You Look So Blur

That was FSI's comment to me when he saw me in yesterday's class. I don't really understand what he meant. How does one look blur? Anyway, I was day dreaming an awful lot during class, my mind wandering to various cosmic nebulous places. However, it was a killer class. Either my resistance is lowering...my knee area are still aching, which wasn't helped by the killer squats regime, or yesterday's class was a particular killer. He is undeniably unquestioningly THE most FEARSOME Squat Instructor. Look at the guy's thighs. Could probably be used as a WMD. Such power, such strength...

I honestly question the wisdom of the powers that be regarding their choice of venue for the launch this coming saturday. In IOI Mall Puchong, on a Saturday, smack in the month of Ramadhan..... I honestly dread the jam and the parking. I remember the nightmare that was The Miracle, whereby the greatest miracle was the guard allowing me to jettison my car indiscriminately in Ikano, so that I made it on time for the combat warm up. While the line of of instructors for Step and Combat are all my favourites, (STEP has Richelle AND FSI, and Bolim who I like but never really got the chance to attend his classes after he stopped teaching in MML), and Combat (No 1 in tianjin, FCI)......Obviously if I do go, I would have to choose between the two, since one is at 2.45pm, and the other at 6.20pm. While shopping may be our national sport, I doubt I can kill so many hours in IOI Mall.

And yhsmom, if you're reading this, as of this moment (10.03am, Friday), the plan is YES, I intend to go for Richelle's pump tonight. Desserts for cell group have been made, and the savoury quiche shell has also been made, so only need to do the filling, which is very fast.

Class Juggling

Because I had to honor a cake order, I had a choice of either making the cake first, after office, and then heading to RPM, (coz on Wednesdays I have dinner with inlaws, in a far away place), OR, get the workout over and done with after work, and then bake, before going off for dinner.

After perusing the online schedule, (which isn't necessarily always updated, but to a large degree, say 95%, reliable), I noticed that Mr Cool was teaching pump. That kinda tied in with my plan, but actually, I probably would have gone for pump regardless of who was teaching. It just made it slightly less torturous that it was Mr Cool. But actually, I was wrong. Physically, it was probably more torturous. The guy is seamless!!! You'd think the bar and weights were part of his anatomy. He does it with such ease, not hint of pain, no grimace....Mr Robot is also like that, but Mr Cool's weights are more, eg, 10kg each side for chest, etc....He did that biceps track with the 24 singles at the end, and looked like he was lifting a feather duster. I pity these replacement instructors, for the 45 minute class, coz the MJH crowd somehow have grown accustomed to the "10 tracks in 45 mins" thingie, and when Mr Cool went from Clean and Press to Lunges, there was an audible wave of disgruntlement, and someone shouted out, "lunges? noooo, triceps!". Mr Cool being super cool, took it all in his stride, and nonchalantly went on to do all 10.

Lionheart was there as well, as usual, carrying obscenely heavy weights. Should change his name to Atlas. (there, the fler who was carrying the world on his shoulders, in the Hercules labour tales, same series as where Cerberus appears. Incidentally, Cherubim, formerly known as Cerberus, has left the hallowed halls of FF. We will miss her. Joke aside, and bad nickname aside, she really is a lovely friendly person, and wherever you are, we wish you well!!!)

Revisiting An Old Haunt

An old haunt, not an old aunt.

I had earlier on mentioned to FCI that I was looking forward to his class last night, to which his reply was "that's good". Therefore, I was perplexed when I got an sms from FDI (aka Leon), saying, "FCI not teaching tonight hor". Turns out, yes, that latest intelligensia information was accurate, unlike reports of Osama bin Laden's death, which till now is unconfirmed. Drat, on the one day that I have no desserts to prepare, and have the whole Tuesday evening free, FCI is not teaching. What to do, what to do? Scoured the online schedule for other options, but none seemed to appeal to me, so I thought, well, if the weather permits, I shall head for the Lake Gardens, my old haunt before I got bitten by the GX bug.

