Gym + Technology = SexyGeek

It's Wow Wow Wow Wow!

2008-05-06T13:41:00.001+08:00

Bouncing back from breast cancer, Kylie Minogue's "X" album proves you can experiment with different genres while keeping me happy. Alright, so most of her songs remain painfully cheesy regardless of genre but that seems to be her true genius.

I actually find 2 Hearts average, but many other songs on the album are great. I heartily recommend Stars, All I See, Cosmic, and White Diamond (slow version).

And did I mention I love her concert DVDs? The stage set up is so extravagant, along with the costume changes. Now that commands respect. X is a keeper!

This concludes my series of music reviews. I'm officially out of stuff to write.

Formula for Success

2008-05-05T13:37:00.000+08:00

Unlike Madonna's flailing (failing?) attempts at genre-busting music, Mariah Carey found her formula for success and stuck with it, creating a listenable album on E=MC2. I immensely enjoyed her last one The Emancipation of Mimi as it was really a comeback album. E=MC2 continues that honourable tradition and has a similar feel.

Unfortunately, having discovered Duffy recently I didn't devote much time to Mariah as it's so... formulaic. But overall a worthy illegal download.

I know I'm hard to please. I complained Madonna for veering from tradition, while I get bored with Mariah for staying the same. But I *can* be pleased - tomorrow's artist did just that.

Her 4 Minutes is Up

2008-05-04T13:30:00.000+08:00

Madonna is undoubtedly an industry heavyweight. She's hardworking and (sometimes) innovative/provocative. But I find it hard to connect to her newer albums. I enjoy her singles immensely, but the rest of the album always felt mediocre. This is true as far back as Ray of Light, on to her latest Hard Candy.

4 Minutes is such an enjoyable song even from the first listen, but I find it really hard to say the same thing about the entire album. I forced myself to listen to a few songs several times. While some of them slowly got better (Candy Shop), most of them didn't stick (like throwing oil onto a Teflon-coated wall).

When can we expect her to regain her former glory of Vogue, Take a Bow, Papa Don't Preach, and heck, even Holiday?

Duffy Ain't A Duck

2008-05-03T13:19:00.000+08:00

If you find Norah Jones relaxing, Katie Melua enchanting, and Amy Winehouse interesting, you will absolutely fall in love love love with Duffy. Why are you still reading this? Go listen to her Rockferry album now!

My current favourite song is "I'm Scared", revealing the vulnerability one feels after losing a loved one. Her emotions in the song really pulled me in, making me feel I was in her position. Definitely a keeper.

Lyrics excerpt to "I'm Scared":

The blank pages of my diary,
That I haven't touched since you left me,
The closed blinds in my home
See no light of day.
Dust gathers on my stereo
Cos I can't bear to hear the radio
The piano sits in a shaded space
With a picture of your face.
I'm scared to face another day
Cos the fear in me just won't go away.
In an instant, you were gone and I'm scared.

Eating My Words

2008-05-02T13:10:00.002+08:00

OK.... I'll have to eat my words. Blend it, add some salt and oregano, and drink it all down. My previous post lambasted (hey! I used 'lambasted'!) Les Mills for apparently favouring Fitness First members.

Alright, so I was mistaken. Long story short I submitted my application and I got my confirmation letter yesterday. So yeah, I'll become a full fledged BodyJammer by 8th June if all goes well.

This is it! A milestone is finally in reach! The countdown begins! Dreams shall be fulfilled! (How many more cliched expressions can I conjure?)

Bye Bye BodyJam?

2008-04-18T08:22:00.002+08:00

Been so long since I updated about gym-related stuff. BodyJam training seems to be out of reach again. There's one scheduled in June, but according to my gym's Jam instructor (Chris) the training is completely dominated by KLites. No thanks to the instructors there who cleared too many members in their auditions. True enough, the training schedule lists the trainings but do not provide the reference number necessary for registration. Like it's for formality purposes only.

I'm not expecting NEP-like quotas or special protection, but we should be judged equally. I feel like it's a snub to all the great members here who can't go just because, like Malaysians at a buffet, KLites rushed to the front of the line and took the whole tray of oysters with them.

