Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year to all! Here's a tribute to the Year of the Dog!

Fun with coloured contact lenses

Received some trial coloured contact lenses yesterday. Had some fun with it! There's a product in the market called FreshKon Alluring and what it does is enhance and make your eyes look bigger. I tried it on and I looked like a Japanese cartoon! HL caught me in the act of preening in the mirror! My brother said it made my eyes look like a dog's...well you know how dogs have those large eyes...

Here's a comparison between my natural eye on one side and Freshkon Alluring on the other. Guess which one's my natural eye!


And here are the puppy dog eyes. Do you think women in general can get away with murder wearing these lenses?



I also tried FreshKon Colours Fusion and the colours are quite fake. See what you think...




It's Aqua blue on my right eye (your left, facing me) and Sky blue on my left (your right). I personally prefer Freshlook Colorblends by CibaVision, amethyst colour.

Exercise diary

Wednesday
20min on stepper
25 min on elliptical machine
Push ups
Bent over row
Alternate lunges
Shoulder press with squats
Dumbell squats
Lateral raises with sumo squat
1 minute bridge

Thursday
8.5km run: Terasek-Ara-Pantai Hills- Turi-Ara

Friday
45 min on elliptical machine
Full body stretch

Ran 6km with Jenny today. Took a leisurely run as I didn't want to injure myself after Sunday's 20km. Had dinner some gal pals yesterday..ate so much but woke up feeling hungry. It's been ages since I've done my food diary but here's what I had yesterday:

Chicken with oyster mushrooms and tomatoes
Grilled vege
Wasabi potato mash
Lettuce (raw)
Ham and cheese rolls
Papadum and yoghurt dip
Mini ice cream

I'm hungry now. Going to toss a salad!

Baby Amanda

Here are pictures of my old pal Lilian and her baby Amanda. Conratulations Lil! Hope you'll be able to bring her to Malaysia pretty soon!

Donkey or King?

Went to watch King Kong with 3 Musketeers and WWW on Sunday night. It was one of slowest moving action movies I've ever seen in my life. We were probably the last few souls in KL to watch this movie.

It was more like Donkey Kong than King Kong. It took a whole hour before the ape came onto the screen....the first one third of the show was such a drag. Here's what I thnk of the show:

1. Corny.
The entire show was more comical than anything else. We found ourselves laughing through a big portion of the show. It wasn't intended to be funny but it's jsut very ridiculous
2.Warped.
Ape falling in love with a girl???? Come on.....The corniest part when he was gliding on the ice with her. Hmmm skating ape with girl in hand. Doesn't that sound stupid?
3. Ridiculous.
The ape knows how to appreciate a sunset. Sensitive, even. Well if you get more apes like that you'd put men out of a job.
4. Soppy
The ape got soppy with the girl. Sorry, I can't stand the idea of it.

The best part was of course the fighting scenes with the 3 T-Rexes. Even then the wrestle with the last T-Rex looked somewhat like crocodile wrestling. Not bad, the ape knows kung fu also.

Then the most entertaining part was with the humongous slugs and bugs. ML absolutely hates creepy crawlies and watching his reaction during this part was even more entertaining than the show itself.

Out of 4 stars, I'd rate it 2 stars.

Today's workout

Did a light workout today:

20 min on elliptical machine
25 min walk on treadmill
Dumbell row (1 min)
Shoulder press (1 min)
Lateral raises (1 min)
Tricep kickback (1 min)
Bicep curl (1 min)
Upright row (1 min)
Push ups (narrow and wide) - 8 and 6 reps respectively
Crunches
Reverse crunches
1 min bridge

Great Eastern-Pacesetters Run - 22 Jan 2006

After the race - sun in my eyes and looking very "Cina"











I survived! It was one of the fastest races I'd ever run, what more I was untrained and the maximum distance that I had done prior to this was 13.5km. It was a 30km race but I entered the 20km category. I came in about 2 hours 16 mins. I was quite sure the distance was more than 20km, because I remember that in 2001 I'd run 20km in the PJ Half and I was much slower then but completed it in 2 hours 18 mins.

