Gym Progress 19

Lok's session was good. I'm glad I chose to go to his class instead of Michelle's for today.

Stanley's pretty good this time around. Too bad it was short of time 'cause the previous class overran at 6:40 (class was supposed to end at 6:20) Hiro got to mention that this class is too easy for me... on the contrary, my feet was killing me today and I didn't get to warm up enough.. by the time I did, the class was over. That certainly sucks...talk about misunderstood. And he has the crazy notion to say Stanley' class is just about his level? Oh really. Don't think so.

Finally, I had several sessions of Bibi's class, one of which was unfortunately a quadruple step class which I made an a** of myself and became the cause of one person almost spraining his ankle (He stepped on me, and slightly twisted his ankle. Would've felt much worse if I stepped on him instead).

Hiro brought a friend to the gym again. She was nice and spoke a bit of English. I had her go up front beside Hiro so she can follow for Bibi's class... just returning the nice favor he gave to me when I started out with Bibi's classes - you can never follow if you stayed at the back, after all. So - I stayed at the back - and I remembered now, its not really easy being at the back - I can barely see anything at all, so most of the time I am just guessing where to go and catching up later in the class once I got to see everyone doing them synchronized, and nicely. I was also envious that Hiro was doing his own "choreography" thing during Hi-Lo. No fair.... I was at the back and I can barely see anything! I wish I could do my own choreography today..... *wistful*

Oh. Did I also mention Hiro admitted to "being a member to the most difficult instructors in Japan" together with his friend that he brought along? His words, not mine. Hahaha.. That's the closest I've heard him to admit that he is good... and his friend said he was one of the best. (And he was muttering that he is merely a beginner... and she told me he was a liar.)

Well, that wraps up Sunday.

My feet are killing me again and I'm having cramping sessions at night since Friday/Saturday. And my legs are really tired, and I got an ab cramping session during the last class... That never happened to me for aero. Only for jogging. And my head's been throbbing really bad the past few nights...

All of a sudden I don't feel like joining Steve's advanced class tomorrow night.... Probably a first for me. Moa? Not join? It sure sounds serious.

Mon (ISM): Lok
Tue (ISM): Stanley
Thu (ASM): Bibi
Fri (IHL, HL, ASM): Bibi, Bibi, Bibi
Sat (ISM, ISM): Stanley, Steve
Sun (SM, ASM, HL): Suzette, Bibi, Bibi

Stanley's OK

I like Stanley. He's got nice moves. He has a huge cheery smile.

He's a nice guy.

I just wish he would just stop teaching last Saturday. He started off the class explaining he was having some problems with his lower chest so in case we see him grimacing or just standing or hunched a bit while teaching.. its not our fault or anything. He's just trying to cope.

At the middle of the lesson... he started doing exactly that, and I wanted to shout out to him and the whole class, " Will you please stop the class already I can't help but see you in obvious pain while you do your job and teach the class, and its really distracting me, and making me feel terrible".


Doesn't help that the rest of the class can't seem to follow his choreography. Here is a guy trying to vainly do his job, in obvious pain, looked as if he was hyperventilating, losing his concentration (he missed a couple of choreography orders when showing us the breakdown) and drenched in (what looked like cold) sweat and a lot of people can't even make the effort to follow?

Don't let his pain go to waste la...

I just wanted to shout out "can I just take over for you and you go get some rest??" His second and third blocks are the same as last Tuesdays, so I could've done it for him if it was allowed. But it would've been rude or against regulations. Besides, its his choice to take on teaching the class despite his condition.

So the best thing that I did was just follow his choreography the best that I could and hope that others can/will follow me. And at least talked to him after the class to make sure he is ok.

The guy is a bit crazy... but then, so was I and my finger surgery, and so was Hiro with his appendix surgery. There must be something wrong with gym rat freaks like us...

Still Not Fair

I can't get rid of the fact that he was doing his own choreography and I was trying really hard to keep up, at the back, way behind.

Not fair.

I hate losing to guys. I suppose... let the competition begin?

Maybe when I get my legs fixed..........

Gym Progress 18

Monday was nothing special... hoping to catch the bodypump class, but didn't really make it. I had to settle for just the step class with Michelle. Don't get me wrong, Michelle is good. Its just that her choreography is not to much turning and it kills my knees - they're all quite heavy footed dance steps.

As I missed BP last Monday, I went Wednesday morning instead at Central. Pretty challenging instructor. Doesn't help that its been a while since I've done bodypump.

Rest of the week? Well, lots of catching up because there were tons of work to be dealt with, and appointments to be made, both work and social. So I HAD to go to the Thursday class.

I had a special guest coming in last Sunday, and accompanied me to the gym. It feels nice to have someone you know very well (and met outside of gym) join you in something that you really like doing, especially if you've been talking about the people that you meet and the fun that you have for more than a year now. Met and seen all the colorful people I've been talking about in my past posts...

