Last day in Bangkok

Can't really blog much today... using a Mac instead of PC to access the internet and I'm somewhat confused with how things work. The fact that the ladies at the cyber cafe are cutting onions aren't really helping to make things easier. Was actually planning to post some interesting pictures here but I guess it will have to wait then...

Anyhow, We're flying back to KL tonight. In the mean time, we're heading back to the Central World Plaza to buy shoes for gf's dad before going to Mah Boon Krong for last minute shopping.

End of holidays....

Tired of walking...

After 2 days in Bangkok, it really doesn't feel like a holiday... Almost non-stop walking from one place to another. The nearest Skytrain station to the hostel Thong Lo and it's 15 mins' walk away. It's really hot here even at 8am! One good thing that I shaved my armpit hair...

Yesterday went to see the Grand Palace and a standing buddha, then we went to MBK centre, which really look more like Sungei Wang Plaza. In the evening, we were at Patpong Night Market, something like our Petaling Street. Only difference is they have pubs with pole dancers there.

We're heading to the Maenam Chao Phraya and Wat Arun after this brief stop at the internet cafe. Later on we have a 6.15pm appointment with Body Combat at Fitness First Landmark Plaza!

Just found out that we came out 5 in the Love-In-Tune Contest by Hitz.fm... thanks for those who voted for us!

How do you know you're in Bangkok

SAWASDEE KHRAP KRUNG TEP(BANGKOK)!!!


Ahh... land of the rot tit

Yeah, we reached Bangkok around 9.30am local time and didn't really do much yesterday. We slept through the afternoon before heading to World Central Plaza, Bangkok's answer to Sungei Wang Plaza. It's currently going through renovation and it's scheduled for re-launch in June 2006. We had snacks before we went to Lumpini to visit the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. The place is huge... you can do your shopping/bargaining for great stuff here. OCD bro asked me to get him a leather waller around RM20. I saw one and the seller said normally he sold it for 1250 baht, but for me he would give 600 baht. Anyhow, at the end I bought it for 300 baht. Gf and I also bought some other stuff before we headed to the Lumpini Stadium to watch the Muay Thay matches.

Don't have much to blog- only 20 mins free from the hostel. So will do more when I come back to KL. However, do visit this blog from time to time for some short updates.

Before I forget, if anyone is thinking of visiting Bangkok, you may be interested to know that the exchange rate offered at the Bangkok International Airport is RM9.13 for 100 baht- we exchanged all out money at Mid Valley for 9.35. So, do think about saving some of your exchange when you are in Bangkok.

My final thoughts on Malaysian Idol

This is my last time talking about Malaysian Idol competition till 2006. There are better things to think about... like my Bangkok trip.

So, Did Daniel deserve the win?

Let's review the reasons some people say he deserved it:

1) He is multi-talented
Yes, he can write his own songs and play some musical instruments. But does that make him a good singer? It's like saying that a good pharmacist will naturally be a good doctor, or a good surgical instrument maker will turn out to be a good surgeon. That remains to be seen.

2) He's got a huge fan base
How many? He got 1.2 million votes in the final, but that does not mean he had 1.2 million people voting for him. A friend at the gym told me that her maid was going to vote for Daniel 20 times! I'd like to see in future competitions where the organizers could adopt a system that allows only 1 vote per phone. I think that would be more fair to the contestants.

3) He improved throughout the contest
Yes he improved as he progressed, but if he were in a singing contest judged by people in the music industry, I doubt he could make an impact. Did anyone look at Abang Roslan and Kak Jee's face during the press conference? They said as much as they could to support Daniel, their expression told me a different story. I could still remember last year's press conference being more relaxed while this year's felt a bit solemn.

To be honest, Nita didn't do well in the final either. Even on Saturday, she was having another off day.... Farah deserves a singing contract out of this- she was FANTASTIC in the final's special presentation! Dinah was very good as well and Jackyln was... well, Jacklyn was still Jacklyn...

Next year, I'm expecting more cute guys in the competiton.

Launch at Cheras Leisure Mall

Sunday was the Les Mills new launch at Fitness First Cheras Leisure Mall. I was scheduled to do BodyCombat with Janis and Calvin. Since I wanted to join the BodyPump class at 1pm, I went to the first church service at 8.30am. So, by 11.15am I was already there.