Woke up at 5am and not 4.30am (could not drag myself out of bed), stuffed my face with an expired Power bar and hydrated myself. Jin came to pick me up, then we picked Hsiung and Harlina on the way. I was going to take a leisurely run. By the time the gun went off, we were still chatting! We took the usual Lake Gardens-Sri Hartamas-Lake Gardens route. There were water stops every 4km and that was more than enough H2o. The also provided evergy drinks. Jenny was on duty at one of the water stations. Hats off to the Pacesetters who always organise runs so well. Honestly they should be more involved in bigger races because the FTAAA don't have a clue about organising runs. The first 10km I thought I ran quite fast, because I was quite tired by the time I reached Sri Hartamas. The mid point was near Petronas station. Took a power gel (Tropical flavour) with some water and regained some energy to continue. The second half I ran even faster because there were more downhills than uphills. Spotted Harlina happily strolling and eating on the other side of the road. She actually carried a whole bag of goodies to eat on the way! By the time I reached Jln Parlimen, I had no energy left to sprint, even though it was flat all the way to the end. I ran as hard as I could - I could feel all my thigh muscles tightening up.

Hsiung and Jin were ahead of me by a couple of minutes, then we waited nearly for an hour for Harlina!! Spotted Lionel, he was waiting for his friend at the finishing line. There was a mini fair at Lake Gardens, so i went to refuel myself with some banana and chicken porridge. Great Eastern also had a mini "Wheel of Fortune" where you spin the wheel and answer a question acoording to the category you get. I won a little notepad. (Everybody gets to win a prize anyway because they ask really simple questions..) Bumped into KC where he took the shot above for me.

It was a great race, I really enjoyed myself. The best part was a good recovery. This morning I woke up with some slight soreness in my thighs, but that didn't stop me from working out today.

Lamb to the Slaughter

I'm a lamb to the slaughter. Pinning my number to my running shirt now. Preparing my running gear: my clothes, watch and wrist pouch for tomorrow's run. Have to wake up at 4.30am (again) and stuff an expired Power Bar down my throat again. Carbo loaded today, had noodles for lunch and pasta for dinner. Hope I don't get the nervous cramps which I usually develop in the 2nd-3rd km. Think I had too much coffee today..feel quite wide awake and can't sleep early. Oh no! Wonder if I'll survive tomorrow?

Casualties of a runner

It was indeed very disturbing to read about a jogger who was raped and murdered on her evening jog last week in Sungai Petani. What is the world turning into? The irony of it was, she was actually worried for her sister who was going to jog alone and therefore accompanied her. And it turned out she was the victim. What was also scary was the fact that she was just jogging around her neighbourhood.

I'm one of those who would do things by myself if ever I can't find company to do the same. I'd go for movies by myself or have a meal on my own. And I would run alone (ya one of those crazy ones). It just isn't safe anymore. I thank God He's protected me all this while. I'm also thankful I have a bunch of other crazy people I can run with.

The last major casualty of a runner which I am aware of is a lady in my running club who got knocked down by a car while running early in the morning. I suppose running can be now considered a high risk sport.

But I still love it.

Rest day today. Took a leisurely walk on the treadmill for 30 mins, then did some stretches and core exercise. Cor! My body's so stiff. I'm having a nice quiet morning and afternoon before going in to work.

Dinner with Clau

Just came back from dinner with the gym gang. Claudine's been back for a few weeks now, but tonight's the only time that we were able to catch up with her since she's been travelling around. We had dinner at Seafood Village in One Bangsar. The quality of the food has improved a lot but the prices have also increased. It was a very expensive dinner but I truly enjoyed the company. The gym group seems to be shrinking constantly but presently it's a nice cosy size. Otherwise it's quite difficult to shout across the table. Had my second yee sang already this year. I think I didn't have any at all last year.

Oh did I mention that I signed up for the Great Eastern run this Sunday? Well it is supposed to be a 30km run but since I am untrained I only registered for 20km. Hopefully I will survive this Sunday. Only 3 of us (incl myself) are participating. At least the 20km run which I did last week (although slow as a snail) will prepare me a little.

Today I was very tired from spectacles shopping. A whole bunch of suppliers came to visit me today, and I did a lot of spending for the company. Got some new funky frames coming in. Oh I've also got some new frames for myself for a new look over the Chinese New Year. Hurrah!

