During my vacation to Mexico, I went to visit the Mayan Ruins in Tulum. In the thirteenth century, the Mayan city of Tulum served as a seaport for trade, as well as housed temples and residences for priests and other nobility. After I got off the bus and walked through a jungle path full of iguanas and other wildlife, I caught my first look of the gently rolling hills and crumbling stone structures of the Tulum Ruins.
I am not talking about monetary value, or sentimental value. What I am talking about is the value that a person places on another person. I am talking about someone's importance in the view of others, as well as the value someone places on themselves. Value has been an ever-present theme in my life, and I have always struggled to evaluate my own worth, as well as to gauge my own worth to others.
I just came back from my vacation in Mexico, staying at the 5-star Luxury Bahia Principe Akumal, which is a part of the Grand Bahia Principe family of resorts. This resort is a part of the compound that also has three other Bahia Principe resorts in the same area (Coba, Tulum, and Sian Ka'an). Here's my review:
Check-In
The check-in process was a bit chaotic. We arrived at 12pm, and when we checked in, our rooms weren't ready until 3pm, so we had to wait. It also didn't help that many people in our group were booked in different villas, so the resort had to book us closer together. The staff did bring some welcome drinks to help to alleviate the frustrating experience.
A little while ago, my birthday came and passed. I am not the type
to celebrate birthdays or anything like that because I feel like there is
nothing to celebrate. It is just another day to me, and nothing else. I know
people that enjoy the spectacle of it, and would spend as long as 1 week or
even 2 weeks celebrating their birthday with lavish parties and expensive
gifts, but I am the complete opposite. When it comes to my birthday, it feels
like I have two choices: to celebrate it with everyone, or celebrate it with no
one. There is no in-between. If I were to celebrate it with everyone, I would
have to organize a party, and invite everyone. Honestly, that is too much work
for someone, and why would I want to spend my own time doing all that? It is exhausting.
Whenever my birthday comes
along, I tend to withdraw into myself and I catch myself feeling more anxious
and down more than usual. Apparently, there is a term called the "birthday
blues" where there is a general feeling of sadness by a person in or around
his/her birthday and that was exactly what I was feeling. I cannot be bothered
to see these seemingly fake and forced Facebook posts from people I barely talk
to, send me some half-assed birthday message because Facebook told them to. I
tend to just avoid people in general by turning my phone off for the whole day,
and if I do interact with people, I don't mention that it's my birthday because
I don't want to seem like I'm bragging. I look at my birthday as a day of
reflection to see what has changed for the better in my life. When I see that I
have not improved in some way in my life, it only contributes to the general
feeling of anxiety. In addition, it feels like the kind of life I have lived does
not merit any celebrating.
On my birthday, I needed to get
out and do something that only I would enjoy, and not have anyone join me on
this little mini-adventure. Therefore, I bought a ticket to go to the Art
Gallery of Ontario, because looking at art is generally a solitary activity, so
it was right up my alley. I have never actually been to an art gallery at all,
so I was happy to spend the day partaking in an interesting experience. I woke
up early; left the house before my parents could get up, and put my phone on
flight mode so I would not receive any notifications on social media or any
calls/texts. I get to the art gallery, and after walking up four flights of
stairs (without realizing there was an elevator), I start from the top floor
and working myself down checking out all the art pieces and collectibles.
There was an exhibit going on
about the art scene in Toronto in the 1970s and 80s, and its effects on the city
today. I got to see how intertwined the art from the alternative communities
(such as the black and gay communities) and the politics at the time were (two
major events being the Spadina Expressway protests and the bathhouse raids).
The rest of the gallery was dedicated to the contemporary art pieces from
popular international and Canadian artists, as well as various collections of
jewels, stones, sculptures, and religious pieces. The pieces that resonated
with me the most are the paintings that showed a snapshot of daily life or of a
particular event. Those kind of paintings get my mind racing and it springs
more questions about what else would be going on at that time. It was quite
stimulating and I did not feel bored at all, nor did I feel anxious because I
went by myself.
After the visit, I did other
things to get my mind off the fact that it was my birthday, such as check out
Chinatown and go to the Toronto FC match. I think I should spend some of the
summer checking out the various neighborhoods of Toronto and just absorb the
surroundings around me. I like that sort of thing.
You should not have to spend
your birthday doing things that people expect you to do, such as throw a huge
party and get drunk. It is a stigma that needs to be exorcised. After all, it
is your day, and you should spend it how you see fit. I am glad I did.
I remember a time, as late as three years ago, where winning a championship, let alone making an MLS Cup Final, was an unattainable goal for Toronto FC.
To understand where Toronto FC is now, you need to understand where TFC was before. Profit-driven executives who had no idea what soccer was, or how to operate a soccer club ran TFC. Toronto FC fans were being charged premium prices for a ghastly standard of football. Add to that, the coaching and managerial merry-go-round, as well as the infighting between TFC supporters led to a general feeling of apathy. The relationship between the organization and the supporters laid in ruin.
Toronto FC were the laughingstock of Major League Soccer, and of North American sport. This is not a hyperbole.
