Workout fueled by fantasies

Hubby always blogs about fitness and gym stuff. Here's my turn... from a regular gym member's point of view.

Why do I only go for 3 types of classes and treadmill?
- Bodyjam (is da BEST!!!)
- Bodycombat
- RPM

People say "reality bites". Which is rather true as nothing in this world is every perfect. Reality means you need to accept the good along with the bad in everything. But in fantasies, you control what happens. You determine what's in it. You can be doing anything you want, anywhere you want, with anyone you want.


In the dance inspired Bodyjam, you can imagine that you are performing on a big fancy stage ala the Grammy's or in Broadway. Or your shakin' ur bootie to a hot raggaeton beat in Miami's hottest club. Or you are the back up dancer to Gwen Stefani in her Japan tour concert! It doesnt matter how you dance in reality, all that matters is that you eat, drink and breathe dance in your fantasy. You can be THE best in your fantasy. It's your fantasy, you can even BE Gwen Stefani if you want. ;)


In the more aggressive Bodycombat, you can be fighting side-by-side with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or d hot Jet Lee! Or you could be in the boxing ring muay thaying someone in the beautiful Thailand. Even something a little closer to home, you can be punching the guts out of your boss or your most annoying customer. Wouldn't that be fun? :p


In RPM, you can ride in the wind across the Himalayas... or if you are more imaginative like me, you could be riding out at sea or even in outer space!! You can close your eyes and just go by the sound of the instructor's voice. There is never any traffic, there is never any risk of hitting anyone or anything if you close your eyes. If you're a romantic, like me, you can be cycling in the rain in black and white!! lol!



Finally, there's the treadmill. I can close my eyes and be running along the canal in front of d place I was staying in Glasgow. Beautiful!!!

Isn't that more fun than the reality of just going to them gym, working out on a yoga mat/step-board and exercising those calories away????

Selfish selflessness

You know how some people do good things hypocritically for selfish reasons? ...to obtain a good reputation, to market themselves to the opposite sex, to mask their evil intentions, or even to satisfy their conscience after doing something bad.

Judgmental and self-righteous people will most definitely criticise these people for being such fakes.

However, have you ever thought of what these insincere good deeds do for the recipients??? If an orphanage was the one who receives a self-motivated contribution, would they feel any different from receiving a contribution from a sincere person? Unlikely. A good deed, no matter what the motivation ... is still a good deed. If a insincere millionaire gives money to build a home, homeless people get a roof over their head. If a socialite wants to raise her public profile by publicy "volunteering" her time to help sick cancer patients... these cancer patients still feel good that someone is there to help them, and even receive more publicity that can spur more others who would want to help after being aware of their plight.

To the recipient, a good thing still happens and there is a positive impact on their lives. A good deed does something good no matter what the motivation behind it.

As for me, I too am human... more often than not motivated by self-interest and self-centred-ness.


Why do I brave d sun, get my hands dirty to plant trees and sort & recycle my waste?
To ease my conscience that I contribute to the consumption and pollution on this earth.


Why do I help refugee kids develop artistic talents despite d fact that I absolutely dislike being around kids?
To feel that sense of achievement that I had progress further than the music ministry in church to other ministries. I want to progress and get promoted everywhere, not just at work... but in church, in theatre, in academic.

Why do I do nice things for the people I love: hubby, sister, parents, best friends?
Because I get a nice warm fuzzy happy feeling when I see them happy as they matter to me.

The journey can be a good deed, motivated by the destination of self-interest. In my opinion, it doesn't matter what the endpoint is... if something good is done, there is a positive impact on someone somewhere.

Go on... be selfish. Don't judge others' motives. In this festive season, think of the less fortunate and do a good deed. It is not as selfless as you think. You will be surprise what YOU can get out of it. =)


Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year to all!!!

Mission: Accomplished!

Last Saturday, for the very first time I was leading a mission trip! :) Was pretty worried that things would be chaotic coz I was so busy with work I didnt have much time to plan or even delegate properly in the journey of getting the workshop going. But thanks to a wonderful wonderful team of people, things turned out well. Phew! Praise the Lord!! :) :) Guess in Him anything is possible even if you are juggling one thousand million things that seem to be too overwhelming.

