BC37 and BJ46

One word to sum it all up - FUN!

I've known that BC37 is going to be really awesome, and it was my first time teaching any tracks from BC37 and I must say that I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to teach the entire release soon.

I took T7 to T10 today.

T7, Let The Beat Control Your Body, is just pure speed and exhilaration. Everything went off very well, including the performances which I came up with. I thought the stomp and the circular knees at the end went very well, and we even got a little applause from the members.

And T8, Sea Of Love, another of my favourites. This is one song that we can definitely let it all out. I'm definitely going to recycle these 2 tracks pretty often!

T9, Church, the conditioning track, was hilarious for one reason. Some were surprised by the push-ups at the end, and I even had someone asking me to stop the music halfway hahaha.

T10, I love the song so much. The kata is strong and the song is just powerful.

After the class, it was an option between BA62 and BJ46. BA62 was my training release and I did it several times already. Moreover, B wanted to do BJ46 so we ended up taking a cab to GWC to do it.

BJ46 was FUN! The class was enthusiastic and totally up for it. Unlike the regular classes where members typically don't like to stand in front, for BJ, it was the total opposite. Everyone was crowding the front!

Latin/Salsa - I personally don't really like Latin that much, so I'll remain neutral for this.

Tribal - This was HOT! I like blocks like these, just like the ROCK in BJ45 but this was challenging and great to do.

Aussie House - Before the class when I heard from Sebestian that it was going to be house again, I was wondering what Gandalf could come up with. But the combo was just amazing! I enjoyed myself so much!

I'll be the first one to put up my hand to say I can't dance. Till now, I still can't dance. But I just love Bodyjam just because it is Bodyjam. It's never ever the same. I just like a challenge. Now I'm aching all over from all the rolls and isolations...

Knackered

I've always relied on my intuition since young. It's served me pretty well all these years. Something strange happened today.

The plan for the day was to teach my 2 classes (at STC and Parkway) and subsequently go for the rehearsal for tmr's launch. So this morning, I packed 3 sets of clothing for today. Then just before I left the house, I went back and grabbed another set. I don't know why I did that, all I know is I did just that.

As usual, I gave my all for my 2 classes. As I ended my second class at about 230pm, I saw one of the counter staff trying to get my attention and then he passed me a slip - asking me to call Jean to urgently cover the 3pm class at GWC.

To cut a long story short, there was some cock-up and there was no instructor for GWC Sat class. I know for myself how difficult it is to get cover for a Sat class, so I did my 'corporate duty' and dashed my ass to GWC in a cab.

(Jean, if you are reading this, you owe me one hahaha)

Reached there about 5 mins late, and proceeded to conduct the class in the only way I know how. I was completely knackered after the class and felt like my legs were going to give way.

Somehow my intuition served me quite well. I seriously did not know what happened that led me to go back to grab that 4th set of clothing.

Back to STC for the rehearsal for the launch tomorrow. I'll be presenting T7 to T10 tomorrow, and I've come up with some 'performances' for my tracks tmr. A rarity for me eh, considering I seldom do performances for my tracks.

One of which is super my style and I crafted it way before today, in fact on the very first day when I got the music. We tested it and it worked very well.

Here's hoping to a great launch tomorrow!

Budgeting for Auckland

Some have asked me how much does it take to go Auckland. Here's how I did my budget. Assuming a 1 to 1 rate for NZDSGD, which is now at about 0.9750, and staying for 1 week.

Air tix on SQ - 2,000
Hotel accomodation (budget) - 900
Airport transfer - 50
Breakfast - 70
Lunch - 105
Dinner - 105
Snacks and misc - 50
Gym entrance - 90
Transport - 50
LM Clothing - 300
Others - 100
Casino (optional) - 500

Estimated Total = 4,320

Q1' 2009 releases filming

Something relevant to this blog, finally.

I came home and checked my email and got one from LM NZ.

"LMI filming -

These times are still subject to change by LMI.
RPM bookings required as soon as the decision is made to visit NZ.

1/2009 - November 2008:

Thursday 30th October 2008
BODYPUMP / BODYATTACK /BODYJAM / BODYVIVE

Monday 3rd November 2008
RPM / BODYCOMBAT / BODYSTEP / BODYBALANCE "

I've already ear-marked the 7 programs that I want to attend. The excitement is building up. I can't wait!

BC3601 - James Bond Theme

There is a difference between the 'ginga' and 'step-ginga'. The former steps back on the odd counts, while the latter steps away on the odd counts and steps behind on the even counts'.

Some of you have asked me about the lower body warm up in BC36 - James Bond Theme, because another instructor did it the 'step-ginga', differently from what we did earlier in the week.