It feels nice, I'm quite proud of myself. Its amazing to share something you love with someone you care about a lot. ^_^

Mon (SM): Michelle
Wed (BP): Gary
Thu (ASM): Bibi
Fri (IHL,HL): Bibi, Bibi
Sun (SM, ASM, HL): Suzette, Bibi, Bibi
ps. I notice my sessions are all Bibi's classes... I would do the same thing for Suzette, but she doesn't have that much classes, and she also doesn't change choreography every time... just becoz. *sigh*

Yes I Really Am

... taking a trip down on memory lane.

Must be all the stuff that I've missed out on for a few months of no blogging.

The Things We Do For Aero...

This post particularly reminded me the time between week 3 and 17 when everyone was asking Hiro where he went MIA (for a week or 2).

Of course, the most preposterous part about it was that he had a appendix operation, and he was back to the gym after only 1 week of recuperation. I believe this was sometime between week 11 and 13, but I can't be too sure of the dates now since I've since did not log ANYTHING on.

What a useless lazy pig I am. Oh well. Point being...

Well, you get the point.

Marathon! Marathon!

Oh, as another interesting progress,... did I mention I joined the "amateur" 10km Standard Chartered Marathon this year?

I just got past this post while going down on memory lane. 10km first... Then maybe if I'm crazy enough, I can try the Half Marathon the next year, and then the Full Marathon the year after that...

It REALLY has been only a YEAR!

Just checked. It seems I HAVE been consistently going to the gym for only a year, and about 4 months. At least based on this post.

Huh. It seemed longer for some strange reason. Has it only been a year????

O_o!

Gym Progress 17

And you wonder where the other 15 progresses have gone....

Do I really have to explain? ^_^

Anyways, a Beijing trip first week of November, a two week trip back to the Philippines on the first week of December, and a Christmas holiday where I pretend to be Santy Claus over at the gym.. I am now in the 17th week of my second year. Geez. Is it really second year only? That seems wrong. I'll backtrack later and confirm this... it seems like I've been going to the gym longer than that...

Well, I just have one thing to say: I can now follow Bibi's step classes ... at least almost 100%. Hahaha.. I just checked. It took me 6 months to actually get Bibi's style. Since this post. Well, well. That's pretty shameful record. Hiro did it in like... probably 2 months. I remember him saying he came over to Hong Kong around April or May 2006. And by the time I attended the advanced classes, I believe he was doing pretty well already.

Oh brother. My can't-be-beat-by-a-guy streak is starting to resurface again.

...

I hate losing to guys.

Don't have anything against Hiro, he's pretty nice. But I really hate it when a guy is better than me in something that I think I should be better at.

....

Fine. Anyway, the point of this whole post is that I could follow most of the steps for Bibi's advanced class after a bit of stumbling every time at the start. I should've been ecstatic... but now I don't feel too good because it took me 6 months to do it, and a guy did in it 2-3.

Duh - "hooray."

Thu (ASM): Bibi
Fri (HL, ASM): Bibi, Bibi
Sat (ISM, ISM): Calvin,Steve
Sun (SM, ASM, HL): Suzette, Bibi, Bibi

.. I Take It ALL Back

Yes, I do.

I really do.

An hour after I hit the sack, I got called with a problem in the office. And then, at 02:30 in the morning, I found myself coming into the office together with a colleague/friend.

By the time it hit 9am, we were both a bit hysterical and dazed. I was a bit fuming inside because not only did I miss my usual gym morning class, I was at least expecting to try out the company subsidized breakfast buffet being offered from 07:30-09:00. I was tired, hungry and was on a sugar high (the only food that was around was pack of butterball candy - I think I gained more plaque this morning than I ever did after not brushing my teeth for two straight days)

I left the office at around 3pm, ... I could've left earlier, granted. Everyone was telling me to just go home by the time it hit 9am. But I just couldn't leave some things undone...

I just sat at the IFC starbucks to recuperate myself.... I don't think going back home and sleeping will do that. I just need some peace and quiet. Granted I was also feeling very tired and a bit dozing off on my seat... but I sat there any read magazines until 5. After which I headed to the gym (its a Friday, boys and girls) to take a steam and a sauna before I started getting into the serious stuff.

Steam and sauna are nice.... but I suppose not when you've only had 1-2 hours of sleep in the past 48 hours. Well, I got past THAT. I had to kill time you know... and I didn't want to really spend it exercising. I still had until 21:40 tonight to go.

Actually by the time it hit 7pm, I wasn't dizzy anymore... I think the sleepiness just passed. I was practically wide awake after the last class, and was reading a book during the commute home.

Ahh.... but its catching up on me now....

....
....
... zzzZZZZZZZZZzzZZ....