This place holds a lot memories. It's a great place to bring people on a non-committal "date" on the pretext of exercise. The other half and I used to spend inordinate amounts of time here, with other friends, as we did our Sunday walks/runs religiously. Another friend of mine, who resides in Singapore, used to jog with me regularly in 1998 when he lived here for a short period. And it was in these same gardens that I actually proposed. Subsequently when the kids came along, it was also our regular haunt. Some of you may remember that I mentioned in a previous post in one of the blogs. I brought the kids there one day, a few months ago, and idly voiced my thoughts aloud, "I used to bring you guys here when you were kids", when my 2nd kid retorted, "Huh? Excuse me, we are STILL kids. Have you lost your mind?" Baby girl is still a lake gardens virgin. Waiting for her to be able to be propped up in a stroller before bringing her. To carry a baby around the gardens, even in a sling, is hard work.

As it turned out, the weather was perfect. By 6.10 or so, the ramadhan rush was nearly over, and it was smooth passage to lake gardens. By 6.20 I was on the track, (FDI had earlier suggested why not treadmill, since I had found no class to attend)....the route I usually take, ie, from Lake Club guardroom, towards the playground, veer right, towards the other playground, up to the road that goes to Carcosa Seri Negara, back into the gardens at the end of the road, around the lake, and another circle around the lake, and back to Lake Club via the open amphitheatre. Usually if I am jogging with "frog" (friend's nick), this route takes 25-28 minutes. On my own, I tend to be a laggard a bit.

However, much as I enjoy jogging, in lake gardens, I am loathe to admit that these old joints really can't be subject to too much of it, coz stamina wise, I have no problems, but I can literally feel the creaking in the joints. Nevertheless, I think I shall try to incorporate an outdoor run at least once a week, (excluding the sunday walks with wife in the Bukit Kiara trail..... where years ago I was attacked by a cow), cos the feeling of well being after an outdoor run is something I really miss. Also, I don't have to worry about towels, as I shower in the Lake Club, and towels are provided.

Value For Time Workouts

I reckon RPM and 45 minute pump classes where instructors do all 10 tracks, are value for time workouts.

One reason why I go religiously for YI's class on Mondays is because of just that. He does 10 tracks for a 45 min class. Okay, sometimes he encroaches a bit into body jam, and granted, there is a 5 minute buffer, so in total, the class is probably around 50 minutes. Suits me fine.

Yesterday's class was toughened up, more than usual, because of the sudden guest star appearance of Lionheart. Actually I knew that Lion was coming, and had helped him set up his board, and placed weights in 10kg, 5kg and 2½ kg denominations for him......wah, very impressed therefore when he arrived in the middle of squats, went to get 2 more 10kg weights, and placed 20kg on each side. It is one of those rare classes where testosterone is more than estrogen. Apart from SC (not the one leaving comments on the blog) and Rapunzel, the rest were all guys. All quite regular too, so it's kinda like going for a school class.

As usual, whenever I stand behind Lionheart, I just get tired looking at the weights he carries. It can also be disconcerting when certain ladies carry more biceps weights than you do. I was pretty pleased I managed to complete the entire shoulder pushup sequence on my toes. It might be quite unfathomable to a outside observer why I then resort to donuts for the rest of the shoulder track. Well, the elbow still hurts when I do upright rows, but I've learnt to live with these battle injuries.

Couldn't stay for cardio, as had to rush off to finish a multitude of baking errands.

Rainy Days and Saturdays Always Make Me ...(Lie? Fly? Cry?)

It seems to rain every Saturday afternoon, making it very tempting to have a nap instead of going for Leon Lai's combat. Some more the perilous journey through the penchala link, through torrential rains seems very unappealing.

I've come to the following conclusion about GX classes for myself, and please, don't get offended. I hate body pump and RPM, and do it purely out of necessity. So, since I hate it, it doesn't really bother me who teaches, because, the instructor makes a very "marginal" difference to my total enjoyment of the class. Of course, ceterus paribus, I'd opt to go for those classes with instructors I like, but I would still go reluctantly to any pump or RPM class regardless of the instructor.

