Okay, I know I've been harping about how plastic perfect Adam man van Koeverdan is, but it seems he isn't.

“I don’t know. I just didn’t have it. It’s a hell of a time not to have it,” the dejected athlete said following his competition Friday at the Beijing Olympics. “That’s the worst 1,000 [metres] I have put together in years. I was a spectator.”

Then he looked at the television camera recording the interview and addressed viewers. “I’m sorry,” he said, beads of sweat dripping from his face. “I’m really sorry.”

Van Koeverden had not just fallen short of the medal podium in the K-1 1000. He had fallen apart.

So, there is the curse that whoever is the flag-bearer of Canada always loses spectacularly at the Games. I was hoping it wouldn't happen with the perfection of van Koeverdan, but damn, apparently during the interview he was close to tears. My heart always breaks when I see disappointments like these: with that American hurdler who was in the lead than fell, with Liu Xiang and now this. Wow.

Let's hope he wins the K-500 event tomorrow, his specialty. If not, I'm going to be depressed for him. But if there is one good thing that came from this, it may be the puppy face shots they had of him after:





Yep, still (near) perfect. Prayin' ferr ya, buddy.

So my friend and I were discussing the Olympics and have decided that Adam van Koeverden is just too plastic perfect. Seriously, how good would you feel about yourself if you ended up in a relationship with a body like this, that's earned Olympic Gold medals (and hopefully one more tomorrow!) and is also a doctor? Nervous breakdown, totally.

But I was watching the Men's 200M event today when Jared Connaughton of P.E.I. came up, and I was like "OMGWHODAT?" So the broadcaster goes on about how Jared is such a talent, and how he's so determined and how even though he resides in Arlington, Texas now, he's still representing Canada.

So I looked him up, and he's also an alumnus of UTA. And there's even a UTA video of him training at their facilities. OMG, likespring, what if you've seen him around before?! Either way, you know what to do (it involves handcuffs and FedExing him to Canada.)

The 31-year-old [Adam van Koeverden] is a genuinely nice guy, a medical doctor who hopes to work in trauma medicine. He joined Right To Play last year after learning about the athletes' humanitarian organization when van Koeverden splashed its logo all over the boat.

I know you, my lovely f-list, have already wished me happy birthday and thanks so much, but do you really, really, really, think we can pull off kidnapping him for my birthday?! I mean he's a damn doctor, so if we hurt him, no big deal.

When he’s not training in Florida, he resides in Oakville

Get on it, quinatorte! And I live like an hour away from Oakville. FATE.



I think he might be the entire package: Canadian, a doctor and a jock.

Our drought is over. And hearing the national anthem, which I haven't heard in a year, made me tear up just a bit.



It was especially sweet, not just because she broke such a long medal drought, or that she was Canadian, but she's just the best image of what modern Canada is about -- fully confident and established Canadians who can excel in anything, who came from the modest backgrounds of many immigrant families.

And our national anthem is just so beautiful. So peaceful, so quiet, not boisterous or war-like. So Canadian. I'm trying desperately to find a video of the medal ceremony.

"A hard road, too, one that was started by her parents, displaced Vietnamese refugees
whose move to Hazelton was sponsored by the local United Church.

"They've spoken about it a few times, but just little snippets," Huynh said of her parents' ordeal as boat people.

Born in China, Viem Hunyh moved to Vietnam, settling in Ho Chi Minh City with his wife Mai Trinh, who was originally from Vietnam.

"They had nothing (when her parents came to Canada)," Huynh said. Supporting five children, her father worked as a carpenter, did odd jobs, later landing a position at a sawmill. Huynh's mom waitressed.

Eventually, they opened a small hotel in Hazelton, the Bulkley Valley Motel, which they sold in May, moving into retirement.

"They worked so hard for us to have a better life," Huynh said. "I'm pretty sure I learned my work ethic from them."

We also won another wrestling bronze and a silver in rowing. It's so exciting to see Canada getting into the flow of things!

Silver Olympic Medalist, Dave Calder, looking victorious and daddy-ish. <3.

I went to the downtown campus today and holed myself up in the beautiful Gerstein Library and actually got all my studying done. That, however, did not mean I learned anything -- I got 67% on the online practice quiz. And shit, the exam's tomorrow.

My eyes are not getting any better, but they aren't getting any worse. I can't wear contacts and my glasses aren't strong enough so I'm so blind at the moment. I hope this doesn't interfere with my exam. And I hope my anthropology prof -- the one resembling Johnny Knoxville -- is back from his excavation in the Middle East all tanned and cocky. I need some sunshine in my life.

And I'm so torn over the Beijing Olympics. I'm proud to be Chinese, sure, but not exactly proud that my home city of Hong Kong still isn't being granted democracy despite being promised so during the British handover in 1997. Nor am I impressed with the legions of mainland Chinese that don't seem to remember all the horrible things that the current Communist regime has done and continues to do. The Tiananmen Square massacre happened in the same place the Olympics are now being held. Tibet was raped royally in the Spring. Darfur is worsening because of China's meddling. And the Chinese people expect us to be proud of what this regime has brought us? An opening ceremony certainly won't change my thoughts on Communist China. Or as The Globe and Mail put it: "China put on a hell of a show; It helped that democracy didn't get in the way."

Please, world, do not fall for China's charms. My homeland is still a cesspool of Orweillian surveillance, corruption, poverty and smog. The opening ceremonies, and the Beijing Olympics, are not the real China. That isn't even China.

But gotta love my preferred country Canada for good taste. Look at our flag-bearer, Adam Van Koeverden -- an immigrant like me now proud to be Canadian:



Err...better picture.

I would like to define, once and for all, Canadian liberalism and understand its function beyond the old deferred promises of a just society; liberalism cannot cling onto big government, large social projects or token interests. There ought to be a larger narrative, a civil religion.