The club needed a reset button. Out went Tom Anselmi, Richard Peddie, Earl Cochrane, and Paul Beirne. In came Tim Leiweke, Tim Bezbatchenko, and Bill Manning as they tried to make Toronto FC a proud club and an organization with class. They also needed to repair the relationship between the club and the supporters. The big difference between this group of executives and the last group was that this group actually had some soccer knowledge in addition to their business acumen. They understood that in order to keep the supporters coming back, they had to build a squad capable of not only competing for a championship, but sustaining it as well. There was some was rocky times in this new relationship (the signing of Jermain Defoe, the Argos to BMO Field, continued ticket price increases), but I can safely say that the club is in a much better shape now than it was three years ago. It almost feels like a new club.
The signings of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore (along with many others) helped to rejuvenate the club, and bring in a new set of TFC fans. TFC head coach Greg Vanney, who in the past has faced some deserved criticism, deserves some credit for TFC's recent success. The newly formed raucous atmosphere you hear at BMO Field from supporters groups such as the Inebriatti have once again made this place a fortress for away teams. It is all these factors and many more that have brought this team to their first MLS Cup Final in their history.
As I was walking around Liberty Village a few hours before kickoff, there was both an aura of jubilation and nervousness. Fans were obviously happy that TFC were even in the MLS Cup Final, and playing at home, no less. However, I did notice a lot of caution and anxiety in the faces of supporters. You could almost tell that supporters were thinking about what would happen if TFC were to lose the match. Many other fans just continued to drink their beers and simply enjoy the moment.
Toronto FC were coming up against the Seattle Sounders, a club who were among the worst teams of Major League Soccer for the first two-thirds of the season, until a coaching change and the arrivals of Lodeiro and Fernandez turned the club's fortunes for the better and the club rode the wave of success all the way to the final. About 1500 away fans made the trip to BMO Field, and some brave Seattle fans were not afraid to sing their chants right in front of the TFC supporters.
After walking past the double-decker bus that was the failed "Bloody Big Deal" TFC marketing campaign, I joined the massive crowd of supporters on the march to the stadium. A lot of the nervousness went away for a bit when the chants started going. Flares and smoke bombs were being set off, and everyone was jumping around trying to pump himself or herself up to be a part of history. When I emerged from the tunnel and the stadium was in sight right in front of me, the anxiety came back in droves. Nevertheless, a realization dawned on me. Whatever the result of the match was going to be, I knew that this was going to be a night I will never forget and that I was going to be a part of something special.
The match itself was not very special, however. Both Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders played a patient, almost cagey style of football (as how it usually is in a cup final). Seattle tried to play for extra time and penalties from the first whistle while TFC was a bit more adventurous with the ball. Michael Bradley was TFC's best player, as his passing was top-notch and his defensive work was admirable. In fact, the only bad thing about Bradley this game was his diabolically awful penalty in the shootout. Jozy Altidore had a few chances to score, including a header in the second half of extra time, which produced a fine save from Stefan Frei. Giovinco did not have a good match and was largely invisible. He had to come off during extra-time, which had me thinking if he was playing while carrying a known injury. With TFC's chances on goal, to see them not finish one was surprising, but if you could not finish your chances, you only have yourself to blame.
BMO Field was packed to the rafters. Seriously, I have never seen so much people packed into a stadium like this, but the atmosphere did not match the MLS Eastern Conference Final second leg. It may have been the occasion or the game itself, but the crowd felt hushed for most of the match, with only the singing of a few chants across the entire south end. The anxiety increased drastically when it was time for penalties and when Justin Morrow cracked the crossbar in the first sudden death penalty, it felt like a kick to the gut. There was this audible exhale from TFC supporters in the stadium, and when Roman Torres scored the winning penalty for Seattle to give them the MLS championship, it confirmed the dread. There was an immediate "TFC" chant right after the penalty to save face, but it did not make the feeling any better.
The Seattle Sounders win their first MLS Cup in their history, but it felt like TFC lost the trophy rather than Seattle winning it. A part of me is happy for the Seattle organization and their large base of support, as they seem like a well-run club with a squad of players who are good but not quite great (TFC between 2007-2014 was the opposite). As for TFC, it feels like "peak Toronto sports" referencing the recent playoff runs of the Blue Jays and the Raptors.
I have said before in a previous tweet that in order for Toronto FC to release itself from its "laughingstock" status, it needed to win this MLS Cup Final, but now I do not really think that anymore. I think they have already shed it. TFC now have a core set of players with a stable coaching staff and management rarely seen in this club. I can see them making another run like this next year and the year after, and that is the important thing, to not only get to this stage, but also to constantly keep getting to this stage. That is what builds dynasties in sport.
I consider myself lucky to witness something like this in person. I have never been to a proper cup final before, and this was an experience I will treasure for a long time. Something like this would not have been possible without all the supporters that pressured the organization for a change, whether in person or on social media. The supporters are what makes this club possible and what makes this club a success.
Toronto FC reached the unattainable goal. Now, actually winning the MLS Cup seems attainable.
