Variety, The Spice of Life

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, but with the various appendages, so that made 4). A picture of me and my favourite pump and combat instructors.

Turned out alright, I reckon. It was quite funny, coz quite a number of people from FBC (the church, not the cake shop) read this blog, and by extension, the links, ie, Shades blog. So, there were murmurings of "who is shades" whenever a new blog reader walked in. Shades girlfriend, Karynn, looks startlingly like one of our friends, who got married and left for ..... amherst, to follow her hubby who is doing his phD in something something politics. Well, variety may be the spice of life, but you still need the chef to stir the wok and mix the spices.

Dinner, because people trickled in, seemed a cliquish affair, with people mainly sticking to people they know, which is only natural. Sterling effort to shades and gf for mingling right in with the people. I guess the fact that they knew all about him, but not vice versa, broke the ice somewhat. Blogs, the windows to our souls or what!!!!

I'm not sure about the food, the other favourite combat instructor barely ate, which is every host's worst nightmare. One can't help but wonder, goodness, did I make something wrong? But anyway, the rest of the people kindly allayed my fears and were very complimentary. For some reason, I had no appetite whatsoever.













Then came the games part. Actually, in hindsight, we should have started this earlier, coz it was quite fun. We played articulate, which is explained in Shades' blog. Our team won, and the word we had to guess to win was NANNY GOAT. Initial guesses were Nanny Mutton, and Nanny Lamb. It took Clever Cheah to lead us to victory. Way to go Clever.



Alas, the young people of today have no stamina. 12.15am, and everyone was ready to hit the sack. In my day, we used to party till we could hear the muezzin call of azan subur from the nearby mosque.

I got a few other games in the pipleline, Guesstures, which is a hilarious charades game, Taboo, which is similar to articulate, and pictionary. Oh well, there'll be another time. But at this rate, we need to start games at 9pm, if we want to make any headway.

Home Made Play Dough

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.

The Last Three Days

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 unpopularity of chocolate cake.

Wednesday...got an sms from shadesizcool telling me that I need a passport to join Body Attack classes in Fitness First. Passport allows us to go any centre. Oh, yah yah, I forgot, on Tuesday, I went to check out California Fitness, with my colleague, on a whim. Interesting, and quite canggih, (the tv monitors...you can access the sound using a radio!!!) and of course, there's a pool. (quite a number of mat sallehs were in the process of getting skin cancer in the midday sun). But, I guess it ain't for me, coz I can't imagine going there on a weekend, with the horrific jams that mid valley mega mall are famous for. Might be tempted to try out the RM29 one month trial.

Back to body attack and passports. $(*^)($w*(%&*($$^$*&&^%$^&###!!! Mutter mutter grunt grunt. If I have a gripe about the gym, it is this passport issue that is a torn in my flesh. It's not that I don't WANT a passport (or am too stingy to pay for it), but really, with the office, menara john hancock and home in a straight line, it really doesnt make sense for me to do the butterfly thing and flit from gym to gym. When I started off my membership with the passport, I never EVER went to the other centres, hence one day, the realisation dawned that hey, a penny saved is a penny earned. Oh well, I'll just wait for body attack to make its way to john hancock.

Anyway, it sounds wonderfully difficult. Should be worth a try.

Last night, me, the wife and some friends went to watch Pygmalion. It was my first time in KL PAC (KL Performing Arts Centre), in Jln Strachan, off Jln Ipoh. The minute we entered that big gate that read HOME, (Sentul West showrooms), I thought we were in another country. The old railway offices stood majestically, facade intact, in very foreign looking architecture. And the KL PAC itself was great. Only grouse is the one toilet, which is on the ground floor, and required a 5 minute slow stroll from the auditorium. (the entrace to which is upstairs),

The play itself, George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (on which MY FAIR LADY is based), was mildly entertaining. I think perhaps they should have stuck to the original script, and not try to localise it, incorporating a very fake manglish, which became overbearing after awhile. I mean, you would hardly expect to find a Petaling Street flower girl with a name like Lisa Doolittle. I thought Michelle Quah, the lead actress, had not a bad voice, though wife and friend begged to differ. Harith Iskandar, who was Higgins, was his usual self. It's very hard I'm sure to produce a play with a movie like MY FAIR LADY as a yardstick. I never knew though, that so much of the dialogue from MY FAIR LADY is actually directly from Shaw's Pygmalion.