The entrance



what's inside




That's Eric Ting who is with the sales team. Eric is trained in BodyStep, BodyJam and BodyPump, and last week he completed BodyAttack training as well. He's from East Malaysia but I got to know him in Penang when we both joined FF as members. Like me, he's very passionate about group exercises.



And here we have another GX coordinator, Crystal Tan. She takes care of FF Menara SPK. The BodyBalance top on the left is for sale at RM25. We have sold most of the tops actually- my girlfriend wanted to get a BodyJam top but they didn't have her size anymore- should've bought it for her on Thursday...*sigh*



The treadmill area is quite big, but it was kinda quiet that day. I think most people were going for the new launch. After all, it's always more fun to workout in the studio than doing it on your own.


The juice bad for member to relax and read newspapers

When I reached there, BodyStep had just concluded and up next was BodyBalance.



Nicholas and Klevin(no, I didn't not mispell his name) did the launch. Nick is the coordinator for FF Menara John Hancock while Klevin is a fellow Group-X instructor.(note to self: really need a good camera!)


members in action



Since I pimped for Janis, a lot of guys have expressed interest in knowing her. Here we have the hopefuls lining up to submit their info and have their photos taken by Janis. Apparently she will go through the data and select a few for the second round. The members were lining up for BodyPump. It's time to get Pumped up!


Mr Incredible Wes Carter is in da house!

BodyPump was presented by Crystal and our resident kwai lo, Wes Carter. Wes is the Master Trainer for BodyPump and RPM and he also oversees us as the head teacher for BodyPump and RPM at FF.



That's Klevin trying out BodyJam wearing a BodyBalance top. I think Klevin should apply for next year's Malaysian Idol contest because he's cute.... SURE CAN WIN!


Jacq gettin' jiggy with it!

On the right is Riyo, coordinator for FF The Curve. Riyo is Japanese and she's a fantastic instructor on stage- actually together with Jacq, they are my gf's favourite BJ instructors. They are also one of the many reasons I will never do BodyJam- I can't look as good as them.



Wes and Lynn also did the launch for RPM.



Don't let his expression fool you- He's having a ball riding it.

Didn't take any picture of the BodyCombat because the camera batteries decided to raise the white flag. Anyhow, it was another fun day for us and the members, especially. Tonight will be my last participation in the new launch as I will be leaving for Bangkok tomorrow morning.

So, unless I can get access to the internet, there won't be any blogging till next Monday...

Sad news

Just heard that my colleague Sim Beng Choo had passed away on Saturday- She had been a diaysis patient for many years.

She was such a wonderful lady. :-(

1.2 million people can't be wrong, can it?

Caught a glimpse of the post Malaysian Idol press conference. Abang Roslan and Kak Jee didn't look that happy... seems like they were trying to justify Daniel's win.

The best part was when a caller asked Nita, "How do you feel losing because of popularity and not talent?"

Anyhow, Farah was fabulous tonight! Jac and Dinah were great and way ahead of both Daniel and Nita. It will be interesting to see how Daniel and Nita progress in their respective career.

ah beng album vs. caberat album, anyone?

Yesterday's Les Mills launch

Welcome to the 3rd Quater Les Mills launch at Fitness First Damansara Uptown.



I went straight from my office. This is what greeted me when I got there.


That's my name...

Jacq and a couple of ppl were at a table selling the new tops for the launch. I got mine from Jacq as I was launching BodyCombat. After changing my clothes, I went straight to watch the BodyJam class in action.

(note to self: Must get good camera next year!)


"stop, in the name of LOVE..."

Suaimi and Jeremy were dancing their way into the hearts of the members. Suaimi is the Grope Group-X Coodinator for FF Summit while Jeremy is a fellow Group-X Instructor like yours truly. Incidently, this is the 2nd time for Jeremy and I to work as colleagues- we were in Padini back in 2000.



As you can tell, some were really letting it all out! Check out Evelyn, the lady in front!


Jeremy doing something cool...

Up next: BodyPump!!!


Your BodyPump presenters: leng lui and Ben


Members setting up for class

I decided to join the class since it's the easiest way to learn the new release.


"Good job, team!"


This guy was a regular when I was teaching BC there

Half way through the class, there was loud music coming from the other room- RPM has begun!



