First 5 | Sports Lounge And Cafe
Happy Sunday, dear Hivers! Filipinos naturally love talking about sports as past time and as a way to connect with others. With the successful end of Olympics run where Carlos Yulo, a Filipino gymnast, bagged 2 gold medals, our interest and support increased even more.
After having dinner, we hopped in to First 5, a sports lounge and cafe, to grab some beer and unwind.
Like most sports lounge, their countertop is designed with jerseys from famous sports personalities and some paintings in the walls include popular athletes like Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant. My favorite among them is the portrait of Hidilyn Diaz, a Filipino Olympic gold medalist in the field of weightlifting.
Her weightlifting journey inspired me to persevere and work hard in achieving my life goals. Hidilyn joined her first Olympics competition at 17 years old but only bagged the gold medal at the age of 30. Imagine more than 13 years of training, blood and sweat, for that very moment. Nothing worth having comes easy, as they say.
We spend the rest of the night drinking beer and watching the re-run of Olympics Pole Vault and cheer for EJ Obiena, the Filipino representative in his respective field. I can't help but gush in excitement every time he appears on the screen. Unfortunately, he placed 4th in the overall competition and was really sad about it. As i reflected on his performance, i empathized with his lost. I believe for once in our lives, we tried to be in his position- 4th place, so close to reaching our goals but because of one mistake or failed attempt, we lost. But the good thing is, we can always try again. EJ, in one of his interviews, shared his plan of joining the 2028 Olympics again. Fans are looking forward for his appearance in the coming years.
Time check, it's already 11pm. I was looking for their restroom and was impressed to find a basketball ring outside the CR. This place must be a haven for sports junkie, i thought to myself. There's also a live band singing pop music which i really enjoyed.
That's it for today's blog. Till the next adventure!
Sending some love and light
Love, Jane
I read it on twitter the other week about Carlos Yulo, sounds like a victory that is truly worth celebrated. Also, while I don't know much about Hidilyn Diaz but that story is truly inspiring, 13 years of hard work and never quitting and she eventually got the gold medal.