In CONTRAST, I probably would NOT go for combat or step with instructors I don't know. Does this make sense? So, there is more urgency to actually go for the combat or step classes with my FIs. Okay, the Saturday guy doesn't have an "F" title per se, but he is probably my FDI!!! (Foreign Direct Investement?? ) Favourite Diva Instructor. Even Lionheart says he absolutely HAS to make it a point to go for Leon's Combat, though we both agreed Jam is out of the question. But alas, Jam is probably where his divaship is most magnified.

Hosted dinner to reciprocate Lionheart's recent Al Nafourah banquet, and yhsmom's kah soh dinner awhile back. For full account of the the dinner go to Limited Editions. Leon Lai is really itching to sing!!!!! We must provide an avenue for this soon.

Didn't go for Richelle's pump on Friday, (yhsmom already preempted that by sending me an sms saying, "Let me guess, its a NO yet again?"), nor did I go for 2nd FSI's step on Sunday. Really need to hit the treadmills today after Young Instructor's pump.

Finally, A Non Replacement

Of all the arse luck, since sunday, all the classes I've been to have been with replacement instructors. Nothing against them really, especially if they are like "Sidekick", I wouldn't mind at all. But sometimes, the replacements make no effort to endear themselves to the class. Anyway, without saying too much, I was delighted that yesterday's Step class was with FSI as usual.

And, as usual, it was a great class. I notice his hair has grown a fair bit already. I am finding it increasingly more difficult to do squats, especially in body step, with one leg on the board. The body pump squats seem a bit less difficult on the knees, despite the larger weight.

FSI played a few of his trademark songs, one of which is that Survive and Alive song for track 6. That song always reminds me of him. His conditioning track this time was evil. Tricep dips. Of all the tricep movements, this to me is the most challenging. I guess its coz I have the heaviest body weight in the class, all hinging on that little tricep muscle. Speaking of heaviest and oldest, twas funny how FSI kept asking all the ladies to increase the board height. The only people who DID seem to use the higher level were the oldies. I tell you, they don't make the youth of today like they used to.

Another "scandalous" sound conversation heard in class:

Woman : I can't get it in.
FSI: Push harder
(FSI proceeds to fiddle with the hole, inserts his finger in and pulls out a rubber ring)

On the topic of step boards....someone actually suggested they change it once a year. A bit much right? FSI very cute, he said in a very manja way, you must take care of the boards lah, as if they were little live pets or babies.

Sydney Uni Alumni

I wasn't sure where to post this; anyway, what the hey.

Couldn't attend FCI's class yet again, because had to attend my university alumni reunion at the Mandarin Oriental. For those who didn't know, outgoing FPI is also an alumnus. Hence I am blogging this post here. Coz it's gym related.

Anyway, on hearing that Shades was a fitness instructor, this loud mouth lawyer asked him, "So when are you going to recruit this fella to your gym ah", referring to me. Again, I reckon that some people just don't look in the mirror. His girth is nothing to be proud of, and he's telling ME to join a gym???

The event was a rather civilised affair, free flow beer and finger food, including satay. I have to say the finger food wasn't bad at all. Alas, beers ran out by 8.30, so that heralded the time to leave.





It is the inaugural reunion of such an event, organised by the university, and the deputy chancellor, and deans from various faculties were present as well. We were name tagged according to faculty, and Shades had difficulties locating people of similar name tag color. Mine was dark blue, for Engineering faculty. Quite a number of those around, but light blue, for Law, definitely were aplenty.

Feeling The Pain Together

I had originally promised [outgoing] FPI that I would attend his pump class in the newly renovated studio in DU. It's actually a big effort for me to go there, coz parking is horrific, and any later than 6pm, the jam is also horrific. Nevertheless, I do kinda miss the guy, and would have made that sacrifice, BUT at the last minute, I had an appointment at 6.15pm, with a client, so I had to scrap all plans. I shall not repeat OFPI's reply here......when I informed him that I couldn't make it. Suffice to say, sheeesh!!!