Here we see the members working hard in the last mountain climb track.


If you don't sweat in RPM, something is wrong with you


Horny Herny and Jon Wong presented RPM

BodyStep continued where BodyPump left off, and it was Jacq and Suaimi's turn to show their stuff.


That's Jeremy with the camera


"If you're new, please raise your hand..."


Listening to the final instruction...

My apologies that I cannot show you the class in action as the pictures I took came out very crappy. (2nd Reminder: Must get good quality digicam)

Last but not least, it was finally time for some ruthless agression with BodyCombat!



I passed the camera to leng lui to take pictures and I forgot to ask her to take the class in action. Again, the camera was a big letdown and there's nothing much to show you. Ben kick started with the first 5 tracks and I finished them off. I was nervous going into this one, and when I took over from track 6, I tried to relax myself and enjoy the music. When Muay Thay comes in, it was a whole different story. I think I didn't say much in that track- merely went "Arrrrghhhhh!!!!" together with the music. This release's Muay Thay has easy choreography but it is energy zapping!!! I went straight into the last Power track, then did the push-up/abs workout before we finish the night with a beautiful cooldown, inspired by the movies The Last Samurai and Lord of the Rings.


One for the album

Like the top the instructors are wearing? You can purchase any of them at RM25 on the new launch day of the gyms. I particularly like the BodyPump and BodyComabt for guys and the BodyJam for ladies. Maybe I will take a couple of shots for Monday's blog.


"Hi, I'm leng lui!"

Leng Lui's name is Janis. She is the Senior Group-X Coordinator overseeing FF Cheras Leisure Mall and also helping Jacq with a couple of other gyms.



Herny, the coordinator for FF Damansara Uptown, is the one in blue and the lady on the right is Lynn, the coordinator from FF Menara Maxis.


what is her hand doing?

Finally we have Janis standing next to the most powerful woman in Group-X,... my National Group-X Manager, Jacqueline Wong. Jacq is trained in BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyStep, BodyJam, RPM, BodyBalance, BodyBeautiful, BodySlam, BodySnatch, Bodywhatevernot. She is also a Master Trainer for BodyStep.

Sorry guys, Jacq is married... but I think Janis is not, dunno still available or not though. However, if you are keen to know her, here are 2 options:

1) Join Fitness First Cheras Leisure Mall if it is convenient for you. She's based there, so you will get a lot of opportunities to see her. Otherwise, you can join any other FF since she teaches there as well.

2) Give me your name, phone number, age, and attach a passport-size photo, and send it to mee_goreng@yahoo.com. I will pass your details to her...

Overall, it was a fun night for me, though I was exhausted after the class. Something about being in a launch sort of pushed me to work a little harder yesterday- I almost had cramps on my right thigh and foot just as I was about to go to bed. Nevertheless, I look forward to the next 2 launches at Cheras Leisure Mall and Wisma Consplant Subang.

Malaysian Idol or Malaysian Idiot?

This Saturday, we have the rare priviledge to decide who we want to be our ambassador to the world and I urge you fellow Malaysians to choose wisely.

Some may argue that the Malaysian Idol competition this year is not as exciting as last year because we don't see a standout performer like Jac(we are also more concerned about the rising cost of living nowadays) but a decision has to be made on who will be our next Malaysian Idol.

Cuteness Appearance seems to be an important factor for some a lot of people- take a look at who is still in the race so far. Nowadays, with a marketing plan, you can sell almost anything, eg. F4. Please don't tell me F4 did so well in their debut because of their singing ability. Granted, they can sing.... but so can William Hung. For me, I don't patron a char koay teow stall because the lady who serves me is a cute girl.

Anyway, back to the Malaysian Idol final. Please, if you are going to vote, choose someone you can be proud of- one who has SUBSTANCE.

On another note, my gf is still in the running for the Hitz.fm Cornetto Love In Tune contest. For more info, please read this previous entry. Last day of voting is 23 Sept at 5pm. Apparently they are going to announce the winners between 26 Sept and 30 Sept.... hopefully we will come back from Bangkok and get some good news!