Rant aside, I hope Les Mills will consider having more trainings in Malaysia so we don't have to fight over such petty things. Except, it ISN'T petty to the people whose chances are denied.

Anyway, on to happier news!

I feel my choreographing skills are improving immensely. I'm better able to match music styles to the right moves. For example, I already have a wicked choreo to Shakira's Objection (Tango) with moves from Tango and Paso Doble wrapped in a delicious Line Dance format. The challenge now is to think about how to teach it ala BodyJam and modifying the music to suit my tastes.

Another great news is that renovations to my company's Sports Centre is complete. Say hi to my new home:

It is HUGE compared to the staircase closet I used last time (you can visualize how small it was from my older videos). It's totally as big as some gym's Group Exercise rooms (I'm looking at you, Fitness First Island Plaza).

The only downside is the lack of a wireless microphone system, but at least the sound system works well. I can't wait to teach next week!

I'll be in Singapore 19 to 21 April. Leaving tonight by coach. Just to check out the sights again, and catch up with old friends. Schedule is tight so I wouldn't be meet some of you there (you know who you are) Some other time maybe! :)

Oooh what a Mistake!

2008-04-11T09:28:00.003+08:00

Not sure if it's still there, but I took a screenshot for posterity:

If you don't see the big deal, look at the photo and then the caption. An omen, perhaps?

Medicine Makes Me Hungry

2008-03-26T17:08:00.001+08:00

Perhaps some of my medically-savvy readers can clue me in on this. Well, I believe at least some of them are doctors, doctors-to-be, or doctors-wannabe.

One of the unintended side-effects on putting me on NSAIDs and antibiotics is making me feel hungry easily. The effect is especially pronounced once the drugs kick in. I'm not sure if it's just the paracetamol, or it must be combined with an antibiotic. Either way, they make my stomach sing for an unhealthy snack.

And with me being sick for a few days already, that means a quickly-expanding wastline! I'm not kidding - I woke up this morning and found my tummy protruding in the wrong direction (abs totally not in sight). So I'm caught between resting at home or going to the gym tonight... Certainly a big dilemma for the modern man.

The Govt Should be Afraid of Its People

2008-03-09T08:18:00.001+08:00

I'm so glad that I got off my butt and registered as a voter, coz now I'll never forget my first election vote! I helped make a difference in Penang.

This really goes to show that people should not be afraid of the government - it's their choice, their representation.

Meanwhile, the propaganda yarn over at The Star is in full production. Check out this gem - which lamented that MIC leadership is in shambles due to Samy's loss, and therefore, Indians will have no voice in Parliament. Halfway through I had to check if it was an opinion piece. Surprisingly, it's considered news!

Check out the last paragraph:

Because of the defeat in some states, Indian representation is nil, making it a challenging task for the Barisan Nasional power-sharing formula to work.

What power sharing? The reason they lost heavily this time is because they kept promising power-sharing but we only see the Umno puppet master pulling the strings.

Anyway, today's the dawn of a new era.

I'm Underweight!

2008-02-25T13:30:00.001+08:00

Wouldn't you know it, I'm in the underweight class!

My company is having a health week and there were several booths from direct selling companies (Pharmanex, HerbaLife, etc) peddling their wares. HerbaLife was offering a free body stat measurement so I went for it even though I knew it won't be accurate after lunch.

Well, accurate or not I'm grinning from ear to ear because according to the results I'm in the small frame class for my height. I really didn't know how the salesgirl was going to spin their products but apparently, HerbaLife protein mixes can help you lose weight, gain weight, improve complexion, and save the world. It was an enjoyable spiel but I kept a clear head. Perhaps if I was put in the overweight category I would have been more tempted to buy!

At any rate, here are my stats for my personal record and gloating:
Weight: 73.8kg
Body Fat: 15.7% (how come my home reader never goes below 19%?)
Body Water Range: 61.7% (Good)
Muscle Mass: 59kg (must... make... it... higher!)
Basal Metabolism Rate: 1792 (equiv. to an 18 year old!)
Bone Mass: 3.2kg (Good)
Visceral Fat: 6kg (Approaching danger zone - must monitor)

Seriously though, I do need to gain more muscle mass and definition. There's the love handles to worry about, but I think it's more important to build first, then lean down.