Anyway, so I thought I'd head for the usual pump class with YI, which usually ends by 5.40 or so, giving me just enough time to shower and get to the appointment. I have a good sense for these kinda thing....the minute I walked into the gym, through those glass doors, I knew instinctively that YI wasn't teaching today. I saw this other young looking chap hovering around the reception area, and I knew that he must be the replacement instructor, which was later confirmed when I saw him holding the mike. The board did not show any replacement name, so I was clueless as to his identity. Nor did he introduce himself.

Overall, it wasn't a bad class, and secretly, I was kinda glad that we wouldn't be doing all 1o tracks, as I knew usually replacement instructors do not attempt to do all 10 tracks for a 45 minute class. When he asked which track should he omit, someone shouted out lunges, which was fine with me. Actually, in the good old days of Lisa Jones, she also omitted lunges, so much so, since hers was the only class I went to for awhile, I didn't even know there was such a track, so when I finally went for the 1 hour class, (I think it was shades), I was taken aback by the lunge track.

I digress. Yah, class was okay, no complaints. Quite tough squat track. I suspect this is the one that some other unnamed female cute instructor does 16 bottom halves non stop. But not here though. For a pump instructor, I have to say he carries an inordinate amount of weights. Perhaps its his only class for the day. Or the first class. Would be quite an effort to maintain that kinda load for multiple classes. The chest track had a shockingly difficult pushup sequence. Everyone, all but one, were reduced to their knees by the end of it.

Now, it wasn't until the bicep track that it dawned on me who this fellow was. Lionheart had described his PAINED expression before, (think Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles), with the grunts and all, so straightaway I was clued in as to his identity. I realise I am really putting myself out on a limb here. But it's meant in a most endearing way, I assure readers. Not meant to be an insult. In a way, an instructor's pained expression shows empathy to the class's suffering as well. According to yhsmom, the said instructor is quite a hit with the si lais of subang.

Losing My Wits At Opportune Moment

Yesterday, in the male locker room, after body step, I bumped into an acquaintance, a rather portly fellow, if I may say so myself, and certainly of girth larger than mine, though I am more vertically challenged. We exchanged cursory pleasantries, and both mutually agreed that it was a chore to drag our lazy butts to the gym on Sunday afternoons. As I had just finished step, I looked like a good quality chocolate cake, moist, and full of fat. Then it hit me like an oncoming train. The portly chap remarked, "wah, you work very hard hor. how come still never lose weight? (this was said in cantonese, which makes it a real 10 on the Bitchter Scale)". While the truth may hurt, I certainly didnt see this one coming, and after mumbling a lame, "yalor", I later kicked myself for not giving a good retort like, "aiyo, if I didn't exercise, I'd be your size lar". Drat!!!

Missed Friday pump, because was swamped with cake orders for saturday morning, and one for that Friday evening as well.

Saturday combat - now, I have to say I genuinely enjoy this class, because it's like going to a concert. It has all the elements. A diva on stage, (this is meant to be a compliment), energy from the crowd, entertainment, sweaty bodies, and a general feeling of satisfaction after. Perhaps not as much sense of achievement as after an RPM class, but definitely, satisfaction. Leon had already stated in a comment on another post that he is going to endeavour to make the class laugh out loud. With his facial expression, I honestly had to avoid his gaze more than a few times, and bite my lip, to avoid myself from guffawing and braying like a donkey on heat. He did his trademark evil laugh track, (can't for my life remember what its called), and later on remarked that his evil laugh and kata were out of timing..... nyeeahahahahha.

