Snow White Boys

Tomorrow night ... November the 30th, the 3 clowns ... Alex C, Jack Jack and meself would be attempting to put together another Body Combat theme class. In the spirit of Xmas, the theme this time shall be ... oh gosh ... Snow White Boys. (This is so salah). *Adrian smacks forehead* *Deep breath*

Anyways, we would be dressed in white ... yes ... from head to toe. So if any of you are up for it, do come and join us. More details ... please refer to the flyer on top which Jack Jack came up with. The flyer is rather cute I think. :) KIA KAHA GUYS!!!

25 no more ...

Yesterday, I surpassed a milestone in my life … I bid goodbye to the quarter of a century mark. Yesterday … I turned 26 years young.

The day began early enough … a 7 a.m. class in TF, Hartamas. Somehow, despite having to wake up at an ungodly hour, the day seemed a li’ll brighter and the singing birds a li’ll chirpier. That’s because I took the day off. Hence, not having to rush to work after class and having the rest of the day to chill simply plasters a silly grin on my face.

Before the class started, a couple of the regulars began taking up their favourite positions in the studio. Carol was one of ‘em and she presented me with a gift wrapped in a Hard Rock Café bag. Inside, was a fine box of Marks & Spencer’s Belgian Finest Chocs. I felt so appreciated. :) Anna also remembered and told me that she just had to come to wish me a Happy Birhday. Are they not the sweetest bunch … :D

Since I had free time, it was the perfect day for me to get some errands done. First off, I went to get my hair trimmed. After that, it was off to the acupuncture center to treat my right arm. It seems to be getting better, so I guess the physician, Mr. Huang knows what he’s doing. Subsequently, I went over to Fitness First to meet up with Klevin to hand over some documents. 10 minutes later, I was out and got myself prepared for my lunch appointment.

Lunch was at Rakuzen with Steph. She booked a table and it was good thinking on her part too since the place was pretty packed with the office lunch crowd. As always, Rakuzen never disappointed as the food and service was excellent. We both went with the bento set … Steph opted for the beef steak while I had the silver cod. Both deserved two thumbs up. That wasn’t all, I even got a gift from Steph and it was a Stardust novel by Neil Gaiman. It held a significant sentiment for the both of us and it’s for us to know and you to find out. Haha.

Went home after that to rest for a bit and later had the chance to meet up with Steph again to give her a ride to the Toyota Service Center to retrieve her car. From the center, we adjourned to a nearby car workshop to get her front and rear number plates fixed. Why it needed fixing??? … well, only the third alphabet on those plates turned yellow while the others remained white … and this seems to annoy everyone who laid eyes upon it. Hehe.

Dinner was with my family at Shabu Shabu, Bandar Puteri Puchong. It was my first time there and I was pretty impressed with what I saw. Almost everything served was on a conveyor / kaiten belt like the ones you see in Jap sushi restaurants. You simply take them and dunk it into your individual steamboat pot. Food variety was aplenty and as peak dinner time drew closer, the place filled up with eager hungry patrons.

At home, I had a cake waiting for me. It was a Tiramisu and of course, there’s the customary b’day song, candle blowing and cake cutting. It may be a li’ll embarrassing but it just wouldn’t feel like a b’day if this tradition was to be broken in my family.

Final stop for the day was to be in Starbucks where I met up with the gym kakis. Who was there ... let's see ... Steph, Julian, Ping, Brian, Su Yee, Alex C, Jack, Eng Guan, Alexander, Annie and Johnathan Y. We had a great time there ... joking and laughing shamelessly. Don't think the other customers fancy us too much. Hehe. Even had a b'day song there as well. Good times peeps.

All in all, this year's b'day had been a blast and celebrating it with all the special ones in my life made all the difference. You know who you are and to you I say ... ARIGATO GOZAIMAS!!!