After the show, the "one with the bun in the oven" and others were peckish, so we adjourned for Dim Sum along Jalan Ipoh. What a great country, all kinds of food all every hour of the day. The lor mai kai and char siew paus were really excellent. By the time got home was 12.45pm.

Thursday - Stressful morning at work. An unexpected dilemma cropped up, in what should have been a peaceful uneventful morning, so I decided to head for the lunch time class at the gym, which was BODY STEP. It's like my 2nd BODY STEP class ever, the 1st being like possibly 9 months ago. I reckon I did quite well though, and didn't really lag behind. BODY STEP is easier than STEP, the latter seems to have no fixed movements but more to the fancy of the instructor, whereas BODY STEP like the other les mills systems, are quite structured. I was the only male student in the class. Instructor was male too. Unlike BODY COMBAT, the women don't seem so Xena Warrior Princess. I enjoyed the Body Step, and might make it a Thursday lunchtime thing.

Planet Tattooine

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.

Quietness In the Blogosphere

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 in a pot over low heat, and mix together until it forms a ball (add in food coloring last). When its no longer too wet, scoop it all out and knead over a table top. It's a nice feeling, kneading that warm dough. Makes you feel young again.

Weekend of Farewells

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 for the last 30 minutes, there was no volume control, and the words came out a bit too loudly. I immediately covered my mouth with my hand, in that very useless reflex action (not like you can recapture the words), only to hear the instructor say, "I HEARD THAT!!!". Thank the Lord Almighty it was "He's good right" and not something like, "What an ass". Oh well, the instructor concerned is in my top fave 5 anyways, so no issue lah.

After combat, it was time to slave over the stove. Was hosting a farewell party on Saturday night, for a good American hero, who was going into exile in Nigeria, or something like that, and also had to make a cake for daughter's birthday. I've ALWAYS wanted to try Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Fudge Cake; her narrations say it "serves 10, or one, with a broken heart". So romantic. But my own family is not big on chocolate cakes, so I daren't risk it for family dinners. This was the perfect opportunity to experiment. Lots of unhealthy ingredients go into this cake. Virtually 2 blocks of butter, a tub of sour cream, 200 gms of dark choc, lots of sugar...does it really mend a broken heart, or just clogs it up?




The actual colour of the cake is somewhere in between the two, coz one was taken with flash, the other without. Of course, everyone's nightmare with chocolate cake is tucking into one that makes the sahara look wet, so waiting for people to take that first bite was like waiting for blood test results. The first review, from the no nonsense Ms Loh, was, "it's moist". PHEW.

Post mortem : I definitely would use the cake recipe again, but DEFINITELY would NOT use the icing recipe. It is FAR too sweet, and far too oily. Shudder. The cake would go fabulously with stronger chocolate ganache kinda icing.

Dinner was a Malaysian spread, in honor of our American guest(s). Chicken rice, briyani, beef curry, murtabaks, etc. And chocolate cake.

There went the body combat.


Sunday - Pork lovers must try this place in Desa Hartamas, called Jarrod & Rawlins. Its a deli kind of set up; that serves REAL bacon and eggs, even a champagne breakfast for RM35. If that is out of your budget, you can pick your own sausages or bacon from the deli and get them to cook the meats for you, at a nominal RM10. (of course, you have to pay for the pork).

Had a farewell lunch there for this dear dear couple and their baby; they were our first friends we made as a couple together. As in, neither wife or I can lay claim to them being "my friend first", kinda thing. Sigh, it is with a heavy heart that we bid them adieu, and God speed, but thankfully they're only going down south, to Singapore. Still.....