Oh oh oh, and also, he made an attempt to wrest the title of FEARSOME SQUAT INSTRUCTOR from FSI. In track 6, he announced that there were gonna be a lot of squats, etc etc.....but by the end of it, he himself conceded that it was an anticlimax. Attempt no 2 came at the cooldown, which is FCI's trademark, "Not gonna get us". Yar, that has to be the longest conditioning track, it seems to never end. But in conclusion, the Fearsome Squat Instructor Tiara is firmly lodged upon the head of FSI, for now.

Finally made the acquaintance of Sunshine, who sounded surprised I knew who she was. And Sidekick was there too, on the floor with us minions. I was surprised that he also knew who I was. Or maybe because I said, Oh Hi Sidekick. But I guess there aren't many fatboys in the class. Which reminds me, I am sure I am one of the oldest, if not THE oldest, male participant in Combat.

Another side observation, I am amazed at how many men actually do Body Step. I usually go for FSI's thursday lunch time class, which is Tai Tai territory, or working girls territory, and estrogen is the order of the day. But as I peered into the studio (Curve) on Saturday, FSI's class had a good balance of estrogen and testosterone. And talking about Body Step, 2nd FSI wasn't teaching on Sunday. $&!@*($@(*!!! Some more I really wanted a nap.

New Releases Are Gonna Be Tough

...So says shades, who we* bumped into the male locker room after FSI's step class on Thursday lunch. Should have had a hunch that there was some GXC meeting coz the place was swarming with them. Had sighted Macho Nips, Horny Herny, and then Shady Shades. By we, I meant Lionheart and me, coz Lionheart made one of those rare guest star appearances in FSI's Thurs lunch crowd. Probably because he didnt get his step fix yesterday, as FSI had to be replaced at the last minute, coz of the evening equivalent of morning sickness. Some nausea....which he later on said was food poisoning.

Anyway, his step class was enjoyable as always. Actually I came this close to not going, as I was exhausted from the night before, as was at The Vintry for a friend's party till 1.30am. But I figured the exercise would actually perk me up a little. Still, that didnt stop me from yawning in class, but I assure you, the yawn was in no way related to the mood of the class. In fact, it was brimming with energy, mainly emanating from the general direction of Lion. He ah, not bad leh, for someone of that vintage. [bracing for backlash]

Wednesday night was RPM as usual. To me, the end result of sex and RPM is the same....exhilaration. But getting there....well, that's another story altogether. RPM is torture. Sheer torture. Unless you love cycling, I don't see how anyone in their right mind can do RPM on a regular basis. And if you did LOVE cycling, then the more natural choice, well, is to cycle....outdoors. Enclosed in a small room, huffing and puffing away....its the modern concentration camp. But, the tracks were great, (Herny), and so happens, again, Lionheart and Steve (shall we call him Stevie Wonder, afterall, he's aiming to be Les Mills instructor for nearly all the programs).... yup, that's a good name, Stevie Wonder, were in the class, and where they are, surely the class shall be entertaining.

When I told Lionheart about the sex vs RPM similarities, he was quick to point out that "sex is only pleasurable if you are in the mood"...... I thought that was a woman's line. When is a man ever not in the mood???? I guess since there might be young people reading this, I shall stop and not repeat the rest of the conversation....

Did NOT go for combat on Tuesday, coz was busy baking, and had guests over.

And gasp, I wonder who ratted on me THIS time. First, Cerberus (now known as Cherubim) got to know about her nickname, (to quote Lionheart yet again, actually, it is a compliment. It's one person doing 3 people's job), and now, Sidekick got to know he was reviewed!!!

Young wolf is right. Really hafta be careful what one says!!!

Oh, and as for the topic heading, I digressed!!! Shades said that the new upcoming launch, pump is hard, combat is tough, attack is tough..... so, what's easy???? Good also la, otherwise no chellen.

In Summary.....

Been quite busy, so haven't blogged since LAST tuesday's combat class. Actually, I have been going for classes....so, in summary:

Wednesday - RPM with Herny, who was team teaching with some other lass who's name I forget. I don't know what it is about RMP that lures me back almost weekly, coz I think I hate it, but yet, feel an unspeakable sense of exhilaration after completing it. It's almost like military training.... I swear there are some people in the class who never touch the knob. And it must be one of the most effective cooldowns as well, coz during the class, I get this feeling I'll never walk again, but miraculously, after the cool down, it's okay.

