For the Greater Good!

Thoroughly enjoyed myself last Saturday evening. It was simply great; great company, great movie & great dinner. Supposed to have dinner at Manhattan Fish Market but it was packed so we changed our gourmet target to Cathay’s Billy Bombers. I ordered a roast chicken - wasn’t too bad but I think it could have been better. They used to serve better food, somehow the quality has deteriorated over the years.

Anyway, we caught this movie “Hot Fuzz” after our dinner. Boy, this is one hilarious and entertaining movie! The recent spate of blockbusters didn’t seem to wow me. Pirates was overly hyped. Ocean 13 was passable. Shrek 3 and Fantastic Four were averagely good. Hot Fuzz, however, sizzles. From the makers of the hit movie Shaun of the Dead, Director Edgar Writer and writer cum actor, Simon Pegg infused razor-sharp amalgamation of humour and action in this uniquely funny film.

And the story goes.....
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the finest cop London has to offer, with an arrest record 400% higher than any other officer on the force. He’s so efficient, he puts everyone else to shame. So Angel is packed off to the sleepy, idyllic and seemingly crime-free village of Sandford. Sandford is your typical small lazy town, where nothing much happens, and everyone knows everyone else. If a missing swan is a great deal, then you'll know there's pretty nothing much to sustain our supercop's interest. Angel finds it difficult to adjust to village life, constantly on the look out for crime in a place where there hasn't been a murder for over 20 years. The police station is so quiet that the staff spend most of their time eating cake and ice-cream. He's assigned to a station where officers are extremely laid back, which makes him get off on the wrong footing with partner PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). The son of amiable Police Chief Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), Danny is a huge action movie fan and believes his new big-city partner might just be a real-life "bad boy," and his chance to experience the life of gunfights and car chases he so longs for. Angel is quick to dismiss this as childish fantasy and Danny’s puppy-like enthusiasm only adds to Angel’s growing frustration. However, as a series of grisly accidents rocks the village with rising body counts, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems and as the intrigue deepens, Danny’s dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gunfighting, all-out action seem more and more like a reality. It's time for these small-town cops to break out some big-city justice.

I was captivated right from the start. Hot Fuzz shows no signs of fizzle and continues to build momentum and pump adrenaline. It combines gore, comedy, action and mystery all into one. It makes references, satirizes and parodies buddy-cop genre like Lethal Weapon and Bad Boys. Some amusing moments include the Shakespearean play “Romeo & Juliet”, the gunfight towards the end and the witty Brit humour. Peter Jackson and Cate Blanchette even make cameo appearances.

Let’s hope Transformers and Harry Potter will make our movie trip a delicious popcorn experience. Hey movie buddy, we should do this more often! For the greater good, haha!

Hit the mental ceiling

Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling. Hit the mental ceiling. Break the mental ceiling.............

In case you are wondering what happened? I psyching myself up for the coming race on Saturday.

Revisiting Success

1977
1st in inter-school essay writing competition

1986 - 88
Chairman of Reach Out Project, Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore

1989
Selected to participate in the Ship for South-East Asian Youth Programme

1990
Awarded a 1-year scholarship with International Atomic Energy Agency in Australia & Thailand

1993
Opportunity to train the Prime Minister in the Great Singapore Workout
Led 38,000 participants in the Great Singapore Workout at the Padang

1996
Hosted Channel 8 Good Morning Singapore Exercise Programme for Kids

1997 – 99
President of Singapore Fitness Instructor’s Association

2001
Received outstanding achievement award in recognition of academic excellence in Diploma in Sport Psychology

2003
Produced “Kids on the Move” exercise video for children
Choreographed the FunFITT Workout for National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 2003

2005
Choreographed “Aarokkia Aattam” workout for the Indian Community

2006
Choreographed “Kebayarobics II” workout for the Malay Community

These achievements are not intended to flaunt my accomplishment or to feed my ego but rather to remind myself of the long and arduous journey in making dreams come true.

Relax, take a break!

