Fatboybakes' Fattening Favourites

I'm not sure if its a disorder of sorts, but at any one time, I need at least 10 different kinds of shampoo and shower gels in my bathroom. Considering I spend 20 out of 62 showers in the gym, per month, maybe I should seek therapy. Anyway, this "disorder" doesn't stop at shower gels. Last saturday, I undertook what I thought to be a daring move, and had some friends over for dinner and board games. So what? Well, there were three distinct groups of people there that night, as as the time approached, I felt really stressed; not so much from having to prepare food for 20, but wondering whether or not the people will mix, or would they form their own little colonies. The three groups were : Everybody Loves Raymond (all of us are linked through this guy, Raymond, who first got us all together), The First Baptist Church crowd, (FBC - this will eventually be the name of my bakery too, Fat Boy's Cakes), and The Fitness First instructor crowd, (actually only two of them...

For anyone who's interested. Play dough costs quite a fair bit to buy. For approximately RM5, you can make enough play dough for your kids to play with till they're sick of it. Anyway, I was one of the volunteers to make play dough for our church's vacation bible school, so last night, I got around to doing it. Basicall, in sequence, sift 3 cups flour, add 1½ cups salt, 3 cups water, 1 tbsp cream of tartar, (its a powder, not a sauce), 2 tbspn oil, and mix together in a pot, over low heat. When the dough gets thicker, it really becomes quite an effort to stir. But perservere until it is dryer, and doesn't stick to the sides of the pot. Once it has reached the consistency of a pliable dough, you can add your food coloring, (or actually you can probably do this earlier), and dont panic if it forms blotches, of uneven coloring. Pour out the whole lump onto a table top, and knead, until the coloring is all blended nicely. Tah dah.... PLAY DOUGH.

Hmm, let me think, what's been happening. I learnt a new word, DOTAGE. dotage n : mental infirmity as a consequence of old age; My memory is failing with my dotage. I've been sending out emails, forgetting to attach the information the mail is supposed to contain, I've been sending sms-es to non intended recipients, (fortunately nothing derogatory)..... Tuesday ...hmmm, the weather overall has been quite overcast, with an average temperature of 26C. Which is amazing, considering our NORMAL temperature hovers around 33 -36C. Let's see, Tuesday, dessert day. Well, made a lemon tart, which nearly got burnt coz of other distractions, such as the new software Microsoft Visio, which is great; allows you to draw maps, draw floor plans, etc. While the tart was in the oven, I was on the pc, resulting in an almost FLAMED FLAN. Another case of dotage. Fortunately, it was salvageable, and well, tasted okay. A tad sour, but my family seems to prefer sour to sweet, hence the unpopula...

Oh, I meant to blog about this earlier, but forgot completely. The other day, in the changing room of FF MJH, I overheard this conversation. Sometimes, you don't intend to eavesdrop, but unless you are hard of hearing, its virtually impossible NOT to hear. Two chappies, (instructors, actually), were having an animated exchange about tattoos. I learnt this, just by unwitting eavesdropping. 1. A standard design tattoo costs about RM300 2. You can get it done here in KL 3. For the RM300 one, don't be surprised if 300 others have the same design as you. 4. For a bit more, you can get a custom made one. 5. People DO notice if you've had a new one done. 6. There's obviously a whole new planet with tattooine citizens out there. If I ever get a tattoo, ........... I wonder where'll I'll put it.

It's eerily silent, since two of my normal links are out of blogging action the next few days. One is in Hong Kong, setting up house for her boy boy, who is working there, and the other one, is stuck in training for BODY ATTACK, the new group exercise that will be introduced in Fitness First soon. Anyway, I volunteered to make 10 portions of play dough for my church's vacation bible school, which is next week. It's quite fun to make your own play dough, and cheap too, compared to buying em from toys r us. And the kids get such kicks out of seeing it made. To those who are interested, this is a good recipe to follow: 1 Portion of Home made Play Dough 1 cup flour ( 140 grams or 7 oz) 1/2 cup salt ( 100 grams or 4 oz) 2 tsp cream of tartar 1 cup water 2 tsp oil 1 tsp food colouring (Probably wise to sift the flour and cream of tartar together. Cream of tartar is NOT tartare sauce for fish, it is a powder. Cream of Tartar + Bicarbonate Soda = Baking Powder) Chuck in all i...