A Little Break for My Knees

2008-02-17T22:39:00.003+08:00

(This post is a little incoherent and severely unedited, sorry)

For 2 months, Dec & Jan, I actually taught another aerobics class in Greenlane. Jastin and I did the usual stuff from our Thursday class but participation didn't pick up and we decided to hang our boots (Nikes?). A major reason is that participants had to pay RM20/month and I guess that turned them off. So at one point I taught 3 classes a week and it was really hard to arrange tracks so I don't get bored. I really admire full time instructors who can teach the same playlist 5 times or more every week.

Anyways, I was down to 2 classes a week and this past week I took leave from my Friday class at the company gym. They're renovating the entire place and building a new multi-purpose exercise hall (finally!). That means when I come back after a 2 month hiatus I won't have to teach in that cramped space anymore.

So now I'm down to 1 class a week, and I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. My knees still feel a bit weak at times, but they rarely hurt. This will be a good time to catch up on choreographing my next musicals-themed release. Musicals, you ask?

I love musicals but I've never watched actual stage productions, just movie interpretations. My appreciation started with Moulin Rouge and continued most recently with Hairspray (what's there not to love?!?). I've yet to watch Sweeney Todd, but from what I've heard it's quite the dark masterpiece.

So I decided a few months back after watching Hairspray for the second time to do a musicals-themed release. It'll be a dance-based workout filled with songs from musicals, and it's turning out to be harder to choreograph than I thought! The very first issue is to actually select suitable tracks. Here are a few that I've chosen, but I'm expecting you to contribute a few suggestions of your own!

Overture/All That Jazz from Chicago (great warmup & isolations)
Hindi Sad Diamonds from Moulin Rouge (Bollywood, what else?)
Several songs from Hairspray (add-on block, ~20 mins!)
Something from "Phantom of Opera" for recovery or cooldown. Thinking of either "Music of the Night" or "Think of Me".

I might want to squeeze in something from Dreamgirls, but was hoping for something more Broadway-esque in my playlist. Anything to recommend? I haven't watched enough musicals to know any better.

I Saw the Shadow of Death Again

2008-01-28T09:31:00.001+08:00

In the past few months we kept reading about tragic express bus crashes that killed innocent people. People with friends and family. People with hopes and dreams. People with a future. Somehow, we always think of them as “other” people. I no longer have that luxury.

At about 1.45pm Saturday, I received an SMS saying that Nian Ning has passed away due to a highway accident. I was absolutely dumbstruck. I hadn’t seen her in years – she was a friend back in Sunday School. Nevertheless I still have a vivid memory of her of our days being in the same class every Sunday morning. We weren’t terribly close but I maintained a good impression of her.

When a group of us arrived at her house to pay our final respects, the monk was just finishing up some prayers before we were allowed to enter. We stood outside waiting silently, trying hard to pass the time by talking but always trailing off into ellipses. Finally the monk exited the house and we felt it was appropriate to enter. Barely a step inside, I noticed a small crowd huddled to the left facing away. From the anguished words in between sobs I could tell it was the mother they were consoling. I braved on – pulled a joss-stick off the table, lighted it, and muttered a silent prayer for Nian Ning.

Stepping out of the increasingly crowded house I came face to face with her brother, whom I knew him almost as long as Nian Ning. With tears welled up, he instinctively shook my hand and thanked me for coming. And instinctively, I said sorry for their loss. Though I knew, I could never understand what he was going through.

It was even more heartbreaking to see her mother oscillate between anger at the bus driver and regret for the things she didn’t do for NN. All the emotions just flowed freely from her eyes. Close relatives failed to get her to sit and calm down. I wouldn’t, if I were her.

We left almost as quickly as we came. Life stops but for a brief moment when someone you care dies. And then you have no choice but to say your goodbyes and move on. I don’t know how they’ll ever recover from this. My guess is that they won’t. The wound will hurt less over time, but the scar will always remain. For myself, though, I can only pray that I have the fortitude and strength to weather this when my turn eventually comes.