Mini celebration at Starbucks

B'day tokens from me family

B'day dinner at Shabu Shabu

From Steph ... :)

Gift from Carolyn

Another early pressie ... this time from Ping Ping

Yes guys ... DROOOoooOOOoooL. Haha. For my b'day, Ping Ping went through all the trouble into making me this Trinity Brownie ... coz she knows I'm a foodie ma. Why trinity you ask .. well, simply because it consist of three layers of niceties. At the bottom, you get the semi soft cake-like layer ... it's chocolate and sinking one's teeth into it's divine texture sends my taste buds into a tantalizing frenzy. The middle section is made of sinfully sweet peanut butter and fluffy marshmallows ... and the top most layer is the where all the treasures are ... we have Toblerone, Hersheys, Mars bar just to name a few. Put all these together and you have a brownie worth killing for. I can tell some of you are already calculating how many RPM classes you need to push for to exorcise all those dreadful calories from this ... well, I can guarantee you that it's WORTH IT.

Something this good and even maney can't buy ... sigh, life just isn't fair huh. Well, start weeping then ... muahahaha!!!

Ping Ping ... domo arigato. You d best!!! :D

WARNING!!! ... Long entry post ahead.

This is gonna be one heckuva long entry ... you have been warned!

OK ... will start with Friday night. The Night of Warriors. That was the theme Jack Jack came up with for our impromtu Body Combat theme class. On stage were Alex C, Jack and myself ... and we were decked in Nike Pro Fit tops, three-quarter pants and matching gloves. I kickstarted it by doing the first 3 tracks, Jack did the subsequent 3 and Alex brought it home with the final 4. It was noisy, chaotic, over the top but most importantly SUPER FUN!!! The members seemed to enjoy it too and we even had Eng Guan, TF's famous 'si lai sat sau' RPM and Cardio Wave instructor joined us midway through the class. There are plans to repeat a similar performance this coming Friday but nothing's confirmed yet. Will update accordingly soon k ... so stay tuned. :)

A couple of us headed to Kim Gary after the class and stuffed ourselves silly with food and drinks. Good food with good company on a Friday night doesn't get any better than this.

Saturday started with me having a class in FF SPK. It's my first time teaching in FF but it's also a homecoming of some sort for me since I did my BC training there. Picked my fav tracks and I'd like to think I did the class well. A couple of members chatted with me at the lounge after the class and feedbacks had been rather positive. Will try to do better again this coming Saturday. Hmmm ... however, I wonder if there's a problem with the sound equipment there or was it my Ipod cause at certain times, the music volume went down on its own and I had to crank it up again midway through the track. Traffic was heavy and my guess is that it was due to the roadblocks set up at various routes leading to the city center. Received a call from Alex C as I was on my way home. Told me he might be late for the 1:30pm class and wanted me to start the class first, hence I rushed to TF Taipan and arrived there at approximately 1:40pm. Dashed up to the studio only to find Alex already there.*&$%^&#%^#. Compensated all the 'hard work' with a huge lunch at LYG Restaurant with Julian, Alex, Jack and meself.

We headed back to the gym after lunch to practice for a demo. Wai Hoong joined us there and we did our thing. Was super tired by then but things perked up when Su Yee came with a box of homemade cupcakes whipped out by a member from Jaya 33. They were really soft, fluffy and tasty. Thanks Nicholas … wouldn’t mind if he makes this a regular habit. Ahaks.

After that, I quickly showered and picked Ping up. We made our way to FF, The Curve for Fitness First’s GX Meeting. Loads of people were there and these included the SGXCs, GXCs, GXIs and us, freelancers. Good to see a few familiar faces there as well and managed to chat a li’ll with them. At 6:30pm, we began streaming into the studio and were handed door gifts. The gifts consisted of 100Plus and Dutch Lady Yoghurt drinks, FF bandana, Protex bar soap, deodorant and my personal favourite, a Crocs key chain. I got the green one … hehe. Introduction of the staffs were carried out and then a hilarious short sketch on how to use the mic properly was performed by Veronica, Lilian and Klevin Cheong. Next up, we were gathered in groups of 3 and each had a balloon tied to our ankles. Now the aim is to step and burst the other teams’ balloons. This was a good ice breaker and simply got everyone excited and into the mood. The two teams left with all balloons still intact were given Power Bars. :) A ‘Q & A’ session was up next and a few who got the answers right were rewarded with Power Bars and chocs. All were then briefed on certain formalities (this is the boring part … haha, hence I shall not dwell on it :p). Awards were given out to the most outstanding male and female GXIs and Kenny Lian and Renee took home the prizes respectively. Each won themselves a commemorative crystal plate and Nike shoes. Really cool stuff!!!