It's ginga, not 'step-ginga'.

I'm With You

I was just leaving my playlist on when this song 'I'm With You' by Avril Lavigne came on. Till today, the song resonates strongly in me. It reminded me of my days working in the US as a lifeguard.

Back in 2003, I ventured out to a foreign land all alone to work. I met fellow Singaporeans there and six of us shared an apartment. Due to the nature of our work, I was usually the first to knock off, and there were many times when I explored the little town alone, and by foot. There were many times I felt lonely and away from all my friends and family in a distant land.

This song was hitting the airwaves then and I remembered distinctly how I felt each time I listened to it. It was poignant and endearing and I thought Avril Lavigne expressed the song very well, bringing out the emotions within. It may be a song, but I honestly felt like she meant what she sang.

Fast forward to 2008. This song still touches my heart every time I listen to it.

I'm standing on the bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound

Isn't anyone tryin’ to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home?

(Chorus)
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you

I'm looking for a place
I'm searching for a face
Is anybody here I know?
'Cause nothing's going right
And everything’s a mess
And no one likes to be alone

Isn't anyone tryin’ to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home?

(CHORUS)

Oh!

Why is everything so confusing?
Maybe I'm just out of my mind
Yeah.. yeah.. yeah!..yeah.. yeah,
yeah.. yeah, yeah yeah,YEAH...
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I....!
I'm with YOU...
I'm with YOU...
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I!

I'm with you...
I'm with you...

Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I
I'm with you
I'm with you

I'm with you

Les Mills Launch At Cali

Today is the launch of BB, BC and BP at Cali. Very soon they will have BJ too. I decided to attend the launch in preparation for our launch next week.

I went for two - the first 1030 at Republic Plaza II and the second 1210 at Bugis Junction. After the two classes, I've come to the conclusion that BC37 is an awesome release and I'm going to love it lots.

The atmosphere was electrifying. Goodness knows how many people can wake up and attend a 1030 class on Sunday. I literally had to drag my ass up for this. And they had a team of instructors for the class too, 3 for RP, 4 for Bugis, and each team dressed up really well. I think they probably have a creative director or something.

For the first class, there were some delays due to technical error. The transmitter sets didn't work. I've attended several classes at Cali before and seriously this is the first time I'm seeing this. It was amusing (to me) seeing the instructors sweating, looking flustered, and running up and down to sort the problem.

I guess they dont get much practice on this, unlike me, it used to be a regular practice for me every Wed at FES and CSQ, and occasionally CHV too.

Of cos, I can't say that the classes were perfect. No class is ever perfect, but there were a few things which I found a little annoying.

The first is the space constraint. As both the classes were filled to the brim, there was hardly any space to move around or kick. The inability to shuffle or execute kicks fully does take plenty away from the workout.

Choreo mistakes. There were so many choreo mistakes in the 2 classes that it was unbelievable. A little too much for me to bear. The first class had mistakes in 8 out of the 10 tracks - T1, T2, T3, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10. I'm not talking about minor mistakes but rather major ones. Wrong moves, wrong timing, wrong kata, wrong type of skips.

The second class at Bugis was better. There were mistakes in only 4 tracks - T1, T2, T3, T4, T10.

Maybe the first class was suffering from nerves after the frantic 15mins when they were trying to sort out the technical error, or maybe they had too little time to learn the 3 or 4 tracks that they were each allocated. But their experience showed as they covered up some of the errors brilliantly. As this was the launch, most of the participants probably didn't know the moves anyway so they just followed suit.

I guess I'm just being a little anal about this cos nobody is perfect. I make mistakes too. I can tolerate mistakes but mistakes in 8 out of 10 is perhaps a little overwhelming. Choreography is first key element (out of 5) of LM programs and as my trainer for BA, Kylie Gates, put it. "I need your choreo to be 100%, not 90%, otherwise I will fail you".

The third thing which annoyed me was quite a number of the participants at RP tended to be half a beat faster than the music. They quickly execute their moves then spend extra time pulsing. It's a common phenomenon I witnessed at RP. There wasn't such a problem at Bugis though.

I must have sounded like I hated the class because I have been quite negative so far. But in actual fact, I really enjoyed the classes. Here's what I really liked.

Theme/Outfits. It's remarkable how much effort both teams put in to coordinate on the dressing, which fitted the Blade/Underworld theme in BC37 perfectly. Not to mention all those little accessories and make up on the faces. Full marks for effort.

The crowd is just awesome. Turned up in full force and lent their voices to the cause. Most of the members don't even need to be prompted before they start to holler.