Welcome home!

Tina's back today. Welcome home!!! Catch up with you soon!

Thigh Thigh

I am quite sure my thighs have gone chunkier in the last 2 weeks. With all the running that I have been doing lately, I seem to be maintaining my muscle mass. While most people are happy to maintain their muscle mass, I've always liked myself a bit skinnier. I think it is a great feat to maintain muscle mass while increasing cardio activities, but I do wish my limbs would look skinnier!I guess it's a trade off. Either have skinny but not-very-toned limbs or have them a bit chunkier without the wobbly bits. Well glad to say my legs are not jello though nowhere near J-Lo. (that was just for the pun. I don't even think J-Lo has a nice body - too much gluteus max).

I think it's also because of RPM classes, they strenghthen the thighs a lot. Well after my 30 day free trial is over, I hope I am motivated enough to do some RPM on my own.

Yesterday I ran the Pantai Hills route with the added Jln Turi in the end. Amazingly still had enough energy to do RPM after that.

Today here's what I did:
25 min on elliptical
20 min on stepper
push ups
squats with dumbells

It's not easy to train for both the run and the KK climb. No wonder my thighs are getting bigger..all that legwork. I need to start heading to Batu Caves pretty soon. I haven't even attempted climbing the 19 floors in my condo building and I have 2 more months left to my KK trip....I've always wanted to be a tai tai but now I've only ended up being thigh thigh. (Gosh where did that come from, that was corny...)

Hanoi Rocks

Places I want to go...


Tran Quoc Pagoda



















Hoan Kiem Lake













One Pillar Pagoda














Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum












Today I Globe Trekked with Megan in Hong Kong. But Hanoi's a place that I've been wanting to go to for ages. Can't wait to get some ao dai's...




Halong Bay looks really lovely and tranquil....

New furniture

Ah! Got meself my tv bench and coffee table! The tv bench's a bit huge for my liking, but it's got rollers so I can move it around. Oh well it's a rather cheap one so if i don't like it I guess i can toss it... Next on me shopping list is Billy bookshelves...

(Spoken with Cockney accent)

Backdated exercise diary

Was so ABSOULTELY tired last night, I slept from 9.20pm until 6.30am this morning. Even missed my run yesterday. must be because of heavy workouts last week. Here's what I did today:

Today:
30 min elliptical machine
1 minute squats
1 minute alternate lunges
1 minute squat with shoulder presses
10 wide push ups
8 narrow push ups
1 minute lateral raises with squats
1 minute upright row
Crunches
reverse crunches
1 minute bridge

Tuesday:
Zilch

Monday:
Interval fartlek trainig day
10 minute walk on treadmill
10 minute walk on treadmill
20 minutes interval training, slow run and high intensity run
8 minutes on stepper
Bench press
Cable pullover
Dumbell row

ALso was high flammable on Monday. Was pumping petrol, and didn't put the nozzle properly into the gas tank, so when i pulled the trigger the whole nozzle just backlashed and I spilled petrol all over myself. Was soaked to the maxiumum, and worst part was being caught in a traffic jam - so I was left to inhale all the intoxicating petrol. Didn't even dare to sms or use thephone just incase it sparked off a fire. On top of that, I didn't even use hot water to bathe, as the heater in my parent's place is a gas heater and I was worried that I'd set the bathroom on fire. Soaked my clothes for a couple of days but they still smell of petrol. Hsiung asked me to discard them but it's my favourite Saucony shirt and Brooks shorts. Sigh, will try a few more days.

Doggy walk

Friday
I had planned to do stretches and core exercises but there was no power supply on Telawi street early in the morning, so ended up walking. Did a brisk walk of 5km.

Saturday
Did 13.5km run today. Felt good actually. Tried out my New Balance shoes - my first ever pair. I'm pretty impressed with it. It's comparable to Saucony. No blisters on first run and it didn't need breaking in. Very light too, felt like I was running on air. Hoodwinked Hsiung into another extra 6.5km, to which we were both happily running away because we were both using new shoes.

Jenny asked if I had wanted to do 20km with Uncle Hooi again on Sunday, but I politely declined, since I had run 13.5km today and I need my rest tomorrow.