Competition is near. Countdown: 9 more days after today. Although this would be my second time, I’m still feeling as excited as before. However, too much stress and tension usually results in losing perspective and mental control. Developing our ability to relax our body and calm the mind allow us to control our intensity and channel our focus before the race. So, I normally do that by listening to some of my favourite songs, songs that have escorted me through time.............

I like the initial piano accompaniment of this one by Boyzone


Came across a few versions by Mariah Carey, Collin Raye,.... but I prefer this one by Journey


Never seem to get tired of Rascal Flatts, their songs are fabulous

Pump up the Jam

Last Saturday (16 June), I hosted a line dance jam at Singapore Power Recreation Club located at Woodleigh. It’s a 5-hour job. However, it did not feel like work at all. I had so much fun and enjoyment. The last time I hosted one was a year ago. I used to be a regular line dance DJ at Riverside Point some years ago. Every Saturday, I’ll bring loads of CDs and spin music for linedancers to have move to the groove. Nowadays, with the MP3 player or i-Pod, it can single-handedly store, search and play the songs at your beck and call.

Unlike the DJ in clubs, a line dance DJ’s job is to introduce the dance, spin the music, does the counting in and have some knowledge about line dancing. Occasionally, he also entertained some requests from regular line dance jammers. Normally a jam would last about 4 to 5 hours. About 200 linedancers congregate at the hall to display their footwork of some classic and current dances.

Most people used to think that linedancing is an uncool thing to do and associated it with aunties. But I beg to differ. Some choreography has intricate footwork. Others have a little of lyrical components and require dancers to emote their feelings. We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for dreams, we dance to express, not to impress!

Below is me and some of my students doing a dance to the tune of “Tell Me” by P. Diddy & Christina Aguilera:

I'm movin' on

Dear S,
2 months ago, you disclosed a shocking truth during our Bali trip. A truth you kept away from me for 2 years. I was hurt. I felt upset, disappointed and betrayed. That night I tossed and turned on my bed but just could not sleep. I had to endure the emotional pain you inflicted upon me. You wrecked my emotions. The person that I trusted the most was also the one that hurt me intensely. I thought of all the reasons to rationalise what happened but couldn’t find one. For 2 weeks, my mind was constantly fixated on this issue. I could not sleep well. I could not concentrate on my work. I did not enjoy myself at social events. I was basically going through the initial stages of the grief cycle – shock, denial and anger. A lot of things went through my mind. I had no one to talk to or turn to.

One fine day, I told myself “Enough is enough! It’s time to move on.” I kept myself occupied with lots of classes and projects. I called up friends whom I’ve not met for months. I resumed dragon boat training after a break of more than a year. I made some new friends. I gym 3 times a week. I cut my hair short. I transformed my wardrobe. I started reading those books which I bought and left on the shelf for years. After a month, I rediscovered myself. I became more aware of my inner self. I’ve been too caught up until hurt knocked on my door and brought me back to reality. I discovered that there are still plenty of wonderful people around me. What’s important is that I made a choice to move on and not wallow in self pity. This reminds me of a beautiful song from Rascal Flatt’s “I’m movin on”

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on

We have not met for more than a month. That day you wanted to meet me for lunch. I was a little apprehensive. I did not know what to expect. But I decided to turn up. The lunch turned out to be a rather quiet affair. We became so formal and polite with each other until it developed into moments of uneasiness. I thought we were more like acquaintance than friends. The feeling was quite strange. I’m no longer angry or depressed. It appears that I’ve got over it. After lunch, you wanted me to join you for a game of mahjong. I took a rain check and chose to go to the library instead. I've become accustomed to this "new" me and enjoying it.

Maybe some day we’ll meet or maybe we won’t. But I’ve benefited from this. Hurt is a part of life, but we must learn how to take advantage of the hurt. My focus is not on the hurt, but what the hurt does for me. Look at hurt as something that if I respond to it incorrectly it will become a barrier on the road that I'm traveling on. All of us are traveling on a road that is leading to our destiny. But there are things that happened that try to get us out of our lane. Only what is destined for you can be achieved by remaining on your road. What we fail to realize is that so many things we never really appreciate until we experience the opposite reaction. We appreciate being up after we experienced being down.