We had a creative arts and music workshop to help these kids find an avenue to express themselve artistically since they never have the chance to do so in their normal school classes. The essentials are the only thing the teachers can cramp into their limited syllabus due to lack of teachers, time and resources.

Praise and worship led by Iggy.


The kindy kiddies wt their teacher Jocelyn


The pre-schoolers led by Nick


The 1st graders' class led by Marissa... cikgu!


The teenagers and their recycled version of Stomp!


Ben and Fong Li doin' their DBKL thang after the workshop is over.


Group photo!!!!




I hope our presence gave them that opportunity and will spark them to continue to develop those hidden talents.I hope our presence gave them that opportunity and will spark them to continue to develop those hidden talents.

Looking forward to make a difference in more people's lives in the near future! When you have God's love, spread it! :)

Who got me to my cheese?

~reposted with ending~

Everyone has heard of the book "Who moved my cheese?" but I have my own little version called "Who got me to my cheese?"

Once upon a time, I had this boss whom I thought was a pain breathing down my neck, policing my every move. Pushing and pressuring me at every turn. Used to complain about it and got pretty annoyed with it. But like strong cheeses or durian, you normally hate it at first but it starts to grow on you. He started to grow on me. I started to realize this person was actually looking out for me. The more I realized it, the more he got off my back even.


Like a mouse in a maze, it could not really see the big picture. Which turns should it make to get to its cheese? There are many routes, and if it were to blunder its way through this maze, it would take twice or even thrice as long if it weren't for a human who was pushing or nudging it to take the correct turns. When it eventually sees the cheese within its sight, it knew exactly how to get there. By then, it was so close that the human no longer needs to nudge it from behind in order for it to run for the cheese!

This "human" nudging me "the mouse" was looking at the big picture and helping me reach my cheese in the fastest, best possible way. This "human" is Anish, my country manager. And this post is a thank you for being my "human" helping me get to my "cheese". It has been a wonderful journey and I have enjoyed this maze race. I'm really grateful and glad I had him to push me towards the right direction.


Thank you, Anish and all the best to you & your family in this new beginning! You will be missed!

Are my belongings gonna hurt me???

Is my handbag gonna eat me up??
Or is my shopping bag gonna strangle me to death???

A moving target

I've been in the sales line as long as I have been working. In sales, it's always straightforward:

1. Set your goals
2. Plan how to achieve them
3. Put those plans into action
4. Achieve those goals
5. Get rewarded for tho$e a¢hievement$

But in life... too often, people do the same. They set the goal, work out a plan then work towards those goals so religiously that it becomes an obsession. With money, status, power... etc.

In life, it is not as simple as a sales plan. It is not a linear path. It is not a constant target. It is much more complicated, if you look at the target properly... it's moving! A wishlist will have new items and some old items which are not crossed out will just drop out of the list.

Yes, it is crucial to have goals and plans and work towards them... give you a sense of purpose. But once in a while, take a deep breath, take a good look around. You might just find that your target has moved. You need a new plan. That there are other bullseye that are more important than your current obsession.

- You could be working so hard to earn that 1st million so that your family can have a life of luxury, you don't realize you've left your family and loved ones behind.
- You could be working so hard for that promotion, you don't realize that it's the wrong career path.
- You could be chasing that perfect Prince Charming, you don't realize the one is right in front of your eyes.

Take some time off, breath and take a good look around... do you need to move your target??


Hmmm... do I???

A juggling act

Everytime I interview a candidate, I'd ask them if they have done anything beyond what is required of the job for the company or for the team. Just to gauge if they have the teamwork spirit and the passion to go that extra mile for their career, to take on additional responsibilities.

It's a good quality to look for isn't it? It's a good quality to practice as well right?? And you must practice what you preach, leadership by example...blah blah blah.

But this is not a fair world. Good qualities lead to good actions... but it does not necessarily lead to good outcomes. What people see and judge you upon are only the outcomes. If outcomes are not out, not matter how much "extra mile" you put in, it is not enough.

In fact, the more willing you are to take on the extra, the more extra people will put upon you. Then you'll be left to juggle ALL that extra balls. You only have 2 hands, so 2 balls are in your hand... the rest of the balls are in the air. With so many balls in the air, what kind of outcomes do you expect? All the balls will be in the air la. People with one or two will have it in their hand.