Other than the minor glitch, the sound system was actually really good. The music was loud and clear, and the mic came through well.

All in all, I enjoyed my BC37. Already I'm liking it more than BC35 and BC36. Can't wait to launch it!

I've Heard It All Before

I think BC37 is going to be a great release. In preparation for the launch next week, I've been listening to the songs non-stop and I find myself liking the tracks more and more.

I started liking only 1 or 2 tracks, the initial favourites, but now I find that I like about 8 of them. There's one particular track which I still do not like, but I shall not speak too soon, who knows I may like it by next Sunday after I keep listening to it on my ipod.

It's always the same thing for new releases. I always hear from members that the new releases are not nice, and they prefer to do the old tracks. But then again, those old tracks were new releases too back in the old days! We can't always bank on those few tracks, we need more variety and some challenge.

Members who attend my classes know I love the ESK, but I doubt many will know that when ESK first came out in BC30, I hated the release. I didn't like the music at first listen. Too much rock I thought. And when I saw the ESK track, I was like 'Oh no, how am I going to teach this?'

But I forced myself to train on the move over and over again. I had to endure many people walking out on T4, but today I'm so glad I perservered and am very pleased with myself for drilling it in my classes week in week out. And music wise, I find myself liking rock more and more. I just feel it suits my style better.

So new moves or new music, we just have to learn to adapt.

Last week Susan mentioned after class that I've not done certain tracks from BC35 for quite a while. Personally I don't quite like that release, in fact for BC35 T1 to T8, I only like 3 tracks, the rest doesn't quite appeal to me so I've more or less binned it. So for this afternoon's class, I did the 3 tracks from BC35 that I'm ok with, and I quite enjoyed myself!

For BC37, I can see myself recycling quite a number of the tracks. I think we'll all enjoy this release!

Financial Turmoil

The financial markets are shrinking by the second and as everything unravels, it takes an extreme optimist to see the daylight.

Times are tough. Everyone is stressed up and in a foul mood because markets are clearly down and circumstances have driven us into a corner. The stress pimples are exploding and tempers are flaring.

I've already seen one round, and this is already a second round, only much worse.

Top 5 US investment banks - No 5 Bear Sterns got a bailout. No 4 Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. No 3 Merrill Lynch sold itself to Bank of America.

News just in - Morgan Stanley approached Citi to merge but was rejected, and is now in the midst of selling a larger stake to China Investment Corp. If Goldman Sachs goes next, I seriously don't know what will happen.

With everyone so stressed up, one of my colleagues psycho-ed all of us to stop working and attend BC class at 8 plus. At least we all let off some steam...

Random Thoughts On A Sunday Night

Yet another weekend has passed me by just like that. I think I must have spent half my Sunday catching up on my sleep and the rest playing on my Football Manager 2008 game.

FM2008 is the reincarnation of the former Championship Manager, coined CM for short, and it was my favourite game back in my schooling days. It was out of sheer boredom many Sundays ago that I popped out to buy the game because I wanted to kill time. Now, I have since devoted precious hours of my Sunday managing my football team, signing players, organising tactics, playing matches, blah blah blah... Pretty meaningless, but nevertheless enjoyable.

I made my comeback on Sat after two weeks of absence and I was definitely somewhat rusty. Missed the sort of sharpness that I am accustomed to from conducting weekday classes as well.

Did a mix for my morning class, and BC34 for my afternoon class as I was too busy to mix the tracks. Then after my class, there was a revelation that Xavier who covered my afternoon class, did BC34 for two weeks in a row. The poor members must have been bored to bits doing the same thing three weeks in a row. Some have requested for me to change the tracks next week, which I definitely will. Not my style to do the same thing, even if it's two different classes on a same day.

During the second class, I got high during T8 - Believe In Me. This has always been one of the tracks that has got me going, physically, mentally and emotionally. Choreography is easy, but it's so much harder not to just coast through that track. I don't know why, but I just love this track to bits.

Work has taken its toll on me. I'm feeling more tired now, even though I only conduct 2 classes a week compared to 5 last time. But there are no complaints about work, I like my boss, my teammates, my working environment. My current job is not as glamourous as my previous - I get scolded all the time by external parties, but this job certainly allows me a more comfortable lifestyle and more flexibility to pursue my other indulgences such as travelling and going for filmings/workshops.

Interestingly, in spite of the global market downturn, I've been contacted by a couple of headhunters sounding me out for roles similar to what I did in the past. A more glamourous role, frequent work travel and shorter hours, with the odd midnights for projects. There was a fleeting moment where I thought if I should consider it.