For me, getting hurt can be seen as a good thing. Some day, I’m going to back upon this experience down the road, and be grateful for what it has taught me. It is all a matter of perspective and time.

Here’s the remaining part of the lyrics:

I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone
I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived that I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on

Another one of my Rascal Flatt's favourites

Music & Lyrics

One of my favourite songs from Michael Buble. Some lyrics fit the music like a pair of gloves and this is one of them.

This 2001 song from Lonestar has sad but beautiful lyrics. Enjoy.....

This song is specially for the one who taught me how to add music to my blog and introduced me to the wonderful world of blogging

Shayne Ward - That's my goal

Another manic Wednesday!

I’m a glutton for work on Wednesdays. For 3 Wednesdays in a row, I’ve been working like a dog! Not that I've been complaining but too much work can really leave us drained and sapped!

The morning started off with teaching a group of pre-schoolers visiting Health Zone at Health Promotion Board at about 8.30 am. As part of their trip, the kids are supposed to attend an exercise workshop called “I want to be fit”. As these children are as young as 4 or 5, the ability to comprehend fitness is something unfamiliar to them. I’ve to adopt the story telling approach and incorporate some fun exercises to instill the importance of having to exercise regularly. Boy, the attention span of kids is rather short, the challenging part is to constantly engaged them with lots of fun and exciting activities. Therefore, I’ve to bring myself to their level and entertain them as much I could. It can tough at times when the kids get carried away! 3 consecutive sessions and I'm already quite worn out!

After a quick bite during lunch, I’m rushing off to meet clients to discuss upcoming events or new fitness programmes. Meetings usually last about 2 hours. Then it’s time for a dose of caffeine at Starbucks or Coffee Bean. I simply love the aroma of coffee. While sipping coffee, time is not wasted, I took time to squeeze some creative juice to plan my choreography for the evening classes.

At URA, it’s an hour of high energy aerobics. Participants are pumping and sweating to a highly choreographed workout. I’ve been with the class for at least 10 years. Looking at the participants, they never seem to grow old. Hmmm, the secret of aging gracefully is definitely regular exercise. At the end of the class, I’m completely soaked to the skin with my own perspiration. After a change of clothes, I’m again running to catch the train for my next class at Bishan. My voice is getting a little hoarse.........

At Bishan Street 11, a stone’s throw away from Junction 8, is my line dancing class. This venue is a basketball court next to Guangyang Secondary School. Wind conditions almost non-prevalent. So you can imagine how hot the place is! I’m already drenched the second time with my sweat even before the class began. Organised by the Bishan Zone Residents Committee, the participants are mostly staying around the vicinity. As this is a public venue, the court is also shared with some basketball players. During the class, we run the occasional risk of the ball hurling at us. Of course there are also curious passers-by who paused to look at a group of aunties dancing to current pop music. At the end of the 2 hours, I almost famished, weary and flat out!

By then most of the food stalls have closed. I made do with whatever is left selling. My energy level is nearing zero so after dinner, I flag any cab in sight and head straight home. Gosh, what a day! The only thing left in my mind is the bed - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........

Consistently inconsistent

A topic I researched a few years ago about the English language. Enjoy.....

English is an amazing language. When you fall into the quicksand, you do not die immediately. It takes as long as 30 minutes for a person to be completely submerged. The boxing ring is square yet they called it a ring. Even more strange, a guinea pig is neither from New Guinea nor is it a pig but rodent or subject used in experiments. If a vegetarian eats vegetables, does it mean that humanitarians eat humans?

English is consistently inconsistent. Teachers taught us but Preachers preached not "praught". In the animal kingdom, whether it is one or a million, deer has no 's'. If cons is the opposite of pros, is Congress the opposite of Progress? Some words do not rhyme like shoes, goes and does. Neither is meal and real. Daughter and laughter. Or bother and brother. The list goes on.....

