorporates so many movements; from monostructural movements to gymnastics to weightlifting. Every workout can be so different. This past weekend, I got to (Yes, I chose this!) bike, row, run, do burpees, kettlebell swings, goblet squats, front squats, power cleans, wall balls, dumbbell snatches and single dumbbell front rack lunges in 4 events over 2 days. Although I personally would’ve loved to be tested more on my gymnastics skills, which I have been working on so much over t

#PresentOverPerfect2019 "Get good grades, finish school, go to college, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids." That's what the "typical" life should look like, isn't it? That's what we're all expected to do. We often refer to these events I just mentioned as being the "most important days of our lives". But, what if we don't follow that path; are we doomed to be unsuccessful and unhappy? Sounds a little crazy doesn't it? So, why do we put so much pressure on people to achieve each of these "milestones"? Family picture @ Nick and Amber's wedding Family picture @ Nathan and Connie's wedding This summer, I was so incredibly honored to witness both of my brothers marry the most wonderful women; so beautiful inside and out. Each celebration was absolutely magnificent and believe me, I am very happy for all of them. It was quite a heavily emotional summer and I still get teary-eyed (tears of joy

#PresentOverPerfect2019 It took me just a few weeks of being back here in Vietnam to realize that this isn’t the right place for me to be anymore. I’ve experienced a lot here in the last two years and I have learned more than I can ever explain. In particular, I’ve grown to understand a little more about who I want to be, what I am looking for and what my purpose is in this life. A memorable marathon completed in Halong Bay back in April 2018 I will forever be grateful for my time spent here, especially at the Bilingual Canadian International School as well as at Saigon Sports Club. Throughout all the ups and downs, the things I’ve experienced and the people I’ve come across in both of these places have helped me on my journey of self-discovery.              My students @ BCIS My gym mates @ SSC/CrossFit Q7 They say that every chapter has its end and this is most definitely not the ending I was hoping for, but I know that with every end comes a ne