I Need More Rest on Weekends

Ironically, I need mondays usually to recover from the weekends. This one was no different.

Friday evening - First time attending this legendary body pump instructor's class. Ben Lee. YHSMOM has been telling me to attend his class for awhile now, and since his days are numbered in that slot, (shades has usurped the friday evening pump and combat slots in MJH wef january), I thought I should give it a try. I guess people don't become legends for no good reason. This chappie was seriously good. What makes a good instructor, I often ask myself? Am I just biased? I guess its like screen actors.....they just need that "presence". Some have it, some errr....sad to say, have less. But don't worry, shades, you oso got screen presence lah. And he was very personable as well. I guess one trait of a good instructor is in making the students feel involved. (this is not an invitation to simply call names in class).

Friday night - Very happening. Hung out in Tesco. (they close late on Fridays). My sister's kids were with us, as they went off for a weekend getaway. With 6 kids in tow, looking very Roman Catholic without contraception, we embarked on a journey down Tesco's aisles. Plus the fact that the wife looks positively pregnant, I swear I could see glances that ranged from sympathy, to disbelief. The supermarket cashier shook her head sympathetically and said, "wah, ramai anak ya". (wa, so many children huh).

Saturday - Very spontaneously, a group consisting mainly of the Everybody Loves Raymond cast got together for a champagne brunch. I love drinking before noon, especially champagne, coz it gives such a holiday feeling, and such a buzz. The menu consisted home made waffles, croissants, english sausages, bacon, strawberries, asparagus, salad, sauteed mushrooms, creamy mushrooms..... and three bottles of bubbly.


Anyway, the piece de resistance must have been the fresh frozen foie gras that the Soong Sister brought. I've always wanted to try pan searing foie gras, and had prepared the caramelised apples as per recipe, in the recent issue of FLAVOURS magazine. Fortunately, one of the guests is an expert in pan searing foie gras, so he very kindly offered to demonstrate.

The foie gras was divine; but the caramalised apples a tad too sweet. I learnt a new thing or two; you need to sear it for 45 seconds on each side, on high heat. If you don't have a clock, or timer, the way to determine 1 second is to say in your mind, ONE HIPPOPOTAMUS.

With a slight hangover, I proceeded for the body step class at 5pm, in MJH. Replacement instructor was one I'd met a few weeks earlier, and who's style I liked very much. It was a great class, though I did wonder about the wisdom of doing Body Step with a hangover. Anyway, another candidate for favourite step instructor. Must do a mental oscar presentation at the year end.

Rushed back to prepare sausage rolls for Saturday night Christmas dinner at the WONGS. Dinner consisted Mr Ho's Roast pork, some pilaf rice, a salad, and a cheese bruschetta platter. My contribution was the sausage rolls and tiramisu cake, and trifle, for dessert.


After that, it was time for the midnight movie, with Sonny Boy, girl girl, and newly met friends from the "other" gym. It was a story about a big ape, who did tricep kickbacks with a little girl.

KING KONG. Three hour epic, where the monkey business starts an hour into the show. Naomi Watts has great screen presence though. (like a good GX instructor). And actually, King Kong himself also wasn't too bad. The movie had elements of Titanic, Jurassic Park, LOTR, all thrown in. Some scenes looked like Peter Jackson was using his leftover props from LOTR, and the natives on skull island were just one step away from looking like Orcs. Generally good pure mindless entertainment, but a bit much if you have to last till three AM in the morning. Kept hoping that those frail world war 1 fighter planes would kill off the big fellow ASAP, so I could go home and sleep. One of the highlights was new friend sobbing away next to me, as the ape was 1. put to sleep with chloroform, and 2. when he was eventually gunned down.

Sunday. First rehearsal for Christmas cantata. As in MY first rehearsal. It's actually the choir's last sunday rehearsal, before the full dress rehearsal this tuesday. I am panicking. Right now I am a liability to the choir, and will need some intensive self practice before the real day. Rehearsals ended about 4.45pm, had to rush back to prepare or supervise preparation of farewell dinner for Gorgeous Woman.

Gorgeous Woman is the National Group Exercise Manager for Fitness First Malaysia, and she is leaving for Hong Kong, where she resides, after 16 months here. Only recently got acquainted with her, after finding out she recognised the now historical goatee, via shades blog, during the last body combat launch in MJH. Anyway, in honor of the impending departure, I thought it would be nice to get her and few of the instructors who I know better, for a small cozy dinner. Decided not to risk exposing her and her husband to my cooking, so had the domestic help cook a nasi lemak dinner instead. I did however still to my name and made sure fat boy baked....served the flourless chocolate cake.

At the dinner were GW and husband, a hunky American who also now resides in HK, Shades, favourite pump instructor, his gf, KT, who looks even more like our old friend HACKIE TAN, with her hair cropped, Gym Peacock and Soong Sister, YHS MOM and hubby, and two adorable kids, longest body combat instructor, (as in, he's the instructor i've had for the longest time, at that particular time slot, ie, Sat evening...been attending his class for what? nearly 1½ years now?). The new National GXM was supposed to Grace us with her presence, but apparently had gastric. Also invited, but couldn't make it was Favourite Combat Instructor, and Frodo.

Dinner was an enjoyable affair, at least to me, it was. I think the non gym people might have felt a bit left out, but oh well.....
Gorgeous Woman very kindly acquiesced to demo some body combat movements to daughter, who together with son, had been circling her like vultures, trying to pluck up the courage to ask her to show them some exercise moves.