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest
- Linkin Park, “Leave Out All the Rest”

Hip Hop Dance Performance

2008-01-18T11:20:00.000+08:00

For my volunteering as the aerobics instructor at the company gym, I was invited to attend an Appreciation Lunch held for all volunteers. Assuming I could dance professionally just because I taught some dance-based workouts, the organizer asked me to perform during the lunch.

Long story short, I strung together BodyJam routines and a freestyle hip-hop section to create a 2.5 min performance. The actual performance was horrible- the music cut out half way through and I had to restart! Also, the low ceiling distracted me as I tried to avoid bumping it. And to add salt, my camera's video function also quit halfway!

The video below is a "reshoot", done before my evening class. I still made some mistakes here and there, but it was definitely better than the actual performance.

Technically, this is the structure of the dance:
1. Hip hop routine taught by Kerry at the hip hop class
2. First 16 counts of the hip hop routine performed by Jamie & Hok, SYTYCD Season 3
3. BodyJam 42 House block
4. BodyJam 43 New School block
5. BodyJam 39 Dance4Life block
6. BodyJam 41 House block

Mission 1 Accomplished

2008-01-14T08:58:00.001+08:00

2 weeks ago I posted my resolutions:

Lose the 1-2kg I gained recently, by the end of January
Become a certified BodyJam instructor
Improve my knee condition to the extent where I can start doing more high-impact workouts

I'm glad to say item #1 has been achieved! And 2 weeks ahead of schedule, I must say. This is all a big relief, though I sometimes do think I'm hypocritical. As an instructor who advocates whole body fitness rather than "how heavy I am" fitness, I shouldn't get caught up over a kilogram or two.

Still, a person who gained 10kg had to start with a kilogram or two...

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-01T21:17:00.001+08:00

Lose the 1-2kg I gained recently, by the end of January
Become a certified BodyJam instructor
Improve my knee condition to the extent where I can start doing more high-impact workouts

What are your resolutions?

Counting My Prezzies

2007-12-31T13:37:00.000+08:00

Meant to do this last week, but at least I get to it before the end of the year! This year's birthday has been a blast! I got the most presents ever! Here's a quick run-through. I'm including some Xmas presents just to make the list longer :P

Have a Happy New Year, guys...!

A nice mug from my office Xmas gift exchange party. Well, at least it was better than last year's pure decorative item.

A pure decorative item. But at least it's hand-made!!

A present for me, from... me! It's a little reward for myself - a facial care set from Origins.

My favourite Xmas present! It includes an Aussiebum brief, a "Snap Me" button tag from NewUrbanMale, and two bandannas.

A simple birthday gift from a colleague. She got this last minute so I appreciated the gesture all the more so! But the packaging is deceiving: it's padded at the sides with cardboard!

Birthday gift from a group of friends: A Parker pen with 2 year warranty! I've never heard of pens that come with warranties...

Another Xmas gift exchange. If I went for one more gift exchange party I'd explode with mugs!

Other birthday gifts that I did not photograph include:

Free lunch with colleagues
Red Box celebration dinner
A health drink package that I wanted
Dinner with Dad, and a traditional ang pow thrown in
Dinner with Mum, and a Philips electric shaver! (my very first)

The downside is, I gained 1kg from all the celebratory food! I spent the entire year maintaining my weight and all it took was 1 week of unbridled eating to make me "festively plump". Sigh...

Recipe for Tummy Ache

2007-12-26T10:03:00.001+08:00

Sunday - Japanese Buffet Lunch @ Kampachi, EQ
Monday - Mango Cream cake
Tuesday - Chinese restaurant dinner
Wednesday - Chinese restaurant lunch
Thursday - Chinese restaurant dinner
Friday - German foot-long sausages (yum!)
Saturday - Buffet dinner @ Red Box
Sunday - BBQ Steamboat buffet dinner

Monday = Diarrhea, tummy ache, nausea.

And that's how I spent my Christmas Eve!! Thank goodness for Buscopan and Immodium .

MERRY CHRISTMAS PEEPS!