Deja vu all over again. A job I like, colleagues that I like, working culture that I like, only that 2.5 years ago, I made the mistake of quitting and put myself into misery.

Even till today, I still regret the decision I made back in Jan 2006. I'll willingly trade all my LM experiences and achievements if I could go back to the past.

I haven't changed since then. Just become slightly more nonchalant. Or should I say, resigned?

Body-Balancing

This week has been absolutely insane. Started with the sprained foot over the weekend from my BA training, I was given 3 days MC (Mon-Wed). Ended up going back to work on Tue because my phone kept ringing and I knew that I had to get my ass back.

I'm glad I did because the backlog from just one day is insane. And I have numbers to hit too. Now I understand what people mean when they forfeit their leave and don't take MCs.

Anyway, for the last 2 days, I've been working till nearly 10pm, and was expecting today to be another of those days where I'll slog my ass off. In the middle of the warzone, I heard B say.

B: So how guys, are we going Body-Balancing tonight or not?

Immediately I perked up when I heard that. My colleagues were going to the gym - BB class. Apparently P and D just signed up for the corporate membership just last week and were more than eager to maximise it. Let's see how long this thing lasts, not that I'm skeptical, but we seriously work damn late. Of course, I didn't let my colleagues in on how much I know about BB.

After some serious discussion, I was tempted, so I stood up and just said. "OK, I'm going to stop working!"

So in the end, 6 of us went for the class. P gave us some of his guest passes to myself, B and V. D and his girlfriend are already members.

I didn't bring any gym clothing along, but FF provides, so it was great. I felt really good during the class. I love the program, Ben was great and the tracks selected were awesome. Even got teased by Ben for singing along to the songs.

So after the class, Ben spoke to my colleagues on attending classes for the first time. B said we are all very stressed from work and wanted to let off some steam. Then Ben said that we should all attend Bodycombat and should ask me (and pointed to me) since I'm a teacher also.

Oops, the cat out of the bag. But I got official approval from HR already, so its fine, I don't have to hide here hide there.

After that, we went back to office and my boss was still there. So in the end, we all went for dinner at Old Airport Road.

What an interesting evening. =)

BKK Quarterly in Nov

During BA training over the weekend, I confirmed with Kylie Gates on the exact dates of the quarterly workshop for Q408. They'll be held on the last weekend of Nov - 29 and 30 Nov.

0830 BC
1000 BV
1100 BA
1200 BS
1330 BP
1500 BB
1630 BJ

Of course, all the excitement returns again. Attending quarterlies is like giving myself an excuse to get out of the country. Oh, how I love to travel. And for the first time, we have the dates early, which allows us to make travel plans in advance, at cheaper prices before all the tickets get snapped up. Moreover, Nov is the holiday season and peak period!

For those who are reading this and are interested to go, you may wish to note that Tiger Airways has a promotion now. $0.04 per way. I already know of Jean and Joel who have booked the cheap promo fares. I seriously don't know how Tiger makes money with these fares.

So having spent the last two days deliberating on it, I just completed my booking 20 mins ago. I booked myself on Swiss Air. 2 way for $326. The miles are worth about $70to me, and throw in the 2 meals, the in-flight entertainment and checkin from Terminal 1, I reckon it's worth it.

I'll be flying out on Sat nite so I don't miss my 2 Sat classes, and then I'll fly back on Mon afternoon. Given that I'll prob reach there Sat midnight, and then spending the entire Sun at the workshop, I don't think I'll have much time to walk around. Not that I mind anyway, BKK is so near and so convenient that we can just go any time we want!

I'm feeling really excited because now I have not ONE but TWO trips to keep me going. Auckland for filming then Bangkok for quarterlies. How exciting.

And I'm looking ahead to next year too. Australian Open 2009 tickets start sale first week of Oct, and I will need to decide if I want to go and watch. But bad news is the airfares have already gone up by $400. I was just checking the SQ website and was dismayed to see the prices go up over the weekend just like that. I should have just proceeded with the bookings when I saw it cheap last week. Now I have to come up with $1,700 instead of $1,300. Sian.

The airfares, tournament tix and accomodation should easily set me back another $3,000. Gosh, sometimes I think I'm spending too much money on travel. But then again, I hardly spend on anything, so why shouldn't I indulge myself several times a year?

Another Circle

I'm extremely exhausted and want to go to bed RIGHT NOW but I really have to write this before it drags into the new week and I totally forget about it.

I've been absent from my classes this week and those in the know would have been aware that I went for BODYATTACK training hosted by FF and conducted by the legendary Kylie Gates. Yup, I've been cleared to instruct and I've got another circle under my belt. Will I complete the 8? It remains to be seen. Even if I embark on it, there's one major obstacle - BODYJAM... But we'll think about that later.