Earlier on in church, we were treated to the novelty of hearing a shofar. A kind of horn made from a ram's antlers. If blown properly, I am sure it would be quite majestic.

At night was daughter's birthday. Seven already. Seemed like yesterday that we were in the labour room waiting for her. A full head of black hair, lips red as a rose, and a scream that reverberated through the corridors of the maternity ward.

I heard this in yesterday's sermon:

When I was a child, I laughed and wept, TIME CREPT
When I was a boy, I sang and talked, TIME WALKED
When I was a man, TIME RAN
And the older I grew, TIME FLEW

got another line, but I can't remember what it is.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm Chapter 90 verse 12)

Condolences to our Prime Minister

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.

Was Blind But Now I See

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 to wipe your glasses in a steam room. In a sauna, it's somewhat better. Initially, the glasses will fog up, but later, it will clear.

5. scuba diving; the transition time in between putting or taking off the powered mask, and groping for your glasses, or groping for somewhere to put them. Often, on a rocky boat, this is quite dizzying.

6. infants & pre toddlers; they have a penchant for ripping off your glasses off your face, with the dexterity of a master pick pocketer. Often, metal frames get twisted out of shape.

7. shades; no, not the blogger. But unless you wear contacts, you need powered shades, which means you can't just pick up any pair of trendy shades to wear at a whim. And since I've got dry eyes, (from all that crying in my youth), contact lenses don't seem to agree with me, and I am NOT going to try the hard lenses.

8. sweat; well, actually, this isnt a major grouse, for over the years, I've become quite accustomed to profusely perspiring, with glasses on, and for most activity that result in perspiration, eg, tennis, squash, body combat, body pump, jogging, sex, the glasses aren't really that much a hindrance. BUT, the one time where it really IS a pain, is at the golf driving range. Sweat used to trickle along the frame, and accumumalate at the bottom rim of the lens, much like a half filled goggle. That is REALLy annoying. To have to take off your glasses to wipe every 2nd stroke is exasperating.

Side Note: Oh, speaking of body pump, it never ceases to amaze me how my NOSE starts to itch on cue, the minute we do our squats, or chest tracks, when its virtually impossible to scratch. I wouldn't dare use one hand to support the weights, to scratch my nose.

9. swimming; much like scuba diving, except, you're likely to meet people you know, at the swimming pool, who might be smiling at you, or waving at you, and you squint, and squint, till your retina nearly pops out. Powered goggles aren't quite as clear on land as they are in the water.

10. 3 D movies; aiyo, its a pain to wear those 3D glasses over your glasses. PAIN.

Anyway, still, we must thank God for His blessings, that at least we are not blind (in sight). Blind heartedness is a different matter altogether. Oh, the asterisk in No 3 was meant to refer to a footnote:

* the illustrious spec shop girl, (well, actually she's one of the owners) helped me out by taking a digital pic of potential new frames to show me what I'd look like.

Note to "Friends of FF GX" - here's another clue for your picture composite.... me with eyes closed.

To the uninitiated, FF GX I think stands for Fatness First Group Exercise.

Frame of Mine

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, bam bam bam), cycled for 25 minutes; sweat was streaming down my face like i was showering; aiyo, aiyo, very tough lah. Wonder what RPM is like. Is it uphill, slow, or speed? Do they go downhill? Argh, I dread it, I DREAD IT!!!! Supposed to burn 900 calories!!!! That's like effort level 12 on the cyclemill. That's when my heart rate indicator goes RED.

Hospitals and Treasure Hunts

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, was very brave at first, when the first needle went in, she didn't react at all. By the 2nd attempt, tears were rolling down her eyes as she tried to control herself, but after a while, all hell broke loose, and her sobs were almost making ME sob as well. My daughter is a toughie, by most standards. When she fell and cut her head two years ago, and required to undergo general anaesthetic for surgery, she went for the GA all by herself, without us. So, to see her break down like that was very traumatic for us.

Anyway, thank God, finally, after changing from left to right hand, the doctor managed to draw enough blood for the blood tests, and place the drip nozzle in place. The next major worry was her remark that the blood looked so thick, she feared it could be dengue. The next few hours were worse than when we were waiting for exam results.