Sunday
Hurrah! Finally Mel likes doggy walks. Today was the first time I took him for a walk without him struggling or wanting to run home. It's strange...when he was staying at my parents' place he hated walks. He was quite happy walking around my bro's place today. Maybe it's because it's a cul-de-sac and there aren't many cars zooming around. Previously he used to be afraid of other dogs but he's built some confidence since, and was even provoking the big dog 2 doors away. Could see all his fur on his back standing. And there wasn't a second where his tail was down. Mel's growing up. :)

My mini triathlon

Today was a super power workout day. Started the day with a 6.6km outdoor run. Amazingly, even after yesterday's tough RPM class, I still had a lot of energy this morning! Woke up feeling a little sore and I thought,hmmm will probably walk. Today only Hsiung and Julia showed up. First round I went really slow, and by second round I was feeling super and could go a little faster. By third round I could sprint a little. I think the RPM class helped me to strengthen my thighs (as if, only 1 class...) Felt really good today. Right after the run, I had my usual Starbucks, and had a coffee marathon as well. Since they've been giving free refills I had 2 and a half cups of coffee (actually not very good, because it's dehydrating but I just love Starbucks coffee. Well as long as one rehydrates themself with lots of water then it isn't that bad. One should have 2 cups of water to every 1 cup of coffee...so you can imagine how much water my stomach now contains or how often I need to go to the toilet..)

After my run and coffee, I headed to Celebrity Fitness. Thought I'd check out the banghra class. I'm not really into dance, and I much prefer athletic types of exercises, so I ended up in RPM again. Today Ammetta was instructing and she did a much, much better job than the South American. Well I think we should really salute local instructors but most people end up worshipping ang mohs who look good and have no substance. To be fair some ang mohs are good, but I think we should also give local instructors a fair chance. Anyway I've always supported local instructors who have good techniques and are truly concerned for their clients. Ammetta's cueing was a lot clearer, and she constantly reminded us of our posture and technique. That's a trademark of a good instructor.

So that was my triathlon: run-coffee-cycle (Lynn style). Had a nice steam bath, also steamed my hair - now it's all soft and nice :) After that I treated myself to a lovely power smoothie - really re-energises. Ah what a lovely workout today!

My First RPM

Went for my first RPM class today (Rear Pain Maximum). Kidding....no pain in the rear at all. I had a pretty good workout, was dripping with sweat by the end of the class. It's quite fun too, with the motivating music. Actually it's something you can even do on your own, it's just a matter of changing the intensity. I mean , how much more can you do with a bike? It's just that in a class setting, it's more motivating when you see other people pedalling furiously and then you get kiasu and want to do the same.

I couldn't hear the instructor most of the time..no idea what he was rambling on with his South American (I think) accent. The bloke was quite a looker. But I reckon any bozo can teach this sort of class. Like I said, it's a matter of changing intensity and you don't even need to be rhythmically inclined. Unlike other forms of group exercise, like Body Combat or Pump or even Step, you need to follow the music and beat. Of course it helps if you are rhythmically inclined, as you get a kick (or shiok) when you cycle to the rhythm. But after seeing this instructor, I reckon you don't really need the skills to qualify - all you need is some looks and ang moh skin colour and you've made it.

I now remember why I prefer to exercise in the morning. I've got too much adrenaline flowing in me and can't sleep.

New toy

Today I did some interval training on upper body. Interspersed cardio with upper body exercises.

Cardio
25 min on elliptical machine
20 min on stepper

Interval training (1 minute each ex)

• Push up on fitball
• Side lunge on stepboard
• Dumbell press
• Step up
• Dumbell row
• Over the top on stepboard
• Assisted chin ups
• Step up
• Lateral raises
• Step up
• Crunches on fitball with legs against the wall

Forgot to mention yesterday that I tried on my Adidas running belt for the first time. It was a very good investment, as the bottles stayed snug to the body and that prevented a lot of swishing around. Very good for long distance training.