I like to share with you this story in the plane. A husband and wife were travelling on the plane. It was their first trip abroad. They were extremely excited. The husband is an Ah Beng and is not concerned about speaking good English. The wife on the other hand likes to correct the husband's language. Husband said "so we are going to pra-gue, I'm so excited!" the wife quickly corrected him and said "it's prague, not pra-gue." The husband couldn't be bothered. A flight stewardess walked past. The husband asked her for the menu. He looked at his menu. Chicken or pig's tongue. Ah, miss I think I'll have pig ton-gue. The wife, getting embarrassed, told the stewardess, "sorry, he meant pig's tongue." As usual, the husband remained indifferent. After dinner, the husband wanted something to read. He looked around and this girl holding on to the Vogue magazine. So he asked the stewardess "Do you have the Vo-gue magazine?" This wife, couldn't take it anymore. I told you "it's Vogue" the husband also couldn't stand the wife and retorted "What Prague, pig's tongue, vogue! I had enough of this. I'm not going to ARG with u anymore!"

In the English language, there is always a runner in us without physically having to run. Sometimes, you hear your friend running out of steam. Rival companies giving one another a run for their money. Someone is running for election. My income is running low these days. I'm running out of words to write. No, not yet.

Language is beautiful. "Now just close your eyes and listen to me. Imagine you are sitting on the beach. Watching the sunset. Feel the sea breeze. Listen to the sounds of the waves. Feel the sand in between your toes. On your right are coconut trees swaying. On your left you could sense the seagulls flying past. Smell the salt coming from the sea. Breathe in slowly. Exhale gently. All the tension. The stress. Blow it out. & now open your eyes." Feel good?

When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. When I wind up my watch, I started it. But when I wind up this talk, I ended it. Allow me to end with this quote “Stick & stones break my bones, but words make me go in a corner, & cry for hours.”

Feel the Rhythm

One of the reasons I enjoy teaching classes so much is music. Whether it is kickboxing, aerobics, yoga or line dancing, they are all done to music. Music has direct effect on our senses. It can be uplifting or soothing. A familiar tune or a certain song evokes wide-ranging feelings. It changes our moods. It relaxes our mind. It heals our soul. I can’t imagine my life without music.

This is especially so in line dancing. Line dancing is performed by a number of people all facing in the same direction and moving in lines. Everybody in the line does the same steps. A line dance consists of a sequence of steps repeated several times to a particular piece of music. It used to be done in Country & Western music.

However, over the years, line dancing has evolved to include music of different genre like pop, Latin, Celtic & even hip-hop. We have even danced to tunes by Pussycat Dolls, Beyonce, Shakira, Akon, Michael Buble, Maroon 5, Gwen Stefani, etc. Who are the participants? Majority comes from your neighbourhood aunties, a few working adults and some youngsters as well.

I teach about 5 line dancing classes a week. Each week there is at least 20 new choreography coming from UK, USA & Australia. But not all dances are awesome; in fact some dances suck big time! Therefore I have to be very discerning with my selection. But when there’s a fabulous choreography, I can really immerse myself in the music. I would imagine myself to be the protagonist in the song and express my feelings through the movements. It’s like being in the music video, allowing the body to be in sync with the rhythm, crooning to the tune – a vicarious experience.

Row, row, row your boat

It's really great to be back after more than a year's break from rowing. I remembered a month ago, I was still grappling with technique, coordination and stamina. It was also a time to renew my friendship with old teammates and form alliances with new found friends. The run along Marina Promenade, the pontoon, the circuit training, ......... felt like deja vu.

I'm looking forward to the race on 30 June at Bedok Reservoir. I'm also concerned about my fitness status. With slightly less than a month, I've increased the intensity and duration of my gym and running sessions. I've become more disciplined, organised and focused without realising it. I believe most people would be outcome-oriented - to win during the race. But I also think that the process is equally important - the training, the building of the team rapport, the journey that takes us through this stage.

A sport like dragonboating provide abundant opportunities to free ourselves for short periods to enjoy special moments not readily available elsewhere. Sometimes it's tough and challenging doing the anaerobic and endurance rows but great satisfaction comes from embracing the experience, becoming competent and being in control.

Once you become totally absorbed in the experience, it became fun, exciting, novel, meaningful - the kind that makes us feel great to be alive. This sport is not about the individual but every unique person that comes together to form this motley crew. The true joy and challenge lies in loving the pursuit, accomodating one another and living the various textures of our lives.