It is a royal pain, aitelyu, to be on the drip. The confounded thing has to follow you everywhere, to the toilet; AND the drip makes you want to go quite often. In addition to the fact that the girl's calves were weakened by the fever, and she couldn't walk, lugging her to the toilet with drip in tow was quite a task.

It turns out, she has a bacterial infection called mycoplasma, treatable with antibiotics. What a relief. I could have hugged the nurse when she nonchalantly said, "oh biar doktor jelaskan lah, keputusan blood test tu; tapi bukan denggi lah"....Mind you, apparently, mycoplasma, if untreated, can lead to meningitis, etc. Very scary stuff.

She was discharged the next day, thankfully.

Meanwhile, I have been involved in helping out my church's college and career fellowship (CCF) group with their treasure hunt. It's quite fun, recce-ing the route, taking the pictures of the clues and formulating the questions. Very amateur level, but fun, nevertheless.

The highlight of the hunt, was THE WHEEL OF FEAR. It involved spinning a wheel, to determine how far you stand, to receive an egg being thrown at you. White would be the nearest, about 10m, i reckon, followed by blue, 12m, and red, 14m. Someone (from your team) throws the egg at you and if you catch it, you get 10 points. If it hits you, you get 5 points. If you miss completely, ZERO points.



It's amazing how many people are terrified of egg projectiles. I wanted a cracked egg to be minus points, but the other committee members are more compassionate.

IVF

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. Stands for WORTHY OF MENTION BUDDING ACQUAINTANCE OF THEYEAR. (theyear is one word, or it'll be wombaty). There's been a dearth of new faces in the horizon, and as one gets older, it seems to be getting harder to make new friends. There's hardly any time to bond, or find things in common to do, and besides, I think I've become shallower with age, so no D&Ms either.

But the one place where I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time is in cyberspace. And, I've actually gotten to know some people a lot better through either Yahoo Msg, Msn Msg, Email, (actually had email pen pal), Blogs and sms.

So, to this new category of friends, I bestow the title I-V-F. Internet Virtual Friends. The "I" can be changed to any adjective that suits you, later on. Intriguing, intelligent, inane, insulting, irritating, indispensable, idiotic, illustrious, innovative, ingenious, invigorating, ....... the list goes on.

Oh NO, as I was typing this, my nephew asked me to participate in a HR survey, titled,
'Cyberloafing and cyberflaming at the workplace: Is Employee Performance Monitoring (EPM) a good solution?'

Update on the kids. The two boys seem to be fine, but the girl is still sick-ish, and today, can't walk. She's had this condition before, it's a virus, that causes temporal err, cannot walkability. Sounds frightening, but apparently it's normal for kids.

I think I'm coming down with something too. Seem to be sneezing and shitting a lot.

Other breaking news: BODY ATTACK is coming to Fitness First. Sounds intriguing. Harder than RPM even, apparently, and definitely way harder than Body Combat. I hope body attack doesn't translate to heart attack for moi.

Meeting Old Friends

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 roti canai, liberally doused with dahl.

Anyway, I got this picture in the email today, which reminded me of my own experience in 1988.


The place was the padang in the Royal Military College. The year was 1988. We were in the fields, when suddenly, I had this massive contractions, like a woman in labour. As I tried to hold it in, (REO Speedwagon's song springs to mind), I raced to the nearest toilet, which was at the building called the pavilion. Now, the college, situated in Sg Besi, has a water supply as unpredictable as a PMS-ed woman. Anyway, not having the luxury of recce-ing around for the cleanest cubicle, I manage to reach a bowl (squat type) just in time. A second later, and it would have been a "shit hits the fan" kinda scenario. Except no fan.

