But if you were to go back to re-visit some of the can’t miss events of the Olympics, here is my top 5 list:

1. Opening Ceremonies – someone mentioned to me that it would be hard to think of another live performance in history that would be able to top this…
2. 4×100 free relay final – 46.06 by Jason Lezak on the last leg for the Americans. That is by far the most insane swim time a most heated race, helping Phelps get a gold, and setting a WR in the process. Instant classic.
3. Men’s 100m dash – I don’t think we can fully appreciate how fast someone who is 6-5, and runs like a madman, but Usain Bolt did it. The 200m also ranks up there as well, with him taking down Michael Johnson’s long-standing record.

Had to add this. Insanely stupid move in the Olympics:
Loser of Taekwondo match goes and kicks referee. Kids, please do not do this at home, or anywhere else.

And other sports/non-sports highlights from ESPN here and CBC here and here.

Overall, it was a great Games, lots of fun, can’t wait for Vancouver 2010.

1818hrs – Amer tourist killed. At scene now
1908hrs – Registering at bank of america center. American’s home away from home
2054hrs – Finished buffet at boa building. Just given 2 free tix for bball and 2 more tix for swimming.

August 10th
1040hrs – Wasted from yesterday. Pouring rain here this morn. LIkely some cancelled comp today
1749hrs – Rain has stopped. Village is awesome. Buildings are ridiculous..pictures don’t do it justice!

1820hrs – I’m peeing my pants. Training pool is full of the swimmers. Swim tix are going for 800 to 1K on the street
1846hrs – Sitting right in front of phelps mom
2026hrs – Friend of Dwayne wade’s brother might get us one tix for tonight’s game thru him.
2115hrs – World record in my cousin’s swim. Not bad, not bad..going to head home to catch bball game. Neil bush had problems getting tix for opening cermonies.

August 11th
1010hrs – Just chatted with gary hall jr. Very nice guy
1314hrs – Heard bush was found scouring the silk market, perhap for an authentic texas belt clip. Coke and adidas exhibit worth seeing.

But that wasn’t where all the drama took place. To actually get into the finals to swim for a spot, a swimmer needs to swim through the heats, then swim through the semifinals, before swimming the finals the day after. So a swimmer needs to swim three times well enough to get a spot on the team (Note, this is why what Michael Phelps is doing in his quest for 8 golds is so difficult is because he needs to swim each of his individual events three times! If they were all sprint events that would be a different story, but he’s swimming a lot of 200m and 400m events, which is a lot of mileage!).

Back to the story, Nathan swims a personal best of 48.89 in his semifinals but ties for 9th place. Unfortunately 9th doesn’t get you into the finals. Then the magic begins to take place. Ryan Locte, one of the best swimmers in the world in backstroke and the individual medley, scratches from the race. Now this was likely done as a strategic move, as he was ranked 5th going into the finals. This means that Nathan is now in 8th place!

Not so fast. He tied with Alex Righi with the same time. So how does one solve this? My suggestion of having them perform in front of Simon Cowell and the other American Idol judges wouldn’t likely be internationally accepted, so they’ll have to do it the good ‘ol fashioned way: (cue the “duh-duh-duh!!” sound effect and quick camera zoom to my face) Swim-off!

A swim-off consists of having the two (or more, depending on how many swimmers end up with the contested time) compete head-to-head in the same event. With the thousands in the stands, and only a lane divider between the two of you, you can cut the tension with a knife. (Can you imagine if you tied for 8th in swimming the 1500m? I hope someone suggests my idea)

Obviously, Nathan edges out his competitor and finds a spot in the finals. With this, he’s got nothing to lose, and everything to gain. (This brings back memories of when I qualified for the BC provincials in the 100free, coming 4th in our region. Usually only the top 3 get to go, but I swam under the provincial qualifying time, opening up a spot for me. I ended up swimming under 58sec for the first in my life, and making the finals in 8th place. Lucky for my opponents, I stayed in 8th..)

So as we now all know, Nathan swims out of his mind and takes another 4 tenths off his PB, and ends up in 4th. Ladies and Gentlemen, my cousin is going to the Olympics.

Although ending up 4th means he’s not considered an alternate and will go to the Olympics, the question remains to whether Michael Phelps, who swam under 48 in the preliminary heats before dropping the race, will be selected to be part of the relay. However, as results from Athens has shown that a relay member can take part in the prelims, and NOT swim in the finals, and still get a medal in the event. We shall see…

But in any case, congrats Nathan, and may they never use my idea to decide ties in swimming! All the best on the upcoming 50 free race as well!

You can read more here or here:

Here’s also listed on NBC as a “dark horse”

You can also watch his 100m Short Course Win here

Many are mourning the losses in different ways (newest count puts the number dead at over 40,000 with 5 million still missing…). Some of China’s largest web portals such as Sina and Baidu, have made their usually colorful pages black and white for the 3 days (if you’re quick you can still see them).

An inordinate amount of variety shows have been dedicated to the effects of the quake. If I remember correctly, I saw about 6 channels playing the same program. And the others? Well, they were live coverage of the aftermath.

One of my favorite English journals comes from the director of Care For Children, who had just gone to Sichuan to visit many of the welfare centers that have been damaged during the quake. Search for Care for Children in Facebook to find the blog.

It’s hard to say whether the quakes have subsided. A quick glance at the Earthquake Hazards Program shows that Gansu has also seen a handful of tremors, tho none over 6 on the Richter scale. Friends have already sent our requests for tents to be provided for those suddenly homeless in that region.

I think I’m going to to take a long walk now….

More pics here:

This May holiday will be even more interesting with the ongoing protests that many locals are supporting against France and, unfortunately, in turn, our regular French-based shopping paradise (for families), Carrefour. If you’ve read some of the latest news articles (here or here), it seems that a lot of people are planning on not shopping at Carrefour over the holidays to make their statement.

Chinese nationalism has been on the rise the last month or so, aptly timed before the Olympics and in face of resistance found during the Olympic Torch relays. Perhaps you might have also noticed in your MSN friend lists that some of your Mainland Chinese buddies now have a (heart icon) China at the beginning of their name. Yup, they’re related. For some interesting takes on the recent Chinese nationalistic movements, check out this link.

Usually the best things to do during May holidays is to hibernate in your home or to head out of the country. But this year, I will be heading out to Shenyang in a couple of days, traveling with a bunch of friends helping out with an event. Should be exciting going to a city that I’ve never been to before!

What are your plans for the holidays?

Obviously, I’m not talking about myself…
当然我不是讲关于我自己。。。

(Feel free to add others)

Pictures courtesy of John’s and Morris’ flickr pics…