Some light snacks consisting or various varieties of kuih were served and it also gave everyone the chance to mingle around and chat.

Being the foodies that we are, Ping and I went to TGIF for their 3 Course Meal at RM39.90. For appetizers, we had the buffalo wings and fried calamari. Our entrée’s were none other that the Baked Mojito Whitefish and the Chicken and Beef Bacon Quasedillas. The main stars of the meal were of course the desserts. We indulged in the infamous Mocha Mudpie and the Cookies and Cream. It’s so sinful but then again, you just couldn’t say no. It seemed to be a small world that night as I met my brother there with his group of friends and not only that, we met the peeps from gym as well namely Annie, Jon Yau and one of their friend.

With our newly expanded waistline, we drag ourselves to Ikea. I needed to get a new milk mug but couldn’t find a suitable one. Instead, Ping did all the shopping there where she bought more utensils for her cooking and baking. Yay … I wonder if this means more free food. Kekeke. Now call me crazy but apparently, whenever you’re in Ikea, you simply MUST have their vanilla ice cream. Priced at only RM1, it was so creamy and and yet light. Yummmmssss … thanks to Ping, I’m now hooked to it. What a Saturday huh!!!

Early Sunday class at Jaya33. The regulars were there and it was a good class. I do not know how to really describe it but somehow you just know if the class conducted was good or not. I think the acupuncture really did help as I feel better on my right arm, hence being able to push more in class. However, I’ll still hold back a bit till I’m fully recovered. Am hoping to return for a second session of ‘poke and zap’ soon. Yikes!!!

Lunch was with Steph and we headed to her ‘kampung’ which happens to be Bangsar. For a non-foodie, she definitely knows her joints for awesome food. I had one of the best popiah ever there and the Char Kuay Teow ain’t too bad either. After that, we walked around Telawi for a bit and Steph shopped. Tired and hot, we propped ourselves in Marmalade and sipped on delicious iced honey latte and soothing cool cucumber juice. That's just how a Sunday afternoon ought to be ... lazy. :p

My second class for the day was in TF, Hartamas and surprise surprise. It was a big crowd for a Sunday evening slot. I had 16 all together and I pumped the class with everything I got. I know la, this figure might be peanuts to the other superstar instructors but for me … it’s great!!! Hopefully can slowly but surely build up the class from here. One member, Anna even told me that she came all the way specifically for my class leh ... how not to feel bangga. Hahaha.

After that class, I was drained and decided to reward myself with a meal at Rakuzen. I had the grilled beef bento set while my friend had the grilled saba (mackerel) bento. For the money we paid, it was good value especially when they mistakenly served me two portions of sushi set instead of one (see pics above). Woo Hoo … I was famished la, so I just walloped it all. No guilt whatsoever … kekeke.

So there you go fellas … a summary on the past couple of days. Good fun, good food, good friends … couldn’t have asked for a better weekend but for now, it’s back to the rotten rat race. Well, see you at the finish line then. :)

FF GX Meeting Freebies

Eng Guan da 'Si Lai Sat Sau'

One of our many indulgences at Kim Gary

The Warriors

As requested by Su Yee ...

Here you go Su Yee ... :)

Poked and Zapped

I finally went to seek treatment today for that right arm of mine. It's been suffering from a numbing sensation for almost 3 weeks now and what I suspect was that a muscle tear is supressing a certain nerve, hence causing numbness and sharp pains whenever pressure is applied to my right arm.

Anyways, Alex C and Su Yee recommended that I seek the expertise of a certain acupuncturist whose practice is based in The Summit, USJ. They've seen the Lead Physician, Mr. Huang Pei Jian there a couple of times and apparently he's quite good. So an appointment was set up at 10:00 a.m. this morning. I had breakfast with Steph first before the both of us made our way to Jia He Healthcare Sdn. Bhd. I was a bit afraid of what's going to happen since Su Yee described the entire process in a horrifying detailed manner. Well, basically the words 'needles' and 'electricity' managed to send chills down my spine rather efficiently.