With great relief, I unloaded the load, and after the initial stress of reaching on time had subsided, I look around....for signs of how I was to clean up. To expect toilet paper in that place would be like expecting to meet Jennifer Lopez in a toilet in Sg Wang plaza, so I hop along (bare assed) to the nearest sink, and to my abject horror, there was no water either. Not a drop. And bear in mind, for these kinda nature calls, it's not a clean one long banana strip that comes out. (The australian army rations apparently get dieticians to ensure a good combination of chocolate and cheese, one a laxative, the other an anti laxative, to make sure the poo poo comes out as one long roll, having to use minimum loo roll). This was messy.

So, no paper, no water. How? Call it serendipity, call it fate, call it luck, I check my wallet, and am SOOOOOO relieved to find there was a used airline ticket, with at least three sheets intact. Cover, Back, and the one sheet that has the baggage limit instructions. Those days, domestic tickets were smaller than international. Aneeeway, the MAS logo probably went where it's never been before.....also, you know how they have that red carbon for triplicate copies of the ticket? Well.....

Sorry, SJL, to put this story in your debut on this blog.

When Kids Fall Sick....

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 be okay, and the fever gone down. Why is it fevers are always the worst at night, when we seem most vulnerable and helpless, and our regular paediatric clinics are closed? There seems to be a bug going around. I just hope ours isn't dengue. In today's papers, apparently the aedes mosquito has evolved, and can survive without water!!!!

Anyway, thank you friends for your prayers. (those I sms-ed last night).

No dessert yesterday, coz was too lazy, and also somewhat stressed over the kids' conditions. Went for body combat instead, since there was a replacement instructor. Turns out there was a replacement for the replacement. which is one of my fave four, so that was a pleasant surprise. They really need to do something about that microphone, and the entire sound system, in that studio. I emerged from the class deaf in one ear.

RPM studio at last

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 of mine seemed to have lost a fair bit of weight participating in this class. So it is my last hope, since body pump, (2-3 times a week), body combat (3-4 times) and treadmill doesn't seem to be yielding any results. However, another worry is that this other previously fat friend had started from a zero exercise base..... so those kind of fat people usually lose weight quite rapidly once they begin on an exercise regime.

HOWEVER, after I heard that RPM will be coming to town, (actually, they do have it in John Hancock now, but since there is no dedicated studio, the classes seem to be at rather unfriendly hours, either too late, or too early), I thought, okay, I better start cycling (on the machines) before I attend an RPM class, lest I collapse halfway in class. The ignominy of it all. FAT MAN COLLAPSES AND DIES IN CYCLING CLASS. He was identified by his goatee.

Anyway, if you havent been cycling, (as an adult), to suddenly do it again is no mean feat. Aiyo, my first try was last monday, and it was a gruelling 15 minutes. (of course these are at effort levels 6 and above lah....). Then again, I thought, oh well, it's after a 30 minute treadmill, so maybe I was tired oridi. Yesterday, I tried again, and managed 25 minutes (after body pump), I think covering about 8km. In that time, only 250 calories were burnt. Now, you're apparently supposed to burn up to NINE HUNDRED calories in RPM....(maybe that IS raw passing of motion included)....which means either cycling a hell lot faster, or a hell lot steeper.....

And thanks to two tardy young lads who kept me waiting, for about 15 minutes, for a meeting, I succumbed to tempation at Austin Chase and tried out their new Cuban ice cream. Wasted calories. (We were supposed to meet at 10pm, but they were late, leaving me in an awkward position of being all alone, and I didnt want to spend RM10 on a non alcoholic drink, so ice cream sounded more value for money). There went the 25 minute cyclathon.

Kids all having high fever. Boy no 1 started on Sunday, but his has subsided somewhat thank God. Girl no 1 and Boy no 2 started last night. At first, I was worried it could be dengue, coz last Sunday I brought them to that trail in Bkt Kiara, and we got bitten. I forgot the mossie guard. My nephew oso kena high fever. Seems to be something in the air.

Not By the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin

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.

Why Old Farts Should Cool Down

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 challenge 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's like watching a dance performance of sorts, I guess, but the audience gets to participate. The "tribes" lead the audience for the group exercise class.