Freedom to Discuss Religion

2007-12-21T16:28:00.001+08:00

Boys and girls, listen up! Time to expand your mind.

Listening to the Beyond Belief podcast has left me feeling stifled being in Malaysia. It's great listening to multifaith discussions on various topics and just seeing the panelists have a go at each other. This is a practically non-existent scene here, so you should go check out their podcasts. The new season just started and the first episode concerns "Religion in the workplace". Excellent discussion.

Beyond Belief is produced by BBC Radio.

Catching Up On the Presents

2007-12-18T13:45:00.001+08:00

This is proving to be the most eventful birthday yet! Sure, turning 22 is nothing to celebrate, but I'm glad I've left a sufficient impression on my colleagues for them to be planning a secret bash for me. One even came to me with the dilemma of having nothing to eat and asking me to suggest a place for a gathering. Hah! I've got a surprise for them up my sleeve as well but I'll post it up later as I know some of them read the blog too.

Yesterday another group of colleagues celebrated my birthday. They are my "students", or as I would prefer to call them, participants of my Friday Cardio Dance class. It was really nice of them to get me a nice Mango Cheese cake and Nike shirt. Totally makes up for the fact that I'm not getting paid to teach.

I have photos to post, but I haven't Photoshopped out my acne scars. So I'll do a photo entry once I finish celebrations with my co-workers, friends, and family.

So this is what birthdays are all about... :)

Cute

2007-12-07T11:10:00.000+08:00

I was teaching a lunge track last night, and at the same moment I demonstrated putting your hands on yours hips for stabilization, ALL of them did the same thing. It was all so synchronized!

Satisfaction.

Not so satisfactory, however, is pain in my right knee when I lock my knees and twist them slightly. Gotta go get checked up by the company doctor, and hopefully get a referral to ortho.

Cardio Dance Videos Part 3-3

2007-11-30T09:39:00.000+08:00

Three more videos bring this week to an end! Be warned that the last video is 21 minutes long, and completely not worth watching.

Track 5 is a Peak Step track, featuring the song Yeah! (Techno Remix) by Usher:

Cardio Dance 4: Step Peak from Zemien on Vimeo.

I enjoyed this choreography but noted that it wasn't really tiring at all, even with the running. And the squats at the end do not really belong in a Peak Step track. I also missed my timing near the end and had to cut short the single knee repeaters.

To cool things down a bit while working on our lower body muscles is Christina's Ain't No Other Man, "inspired" from BodyStep 66:

Cardio Dance 4: Step Recovery from Zemien on Vimeo.

Once again, an easy and fun choreography to teach. So far I've pinched two step recoveries from BodyStep (the other being Sexyback), but rest assured I have an original choreo up my sleeve.

The last video is one that I hesitated posting, but I finally chose to because public humiliation has been proven to improve future performance. I hope.
It's the add-on House block from BodyJam 41 with a little tweak for the ending. There are several songs stitched together to make a 21 minute track:

Cardio Dance 4: Add-On Block from Zemien on Vimeo.

Watching myself in this video I realized I had become the type of instructor I hate most: instructors who have horrible technique but expect their participants to be flawless. I did not have the chance to practice this block in front of the mirror, so I assumed I looked good enough to teach it. Oh boy, what a shocker! It wouldn't be far-fetched to write "HYPOCRITE" on my forehead after what I commented about her (you can see her teaching the same thing towards the end). With this kind of dance quality I can't possibly expect to be a BodyJam instructor!! :(

Cardio Dance Videos Part 3-2

2007-11-29T14:58:00.000+08:00

Two videos grace your browser today, both of them step tracks!

The first video is an original step track, featuring the song "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child:

Cardio Dance 4: Step from Zemien on Vimeo.

I like step tracks and I try to do more of it, but if you take your eyes off of me and see how the participants are coping, you'd know why I have so few step tracks. I'm really at a loss of what to do. Is my cueing so bad that they can't follow? Or is their coordination darn horrible? They generally have no problems dealing with mirror image, except when it comes to step tracks. They also have trouble with the Around the World move unless I follow their side. If you know why, tell me! Please! You might be able to catch a hint of my despair and frustration if you crank up your speakers.