Mr.Huang first read my pulse on both my wrists and made some comments to it. Now the trouble is, Mr. Huang came from China and with that, came the very thick accent which both Steph and myself couldn't comprehend. I think I should also add that the both of us are residents of the 'Banana Republic', meaning we don't speak chinese as well as we should be. :P So I finally had to resort to calling Su Yee, Alex and Jack to translate the comments over the phone. I know ... it's pathetic but I had no other options.

Next, I was told to lie down on a mattress, face down to begin the acupunture treatment. I reckon Mr. Huang inserted no less than 10 needles at various points of my body. Suprisingly, there was no pain ... it only felt like a li'll ant bite, that's all. Next, he connected a couple of wires to those needles and sent electricity chanelling through my body. It lasted almost 30 minutes and my muscles were twitching and vibrating throughout. I must say that after a while, this sensation was almost soothing and rather relaxing. Upon removing all the needles from my body, I was given a painful massage by the physician himself and the blending of pain and ticklishness is NOT FUNNY. OUCHHH!!!

After all this was completed, I was given a cup of vile & bitter looking concoction to drink. It's also mixed with some chinese alcohol for reasons I do not know. However, it did not taste as nasty as it looked and I was told that I have to finish the whole bottle in five days time. Yuckkkkssss. The treatment cost me RM175 and I have to go back there to continue treatment for another nine sessions. Apparently, Mr. Huang would be able to gauge my recovery better this way. Not an option for me then. The effect from this treatment should be more significant after a day or two, so we shall see then.

Would really like the thank Su Yee, Alex C and Jack for showing concern and acting as translators for me. Of course not forgetting Steph who was with me at that time of treatment. Her being there made it that much easier for me to go through with this. :)

Are you hungry???

That was my dinner last night. No, not ALL of it, but it was shared amongst good company. Hokkien noodles and fried rice ... simplicity at its best and yet so sinfully delicious. Yummmmmmmsss. Good food makes this blogger happy. :D

Night of Warriors!!!

Hey guys, this is just something Jack, Alex C and myself came up with. Very impromtu ya. Well, it's gonna be a first since all three of us had never taught together before. We're hoping that it's gonna be one hell of a HOO HAA class with high energy intensity. The plan is to make it SUPER FUN and EXPLOSIVE. So if you can, try to be there k. :D

Almost ... just almost.

For the first time, I was ALMOST late for class this morning. It was a 7 a.m. slot and I only managed to get outta bed at 6:35 a.m. Rushed like a madman to Hartamas ... zig zagged through the morning traffic like a bat outta hell. Suprised myself when I actually got there with 3 minutes to spare. So it was just nice. I think it was the adrenaline rush but I felt so hyped up and I guess it shows and infected the members as well. Everyone was giving it their all. It felt really good notching it up track after track after track. But alas, when it was all over and I showered, I totally slumped ... so exhausted.

And in the evening, I shadowed Olivia for RPM. It felt ok being on a bike on stage. I guess I just need to watch on my cadence. After that, had a scrumptious dinner with Steph at Vietnamese Kitchen ... beginning to get addicted to their Seafood Fried Noodles. Vanilla latte at Coffee Bean followed suit but the thing that spoilt the night was the lack of internet access at Coffee Beans. Hence, I showed Steph some of the videos I stored in my notebook ... at least we got a good laugh out of it.

I reckon I need a break ... fatigue from work, classes and insufficient sleep is beginning to take its toll. Su Yee recommended that I go for accupuncture at The Summit. Might give it a go soon as the numbing arm is really beginning to annoy me. Right now, I just wanna crash on my bed. Anyone kind enough to offer me a massage???

P.S. The comics above were lent to me by one the member from my morning class. Thanks Carolyn. I guess it'll come in handy when I need to de-stress. :)

Tuesday the 20th

Long day today ... started off with getting stuck in traffic to the city center. Had to do an energy audit for the management of Menara Standard Chartered. That work alone essentially killed off half my day. So many drawings and technical specifications to study and look into. Will probalbly have to make another trip there soon to clarify some uncertainties. Parking there itself cost me freakin' RM8:80. $%^&%$#!!!