I figure there are several categories of people, who can be found in the gym on a Saturday night. 1. the real hardcore addicts of group exercise - I worry I am falling into this category, because I abandoned wife and 3½ children, on a Sat night, to join a body combat class......hmmm.....I am inserting pics just as proof that I was really there, and not cavorting around with some bimbo. Now the saddest part about this addiction is, there's nothing really to SHOW for it. I mean, if I had rock hard abs, and a six pack, then maybe the addiction is worthwhile.

2. the really lonely, who have nowhere else to go on Saturday night - sad hor
3. those who have formed their social lives around the gym and its people - some whole families were there, including father, mother, uncle and aunties.

Anyway, it all started when my combat instructor, (now that I know this blog is read from time to time by the FF police, I better refrain from mentioning names), told me he had a spare ticket (you need a TICKET) for the combat finals. I had intended to pop in to cheer on my favourite instructor(s), but didn't know that it was a participative kinda thing. I was hmmm-ing and ha-ing, but of course, can't resist trying new things, so I accepted his generous offer. Now, since I downgraded my membership to HOME category, instead of PASSPORT, I have effectively never been to any other FF branch. I was pretty impressed with the Axis branch, like rusa masuk kampung. Thankfully, my fave pump instructor and his gf were there to guide me through the intricacies and maze of that place. The Body Step finals was taking place in the large open air area, which was quite awesome. Like one of those Putrajaya government servants aerobic workout day.....except very much fewer ladies in tudungs. And certainly more hip music. And no overweight ministers leading the aerobics. No sir, all svelte, fit and trim instructors.

I met my combat instructor to collect my ticket from him. Oh, actually, I had already attended a combat class earlier in the day, having NOT being able to enter the class on Friday night, because it was full house. Fridays and Saturdays are my favourite days in John Hancock, coz all FOUR of my favourite instructors teach (various classes) within that 24 hour time frame. Which makes it hard choosing which class to go for. It's one of these, friday pump at 6.45, combat at 7.50, or saturday combat at 11.30 or 6pm....

I digress. The non gym person would probably have fallen asleep by now. Baking enthusiast, hangon, got baking entry at the end of this. Okaylah, to cut a long story short, we couldnt do the combat finals in the open air area, coz it was rained out, and wet. A bit dangerous to shuffle and do jump kicks on a wet surface, and the potential for legal suits would have been phenomenal. As it was, even in the safe indoors, the girl in front of me tripped over her shoe lace and toppled over.

The tribes, gotta give them top marks for effort; wonderful costumes, great synchronized movements, great showmanship, it really was almost like watching a concert!!! The annoying thing is, coz it was moved from a 1 acre open area to a 2,000 sq ft studio, (1 acre = 43,560 sq ft), we had to take turns, and "rotate". So after 3 tracks, some outside could come in, and some inside had to go out. I managed to get back in, only because I wanted to support the instructor who gave me the ticket.

Anyway, I am counting on the instructor who blogs for a detailed commentary on the whole event, so I shall say no more. Oh, I got the results by sms.....I can't say I agree with the results. But who am I.... they should have allowed some degree of Malaysian Idol-esque kinda voting...

That was pretty much my Saturday night. Oh, it turned out to be quite a good workout anyway, and save for the no cool down, it was a great experience. Pity we couldn't have done it outdoors, I reckon it would have been rather great. Actually, I have to say, that like a proud school boy, I was rather pleased to be a FF member; events like these, well, they really give that added zing to membership. Am even almost considering upgrading to passport.

Part II - Baking on the Weekend & Celebrating Friends. On Sunday, after church, we were invited to a tea party by some friends. I had volunteered to bring scones and profiteroles, so after church service, it was slaving over the table top time.

I started off intending to photograph a step by step on how to make scones, since many have asked me for the recipe before. But, my photographer, ie, daughter, was in one of her diva moods, and refused to help.

My other kitchen assistant wasn't quite as helpful.






