no controversy at all

Dear Patrick,

I'm so proud of you. I cheered for you the whole way and tried to exude positive energy to you:) With the Olympics behind you, there is nothing you can't face now. I totally agree with you that Evan deserves to win. The quad isn't everything. Although Plushenko did pull a quad, his other jumps weren't clean, and figure skating isn't just about the jumps. How can people say that figure skating is moving backwards just because people choose not to do the quad? At the Olympics, it's called playing smart and evaluating the pros and cons. He won without the quad, which goes to show that the quad isn't everything. I wish people would stop targeting him AND you for not having quads. Plushenko is a sore loser for saying all those things, that the quad makes you a man. A real man and a good sportsman would show respect to other athletes and appreciate their talents. Unfortunately, Plushenko has shown that he doesn't have the class to do so. It's hard living life like that because you're always living with resentment and you're only living for yourself. It gets tiring. For all the Plushenkos and Stojkos out there, figure skating is advancing. FYI, it's not all about the technical jumps anymore. It's the technical, coupled with the artistry and the presentation as a whole. That's how we're moving forward. If the quad is everything, then why don't we just having the skaters do quad after quad, who even cares about the transitions then? It's so frustrating that valuable sportsman like you and Evan are being critisized when their line of thinking is just out-of-date. Please, Plushenko, show some respect for others: aka, suck it up. newsflash, there's someone better than you.
PC, i hope you're enjoying yourself now that the pressure is over. I heard you were downtown yesterday. I was too, too bad I didn't get to see you. I heard you were mobbed by a huge crowd, haha no surprise there.
You are so talented and you're still so young. Needless to say, you have a long road ahead of you. There are always going to be people that want to put you down, but hold your head high and dwell on the good things in life. Above all, you have character. You can appreciate others' talents and that makes you a true sportsman.
Good luck in Sochi. I'll be watching.

Love,
Tiffany

Canadian girl

Right now, I'm so proud to be Canadian.
Congrats to Alex Bilodeau for winning the first gold medal on home soil! But it's not just that. When I see the Canadian team and its tight-knit community, the determination and the trust in partnerships, it makes me believe that there is something greater going on here. Olympics brings the world together. It certainly doesn't make everything better, it doesn't solve the world's problems, but that's okay, because during this time, athletes and people of different countries can come together and celebrate sports and competition. Olympics is such a great event. Every country gets the chance to show their best athletes here and put their best foot forward.
These athletes train so hard. Years of training leading up to this event. Sometimes, they only have a couple minutes to prove that they can make it to the podium. They put everything on the line and risk everything, in those couple of minutes. At times, they fall, and they may fall hard, but the amazing thing is, they just get back up, give a little shoulder shrug, and finish the race. Like Jessica Dube, after her injury and 80 stitches on her face, she went back to practice a week later. I can't even imagine how much courage and determination that takes. There are a lot more stories like that, and I applaud them for their willpower.
There's something we can learn from these athletes. These Olympians make it big because they never give up, no matter what hits them. It is with this love for what they do, and this perseverance that make them true Olympians.

Go, Canada, Go.

dear patrick

Olympics has finally come. I remember a couple years back, I was thinking about how long it would be until 2010, but now it's finally here. I wish Olympics would come around more often, though idealistic, I wish we always had that Olympic spirit and passion for our countries and be able to celebrate the talents within it. It's exciting to know that so many athletes are going to be in Vancouver, and the buzz of excitement is all around the city. Right now, I'm so proud to be Canadian and to live in the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Dear Patrick, I hope you are enjoying this experience. Live in the moment. Revel in the present and all that it has in store for you. To me, you're not just that talented Canadian figure skater that's plastered all over the walls. You're that young, goofy teenager that always has a positive attitude, a bright smile, and a fervor for life. I think that's why so many people look up to you. I hope you never lose that sense of passion for life. I pray to God that you can perform your best, that He can give you a peace of mind that no one else can. I pray that you won't have any regrets, that you can come out with that same smile. Most importantly, I pray that somehow, you will draw close to God. I don't how and I don't know when, but I know that if you support someone, you want the best for them. I wish you the best in life. Trust yourself and have a little faith. Believe.

the best

In my life, I've had two "best 2 weeks of my life." Ironically, none of those were spent at home. They were spent with strangers that I came to know as family.

lost in the moment singing taylor swift down unfamiliar roads

Man I miss those days. I miss summer, the way we just met, but found ourselves so comfortable in the friendship, it was like we'd known each other for a long time. I mean, it didn't matter where we came from, that was the magic of it all: that summer brought us together despite all our differences.
I remember when you guys were so determined to find K-town and we walked on and on through unfamiliar roads. I remember how dark it was and how much the dark alleys creeped me out. I was scared but I knew I had you guys. I remember how we took a scary shortcut back and how we sang "you belong with me" the whole way back. That was the best summer ever.
& girls I remember how we snuck out the back at night and everything else.

I miss you guys so incredibly much.
xoxo

2010.

What a year. Actually, it was quite stressful but there are some memories I will never forget, and definitely a lot of people I'll remember for the rest of my life.
I guess people came in phases for me. At times, it seemed like people came and went, like one moment they were so close and the next moment, we could hardly communicate anymore. I don't really understand why a lot of things happened this year, but I can still be grateful for all the good moments of 2009. Even though people walked in and out of my life, I never regret the times we spent and the times we were close. If you ask me if I miss them, yes, of course I do, but some things change, and we can't go back.
2009 was a crazy year, to be honest. Not counting school-time stress, but relationships/friendships were not easy to handle.
You know that week in summer was really hard. The way you suddenly became so cold and distant, I still don't understand why. I don't really know what happened, but I guess that's the way things are.
I'm sorry. I didn't really know what I wanted until it really hit me and I realized that I can't do this right now. Please forgive me.
And wow, I did a lot of crazy things this year, those spur-of-the-moment teenage hormone-driven events? Hmm ya, not good. This christmas break in itself has been quite the unforgettable experience. It was fun while it lasted, but 2010, I have to move on. Maybe, one day, I'll see you again and it'll all come back. Maybe things will be different.
Class of '10. Whoa, when did that happen. It seems like just yesterday I remember G and I were digging through costumes in the tickle trunk and having poetry parties at school. How did those years pass so fast? Thank you to those that have been there, the ones that have been there from the beginning, and the ones that I've met along the way that have made the journey worthwhile.

2010. Deep breath. Here we go.

no looking back

Yesterday I was naive

Yesterday I still believed



Today I don't want to think about it

Today I wish it didn't matter



Tomorrow I hope I forget

Tomorrow I hope I move on



But today I still remember

Today I still miss

And today, I still don't regret