Les Mills new launch

Tomorrow is the beginning of the week-long Les Mills new release launch for us at Fitness First. I am priviledged to be in the Body Combat launch team this time(was actually asked to help out in RPM as well, but had to go Bangkok).Tomorrow we start with FF Damansara Uptown, and I will be teaming up with Ben Sim for the first time. I always see him as a technical instructor while I think I'm more performance-based. So putting us together should be something like coffee and coffee mate, things should work out fine.

The schedule is as follows:

5.30pm BODYJAM - Jeremy & Suaimi

6.35pm BODYPUMP - Ben & Janis

7.00pm RPM - Horny Herny & Jon Wong

7.40pm BODYSTEP- Jacq & Suaimi

8.45pm BODYCOMBAT - Ben & Alvin

Compared to my previous particiaption in the RPM launch, I think the BodyCombat launch is more stressful. If I ever make a mistake tomorrow, it's gonna be SOOOO obvious! Doing RPM is more relaxing because even if I were to screw up the choreography, no one would notice (except maybe the co-presenter).

Anyhow, I will bring m camera along for the event and show you guys/gals what we do on a launch day. I will also be launching at FF Cheras Leisure Mall on Sunday(3.30pm) and FF Wisma Consplant Subang(8.45pm) Personally, that's one thing I like about working out in a gym with 10 branches- you get to move around and experience different stuff and atmosphere from time to time.

FF members may pre-register for the classes by bringing a non-member friend to the class. So, if you are interested to attend and you have a friend who's a FF member, you can ask your member friend to pre-register you for the classes. Alternatively, if you don't know any FF member, you can email me at mee_goreng@yahoo.com and I'll try to help. Below is the date and branches we are doing the launch- see if any of them is convenient for you to attend:

22 Sept FF Damansara Uptown
23 Sept FF Menara Maxis
24 Setp FF The Curve
25 Sept FF Cheras Leisure Mall
26 Sept FF Wisma Consplant Subang
27 Sept FF Menara John Hancock
28 Sept FF Menara Summit
29 Sept FF Wisma SPK
30 Sept FF Menara Axis
1 Oct FF Island Plaza Penang

SEE YOU!!!

Fan mail: reducing spams

As usual, I constantly get mails from my admirers readers and today here's another one worth sharing:



This is actually a reply to a comment I made that his blog was spammed.

So what is a SPAM?

Example:



As you can see from above, a spam is anything that looks like a advertisement, or a link that is unrelated to your blog. The funny thing in my example is the silly blogger actually replied to a spam, thinking it's a real compliment. He should've realised that his blog is fruit basket case, nobody in the right frame of mind would find him interesting, well except his baby doctor gf who got conned.

Anyhow, to answer the question, if you use the comments supplied by Blogger.com you can do something to reduce spams. Just follow the instruction below:



So what you do is this:



I'm using Haloscan instead and so far I have yet to receive any spam. So maybe if you have loads of spams, you might wanna consider disabling the Blogger.com comments and use Haloscan instead.

Hope this helps.

Things to take note when you visit me

(Note: This is one entry my OCD bro should never EVER read.)

Don't let this thing fool you- this is a furniture.



Does anyone you know leave his/her vacuum cleaner in the living room? Well, this is a permanent feature in the living room. My OCD brother leaves it lying around since he always uses it a couple of time in a day. Come to think of it, the worst thing that could happen to him is for this vacuum cleaner to rosak...

Please also remember that there are a couple of things you should not do when you're here. (Thanks to my eldest bro for being kind enough to demo!)

RULE #1


Please note that the pillows on the couch are for display only. Therefore you should never put your arm on it for added comfort. By doing so, you will dirty the cushion cover. Not too sure whether you can use it for back support either.

Rule #2


This is a common mistake my dad used to make. Foot MUST remain on the floor at all times. Reason? It will dirty the coffee table lor...

Rule #3


This one is a bit complicated. You should NEVER do anything on the couch(i.e.eating, sleeping, crossing your leg, etc). In fact, sitting on the couch is NOT ENCOURAGED as it will dirty and soften the cushion of the couch. However, if you really must sit on it, please take note of the arrangement of the pillows as you are required to put everything back in order.

There are other rules and regulations you need to observe, especially in the kitchen area, unfortunately cannot take picture anymore coz OCD bro came out of his bedroom to watch TV already. Maybe next time....

Weekend of national tragedies

1. 7 people died after a car rammed into a police roadblock opposite Tesco in Penang. How could it possibly happen? Was the area properly lit up? Did they wear reflective clothes?