Sigh. I now have to avert the gaze of Friday Body Pump instructor, lest I burst out laughing. So I have to ensure that I get a spot near the window, so I can at least gaze outside. Great class though. Packed, as usual. Some people have very bad spatial judgement. They'd set up their board far too close to you, despite there being acres of space in front of them. We could have locked horns, or locked bars, especially for the chest presses. Saturday morning combat was a hoot. For some reason, the amazon ladies in combat on saturday morning are very reticent, and we usually don't give out any warrior shrieks, or orgasmic grunts. It was no different this saturday, although the instructor was a replacement. Anyway, he very ambitiously made us do 6 non stop tracks, which is what I like. At the end of the 6th track, as we wiped our brows, I mentioned to a fellow combatter, "He's good right!". It was meant to be a soft mutter, or whisper, but coz we hadn't vocalised f...

The PM's wife, Datin Seri Endon, passed away this morning. It's not surprising that there is a general mood of sadness, genuine sadness, amongst our circles; afterall, the first family really do exude such a likeable, genuine, character. Anyway, my prayers are with the PM and his family, at this time, and may she rest in peace. God Bless.

One of my main grouses about acute myopia, (short sightedness) is: 1. waking up to pee in the middle of the night, and groping for your glasses... or just heading to the toilet without. 2. cutting hair in barber, esp unfamiliar ones. the minute you take off your glasses, you are at their mercy, and might as well take a catnap until they're done, since I can't see what they're doing ANYWAY. 3. buying a new frame* ; cos I can't really see what I look like with the new frames. It's not that I'm vain or anything, in fact, I'm a slob, as far as aesthetic appearance is concerned, ..........hmmm, check that, I'm a slob, period. I burp and fart in public. That reminds me, every time I do squats in body pump, I have this urge to let go a huge loud stinker. It must be that unnatural position. Kinda like Pavlov's bell. Reflex action. 4. entering a steam room ; need I say more. The sudden fogginess assails you like an on coming train. And it doesn't help t...

Sigh. After doing the two Ss this morning, (sh***ing and showering), I favourite specs, just lay down and died. Rather, it broke into two. The one I am wearing now is an ill fit, and the astigmatism power is way below my current one, so I am feeling a bit dizzy. Anyway, for those of you who are looking for a good, reliable optometrist and spec shop, check out my friend's shop in BSC; called M&J, on the same floor as TIMES bookshop. Very reasonably priced frames, and very personalised service. Look for Lynn. Thank you friends for all your concern about the daughter. She seems recovered, and should be back in school tomorrow. I was especially touched by the comment from FRIENDS FROM FF GX... don't know who they are, but have a vague idea. Talking about FF, aiyo, I don't think my training for RPM is progressing....after body pump yesterday, (bravo, the chappie teaching the class actually squeezed 9 tracks into a 45 minute class!!!! well done, HT!!! absolutely no nonsense,...

Basically, that was the two "highlights" of my weekend, including Friday. On Friday, after having fever for 4 days, my daughter was admitted to hospital for dehydration (I cannot for my life understand how that happened, as she drinks copious amounts of water), and for blood tests for the dreaded D word. Admission to hospital in itself isn't so traumatic. It's the whole experience thereafter. First, there were no single rooms, which makes you wonder if you're gonna get what the person in the next bed has. (So many sick people, the hospital was fully booked). And hospitals obviously try to discourage visitors, so each room has only one chair. So it's kind of awkward trying to find a place to rest your bum. Then came the worst part. Administration of the DRIP. Again, in itself, it shouldn't have been so traumatic, but for some reason, the girl's veins couldn't be located, and the doctor had to make several attempts at drawing blood!!!! The poor girl,...

Over the years, I've been blessed with many friends. Cos I'm a friendly person. Ahem. Those who know me well would know that there are several categories of friends that have popped up over the years, including: FOTY - Friend of the Year. Actually this title came about, because I used to keep a journal, (way before the days of blogs), and I use to make a note of the new friends I've made in that year who have made an impact in my life one way or another. Over the years, the list trickled down to fewer names. Then old friends started speculating who will be the "friend of the year"..... it was meant to be retrospective, not like selecting a puppy, and grooming it. FATY - After getting married, wife wasn't too comfortable with the idea of me making FOTYs that were female. So, I had to start a new category for them. FEMALE ACQUAINTANCE OF THE YEAR. But since no female wanted that label, it didn't last long. WOMBAT - Credit has to be given to H-L for this. Sta...

