Marriage

My ex-coursemate Edy is getting married next Saturday. I'll be going down to Seremban for his majlis bersanding.

I'm still amused/shocked/happy. Edy was, arguably, the playboy of the groupies. Not to say he fooled around with many girls at once but he definitely could if he wanted. And he's the first to get married!

Hmm... Congratulations Edy! A historic moment indeed!

Adjusting Expectations

So I finally started my Cardio Fit class at Priority Fitness yesterday. I didn't know how the crowd would be like, so I put in mostly cardio tracks. If only I read their time table properly, I would have known I was replacing a Freestyle Dance class!

The long and short of it was, I started with 8 people, ended with 5. The cardio was out of their expectations. They kept requesting to do some dancey stuff but I already burned the tracklist into a CDRW and didn't prepare backup songs (note to self!).

Next week I'll have to adjust my class format and put in some dance tracks!

Another great challenge is that they are used to facing the mirror, so it's better for me to adjust my directions than to force mirror image on them!

The downside of all this is that I have no time to learn up BodyJam tracks...

My New Puppies

Say hi to my new Hush Puppies:

Under normal circumstances, I'd be too cheapskate to buy Hushies, but they were half price (RM130), so how could I resist? They slip on comfortably, are lightweight, and has a nice minimalistic look!


The padding on my last pair of office shoes have worn out, making them a pain to wear. And the pair before that 'buka mulut' right in the office, embarassing me as I dragged my foot around. That's what I get for going with the original Buy And Throw Away brand...


Hopefully these puppies will play with me longer!

Poorer, but Happier

Clinic consultation: RM40
Motorcycle repairs: RM312
Car repairs: ~RM500
Car insurance renewal: RM91
Car road tax renewal: ~RM400

Knowing Hana is OK and back to school: Priceless

Time for New Shoes

Can't believe it's been 11 months since I got my first Nike shoe. But as with all good things, it must come to an end. I always thought the whole point of spending so much money on branded shoes was because they could last forever. Alas, my naïveté is now proven wrong everytime I do higher impact moves. The padding has started to wear out and I could feel that it's no longer like dancing on air.

I checked with my favourite instructor, and she said she changes shoes every 6 months or so. Understandable, because she teaches every day and some of them are prety hardcore stuff too. So it's now time for a new pair of shoes to take me through the next year.

I'm going through a financial desert right now, what with the repair bills, police fines, and car insurance renewals coming up this month. But it doesn't cost a cent to dream, so I've started debating with myself on which shoe to buy.

On one hand, I've been nothing but happy with my current shoes. It's a cross-trainer, meaning that it can handle BodyJam just as well as BodyAttack. But there's a stigma attached to spending RM200 just to get the same shoe, you know? After all, I have an opportunity to get a different look and style!

My alternative is the Nike Air Force One (AF1). It's a very popular shoe for hip hop dancing, and it looks the part too. The basic design is plain white but there are plenty of funky colours that will really blend well with a BodyJam class. They also cost around RM200, and I'm very tempted! But I can only use it for Jam because it is a very stiff shoe. I wouldn't be able to do lunges or other high impact stuff with AF1!

If I was a Rich Boy, there wouldn't even be a debate - I'd get both! But the harsh* reality is that I need an all-purpose shoe for my Cardio Fit classes, so it's probably back to my Nike Air Edge L7. If only other brands will bring in their cross-training shoes to Malaysia...

* Yes, I know it's not really a harsh reality if I can afford Nikes while there are malnourished African children.

Restful

Dad accompanied me to the police station to make a report yesterday morning. After jotting down my written statement I was directed to the cramped office of a sergeant. Talking to me alone, he probed more information out of me regarding the event. It dragged on and on because he wrote all the details from the report again.

After that he asked a cameraman to photograph the damage done to my car door, and also the crime scene (we followed them). And that was it. I still have to submit several documentation before they decide on a punishment. A steep fine is the most probable outcome, but paying a fine is better than being summoned to court.

I feel much better now (thanks Jackson for your call!), almost to the point of normal. As usual I have some residue fear of driving but it's not as bad thanks to the supportive nature of Dad this time around. I have a stronger fear of my phone actually. Everytime it rings I get a jolt - is it someone I know or is it the girl's family?

I'm not sure how Hana, the girl, is doing. I haven't asked because I want her to feel better first before calling. Last thing I want is to get a disgruntled parent on the other line threathening to sue for causing injuries to their young daughter. But I am genuinely concerned for her well-being, so I will ask about her when I contact her brother later regarding the bike repairs.

At least, for now, I am restful.

Sleepless

10.40pm.

I left the house and headed for the airport. Dad's flying back from his trip to Borobudor. After exiting the first junction I stayed right and prepared to make an illegal U-turn. It wasn't my first choice - the petrol station that I usually make my U-turns at have closed down a year ago. Anyway, I've done this turn many times and after I assessed the situation, I made the turn.

Then I heard a honk, a screech, and then a bang.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," I quickly braked and got out. I knew I was in big trouble this time. Dad always cautioned me: Car accidents are never a big deal, but when you hit a motorcycle you put human lives at stake. And as I pulled the young lady up I quickly surveyed for critical injuries. She was able to stand up but looked weak. I helped propped her bike up again, and by that time the vultures have swooped in.

The vultures, in this case, are the super-quick workshop representatives who seem ever ready to whisk your bike to their repair shop. I dreaded them because there are plenty of horror stories of them ripping people off. Right now that's one less thing I want to worry about.

I asked Hana, whose name I learnt soon, if she was OK. She nodded, but I knew I had to take her to the clinic. She locked her bike at the accident scene and I drove her to the nearest clinic. The doctor advised her to get an X-ray done at the General Hospital because she complained of chest pains.

During that time the vultures started working their 'magic' on me, giving me all sorts of bullshit like, "Her brother called me to come", "This will have to be reported to police". I saw through the intimidation but I was already feeling stressed and didn't need any more.

On the drive to the GH I talked her out of going with the vulture's plan. I wanted to settle the issue between us and avoid going through them. She seemed to agree, but they were still trailing my car all the way to the emergency entrance.

Earlier I had SMS-ed Dad about my worst transgression so far and he called back just as I was registering her to see the doctor. He was pissed off, as expected, but found out all the details over the phone. I tried speaking as little as possible, at least until he got here.

And so began the long wait for her turn. Her brother came and they both seemed nice people. There was no intimidation from her brother at all and I was surprised. So while she waited, her brother and I talked to the vultures. What it basically amounted to was blackmail. They agreed not to make a police report if I engaged their services. They promised me that repairs will not be any higher than RM300, less than the fine I would get for breaking traffic rules.

Did I have a choice? Hana's brother agreed to the repair being done by the vultures, and I will pay them. And just like that, the vultures flew off into the night searching for their next meal. This problem is over for now, unless the vultures turned around and charged me more than RM300.

But I could not worry about that yet. By that time Dad arrived and we talked to both of them before she went in for her check up. Dad was reassuringly calm, and he said we have no choice but to make a police report in case Hana's condition worsened.

After 10 minutes that stretched forever, Hana came out in a wheelchair. She was still waiting for her X-ray. Dad explained his reasons for having to make an official report, and we left the hospital. I still do not know what were the results of the X-ray. I can only hope nothing was fractured and no permanent damage was caused.

We got home, and I typed this. A lot of shit is gonna hit the fan, but one thing's for sure - I'll be having lots of sleepless nights.