2. Daniel made it into the final of Malaysian Idol with the HIGHEST votes, at the expense of a more talented Farah. Granted, this year we did not have a standout performer like Jac but Nita and Farah were way better than Daniel. Once again, it shows that talent isn't important as long as you can attract young girls to vote for you. So what if ALL the judges hentam his performance on Friday? Did anyone else see the Friday performance? Surely you cannot imagine Daniel your next Malaysian Idol?

Stupid weekend...

Bangkok heat

Less than 2 weeks to go before I leave for Bangkok and I'm getting excited. Think about all the beautiful thai ladies wonderful food and interesting places I get to enjoy with my gf....

This is my first trip to Bangkok since 1985. I went on a tour with my mom and sister then, I think I still have the photos somewhere in my photo album back in Penang. Sad to say, I can't remember much of the trip, except the transvestite show we watched in Pattaya. Guys who looked more feminine that some of the female Body Combat instructors girls I know here.

Anyhow, this trip was planned in July, way before the stupid Waja scam hit me in the face. I probably would've cancelled the plan if I hadn't bought the air asia ticket then. My gf would've been very disappointed then... Well, can't change anything now, so might as well do my best to make it as enjoyable as possible.

For this trip, budgeting is the #1 priority for me. In fact, we're staying at the guesthouse which costs about RM18 a night per person. So most of the money will be spent on shopping, eating and visiting places of interest.

I want to be prepared for my trip, knowing how much I will need to set aside. So, I've been surfing the net for the pass few days and Virtual Tourist has been pretty helpful so far. A fellow blogger Gina just came back from her Bangkok trip and her blog has been informative as well. Another site I found very "geng" is by this ang mo at http://www.bkk-gui.de/.



This guy is really something. He's got almost everything you want to know about Bangkok covered. From shopping to finding thai female life partners... you name it, he's got it- even "adult entertainment"!

But my main interest for this trip is definitely the chicks watching a "live" muay thay match. I've seen it on TV, I've tried to imitate it in class, but nothing beats watch 2 fighter beating the living hell out of each other. It's gonna be brutal and bloody, so I hope my gf can stomach it. The only set back about watching a muay thay match is it's quite expensive- around 800 baht for tourists. Still, at least it is better than a fruitcake I know driving with 2 friends all the way from Penang to Bukit Jalil in 2002 to watch a couple of guys pretending to kick one another's arses.

I've listed out a couple of places to visit with Virtual Tourist's assistance. There are actually plenty of Wat one can visit in Bangkok but I'm NOT that keen on looking at buddha statues. So besides the muay thay match, the highlight of the trip will be the shopping at Phat Phong and Suan Lum Bazaars.

I have set aside a couple of hours on Thursday 29 Sept to visit Fitness First Thailand because I cannot afford not to workout for too long. It will be interesting to see how they teach Body Combat in Thai(may copy some stuff back for personal use!). I'm not sure if I can enter with just my GXI card- will try to get a FF passport booklet from the front desk before I leave.



Of course there will be visits to some temples, the Grand Palace, Chinatown, etc. I was initially thinking of going to the Safari World but I may substitute it with a visit to Damnoen Saduak floating market and Nakhon Pathon(Rose Garden)-the latter costs about 50% less than the former.



Will be discussing with gf to finalise the itinerary within the next 1 week.

Why you shouldn't buy fake DVDs

This is one fine example why you should not support piracy, especially if you are in China(the ones we have in Malaysia are of better quality though...)

http://www.winterson.com/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html

Another busy day for me here in the office....

Can you help us?

I need some help here... My gf has entered the hitz.fm Walls Cornetto Love in Tune contest and we need to get as many votes as possible.

So if you would be kind enough to do us a favour and vote for us via sms:



I promise if we win I'll do Body Jam naked in any of the FF gyms we'll be very grateful to each and everyone of you!

Voting ends 5pm 23 Sept. If you like to know how her entry sounds like, click here.

no title

Didn't really think I would do this but somehow after reading some comments at a particular forum got me into writing my experience with Fitness First.