20km

The alarm went off at 4.30am this morning. My hands were too heavy to even shut it off. I can't belive I agreed to run with Jenny this morning! Finally , dragged myself out of bed and stuffed my face with an expired Power Bar. My gym buddies went for a leisurely stroll in Kiara Park today. But I ran with Jenny and Uncle Hooi today.... since I will be joining veteran category next year, I might as well start running with veterans...after all they are a lot more disciplined than the youth. Uncle Hooi is twice my age, but he's incredibly fit and has been running for 22 years. We decided to do the unthinkable today......20km..yep, that's nearly half a marathon. We met at Lake Gardens at an unearthly hour of 5.15am. By the time we started our run, it was about 5.30am. We ran on Jln Duta and cut in at the back of Bank Negara and ran around the Bukit Tunku area. Thank goodness the streets were well lit. We came out to the other side of Jln Duta, near the tennis stadium, crossed the road and hit Sri Hartamas. We ran pass the government offices, Plaza Damas right up to the Petronas station before we hit back. That's half the jounrney only..another 10km more.

The first 10km was very very slow, as both Jenny and I have not clocked in long distances in a while. More so for me, as the last half marathon I ran was in KL International Marathon last February. So it's been a year.... The second half I began to pick up speed, thanks to the Power bar I had ample energy. After we hit Bukit Tunku, Jenny asked Uncle Hooi if he had wanted to extend his distance to 30km by hitting the "Double Hill" route. His reply was, "it's ok..it' my rest day today"..Hmmmm...His rest day is 20km and 20km is like my big day!!

In the last 200m, Uncle Hooi started spirinting and I couldnt keep up! So embarrassing! I can't keep up with a man who's twice my age! It was indeed a very good run today...paced myself well. And most of all, I can't believe it, I completed 20km today!

Bumped into Tony at the carpark, he gave me several tips for my KK trip in March. I'm getting excited! I'll have to start training for it soon..

A Stroll and A Run

Sunday

Woke up early and went to the Commonwealth Park at Bukit Jalil with HL and May. Took about an hour stroll in the park. The park is pretty nice for recreation and a leisurely stroll, but not so appropriate for long distance running. Surprisingly, they even had airwalkers and steppers in the park! There were also quite a number of weight machines which worked on the principle of using body resistance. We did not have a chance to try it out, as the machines were being hogged. I doubt that the machines are well maintained, though. There is a nice little lake with ducks and geese (actually we only saw a duck and a goose). After circling the lake once we decided to go up to the peak. It seemed somewhat like a ziggurat, with staggered stairs right up to the peak. Right at the peak was a flag pole with a miserable looking Jalur Gemilang. Quite sad. Is is a memorial parked which was built in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games in KL in 1998, but sadly the memorials were marked with graffiti and carvings. Anyway it was our first time there. Next round we'll try the park behind HL's place.

After the stroll we treated ourselves to breakfast. Had a nice toasted sandwich of meat floss and dried meat. Headed off to church after that. Another new instrument was introduced during worship in songs...a rainstick. It was used in the 1st verse of "As the Deer", where the lyrics goes: "As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee..." So it was meant to sound like streams of flowing water..

Went to Sugimoto for lunch where I had some delicious unagi and sashimi. I enjoyed the wasabi very much because it didn't give me brain damage. Had Starbucks after that and browsed in Bangsar Village for a bit before heading off to Mid Valley to watch "Wallace and Gromit". Love the British humour, we had a tremendous time laughing our hearts out. Very , very cute bunnies though!

There was a huge crowd in MPH. Wondered what the fuss was all about....then we spotted Tun Mahathir being swarmed by hoi polloi for autograph.



Today
Decided to do an outdoor run today since weather was clear. Pounded the streets of Terasek, clocking in the usual 6.6km. Energy level: quite high today. That's usually the case because I normally eat a bit more during weekends. Started quite early today, about 6.40am. Usually by the time we start it's about 7am. Went by myself. The sky looked pretty threatening but I donned a cap just in case it drizzled. Even the aunty with the walking stick commented that I was early today. After the run, popped into the gym and did another 5 mins on elliptical machine to cooldown. Here is my exercise today:

Cardio:
6.6km outdoor run
5 mins elliptical machine
Push ups (wide) - 10 reps
Push ups (narrow) - 8 reps
Squat with lateral raises (3kg) - 1 minute
Dumbell row (6kg) - 1 minute
Bicep curl (3 kg) - 1 minute
Reverse crunches - 1 minute
Crunces - 1 minute
Bridge (1 minute)

Saturday outdoor run foiled again

Bah! Rain again on Saturday. These days whenever it's clear in the morning I should just go out and run..you never know when it is going to rain. Did 8km on the treadmill. Today I was entertained by Ian Wright in Mexico. Took less than an hour to complete the 8km....it was quite boring.

