I'm Underweight!

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

(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

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”

Mission 1 Accomplished

2 weeks ago I posted my resolutions:

1. Lose the 1-2kg I gained recently, by the end of January
   
2. Become a certified BodyJam instructor
3. 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

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

What are your resolutions?

Counting My Prezzies

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

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!