With Support Mobile... and Still Enjoying the Night??

It comes as a shock to myself, but I am actually enjoying my night despite the fact that I am holding the office support mobile - the same dreaded one that would ring 4-5 times per night, every night, and every hour and kept me cranky and dazed the whole morning in the office.

Here I am, typing away on my blog, listening to Jay Chou and Brad Mehldau right after I've finished my doctor ordered regular leg stretches for my poor, poor knee - which I banged pretty rough last Sunday when I was attending one of my regular gym step classes - BAM! With a little help from gravity, pulling down my full weight with my kneecap as the hammerhead - straight down to the step. Ouch. I could hear my knees shrieking and bleeding inside. I always imagine that nowadays... knees' insides just bleeding.

Ah, but I'm trying to take care of it now... stretching and rubbing and pulling, just as the doctor ordered. Point being, I'm thinking of a lot of things, except the support mobile.

... Talk of the devil. The phone just rang.

....

I take it back.

Hahaha no, just joking. I try to keep jolly when the phone rings. 24 hour support people coming in to the office must have a very boring job to work at 1am in the morning.... the least they could have is whomever they're calling upon to fix that crazy emergency alert be a bit bright and cheery. At least that's what I think so. So I'm actually nicer to them than how I normally am to most people. That's the least I could do to perk up their (otherwise) boring night.

Lucky them!

Well, now that THAT'S gotten over with, and I've handled THAT phone call... what is there to say?

HUH.

Well, still enjoying anyway. Listening to Kalapana's Moon and Stars right now. I'm heading off and break the pillow in a bit... I just thought it would be nice to put up another post to let everyone know what I'm doing. Just reminicient these days, for some strange reason. Must be the take-a-walk-down-in-memory-lane look at my photo albums. I just realized I have a good flair for taking scenic shots - I recently saw pictures I've taken a few years back, of the Hong Kong skyline, and idyllic shots of Stanley Market, both of which I couldn't believe I've taken them myself. I think when I get the money, I should get myself a decent camera again.... ah.. but no moolah right now. Maybe later on then....

Time to hit the sack. Almost 23:00. Got to wake up tomorrow for gym. ^_^

Good night people!

Out and About Post

Too many things to talk about.

Yes, I know I've been out of commission for quite some time already - in fact, I didn't even keep the promise that I said the last time... took me a year to get back. I have no plans whatsoever whether this post will be long or short, but at the most it will be something to keep my readers (yes I know who you are, you handful of people...) up to speed.

My life is practically ruled by gym and work. Well, work first, and then to vent out my frustration, go straight to the gym. I have no social life whatsoever, but I am trying my best to catch up with friends as much as I can.

Why? maybe because I had a blast the last time I went back to the Philippines. Several little things that come together... a practice karaoke session at the local mall, a good friend's wedding, a dedicated song, a sea of familiar faces, new embarrassments (particularly ones concerning
singing and blindfold frisking), an astounding highschool-cross-grade school reunion, meeting with someone whom I have made a pact to marry in case both of us are unmarried at the age of 40, breakfast customized of muesli-yogurt, a Red Hot fashion show, a 80's cross nativity Christmas presentation, a charming goddaughter, waffles for dinner, an upcoming pregnancy, a dimsum breakfast, embarrassing chai tea latte orders at Starbucks Manila, wonderful teppanyaki lunch, a nice afternoon tea at the State University, recommended grapefruit shakes, playing Castle, sharing an afternoon with a special girl, cousin bonding, dashi delivery at night, lots of clover and Nagaraya crackers, a girl named Bonnie, a gent named Blue, old crushes, reminicent friends, unacceptable embarrassments, a mom who lovingly tried to sew and readjust her daughter's dress so that she can look her best, a dad who cared about her daughter's future, a brother who never shows his care towards his little sister, but he really does, a partner who would always make her sad and happy at the same time...

So many little things, isnt it?

And when I came back, there were more... firefighting, waking up at nights, spending christmas with the family, spending new year with colleagues and Abby, a nice massage, a dinner with friends, an ipod shuffle, some Casino Royale, a hopeful future, a bit of Santa Claus gym gift giving, a pretty Mickey Mouse phone crystal decor, and a surprise matching key chain, a nice nike bag, a familiar friend... two familiar friends... a 3am discussion on life...

Sometimes its all about gym and work, really.

But sometimes... both of them ... fade into the background. And you'll be left with that twinkle in your eye and a secret that you and everybody gets to keep in that rare, once in a lifetime Christmas spirit that seems to get lost of the hustle and bustle of a routine Christmas that happens so often nowdays.

This year was very special. You can tell, can't you? It was special enough to get me out of my blog hiatus. ^_^ Yes, I've been busy... but these days, I've been busy to those that seem to matter.

It may be a little late, but have a nice New Year, everyone, and Happy Holidays!