Thursday - Lunch time body step with FSI...it's been almost a month, if not more, actually, how fast time flies. To cut a long story short, I was pooped after his class. Exhausted. Thoroughly. There were five new comers. I was late, so I was in front of the class, along the same longitude as FSI. Meaning, I had to crane my neck right to see what he was doing. I hate it when that happens. But it was a great class. I don't recall that much sweat in body step for a long time. There were 5 newbies in the class, so it was pretty packed. Again, apart from FSI, I am the only guy. If estrogen was contagious, I'd be able to get pregnant by now.

Friday - Due to Red Planet's birthday celebrations, and having to make the birthday cake, I couldn't go for Richelle's pump.

Saturday - Combat with Leon Lai, and his sidekick. Was originally looking forward to this class, but on the day itself, I had a massive hangover, and it was pouring heavily in the afternoon, plus I had an order for 4 different cakes, so at 3.30, as I wished I could utilise the brilliantly cool afternoon to sleep away the mild hangover, I was faced with a severe inner turmoil. I could see the good fatboybakes with wings and harp talking to the other one with the pitchfork.

Good FBB: Come on, get your lazy arse out of bed, and go detox.
Bad FBB: Noooo, you need your beauty sleep. At your age, your chest will sag to your knees if you don't treat your hangover.
Good FBB: No no no, you need to get the booze out of your system, or it'll just accumulate around your fat belly.
Bad FBB: You look like an idiot doing combat anyway....FCI laughs at you all the time. Why subject yourself to such humiliation? And look at the weather....

Anyway, to cut a long story short, Good FBB won, and I was on the rivers of the penchala link, paddling my way towards the Curve. I was glad I went, of course; it's always an entertaining class, with Leon. He made some veiled references about "I can't sing". One of my favourite combat tracks, Final Countdown, was played again. (FCI did it last tuesday). Sidekick, (can't think of a distinctive nickname just yet) took over for tracks 6 & 7, which were quite well executed. I have no complaints. At least sidekick doesn't come across as being so full of himself and think himself God's gift to the combat fraternity, unlike some other newbies. Hmm, actually Sidekick isn't a bad nickname for a combat instructor. Better than Back Kick. Love Leon's expressions on stage. Very dramatic. Had to bite my lip on occasion to prevent laughter outburst. Not sure if the people around me were intoxicated by the C2H5OH fumes that must have been emanating from me.....gross!!!!

Same Conditioning and Cooldown as Saturday

Sometimes I wonder if Les Mills sends out a "suggested" syllabus during the lull periods in between launches, for instructors to follow. I mean, what ARE the odds of of two different instructors doing the exact conditioning & cooldown combo??? It's been ages since anyone did this particular cooldown, (apparently its called I want somebody to love), which involves the kicks. The other famous kick one is usually done by the sistine chapel, who refers to it as buttmaster. Hmmm, or is it the same one. I forget.

Anyway, the queue had formed by the time I got there, which was about 6.20am. Cherubim was still at the front desk, and gave me a knowing smile, and said something like, "hmmmph, you better make sure you get in that line"....Managed to get no 27 on the pass.

Excellent class as usual, with one bonus power track at the end. There was so much sweat around me, I was beginning to fear I would slip and kill myself. And the guy in front of me as well, was like Old Faithful, spouting out H2O and creating little ponds of water around where he stood, so whenever we shuffled forward, (is it called shuffling when it's forward?) I felt I was going water skiing. I kinda like the final countdown track, quite nicely choreographed with the backfist and round house kick.

Now, I think I had managed to complete the pushup sequence entirely on my toes, last Saturday, in Leon's class, for this conditioning track. But, FCI came along and pressed me down, during the pushups, completely throwing me off momentum. From the corner of my eye, I saw Cherubim (ex Cerberus) laughing at my suffering, from the outside. She later on remarked to FCI that he should push me down more.