A stupid clown, juggling...juggling...juggling.

Nothing but a circus act. Any more balls you wanna throw at me, world???

Mommy, my cat is broken!

It's been 3 weeks since our baby Orked came come with us. I discovered a few weird things about her.

1. She doesn't like fishy foods... especially wet ones.

2. She prefers to play wt ice cube than to have a piece of treat.

3. She bites!! She greets you at the door! And she plays with balls!! Maybe she thinks she's a dog?

4. She's not really anti-water, she likes to sit and wait near you while you shower!

She must be a broken cat... hhhmmm, but super cute nevertheless!! You can't help but love dat funny little furball. Aaawwww....

The art of being happy for others

Everyone has an ego... some more than others. That's when the braggarts are born.

Why do people brag? To give themselves a little ego boost or to belittle others... or both. Are they happier after that ego boost??? Nope... ego-boost is like a drug, you'll just crave more and more of it. Some people even live out of their means and get into serious financial trouble due to this "drug".

It is also highly contagious... if a person is around ego-boosters all the time, chances are, it rubs off on them and they become addicts themselves unless they have super high self control and humility to bring them back to earth. Or they have a "wake-up-call" buddy to slap them back to earth everytime.

Does pride and ego = happiness? Far from it.

Friend says: I got promoted!!
Egoholic: I am also in the running for a promotion at work.

Friend says: I just got engaged!!!
Egoholic: Gosh, what a tiny diamond you got.

Friend says: I'm pregnant!!
Egoholic: Eeew... babies are so disgusting.

Friend says: Welcome to my housewarming dinner!
Egoholic: Such a small place. I just went to see a much bigger more expensive place. Thinking of buying it.

Does putting others down make the egoholic feel better or happier? We've all been in the egoholics shoes at least once in our lifetime. Did we feel good after putting people down? Nope, from my experience, it followed by a feeling of excruciating envy.

So why do they still do it? Beats me... as I have learnt the art of being happy for others. That way, I have more share of happiness... mine as well as a gazillion other people's happiness. Yup, it's happiness melimpah-limpah... :)

The next time you feel compelled to react egoistically to a friend or family's happiness, step back and think how would you feel if you are in their shoes. When you receive a happy news... would you want someone who shares your excitement or someone who belittles it?

Perhaps next time you can learn how to "tap on" to others' happiness, the art of being happy for others. Even if the good news for them may not be good news for you, you can still be happy for them.

Friend says: I got promoted!!
Egoholic: Oh wow!! Congratulations... with all the hard work & stress you've been through... you deserve it!! :)

Friend says: I just got engaged!!!
Egoholic: I'm so happy for you!! Finally reaching for your happy ever after eh? :)

Friend says: I'm pregnant!!
Egoholic: Congrats!! You've always wanted to be mom! Now I can have 2nd hand experience of being a mom hearing mommy stories from you, since I've decided not to have my own. :)

Friend says: Welcome to my housewarming dinner!
Egoholic: Thanks for inviting me into your brand new home. Must be exciting to have your own place! :)

Trust me, you'll be a much happier person even if you don't outdo them. :)

Orked

There's a new arrival at home...















Isn't she cuuuuuutttte???? :)

Greener grass afar

The grass always looks greener on the other side doesn't it?

Works both ways:
An employee will always look at a new company as better than their current one.
An employer will always look at a new employee as better than their existing ones.

You can always see both the strength and the weaknesses of those closest to you... and as with everything else, the negative stuff always stand out.

Those from afar, always look more perfect. With flaws nicely hidden from view from a distance. If you took the time to look closer or to check with those who has been close enough to that patch of grass... you'll know it is far from perfect. Far from flawless.

Look closer....

Fueled by passion... tank empty

Life's been so crazy lately, juggling all the "excitement" at work and mounting assignments for my mba. Even my blog has suffered negligence.

I just hate it when life becomes so overwhelming it's like a you're drifting in a strong river current...unable to swim or hang on to anything. After a while, you stop fighting the current, just give in and let the current carry you where it is heading. Drift, drift, drift...