My arms and shoulders are actually aching from all the core exercises which I did yesterday! Feels fantastic. Went on the scale today..so far so good.

Tomorrow I will be accompanying HL (if it doesn't rain) on a Sunday morning walk.

Flexibility day

After 4 days of hard workout, I decided to take it slow today. Did more stretches and core strength exercises. Here's what I did:

Cardio:
15 mins cycling
15 mins walking on treadmill

Stretches and core exercises:
The Wheel
Bridge
Push up
Back extension
the bow
Leg raises
shoulder stand

Feel rather energised with all the stretches. Muscles feel relaxed..

Celebrity Day

Went to redeem my free 30 day pass at Celebrity Fitness today. Very marketing oriented. They put me through a series of questions and forms to fill. By the time I had finished the questions and had a tour round the gym, 50 minutes was over already. Shucks! I casually mentioned to the consultant that I used to teach group exercise classes before and he tried to be funny and asked me "Are you FISAF certified?" To which of course I proudly answered "yes"...

Bumped into Ammetta...she was just finishing an RPM class. Her husband still does orthotics, which is really great because I need my second pair. I can't imagine life without my orthotics!! I have flat feet and used to get a great deal of injuries..until I got my orthotics about 2 years ago and that helped tremendously to complete a marathon. The average lifespan of an orthotic is about 6 years, but half if you do some serious pounding. Looks like mine are nearly koyak...

Anyway..by the time I started my exercise, I only had 40 minutes left. I started off with the elliptical machine for about 20 minutes, and had wanted to proceed to do some fitball exercises. Just as I was going to sit on the ball, I bumped into Ellen and WWW. I sat and chatted with them for a bit and whaddya know, times up - I had to go shower and get ready for work.

Ladies' changing room was quite nice. One thing strange I noticed though - there weren't any hooks in the shower rooms to hang your towel. I am a bit puzzled - am I supposed to shower in my towel or am i supposed to walk around the changing room naked?

Overall the equipment and facilities look pretty complete. I haven't had the chance to try the weight machines yet but they are using Life Fitness machines mostly and Precor elliptical machines. I still personally prefer Technogym (I seem to have an affinity for most Italian things...) But I'll be back to try out some of the group exercise classes.

Back to Pantai Hills

Finally! I've not been running the Pantai Hills route for almost a year, and today I completed it without dying. It's one of the toughest routes, because Jln Tmn Pantai is pretty steep. I am not very sure of the distance of the whole route, but I think the last time Ragu measured it on his Garmin it was about 6-7km. It took me about 42 minutes to complete the route, but I went really slow and steady. Started off at Jln Terasek, went up Jln Ara, into Jln Turi and then into Jln Taman Pantai. There is supposedly a haunted house on Jln Turi (someone got murdered in the house about nearly 10 years ago and it has been vacant since) and everytime I run pass the house I get goosebumps. At the summit of Jln Taman Pantai, the view was breathtaking - I could see KL Tower and Twin Towers with the rolling hills in the background. It was also wonderful to see how clear the air was, much unlike the time we were shrouded with the haze. After jln Tmn Pantai, I then hit the main road, back to Jln Ara and then back to Telawi.

My energy level was quite high today despite the leg exercises yesterday. Towards the end i could feel fatigue in my legs, so I decided not to push it and didn't do an extra round of Terasek. Next time.

Ellen has given me a free pass to Celebrity Fitness, I am going to check it out and see what the hype is all about.

Today's exercise diary:
7km outdoor run

Oh ya, watched Perhaps Love last night. Sat in the 1st row!! I think I was going cock-eyed! Show isn't bad but a bit slow at some parts. Takeshi Kaneshiro is GORGEOUS..drool..