The reason why I signed up for BODYATTACK was not because I want to pursue teaching in this program (BODYCOMBAT remains my first passion and I do have time constraints) but rather the fact that I wanted to challenge myself and push new boundaries. And what's even more daunting was that I have done BA less than 10 times.

Like what my trainer Kylie Gates said, BA is the most 'siong' program to teach. I agree wholeheartedly. Just one track and I'm there gasping for breath. Not to mention having to ensure tip-top execution and perfect technique and coach.

I really do want to take as many LM programs as I can. It's better to do it when I'm not that old yet and my physical state has not deteriorated that much. However, I do want to space them out so that I can get a regular kick up my butt when I'm in my comfort zone.

Being a trainee once again takes me away from that comfort zone. Being taught new things, being corrected, being screamed at... these are the things that I'll never be exposed to had I remained status quo.

Kylie was inspirational. She was a great motivator and coach, and she always had a kind word for everyone. During the individual review, she said some really nice things, things that made me consider if I should pursue this program. I'll like to keep them private, at least away from this public domain. These words are for me to remember for the rest of my life. Strangely I still remember what my trainers Marena Digby (BODYBALANCE) and Geoff Richards (BODYCOMBAT) said to me.

I was very positive throughout the entire training, and wore a constant smile on my face throughout training. Why not? I only have 8 shots at doing this (supposing I go for all 8 prog), and I'm not going to be negative and dampen my experience. That, coming from a naturally gloomy person like myself, is really remarkable.

I've made new friends and acquaintances along the way, recognised some of my strengths and weaknesses. I realised my greatest weakness throughout this entire training, is my complacency. Remembering choreo and music is one of my strongest points, and because of that, I was complacent.

While I had training mates staying until 4am to practise tracks and we had to report at 7:15am this morning, me sleeping at 2am is nothing. And the reason why I slept at 2am was not to practise the track. It was to watch the US Open Men's Semi between Federer and Djokovic. Disgusting I know - I watched the DVD twice, listened to the tracks about 3-4 times and that was it. Not even a single practice.

But of cos here comes the reality check. Because I hadn't practised, I looked a little sloppy in my initial presentation (which was videoed!!!!). I was cringing half the time I watched myself. That's the price to pay for being complacent. I wisened up, rectified my mistakes and did so much better for the second time round.

It's been one of the most physical moments in my life. Pushing myself to the limits, especially in those challenges - the beep test, the circuit, the pushups, not to mention doing the masterclasses 3 times.

But all the sweat is worth it. Not for that little circle I gain. But for the experience, the knowledge I've gained from Kylie, the sharing of passion for LM prog with other enthusiasts, and knowing that each one of us have the capacity to help change lives. That's the key takeaway.

Planning Ahead

I've still got 2 months to go before my Auckland trip, and already I'm making plans ahead.

The idea just came to me randomly. I've been watching tennis (US Open) for the past few days and I feel really inspired to book myself a trip to Melbourne next year for the Australian Open. There are 4 Grand Slam tournaments a year, and it's the time when all the world's best tennis players will be on show.

Melbourne, Paris, London, New York.

With today being a US holiday, markets were relatively quiet, and I took the opportunity to check out the details for Australian Open 2009. This is definitely something which I need to plan in advance. Ticket sales start in Oct, and if I want to catch the tournament, I better book the tickets early.

The tournament coincides with the 2 days of CNY, so the dates are seriously very tempting. I checked out the Krisflyer website and saw some affordable tickets which has the dates I want.

Like I've said before, there's just too many things to accomplish and too little time. Only two sports capture my attention that much - football and tennis. One of my lifelong objectives is to go Europe to watch a couple of football matches - the English Premier League, and Barcelona in La Liga. For tennis, it's much easier as I'll target the four Grand Slams and maybe the Shanghai Masters. All these will come gradually.

Then there's the personal sightseeing trips that I want to accomplish. I want to venture into territories I have not set foot on, I want to visit as many places as possible.

And also, there are my Les Mills commitments, the quarterlies, the filmings, and the upcoming Asian Summit which is rumoured to be held in Bangkok later this year, where all the Asia Pacific trainers will be present in the form of a super workshop. And there's the Sydney Filex in Apr which I want to go as well. Sometimes I don't know why I'm doing all these when I'm not a full time fitness professional.

All these require time and money. Money, as I always say, can be earned back. But time, it is never enough. I've learnt to treasure my time so much more. No time for frivolous stuff.