Had lunch with The Gregster a.k.a Greg from BP and RPM who happens to work in that building. We ventured into Pavillion and finally settled on Madam Kwan's. The Nasi Bojari was really satisfying ... crispy juicy tender fried chicken, spicy flavoursome beef rendang, succulent sweet and sour sambal prawns ... yummmmssss. I think the pricing there is slighty higher than the Madam Kwan's else where ... any of you guys can confirm on this???

Met up with Jack and Su Yee for yum cha later in the evening and proceeded to the gym to prepare for my class. Suprise awaited me ... Ping, who just bought herself an oven made 'candies'. It's a blend of Mars bar, butter, margerine, corn flakes and another ingredient which I forgot ... the result ... really really yummilicious. It's got a soft and gooey texture to it but when it melts in your mouth ... the flavours just explode and your taste buds just screams for more. So as you can see from the pic above, that was one happy Ping. Which one is sweeter ... the candy or the babe ... you guys decide. :P She only makes them for *quote* 'close friends and relatives' ... so quickly go make her your new best friend but be warned ... that queue is longer than those you get at J.Co Donuts. Hahaha. (She's really gonna kill me now).

Class at TF was good today. One of the regulars, Bella gave me another CD with Jap and Korean songs. Can't wait to listen to it but priority have to be given to the new BC and RPM releases. Sighhh ... the life on an instructor. Haha.

Received a call from Joey, a new BC instructor, just passed her training last weekend. She wanted to shadow me in My Fitness and of course I said yes. Even told her the tracks I would be doing tonight. When I reached the gym, it turned out that there were two Joeys. Both did the same training and both wanted to shadow. So yeah ... I had not one but two hot ladies on each side during class today. *Chest puffed out* They did rather well if you ask me. Yeah!!! The new BC babies are out and about.

If you've read my previous post, you might have known that I've been cleared to teach in Fitness First now. Before I know it, I'll be replacing classes in SPK throughout the month of December. So it's gonna be 11:30am there every Saturday. Any of you guys in that area at that time, gimme a buzz ya ... we do lunch. :) Chatted for a bit with Nick Heng (GXC for FF SPK) and it turned out that he's really nice and friendly. A cool guy all together. Even invited me to the GX meeting this coming Saturday at the Curve. Thanks Nick. :)

Been craving for Kim Gary for a while now and finally satisfied that tonight. You can't go wrong with Shanghai Roasted Pork Chop rice and iced Yin Yong. Perfect combo no? Oh yea ... had the borsch soup as well ... real appetizing this one. And throw in good company ... dinner was thoroughly enjoyable for both my palate and meself. Ping was generous enough to teman me eat and by buying her dinner tonight, I hope she felt indebted to moi and would start feeding me more of her products from her spanking new oven. Ooo ... I heard banana muffin is up next. Can't wait. Hehe. :P

OK ... this is all for now guys, have to pack and arrange tracks for tomorrow's 7am class. Thinking bout it is making me sleepy liao. You guys sleep tight ok. Nitezzz.

Fitness First Clearence

Today I was at Fitness First, Menara Axis to do my clearence for Body Combat. The Head Teacher for BC, Alvin Looi was there and I took two tracks away from him. I had an awesome time there especially when Alvin did quite a number of really old tracks ... tracks I've never heard or done before. And the Conditioning track a.k.a Track 9 was really tough. Triceps and chest push ups repititions that ultimately send the muscles to overdrive mode. I'm lovin' it!!!

Anyways, after class, Alvin was offering tonnes of advice on how to conduct a class better. Some things I've never even thought of, hence it was really beneficial for me. Oh I got cleared, so I guess if there's an oppurtunity to do replacements, you'll see me in FF. :) Alvin was also kind enough to get me Lynn's permission to start shadowing and perhaps later team teaching my RPM as well in FF. Can really use the exposure and practice gained from teaching in different gyms no? Thanks Alvin ... really appreciate it. :)

8 random facts about me

I've been tagged by Emelda so here goes ... 8 things you might not know about me.