Lower leg day

Meant to go running with Jenny this morning but as alas, it rained. So I'll save the running for tomorrow, my usual running day. Instead did some lower leg workouts today (not a good idea since I am running tomorrow, but since Saturday is supposed to be my long distance day it's better to do lower leg today than Friday). In any case my gluteus maximus is maximus, so i need to work it out.

Here's what I did:
45 min on elliptical machine
Leg press (3 sets of 15 reps - 40lbs)
Leg curl (2 sets of 15 reps - 10 lbs)
Leg extension (2 sets of 15 reps - 10 lbs)
Calf raises (2 sets of 15 reps - 15 lbs)

I had wanted to use the seated leg curl (which I haven't used in a long while and I miss it) but because the gym had changed the machine I can't use it anymore because it is designed for Caucasians (Technogym equipment - made in Italy). Oh well Ms Short Limbs had to settle with the lying leg curl machine.

Another exercise which I havent done in a while is calf raises. This was one of my favourite exercises 10 years ago because I love diamond shaped calves (Diamonds are a girl's best friend). When I started running more regularly I didn't need to do this exercise anymore because running already shapes the calves.

My legs are a complete jello today. Hopefully I can still run tomorrow...

Interval training

I had a fantastic workout at the gym this morning. Did an interval and circuit training, something which I have not done in a long time. I was first introduced to circuit training when I was in university. Wow, to think of it I have been actively exercising for the last 14 years!

Started my workout with a slow run for about 10 minutes, then proceeded with Fartlek training for 20 minutes where I interspersed a slow run and a high intensity run for 2 minutes each. This is a great way to increase speed, and I haven't done this in 1 year I think? Right after that I went on with circuit training where I would do 2 weight training exercises for 40 seconds each and then do cardio activity for 40 seconds, all consecutively. I really blasted my muscles and because i haven't done this in a long time my muscles fatigued pretty fast! Soon my shoulders were shaking.

I have to shape up because I have a wedding to attend in June. Cheh! As though it is my wedding, hahah!Well I just realised that my definition has faded and my body looks somewhat like a sausage, so I need to tone up. I also am on a mission to help 2 friends lose weight! Hmm now the difficult task is to go through Chinese New Year without gaining weight...

Circuit training (40 secs per exercise):
Round 1
Squats
Alternate lunges
Running on spot (cardio)
Push ups
Bent over flyes
Flick kicks (cardio)
shoulder presses
tricep dip
Side flicks (cardio)

Round 2 (on machines)
Machine row
Lat pull down
Chest press
Shoulder presses

Such a short workout but my muscles were so tired! Have to start building up again.

Holiday today

What a great start to the new year.....pounded the streets of Terasek this morning..did 7km. I feel good!Had a really quiet morning today which is fantastic..I really need to recuperate after the busy busy year end. Over the weekend, ET came and Mien came to stay over at my new place (separate occassions). ON Saturday night, New Year's Eve I watched "Must Love Dogs" with Mien. Pretty ok, one of those feel good romance flicks. Actually there wasn't much focus on the dogs. But I thought John Cusack looked remarkably like his sister Joan, when previously I thought they bore no resemblance at all. We could hear the booming fireworks coming from the Curve, but couldnt see it from where we were. It was thunderous until some car alarms went off.

For this year, I am trying to set my priorities right, which is why you see that I don't blog as often as I did before. I need to spend some quiet time alone with God before doing other things. But I think I'm still gonna try and update my exercise diary daily.

Oh yesterday I went to watch "Cinderella", a pantomime produced by Paul Loosley starring Elaine Daly, Indi Nadarajah, Joanne Kam and a whole lot of others. It was very funny and slapstick, good no brainer laughs included! It was a localised version of Cinderella with Elvis Presley songs intertwined. Indi did a good job at belting some Elvis numbers like "Hound Dog". Douglas Lim was the narrator "Buttons" and he even threw some chocolates to the audience. The best part of a panto is being able to hiss and boo the villainous characters.

I've got an oven toaster as a housewarming gift so now I can make toast. Hurrah!

Rushing to go to my new place now, my thoughts are all over the place but just wanted to blog down my thoughts. Oh well, have a jolly good holiday!