Haven't been to town for lunch for the longest time. Today, decided to catch up with old friend, SJL, and had our normal Ipoh Sar Hor Fun in Tongkat Tong Shin. She only just found out about this blog, and was questioning me why she's one of the last to know. Actually, it's not that she's the last or what, it's just that I never publicise it. Afterall, it's not really a diary of my innermost thoughts, more a therapeutic outlet to just waffle. Anyway, SJL looks as glamoros as ever, complete with Ferragamo shoes, and smart suit...which she claims is unbranded. Her shoes probably cost more than every item hanging off me, combined. As in clothing items and accessories hanging off me. Kids fevers are down a bit. Will need a few more days before doing blood tests to see if it is anything serious, IF the fever doesn't go down. Sumo (no 3) doesn't seem any worse for wear, despite his tonsils being larger than apples...he could still eat his usual 1/2 portion of r...

Last night, my daughter's fever went up to 40.05 degrees celsius, which is equivalent to 104++ degrees on the thermometers of yore. I recall usually that 104 degrees warrants hospitalisation. I very clearly remembered going to outpatient in Pantai hospital, and the nurse saw my 104, and said, OH MY GOD, YOU NEED TO BE WARDED. I was quite pleased then, coz that meant time off work. (I was 22). Son No 1 seems to have recovered from his bout of fever, and looks slightly thinner, after 2 days of no appetite. Son No 2 is still having a fever, but hasn't lost an ounce of his sumo fat. These days, apparently you do NOT apply icy cold towels to bring down the fever, (like my folks did when I was young), rather, just sponge them with cool towels, as the sudden icy cold can induce shock. The worst thing about all this is, it's exam time, so daughter still had to go in to school today for her last paper. She should be home resting. Anyway, as of 10am just now, she seems to b...

They are finally renovating the very tired looking centre at John Hancock, and amongst the upcoming highlights, is an RPM studio. I always thought RPM meant revolutions per minute, but actually, here the acronym stands for RAW POWER IN MOTION. (for some reason, in my mind it's always Raw Passing of Motion). To the un-informed, its basically this: Raw Power in Motion (RPM) All Levels: An indoor stationary cycling experience. Spin along to various terrains, speeds and intensities and let the music be your road. Go at your own pace and enjoy a group exercise session full of motivation and sweat! RPM Challenge (RPM Challenge) Advanced: RPM Challenge is an awesome 60 minutes version of the popular RPM studio cycling class that will lead you on a journey to total calories destruction! Burn huge amounts of fat and get a fantastic cardiovascular workout. Try RPM Challenge for killer cross-training and fast results! Why am I even remotely excited about this? Well, it's because a friend...

Have been meaning to refer to this entry but was quite speechless (in a good way) by the fact that some people are so discerning, they can actually recognise a person from a goatee. I sure would NOT want to have committed a crime and have Jacqueline as an eyewitness. Anyway, I asked shades why she didn't make it known there and then, that she recognised me; apparently, it would have been awkward to say, "hi, are you fatboy", as she didnt know my name. Ah well. I did subsequently introduce myself to her at the nike tribes challenge. A bit of kiss ass work here, but I have had the privilege of attending one of Jac's body combat class; it was a one off thing, where she was replacing a thursday lunch time instructor, and it was really one of the best combat classes i've remembered. Of course, it was only later on that I found out she's like the instructor of the instructors. So terror one leh.

You know how if you suddenly pour cold water over very hot metal, it (the metal) becomes brittle? (ala Fantastic Four). Apparently, the same thing happens with fat too. This is why I reckon they create such lovely cool down tracks in the group exercises in the gym. Well, last Saturday night, that's what happened to me. In a hurry to get back to a hungry wife , I abruptly left a workout and showered and rushed home. That's when I found out.... that old farts should really cool down. I could feel the body seizing up. Why was I working out on Saturday night? Well, here's where the story begins. Last weekend was the finals of the Nike tribe chall enge at Fitness First in Menara Axis. I am too lazy to regurgitate what this nike tribe challenge is, so if you want to know, just read the link. And read the surrounding stories in that blog for more info. Basically, three or more women approach an instructor to lead them in a competition, either body combat, body step or body jam. It...