Cerberus No More

To my horror, that lovely lady who guards the entrance to the packed combat class confronted me yesterday, and asked, "is there something you want to tell me, in your blog?". I guess although the reference to Cerberus was purely complimentary, ie, she did her guard job very well, it can be misconstrued, coz let's face it, Cerberus is a three headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades.

Let me set the record straight, that the reference to Cerberus was in no way at all, at all at all, a reference to anything BUT the fact that she did an excellent job guarding the door. Anyway, to clear the air, I shall now refer to her as the angel in Genesis 4:24.... And He placed Cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way.."

It didn't help that Young Instructor went, "OH, YOU'RE CERBERUS AH??? I THOUGHT IT WAS YOU!!!" Hahahaha. It's one of those classic moments. But more interestingly, what I want to know is WHOOOOOO ratted on me?!!!! Come on, whoever is the culprit, be a man and tell me!!!

Pump was good. I like that YI tells you upfront if a track is going to be easy or not, so like for clean and press, I could actually load it up a bit, despite a one week hiatus. And I've discovered that "no pushups" in chest or triceps or shoulder is not necessarily a good thing. Especially for chest. Interesting to note that YI is also into baking. Was sharing baking tips after the class.

Was most distressed to get sms from yhsmom yesterday telling me that Steve Irwin, famous crocodile hunter on Discovery Channel was slain by a stingray. Although I don't know him personally, of course, I guess the thing that was shaking is the fragility of life.

Merdeka Bad For Waistline

Having a public holiday mid week really throws a spanner in the works, in as far as regular routine is concerned. It didn't help that I was at a friend's Merdeka Party on Wednesday night, that didn't end till 4am. This was after a gruelling RPM workout, at 6.45 pm earlier on. I was actually wondering if I should go for RPM or Body Step, since I haven't done step with FSI for gosh, 2 or 3 weeks now. But it was full by the time I got there to register, so it was down to the claustrophobic cycle studios. Herny wasn't there, and was replaced by a lady called Pat.

I think RPM is RPM, regardless of who teaches, and I doubt I will ever develop anything remotely close to a liking for it, but it's a darn good workout, that's for sure, and given the time constraints, AND lack of discipline to self exercise, I think RPM is the next best thing, apart from joining a fat farm, or the army.

I had honestly intended to go and surprise FCI in the Curve, on Merdeka Morn, but as at 11.30, (class was 11.40), my pounding headache and hangover had reduced me to a little more than a "slab of butter spreaded over bread"....So that was an exerciseless Thursday, wherein on a normal week, I'd not have been hungover, and I would have gone for body step. Friday, pump with Richelle, was also a no go, as I had a million errands to run, and at 6.20pm, bumped into Leon Lai at BSC, who then asked me, aren't you going for Richelle's pump, and rhetorically replied "I guess not huh"....

Saturday, by hook or by crook, I had to get my larded ass to the Curve for combat, (with Leon). Had an extra workout, coz I forgot my socks, so checked out several shops in Curve and Ikano to get them. It's strange, how I felt I had to don on more clothing to walk around the shopping centre, for I think I'd have felt quite naked walking around the malls in gym gear. I can see why some women can't leave home without their head scarves.

Combat was great, very intensive, all tiring tracks. Love it when arms are dripping with sweat. Leon did his trademark track, the one with the sinister cackling.....I had to avoid his glance lest I burst out laughing. It's quite strange, the last time I was in his class in the curve, I didn't even know him personally yet.

On Sunday, I was suffering yet ANOTHER hangover, albeit milder, and was sleep deprived. Caught up on sleep a bit during the sermon in church, but needed more....it didn't help that I was "inundated" with last minute cake orders, which included a birthday cake with purple icing. It's no fun baking with hangover. As such, also no exercise on Sunday. Merdeka, merdeka!!!!