1.) I was obscenely overweight at one time. For my height, tipping at 81kg, you couldn't see where my neck was. Let's hope I don't go down that road of obesity again.

2.) I'm an exercise addict. I have to work out everyday. A skip in this routine makes me feel sluggish and uncomfortable.

3.) I'm super terrified of cockroaches. Nuff said!!!

4.) I tend to be nice to people even if I don't like them. I don't think it's an attribute. If I'm not being nice towards you, then you know I REALLY DO NOT LIKE YOU!!!

5.) I curse a lot only when I drive. Somehow the idiots on the road these days drive me nuts especially those housewives with their cauliflowered hairdo.

6.) I think sleeping in especially on holidays/ weekends are a waste of time. We only have 24 hours in a day, I'd like to utilize mine fully ... so as long as I get enough rest to function the next day, then it's all good. BTW, I average 4-5 hours of slumber daily.

7.) My idea of a perfect morning is waking up next to that special someone and head out for a nice breakfast where we will debate over how sucky that movie was last night.

8.) I start and end my day on Facebook. Yes, I've got no life ... so sue me!!!

My first b'day gift this year.

A bunch of peeps got me an early b'day gift. It's a silver/grey V-neck sleeveless Nike Fit Pro top. Love it!!! I have a similar one in navy blue and had been wanting to get another one, so the timing was just perfect. Thanks loads guys ... you fellas are the best. To Su Yee, Alex, Jack-Jack, Eng Guan, Juls, Alfee, Lorraine, Johnathan, Ming ... domo arigato. (Hope I didn't forget to mention anyone here ... ahaks) :)

Les Mills 4th Quarter 2007 Super Workshop @ KLCC

Ah yes ... the Quarterlies. An event most if not all instructors of the Les Mills program will be looking forward to. It's a time where instructors for programs ranging from Body Attack, Body Combat, Body Step, Body Pump, Body Jam and Body Balance will gather to witness the new release of those said programs ... new choreo, new music, new techniques, new innovations, new energy, new excitement ... this is what that had kept Les Mills so successful in today's world of fitness industry.

I needed to collect my shoes which was left in Rennaissance hotel after class the other day, so since I was to give Julian a lift to the Quarterly, we decided to meet up in TF, Taipan at 7am. Guess what happened, I only woke up at 7:30am!!! I immediately called Juls and rushed around like a maniac trying to get everyting ready in less than 10 minutes. Anyways, not only was Juls not pissed off, she even bought me a breakkie set form McDs. :) How sweet of her no?

We made our way to collect my shoes and then straight on to KLCC where the Quarterly was to take place. We weren't late, infact we even had approx. 15 minutes to spare before the first launch began. Gradually, more and more people streamed in and it's good to know this time around, there are more famililiar faces compared to the last.

I personally participated in the Body Attack, Body Combat and Body Pump and it was all good. The presenters were nothing short of AWESOME and that made all the difference. There, we were able to see and learn how a class ought to be conducted and also given notes and tips on what's hot and what's not in the new developments concerning our programs.

Events like these are also the best way for fellow instructors to meet and catch up. Actually, some of the instructors come for the workshop for this sole purpose alone ... hehe ... not gonna mention names here.

A bunch of us went for brunch after Body Combat. We ended up at the food court and it's amazing how some of em' can wallop full meals an hour before going for the next program launch ... in this case, Body Pump. After BP, we lingered for a bit to see the Jammers strut their stuff before showering and headed to Chilly's for a late lunch. Yes, Les Mills instructors eat like crazy but they work out a whole lot more to make up for their sinful binging habits. :)

After the over the top lunch, a few of us namely Alex, Su Yee, Jack, Juls and myself walked around for a bit of window shopping before heading home for a well deserved rest after such a long and tiring day. And in all, I had tonnes of fun and meeting new faces is always a plus point. So I guess now it's back to work where everyone will have to start learning their new choreos in time for the various launches in their own gyms respectively. Can't wait ... hehe.