The next track is "inspired" from BodyStep 56's Speed Step, using the song "Chihuahua" by DJ Bobo:

Cardio Dance 4: Speed Step from Zemien on Vimeo.

I personally like this song due its pure cheesiness. Not forgetting that it's very simple to teach too. However I feel I didn't speed up the song quite fast enough for the chorus. I haven't heard it in the gym for some time so I couldn't compare the tempo with what I did. Any Steppers out there can comment?

Cardio Dance Videos Part 3-1

2007-11-28T09:33:00.000+08:00

I skipped uploading my last release because the quality was pretty bad. I also noticed that I tend to make more mistakes when the camera is pointed at me. Am I that self-conscious?

These are the videos from my latest class release. There are a few original step tracks, but 2 tracks are from BodyStep and the add-on track is from BodyJam. I know I said I would stop copying from Les Mills, but since they canceled the training I am not under any binding contract. Sure it's copyrighted and all but I never took credit for creating the choreography.

The first video is the step warmup track, consisting of 2 tracks:

Cardio Dance 4: Warmup from Zemien on Vimeo.

The first track is Alcazar's "This is the World We Live In". It was used as a BodyAttack warmup but I changed the choregoraphy completely for this track. An innovation for this track is the Step Forward move. Simple, but requires concentration not to trip over when walking back.

The second track is "Sound of Freedom (Everybody's Free)" from Bob Sinclair and Cutee B. It has an upbeat reggae feel to it and a great song to warmup to. This is also an original choreography track.

You can't see it very well, but I'm wearing my 3 month-old Nike shoes. My older videos show me wearing my old pair of running shoes.

A Workaholic's Nightmare

2007-11-09T14:30:00.001+08:00

I resisted it the whole year. Even went the opposite direction! But the year is catching up on me, and I realized I should just take a deep breath and get it over and done with.

I've got to.... clear last year's vacation leave.

When I joined last year, I got 5.5 days of pro-rated leave from the company. And you know what the elders say- "Don't take vacations in your first year, it'll give a bad impression!". But somehow even without their advice I settled into the 5 day week rhythm pretty quickly.

In fact, I used to despise 3 day weekends coz I would feel sluggish when I return to work. So to offset the effect I would come in on Saturday to work unpaid hours (doesn't happen anymore because I have classes to teach!).

Therefore I had a real dilemma when I realized I had to clear 5.5 days off before 2008 rolls in. The project is in its final stages and this is when my involvement is critical, but I also don't want to end up a boring workaholic who doesn't need time off!

What to do? What to do?

In the end I split up my leave into half-day chunks. So I *still* have to come in to work, I just spend less hours on certain days. And of course, I'm off on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as well, thus forming two long weekends in a row. Hopefully I can enjoy them this time around.

Pursuit of Financial Freedom

2007-11-04T22:12:00.000+08:00

I've been playing the virtual investment game Bursa Pursuit for a little over a month, and while it does teach me a lot about the stock market, it also revealed what a lousy investor I am! At this precise moment my gross profit and loss (more loss than profit, actually) is -RM10,903. Sure, I could blame the recent downturns but it does reveal my trading weaknesses.

First, I don't do any research. I already spend 10% of my workweek on non-work stuff (damn you RSS feeds!) and I can't be spending even more reading through market reports and stock tips.

Speaking of which, so-called stock tips are not anymore accurate than me randomly picking the top trader each day. It's really frustrating following all those "Buy" and "Sell" calls, which I really wonder if their researchers follow themselves.

And lastly, my own personal failure in cutting my losses is a factor as well. I followed a random stock tip in the daily news reports and it didn't take long for it to go southwards. But I held on to it, naively optimistic that it will reverse directions. 6 weeks later, I'm RM1878 poorer (and still holding until market conditions improve! hopefully!). I guess I wouldn't be so careless with real money, but human nature is pretty hard to beat.

Whether I'll actually invest real money after this game ends... perhaps. The lure of high returns is like a siren to my ship.

I just hope I don't crash into the sharp cliffs.