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the summer olympics in beijing has started! how many of you are glued to your tv? the olympics is supposed to be a time for us to forget about all this political nonsense that is going on around the world. but…. can we really?

so much has happened in the recent months building up to the summer olympics that’s held in beijing. i’ve read about a lot of people who have chosen to boycott the games and not watch it on tv. personally, i did consider that move too. but i realise that i love sports too much to be able to stay away.

photo by ~~ zorro ~~

a part of me tells myself that just boycotting the television won’t do anything to stop the stupidity of the chinese government. the other part of me argues that it helps to make a point.

what is your stance?

on a lighter note, i have to give it to the chinese. the opening ceremony was really spectacular. i didn’t watch it from the start but i’ll probably be catching a repeat when it comes on. fireworks do nothing to impress me, but the amount of practise that must have gone into all those dances!! it was rather amazing. the (not-so-funny) joke was that it might have been their only way to get proper meals every day, and hopefully they did. or that if they didn’t do what was told of them, they would be executed. whichever the case, you should definitely catch a rerun of the opening ceremony if you haven’t already.

here are some tips on how you can enjoy the games, whether you like sports or not.

are you planning on watching the games?
you’ll need
1. a television (preferably huge and flat-screen)
2. a great couch or armchair that you can sink into
3. tons of yummy snacks and drinks, or at least peanuts and beer
4. friends who either have a big tv, or who’ll be fun to watch with
5. a nearby sports bar that you can go to for the big games
6. internet access
7. sportsmanship and an open mind

decide on what you want to watch
i always try to catch different games that i’ve never watched before. you never know if it turns out to be really interesting! you might find a new favorite sport. however, don’t attempt to watch everything there is. you’ll start to lack sleep and eye-bags and blood-shot eyes have never been known to be pretty accessories. what are your favorite sports to watch? i really enjoy swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, anything gymnastics, field hockey, soccer, short distance track events and many more. what games are you planning to follow?

which team are you supporting?
besides picking which sports to follow, it might also be fun to pick either one, or several teams to support! i’m from singapore and erm, the olympic team is usually really… “sad” and sometimes comprise of imported athletes. so although i do support my country’s team, i am also ardently supporting japan. hey, i did live there for almost 4 years and i’ve watched enough of those guys on tv to want to support them! are you supporting your own country? or are you also secretly rooting for someone else?

make it a party!
gather a few friends to watch together. it’ll be even more fun if everyone would dress up in team colors. better yet: if you and your friends support opposing teams. cheering for different teams is fun! and then preferably you’ll be cheering for the winning team so you can do some friendly jeers and yeah-yeah-yeahs at your loser friends. heh heh. all in the name of fun of course. don’t start throwing punches.

adjust your sleeping clock
with the games being held in beijing this year, you might be in a completely different time zone. check the official beijing olympic site for schedules, and your local tv or cable website to make sure of the date and time. go to bed earlier and wake up in the middle of the night to watch must-see games! try to keep the noise levels down to avoid annoying the neighbours. and definitely try not to miss work! that would be terrible! or at least save the “i’m dying of food poisoning” excuse for the day of the finals.

locate that nearby sports bar
there’s nothing more fun than to watch the games with fellow sports fans. find a bar nearby that is equipped with great screens and surround sound system, and serve ice cold beers and snacks. it must be one with a nice friendly atmosphere too! you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of rowdy hooligans. if you have never been to a sports bar, try to at least go to one during the big games. it’s really fun, especially if you can find a group of fans who are cheering for the same team! wear your favorite team’s colors, jersey replicas if you have it, paint your face, parade with country flags, and chant songs!

learn about the olympics
take the chance to learn more about the olympics and its history. it is never too late to educate yourself. also learn more about the host country and that of your favorite team.

“but i hate sports and i hate the olympics and my boyfriend is ignoring me!”
are you one of those annoying girls? haha just kidding. but i can understand that there must be boys and girls out there who have absolute no interest in the games. although you must be annoyed with the olympics, don’t be a pest yourself and attempt to prevent your friend or significant other from watching the games. instead, be a nice and understanding friend/girlfriend/boyfriend! work out a pact with your significant other and make sure they know that you are trying to understand, but that you also want to have some quality time together. try to arrange a schedule around the games! your other half should also be understanding and agree to sacrifice some less important games to spend time with you instead.

take this opportunity to learn how to enjoy being by yourself!
a lot of people i know are scared to be alone. i can never understand that. although i love being with people and having a laugh with my friends, i also love spending time by myself. it isn’t the end of the world, and when you can learn to enjoy being by yourself, you’ll also learn to love yourself more. really!

did you know?
the olympic creed reads:

the most important thing in the olympic games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

isn’t that beautiful? it is definitely something we can apply to anything in life. the slogan for this year’s olympics also reads “one world, one dream“. while there might be hypocrites out there in the political world, take that slogan to heart and learn to set aside all differences, whether it is with our skin color or race or religion. start by making that change within yourself, and then make that change happen with your friends, and teach that to your children and your children’s children. i’m here living in america, the “land of dreams”, it’s 2008 and i’m still facing racist stares!!

“i’m starting with the man in the mirror. i’m asking him to change his ways. and no message could have been any clearer: if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change.”
-man in the mirror, michael jackson

more reading for nosey parkers:
fore more amazing ideas, check out oneprettything’s olympic roundup
enjoy the olympics, and hope