Anyway, from the bowl of flour and butter, this is the finished product. A scone, slapped with strawberry jam and pure cream. I stress, PURE cream. None of that whipped cream crap they serve. The other one is a profiterole with warm chocolate sauce with a vanilla cream filling.



Anyway, tea at FRIENDS' was a luverly affair. Lovely cheese platter, (mmmm, that margaret river chives and cream cheese whatever is to die for), cucumber sandwiches, (made by the Gourmet Cheese Himself), a dual toned sandwich, white and brown bread, with butter that had a hint of lime rind, yummmmy, cold cuts, and the highlight, New Zealand's CLOUDY BAY SAVIGNON BLANC, ANDDDD BOLLINGER CHAMPAGNE.... oh, okay, that wasn't the highlight, the highlight was actually the announcement of their ENGAGEMENT. Congratulations you both, I really am soooo genuinely thrilled that two such nice people have found each other. On another occasion I shall blog about how I dug up the info when they first started dating....

Becoming Shallower & Mellower With Age

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) DO WE REALLY BECOME SHALLOWER WITH AGE?

I reckon that in a way, it's a blessing, when there are few issues that are really gnawing at you. Might as well enjoy it before the real midlife crisis hits, and when we start pondering again the newly repackaged issues we went through as adolescents. ie, what am I going to do with my life, how to keep raging hormones in check, (duh). Maybe I AM just shallow.

More Songs Associated With People

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 Shimmy (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 TSI

I'm sure its a matter of time before a song is associated with fave pump instructor.

Errata....

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 - Got lah, better not say name here
Goodbye (Airsupply) - Immediate past ex (doomed from the beginning lah, with that as relationship theme song)
I've never been to me - Christina
What a wonderful world - My 1st son
If you wanna be happy for life - Two exes ago. (if u wanna be happy for life, never make a pretty woman your life).

Ever since I started those group exercise classes in Fitness First, there's a whole new load of songs I associated with different instructors:-
Never ever surrender - Sop Fan (combat)
Not gonna get us - Calvin
The one with the shimmy (dunno title) - Lil Alvin
Aiya, got a few more lah, dunno the titles.

Yeah, What If...

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 Singapore soon.
BH: You got passport ah?
Me : Yes
BH: So can fly anytime la?
ME: Yup.
BH: Are you fit?
Me : Huh? Fit? No, I'm the past tense of fit. Fat.
BH: Oh really ah. Its okaylah, this one just standard kweshen. So ah, congratulations.
Me: Yay, I've been selected?
BH : No leh, you have to come to Crystal Crown Howteh next Saturday for the next round of interview.

Anyway, ya, so I didnt get to fulfill my dream. But I would want the role of innkeeper's wife. Coz she gets to say naughty words.
"Everybody raise a glass, raise it up the master's arse".

I used to dream i'd meet a prince
But God Almighty ave you seen whats appened since?
Master of the house, isn't worth me spit
Comforter philosopher and lifelong shit
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a lover, but there's not much there
What a cruel trick of nature
Landing me with such a louse
Everybody raise a glass
To the master of the house....

Alternatively, I wouldn't mind playing Tevye in Fiddler on The Roof, and sing, IF I WERE A RICH MAN. (my kid loves that song).

2. If I were a dog, ...I'd be a bitch.

3. If I were a cat....I'd kill myself. (all nine times)

4. If I were a tea blend .......... now WHY on earth WOULD i want to be a tea blend. I'd rather be a coffee.

5. If I were a cartoon character .......oh, definitely SHERMAN the shark, also called fatboy, from the wonderful strip, SHERMAN'S LAGOON. http://www.slagoon.com/

6. If I were a handphone ....... I'll be speechless.

7. If I were a desperate housewives character .......... I'd be Carlos. (so i get to do Gabrielle)

8. If I were a female desp hsewives character ........... I'd be urm...let me think about this one. (but its a toss up between edie and gabrielle)

9. If I didn't have to worry about income or money, and could do anything I want..... I'd ...aiyo, this is also another hard one.

10. If I really had things to write about on this blog .......... I might.

Busy as a Blue Arsed Fly

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.