I started as a member in July 2003 when FF opened its branch in Penang. My sole purpose of joining the gym then was to do some body building(I'd slacked off since I started working in 1999). I was with a small gym then but I was only paying Rm50 a month and that wasn't motivating enough for me to be consistent. So, I figured that if I were to pay more for the subscription, I would be "encouraged" to go regularly.

Up till then, I had no idea what group exercises was about- it was a lady friend who asked me to join her to do Body Combat. Since the name "Combat" sounded macho, I followed her to an afternoon class one Wednesday(I was still doing sales, so got long lunch hours). I had fun but I paid the price- body was in pain for about 3-4 days. It was then I found my passion with group exercises.

From Body Combat I ventured to Body Pump and Body Step as well, but I stayed away from RPM because it was torturous inside the cycling studio! Honestly, I had imagined myself teaching Body Combat and Body Pump but never in the world even thought of attending RPM classes as a particpant!

Eventually I got my training in BC in March last year and that was how I started teaching. Now I do an average of 2 classes per day except Wednesday which is my gym Sabbath. I am also in the process of taking up another 1-2 classes on weekdays and maybe convert Saturday into my Sabbath.

You can probably tell from this blog that I enjoy the gym stuff more than my full-time job. If I were any younger, I might just resign from my desk job and go full time fitness industry... or maybe still not too late to do that?

Finally, something for mature audience

“Do you still remember your childhood dream about a silver shooting star? The dream still remains somewhere in your heart unbroken. The year 2005, it took us 39 years to come across the shooting star again…”

With that introduction, say hello to Tsuburaya's new Ultraman for mature audience- Ultraman: The Next .



Being a sucker for anything Ultraman-related, I was pretty excited with the direction Tsuburaya has taken lately. First, it came out with the Ultraman Nexus series in 2004 which has an actual storyline with less monsters(unfortunately didn't do well in Japan because children couldn't appreciate it) and now this movie.

The movie premiered on 18 December 2004 across Japan and I was hoping that it could perhaps make its way here to the local cinemas too. Unfortunately that didn't quite happen but heck... At least Speedy chose to release it in VCD. I was on my way to the car park at Cheras Leisure Mall last Sunday and the video shop was showing it on TV. I just knew I had to get my hands on it!



Now, there are 2 language versions of the movie: Malay and Japanese/Cantonese and of course I took the Jap/Canto version(Actually I couldn't care less about the Cantonese dialogue as long as they give me the chinese subtitle). As usual, it comes with 2 VCDs...



However when I opened the cover, something else was inside too.



Looks like the people at Speedy and KFC did not do their homework on the movie - any parent who buys this movie for their young children is unknowingly wasting their money. There are far too much drama and talking that the kids are going to fall asleep watching it.

Like I said earlier, the target group here is the adults, people who grew up with the Ultraman mythology. So the movie flows more like a sci-fi than and kiddy stuff. In fact, the hero doesn't turn into the gigantic warrior using any special device. Instead, he has to go through a seemingly painful mutation before changing into the silver giant. Speaking of the giant, this Ultraman looks nothing like his predecessors.


First and final transformation- the initial transformation reminds me of the Bio Booster Guyver

It looks like he's wearing an armour instead of a suit, which kinda tells you he's serious about kicking a$$es! There's only one monster in the movie, dubbed The One by the scientists. It is a beast that is capable of mutation- transforming from a human, to a small beast, and subsequently into more powerful forms as it absorbs other lifeforms into its body.

At the centre of the movie is the hero Shunichi Maki. Unlike previous Ultraman hosts who were young, single and (almost!)carefree,this guy really has a tough life. Maki was a middle-aged F15 pilot who left the air defence to spend time with his family; his 5-year-old son is suffering from a congenital blood disease that threatens to kill him before he turns 7. He's a man who just wants to be with his wife and son as they go through this difficult moment, but fate has chosen him to be Earth's hope against a monster that was going to destroy the planet. For more on the movie, do check out www.ultramanlah.com which has an archive on the movie. There you can find an excellend review plus an article where the director Konaka Kazuya talks about the movie.

I enjoyed the movie because it gives me a new twist to the Ultraman story- a story that doesn't make you laugh at its silliness. Rather it makes you empathise with the struggles of a father who's trying to do the right thing and be with his son at the same time and the pain of a scientist who must kill her loved one who has turned into a monster.

Hopefully, there'll be more such feature films coming in future.