A dear friend, one of the few women that I am actually scared of, told me that I hardly open up anymore. No more D&M (deep and meaningful) conversations. I asked her if it ever occured to her that I was just shallow. Truth of the matter is, I can't recall having a D&M with anyone for the longest time now. The advent of yahoo chat, msn messenger and sms-es has rendered my telephone conversation skills to that of old man with TB. As I hardly go out alone with anyone, there really isn't any "bonding" per se, and even if there was, I wonder what I'd talk about. What constitutes D&M these days? I mean, when we were younger, we might perhaps share our ideals, our dreams, our criteria for that life partner, moan about our rejections, failures in relationships, broken hearts, etc. These days, at dinners, conversations revolve around health, the best cholestrol medication, kids schools, gyms, places to eat, shows to watch, etc. (in carey bradshaw tone)...

My fave pump instructor (I know this sounds really kiss ass....but aiyo, there arent many to choose from, heh heh), pointed me to the site which lists all the les mills songs used in the exercises. http://www.btstalk.com/music/body_combat.php It's quite an invaluable site to me, coz as I said , once a tune is stuck in my head, it gets really annoying, and worse still if I don't know what the title is. At least if the earworm is identifiable, I can play it till I'm sick of it. Cont'd.. Songs I associate with Group Exercise Instructors & friends Shake Ya Shimm y (and that ass buster song) - Lil Alvin Sexy, Bohemian Rhapsody - Wai Hoong Vedi, Maria by Emma Shaplin - Lisa Jones Tarakihi by Kiri Tekanawa - Ben Sim My Grandfather's Clock - THL (but previously, my 1st son) Pang Yao by Alan Tam - Marvin Mencintaimu - Kris Dayanti - Jasper (first time I ever attended a pot party) On My Own from Les Miserables - Jacqueline Lee Tell Me on A Sunday Please - Rev Dr ...

I knew those lyrics from MASTER OF THE HOUSE (Les Miserables) didn't sound quite right. The last verse should read; What a cruel trick of nature Landing me with such a louse God knows how I've lasted Living with this bastard in the house.... pum pum pum... While we're on this topic, fans of les miz MUST absolutely get hold of the TENTH ANNIVERSARY concert performance at the Royal Albert Hall. I watched it first time ever about 10 years ago, on Laser Disk, (which I ordered and took 6 months to arrive), and found myself standing up alone, in my room, giving them a standing ovation. (those were the lonely years.... On my own, pretending you're beside me, all alone, I walk with him till morning....) Anyway, I also have the DVD copy now, so if you want to borrow, let me know. Speaking of music, I find that over the years, certain songs remind me of certain people. To name a few: When I fall in love - Wife lah. (hope I dont get blasted for this) I will always love you - Go...

Was reading marathon runner's entry today, about ifs and yeah, i was wondering too, what if: 1. I could star in a musical..... It would definitely be Les Miserables, my all time favourite. Victor Hugo's epic story about love, hunger, injustice, cruelty, engulfing sense of self righteousness, forgiveness, disillusionment..... In fact, when they had that programme, Benson & Hedges Golden Dreams, I wrote in saying my dream was to appear is Les Miz. They actually called me. B&H Girl: Hallo, Mr Cheng? Me : Yup BH: I from Benson & Hedges Gollen Dreams ah. You wrote in to us right? Me: OOOOOOH, you mean I've been selected? BH: No no, this is only first round. Have to ask you some kweshen first. Me: Ok, go ahead. BH: What is this Less Miserablessssss, is it a cartoon? (thinking to self, how does one star in a cartoon? as a voiceover?) Me : Erm, no, its a famous musical. BH: Oh, musical ah. Got singing lah? Where is it showing ah? Me: All over the world. Coming to Singa...

I need a holiday. My idea of a perfect holiday is either : 1. one that is all expense paid....which of course, happens very rarely, or 2. lepaking around, reading book, getting massaged everyday. Like a kobe cow. Beer fed and massaged daily. I could be a kobe cow. Or wagyu. Muahaha. Twas a busy weekend. Whole day seminar in Marriot, followed by TWO full moon parties. Just thinking about it makes me too tired to blog. More later.