How I miss swimming along a nice calm stream enjoying the journey, in control of where I'm heading, and most of all, I was swimming in the stream because I actually WANT to. It was not moving by clockwork, it was fueled by passion.

I miss all that passion I had; for my job, for my hobbies, for my relationship, for my entire life! And now the tank is empty. I need fuel, anyone knows any stations nearby I can re-fuel??? :(

Quality of Life

While I was in the dialysis biz unit in my company, quality of life was something we preached to all kidney failure patients. To help motivate them to live their lives to the fullest despite the circumstances.

Just what is quality of life or QOL???

In Asia, all people ever do is chase after something... a race to earn more, a race to have a higher position, a race to acquire fancy cars, luxury homes, rich husbands or supermodel girlfriends. People work later and later, and even on weekends. In the chase for their definition of QOL... riches, power and status!

Have they ever stopped to smell the flowers, to enjoy the scenery, to just spend time NOT chasing anything. A concept the ang moh's seem to know better than us. So, her we are, not chasing anything, left our responsibilities, our jobs, our troubles halfway around the world. Here we are... learning from these ang moh's, stopping to smell the flowers, to feel the fresh green grass, to breath the fresh air...

From Glasgow with love

Been too busy to blog lately. Posting photos up on fb has made thing much simpler to share ur life with ur friends, don't you think?

Anyway, Glasgow has been pretty sunny since we arrived. Apparently, this is not normal. Guess we must've brought d sunshine with us when we came! :) :) :)

Here r some random pics! :)

Career Marathon

Been training running lately. Initally boss made it compulsory for the whole company to join the Standard Chartered KL Marathon in end June. But drew back the compulsory bit. Obviously alot of people pulled out. But since I had aleady started training and have gotten hooked on how inspiring running can be when coupled with some emotionally stirring music... I have decided to press on.

I noticed how I always add on a little more every time I train. A couple of km more, a few minutes faster. Everytime you add on that little bit of challenge, your body feels like giving up but you press on. The next time it feel easier. Then you give yourself a new challenge...add a little more to your target. I actually look forward to my next run every time.

I guess this is also how work life can be. The career marathon. Everytime you get good at what you are doing, you take on a little bit more... so that things don't get so boring and routine. Everytime it gets easier, you take on even more... and grow even better in the process. I used to look forward to the next challenge to take me out of my routine. However, lately I've been pretty tired of pressing on at work. Sick of the routine, sick of the frustrations. Everyday it is the same thing over again. I wonder why can't I motivate myself to press on, and add that extra 1km more today... and another km more tomorrow. I used to be able to do that pretty well. What has changed? Perhaps running in itself is the routine... doesnt matter how many more kms I add?

Perhaps it's time I take on swimming???

Cat food... meow!

Ok, I did not literally eat cat food... just Kuching food. ;)
Here are some of the yummy stuff I had on my East Malaysian trip last week. Mostly in Kuching as my colleague was more familiar there.

Sarawak Kolo Mee...mmmm


Wantan


Lotsa lotsa lotsa seafood... habeh my cholesterol level.


The aftermath


Had this super huge chicken pau which was good too but was stuck in the hospital till so late we were super hungry so tak ambik gambar lagi tuh. Same case wt the KK seafood. Oh well, there's always next time!! :p

My fav videos

Am @d Kuching airport Starbucks awaiting my flight... bored. Cant post d Kuching food stuff up yet coz cant transfer d photos yet. So, juz tot I'd post my 3 fav videos on youtube here. Am watching them now anyway... :)

Our wedding: The Musical

Yes, I am still alive!! And so is my blog!! :) Just been too busy to post anything till now. This is just going to be short post as d craziness of the MBA is yet to be over.

Here are some photos from Alvin and my wedding... :)

Our church wedding


Daddy giving me away


Hubby & me



The "I do"s :)


With God's blessings


The dinner


Opening gambit duet


Our singing speech!



The bride and groom's first dance.



The Grand Finale!!

It was a lovely lovely musical wedding that was super memorable not just for hubby and me, but for our guests!! Will never ever forget this day d rest of my life!! :)
Have yet to receive all the photos from my official photographer. These are just stolen from my friend's albums from facebook. Heheheh. Anyway, I better get back to my assignment!! Gotta finish it before our lovely honeymoon!!! :) :) :) :)